Paul wiped away my tears and kissed me.

"What is happening?" I said, barely above a whisper.

He shook his head. "We'll figure this out. The meat, the tears, your creature—we'll figure it all out. But baby, I want you to know that the last thing I ever thought I'd do was to hurt you. When I was with the others, I didn't have any feelings of aggression toward them."

My body stiffened. "The others?"

He shook his head quickly. "I never had sex with a ...