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everything in her power to throw them together. Not that Marlena was totally against the idea, but she wanted to move on her own timetable and didn’t appreciate the unwelcome interference.
    And to be honest, she was more than a little nervous. Yes, he’d come back, but he’d come back different . He looked different, smelled different. Acted different. And he obviously had no recollection of their previous life together. Hell, the only reason she’d recognized him was from the way her soul called out to his. Although, to be fair, over the space of four centuries she’d changed quite a bit as well. What if both of them had changed so much they no longer made a good match? Losing him the first time was devastating enough; having it happen again would probably destroy her.
    Ignoring the aching pain in her heart, Marlena crossed the foyer. She went up on her tiptoes to check the peephole before yanking the front door open. Adam stood on the other side, his shoulder leaning against the jamb and his legs crossed at the ankles. Her pulse kicked up a notch or two, and the mate bond sparked in her blood.
    Damn, the man looked incredible. He had a handsome face and warm brown eyes that glinted with a hint of humor. The jeans he wore were faded at the stress points and molded to his body in all the right places. Long, lean muscles were clearly visible beneath the fabric of his forest green shirt. A pair of sunglasses hung from the collar, and his short dark hair was a little windblown. He smiled, his expression so relaxed and confident it made her temper flare.
    â€œWhat did you do to my memory?” she blurted out.
    There. That wiped the smugness from his face. “Excuse me?”
    One side of her mouth curved up. “You heard me, reaper. And don’t insult my intelligence by denying it.”
    Now he seemed genuinely perplexed. “How do you—you’re not supposed to—”
    â€œWell, I do.” She folded her arms across her chest as the edge of her temper subsided. It was hard to stay upset with him when he stared at her like that. “Thank you, by the way, for saving my life. I don’t think I got the chance to say it before.”
    â€œYou didn’t. And you’re welcome.” His expression grew deadly serious. “I couldn’t leave that house without giving you a chance, but I also couldn’t risk you telling anyone about me, which is why I . . .” He made a vague gesture with his hands.
    â€œScrewed with my head?” Marlena offered.
    â€œYeah. That.” He coughed into his fist. “You shouldn’t have any memory of me being there.” She hadn’t noticed his accent before, but now she picked up a faint trace of Chicago in his voice.
    â€œI didn’t, not at first.” Over the years, she’d heard rumors about reapers being able to manipulate minds. Dmitri had refused to confirm or deny them, but now she knew they were true. Her curious side wanted to know how it was done, but she doubted he’d be willing to share. Maybe later, after they knew each other better, she could talk him into spilling trade secrets.
    She opened the door a little wider and motioned for him to come inside. “I take it you brought the ingredient Cassie requested?”
    â€œIngredient?” His dark eyebrows knitted together, but then a lightbulb must have gone off inside his head because his expression completely changed and a lazy smile curled his lips. “Oh, yeah. Right.” He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a sandwich bag filled with clumps of short brown hair. “Here you go. I hope this does the trick. If you need any more, I might have to shave his head.”
    God, he was sexy when he smiled like that. Correction: sexier. Marlena reached for the bag, and when her fingers brushed his, heat flashed through every nerve in her body.
    He must have experienced a similar sensation, because his eyes