"Already she felt the loss of him, of their unique closeness. Somehow she knew there would never be another man, another time in her life when she laughed and talked the way they had and was totally accepted and comfortable. "You don't need to say anything else, Mikhail. I 'saw' your 'little scratch' firsthand. You were right; you weren't alone out there--I was watching. Honesty in my language means truth." Raven took a deep breath, tugged off the ring, and laid it carefully, regretfully, on the small table beside the bed. "I'm sorry, Mikhail, I really am. I know I'm letting you down, but I don't fit into this world of yours. I don't understand it, or the rules. Please do me the courtesy of staying away, of not trying to contact me. We both know I'm no real match for you. I'm leaving on the first available train." She turned and started toward the door. It flew shut with a loud crash. She stared at it, not turning around. The air was thick with tension, with some dark feeling, one she couldn't put a name to. "I don't think it's going to do any good to prolong this. You need help right now. Obviously however they intend to help you is some secret thing not to be shown to outsiders. I am just that--an outsider. Let me go home where I belong, Mikhail, and let them help you now." "Leave us," Mikhail ordered the others. "You need...," Eric began, but broke off under Mikhail's black scowl. With a sigh he followed the others out and closed the door. "Raven, come here to me, please. I am weak and it would take most of my strength to come to you." There was gentleness in his voice, an honesty she found heartbreaking. She closed her eyes against the power in his voice, the soft caressing tone that rubbed sensuously like black velvet over her skin and crawled into her body, wrapping itself around her heart. "Not this time, Mikhail. We not only live in two different worlds, we have two separate value systems. We tried--I know you wanted to--but I can't do this. Maybe I never could have. It happened too fast and we don't really know one another." "Raven." Heat curled in her very name. "Come here to me." She pressed her fingers to her forehead. "I can't, Mikhail. If I let you get around me again, I'll lose respect for myself." "Then I have no choice but to come to you." He shifted his weight, using his hands to move his injured leg. "No!" Alarmed, she whirled around. "Stop it, Mikhail. I'm calling the others back inside." She pressed him back among the pillows. His hand caught the nape of her neck with unexpected strength. "You are the only reason I am living right now. I told you I would make mistakes. You cannot give up on me, on us. You do know me, everything important. You can look into my mind and know I need you. I would never hurt you."