I had just survived a six-week separation from him. And yet I knew at that moment, knew without a shred of doubt, that quite simply I could not exist without him. It was a terrifying realization, one that left me feeling powerless and angry.

The hand on my shoulder slid away. “Did I frighten you?” Gabriel asked, his voice quieter, filled with emotion.

I turned my head to look at him. “Yes,” I answered.

Pain was visible in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I would not frighten you for the world, but I cannot control the shifting—”

“No,” I interrupted, sitting up. “It wasn’t that. You meant it, didn’t you?”

He was silent for a moment, no doubt reading my thoughts. “Yes, I meant it. You are life to me, May.”

“But you told me you were born in the seventeen hundreds. How could you live for three hundred years without me?”

He examined my face for a moment before leaning forward, his kiss so sweet it made me want to melt. “Before you, I merely existed. Now I will truly begin to live.”

Chapter Five

“Weh-hell, look what the cat dragged in.”

I entered the dining room, determined to keep my face placid despite the fact that everyone in the house had probably heard Gabriel and me the night before. “Good morning.”

Jim, demon in Newfoundland dog form, looked up from where it lay on the floor with a copy of a Paris newspaper, cocking one furry eyebrow at me as it examined me from toes to nose. “Wow. I would have thought you’d at least be walking funny or something after all that boink—”

“Jim!” Aisling snapped, grabbing up a magazine and leaning over to whap the demon. She gasped instead, dropping the magazine and grabbing at her belly. Instantly, Drake, who was seated at the other end of the table, was at her side, kneeling next to her.

“Kincsem, are you all right?”

“I’m fine; it’s just a muscle twinge.”

Gabriel, who had been standing behind me, his hand warm on my back, moved around me to Aisling’s other side. He put a hand on her belly. “What did it feel like? Have you had any other pain this morning?”

A completely irrational desire to yank him away from her washed over me, a desire I stomped upon as firmly as possible. I may still be struggling with the depth of feelings I felt for Gabriel, but I was not going to let jealousy get the better of me.

“Stop touching my mate!” Drake demanded, scowling at Gabriel’s hand on Aisling’s very pregnant stomach.

I wholly approved of Drake’s demand.

“I am a healer,” Gabriel answered, squatting next to Aisling. He pressed gently on different parts of her belly. “If she is in labor, I can help her with the pain.”

I moved over to stand directly behind him, nudging him with my knee.

“Guys, I’m not in labor. I just moved too quickly, OK?” Aisling said.

“Take your hands off her,” Drake said in a low voice that sounded very much like a growl.