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"I love you, Johnny D I want you to make it"

Embarrassed at how her words had made him feel, he’d s meat What the hell - you’re not bad for an old piece of ass"

"I love you," she’d repeated in that strong, gentle voice of hers "You’re one of ht, too"

It had almost broken him "I don’t need or want your love! So you can shove it"

That was the last time he’d seen Talin They had taken him a week after he had run away from the home Talin had found for him He didn’t even knohy he’d done it That foster family had been nice to him No one had tried to steal his stuff, no one had tried to touch hi But full of stupid pride, he’d run

Now he lay in this lightless cage, able to hear the screams of other children They hadn’t come for him yet, but they would And it didn’t matter what he’d told himself over the endless hours of captivity, he knew he’d scream

He was fourteen years old and he’d told the only person who had ever loved him that he didn’t want or need her A tear streaked down the angular barely man planes of his face "Please, Talin," he whispered "Please find me"

Chapter 10

Talin woke fro triple tie, she had headed upstairs to put down her stuff, then collapsed on the bed to try to get her emotions under so after that

Afraid the disease had struck again, she glanced at the clock To her relief, she’d only been out tenup, she staggered to the bathroom and threw some cold water on her face

The eyes that looked back at her from the mirror above the sink were haunted, bruised She wished she had the ical power to wipe away all the badness, all the evil in the world, and ht A stupid wish But that didn’t mean she couldn’t hope Her resolve firmed As of today, she would act with the absolute and total belief that Jonquil was still alive "I’ you ho, aware if she delayed too long, Clay would coer at him had passed, her emotions were a turbulent stehere he was concerned Nevertheless, fifteen s, taken a shower, and brushed her wet hair back into a ponytail while ad view from the balcony of her third-floor aerie

It was ti her hands on her jeans, she went to open the trapdoor Her eye fell on the large bed as she passed and she bent to s her nap Her fingers lingered - she ht be human, with senses far less acute than Clay’s, but she could smell the earthy masculinity of his scent in this rooine the ant and assured of his right to doe caused an odd,sensation in the pit of her sto her to the spot This slow curl of need in her body, it was so wholly new Her previous sexual partners had beennothing Faceless, naiven her pleasure

When she’d ado counselor, she had expected censure, but the other wo yourself," she’d said "Punishment is meant to hurt And it does hurt, doesn’t it?"

The counselor had been right and though Talin had been unable to trust her enough to create a long-term relationship, the woman had helped her find her way out of that morass of pain She had never felt as alone or as cold as she did - or had done - during sex At no ti like this dark lick of heat inside of her

Her face flushed,else She are of her breasts swelling, her blood rushing to places it didn’t normally caress with such pri victim to lust Not for Clay

He was repulsed by her

The relad Thinking of Clay in that way scared her Despite their years apart, despite how angry he ith her - and even despite her own inexplicable rage at hiht of him as her friend, the only friend she trusted without reservation She didn’t want to destroy that precious relationship And sex destroyed everything and everyone once it got in the way

She illing to adht be skewed, distorted by what had been done to her during childhood But one truth was indisputable: lust never lasted Then it was, "Adios and hope I never see you again" The rare relationships that survived were those like the Larkspurs had - war rush of lust But that wasn’t a viable option for her and Clay

He was too intense, too deeply passionate The woh strength of will to withstand his autocratic nature and enough heart to love hiht, she felt her nails cut into skin The idea of Clay with another wo off a curse, she pulled up the trapdoor and headed down

Clay was on the second level, in the small kitchenette to the left "Eat" He thrust a plate of food at her and pulled out a chair at the nearby table

A second ago, she would’ve sworn her stomach was too twisted up to eat But now, it rumbled She took the seat "Thanks" He had h Except for the muffin that accompanied it Her appetite dulled "Faith?" She picked up the offending piece of baking, barely able to stop herself frorabbed a seat opposite her "Tamsyn," he said, eyes cat-sharp "She sneaks in here and leaves things in the cooler"

She couldn’t stand the suspense Stupid muffin "Who is she?"

"Nathan’sjealousy midstep "And Faith?"

His lips curved a little and she suddenly felt very war"