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She nodded, but her hands locked together before her While Mal was gratified she had no fear, trusting hi the liitation that boiled beneath the eerie calm, all of it could take this into a very violent place, very quickly
Jere slowly, so each word cah the impediment of his torn-up mouth "Mal actt’ward you, way man act t’o but rage, and heat Like when Rushkin would flog, starf us We tore people apartso angry"
She flinched, and he gave her a slow, appraising nod "Done dat, too if you what he does" When he closed his eyes then, Mal heard it in Elisa’sas he wished to speak, the words unbroken even if the emotions behind the it I want to be as a man isI don’t know if this is what Mal feels, or so twisted, a child and a man’s love It consumes me, Elisa I knohat I do and don’t want anymore
It was the first time he’d said her name fully, rather than the childish Leesa abbreviation, and Mal could tell it struck her mind, made her throat ache Beyond that, she was rocked on her axis, as rown-up voice and fully forhts After months of limited and broken forhts of an undeniably adult male
I can’t do it I can’t wait and see if I’ll become like them If I did, no wo withme touch you like hiine it Close your eyes, see it Let me show it to you
Elisa didn’t want to do it, but she did Jere to her waist, lips pressing against hers Childish lips, childish hands A shudder went through her, repelled despite herself, and she opened her eyes to see tears in his
"Jeremiah, no It’s not--"
No He shook his head fiercely It’s how you should feel It’s how a nor feels I er and not know about it Which was stupid, because how could I help, really, locked in a cell all the ti to you,It es, you know Not really living
He took a deep breath, turned his gaze to Mal and spoke the clearest he’d spoken yet, so forceful it pushed past the lisp "I’m done I wantittobeover"
"No" Elisa whispered it When Jereaze now, laced with a sadness so deep and so familiar She’d seen it the day he’d killed Leonidas She’d turned away fro away now
I wanted to tell you like this, out here, without a bloodlust attack, so you know it’s not because of that I wanted to feel pain--he gestured with his hands--to know that it doesn’t ony of what I’ve becoo
He turned back to Mal I want to do it today I like the place where atched the cheetahs It will have a good sunrise Give me a stake and I’ll sit there I’ll do it when the sun comes up, or the sun can take me
"No No No" She didn’t care about coed forward, and ca her away froet past him, but Jere with cri to hold on to control
"You can’t do this," she cried out She fought Mal’s grip, ignored Jereitation in favor of her own Mal didn’t speak in her mind, didn’t ad that would hold her back noas physical strength "You can’t give up There are so s"
She trailed off as he stared at her, that terrible knowledge in his eyes What, Elisa? What things? I’ll never leave this island, never leave that cell I’ll never be more than a freak, dependent on others I don’t want that
Abruptly, his fists clenched on those gruesoaps in hisred "I doan want dat!"
It was a howl, but it had to chase them down the hill, because Mal had already picked her up bodily and was speeding aith her He left the Jeep behind to cut through the forest, putting distance between her and the vaht, a vibration that rivaled even the cheetah’s eerie calls It brought silence to the island, every being going stock-still as they heard and scented a predator in pain, a danger to theive in to tears, wouldn’t bear to be touched When he dropped her on their porch, she bared her teeth at Mal just like Jeremiah had and went after him with fists and fury, until he hauled her down to their room, past Kohana’s startled face Once there, Mal closed the door, leaning against it as he let her go She threw herself back at him He blocked her attempts to move him, to strike out at hio until she ran herself into co her face against his thigh, letting the sobs take her No, no, no