"Why?!"

"Because for a while, fighting helped with the anger." Darian threw the towel down and picked up his bag.

"Anger, what anger? Why didn't you come to us?" Keelan demanded.

"You know what is happening Keelan. Is it really something that you can help?" Darian turned toward the exit.

Keelan grabbed his arm and spun him around. The only reason his fist connected was because Darian wasn't expecting the smallest member of his unit to sucker punch him.

"You sonofabitch! You're just going to give up?" Keelan's face was flushed with anger.

Darian rubbed his jaw. The little shit could hit. "I don't have much time left, Kee. I'm doing the best I can so that when I finally turn, I'm not at home with Meryn and the other women."

Keelan turned and looked at the dead body in the ring. "Are you? Have you already?" He sounded like he was having a hard time getting the words out.

Darian shook his head. "Not yet. The ones I have been fighting in the ring are known criminals. That one"--he jerked his thumb back toward the ring--"spent a lot of money last week bribing a judge to avoid jail time, I just made sure he received justice."

"What'd he do?" Keelan asked.

"He raped a six-year-old girl. The judge said that since she was wearing a tank top and shorts to bed, she was tempting him." He shook his head and began walking to the exit.

"You mean he was a bad guy? That's great, Darian! You haven't killed any innocents. There's still hope." Keelan said excitedly as they walked to where both their cars were parked.

Darian turned to the youngest member of his unit. "Why did you follow me?" He had to know if he was doing anything at the estate that would give him away.

Keelan rolled his eyes. "The other three members of our unit are mated. What the hell else am I supposed to do?"

Darian unlocked his car and threw his bag into the passenger seat. "You could be out wooing your own mate," he suggested.

Keelan looked down at the ground. "Something isn't right. I dreamt of her, sure, but I have met her, and I'm still having dreams of her. None of the others did that."

"It's probably because you haven't claimed her yet. You better be thankful for those dreams; the last one saved her life. If you hadn't told her to get her brakes checked, she would have had the car accident you saw."

Keelan looked up and stared at the moon. Darian knew that all witches were tied to the moon in a way no other race was able to explain. When Keelan looked back at him, the young witch's eyes were serious. "I'm not attracted to her at all," he confessed.

Shit.

Darian sighed. He had been counting on Keelan mating next so he could move on to the next world knowing that all of his fellow unit members were safely mated. Now it looked like someone had thrown a wrench in his plans. He really didn't have time for this.

"Have you tried being attracted to her?"

"What the hell kind of question is that? Of course, I have. We've gone out on dates, we get along great, but it's like something is off."

"You have time."

"So do you. We're all finding our mates, Darian. I know you have been dreaming of yours, too. Why aren't you doing everything in your power to hold on for her?"

Darian just stared at his closest friend. Keelan was right; he had been dreaming of a woman. She was innocent and bright and pure. She was always laughing and smiling. He had no right tying her to someone like him. He would drag her down into the dark hell that was his future. He would rather give up his soul than let even the hint of a shadow fill her eyes. "I won't tie her to me, not at this point, Kee. It's too late for me."

"Fuck that! I'm not giving up, Darian, and you better not, either," Keelan yelled.

"Or what, my friend?" Darian pushed. He stepped closer to Keelan until their chests bumped.

Keelan's eyes darkened, and suddenly, Darian wasn't one hundred percent sure he could take the young witch. Something in his eyes was wild and untamed. "Don't make me bind you, Darian," Keelan warned.

"It won't come to that," Darian promised. Keelan's display had been warning enough. When the time came, he would be nowhere near the witch.

Keelan eyes lightened, and he smiled. "Good. We'll fight this together, Darian; we can do it." Keelan turned and got in his car, clearly misinterpreting his promise.

Darian would let him continue to think he had a chance; it would be easier on everyone that way.

*****

"Because! If I don't leave this fucking house I am going to lose my mind and I'll take you with me!" a familiar female voice yelled. The next morning, Darian stopped in his tracks in the hallway just outside the dining room and debated how hungry he was.

"Coward." Gavriel joked as he and Beth walked past him and into the war zone.

There were very few things left on this Earth that made him smile; Meryn was one of them. On rare occasions, she managed to push back the darkness, but those incidents were few and far between now. Darian's stomach made the decision for him. Steeling himself, he walked in.

Meryn stood on one side of her chair and Aiden on the other. He had both hands held up in front of him as he tried to calm his mate down. Around the table, everyone else was calmly eating their breakfast. Even Penny was taking Meryn's threat in stride, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated on spreading cream cheese on her bagel.