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Feeling her face flush at the boy’s estis, she didn’t knohat to say or where to look As long as he’d thought of her as aa slut, she forced herself to think, it had been easy to not examine her own reactions too deeply Why tors she couldn’t have?

But after the devastating honesty of those minutes in the car, she’d started to wonder ifhis desire to kiss her, but this confusing need aside, what did she want? She felt no fear when she lay with a man Worse, there was an absence of es, chaos inside her mind, her heart

Would she feel if he touched her? What if she didn’t? Her ly isolation of sex taint their new relationship If they slept together and it o to the cold place inside herself, she wouldn’t be able to bear it And Clay would know It would wound him She couldn’t do that to him

No, Clay had to remain her friend Nonsexual Safe Forever

"Hey" His hand touched her lower back,quickly, she faced him "We should show Tamsyn the autopsy reports while the kids are outside and we can talk without interruption"

Those forest-in-shadow eyes sharpened "That’s what I just said"

"Oh"

"What’s going on in that head of yours? Your scent’s not right"

It disconcerted her to be in the presence of people who could taste her sweat, her fear, her absolute terror at the thought of ht anyway, reht with bitter huood as an excuse

Frown lines marred his forehead "This is different"

"The reports"

"I already gave thee kitchen table behind her

She turned to find Ta the back of her chair "Ta up, "but it ht help if Talin went over the reports with her"

"Sure At least I’ll be able to split the injuries up into new and old" It would rip her to pieces but she needed to do this - for Jon, perhaps for other lost children they didn’t yet know about

"While you do that," Clay told her, eyes disturbingly intent on her expression, "we’re going to see if we can pick up Jon’s trail We’ll start froiven him the location, she nodded "Thank you" It was all she could trust herself to say without betraying the turbulence threatening to take her under After a pregnant pause, she walked to the table and sat down facing Taood-bye and Talin looked away, asha so beautiful She had once been loved, she knew that Clay had loved her And look what she’d done

Then a bigthe back of her head and she was looking up, startled The kiss he brushed over her lips caught her breath, blew her confusion to shreds His skin was a little rough, his ht it hurt He was out the door a second later She raised treers to her lips, s he’d aroused

"You want to talk about it?" Taentle but it broke the spell

She dropped her hand, wanting to hide away the memory where no one could steal it from her "Talk about what?"

The healer shook her head "When you’re ready, I’ll be here Now, tell me about this boy"

Talin looked at the file Tamsyn had spread out in the e hit her in a violent rush and she had to close her eyes for long seconds to co a cup of hot chocolate in front of her

Grateful, she wrapped her hands around theas the other woman retook her seat "Do you always take care of people?"

"It’s part of me," was the simple answer "Would you like more time?"

"No" If the kidnappers stuck true to form, Jon had very little left "Can you translate the on?"

"Yes"

For the next five minutes, she listened as Tam appeared to have taken place post else," Taut burned at the reminder of the way Mickey’s face had been turned to pulp "Do you think he was killed as a result of the organ reer lined the healer’s face "I wish I could tell you he didn’t suffer, but what I can tell you is that his death was probably painless He would’ve been anesthetized for the procedure, if only to keep hi This beautiful boy went to sleep and never woke up"

Talin didn’t cry She had no right Not when the monster or an re couldn’t hide the ery," Ta at black "<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>