He stilled, watching her. That’s what she wanted to talk to him about? He was never going to understand females. Never. “You chose correctly with the information we had.” Not in a millennium would he have thought Basel would’ve died before him. “My route has been bloody and dark, and it’s going to become even more so very soon.” Should he feel something other than exhaustion right now? He’d loved her once—hadn’t he? Maybe even then he’d been incapable of love, although she’d helped him through the darkest times after the Highlands fell. For that, he’d always be grateful.

She shook her head. “No, I was wrong. I was hoping we could have a second chance.”

His eyebrows rose. There was a time he’d wanted to hear those words from her—before he’d mated. “I’m mated, Jacki.”

Her smile was all feline. “Barely. I’ve watched you two, and you don’t fit. She’s a human, Adare. You’ve always stayed away from weak humans, and you know it.”

That was true. “She’s stronger than you think,” he said quietly. “She rushed right into the fight yesterday.”

“You’re defending her.” Jacki’s smile widened. “She almost got herself and you killed. I can barely smell you on her and vice versa. You can’t tell me you love her.”

He didn’t love anybody.

“That’s what I thought,” Jacki said, twirling the glass in her hands, triumph crossing her angled face. “We were a perfect match. Strong and fierce, and you didn’t have to worry about me constantly. I can take care of myself.” She stood. “I’ve heard the virus to negate mating bonds works—my mate is dead and yours isn’t connected to you. We could take the virus and be free to be together, just like we should’ve been. Just tell me you’ll think about it.” Her directness had always been one of her best assets.

He studied her for a moment, the fire at his back and the female he’d once wanted in front of him. “No.”

* * * *

Grace awoke slowly, her body sated in a way she’d never felt before. She would’ve remembered that, right? She stretched, wincing as her thigh protested with a slight twinge. Desire flooded her, and she beat it back, trying not to remember the incredible orgasm Adare had given her.

Now her memory decided to work perfectly. That just figured. She stretched more carefully this time, noting that the other side of the bed hadn’t been disturbed. Had Adare run all night?

How was she going to face him? She’d totally lost control the night before. Her temples thrummed with the headache that had found her nearly every day for the last year; she tried to ignore it.