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He shook his head and turned to me, violet eyes darkening. “I always choose you, Kelsey. You’re my home, but I don’t think that’s what’s best for you anymore.”

“It’s not our time, but I’m starting to believe that there will be a time for us. Gray, I still love you. I never stopped. I love Marcus, too. I don’t know how or why or if any of it lasts, but I’m going to take all the honest love I can get in this world.” I might have to choose one day. Between my love for Marcus and his needs. She was out there. That woman Marcus would die for existed and she wasn’t the queen’s toddler. I’d felt her. Would I love him enough to let him go?

We sat on the couch for a long moment, space between us. Our shared history was there, a massive wall that kept me from reaching out to him.

“I’m going to go with Jacob, Kelsey.”

Tears sparked in my eyes, but I held them back. I’d expected he would need some time to deal with the whole prophet thing. “Will you call me when you come back?”

“I don’t know if I will come back.” He sighed and the afternoon sunlight made his skin glow. He was beautiful and so far from me. “I remember thinking most roads led to you here alone. I saw it over and over again. You crying on the floor, desperate and alone because I’m going to Hell.”

“That was one possible future, Gray.”

“No, many choices lead to that future. It’s most probable. I won’t put you through that. Marcus can make you happy.” His jaw tightened. “Apparently that wolf can make you happy.”

Jealousy looked cute on him. “What we saw were possibilities. The game’s not over. Not until the minute they drag you to Hell, and even then it’s not done. We don’t know what comes after that moment. You said I’ll always choose to be brave. Well, if you get dragged to Hell, you should know I’ll be mounting a damn rescue party after I finish my well-deserved cry.”

He reached out and his fingertips brushed my face. “And that’s why I have to stay away from you.”

“You say you’re going to stay away, but you’re here. You came back to this place. You’ll always come back to this place, and I think I will, too.”

“I’m going to try to stay away. I can’t stand the thought of being the reason you don’t find happiness, the reason you die. If I have to spend an eternity serving on the Hell plane, at least I’ll know you’re somewhere happy.” He stood up, a clear signal he was done. “Tell Jacob he can come for me at any time. I’m ready to go. I’ve spoken with both my father and brother and explained that if either of them attempt to contact me again, I’ll offer my services to Lucifer on one condition.”

I could guess what that was. “Their heads.”

“Oh, yes. The word is Lucifer wasn’t happy with Winter’s plans. He’s a patient man, though. He hasn’t punished my father yet. I can tip that scale if I want to.”

I stood up and moved to face him. “Don’t do anything foolish, Gray. And I’m sorry about your brother.”

“Another reason for me to leave. I don’t want to watch you kill him. I know what you have to do. I didn’t know about your father. Or Roberts. I was naïve. I thought Nemcox’s mate was happy with him. Yet another idiotic play I’ve made.”

“He was your brother. We want to believe the best in the people we love.” Maybe it was a good thing for Gray to travel for a while, but I couldn’t let him leave like this. He had no hope. It was like his spark was gone. “Can I touch him before I go?”

Gray looked down at the tat that had started to glow, and I wondered if he could feel it vibrating. He took a moment and I thought he would tell me no. Finally, he nodded.

I couldn’t reach the man. The man was stubborn, but the demon knew what he wanted. The demon wanted to fight for our future. I ran a hand over the dragon, sighing at the connection I felt.

Gray’s whole body shuddered.

I stared up at him, my hand still petting the dragon. “Do you know what I saw in this room, Gray Sloane? I saw our children. I saw them laughing and happy and whole, and I will fight to make that possibility come true. So run all you like, but we will be right back here someday.”

I turned to go and he caught me, dragging me back into his arms. His warmth encased me.

“Don’t talk. Just let me hold you for a minute. Just let us be.” He wrapped me up, holding on to me like he would never let go.

We stood that way, not speaking, simply holding on until the sun finally went down.

* * * *

Marcus turned to me as he stopped the car in front of the small house that was my destination. It had only been a few days since I’d done in old Father Winter, but the streets were snow free and I hadn’t seen a single snow monster. I could go the rest of my life without seeing another one of those. The weather was back to being perfectly Texan, and by that I meant predictably unpredictable. Today had been a nice toasty sixty-five, with light winds and not a single snowflake. I’d spent the day with Liv, who was mourning Scott.

Oh, he wasn’t dead. He’d survived, but the whole experience had made Liv realize she needed something more. Apparently Liv’s version of mourning included Mexican food, margaritas, and a whole lot of tears.

I was already mourning Gray, though I hadn’t cried. It was easier to concentrate on Liv.

“Are you sure you’re all right,
bella
?”

“I’m going to miss him. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you that, but it’s the truth.” I fiddled with the bag in my hand. It contained all the necessaries for the evening. Snacks, beer, gaming dice. I was getting back to my geek roots tonight.

Marcus leaned over and kissed me. “I know you will. I have a feeling he’s going to be coming back, and then we will have to make some decisions of our own.”

We would have to decide how to proceed because I loved two men. I tried not to think about Trent. I’d been avoiding him the last several days because every time I saw him, all I could think about was how good he’d looked naked.

