Serena looked at Stanton searchingly. "What are you trying to hide from me?"

He wanted to tell her the real reason he couldn't see her anymore, but he was afraid that if he did, she would only try to find a way to fix it.

"I'm not trying to hide anything," he said finally. "Go back to your friends. Stay with your kind where you belong."

"Then why are you here?" she argued. "If you believe what you say, then you should be over at the Dungeon."

"Leave me alone."

She stood there, glaring at him, so darkly beautiful in the broken lights. Why wouldn't she go? He wanted to tell her how much he'd been suffering, hoping that if he could resist the urge long enough, he would finally be able to overcome it.. But he couldn't. Not tonight with his dark side so strong. He needed to go before it was too late.

Before he knew what he was doing, he pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers, so surprisingly warm and open. He eased into her mind and felt a jolt of pleasure as she invited him to stay.

Then his resistance let go and the demon inside him took over. He reached deep into Serena and trapped her as he had always feared he would one day. She trembled, trying to escape his mind, but his power cut through hers easily.

He felt her struggle and part of him enjoyed the sensation of it. Internally he wrestled with the side of him that wanted to turn her over to the Atrox. Finally, he managed to control it, but it simmered below the surface, ready to come out again.

He grabbed Serena's wrist. "You see?" He was furious. "That's what will happen. If you ever liked me, just stay away from me. I was trying to tell you that on Olvera Street. The reason the Atrox took me and not my brothers is because it saw the future even then. It knows what part I play in the transition in deceiving you."

She stubbornly shook her head. "No one can know the final outcome. Besides, if you truly believe that, then why are you here?"

"I wanted to protect you." He breathed out as he finally admitted the truth. "I can't stay away from you."

She looked happy to hear him admit it.

"I'm the danger, Serena." The knowledge burned inside him. "I'm the one who will destroy you. It's my destiny."