push a part of himself further back?
Wolf, that is . . . why am I talking to myself?
He hung his head, resting it against Rylee’s back as he fought to find himself. Himself.
Liam. Faris. Wolf. Vampire. They blended together inside his head until there was no other , no sharing .
Just one.
Rylee shifted. “Liam.”
He lifted his head. “Is that who I am?”
Her whole body stiffened. “What did you say?”
“I . . . what is my name? I thought I knew a minute ago, but now I’m not sure.” He saw her eyes widen and he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. This was what he wanted. To feel her skin under his and feel her heartbeat beneath his own.
But hadn’t he been with her before?
Love, that was what he wanted. But she loved him, so how could he want her to love him?
The confusion seemed to split his skull, yet with his mouth on hers, tasting her lips and tangling his tongue against hers, there was no wrong place. This was right.
This was home for every part of him.
She pulled away from him. “You feel different.”
“Better?” He arched an eyebrow and her lips turned up at the corner.
“Just . . . different. You’re both still in there, aren’t you?”
“Both? Just me.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and ran a hand down the side of his face, and there was a glimmer of tears in those amazing eyes. “Just you.”
He smiled again and gave her a wide grin, flashing his fangs. “Just me.”
Below them, Eve shuddered. “We’re landing soon. Lark called back for us to be ready.”
He nodded. “Ready as we’ll ever be.”
The Harpy began her descent, spiraling out of the sky, through the clouds and the tips of the redwoods.
Wherever they were, no matter the danger, he would protect her. That much he knew without a doubt.
“Rylee, I do have one question,” he said as the trees around them thinned and they dropped to the ground.
“What’s that?”
“It’s rather foolish.”
“No such thing as a stupid question, not in our world,” she said as she dismounted from the large bird. Eve had dropped Pamela and Alex ahead of them.
He cleared his throat. “What’s my name again?”
She spun and stared at him, but that wasn’t what caught his attention.
No, it was the oversized black wolf with the white fur zigzagging down his leg that marked a scar. The beast’s lips were rippled back over fangs that were at least four-inches long. He knew that wolf, they’d met before, but those memories blurred along with all the others in his head as they slipped away from him.
In a flash, the wolf leapt, knocking him to the ground with a speed he couldn’t dodge. A low rumbling growl rippled from the wolf, out of his lips, and felt as though it wormed its way into his own body.
Breaking apart the confusion, dividing what had become one.
And he wasn’t sure he liked it.
“No, I don’t want to lose my chance for her to love me!” The words ripped out of him.
Faris’s words.
Liam was there, inside his head, held back by the vampire’s strength. He could do nothing, had no say over the body.
On top of them, Griffin shifted. Fully clothed, the man Liam knew as his grandfather stared down at them.
“Vampire was pulling a fast one on you, kid. Whether you knew it or not, yeah?”
Liam wanted to ask what the hell was happening, but couldn’t.
Didn’t seem to stop Griffin from answering. “He bound you good; I can see that. Now, the only way to separate is for him to decide to let you go. And that isn’t going to happen, is it?”
Rylee came up behind Griffin. “Can you bring Liam forward?”
Faris nodded, but Liam didn’t come forward. “Adamson, I’m okay with this. I am, and I need you to believe it and put it from your mind.”
Liam struggled against Faris, against the control the vampire had. But it was like wrestling with a mountain. There was nothing he could do.
Rylee stared at him hard, like she was trying to see him. With everything he had, he reached for
Wolf, that is . . . why am I talking to myself?
He hung his head, resting it against Rylee’s back as he fought to find himself. Himself.
Liam. Faris. Wolf. Vampire. They blended together inside his head until there was no other , no sharing .
Just one.
Rylee shifted. “Liam.”
He lifted his head. “Is that who I am?”
Her whole body stiffened. “What did you say?”
“I . . . what is my name? I thought I knew a minute ago, but now I’m not sure.” He saw her eyes widen and he leaned forward, capturing her lips with his own. This was what he wanted. To feel her skin under his and feel her heartbeat beneath his own.
But hadn’t he been with her before?
Love, that was what he wanted. But she loved him, so how could he want her to love him?
The confusion seemed to split his skull, yet with his mouth on hers, tasting her lips and tangling his tongue against hers, there was no wrong place. This was right.
This was home for every part of him.
She pulled away from him. “You feel different.”
“Better?” He arched an eyebrow and her lips turned up at the corner.
“Just . . . different. You’re both still in there, aren’t you?”
“Both? Just me.”
She sucked in a sharp breath and ran a hand down the side of his face, and there was a glimmer of tears in those amazing eyes. “Just you.”
He smiled again and gave her a wide grin, flashing his fangs. “Just me.”
Below them, Eve shuddered. “We’re landing soon. Lark called back for us to be ready.”
He nodded. “Ready as we’ll ever be.”
The Harpy began her descent, spiraling out of the sky, through the clouds and the tips of the redwoods.
Wherever they were, no matter the danger, he would protect her. That much he knew without a doubt.
“Rylee, I do have one question,” he said as the trees around them thinned and they dropped to the ground.
“What’s that?”
“It’s rather foolish.”
“No such thing as a stupid question, not in our world,” she said as she dismounted from the large bird. Eve had dropped Pamela and Alex ahead of them.
He cleared his throat. “What’s my name again?”
She spun and stared at him, but that wasn’t what caught his attention.
No, it was the oversized black wolf with the white fur zigzagging down his leg that marked a scar. The beast’s lips were rippled back over fangs that were at least four-inches long. He knew that wolf, they’d met before, but those memories blurred along with all the others in his head as they slipped away from him.
In a flash, the wolf leapt, knocking him to the ground with a speed he couldn’t dodge. A low rumbling growl rippled from the wolf, out of his lips, and felt as though it wormed its way into his own body.
Breaking apart the confusion, dividing what had become one.
And he wasn’t sure he liked it.
“No, I don’t want to lose my chance for her to love me!” The words ripped out of him.
Faris’s words.
Liam was there, inside his head, held back by the vampire’s strength. He could do nothing, had no say over the body.
On top of them, Griffin shifted. Fully clothed, the man Liam knew as his grandfather stared down at them.
“Vampire was pulling a fast one on you, kid. Whether you knew it or not, yeah?”
Liam wanted to ask what the hell was happening, but couldn’t.
Didn’t seem to stop Griffin from answering. “He bound you good; I can see that. Now, the only way to separate is for him to decide to let you go. And that isn’t going to happen, is it?”
Rylee came up behind Griffin. “Can you bring Liam forward?”
Faris nodded, but Liam didn’t come forward. “Adamson, I’m okay with this. I am, and I need you to believe it and put it from your mind.”
Liam struggled against Faris, against the control the vampire had. But it was like wrestling with a mountain. There was nothing he could do.
Rylee stared at him hard, like she was trying to see him. With everything he had, he reached for
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