And the fact that one of those children I’d seen had been a little she-wolf.

I tangled my fingers with Marcus’s. “I love you.”

He squeezed my hand. “And I you,
bella
. I’m going to take this time to reconsider some of my long-held beliefs.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I never thought I could share my lover, but if I don’t, I could lose you. I’m not ready to lose you.” He brought my hand to his lips. “We have time. Your training is simply moving along a bit faster than expected.”

He was afraid I wouldn’t need him soon. I was afraid I might always need him. I hadn’t told him about the woman in the prophecies. I couldn’t quite see her face now, but I knew the one Marcus had waited for was out there. She was a woman, and his fate would be on us sooner than I expected.

For now, I kissed him. We had this time. For however long it lasted, I wanted to love this man. “I’ll catch a ride back with Dan.”

Marcus chuckled. “It’s Dan now? Are we no longer cursing the king’s name?”

The king and I were cool. I’d actually read a couple of those histories Marcus had tried to hide from me. Hunters could go dark. I mean seriously kill whole towns and lay waste to the land kind of dark, if they weren’t properly trained. Dan was used to being the bad guy. He made the hard decisions, but once I’d proven I wasn’t going to burn down a large portion of Dallas, we’d found a good place.

We’d been friends once. Before I’d known he was a king, he’d been my online gaming buddy. “Dungeons and Dragons is a bonding experience.”

So was saving the supernatural world. I kissed my boyfriend and thanked him for the ride before stepping up to the house. Justin and Angelina lived here. From the smells coming out of the place, I was betting Angelina had cooked. Nice.

Marcus drove off. Tomorrow we were going to have dinner with my mom and Jamie, but tonight there was another family member I needed to see. I knocked on the door.

There was some male laughter and then the door opened.

Nathan. My brother stood there for a moment, his eyes wide. “Kelsey?”

I’d been so wrong to not talk to him. “Hey. Dan invited me. I brought your favorite beer.”

A smile crossed his face. “I told them I wasn’t coming. I haven’t played a lot lately. I’ve been concentrating on school and work. Blake hijacked me and said there was a surprise for me. I was about to leave.”

He’d been concentrating on his guilt, and I needed to do something about that. “Please stay. Can you forgive me for being a bitch?”

“Can you forgive me for lying to you? Kelsey, I’m so sorry.”

But I understood now. He had read those histories. He knew there was a darkness inside me and if he’d told me, I very likely at that point would have run. “I love you, Nate.”

He sighed and opened his arms. I walked into them and hugged the brother who had gotten me through all the hard times when we’d been younger. Forgiveness, I was discovering, was a gift that gave the giver as much as it did the person she was forgiving.

“Yo, Owens, get your ass in here. We’ve got a campaign to run,” the king yelled.

“Sorry, he gets bossy when he’s the DM,” Nate explained.

“I think he’s bossy all the time. Keep your panties on, Dan. I’m having a moment with my brother here.” He wasn’t the king now. He was just one of the guys and so was I.

“Angelina made us nachos,” Nate said as he drew me inside. “I like it when she-wolves host. They know how to cook. When we go to Blake’s, he puts out a bowl of chips and thinks that’s a buffet.”

“Oh, we’re going to have to work on that if I’m playing regularly.” This girl needed fuel to roll her dice.

I walked in, took a seat, and flipped open a beer.

Yeah, I was starting to feel at home.

Kelsey, Gray, Marcus, and the entire Thieves family will return in 2016 in
Sleeper
.

Author’s Note

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About Lexi Blake

Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem. She also writes contemporary Western ménage as Sophie Oak.

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Sleeper

Hunter: A Thieves Novel, Book 3

By Lexi Blake

Coming 2016!

Neil’s past comes back to haunt Kelsey and

the crew...Sleeper, Coming 2016

Master No

Masters and Mercenaries, Book 9

By Lexi Blake

Now Available!

Click
here
to purchase.

Disavowed by those he swore to protect…

Tennessee Smith is a wanted man. Betrayed by his government and hunted by his former employer, he’s been stripped of everything he holds dear. If the CIA finds him, they’re sure to take his life as well. His only shot at getting it all back is taking down the man who burned him. He knows just how to get to Senator Hank McDonald and that’s through his daughter, Faith. In order to seduce her, he must become something he never thought he’d be—a Dom.

Overcome by isolation and duty…

All her life, Dr. Faith “Mac” McDonald has felt alone, even among her family. Dedicating herself to helping others and making a difference in the world has brought her some peace, but a year spent fighting the Ebola virus in West Africa has taken a toll. She’s come home for two months of relaxation before she goes back into the field. After holding so many lives in her hands, nothing restores her like the act of submission. Returning to her favorite club, Mac is drawn to the mysterious new Dom all the subs are talking about, Master No. In the safety of his arms, she finds herself falling head over heels in love.

Forced to choose between love and revenge…

On an exclusive Caribbean island, Ten and Mac explore their mutual attraction, but her father’s plots run deeper than Ten could possibly have imagined. With McKay-Taggart by his side, Ten searches for a way to stop the senator, even as his feelings for Mac become too strong to deny. In the end, he must choose between love and revenge—a choice that will change his life forever.