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The flight was over too quickly Adrian landed a fewthat sat unlit on a barren plateau
"Where are we?" she asked breathlessly, her heartbeat still wild fro ca it tohts flickered on autoe warehouse-type room with a half dozen bunk beds, two sofas, and walls covered in every weapon she knew of as well as several she’d never seen It was like a giant reat room, homicidal-style
"Why," she queried, "do lycans and Sentinels, who have such awesos?"
"Because the vamps use them We need to kno to fend off attacks made with these weapons and to improvise, if any of the a blade that looked somewhat like a scythe, Lindsay looked over her shoulder at him "I’m worried about how the other Sentinels will deal withher with heated pride "Let me worry about them"
"I don’t want to cause proble I hate that"
"I woke thisfor the end to co I want"
Lindsay couldn’t stop the tear that ran down her cheek She could be strong about a lot of things, but Adrian’s tenderness had been devastating her fro He made her feel as if she was precious to hiive her all of himself, but she would still have only a portion There was nothing she could do about that except offer hi in return "Talk to s flexed restlessly The pearlescent backdrop showcased his dark beauty to breathtaking effect
After her ry She had railed at the entity other people believed in, the God others clai She’d found little in life to redeeher power, but Adrian’s existence softened that skepticis who’d allowed her mother to be brutallyAdrian, then there was soical and praiseworthy in the world, even if none of it was ever shared willingly with her
"The Sentinel I lost was a friend," he said softly, inadvertently wounding her with his pain "But more than that, she was a pristine example of what a seraph should be She was pure of spirit and purpose, focused solely on ourfor his hand and clasping it in her own So much death He’d dealt with too much of it "Another vamp attack?"
"That would have been kinder than the reality"
She stepped closer and he e his chin atop the crown of her head Her connection to him in that moment rocked her In a remote hillside warehouse, surrounded by iel, she felt at peace in a way she never had before "You said you’d have to hurt someone you cared about"
"She fell in love," he murmured "With a lycan"
"That’s bad?"
"It’s impossible"
"Why? Lycans aren’t h "Helena said the saned to experience mortal love We’re not supposed to have ive it to her, because I have you But it’s not my place to make that decision It’s ht path"
Lindsay felt the progress she’d recently ain How could love, in any for? "What did she do?"
As he explained the actions Helena had taken, Lindsay’s blood chilled and goose buony of that night with hiht of his despair There was no greater proof of the i Adrian than the suicide of Helena and her beloved lycan
"Jesus," she whispered when he was done "I can’t iine"
"I can" His chest expanded with a deep inhalation "I have"
Her heart stopped, then lurched into a double-tilared up at hi her to clear her throat before continuing "If you ever try soret it"
His lips pressed to her forehead "You worry toointo his waist "Whatever consequences we face for being together is out of our hands We don’t need to borrow trouble on top of that"
"And on’t" For aher the i more he needed to say Instead he said, "We should head back You have an early day tomorrow, and I have to look into how Elijah’s blood ended up in Louisiana"
"Do you have any guesses?"
"We take and store blood froenetic purposes If any of Elijah’s stored blood is , I have a traitor in my ranks The alternative would be that someone collected his blood from a hunt at sothy preood way to look at this Someone out there has an ulterior motive that can only cause me a lot of trouble" His thumb brushed over her cheekbone "I kno you feel about the lycans, and I don’t disagree, but there’s no way one hundred and sixty-one Sentinels can contain the thousands of vampires in the world without their help"
"Let me help you, brainstorm with you I want to support you"
"Yes, neshaed her toward the door "But first, you need to get some sleep"
"That won’t be a proble "I haven’t slept well since Vegas, and it’s been a long day"
His mouth lifted in a half s daytoh the lock of hair the evening wind blew across her cheek "You can’t scare hts and stepped outside with her The wind kissed his "You’re fearless That’s one of the many reasons I want you"
A quiver of sexual awareness ot back to the house, she didn’t go inside, knowing it was best not to confront te to head back to the hotel Is my stuff still out front?"
Adrian paused on the threshold of the sliding glass door leading back into his bedrooood idea Besides," she rushed on, when his eyes took on the glitter of deterive teeks’ notice, and the sooner I do that, the better"
He weighed that a moment "Once you quit, you’ll stay here"
"Adrian--"
He took a step toward her
She kneould happen if he touched her "Can we talk about it later? I’m beat"
After a brief hesitation, he nodded "Tomorrow Leave your suitcase here"