Fantasy Lover

Julian kept a distance between them for the rest of the weekend. No matter what Grace tried to do to break through the intangible wall around him, he pushed her away.

He wouldn't even let her read to him.

Disheartened, she went to work on Monday morning, but she shouldn't have bothered. She couldn't focus on anything except celestial blue eyes filled with unshared turmoil.

"Grace Alexander?"

Grace looked up from her desk to see an incredibly beautiful blond woman in her early twenties standing in the doorway. Looking as if she'd just stepped off a fashion runway in Europe, the statuesque beauty was dressed in a red silk Armani suit with matching hose and shoes.

"I'm sorry," Grace said to the woman. "I'm closed. If you want to call tomorrow-"

"Do I look like I need a sex therapist?"

Offhand, no. But then, Grace had learned a long time ago not to make snap judgments about people's problems.

Uninvited, the woman sauntered into her office with a graceful, arrogant stride that seemed oddly familiar. She walked over to the wall where Grace's certificates and degrees were hung.

"Impressive," she said, but her tone implied otherwise.

She turned to give Grace a thorough once-over, and by the sneer on her lovely face, Grace could tell the woman found her seriously lacking. "You're not pretty enough for him, you know. Too short, too wide. And wherever did you find that dress?"

Completely offended, Grace went rigid. "I beg your pardon?"

The woman ignored her question. "Tell me, doesn't it just pain you to be around a man who looks like Julian, knowing if he had a choice, he'd never want to be with you? He's so lean and graceful. Strong and fierce. I know you've never had a man like him want you, and you never will again."

Stunned, Grace couldn't speak.

She didn't have to; the woman continued without pausing. "His father was like that, too. Imagine Julian with black hair. A little shorter and stockier, and not nearly as refined. Still, that man had a way with his hands that was... mmm..."

Aphrodite smiled reflectively, her eyes unfocused. "Of course, Diokles was scarred abysmally from his battles. He had this one horrible mark that ran the whole length of his left cheek."

Her gaze narrowed in anger. "I'll never forget the day he took a dagger to Julian's face, trying to scar it like his. I would say Diokles lived to regret that transgression, but I made certain he didn't. Julian is physical perfection, and I shall never let anyone mar the beauty I gave him."

The cold, calculating look Aphrodite delivered to her chilled Grace all the way to her bones.

"I won't share my son with you."

The possessiveness of Aphrodite's words ignited Grace's anger. How dare she show up now and say such a thing. "If Julian means so much to you, then why did you abandon him?"

Aphrodite glared at her. "Do you think I had a choice? Zeus refused ambrosia to him, and no mortal can live on Olympus. Before I could even protest, Hermes swept him out of my arms and took him to his father."

Grace saw the horror on Aphrodite's face as she relived that moment.

"My grief at his loss was beyond human measure. Inconsolable, I locked myself away, and when I was finally able to emerge, fourteen years had passed on earth. I barely recognized the baby I had suckled. And he hated me."

Aphrodite's eyes turned shiny as if she were fighting back tears. "You have no idea what it's like to be a mother, and have the child you carried in your womb curse your very name."

Grace sympathized with her grief, but it was Julian she loved, and Julian's pain that concerned her most. "Did you ever try to tell him how you feel?"

"Of course I did," Aphrodite snapped. "I sent Eros to him, offering him my gifts. He sent them back with words no son should ever utter about his mother."

"He was hurt."

"So was I," Aphrodite shrieked. Her entire body shook with her rage.

Apprehensive and more than a bit scared of what an angry goddess could do to her, Grace watched as Aphrodite closed her eyes, took a deep breath and calmed herself.

When Aphrodite spoke again, her tone and body were rigid and sharp. "Even so, I sent Eros back with more offerings for Julian. He spurned every one. I was forced to watch as Julian vindictively swore his loyalty and service to Athena." She spat the name as if she despised it.

"It was in her name he conquered cities with the birth gifts I had bestowed upon him; the might of Ares, the temperance of Apollo, the blessings of the Muses and Graces. I even dipped him in the river Styx to make sure no mortal weapon could ever kill or scar him, and unlike Thetis with Achilles, I coated his ankles so that he would have absolutely no vulnerable spots."

Aphrodite shook her head as if she still couldn't believe what he'd done. "I did everything in my power for that boy, and he showed no gratitude to me. No respect. Finally, I gave up trying. Since he refused my love, I made sure no one would ever love him."

