Chapter 8

An hour later, the air scrubbers had cleared the gas from the hangar.

Kaelen stood up. He looked stronger now, the wolfsbane purged from his system. He walked to the door of the cell.

He punched in the code.

The door hissed open.

He didn't step out. He stood in the doorway, leaving the path wide open.

"Go," he said softly.

Elara sat on the floor, surrounded by her books. "Go where?"

"Home," Kaelen said. He couldn't look at her. "I kidnapped you. I imprisoned you. I... I panicked when I realized what you were. I am a monster, Elara. You deserve better."

"You are a paranoid, authoritarian control freak," Elara agreed.

Kaelen flinched.

"However," Elara continued, standing up and dusting off her pants. "You are also highly intelligent. You listen to reason. You value competence. And..." She stepped closer to him. "You read *Cryptonomicon* while I slept just so we would have something to talk about."

Kaelen looked at her, hope warring with self-loathing in his eyes. "I didn't want to bore you."

Elara stopped in front of him. She took a deep breath. Without the suppressants, his scent was overwhelming—rain and pine and safety.

"I have spent my life alone," Elara said quietly. "Because I thought my mind was too sharp, too cold for anyone to hold. But you held it. You didn't ask me to be softer. You asked me to be smarter."

She reached out and took his hand. His fingers curled around hers instantly, possessive and desperate.

"My hypothesis," Elara said, looking up at him, "is that we are a highly effective team."

"Is that a scientific opinion?" Kaelen whispered, pulling her closer.

"It is a fact," she said. "But I will require a consulting fee."

"Anything," Kaelen vowed. "Name it. The treasury. The pack. My life."

"A date," Elara smiled. "Somewhere with Italian food. And no glass walls."

Kaelen let out a shuddering breath and buried his face in her neck, finally allowing himself to inhale the scent he had denied himself.

"Done," he murmured against her skin.

Elara closed her eyes, leaning into him. The data was conclusive. The variables had aligned. She wasn't a prisoner anymore.

She was exactly where she belonged.