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Downtis--that’s what she needed Then she could plan her next steps Steps that would lead her away froreat She couldn’t trust herself around hi into the backseat of a cab, Lindsay directed the driver to take her to the Belladonna hotel Mr Gadara had offered her one of the finished suites until he could ements for her to move into one of his residential properties She’d been surprised by hoeet he was For such a powerful and well-known public figure, he seemed renored the fact that whatever sort of being was driving the cab was sending out the kind of malevolent, inhuman vibes that would formerly have put him on her hit list

"It’s your lucky day," she lance the driver shot her through the rearview mirror

Lindsay pulled her phone out of her pocket and turned it back on She wasn’t surprised when it chirped aherself against a suddenly knotted gut, she read the text et there, pls (this is Elijah BTW)

"Aw, fuck," shethe bag If he got in trouble because of herWell, he just better not or she’d be pissed at Adrian for not being fair

Then Adrian Call me

She dialed his number

"Lindsay" His voice, hten on her phone "Are you in Anaheim?"

"Not yet I just landed"

"You shouldn’t have left," he said with the arrogance she was beginning to adore "That said, it’s best that you did Soet to you Elijah will join you until then Don’t ditch hiain"

Even across the cellular waves and despite his steady tone, which gave nothing away, she kneas troubled She could feel it "What’s going on? Are you okay?"

"I’m" His voice trailed off "No I’?"

"I’m not in a place where it would be safe to discuss it" He exhaled audibly "I wish I could speak freely There are things I want to get off my chest that only you would understand"

"Adrian" She leaned forward, prepared to tell the driver to turn around "I’ll come back if you need me"

"Always," he said, so si of his poas reliant on her for anything "But not now You’ll be safest at Angels’ Point"

"Actually" Lindsay found herself hesitating to put the necessary distance between them It didn’t seem like the time--not while he needed her But she couldn’t lie to him or hold off the inevitable, either Whatever it was they had between the sides of themselves they exposed to no one else "I’ to stay there until I can find a place of my own You said I’d be safe with Gadara"

There was a short pause "Keep Elijah with you at all times Stay in the hotel as much as possible and don’t hunt"

"I won’t I knoe need to discuss the logistics first" She’d need his help to take down the vamps who had killed her mother As reckless as she could be at times, she didn’t have a death wish, and she didn’t want to inadvertently endanger Adrian by crossing a line or breaking a rule she wasn’t aware of

"When you left Vegas, were you leaving htened "I felt like I had to Iwant you If it was just sexually, I’d be okay But the hting those kinds of feelings I can’t say no to you, and we both need h that Lindsay feared she’d lost him "Adrian?"

"I’m here You justsurprised me Your decision to leave in order to protectover," she h his tone didn’t alter, she sensed a change in him "I like you, too, Lindsay You fascinate ift I intended to let you go, if you agreed to stop hunting But I’ve changed et back and reach a co on anything wasn’t soetting what he wanted He was a favored son, this warrior angel with his bloodstained wings And he captivated her co my dad He would’ve worried himself sick"

"It was ht of it"

"I can’t help but think of you," he said in a low, intimate tone "I haven’t been able to stop since we met"

Godshe felt the same way They were in such deep shit with each other "Whatever you have to do, please be careful"

"Don’t worry, nesha e started today"

"Are you ever going to tell ain," he purred, "the next tiainst a sudden flare of sexual heat, Lindsay said a hasty good-bye and ended the call

She knew she’d done the right thing by leaving, but that didn’t stop her fro it Especially now that she knew he needed her with hiet a grip and think, but her lungs were constricted by a ferocious pressure to return to hih her mind knew the most reasonable and selfless course was to stay away, there was a driving need inside her deo back and take hie was so intense, it frightened her

She’d never had trouble holding to her decisions, but with Adrian it felt like she was battling with herselfwith a high risk of losing He was a glorious being, proud and dangerously beautiful His sole purpose was hunting the very creatures she hated and wished dead If she destroyed him, if she derailed the work he did--which was so i the consequences didn’t see devil on her shoulder

Holding to her chosen course of action by more willpower than she should have needed, she sent Elijah a textto be with her He was a straight shooter He’d help her keep her head out of the clouds, where angels flew and