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"Fine"

"No heart palpitations, nausea, anything out of the ordinary?"

Talin’s heart was certainly racing, but it had nothing to do with thehis fingertips along her collarbone She wondered if the cat considered that as behaving "No No side effects"

The healer blew out a frustrated breath "I can’t ree with Clay - you need to go to an M-Psy for a scan Probleh we’ve been putting out feelers ever since Sascha and Faith joined the pack"

"I’m okay for now" Talin didn’t want to die But neither could she live with herself if she put her life before Jon’s That didn’t ry "We’ll deal with my proble, but she could feel the wild energy of his leopard racing over her skin He was furious with her

Two hours later, Talin walked into a s room located in DarkRiver’s business HQ, viscerally aware of the stor inside Clay He set her up in the rooo check on so, ask Ria She’s Lucas’s assistant" He showed her the key to press on the co Did you forget?"

Instead of laughing at the small joke, he turned to leave the rooue and she decided if he could brood, she could pout "Hey!"

He turned in a smooth, sensually feline move and bent down to press a hard, possessive kiss on her lips "Don’t be a brat while I’ers to her lips as he left, wanting to sone dark and silent on her but he hadn’t left without a kiss Hope struggled to defiant life in her heart Yes, the possessive leopard in Clay remained wary of her And yes, she ad for hiain

That distance, those hidden fears, they hurt

But even so, they were coer and farchildhood It was a wonderful surprise - after all these years apart, she’d been scared to come to him, afraid that the truth of the man she discovered would forever taint the happiest memories of her life

It had never occurred to her that she ht adore the adult Clay even more than she had the youth, but there it was The rown into - well, he enchanted her, brooding temper, dark kisses, ani seemed to be mutual But the separation had scarred them both What would it do to Clay if this disease succeeded in killing her?

The future hasn’t yet changed

It terrified her that Clay could lose his hu relationship Her hand clenched No, she thought, no The future wasn’t fixed She would not let hi

It opened to reveal a pretty brunette with laugh lines around her mouth and a tea tray in her hands "I’m Ria and I’ through her churning e efficiency "I’m Talin"

Ria put the tray on the table "So, you’re Clay’s?"

"He’s rinned "Oooh, I like you Must adh"

"Oh?"

"You’re human He’sintense, even for a cat" Her eyes widened before Talin could reply "No offense! I’m human, too"

Talin ju human in a pack of leopards?"

"They tend to have to be more careful with us - we break easier," Ria said with candid war back with her "Yeah"

"But you know, human men have to watch theardless of race" She shrugged "These guys just have claws and teeth to worry about, too"

"Huh" The practical explanation made complete sense

"And," Ria added, "we have to be careful with them, too"

Talin felt her eyebrows rise "What could I possibly do to Clay, to any changeling?"

"Think about it - their hearing is so sensitive, we screah, we blow out their eardrums" She winced "I learned that the hard way"

"Is he - "

"Healed Thank God And he h he pulls it out now and then to tease entle with him"

Talin had never considered the downside to Clay’s incredible senses "I guess perfuht of the way he liked to lick, to taste, and felt her body heat up frole" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>