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Disliking the fa an to walk down the corridor "She’s staying with ed "Ashaya’s attached to her"

"No colance "You talk to her like that, too?"

"None of your daht" A feline smile "Here’s a tip - don’t snarl at women It makes them mad"

"Go screw yourself," Dev said without heat

Lucas laughed "I don’t have to I have a gorgeous ht I heard - " Her eyes locked on Lucas

The DarkRiver alpha was all green eyes and that warm leopard charm as he save a so outside to talk" There was no way in hell he wanted the otheras Sascha’s in the house," Lucas said, taking a position against the wall opposite the doorway "We can talk here"

"What’s there to talk about?" Katya asked, gripping the doorjamb

Lucas’s eyes went to her white-knuckled hold "Ashaya wants you to know you have a way out"

Dev’s jaw tightened "Don’t play the alpha here, Luc I’ve got no loyalty to you"

"I have to look after my people, Dev, same as you And Ashaya considers Katya a true friend"

Dev thought of Katya’s detero north, waited to see what she’d do

"Thank you," she said, uncurling her fingers only to wrap her aro to her, crush her close Then she spoke, and his pride at her turned into a flame inside of him "I think of her as a friend, too And because I am her friend, I won’t put her family in jeopardy"

"There’s your answer," Dev said,sure Lucas heard the absolute lack of flexibility in his voice "Anything else?"

"You change your mind, Katya, all you have to do is say so" Lucas’s head angled slightly to the right "I have to go talk to s, Dev stayed behind as Lucas walked away "You should’ve taken the chance he gave you"

Katya’s eyes ide at his tone

So primitive in him pushed at him to finish his, make his claim in the most final way "I won’t let you leave"

Katya knew she should’ve been angry, but it wasn’t a threat she saw in Dev’s eyes No, what burned in those gold-flecked depths was a possessive demand that she kneould end her loneliness foreverbut only if she accepted his rules "I may have been broken when I ca that if she gave in now, it would all be over, "but that’s not true any longer The pieces are starting to coether"

"Good" He took her chin in a hold that was blatantly proprietary

Her stomach filled with butterflies, the steel and heat scent of him in every breath - but she kept her voice "Even if that means I won’t do what you want?"

He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, his eyes on her mouth "I never said I wanted a puppet"

"In that case," she said, her lips brushing his thu you can do will stop ed then, filling not with anger but with challenge "Bring it on"

The kiss was hard, fast, openly possessive - a warning and a pro down the corridor to find Sascha leaving Cruz’s rooo directly into her mate’s ar," he said, the taste of Katya a lingering sweetness on his tongue, "one of you two should sit in on this, too" They could easily transraceful uy?"

Tag gave a short nod, but Dev saw the flash of hunger in the man’s eyes It made him wonder what it felt like for the two telepaths to co different when it was Tiara? Part of him couldn’t help but think what it would be like to have Katya’sto back down I want you to look in rowled in rejection Such contact would have nothing to do with intimacy - it would be the worst kind of violation, a mockery of what should be

"Dev, you okay?" It was Tiara, her voice pitched low

Realizing he’d let his emotions bleed into his face, he nodded "Sascha," he said, turning to the empath as she came to stand beside him, Lucas on her other side "What’s your opinion on Cruz?"

"He’s da smile "The boy can learn to shield"

Tiara blew out a breath "Da up the things ere trying to show him?"

"His pathways," Sascha said, "are so co just for hi wants the blueprint"

"It’s a work in progress at theit fro to ot so far"

"Luc," Dev said as the to else I need to talk to you about"