Grace's heart stopped at the selfish words. "What did you do?"

Aphrodite lifted her chin haughtily like a queen who was proud of her cold-blooded war. "I cursed him the way he cursed me. I made sure no mortal woman can look at him without wanting his body, and no mortal man can be around him without feeling his heart swell in envy."

Grace couldn't believe her ears. How could a mother be so cruel?

And as soon as that thought finished, another, even more horrible one ripped through her. "You're the reason Penelope died, aren't you?"

"No, Julian did that one himself. Granted, I was enraged when Eros told me what he had done for his brother, that Julian had gone to him and not me.

"Since I couldn't undo Eros's love arrow, I decided to dull its effects. What Julian had with Penelope was empty, and he knew it."

Aphrodite moved to the window to stare out onto the city. "Had Julian ever come to me, I would have lifted it from her. But he didn't. I watched him go to her night after night, taking her over and over again, and I felt his restlessness, his anguish over the fact she didn't truly love him. Still, he denied and cursed me.

"It was my tears over his betrayal that first set Priapus against him. Priapus has always been the most loyal of my sons. As soon as I saw Priapus was out for Julian's blood, I should have stopped it. But I didn't. I was hoping Priapus's anger would make Julian seek me out. Ask for my help."

She clenched her teeth. "But he never did."

Grace felt for her, but it didn't change what she'd done to her own son. "How did Julian get cursed?"

Aphrodite swallowed. "It started the night Athena told Priapus that he had no man as courageous and strong as Julian. She dared him to pit his best general against hers. Two days later, I watched Julian ride into battle, and knew he wouldn't lose. When he beat the Romans back, Priapus became enraged. Once Eros let slip to him what he'd done, Priapus immediately went after Iason and Penelope. I had no idea what the repercussions of that event would be."

Aphrodite wrapped her trembling arms around herself. "I never meant for the children to die. You can't imagine how many times a day I ache over what I let happen."

"There was no way you could have stopped it?"

Aphrodite shook her head sadly. "Even my powers are limited by the Fates. When Julian started for my temple after their deaths, I held my breath, thinking that finally he would turn to me. Then, he saw that slut wearing Priapus's robes. She threw herself at him and begged him to take her virginity before the ceremony where Priapus would claim her. Even then, Julian tried to get past her, but she wouldn't let him. Had he been thinking clearly, I know he would have denied her."

Aphrodite's face darkened in rage. "If not for Alexandria, I would have had my son that day. I know he would have called on me. But it was too late. The moment he released himself in her, it was too late."

"And still you refused to help Julian?"

"How could I choose one son over another?"

Grace was aghast at her question. "Isn't that what you did the minute you let Julian be placed inside a scroll?"

Aphrodite's eyes flared with such malice, Grace took a step back. "Julian was the one who refused me. All he had to do was call for my help and I would have given it to him."

Grace couldn't believe what she was hearing. For a goddess, Aphrodite was incredibly selfish and short-sighted. "All this tragedy because the two of you refuse to acknowledge each other. I can't believe you'd make Julian strong, and then curse him for the strength you gave him. Instead of waiting for him, sending others on your behalf, did it never occur to you to go yourself?"

Aphrodite raked her with an indignant glare. "I am the Goddess of Love and you would have me crawl? Have you any idea what an embarrassment it is to be me and have my own son hate me?"

"An embarrassment for you? You had the entire world to love you. Julian had no one."

Aphrodite took an angry step forward. "Stay away from him. I'm warning you."

"Why? Why would you warn me and not Penelope?"

"Because he didn't love her."

Grace froze at the words. "Are you saying-"

Aphrodite vanished.

"Oh, come on!" Grace shouted at the ceiling. "You can't just poof out in the middle of a conversation!"

"Grace?"

She jumped at Beth's voice. Whirling around, she saw her peeping in through the door.

"Who are you talking to?" Beth asked.

Grace gestured around the room, then thought better of telling Beth the truth. "Myself."

Beth looked skeptically at her. "You always yell at yourself?"

"Sometimes."

Beth arched one dark brow. "Sounds like we need to have a session," she said as she walked off.

Disregarding her, Grace wasted no time gathering her things. She wanted to get home to Julian.

As soon as she opened the door to her house, Grace knew something was wrong. Julian wasn't there to greet her.

