Lucy hugged herself, hands wrapped around her midriff, trembling in the cold night air. She stared out over the small, uphill balcony that opened onto a vast, beautiful Underhill, a scatter of houses with lights burning in different shades and styles.

It was beautiful, and it made her feel unbearably lonely. Her eyes ached with unshed tears. Had she really lost the professor to that witch? Her mother to death? Her human friend to the knowledge that she was a monster?

All she really had was Kyle, her mate, and even that felt tenuous, as if he might leave her. It seemed right that he would reject her. After her...