“You need time away from me, too.” He fell silent then, and I bit my lip to keep from picking up the thread of the argument. I zipped the bag closed. Whatever I might have forgotten, I could pick up in Chicago. Right now, I just wanted to get away. “You should leave,” I tried for the last time. He hadn’t been swayed before, so I don’t know why I bothered. “It’s not safe for you here. Max says Dahlia is still in town. The Soul Eater had men here. You’ve got to get out.”

“No,” he said quietly, shaking his head. “He’s taken everything else away from me. He’s not driving me out of my home.”

“You’re so stubborn.” He’d be willing to get himself killed just to prove to his sire he wasn’t afraid? We definitely had different ideas of winning.

“I know you don’t understand.” His expression softened. “I’ve been here fifteen years, Carrie. It’s the first thing I’ve ever truly owned. This apartment has everything I’ve ever cared about. This is where Ziggy grew up. This is where I met you. This is our home.”

A small sob escaped my throat, and I covered my mouth.

His hand closed over my wrist. “You’re still my fledgling. Don’t forget that.”

“How could I?” The tide of hurt in me surged, spilling cold tears onto my cheeks. He tried to take me into his arms, but I shook my head vehemently and jerked the strap of my bag over my shoulder. “I’m your fledgling. But that’s not enough for me, Nathan.”

I didn’t kiss him goodbye. That would have confused things in my heart, the traitorous organ that frequently won over my mind. If I kissed him, I would tell him that I wanted to stay. I’d convince myself it was worth the pain of staying by his side, knowing he would never choose me over the woman he could never have again. And I was afraid of believing that.

Max waited for me at the car. He pasted on his stock, carefree face for me. “Ready?”

I nodded. “As I’ll ever be.”

Tossing my bag into the back, I climbed into the passenger seat. Low-riding cars made me motion sick. This was going to be a long five hours.

“You think he’s going to be okay? I mean, what about the Soul Eater’s guys? They could still—” he began.

I shook my head decisively. “He wants to stay. To stand his ground. And he wants me to go.”

“He’ll come to his senses,” Max said with forced certainty. “You wait and see.”

Wait and see. The question was, for how much longer?