Tears burned Jane’s eyes and she stopped guarding that lab room door. She ran down the hallway—and straight into Aidan’s arms. Her body slammed into his, but he didn’t so much as stagger. His arms—warm and strong—wrapped around her, holding her tightly as he lifted her up against him.
His mouth met hers. No gentle, tentative kiss. Desperate, wild, frantic.
Aidan.
Alive. Safe.
Aidan.
Her arms were locked so fiercely around him. She never wanted to let him go. Never wanted to feel the terrible wrenching terror that came from knowing…
I can lose him.
To flames. To fire.
To…
She pulled back.
To the pain I’m about to cause him.
Her feet slowly slipped back to touch floor. Jane stared up at Aidan. So handsome. There were no marks on his face. Not even a single blister. He’d healed completely.
Amazingly.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she whispered.
His bright stare seemed to pierce right to her soul. “Never do it again.”
“What?”
He leaned down and kissed her once more. A hot, open-mouthed kiss. “Never run into a fire for me again. I’m not worth it.”
“You are to me,” she immediately said. “Aidan, you’re—”
“I’m not worth your life.”
She wasn’t going to argue with him. She also wasn’t about to make him a promise she wouldn’t keep. So Jane just asked, “What if I’d been in that building?”
His face hardened. “You were because of me.”
“Aidan—”
“I was the bait this time, Jane. Don’t you see that? The bomb was set, the place was rigged. He knew I’d be the one to track him. He set all of that for me. And you came rushing in to save me.”
He. Who the hell was this he? “I’d do it again.” And she wouldn’t apologize. Wouldn’t pretend that she’d ever rethink the situation. “Just as I know you’d do it for me.” The tie between them cut both ways.
A muscle jerked in his jaw. “I love you so fucking much, Jane.”
Her heart melted a bit. It was still new for her, to hear him say those words. And, sure, okay, they didn’t come out all romantic and gentle from Aidan. Aidan wasn’t romantic and gentle. But she knew he meant exactly what he’d just said—Aidan loved her.
Fangs and all.
“I love you, and you can’t risk yourself,” he muttered. “Not again. We were lucky this time.”
No, they hadn’t been. “Aidan…” Jane began. Oh, God, she had to tell him.
Paris was one of his oldest friends. More like a brother than a friend.
She knew Aidan was about to freak the hell out.
She heard Dr. Bob’s door open behind her. The hinges squeaked.
“I’m so sorry,” Jane said.
Aidan swallowed. “I know…about Paris.”
Wait, what? Shock rolled through her.
“I need to see him.”
“Aidan, I never meant for this to happen.” Never in a million years. “I was trying to get him out of the fire. I was…” I chose you. Oh, dammit. I chose you instead of helping him. I had the chance to take Paris out, but I was afraid you’d be dead before I got back upstairs. I did this. It is all on me. “It’s my fault,” Jane said, voice sharpening. “And I want to fix it.”
“You can’t fix the dead.”
A throat cleared behind them. “He’s not dead yet,” Annette announced.
Jane looked back at the other woman.
“Not fully, anyway,” Annette said. She put her hands on her hips, glaring at Aidan. “And you won’t be taking his head. You’ll have to go through me in order to do that, alpha.”
Aidan took a step forward. “Taking his head…” Confusion flashed on his face.
“He came back,” Jane whispered. “Paris is…he’s a vampire.”
And Aidan lunged for that lab room.
Annette pushed her hands onto his chest, stopping him before he could blaze past her. Though Jane knew that if he’d wanted, he could have easily gotten around the other woman.
“You will not take his head,” Annette said again. “He’s stood by you time and time again, and I don’t care what your wolf says when you enter that room and see him…you will not kill Paris.”
Aidan…nodded. Then he glanced back at Jane. “If the instincts kick in…”
The werewolf’s instincts to attack and destroy a vampire.
“Knock my ass out,” Aidan said.
Jane released the breath she’d been holding. Then she hurried to Aidan’s side. Her fingers curled around his.
Annette slipped out of the way.
Aidan opened the door, and they entered the cold lab together.
Paris was strapped down on the table. Dr. Bob was perched over a microscope and— Aidan strode toward his friend. Paris seemed to be out cold, a good thing. Jane darted a quick glance at Aidan’s face and she saw the torment there.
Enough pain to steal her breath.
Aidan lifted his hand. He touched Paris’s shoulder.
Paris didn’t move.
“He’s under deep,” Annette said from behind them. “I made sure of it…after he bit Jane, I didn’t want to risk another attack.”
Aidan looked up at Jane. “He…bit you?”
“He wasn’t himself.” No, far from it.
“That’s because he’s a vampire now,” Dr. Bob huffed, rising from his stool. “I can see it in his blood. He’s changed. The man you knew before is gone.”