"No! No more pancakes, Soren," I said, laughing as he placed one more on my plate. I was on the verge of busting at the seams, and he wouldn't quit feeding me.

"Just one more." He sat at the barstool next to mine at the counter. "I like that face you make when you take the first bite. It's like you have a little piece of heaven in your mouth."

"Your cooking is really good." I cut a piece, slathered it in syrup, and popped it onto my tongue.

The bedroom door on the other side of the suite opened, and Archer stepped out. His dark hair was combed away from his face and the sleeves of his baby blue button-up were rolled to his elbows. "Don't fall for that line, brother. She enjoyed my cooking as well."

I rolled my eyes and dropped my fork to the plate with a clatter. "Oh, please. You were taught by the same woman, so it's not like it's that big of a stretch, Archer."

He made his way into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, scanning the shelves. "From the sounds of it, Soren and I do a lot the same way. I could hardly sleep with all the noise coming from his room."

It was all I could do to keep my scoff to myself. Archer wished he were as incredible as Soren at making me feel like the only woman who has ever existed. And he might've achieved it if he wasn't so self-centered.

The muscle in Soren's jaw ticked, and he set his fork down. "You're walking a fine line right now, Arch. Show the woman some fucking respect."

"Or what?" Archer closed the door, opened the orange juice he'd selected, and drank straight from the carton.

"Or I'll wipe this floor with your ass."

Archer shook his head and rolled his eyes. "It's a shame she didn't fall in love with you either and that the transfer of ownership papers will be signed tomorrow. I bet you thought you were so close to going home."

"I am home." Soren's cheeks turned a bright red that trailed down his neck.

"What new adventure will you be off to, Gem? Maybe next time you can find a set of vampire triplets."

Anger boiled in my belly, but I remained calm when I said, "I don't know who you think you're talking to, but it's really none of your business what I have planned." I smirked as I took a sip of orange juice from Soren's glass, as mine was empty and I'd not be drinking out of that carton again. "I know what you're going to be doing, though."

Archer raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

I inspected my fingernails and pushed my cuticles back before saying, "Good luck getting Raven to fall for you, buddy. I'm afraid that's going to be a lost cause."

He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. "Are you saying that your cousin is smarter than you or that you think I'll make the same mistake twice? All I needed was a couple more weeks with you, and you would have been eating out of my hand."

Soren jumped to his feet and kicked his chair back, causing it to crash to the floor. "Get the fuck out."

"This is my god damn house! She can get out!"

In four long strides, Soren stood face to face with Archer. "Hazel would be appalled by the way you're acting."

"Don't bring Hazel into this! She knew how important this was. She understood that I'm suffocated to death in this hotel. You're so fucking narcissistic, Soren. I bet you thought she did it for you, but she did it for me. This is meant to be my out!"

"You can have the fucking out! Go make Raven fall in love with you but stop belittling the woman I...care about because you didn't get what you wanted out of her."

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you; you are such an asshole."

Archer's gaze darted to me. "Don't be fooled, Gemma. He is just as big of an asshole as me. Be glad you get to run away from all of this."

I scoffed and got to my feet, walking around the table and bumping Archer out of the way. I grabbed Soren's hand and pulled him away from the kitchen, but I turned on my heel to stomp back toward him, invading his space. "Archer, no one is as big of an asshole as you. You won that title all on your own. And I have some real contenders for it in my life, but you...you take the cake. Raven will be here tomorrow. Shoot your shot with her. And as far as her being smarter than I am, well...you're right on that one. She was a straight A student and I barely passed geometry and chemistry, but I'll tell you this—intellect has nothing to do with it," I said, wanting so desperately to tell him that Raven is such a prude, she may as well be wearing a chastity belt to which the key has been sent to the core of the earth. "If she falls for you, we might just get to feel hell freezing over. So, good luck getting out of here, pal. I wish you the best."

Like my rant didn't even faze him, Archer raised the carton and said, "It was nice knowing you, Gemma. Thanks for fucking my brother and me."

Soren didn't give me a chance to stay and watch Archer gulp down the juice after his disgusting toast. He led me out of their apartment and into the tunnels that ran through the walls. His thumb brushed back and forth over my knuckles, and I took the silence between us to mean that he needed a moment to collect himself. We wound down several flights of steps, and Soren nudged a wall that opened to the freezing morning air.

"Are you all right?" he asked, as we stepped into the line of trees that skirted the far side of the property.

I shivered and pressed myself to his side. "I'm fine...he's a dick, so I'm not going to take anything he says to heart. I mean, if you and I hadn't had that conversation about me having been with both of you, that whole exchange would have probably brought me to tears, just because I wouldn't have known how you felt. But I'm okay." I squeezed his hand and turned to face him, planting a kiss on the soft skin of his neck. "I promise."

"I know it doesn't excuse his actions, but he's hurting. He can't let go of the bad that happened here, and on some days, I don't blame him."

"I get it. And I wish I could do something to help you both because I know he means the world to you. But my hands are tied. I leave in two days, Soren. That's what's bothering me right now, the idea that I won't be able to just see you whenever I want to. My heart is aching, the burn in my chest and need to cry always right there at the surface. To say—" I paused, the lump in my throat growing by the second. "To say I care about you is not enough." I swallowed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "You almost said something earlier that you didn't mean to say, didn't you?" I asked, chewing my lip and avoiding his eyes.

"I have no right saying that out loud. I'm stuck here, and I am never leaving. I can't allow my feelings to come to the surface. I already ruined one woman's life by not loving her back and letting her get so sucked into the Reynard that she never found that kind of happiness. I won't lose my hold on what I know is right. You have to go and just know that you always have a friend here who cares about you very much."

Tears filled my eyes, and whether I had a right to or not, I felt stung by his words. After everything we've been through, the way he'd made me feel, the way he'd touched me, the things we've said to each other, he just thought of me as a friend? Had I misread everything? He didn't love me. I felt foolish, almost as foolish as I had in the hallway that day when Archer admitted his agenda.

"A friend," I repeated, trying to hold my voice steady. "Please tell me that's not all you see me as, Soren."

He cupped my face and ran his thumbs under my eyes. "I refuse to hold you back from the future you deserve, Gemma. I will do anything you want, but please don't ask me to say the words that will leave you heartbroken when you drive away from here in two days."

I loved the Reynard like my second home, but what it took from me right made me despise it. This place was not only robbing Soren of a real life, but me of love. This was the man I wanted, the one I ached to open my heart to, and this hotel and the spell placed upon it took that from me.

I stepped back from him, tears falling down my cheeks. I shook my head and whispered, "You're breaking my heart right now, Soren, and I'm not even gone yet."

Before he could say anything else, I turned and ran back toward the hotel, words unspoken between us tearing me in two.