“What?”
“My name is Dean. Dean Steele. I was a major in the Army... then they killed me. Turned me in to a monster.” His voice was low but hurried, his words tumbling out over themselves. “They called me and my men in and killed us. The rest died. I became... this. I became a monster and it still wasn’t enough to save the woman I love.”
this. She sucked a hard breath in. “Me? You love me?”
His lips quirked. “You see me holding any other women out here?”
A soft smile curved her lips and she reached up to wipe the single, black tear that slid down his cheek away.
“Well, Major Dean Steele, that’s very good to know. Because I happen to love you too.”
Her heart cracked at the admission. She did. She loved Dean with every fiber of her being. But, as emotional as the moment was, she realize
