Her expression clouded with both guilt and irritation. Right then, he realized she didn’t just want a night off… she probably needed a night off.

“Forget it. You’ve been working your tail off. Tonight, a walk works for me.” He knew this was the right decision when he saw the relief. Lyra was a stoic, but she must have been hurting a little more than he realized. He wished she would tell him what was going on in that beautiful head once in a while. Her absolute refusal to ask for help worried him, along with her stubborn self-reliance… even as he knew these qualities were some of what attracted him.

“Great. I’ll go grab the waitress and take care of the bill, and we’ll head out.”

Jaden watched her stride away and sighed to himself, enjoying the lingering scent of her perfume. He didn’t know where they were headed, the two of them. Nowhere fast, probably.

But he wanted, very much, to try and enjoy the ride.

It might have been chilly, but Lyra loved being out in the open air. She breathed in deeply, tipping her head back to look at the night sky. Some of the clouds had cleared off, allowing the bright pinpoints of stars to shine down unobstructed.

Jaden walked beside her in companionable silence. She got the feeling he was waiting for her to speak. That was one thing about him: he was happy to engage when provoked, but he didn’t seem to need to just chatter for no apparent reason. She was used to being talked at—whether it was because of her position in the pack or just because she looked like she might have answers, people tended to come to her with their problems, their concerns, their stories. No one, except maybe Simon, had ever been very interested in her own.

Now there was Jaden, waiting patiently for her to say something, or to say nothing, content in his own skin. It was… interesting.

And incredibly attractive. But hadn’t she decided she wasn’t going to think about that anymore?

Yeah, right. For tonight, Lyra supposed she would blame her weakness on the scent of his cologne. That fragrance really did smell great on him. And for now, a convenient explanation like that suited her just fine.

They left the square behind, ambling down the familiar streets of her hometown. Lyra stole glances at Jaden occasionally, enjoying the fact that he seemed to appreciate the beauty of her place, if not necessarily the inhabitants. Even there, though, she’d seen a change. People were getting used to seeing him. And the longer he went without freaking out and killing a bunch of wolves, the more comfortable her pack would probably become.

The two of them walked slowly over a little bridge that spanned Illoren Creek.

There were areas for pedestrians along the sides, and she stopped, leaning over to watch the water and enjoying the sound of it as it moved beneath.

She thought Jaden was watching the creek, too, but his words indicated he’d been looking at her instead. She found she didn’t mind.

“You’re wearing your necklace,” he said. “The one I brought back to you. I haven’t seen you wear it since then.”

Lyra picked up the moonstone pendant from where it dangled between her breasts and looked at it, rubbing her thumb over the smooth stone out of habit. She’d once thought it brought her luck. Maybe it did, in its way.

“I don’t wear it all the time,” she said, lifting her eyes to meet Jaden’s. The sight of him, watching her so intently and illuminated only by the faint glow of a streetlight farther back down the road, momentarily took her breath away. He was so perfectly suited to the night, she thought. So dark and beautiful. And having his undivided attention fixed on her, when he looked so very much like what he was, had lust unfurling like a dark and sensuous bloom deep in her belly.

Unsettled, she sought more words to fill the silence.

“When I’m away, I wear the necklace for luck, and because it reminds me of home. When I’m here, I usually just wear it if I’m doing some kind of pack business to let people know not to bother me unless it’s important.”

Jaden chuckled, then leaned against the railing beside her to look over. “I’m sure your Blake would be flattered to know he was deemed important by a pack of werewolves.”

“He’s not mine, because I don’t want him. It is important that we run people like him off, though. Some of them are more astute than is safe for us. We don’t want that kind of attention.”

“No, I’m sure you don’t.” Jaden fell silent again, looking out into the distance. She let her gaze linger on his profile, allowing her eyes to caress what her fingers longed to. There was so much she didn’t know about him, and he offered very little freely. But here, alone, she felt emboldened to pry a little more.

“So how did you end up here?” she asked.

He gave her a sideways look. “I drove.”

Lyra pursed her lips. “Hilarious. I didn’t mean literally. I haven’t ever talked much to vampires, except maybe Rogan back at that safe house where I met you. And I’m pretty sure at least half of everything he said was complete bullshit.”

