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I drew a short, sharp breath I’d never seen Cody like this--ierous, yet at his most vulnerable It stirred a cos frouard over his sleep I wanted to curl up behind hi on his side, and beneath his skin I could see the oblique e expand and contract with his slow, steady breathing While I watched, a muscle in the hollow of his bare flank jumped and twitched in a restless dream

A sound escaped me It may have been, "Eep!"

The next part happened fast Cody’s eyes snapped open, phosphorescent green behind the aed from his nest of woolen blankets and took me down, all naked skin, lean muscle, and olf speed

I hit the floor hard, the i carpeting Cody pinned r’s hilt seared his bare skin His face hovered above nition dawn in his eyes

"Daisy," he growled, his fingers digging into my biceps "You shouldn’t be here Not now"

"Why not?" I whispered

It’s funny how desire can hit you out of nowhere like a ton of bricks at the liuardedcrush,up with Sinclair Maybe it was a coer and frustration, or ht of the satyr-funk orgy

All I kneas that I wanted this Here and now Cody’s eyes were glea above mine, his naked skin was hot, hotter than a human’s And I knew, beyond a doubt, that he wanted this, too

"It’s not safe" His breath arainst my skin

To hell with the Seven Deadlies, to hell with duppies and zorave robbers, to hell with safe Cody wasn’t human and neither was I I wanted this moment I wanted his wildness I wanted his fierceness Wrenching one arr fro it several feet away on the carpet

"I don’t care," I inforled hair and yanking

He kissed ry and primal, and there may still have been a few tooin words, words like ravaging and plundering would have co his head, Cody nuzzled ainstwhite teeth I bit his bare shoulder in response, laughing when he snarled atat h and clu i out of my leather jacket and unbuckle my belt, to peel off my panties, strip off my dress, and unfasten my bra, until I was as naked as he was in his nest of blankets

I feltin answer to his I raised hs

With a wordless, guttural sound, he pushed hiain, mindless and prior, was laughing

Somewhere, maybe, God in his heaven frowned in disapproval, and ranks upon ranks of angels, thrones and powers and doreement

I don’t know The only entity beyond the Inviolate Wall ever to speak to me was my father

Soazed into the oddess nonetheless

Cody arched his back and howled

Shuddering, I caht? The afterle of woolen blankets, my head pillowed on my arms as I told Cody what had happened and why I was there Outside, the rain had turned into a downpour, co Inside felt safe and warth of my spine from the nape of my neck to the tip ofFor the record,to a point froh it’s broader and flatter at the very base, where the big e of pale blond hair that flares out froe and prickles when I’m alarmed, just like the hair on the back of your neck does

I know, I’ve omitted that point until now Sue me Anyway, otherwise it’s hairless I’m not sure if it qualifies as prehensile I rasp objectsbut I could Like now, curling it around Cody’s fingers

And the best part was, he thought nothing of it He just tweaked it in response, then scratched the base idly Now I knehy dogs wiggle their butts when you scratch theuess a olf ought to know