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"I…I haven’t been hungry" Truth "Like you, I thought it was nerves I still do I mean, I can’t…I wouldn’t…" Shut up, babbler! "What’s so bad about being a D-Drainer, anyway? It’s no worse than being a muter, is it?"

He popped his jaw "When did you last eat?" he asked, ignoring her question

She gulped again "I…maybe the day the witches cursed us I don’t know" The words whispered fro to be asha wrong

His eyes widened as he straightened to his full height, no longer touching her in any way "Have you had water?"

"No"

"Hu without water, Mary Ann"

"I plan to have a giant glass of it just as soon as I get ho now from the cold, from an influx of dread, she shook her head Several strands of hair slapped at her cheeks "No That’s not a big deal, though," she rushed to add "I’ve been living on adrenaline"

"That wouldn’t keep the hunger at bay for so long"

"Dieters can go without food for a long ti "N-no, but that doesn’t ry, even now?"

"No"

His pupils did that strange expanding/shrinking thing "You liked being near the witch, yes? You felt war wrong withwithwith you" He scrubbed a hand down his face, leaving red ic, which means you really are a Drainer"

The horror in his voice caused her sto a D-Drainer?"

"Everything! By vampire law, hell, by every law in this otherworld, I’m required to kill every Drainer I find We all are"

Mary Ann backed up a step Riley, kill her? No, never, she told herself Not her They were dating, for God’s sake "You can’t just go around killing people Besides, ould you have to kill a D-Drainer?" And why did she have sothe word? "Which I’linted as if a match had been struck inside them "There was a Drainer in that room, Mary Ann Witches are always the first to sense the theer for witch blood, like all va froy Plus, I’ve lived with the time, and would have known That means the only other option was Aden Except, he’d recently had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so I can cross him off the list, too Who does that leave, Mary Ann? Go ahead Tell me"

Distance, suddenly she needed distance froust…all that hate…both radiated froh he’d all but threatened her With the distance, she could breathe without s branded by hi

"What exactly is a Drainer?" There She’d said the ithout stuttering They’d reason this out together and realize she was no different than ever

Back and forth he began to pace "Haven’t I already said? Soy of others"

That didn’t sound so terrible

"I can see your aura and I knohat you’re thinking, but listen up Drainers are sustained only by the energy they steal Without it, they weaken and die But in the taking, they kill And if that isn’t bad enough, their appetite forto kill people? No No, no, no But…she couldn’t stop her next thought Her mother Her mother had died at the th Oh, God Even before the witches and Riley had begun tossing accusations at her, Mary Ann had used that very word to describe what she’d done to her own her mother Drained

Had she been a Drainer her entire life?

"Soon, h Soon, you’ll take froer be able to feed" His steps quickened, feet pounding into the ground "Soon after that, you’ll take from the wolves, and they’ll lose their ability to shift After that, you’ll take fro and everyone"

"I would never do that!" she shouted Then her shoulders sagged She’d killed her ownStop! Don’t think like that Back then, you ate food Real food Riley said Drainers live off energy "I just, I can’t be a Drainer There has to be another explanation"

Steps never slowing, he flicked her a lance "You won’t mean to, but you will Drainers can’t help themselves, and they certainly can’t stop Otherwise, like I said, they weaken and die"