"Julian?" she called.

"Upstairs."

She dropped her keys and mail on the table and ascended the steps two at a time.

"You're not going to believe who stopped by..." Her voice trailed off as she reached the door of her bedroom and saw Julian with one hand cuffed to her bed. He was lying in the middle of the mattress, shirtless, with his brow damp.

"What are you doing?" she asked as dread consumed her.

"I can't fight it anymore, Grace," he said, his breathing labored.

"You have to."

He shook his head. "I need you to shackle my other hand. I can't reach to do it."

"Julian-"

He cut her words off with a bitter, harsh laugh. "How ironic is this? You, I have to beg to chain me, while the others did it freely within hours of my incarnation."

His gaze bored into hers. "Do it, Grace. I couldn't live with myself if I hurt you."

Her throat tight, she crossed the room to where he lay.

When she was close enough, he reached out and cupped her cheek with his free hand. He pulled her to his lips and kissed her so thoroughly she thought she might pass out from it.

It was fierce, demanding, a kiss of longing. And one of promise.

He nipped her lips with his teeth as he pulled away. "Do it."

She ran the silver cuff around her bolster.

It was only then Julian relaxed. Until that moment, she hadn't realized just how tense he'd been the past week. He laid his head back on her pillows and took a deep, ragged breath.

Grace reached out and touched his damp brow. "Good Lord," she breathed. He was so hot it practically singed her skin. "Can I do anything?"

"No, but thanks for asking."

Grace moved to her dresser to get her clothes. As she started unbuttoning her blouse, Julian stopped her. "Please don't do that in front of me. If I see your breasts..." He threw his head back as if someone had stuck a hot brand to him.

Grace realized just how comfortable she had become with him. "I'm sorry," she said.

She went to the bathroom to change, then made a cold compress.

She returned to the bedroom to bathe his fevered brow. She brushed her hand through his sweat-dampened hair. "You're on fire."

"I know. It feels like I'm lying on a bed of coals."

He hissed as she drew the cool cloth over his skin.

"You haven't told me about your day," he said breathlessly.

Grace choked on the happiness and love that filled her. Every day, he asked her that. Every day, she looked forward to coming home to be with him.

She had no idea what she would do when he was gone.

Forcing herself not to think about it, she focused her attention on taking care of him.

"Not much to tell," she whispered. She didn't want to burden him with what his mother had said. Not while he was like this. He'd been hurt enough in his life; she had no desire to make it any worse.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"No."

Grace settled down by his side. She spent the night alternating between reading to him and bathing his feverish skin.

Julian didn't sleep that night. He couldn't. All he could feel was Grace's skin on his, smell her sweet floral scent. It invaded his head and made his senses reel. Every nerve in his body screamed for her.

Grinding his teeth, he clenched the silver chains in his fists and fought down the swirling darkness that tried to claim him. He didn't want to surrender to it.

He didn't want to close his eyes and miss a minute of being with Grace while he was still sane and whole. If he let the darkness take him, he might not wake up from it until he was in the book. Alone.

"I can't lose her," he whispered. The very thought of it shredded what little of his heart he still possessed.

The clock in the hallway struck three. Grace had fallen asleep a short time ago. She lay with her head and hand on his belly, her breath falling gently across his stomach.

He could feel her hair tickle his skin, her warmth seeping into his soul.

What he wouldn't give to be able to touch her.

Closing his eyes, he laid his head back and allowed himself to dream for the first time in centuries. He dreamed of nights spent with Grace. Of days laughing by her side.

He dreamed of a day when he could love her as she deserved to be loved. A day when he would be free to give himself to her. He dreamed of having a home with her.

Most of all, he dreamed of children with happy, gray eyes and sweet, impish smiles.

Julian was still dreaming of those things when the morning light broke and the clock struck six and Grace woke up.

She rubbed her face against his chest, nuzzling him in a way that was sheer torture.

"Good morning," she said, smiling.

"Good morning."

She bit her lips as she ran her gaze over his body, her brow wrinkled by concern. "Are you sure we have to do this? Can I not let you up for a little bit?"

"No!" he said emphatically.

She picked up her phone and dialed Beth. "I'm not going to be in for a few days, can you take some of my clients?"

Julian frowned at her words. "You're not going to work?" he asked as soon as she hung up.

Grace couldn't believe he'd ask her such a question. "And leave you here like this?"

