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Taking her hands, he guided her over to the bed Laid her down on it and himself behind her He opened his robe, draped it over her and pulled her into the warmth of his naked body He crooked his knees up behind her As he did, his still-firripped her thigh, a hs loosen and he slid back into her, lodging hi her there on him while she quaked at the intimacy of that connection, what it symbolized
"I’m here," he said softly "I’m a part of you Tell me, Ruby Close your eyes and telltime, and he had to ask a couple ently, a quiet sound in the dark rooht months," she whispered at last He had his arers tangling with his own "She was eightinside of hed I didn’t think a baby could laugh in the worew I don’t know if I ave me the joy, or if they fed each other, but it didn’t matter I could feel her soul, Derek She was inside of ain, but he left it alone for now His fingers tightened on hers, a silent appeal to go on He didn’t want to get too de to h in truth there was a part of hiy sparked ic was a dull flicker, an unpredictable flash… all those years of Mother telling ifted with any power at all Then, all of a sudden, I had this flood It frightened th of it, because I could tell it wasn’t hers She soht mine to life"
The emotionally abused child becaer in herself to protect her own child It made perfect sense to Derek
"But I screwed up Because I was scared, I didn’t do anything with it I kept a lid on it, didn’t tell anyone I was too intie it"
"Oh, Ruby"
"My mother told me, Derek" Ruby twisted her head to look up into his face, so close to her own "She said if I ever discovered any natural ability, I needed to hide it, ignore it, keep it doredy She said she saw it"
"You knohy I didn’t like your ave her the edge of his anger because it was on her behalf "She was like a cop who abuses power There’s nothing worse, when the person who’s all about protection, justice, someone you should be able to trust ie"
"But she knew things--"
"Yes, she was a great Seer She was never wrong And because she was never wrong, she lied to you, told you things that weren’t true because what she truly saas that you would surpass her"
Ruby stared up at him Derek touched her face, caressed the line of her cheek, still tracked with drying tears "Your reat Seer, but she was a co eclipsed by her own daughter Most parents, they hope their children will go further and be even more than they are, because that’s part of a parent’s love She couldn’t get there She was too afraid of being forgotten" He bared his teeth in a humorless smile "It’s one of the reasons I do my best never to think of her It’s my small spite, but there you are I love you too ainst his hold "You aren’t going to love who I aed hihten on his arested by a Grat de"
The combination of devotion and impatient tone almost ainst his biceps as she turned her head away again But he also felt her fear, and soainst whatever his reaction was So he kept it easy, realizing hewith a wild aniic was so powerful, I didn’t realize it would be noticed, even if I kept it locked up inside athered in his vitals, re Raina’s words She was thrown on his windshield, with fireworks… He tightened his ar her breast to stroke the outer curve, soothing and pleasuring, reroceries Fresh fruit The oes, and I was excited about that I was reoes and wine, a picnic on the floor of h Mary had left her nothing, Ruby had been thrilled when she was h on her Witches R Us salary to set herself up in her own place He would have helped her out financially in a heartbeat, but he’d understood the significance of the moment for her, a value that couldn’t be ht I wasn’t drinking wine, of course, but I’d gotten one of those sparkling grape juices I was going to spread a blanket out on the floor of ht candles, pretend you were there"
Ruby slid her other hand over his on her breast, gripped it It pressed her nipple farther into his heated palainst his, the fact he was still inside her He could tell she didn’t want to go forith the inings that night Before everything changed