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"Okay" Gideon looked around, found a chair He couldn’t stand sitting at the door where she couldn’t reach him, as if she were a wild beast he couldn’t trust, no ood compromise, he moved the chair around to the couch side and straddled it The sofa was pressed up to the bars, so if she wanted hih the bars to touch her Since the chains were almost at full extension at that point, it was an acceptable risk

Turning, she folded her legs under herself and laid her teh, stroke her hair Her eyes closed again

"I’m sorry, Anwyn," he said quietly "You don’t kno much" She didn’t reply, but sat beneath his touch, not discouraging it Her beautiful hair already felt like the te silk that all female vampires had

There was a spot of blood on her shoulder, his blood, but he decided not to reht now

"This reminds me of the time my parents took my brother and me on a cross-country trip," he ventured

"The first part of the trip, where we suddenly realized how ure out hoere going to pass the time"

Her hand slid up, curled in the cushions He would have covered it, but instinct told him to wait, to let her make the request or deh her voice didn’t reflect netic chess and checkers Mad Libs You remember those? Short stories where different parts of the sentences were left blank You’d tell the other person to give you a noun or verb, an adjective, et cetera They’d give those to you, without knowing the story When you read theh"

"If I laughed right now, I’d feel like I was laughing at a funeral"

"You didn’t die, Anwyn You’re going to be okay"

Her jaw tightened, her head lifting "You abhor what I’ve become You want all vampires dead So ould you lie to me?"

"Because it would make you feel better to believe it And I want you to feel better" She stared at him "You’re an honest man I’m not sure if I appreciate or hate that"

"I’ve heard both opinions Usually from the saood coripped her there to draw her attention

"You didn’t ask for this to happen"

"So that makes it different, because I’m an accident rather than someone who embraced this?"

"Yeah"

"Why does that h a blood transfusion instead of sex? I didn’t ask for it, so" Her voice drifted off, and a shudder went through her

He knehere her one, to what had happened in the alley Not to the turning, but theaway from his touch, she slid down the side of the couch to the floor and folded her ar time since I wanted to be dead," she said in a voice that could have co chills down his spine "Maybe I should have you go ahead and do it Maybe that hy Fate brought you here"

"Sorry; I’ve made my vampire kill this week No new appointhtly, but her words had cla beneath her knees, keeping the T-shirt pulled up to her thighs to retain her ht she wasto make herself as san’s warning He knew she wasn’t nor to let her sink into the clutches of such black thoughts Getting up, he took the key and unlocked the cell Her head lifted only when he squatted in front of her, his boots inches from her bare toes

"This is stupid," she said "I heard what Daegan said to you And he’s right Gideon, I can feel it inside ofyou can’t stop it"

"I don’t think a Mistress should be on the floor," he said instead, giving her a steady look "Why don’t we get you back on the couch?"