"I'll be all right."

She looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "What if something happened?"

"What?"

"The house could burn down, or someone could come in and do who knows what to you while you're helpless to stop them."

Julian didn't argue. He just relished the fact that she was willing to stay with him.

By mid-afternoon, Grace could see how much worse the curse had become. Every inch of his body was coated with sweat. The muscles in his arms were taut and he seldom spoke. When he did, it was through clenched teeth.

Still, he would smile at her, his eyes warm and encouraging as she watched his muscles bunch and flex while he suffered through whatever seemed to be gnawing at him.

She kept bathing him, but as soon as she placed the cloth to his skin the cloth would grow so hot she could barely touch it.

By nightfall, he was delirious.

Helpless, she watched as Julian writhed and cursed as if some unseen person were flaying every inch of his body. She'd never seen anything like it. He was struggling so hard, she was afraid he would break the bed.

"I can't stand this," she whispered. Running downstairs, she called Selena.

An hour later, Grace let Selena and her sister, Tiyana, in. With jet-black hair and blue eyes, Tiyana looked very little like Selena. One of the few white voodoo high priestesses, Tiyana owned a local voodoo shop, and gave cemetery tours on Friday nights.

"I can't thank you enough for coming over," Grace said as she closed the door behind them.

"No problem," Selena said.

Tiyana held a drum under one arm, and was dressed in a plain brown dress. "Where is he?"

Grace led them upstairs.

Tiyana took one step into the room and froze at the sight of Julian writhing on the bed as he cursed the entire Greek pantheon.

Her face paled. "I can't do anything for him."

"Tiyana," Selena chastised. "You have to try."

Her eyes wide with fright, Tiyana shook her head. "You want my advice? Seal up this room and leave him until he goes back where he came from. There's an evil so strong watching over him that I don't dare mess with it." She looked at Selena. "Can't you feel the malevolence?"

Grace trembled at the words, her heart pounding. "Selena?" she asked, desperately needing some way to soothe him. There had to be something they could do.

"You know I can't help," Selena said. "My spells never work."

No! her mind screamed. They couldn't leave it like this.

Grace looked at Julian as he fought against his restraints. "Is there someone else we can call?"

"No," Tiyana said. "In fact, I can't stay here. No offense, this creeps me out." She gave a flat look to Selena. "And you know the kind of freaky stuff I deal with on a daily basis."

"I'm sorry, Gracie," Selena said, rubbing her hand over Grace's arm. "I'll do some research and see what I can find out, okay?"

Her throat tight, Grace had no choice but to show them out.

Closing the door, she leaned against it wearily.

What was she going to do?

She couldn't just accept the fact that there was nothing to be done for Julian. There had to be something that could relieve his pain. Something she hadn't thought of.

Heading upstairs, she returned to Julian.

"Grace?" It was an agonized cry that wrenched her heart.

"I'm right here, baby," she said, touching his brow.

He let out a fierce growl like an animal caught in a trap as he threw his body toward her.

Terrified, she stepped away from the bed.

Her legs shaking, Grace went to her closet and found a copy of The Odyssey. She pulled her rocking chair next to the bed and started reading.

It seemed to soothe him. He didn't thrash about quite so severely.

Days went by, and with every one that passed, Grace's hope continued to wilt. Julian had been right. There was no way they could break the curse if he didn't come out of this madness.

Worse, she couldn't stand watching him suffer, hour after hour, without any relief. No wonder he hated his mother. How could Aphrodite allow him to go through this without doing something for him?

And he had suffered like this for centuries.

Grace was at her wits' end. "How could you!" she shouted angrily at the ceiling.

"Eros!" she called. "Can you hear me? Athena? Someone? How can you let him go through this and do nothing? If you have any love for him at all, please help me help him."

As she expected, no one answered.

Grace leaned her head into her hand as she tried to think of something else she could try. Surely, there...

A light flashed in the room.

Startled, Grace looked up to see Aphrodite materializing next to the bed. She couldn't have been more stunned to find a donkey in her house.

Aphrodite's face was pale and strained as she saw her son convulsing in absolute agony. She reached a hand out to him, then drew it back sharply. Balling her hand into a fist, she dropped it to her side.

It was then she looked at Grace. "I do love him," she said quietly.

"I do, too."

