She motioned with her hands. "Yes, but I was basically a slave there. A well-treated one, but still without freedom, without choices. I was denied the life I would have had here—a regular childhood, a normal education, my first car, my first boyfriend." A smile flickered briefly over her face. "Ding Dongs. There's part of me that's really happy to be here because this is my home, but I feel like I don't fit. I feel like I was made for Eudae and that's the only place I'll ever be comfortable."

"Do you want to go back?"

"I did. I did want to go back when I first got here." She hesitated and then shook her head. "Now… no. But that doesn't stop me from missing it."

"Claire, you're only thirty-one, right? You have a lot of years to make up for everything you've missed out on."

"A lot? Shouldn't it be many? Many years to make up for everything I've missed out on."

"Uh?" He raised his eyebrows. "Are you an English teacher?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm just clarifying. My mother taught me the language and she was very particular."

Her mother. Interesting.

By the way Claire's face had shuttered and how she'd looked away from him at the mention of mother, it was clear he shouldn't press. He would, though, just as soon as he felt he could.

"Yeah, well." He sighed and pushed a hand through his short, damp hair. "I didn't exactly get the best education out there, you know? I was born and raised in Cicero, a suburb near downtown Chicago, by a single mother who had no money to send me to college. As soon as I could, I joined the police force." He almost went on to explain how lucky he was that his wife had been brilliant and had made lots of money, but he stopped himself.

He never talked about his wife to anyone. With Claire, he sensed it was important he open up a little. Claire needed a personal connection with someone like him—an aeamon. Talking about Eliza pricked too much, though.

Her gaze traveled over him slowly, as if just noticing him for the first time. There was a sexual heat in her eyes that he'd believed her impossible of just moments ago.

Well, hello .. .

Then, as soon as it had appeared, it flashed out. "Anyway, about experiencing life"—she turned away—"maybe. Depends on how much of it I've got left."

He sat down on his bed, just a few feet from her. He didn't want to invade her personal space. Okay, that wasn't true. He really wanted to invade her personal space, that's why he kept his distance.

"You're here now, Claire, where you belong. We won't let anyone take you back there if you don't want to go. Not those fucking demons, not Rue, not anybody."

The fire of that conviction burned through his body as he spoke the words. He hadn't known how much protecting her had meant to him until he'd said it.