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All levity had fled Now she studied hio away"

"Are you so certain of that?" he countered sardonically

She responded with a slow nod "Yes I don’t duck responsibility"

He stiffened, the anger that had eluded hi I do?"

She tucked her thunedyou do or say will keep ht she could hold her own against him? "Your confidence is misplaced," he warned her

"My confidence is exceeded only by my stubbornness"

He could vouch for that "I don’t need a Second!" he practically shouted in frustration

Her delicate shoulders rose and fell in a shrug "Clearly Seth thinks you do"

"I don’t give a danited in her eyes "Well, you should He’s worried about you, Marcus It’s been eight years--"

He swore violently, cutting her off Seth had told her about Bethany?

Swiveling oncethis with you It’s none of your fucking business"

"You aren’t alone," she insisted

He emitted a derisive snort Next she would remind him that he had friends who cared about him and ere there for him and wanted to help him, blah blah blah

Except … she didn’t She said, "I knohat it is to grieve"

And there was so in her voice, as she continued, thatthat seemed to resonate in the dark, hollow void that now resided deep inside him

"I knohat it is to lose your co without direction, far fro it can be, knowing you’ll never find that path again, to just trudge forward anyway, forcing one foot in front of the other again and again in what feels like an utterly useless endeavor I knohat it is to live without hope"

He glanced over his shoulder

Her gaze avoided his "What I’which he noticed for the first ti up late to pester hiued as it had him

A huff of annoyance escaped her "I don’t knohat I’ to say Wait here for a moment, please"

As he stood, motionless, she headed into the kitchen

"Hi there, Sliht "What are you up to, you crazy kitty?"

He liked the way she walked Though se in a lot of contrived hip swaying No, with Aered so dormant predatory desire in him to follow after her and pounce

Marcus frowned Where the hell had that thought co a cloth cooler about the size of a child’s lunch box and held it out to him "Here"

He took it "What’s this?"

"As far as I can tell, you haven’t been eating regularly, so I ht: the equivalent of brunch and dinner "There’s a bag of blood, sorain bread Meatless smoked turkey Lettuce Tomato Red onion Bell pepper and a few slices of jalapeño pepper All organic I didn’t know if that was to your taste, but Seth, David, and Darnell love it"

Marcus’s sto him a faint smile

David was the second oldest immortal in existence Darnell was his Second How