Ernest
“Ernest? Ernest, hey… wake up. I’m so sorry—”
I opened my eyes, Gemma’s voice filling the dark, empty space around me. I blinked, somewhat startled, although pleasantly surprised to hear her so nearby.
She always left after we had s*x. Always. And I had never been man enough to stop her.
I wanted her, needed her, but I couldn’t let go of the notion that I would lose her. Part of me thought, you know, why the hell not? She was my mate. We were meant for each other. I was hurting both of us by pushing her away.
But another part of me knew with every fiber of my being that I would lose her.
I could live in agony and break her heart over and over if it meant saving her life.
We’d kept it a secret, even from Maeve. Maeve would push, and push, and push us to make it official if she
