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The darkness would begin to seep back in

And yet, what choice did she have? As ht bitterly as she slowly opened her eyes Tynan crouched over her, closer than he’d been since the night they’delse So completely inhus were visible But Lily was certain they were there just the same

"Vampire" She whispered the word hoarsely, as much a state hers "Yes Me and the other I did warn you" He frowned, and the ferocity of it ive

"Why?" she asked dully "Why couldn’t you have just left me alone?"

The unshakable conviction she saw on his faceher here, and with that realization came helpless despair She would have destroyed her house a hundred times over if it meant he’d leave her in peace

"My queen needs your help"

"I don’t have any help to give anybody"

He glanced around, at what Lily was sure was the complete mess she’d made out of her pretty little house His voice was dead cal, woman That much is certain" Then his eyes dropped to her tattoo--the snake, the star She waited, even hoped, for the same horrified look she’d seen on the other vampire’s face, waited for it to drive him off Instead, he focused on it with intense interest

"What do you know about this lared up at hie her prone position put her in "It’s just some stupid tattoo my parents put on me before they died, when I was a baby Apparently, they were freaks I’ et it over with"

He continued to study the tattoo "Green," he ht, how it shimmers It’s beautiful"

"It’s just a stupid tattoo," Lilyher head away as ereen tattoo She assuenius And she wished he’d plied his trade on someone, anyone, else

She sucked in a breath at the shock of Tynan’s thuainst her warmth, as he rubbed slowly across the tattoo

"It’s not a tattoo," he murmured "And Da nited one of her deepest fears: that the glittering green symbol inked into her skinshe could to insulate herself froan, but stopped short before the word possible If tonight was really happening, if Tynan hat he professed to be, then nothing was iritted her teeth and turned her head away froray eyes that lifted to look into her own "Whoever you are--whatever you are--you need to call off the other creeps and get out ofI’ anywhere"

"The one creep, as you so accurately describe hiain The other will return before long" He shook his head "There’s no deterring a Shade"

The word sent an icy chill down Lily’s back "Shade?"

"Shade is an old word for ‘ghost’ or ‘spirit,’ and the ones co after you are just as difficult to spot when they don’t want to be seen Shades are the roup of criminals in the vampire world The most talented ones are filthy rich, and they’re all a bit taken with thehbloods, our nobles, use them for all sorts of dirty work" He paused "Like this"

The thought one to thatme around, I doubt you’re much better," she said flatly

Tynan breathed out an exasperated hiss of air "Do you really want to be here when Daets back?"

"What areas miserable and helpless as she ever had in her life "Maybe sooner is better"

She heard hih, a hollow, unhappy sound that almost made her look at hiet sucked in again, unable to think, unable to resist hi her face for clues about her thoughts She could actually feel hiet in