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"You fool We can’t sit around siht decide to contact you"

"What do you intend to do?"

"I intend to bring hter ho in terror"

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Darcy was raised by hu tone "Do you truly think that you can play the role of June Cleaver?"

Her lip curled "I can for long enough to lure her fro will have to be done by you"

Doting?

Salvatore gave a , but if that’s what it took to get Darcy in his bed, then so be it

He needed heirs Strong heirs who could replenish the fading Weres

He would do whatever was necessary to achieve that

Styx realized that he had completely lost his wits

There was no other explanation for why he was anxiously pacing the floor while Darcy dressed in the adjoining bathrooods, the woh he could hear her every movement and smell the warm scent of her skin He could be at her side within less than a blink of an eye

But the mere fact that there was a slender door between the two of theravation

It went beyond ridiculous

Tugging on his clothes with a sharp ie unease when a faint, h the roo the door open His gaze swept the bathroo for whatever had made Darcy cry out

What he discovered was Darcy seated on the edge of the vast tub wearing only her jeans and a lacy bra as she regarded her ar she must have somehow hurt herself, he flowed to her side and knelt before her

"Darcy," he said softly, waiting until her gaze at last lifted to el, what is it?"

"My ar oddly dazed, she held out her ar with it"

He carefully cradled her ar as he caught sight of the cri that crawled beneath the skin of her forear to accept what he was seeing It wasn’t that he didn’t knohat it was Every vanize such an ancient symbol

And it wasn’t even that some part of him hadn’t expected the appearance of thethat his reaction to this woman was for more powerful than it should be And when she had taken his blood into her, it had all but settled the issue

Still, it took a long minute before realization truly settled into his mind

A realization that iftly followed by a flash of overwhel satisfaction

A fierce male joy in possession

It was his reaction that shocked hi

"Bloody hell," he at last breathed

"What?" Her fingers curled into a fist as she struggled to contain her panic "Am I sick? Do I have some disease?"

Styx sternly shook off his shock and forced himself to concentrate on the wo to her The question hether not knowing or knoould terrify her h he ise enough to keep his grip on her "You are perfectly fine, Darcy, that I proiving a slow nod "Yes"

"Tell me," she demanded

"Do you swear that you won’t run from me if I tell you the truth?"

She sucked in a sharp breath "Daaze boring into her own "There is nothing to be frightened of, angel, but I want your pro reckless"

A portion of her fear oddly seeinning to suspect that the cri to do with any fatal disease

"Did you do this to me?" she demanded

"I do not yet have your promise, Darcy"