Bert sighed before adding, “Then visit her every now and then. You don’t owe her anything. We have plans together, Miah. You can’t make these kinds of decisions without me.”Alexander stirred, a ripple of muscle, no more, but it was intimidating. He growled and talked to her in her mind, “I can see to the child, Miah. I will remove the memory of your promise and replace it with my own. I will see to her care and happiness while you take your time deciding what you are going to do about this human. I do not wish to complicate your life any further than I have already, but like you, I cannot abandon the child.”“I keep my promises, Alexander.” Miah shook her head. “I’m not going to argue, Bert. I’m too tired. I’m going to go out into the night and stare at the stars or something. I need fresh air. I gave Shaina my word. There is nothing else to say.”“I think there is,” Bert snapped, angry that Alexander was witnessing this argument between them. They rarely argued, but he couldn’t keep

A split second later, Alexander was wondering with an alarm that shook him whether that single act of stunning sex might get her pregnant. And he didn’t want her carrying a child too soon, did he? Momentarily, Alexander, who never, ever deviated from a goal once he was set on it, was plunged into genuine bewilderment by his own change of heart on the baby issue. But when she conceived, it would surely be a case of game over as far as the bedroom was concerned, and he really did not want to put her out of commission in the first month. That said, however, his priorities were unchanged, and he reassured himself confidently: he was simply taking a rain check on that objective.Why shouldn’t he want to enjoy his bride for a while? There wasn’t a man alive who would not want to make the most of a woman who gave him that much pleasure between the sheets, he reasoned, his tension ebbing again. Releasing her from his weight, he anchored her to him with an appreciative arm. But there were more

Miah shook her head. “What I believe is, you rigged this wager. You did something to win.”“It is called practice. I have spent a lot of time skipping rocks across the lake.”Miah laughed softly. “You are not telling the truth, Alexander. I don’t believe you ever skipped a rock in your life until now. You tricked me.”“You think?” He asked innocently. Too innocently.“You know you did. Just to win a silly bet. I can’t believe you.”He reached out to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, making her heart leap wildly. “It was not just a silly bet, cara, it was a way to get you to brush my hair. No one has ever done such a thing for me, and I think I crave attention.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose again and grinned at her almost boyishly. “I asked Luther to do so once, and he threatened to beat me to a bloody pulp.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Some things are just not worth it, you know.”“You’re nuts,” Miah decided, but she was laughing, unable to help herself. “Fine, I

A small, pleased smile escaped before Alexander could stop it. Miah had a way about her. There was no doubt in his mind why Bert wanted her. It wasn’t because she was a healer, as Bert was. It wasn’t because her supernatural beauty drew men to her. It was the entire package. Miah. His Miah. “You give me far too much credit,” he answered her softly. “Thank you for that. Thank you for making a difficult situation easy. I did not expect to feel this way.” He flashed her another smile. “These emotions are difficult to control.”She tilted her head to look up at him. It should have been declared a sin to look as good as he did. He made butterfly wings brush at her stomach and made her heart somersault at the most unexpected times. His eyes could create a firestorm in her with just one smouldering, brooding look. He could melt a woman, any woman, at twenty paces. Miah cleared her throat, trying hard not to blush, suddenly remembering he was more than likely a shadow in her mind, reading her

There were several moments of silence. Once again, without conscious thought, Alexander had reached out to share this new knowledge with Luther. He touched his twin easily and lightly, as he had done for nearly two thousand years. Luther was immersed in a complicated text he was finding highly interesting. That always astonished Alexander. That Luther had retained his need for knowledge. He had always been a sponge, soaking up information. Now he reciprocated, sharing all that he had learned about the modern world, flooding Alexander with so many facts, he began to laugh.“What is it?” Miah asked softly, seeing genuine affection for just a moment in the depths of his eyes.He sighed, “Luther…I wondered why he chose me.”Miah frowned, “Maybe because he knew you were the reincarnated version of his twin brother?”“You mean, Luther is my twin? I mean, from the past…me?”“Just my theory.”“Deep down, I think I knew... even without my full memories. I know. Shit! Fuck!” Alexander groaned a