I didn't sleep that night.

I mean how could I, knowing that the men who murdered me would be walking through these doors in a matter of hours? I stood at the window of the master suite, watching the pre-dawn mist curl through the forest, and felt the Phoenix fire simmer beneath my skin.

Behind me, the bed was empty. Avalon had stayed away after our encounter, giving me space I both craved and resented. The mate bond hummed with his presence somewhere in the estate—awake, alert, probably planning how to keep me from doing something stupid.

Too late for that.

"You're up early."

I turned to find Zane leaning...