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He felt his control slipping She was offering him a chance to escape his life, if only for a little while, and he wanted to take it After centuries of service he deserved a little happiness, even if it was only fleeting

Thomas cupped her shoulders in his hands, unsure whether to push her away or pull her closer She looked sers He’d always liked that about wo at the same time It was a wonder that never ceased to amaze him

"I know you hurt," she said in a low, soft voice "Let th to ask, "Why?"

"Because I can Because I want to"

His resolve was crus to put his nagging conscience at ease He wasn’t forcing her Hell, he wasn’t even trying to seduce her She was doing this all of her own free will

Carainst his He could feel her heartbeat against his ribs, see the flush of excite up her cheeks "I know exactly how toabout that bothered hiht of her so he could concentrate on rong "How do you know? You’re too young"

She laughed "You don’t know anything about today’s youth, do you? Did you think I was a virgin or soht had crossed his mind, but he kept it to himself

"Oh,with boys when I was thirteen"

"Thirteen?" He sounded disgusted, but he couldn’t help it She’d been just a baby then "What the hell were you doing having sex at thirteen?"

Carmen’s body stiffened and she dropped her hands and took a step back "You sound like my uncle Jeez"

Not her father, her uncle "Where the hell was your father while his baby girl was out having sex?"

"You’re kidding, right? I offer to have sex with you and you want to talk about my father? Fuck you" She rolled her eyes and started to walk away

Thomas stopped her He wrapped one hand around her arm and she had no choice but to co his official Theronai voice--the one that usually had Gerai hopping to do his bidding

He saw her consider her options--try to get away or answer him "Fine You want to know? I’ll tell you My dear old dad started raping ht When I was ten, Mom found out and tried to stop him He killed her for her effort and went to prison Poetic justice ca-raped himself Isn’t that a pretty story? I put it on the Christmas card every year"

Tho like that? Her life--her short life--had been destroyed by the man as supposed to protect her, and here he was upset by the fact that after living for nearly four hundred years, he was dying God, what a selfish ass he was

"Come here," he whispered, and pulled Caro when she struggled against hi and let hiine how alone she felt in the world She’d been abused, terrorized, orphaned Apparently her uncle had taken her in, but he could never replace her father And nothing would make up for the betrayal she’d suffered at his hands

Thomas wished that her father hadn’t died, because he would have loved killing the man himself Slowly

She sniffed, the soundto have sex with you now, so just forget it"

He pulled back enough so that he could tip her chin up and make her look at him "You have more to offer the world than just sex You’re a Gerai You’re important"

She snorted "That’s what my uncle says, but he’s a fool I hardly have any power at all other than being able to tell when the Synestryn are near, and a lot of us can do that Slade and Vance both found their gifts, but I don’t have one"

"That’s not true You just haven’t found it yet Give it time"

A haunted look took hold of her features and he could see her bottohtly before she controlled it "I don’t have any more time My uncle says I have to o to college The Sentinels will pay for your tuition"

"I was never good enough in school to go to college"

"Do you have a job?"

She shook her head "There aren’t enough jobs in the area to go around My friendShe said I could co?" The thought of her degrading herself further like that made him sick

"It’s not as bad as you ets to touch the dancers"

Like hell she was going to take her clothes off for ed her back to Logan’s van It took hi, but he finally found a little notebook shoved under one of the seats He scribbled a note on it and signed his na step back, but he couldn’t blaleam of his blade was a blatant menace, just the way he liked it He sliced a ser and pressed the bloody spot over his signature Any Sanguinar would be able to authenticate the mark as his

He folded the paper and handed it to her "I want you to pros"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because if you do, I’ to make sure that you have a safe place to live for the rest of your life and soful to do with it Do you understand?"

Carmen nodded, but looked skeptical Not that he could blaood fortune and kindness