Jaden chuckled. “You would be right about that. Ty knew him better than I did, but that was the impression I got too. Sneaky bastard, but charming enough when he wanted something. Damien took his head off that night, you know. Right before sunrise.”

Lyra winced. “Wow. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Rogan had it coming from any number of directions. If it hadn’t been Damien, it would have been someone else before too long.”

“Who’s Damien?” she asked. She didn’t remember anyone by that name at the safe house, though in fairness, that whole episode had been unnerving. Fleeing there had been a last resort.

“He’s a Cait Sith, like I am, or was, before I joined the Lilim. Never belonged to the Ptolemy, though. He’s with the House of Shadows.”

“Oh,” Lyra replied, frowning. “I heard a lot about them while I was in Chicago. They’re some kind of assassin’s guild or something, aren’t they?”

“Among other things,” Jaden allowed. “Tangling with Shades is usually ill advised. Damien’s very good at what he does. Which means he’s a useful friend to have.”

“He’s a good friend?”

Jaden gave her a half smile. “Well. More to Ty than me. They were turned around the same time, and knew one another way back. But he and I tolerate one another, even though I doubt I’ll ever really trust him.” He paused, then looked away. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of to survive, but living this long, having to make your way among the highbloods and the lowbloods and all the intrigue… it can kill some parts of you after a while. Your conscience. Your soul. Damien’s missing a few pieces.”

“And you’re not?” she asked quietly. Not to tease, but because she really wanted to know.

He seemed to consider this for a moment. Finally, he looked at her, his eyes glowing softly in the dark. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m tired, of course. Tired of running, tired of never having a real place to call home. But I’m pretty sure all my pieces are intact.”

Her mind raced directly into the gutter, and Lyra flushed. She was absolutely positive all his pieces were intact. Jaden read her face immediately and gave a low, warm laugh.

“See, that’s what I like about you, Lyra. No putting on airs. You’re very… earthy.”

It was her turn to laugh. “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” Her smile lingered after the laughter died away as they stood, heads turned toward one another. The connection between them felt natural and comfortable right now. Maybe because it was no longer based on simple attraction… there was more.

Maybe a lot more, if she had the nerve to explore it. Here in the comfortable darkness, it didn’t seem nearly as unwise.

“So now you like me, huh?” she asked, seeing no harm in flirting a little. What could happen? They were in public, sort of. She was safe enough. And the way he was watching her made her toes curl with pleasure.

“Of course I like you,” he replied. “I thought I’d already made that clear.” He surprised her by lifting his hand to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. His hand grazed her cheek lightly, and even that small amount of contact made her skin sizzle.

“Yeah, well, lust and like are two different things,” Lyra said, hearing the slight quaver in her voice as she sought to hold back the instincts that rose so quickly to the surface whenever he touched her. So strange, that a cat would appeal so deeply to a wolf. But there it was. The wild thing in her wanted him just as badly as the rest of her did.

“Why can’t it be both?” Jaden asked. “You’re beautiful, Lyra. But I wouldn’t be here if that’s all there was to you.”

“Ah, I see.” Lyra laughed. “You like me for my ability to kick serious ass. Got it.”

He smiled, but there was something soft in his expression that made her want to simply melt into him. No man had ever looked at her the way he did, she realized. She’d been wanted, and she’d had a few men enjoy her company. But never really both. Not like this.

This realization made her wish things were different. Because Jaden was special. She could accept that she felt that way, even though it would do her no good to admit it to him. It wouldn’t change the way things had to be.

Yet she couldn’t resist moving into him, watching his lashes lower in anticipation as he went very still, waiting. He allowed her to make the choice. He couldn’t possibly know how much such a small thing meant to her. And it made it that much easier to lift her lips to his, pressing into the incredible softness of his mouth. Lyra felt him tremble, ever so slightly, and it was nearly her undoing.

Why did she always end up wanting the most impossible things?

She slid her arms around Jaden’s neck, fitting herself against him. One of his hands curved around her waist, the other brushing over her hair to cup the back of her head. His mouth opened against hers, and she swept her tongue inside, deepening the kiss. Instead of climbing him, which a part of her always seemed inclined to do, Lyra held back, stroking the hair at the nape of Jaden’s neck, savoring the taste of him, the feel of him. He was like nothing and no one she had ever known.