Demon's Dance (Lizzie Grace 4)

“Monty has access to the witch archives in Canberra,” I said. “If there’s any place in Australia that will have information on them, then it should be there.”

“He did mention going online to search through some archive last night.” He drank some coffee and then added, “How likely is it that this soucouyant will strike again?”

“That's an unknown, simply because we just don't know enough about it.”

He grunted, then shifted in his chair so that he was looking straight at me. My heart instantly skipped into overdrive.

This was it.

This was the moment of truth. The time when I either came clean about my history or walked away from a relationship that had barely even begun.

Because there was no other option now—that was very evident from the determination in his eyes.

I took a deep breath and released it slowly.

I knew what I had to do.

I just didn't know if I had the courage to do it.

Six

“So that chat we were supposed to have yesterday morning,” he said softly. “You want to do it here, or over dinner?”

“And that’s my cue to get out of here.” Belle rose. “You two can nut this one out on your lonesomes.”

Coward, I grumbled, as she grabbed her coffee and made a hasty retreat.

No, just being sensible. Three is always a crowd when it comes to this kind of heart-to-heart.

I'm not ready for a heart-to-heart with the man. I just wanted to enjoy being with him for a little while longer.

Now who’s the coward?

I think the fact that it’s taken me so long to get into another relationship has well and truly proven it’s one of my character traits—at least when it comes to the emotional stuff.

“Liz, will you stop talking to Belle and look at me?”

I sighed and did so. For the first time in ages, his expression was guarded.

“Aiden—”

“No more lies, Lizzie. No more half-truths. I don’t want to be a part of any sort of relationship based on either.”

Even though I'd been expecting such a statement, a chill nevertheless went through me. “That sounded an awful lot like an ultimatum.”

“I suppose it is.” He hesitated. “The problem, you see, is that I’ve been through all this once before, and I’ll not do it again.”

“With the wolf you mentioned once before—the one who loved and left you?”

“It’s debatable whether she ever really loved me, but yes.”

“That’s still different to this situation though, because you and I can never—”

“This isn’t about us being wolf and witch,” he cut in. “This is about trust, and whether you’re actually willing to let someone other than Belle into your life.”

“Except if I do let you in, I’m setting myself up for heartache further down the line, and for the simple reason that I am a witch rather than a werewolf.”

Something flared in his eyes—something that spoke of understanding and yet held an odd hint of... not desire, not even yearning, but something close to both. He grabbed my hands, held them gently but securely, his skin oh-so warm compared to mine. But then, my lack of heat had nothing to do with being cold, but rather the fact I didn’t want to be doing this—not here, not now, and certainly not with a man who would probably end up breaking my heart.