"You're damn right it bothers me!" he snapped, pushing away from the island and stalking to the other end of the kitchen. "Jesus, Carrie! She found us. She nearly killed Belial" He looked instantly repentant for his outburst. "She could have chosen you. She could have done that to you."

"Nathan," I whispered, my heart twisting in my chest. "She didn't pick me. She attacked Bella. There hasn't been a time since I've know you that we haven't been in danger. Why is it so different now?"

"Because now…" His hands fisted at his sides, and he looked away. "It's just different."

Because now you love me, I finished for him across the blood tie. He shook his head. The denial didn't skewer my heart the way it would have before. "You love me, and you're afraid to lose me."

"We've got to take care of this," he said, changing the subject smoothly. "We have no idea if anyone else even knows what happened. If we're the only ones, and we wait… I don't even want to think of the consequences."

He was right. I hated it, but he was right. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Tonight? Nothing. There's no time. But tomorrow night we meet up again and we make an actual plan. Something concrete. Something—"

"Bloody and violent?" The rage emanating over the blood tie was almost frightening. "You know, we might have a better chance of success if we didn't make this personal."

Nathan jerked his head toward the door. "Tell that to Max."

"Good point." I went to Nathan and leaned my head against his chest, waited for him to put his arms around me. He hesitated, until I said, "We've been through worse, haven't we?"

I felt the low rumble in his chest, but the laughter wasn't enough to produce sound. "No. But there is a first time for everything."

Though I wanted to stay there, held by him forever, my thoughts strayed to the pair upstairs. "I'm going to go check on Bella."

There was a smile in Nathan's voice when he spoke. "Always on call?"

"Old habits die hard." I tilted my face up, expecting a gentle peck and receiving instead a long, thorough kiss that left my limbs trembling. "What was that for?" I nearly gasped when we parted.

"If anything like that ever happened to you—" He broke off, his fingers bunching my T-shirt where his hands rested against my back. "I swear, Carrie. I don't like what I am, but I would kill anyone who hurt you. I'd kill them, and I'd enjoy it."

I didn't know what to say. I don't think I'd ever seen Nathan so angry before. At least, not an anger that wasn't fueled by grief. I pulled away from him, tried to smile. But he'd frightened me a little, and the expression felt fake "I know, Nathan. I know."

And I didn't doubt him for a second.