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"If you understood anything about true submission, Gideon Green, you would know that this is the furthest possible thing fro to yourself" His voice softened further, the dangerous growl of a lion "Your ignorance has saved you this tiain" Gideon had a few choice words on that score, but he held thely, Anas back in the doorway She’d chosen one of Daegan’s black T-shirts, the he an expanse of delicate collarbone and slione and evenher vaone only minutes
She didn’t speak, her face pale, her lips pressed hard together She’d tightened the wrap on her hair, added pins so it gave her face an eventoward her before he even thought about it She was barefoot, and he remembered how the stilettos had put her within a few inches of his height, rather than letting hi to one knee before her didn’t He took her hand, looking up at her conflicted expression
"I like this look better," he said Though he knew she uts to let vulnerability show as she faced her deepest fears Even htened on his, and her lips curved, a hueon?" she asked, her voice breaking slightly
At his nod, she tightened her jaeeping her glance over them both, she moved away froana queen to the gallows
11
THE chains in the ere like those she’d used on hih a St Andrew’s cross, which in turn was permanently embedded into the concrete wall On top of that, the cross was inside a cell that could be securely locked Gideon didn’t really want to think about what kind of person would want to be cagedand bound Or the men Anwyn had tormented in her private apart the cell would co on her earlier, they’d , a few of her books and a side table, so she could find coive her free s, but shown Gideon where the controls on the outside of the cell could be used to draw up the slack With the touch of a button, the manacled person would be yanked back to the cross, with no freedom of movement at all Fortunately, there was a dial to control the rate of retraction, so it wouldn’t have to be so violent except in an eency
"Bring her back to this wall every tian had said, "no e in a blink, and you will be dead She’ll wrap the chains around your neck, break it, and then feed on you to her heart’s content I’ll find a drained husk on the floor" Looking at Anwyn’s delicate limbs, the curve of her back and set of her shoulders, ly things on her than she was And she was pretty h, until she actually sahere they intended to put her Then her steps slowed
Daegan slid a hand under her elbow "Let’s go,cherIt will be all right" She shook her head, but made it a couple more steps Then all hell broke loose
She tried to break free, a snarl of protest tearing froan didn’t waste time on any preli her against his taller body as he carried her into the cell Her knuckles hit the bars of the doorfra thud Grabbing onto theet her foot and ankle hooked as well She was shrieking, kicking What aze Anwyn, not her vahting like a wild, panicked anian, don’t Stop it" Her screaan snapped "Free her hands so I don’t break her fingers" Trying to silence his ears to her wails, Gideon griers loose while she shouted terrible things at him They were no better than the ones who’d fucked her in the alley Held her down and bit her, gagging her with her own torn and blood-soaked underwear to keep her fro for help Men were all beasts who only wanted to hurt woan couldn’t see as ith her liers free, Gideon put pressure on his back Guiding the vampire, he turned him so her foot and ankle slid free of the bars as well and he could h kicks and punches flew, they got her into the hter, but her bursts of vaave her the ability to hit with the force of a wildly swinging baseball bat If he could have bruised, Daegan would likely show asto have in short order
He’d handle twice asdown her face, her struggles It was the things she said that weren’t anger that tore into his gut the worst
"Please, don’t Not again Don’t hurt me I can’t stand thisPlease don’t do this toshout, saw the lunge in the corner of his eye Gideon wasn’t quick enough She’d broken free of Daegan’s atteht one wasn’t yet retracted There was enough chain to let her leap forward and land on top of Gideon, knocking his sank into the back of his neck, perilously close to his spine, her aran wouldn’t be able to free her without breaking his neck
Gideon’s skills as a fighter, and her lack of the as he would to any va the knife out of his belt, he jammed it into the soft tissue beneath hirip loosened and he rolled free Daegan hit the control and the chains retracted into the wall, yanking her up and back, holding her fast He seized her other wrist and, despite her cry of pain, forced it back into the other cuff and locked it down He did both of her ankles as well
In that brief blink of ti over Ten years’ worth of life-and-death struggles with vampires deterhter, their fucking self-righteousness about their strength and superiority, obliterated his rational awareness of her plight Sheer, harsh survival instinct took over
"Vaan’s voice was soft, but resonated with that unmistakable command that captured attention, noto hi with the point of his fist pressed into the tender flesh of Anwyn’s breast, his thuer that would send a wooden arrow spearing into her heart He still held his knife in the other fist, and it was running with blood Blood that e
Her fangs es and hot breath of soto overpower him, take from him as they always took froistered that Anas breathing hard, his blood staining her ht against the wall behind her, and she was naked beneath it Her careful hair pinning had been destroyed so she looked like a feral creature, her breath throttled in her growling throat Rolling her head back against the stone wall, shewail, a hiss mixed up in the sound Her chest heaved with exertion As he watched, though, the red in her eyes shifted back to blue-green, the ebbing of bloodlust
He wished she could stay in the grips of the madness, because as her awareness returned, so, too, did her awareness of what had just happened Her eyes filled with horror and fear of herself, her lips pressing together against the apology she already kneas useless She see blood
Daegan went to her, exa his es, then across the tear in her flesh, aiding her slowly developing healing ability with the clotting agents in his tongue His large hands rested on her waist, nearly ether as if the sensation was unexpectedly soothing, and perhaps souish in her face
As for Gideon, he’dhis hands on his knees, he bent down to take a shuddering breath When he saw Daegan’s feet approach at last, he would have knocked hi so hard he couldn’t straighten
"Don’t," he said hoarsely as Daegan’s touch whispered over the open wound on his neck "Don’t touch an stepped back Since he didn’t see considerate, giving Gideon space That annoyed hi implacability, his close presence, was a clear coether Or et the hell out, because he couldn’t be trusted He’d fought va, too hard In the end, he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between her and any of the others he’d killed
Yes He WouldWith a vicious oath, he stripped off his jacket, unbuckled the harnesses, yanked out all the knives and guns, ignoring the fact he was showing Daegan every place he hid his weapons Since that was stupid enough, thrusting theainst her, or him, was just more of the same idiocy "Put theoddale" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">