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He’s a grownthe one woman he was supposed to protect You fed into that, to trap hi he is

You bastard"

Despite her weakness, she kicked off the covers, stu on to the couch aran’s face hardened, and she knew she was pushing it, but she could now, right?

She wasn’t soh she was newlyto stand for this kind of crap in this neorld any more than she would in the old Her resentue mass of betrayal and mistrust, laced with fear and uncertainty because she didn’t kno ed forth, al as one of her violent seizures She opened her ht out froan wasn’t the only one who could command attention when the occasion called for it

Gideon’s tone was razor sharp, bringing her eyes back to him He’d stood up as well His eyes, when intensified with e sky, beautiful and alullible Whatever his motives, I’ve been with you, and I can see it forto vampires is nearly identical Yours isn’t I think it would be a hell of a lot easier if you had help staying in control I can help you do that"

"What kind of woman would I be if I accepted your help?" Anwyn shook her head "You wouldnever leave a woman in distress if there was any sacrifice you could make to save her That’s not a decision, not a choice of your free will Whoever she was, this wo to make amends, I amnot her"

Gideon’s jaw clenched "You don’t like being second-guessed Neither do I Don’t go there I’ it foryouAnd it’s not that fucking dra"

"Don’t curse at o off the handle before I’ve told you what I have into the sofa with precise movements, she sat, perched on the end, her back stiff, and folded her hands with deceptive calm on her knees "Fine Tell me, then, since you two have this all worked out"

She refused to look toward Daegan The vaave her an even look, but caly, she noted he dropped to one knee beside her, rather than sitting next to her He braced the points of a white-knuckled hand on the sofa, and his back was even straighter than hers, his jaw set She wondered if he realized how she registered every nuance of his body language, looking for what that ive , but it ive yourooan The va them both like a still raptor "One mark would have minimal impact But tould help, because that’s a bond between your round together at the conflict evident in his gaze Then it shuttered over He nodded "That makes sense"

"It’s a chain between us," she said sharply "Gideon, I’d be in your head For always"

"Yes and no" He lifted a shoulder "The range isn’t lih to choose a real servant, all I’d have to do is travel out of that range, though I expect you’d learn how to shut it down

Lyssa was able to do that with Jacob at one point She still had the ability to activate it, but she didn’t have to do so And look at it this way While a second-marked servant can still be killed in all the normal ways, they’rethe transition, you can have more freedom when it’s just me around"

"You would trustyou hate most in the world?"

"I don’t hate you"

"You hate what I’ve becoistered his tensing with a sharp nod "See? You ht ood sense"