Too soon, he turned them on their sides. Regret stole over his features. The gray of his eyes seemed paler as he studied her face. “Cain is waiting. We can’t put it off much longer.”
Her stomach clenched. “There’s a lot to talk about.”
He got up and offered her a hand. “Come here.”
She put her palm in his.
“Whatever happens,” he said, helping her to her feet, “I’m not going to leave you. You’re my family now.”
Family. A chill crept up like a shadow, invading her heart, when she recalled Lupien’s words. “Lupien said something.”
At the mention of Lupien’s name, his jaw set into a hard line.
“He said all the mothers of the babies like me die at birth,” she continued.
Anger flashed across his face as the implication registered. He wanted children, but it might be the one thing she could never give him.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He grabbed her wrists. “Don’t ever say sorry again. Listen to me.” He tightened his grip. “We’ll check it out to be sure the bastard didn’t lie, and if it’s true, we’ll make damn sure you never fall pregnant.”
“My mother…” She licked her dry lips. “Is that why she died?”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Let’s not make assumptions before we have all the facts.”
He was hiding something. She pulled free. “Did Lann’s mother pass away when she gave birth?”
He clenched his jaw. “Yes.”
“And Maya’s?”
There was a small pause. “Yes.”
It was true. “I see.”
Concern tightened his features. “When did you have your last period?”
“Not so long ago. Maybe a week.”
“Good.” His nostrils flared. “You can’t be pregnant. From now on, we won’t take any risks.”
“I know how badly you want children.”
The sadness was fleeting, a shooting star that burned out fast, but she noticed.
“I want you more,” he said.
She couldn’t stop the tears that built in her eyes. They weren’t for her, but for him. She tried to blink them away, only making the welled-up drops run over her cheeks.
Brushing the wetness away with his thumbs, he said, “I’ll get the best medical advice I can. Whatever happens, you have me. We have each other. Understand?”
She nodded.
“Say it,” he said.
“We’ve got each other.”
“Good.” He kissed her lips. “We better have a shower.”
The words he didn’t say hung in the air. They had to face Cain and get what was waiting over with.
They showered together, washing each other and kissing again, gentler this time. Their relationship wasn’t conventional, but neither was Joss. What they had was real, and she wasn’t going to waste time fighting it, not after realizing how short life can be.
After dressing in a comfortable jersey and jeans, she took Joss’s hand and followed him downstairs to the dining hall. Cain sat at the table studying a tablet, a bottle of wine open next to him.
When they entered, he got to his feet. “I’m glad to see some color in your face again, Clelia.”
“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said, hoping the color of her face didn’t give away why they’d made him wait. “You must really stop injecting me with drugs.”
Joss squeezed her hand in warning before pulling out a chair at the table for her.
Cain waited until Clelia was seated before taking his again. “An enemy was destroyed today. For that, I’m indebted to you.”
“Indebted?” He didn’t seem upset about Joss’s betrayal. “I’m more interested in how this affects Joss’s future.”
Cain smiled. “Nothing needs to change for Joss.”
Clelia frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Joss pulled the wine closer. He didn’t move his eyes from Cain when he said, “I think I do.” He refilled Cain’s glass and served two more. “You knew I’d go after Lupien. That’s why you let me go in the first place.”
Cain’s eyes crinkled in the corners. “I knew if Clelia was alive, you’d find her and then Lupien. Even if Clelia had been dead, you would’ve avenged her death. It was only a matter of tracking you.”
“Then why let me go alone?” Joss asked.
“The team was busy on other missions.”
Clelia stared at Cain. “If you knew what we’d be facing, why didn’t you help us?”
Cain’s gaze was level. “I did.”
Joss took her hand under the table. “Cain came to help you when you faced Lupien.”
She looked at Joss’s commander. “You didn’t pull any magic tricks.”
“The only way I could help was not letting Lupien bring out your darkness,” Cain said.
“I see,” Clelia said as understanding dawned. “If Lupien managed to turn me dark, you would’ve killed me.”
“Naturally,” Cain said without as much as blinking. “Joss wouldn’t be able to do it, but I couldn’t allow Lupien to take your art and become even more powerful.”
She wasn’t sure how to react to that statement. It made logical sense, but her heart protested at the ease with which Cain would’ve eliminated her.
“And now?” she asked, barely keeping her voice even.
“May I have a word with Joss alone, please?” Cain asked.
Clelia glanced at Joss, who gave her a nod.
“I’ll go check on the food,” she said, getting to her feet.
Both men stood as she made her way to the door.
Passing the fireplace, she noticed the fire needed kindling. As the thought to stoke it went through her mind, the flames shot up high and hot. Startled, she paused, but then a sense of wonder filled her. She’d just combusted a few logs with a mere thought.
She glanced back at the men, who watched her with expressionless faces. What would they make of her now that her art was no longer regressed? Would Cain still regard her as a potential enemy? Joss gave her a faint smile, motioning with his head toward the door, and she quickly left the room.
Izabell was fussing over lobsters grilling on the fire. From her short but friendly greeting, Clelia gathered she didn’t know anything about the events that had played off. Cain and Joss probably wanted to keep it quiet. How were they going to explain the explosion that leveled Joss’s house? Maybe Joss could say he wanted it demolished. With Joss and Cain’s powerful connections, they
