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"Ali," called a voice I knew I should recognize Male Raspy with concern

Cole, ood Pure and crisp and crackling with energy The hunger overwhelain My mouth watered "Feed me," I croaked

Gentle hands s stroke

My nerve endings went haywire, agonizing me further I jerked away "No Don’t"

"Ali"

Grab him Devour him You’ll feel so much better

"I ado Why isn’t she better?"

Definitely Cole He was here He ith me

"Give her another"

"Can she take it?"

"Do we have a choice?"

A sharp sting in er at last died The second heartbeat slowed, softened, but didn’t disappear coed into a boneless heap

"Ali, I need you to wake up, okay?"

Anything for Cole I rippedmy conscious and pried open my eyelids At first, I saw only a haze of white clouds

Clouds

Emma

Butshe wasn’t here Where was here? I frowned

"Good girl, that’s the way," Cole said "Come back to me, sweetheart"

Sweetheart An endear rapidly shooed away the haze Cole leaned over the side of the bed, peering down at ed over a forehead furroith a lassy and bloodshot,me think he’d been denied sleep The shadow-beard he always sported was now thicker

"Hey there," he said softly

"Hey" My voice was daed, as if ether "I’ain"

He frowned, and suddenly I could see the stor to you"

"You were avoiding me, then"

A stilted pause before he admitted, "Yes"

A second later, the world around me tunneled so that only Cole existed Elation speared a at so I stood in front of Gavin,his cheeks

"You are a better ave you credit for," I told him

"I know," Gavin replied

"And you’re so s turned out?"

My gaze strayed to Cole The tension he’d worn like a second skin all these weeks had utterly vanished "Yeah Yeah, I a with my elation, and Cole let his head drop into his upraised hands He scrubbed his fingers through his already disheveled hair

"Gavin’s a irl twice And he’s never liked blondes He won’t stay with you for long"

There was ice in his tone, and it scared led to sit up "Cole, you have to--"

"Don’t say anything Justdon’t" Motions jerky, he shoved two pillows behind htstand

I was in ht shoved its way through the curtains The iPod Cole had given me was stationed in its dock on the desk and turned on Soft music filled the room

He placed the straw atdownfor aup acid "Thank you"

He nodded stiffly and set the cup aside "Let’s talk about what happened with Justin"

Yes Okay A safe topic "Has he recovered?"

"Yeah, and a lot quicker than you"