Aphrodite's gaze fell to the floor, but Grace could still see her inner turmoil. "If I release him you'll take him from me forever. If I don't release him, we'll both lose him."

Aphrodite locked gazes with her. "I thought about what you said, and you were right. I made him strong and I should never have punished him for it. All I ever wanted was for him to call me mother." She looked at her son. "I just wanted you to love me, Julian. Just a little."

Grace swallowed when she saw the pain on Aphrodite's face as she touched Julian's hand.

Julian hissed as if her touch burned his skin.

Aphrodite let go. "Grace, promise me you'll take good care of him."

"As long as he lets me, I will. I promise."

Aphrodite nodded, then placed her hand on Julian's brow. He threw his head back as if he'd been struck by lightning. Aphrodite leaned over him and kissed him ever so lightly on the lips.

Instantly, his entire body went limp.

The handcuffs fell open, and still Julian didn't move. Grace's heart stopped as she realized he wasn't breathing. Terrified, she reached a trembling hand out to him.

He took a deep, convulsing breath.

Grace saw the familiar longing in Aphrodite's eyes as she held her hand out to a son who didn't even know she was there. It was the same look of yearning she saw so often in Julian's eyes when he didn't know she was watching him.

How could two people need each other so desperately, and yet not be able to reach out to one another?

Aphrodite vanished the instant Julian opened his eyes.

Grace moved to his side. He was shaking so badly, his teeth chattered. His fever gone, now his skin was as cold as ice.

She pulled the blankets off the floor and covered him up.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice unsteady.

"Your mother freed you."

Julian stared in amazement of her words. "My mother? She was here?"

Grace nodded. "She was worried about you."

Julian couldn't believe his hearing. Was it possible?

But why would his mother help him now after all the times she'd turned her back on his suffering and left him to it? It didn't make sense.

His frown deepening, Julian started to slide off the bed.

"No you don't," she said sharply. "I just got you back, and I-"

"I really have to go to the bathroom," he said, interrupting her.

"Oh." Grace helped him from the bed.

His legs were so weak, he needed her support to help him down the hallway. Julian closed his eyes as he inhaled the sweet smell of her. Afraid of hurting her, he tried not to put too much of his weight on her shoulders.

His heart warmed at the way she helped him, at the feel of her arms wrapped around his waist as she walked him down her hallway past the grandfather clock.

His Grace. How would he ever be able to let her go?

After he relieved himself, she ran a hot bath for him and helped him into it.

Julian stared at Grace while she bathed him. He couldn't believe she'd stayed by his side all this time. He didn't remember much about the last few days, but he remembered the sound of her voice soothing him through the darkness.

He'd heard her calling to him. And at times, he was sure he'd felt her hand on his skin, pulling him back from the madness.

Her touch had been his salvation.

Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the sensation of her hands sliding over his body as she bathed him. Down his chest, his arms, his stomach. And when her hand accidentally brushed his erection, he jerked from the force of it.

How he wanted her.

"Kiss me," he breathed.

"Is it safe?"

He smiled at her. "If I could move, you'd already be in this tub with me. I assure you, at the moment I'm as helpless as a babe."

She licked her lips tentatively as she brushed her right hand over his. Her touch was gentle and warm, and she stared at his mouth as if she could devour it. That look went a long way in banishing the chill from him.

She leaned forward and kissed him deeply. Julian moaned at the contact, wanting more. Needing more of her touch.

To his amazement, he got it.

Grace left his lips only long enough to peel her clothes from her body until she stood naked before him. Slowly, seductively, she crawled into the tub with him, straddling his waist.

Julian moaned at the feel of her hairs on his stomach. She returned to his lips with a kiss so hot, it scorched him.

Damn it, he couldn't even hold her! His arms wouldn't budge on their own. And he desperately wanted to hold her tight against him.

She must have felt his frustration, for she pulled back with a smile. "It's my turn to care for you," she whispered before burying her lips against his throat.

Julian closed his eyes as she trailed her kisses down his chest. When she reached his nipple, he reeled from the pleasure of her tongue teasing and suckling him. Never had anything touched him more than her actions. He couldn't remember the last time someone had truly made love to him.

And no one had ever been so thorough. So giving.

He sucked his breath in sharply as she reached down between their bodies to stroke him. "I wish I could make love to you," he whispered.

She lifted her head to meet his gaze. "You do that every time you touch me."

