But he trusted her enough to let her have it. Nothing had ever touched her more.
Her hand trembling, she closed the locket and hung it around her neck. The long chain fell down between her breasts, and she tucked it into her bra so that she could keep it as close as possible to her heart and keep it out of the sight of others.
As she reached for the box, she realized there was a note in the bottom. Unfolding it, she smiled at a typical Fang comment.
Miss you.
No "I love you." Nothing sappy or romantic. Just a short, clear truth.
"I miss you, too," she breathed, trying to stop the tears that fell. And it was then she looked up to see the remnant of a hand print on her mirror.
Fang's.
Aimee held her hand up to it, placing her palm against the imprint of his. "One day, Fang. One day…"
Fang blinked as he watched Aimee through the window. In wolf form, he was able to hide himself against the darkening sky. He wanted to hold her so badly, but he knew better than to try. His mere presence jeopardized her.
"One day, Aimee…"
His heart breaking, he backed away and padded across the roof until there was enough distance between them that he could change over to human form, flash into the clothes he'd been wearing, and climb down. He made his way to where he'd left his Suzuki GSX-R. He pulled his helmet on before he started the Jixer and headed home for the night.
It was so hard to be with his family when what he really wanted was Aimee. His brother Vane was a lucky wolf. His human mate, Bride, had accepted him, and the Fates had decreed them as partners for life.
If only a wolf could mate with a bear.
Sighing, Fang parked his bike and entered the house through the back door.
Bride had decked out the entire house for the Christmas holiday. There were bells, holly, and poinsettias everywhere. He heard laughter coming from the living room as he dropped his keys on the counter.
His brother Fury paused in the doorway. He cocked his head before he made a wolf sound in the back of his throat. "You better wash the bear off you before you get near Vane. You go in there smelling like that and he'll skin your ass raw."
Fang started to tell him what he could do with his warning. The last thing he wanted was to remove Aimee's scent from him, but it was Christmas.
Time for peace and family.
"I'll be down in a few minutes."
Fury nodded as he watched Fang head for the back staircase. He felt so bad for his brother. If he could, he'd hand Aimee over to him, but it wasn't meant to be. The bears would never tolerate their only daughter mating with a wolf. It just wasn't done. And if the Fates didn't decree it…
Man, it must suck.
"Fury?"
He turned to see Maggie coming down the hallway to join him in the kitchen. "You need a hand?" she asked.
"Nah," he said, heading for the fridge. "I was just getting some water. I don't like to drink that human stuff. It screws with me and I don't think you want your dad to see me flash into wolf form while he's here." Her father had no idea that he was surrounded by animals that were taking human form to placate Maggie and Bride's families. "My luck, I'd be so drunk I'd piss on his leg."
Maggie's mate, Wren, laughed as he joined them. "For that, I might pay you."
Maggie elbowed her mate in the stomach. "You promised me you'd behave."
"I'm behaving. But if Fury happens to piss on your dad…"
"Wren!"
He held his hands up in surrender before he gave her a wink.
"You are all so evil."
Wren only smiled as he grabbed water from the fridge before they returned to the living room where Bride's family was singing Christmas carols. Bride sat on the couch with her son in her lap while Vane sat on the floor, holding her hand as he cringed a bit from the disharmony of the a capella song.
Fury felt a deep need to howl, but the sharp look from Vane kept his jaw locked shut. He caught Fang's gaze as his brother rejoined them. His dark hair was still wet from his quick shower.
Sniffing, Fang made a very wolf-like cringe as his nose was assailed by the human scents around them. It was hard whenever there were this many around. But they'd become masters at blending in.
Sometimes.
Fury walked over and handed him a bottle of water. "Merry Christmas, brother."
Fang nodded before he unscrewed the top and took a drink. But even so, Fury saw the longing on his brother's face and wondered what was worse. Knowing what he wanted and not being able to claim it or to be like him and have no idea if he'd ever find someone who could tolerate him…
New Orleans
Hunter Household
Kyrian Hunter looked around at his friends and family who were gathered for Christmas dinner. His son, Nicky, and daughter, Marissa, were playing under the tree with his mother-in-law while his best friend, Julian, and his wife Grace were helping their kids open the last of their presents.
His wife's family, the Devereaux clan, were all here, laughing and celebrating.
He had to be the luckiest bastard on the planet. It seemed like only yesterday he'd been alone in the world with no one to love. No one who cared about him.
And one night a lethal enemy had almost taken the very people who were now crowded into his home.
His sister-in-law, Tabitha, stood up and clanked her glass to get everyone's attention. "Sorry to interrupt, but I wanted to take a second and say Merry Christmas to all of you."
A shout went up, but Tabitha motioned them to silence. "You know, my Romanian grandmother always said that enemies and lovers make strange bedfellows."
Kyrian met Valerius's gaze over Tabitha's head. The two of them had spent centuries hating one another. But for the sake of their wives who were twin sisters, they'd buried the ax—just not in Valerius's head as Kyrian had wanted. He raised his glass in a silent toast to Valerius who returned the gesture before his gaze went to his brother, Zarek, who was holding hands with his wife, Astrid. Like Kyrian, Zarek had spent eternity hating Valerius, too.
Now the brothers were reunited.
Miracles did happen. The people in this room were living proof.
"To family," Tabitha said, holding up her glass. "And to those we've lost, but who we still hold in our hearts, I'd like to propose a moment of silence for them…"
Everyone bowed their heads in respect.
But it wasn't sadness Kyrian felt, it was gratitude that all of them were here tonight, alive and well.
He lifted his head at the same time Talon and Sunshine did. Kyrian smiled at them, remembering a time when he and Talon had been the only two Dark-Hunters to patrol New Orleans. Boy, how things had changed from that fateful day when he'd awakened handcuffed to his wife, Amanda.
And thank the gods for it.
Nick stepped back from the window as he watched the group inside lifting their heads from prayer. He placed his hand against the window and remembered Christmases past when he and his mother had been in Kyrian's house, celebrating.
Every year his mother had demanded he attend midnight mass with her. Every year until she'd been brutally murdered.
Now Nick had no one.
You could tell them. Kyrian and Amanda would welcome him back. But he couldn't allow them to. He'd sold his soul to the devil for vengeance and whatever he saw, Stryker saw.
And Stryker wanted Kyrian's daughter.
No matter how much Nick might hate Acheron for allowing his mother to die, he couldn't let Kyrian suffer. He owed Kyrian too much for that.
Closing his eyes, Nick turned away from them and pulled his collar up higher on his neck to block the chill. There really should be some kind of do-over for mistakes. But there wasn't. Life was cold, and it was brutal.