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A muscle twitched in his jaw. He ground his teeth so hard they ached, his blood simmering in his veins.

After everything he’d gone through for her—after everything they’d gone throughtogether—shestillfelt insecure. Her jealousy was adorable, yeah, it always had been to him—but she never had anything to worry about, not when it came to his feelings for her. And it pissed him the hell off that she refused to realize that—and refused to realize how utterly perfect she was. As if any other woman stood a fuckingchance.

Darien breathed in, cold crackling in his lungs.

Fine.Fine—if she needed more convincing, he’d give it to her.

As if tying his life to hers wasn’t enough.

“Loren, if you had even the slightest idea how much I feel for you…,” he trailed off, jaw flexing. He stared out at the snow falling in the parking lot. Took another slow, deep breath beforelooking back at her. “It’s only ever been you,” he confessed. He heard her pulse skip, and when she dropped her focus to the snow sparkling on the pavement, all he wanted was to grab her by the chin and kiss the doubt right out of her. “And it always will be,” he concluded, the promise husky.

Whether you want me or not.

“Until I’m gone.” She said the words so quietly, he barely heard her.

“Isthatwhat you’re really worried about? Who I would be with after you’re gone?”

She shrugged, toeing another pebble.

“Hey. Look at me.”

She peeked up at him.

“There is noafter.Understand? Even if my life wasn’t tied to yours, there would be no one after you. If you think for one second that I would be able to move on after everything we’ve been through together—” He sucked in a breath and pushed his hair out of his face. “Then I guess I need to do a better job of showing you just how insanely in love with you I am. Don’t I? Because I am, Loren—insanely in love with you. Whether you hate me or not, whether you want to be with me or not, and whether you refuse to believe me or not. And I will spend the rest of my life—ourlife—showing you just how much I care.”

“Did you trade the Widow more years than you needed to?”

Darien turned very still, the breath in his lungs freezing to ice.

Loren lifted her chin, staring up at him with eyes harder than glass, her mouth a tight line. “Did you?”

He managed to exhale. “Loren?—”

“Didyou?”

“Can we talk about this later?” he snapped. “Let me get you someplace safe before you get all worked up. Andthenyou can rip into me all you want.”

He watched the blood drain from her face, her next words shaky whispers. “Oh my gods. You did.”

Roman jogged through the doors then, slowing as he neared their group. “We ready?”

Darien nodded, his blood still hot. Loren’s face was so ghostly pale he was worried she might faint. “Let’s go,” he said—in a tone as soft as he could manage. Which was pretty fucking sharp right now.

She pushed past him, knocking her shoulder into his arm. Regardless that she clearly wanted to get away from him, he stayed right behind her as they rounded the truck, heading for the open driver’s door.

He stepped onto the running board and propped one knee on the seat so he could flip up the center console, and then climbed back out.

“Get in the middle, please,” he said, motioning to Loren, who was silently fuming, while Roman took the passenger’s seat. Jack, Ivy, and Kylar took the three seats in the back. Max, Lace, and Dallas would ride in the bed.

“This is going to take forever, Darien,” Max groaned as he climbed onto the tailgate, turning to offer Dallas a hand up. He pointed at the parking lot with his other as the witch clasped his hand.“Look.”

He didn’t have to—he knew it was utter mayhem.

But he had an idea.

He scanned the area, looking for white wings and copper hair—and spotted the person he was searching for standing near an ambulance.

“Hey Roark!” he called.