“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“The light—so bright. Can’t see you in it?”

“There’s no … oh, God, you’re having a stroke—”

Instantly, it started to fade and he shook his head a little. “No, no … stroke. That was … weird. Just a bright illumination you came through.”

As Lydia leaned over him, her eyes were rimmed with tears. “Did I … come through?”

“Yes … you did.”

Their eyes clung to each other’s, and Daniel found that all his pain drifted away. Then again, love was a drug that healed, wasn’t it.

“I’m glad it’s not nighttime,” she said.

“Why?”

“Because then I’d be your past. Instead of your future. It’s the veil. It’s early in the morning.”

He took her hand—or maybe she took his. “I want to be … your everything.”

“You are.”

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes. I am.” She cleared her throat. “And we’re in C.P. Phalen’s laboratory and clinic. It’s a long story.”

At that, her eyes ducked away and she lowered her head. A squeeze from his hand brought her focus back.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “To me. Exactly how you are.”

The tears that trembled on her lashes were like crystals, and as they drifted down her pale cheeks, he wanted to wipe them away, but didn’t have the strength.

“Are you sure?” she asked hoarsely.

“I don’t have to understand anything. I just know that I love you. Exactly how you are.”

When he repeated the words, her tears fell faster and faster. And then she dropped her forehead to their linked hands.

“I love you, too, Daniel.”

In the quiet that followed, the silence was broken only by the subtle beeping of monitors, but the air was warm and peaceful—and not because of the morphine drip he was on. He was just so happy to stare at her—because with every breath she took, and expression she made, and shift of her body … he was reassuring himself that she was alive.

And holy shit, so was he.

“You saved my life.” He smiled a little. “Susi. Finnish for ‘wolf.’ ”

“Yes. My grandfather.”

He took a deep breath and rode a surge of strength that came from somewhere deep inside of him.

“I work for the government, Lydia. For a shadow agency that protects the genetic composition and integrity of the Homo sapiens species. It was established as the result of experiments being conducted in the seventies and eighties. I came here to stop what—well, what C.P. Phalen is doing. Kind of ironic where I ended up, huh. And yes, I know all about this lab and her clinic.”

He coughed a little, and as her face paled, he swiped his hand through the air. “Don’t worry. This isn’t the first time I’ve been operated on. I’ll come through this—although it looks like I owe that woman with the white hair a big debt.”

“So you’re a government agent?”

“Eastwind was right. Daniel Joseph is not my real name, but I’ve been him for so long, it’s my name now. And I did know what your last name meant—although I thought the latter was just a cute coincidence. “He took a deep breath and tried not to give in to the coughing fit that was just under his surface. “Someday, will you tell me? Your whole story?”

It was a while before she answered. “Yes. Someday I will.”

“I like the sound of that.” As she glanced over again, he smiled. “Someday means we have a future.”

The tears that came to her eyes put a stake in his heart. “What. What’s wrong?”

At the sight of her crying again, he knew that even morphine wasn’t going to help with the ache that flared behind his sternum. He didn’t want her ever to be upset.

And then he guessed what might be wrong.

“Look,” he said, “if you think things aren’t going to work out because of … what I saw … I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ll swear to whatever I need to swear to. You have to believe, your secret is safe with me, and I will always protect you.”

Fuck, and then there were the others in the Federal Bureau of Genetics.

Who were going to be after him for not blowing up C.P. Phalen’s lab.

Who were going to be after Lydia for the same reason.

The implications of the reality they were both in were going through his mind as a look of incredible sadness changed the color of Lydia’s eyes.

A stillness came over him.

“It’s not any of that, is it,” he said in a low voice.

The way she slowly shook her head back and forth chilled him to the bone.

“What did they find,” he asked in a dead tone. “When they opened me up, what did they find?”

 

He knew, Lydia thought.

As she sat on the side of Daniel’s hospital bed, and tried not to break down completely, she had a feeling he was not going to be surprised.

Who’d have thought that her being a wolven half-breed was the least shocking thing they’d have to deal with?

“Why don’t I go get the doctor,” she said.

When she went to stand up, he grabbed her arm with a surprisingly strong hold. “No. I want to hear it from you.”

As she hesitated, he whispered, “I’m scared, Lydia.”

Easing back down on the hospital bed, she took both his hands. In a choked voice, she said, “I love you. I want to tell you that again before …”

His lopsided smile was heartbreaking. “Because I’m not going to hear anything after you lay it on me, huh. Well, I’m glad to hear the words.” His eyes traveled around her face. “Do you remember when you once asked me why I stayed? What the word was?”

When she nodded, he squeezed her hand. “It’s love. That’s why I stayed. I think I fell in love with you from the moment I first saw you in person.”

“Me, too.” She let out a soft sob. “I knew when I saw you … nothing was going to be the same again.”

Daniel winked. “Even if I don’t have a sense of humor?”

“I still think you’re blind to your potential in that department.”

“So let’s spend the next fifty years arguing about it, sound good? Great. Let’s book it.”

Lydia’s face fell, and she couldn’t hide it from him. Then again, she wanted to be honest with him. She had to be.

Daniel took a deep breath. “Okay, spit it out. Just let it fly, whatever it is, we’ll figure something out. Although given that I need to quit my job, I’m going to lose my health benefits so …”

As his voice drifted off, she felt a tear slip out of her eye. Brushing it off with impatience, she wanted to be strong. Had to be.

“It’s your lungs, Daniel.”

He put a hand lightly on his chest, on top of the white surgical bindings. “I have pneumonia?”

When she shook her head slowly, he cursed. Looked away. Cursed again.

“Sonofabitch. That fucking cough.”

“It’s in your liver, too, Daniel.”

As he closed his eyes, he went quiet for a moment. And then his lids popped open and he looked at the ceiling and he nodded.