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He was serious Helen sat there, waiting for the punch line, but it didn’t coan and both of them wore deadly serious expressions This wasn’t a joke "Monsters?"

"Demons, if you prefer the ter to absorb what he was saying

"Thesewethe you"

"Only when Zach started bleeding"

"What?" she asked, frowning in confusion

Drake’s wide jaw bunched up under the pressure of his clenched teeth He looked at Logan like he was hoping to find an escape "I’ a mess of this She doesn’t need to know this part"

"Yes, she does," said Helen before Logan could answer for her She turned Drake’s face back to her so she was sure she had his attention "Why are the, u you?"

He stared at her for a long second and she could feel his hesitation, see regret glowing in his golden brown eyes "They followed us once Zach started bleeding because they like toeat us"

Oh God That was too disgusting to even contemplate This had to be soht them to my house?" How could they? Miss Mabel was a defenseless old woman ouldn’t even be able to run away if she had to

"They’re not ," said Drake in a tone that was supposed to be reassuring

As if she could possibly be reassured by anything after that kind of news "What?"

"They don’t eat humans"

"But you just said--"

"I said they eat us As in Thoic he left for her to folloas a short one "You’re not human?"

Drake shook his head slowly

She had to get out of here Had to get away from all this insanity She’d left Miss Mabel out there alone with Thoh the first rush of fear and forced herself to remain calm because she kneouldn’t be the last She had to stay calm Miss Mabel needed her She tried to pull her wrist away, jerking it hard, but Drake’s grip held

"Don’t do this, Helen," he said in a calain I won’t hurt you"

She didn’t stop to figure out whether or not he was telling the truth Not while he held her captive She felt herself panicking Her breathing sped, then faltered Her heart pumped hard and fast, one beat crammed on top of the next Sweat broke out on her skin and her oal Escape She’d freaked out enough tiot bad and it was vital for her to stay calm, she panicked Every time the vision hit her, she panicked Every time she saw so much as a candle fla to prevent her escape and she didn’t care if she hurt hiht now

Chapter 4

"She’s still panicking," said Logan

Drake felt her fear The queasy, oily eht to her flailing wrist "No shit TellI don’t know, like what to do about it"

Helen’s hazel eyes ide, her pupils shrunken down to tiny dots Her skin had gone pale and cla through her wrist

Her fear o away and he terrified her Not that he could blame her She was human and had no experience with his world Why did he ever think he could tell her what he did without terrifying her?

She wrenched her ar to break free, and Drake drove her down to the bed, pinning her with his body She was going to hurt herself if she kept this up and Drake would not allow that to happen

He let go of her wrist, but made sure that he still had contact with her bare skin It wasn’t hard In her summer shorts and tank top, there was a lot of bare skin available, all of it incredibly soft and warotten her there under different circuathered her hands and pushed the them there As soon as she realized she was trapped, she stopped fighting and went li with this, Drake You’ve got to let ht there on the bed with the his too-pretty face