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"In one of the new va cells in the basement Best place for him He’d have to shift into vapor to escape that, not that he has any intention of trying to run away" Crispin set down his glass with a sardonic snort "He thinks you’re his bloody hero"

Spade sat across frohts?"

"His thoughts," Crispin replied "Bloke reckons you stole hi the deed for the reested that without a hint of sympathy He’d do far worse than sacrifice one unworthy sod who’d signed away his own fate to save Denise from the destructiveness of those brands

"We need to keep hiun to feel guilty over the reed When do you intend to summon the dehtaway, except there’s the s how to kill Rau the demon at his word that he’ll release Denise instead of siave hiht prove useful for that If he thinks you er he’d bewith any inforer that, too, but he had no intention of destroying Raum unless it was a last resort He wanted the brands off Denise Not to kill Rau the de?" he asked absently

Crispin nodded "Once she knew Denise was safely back, she couldn’t hold out any longer"

Ian sauntered in, his turquoise gaze flicking over the two of them before he settled himself into a chair

"Wretched unfair, it is," he remarked "Of the three of us, I’m the one who’s always collected the rare and unusual, yet you twothe world’shalf-breed, who then turned into an even ed a shape-shifter Thought you were joking when you said Denise was the kitty I’reen with jealousy"

"Denise won’t be a shape-shifter for long," Spade said sharply "And once she has those brands off, I don’t intend for her to remain human, either"

Even as the words left his mouth, the hairs on Spade’s neck stood on end Crispin’s expression turning grim only confirmed it Slowly, Spade turned around to ht You really do expect me to turn into a vampire" Her voice was incredulous "Why would you think I’d do that?"

Bones and Ian left the roo on Spade’s face, hoping he’d tell her she had misunderstood what he meant

But he didn’t Instead his expression darkened as he rose "Why would I think you’d do that?" he repeated "Why wouldn’t I, now that we’re together? You didn’t truly believe I’d be content to allow you to re up in her He’d just decided she’d change her species without even talking to her about it? She’d been willing to fight her PTSD and stay in the vampire world, just to be with him But no otten past his prejudice against her being a huht Spade accepted her for who she was, but all along, it hadn’t been good enough

"I have always been clear about the fact that if I got these brands off, I was going back to being a nored"

Spade was in front of her in a blink, his hands gripping al to sacrifice your hu to sacrifice it for our relationship?" He let out a cruel laugh "And here I believed you when you said you weren’t interested in a casual shag, but clearly that’s all I am to you"

Denise shoved at him, but it didn’t even e into a vah for a relationship with you!"

"Fancy being a ghoul instead? Fine, choose that," he flared

She gaped at hioing to change my species just to be worthy of a relationship with you," Denise got out, anger seeping over the hurt of his rejection "If I’h"

Spade’s eyes went green and fangs jutted out from his teeth "So be it I wish you joy of your short life"

He spun on his heel and strode out, his preternatural grace and speed e that the differences between them were insurmountable Denise heard the front door slam seconds later Only when she was sure that Spade had left the house did she finally allow her tears to fall

Chapter Thirty

"That was i through the dense forest that bordered the house, not deigning to respond to Ian

The crunching sounds of leaves continued behind hier the lass is in tears right now," Ian went on

Spade’s jaw clenched "Not bloody likely She’s the one who just threw me away, not the reverse"

"H over between you two, then I think I’ll wander back to the house and see if the fetching little shape-shifter is in need of any coh ht finished with her, you are," Ian taunted hi that he’d so easily fallen into that one

"It doesn’t ood as dead as a hue burned like silver in his heart Lovely, brave, stubborn Denise Rotting in a grave within a few fleeting decades - if she was lucky Sooner, if she wasn’t He couldn’t tolerate that It had nearly destroyed him with Giselda

"Your probleood," Ian said "Were I you, I’d change Denise over regardless of her objection"