Somehow, he found the strength to wrap his shaking arms around her and pull her against his chest. He claimed her lips with his own.

He heard her pull the stopper out with her foot as she deepened her kiss, all the while her hand tormented him with light, gentle strokes against his swollen shaft.

His head reeled from the sensation of her touching him there. He lived for her touch. Craved it in a way that was indefinable.

Once the water had drained from the tub, she left his lips to blaze a scorching trail down his body. Julian let his head fall back against the edge of the tub as she licked his stomach and swirled her tongue over to his hipbone.

Then, to his utter shock, she took him into her mouth. Julian growled as he cupped her head in his hands and savored the feel of her tongue and mouth swirling around him. No woman had ever done that before. They had only taken from him, none of them had ever given.

Not until Grace.

Her touch shattered the last bit of his will, the last bit of his resistance to her. His entire body shook from the warmth of her actions.

"I'm sorry," she said, pulling back from him. "You're so cold, you're shivering again."

"I'm not shivering from the cold," he said, his voice hoarse. "I'm shivering from you."

Her smile pierced his heart as she dropped her head and returned to her relentless assault on him.

By the time she finished, he felt as if he'd been tortured all over again. He couldn't have been any more satisfied had he actually climaxed.

She helped him out of the tub. Still his limbs shook. And he had to lean on her to get to the bedroom.

She laid him down gently and covered him with all her blankets. She placed a tender kiss on his brow as she tucked the covers around him.

"Are you hungry?"

All he could do was nod.

Grace left him long enough to warm a bowl of soup. But by the time she returned, he was sound asleep.

She set the bowl on the nightstand, then climbed into bed behind him. She curled her body around his and faded off to sleep, too.

It was three days before Julian's strength came back. The entire time, Grace stayed with him. Helping him.

He found it hard to fathom her strength and devotion. All his life, he'd waited for her. And as every day passed, he realized just how much he loved her. How much he needed her.

"I have to tell her," he said as he toweled himself dry. He couldn't let another day pass without her knowing just how much she had come to mean to him.

Leaving the bathroom, Julian headed to the bedroom where Grace was on the phone with Selena.

"Of course I didn't tell him what his mother said. Jeez!"

Julian took a step back, and leaned against the wall as Grace continued talking.

"What was I supposed to say? Oh, Julian, by the way, your mother threatened my life?"

He felt as if someone had delivered a staggering blow to his solar plexus. His vision turning dark, he entered the bedroom. "When did you speak to my mother?" he demanded.

Grace looked up, shocked. "Uh, Lanie, I need to go. Bye." She hung up the phone.

"When did you speak to her?" he asked again.

Grace shrugged nonchalantly. "It was the day you went psycho on me."

"What did she say?"

She shrugged sheepishly. "It wasn't really a threat. She just said she wouldn't share you with me."

Rage coursed through him. How dare she! Who the hell did his mother think she was to make any demand on him or Grace?

What a fool he'd been to ever think his mother had softened her heart where he was concerned.

When would he learn?

"Julian," Grace said, rising to meet him in front of the bed. "She changed her mind. When she came here to release you-"

"Don't, Grace," he said, interrupting her. "I know her a lot better than you do."

And he knew what his mother was capable of. Her ruthlessness made his father's pale in comparison.

His heart heavy, he knew he could never tell Grace what was in his heart.

Worse, he knew he couldn't stay with her. Ever. If he had learned anything it was that the gods would never let him live in peace.

How long before one of them hurt her? How long before Priapus used her to get back at him? Or his mother came to wreak her vengeance on both of them?

Sooner or later, he would pay for his happiness. He had no doubt. And the thought of Grace suffering...

No. It was a chance he refused to take.

The days flew by as they spent as much time together as possible.

Julian taught Grace classical Greek culture, and very interesting ways to enjoy Reddi-wip and chocolate sauce, and Grace taught him strip Monopoly, and how to read English.

And after several more driving lessons, and a new clutch, she realized Julian was a hopeless driver.

It seemed to her that only a few days had gone by and yet the last day of the month came so fast that it terrified her.

Even worse, the night before it arrived, she made the most startling discovery of all.

Julian was that one person she couldn't live without.

When she thought of her life returning to what it had been before him, she ached so deeply in her heart that she was sure she would die from it.

But in the end, she knew the choice was his and his alone.

"Please, Julian," she whispered to him as he slept beside her. "Don't leave me."