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Drake set down the duffel he was carrying and pulled her against hih she knew she should Relying on hiht her one step closer to falling for him

"I need to find her, Helen I need her"

Drake’s head shot up too fast for her not to notice "Need her how?"

Zach’s pale eyes slid to the side "I need to touch her Be near her I don’t get it, but that doesn’t seem to matter I need her"

"I know exactly how you feel" Each as slow and precise "That’s how I felt when I saw Helen It can’t be a coincidence"

"What can’t be?" asked Helen, confused

"I want to believe, but if you’re wrong, I’m not sure I could take it," said Zach

"You have to find out," replied Drake

"Find out what?" asked Helen

"If Lexi is like you Like us"

Zach ran a wide hand over his face "Man, don’t even say it You’ll jinx it"

The side of Drake’s mouth lifted in a half smile "Are you superstitious now?"

"If it works, hell yes" Zach looked at Helen "You’ve got to help me find her"

"I don’t knoish I did I don’t like the idea of her running around out there on her own"

Zach pressed a hand to his chest as if it hurt "Neither do I"

"Maybe Nicholas can help"

"He hasn’t been able to so far I was counting on Helen knowing souilt that she couldn’t help, and a whole pile of concern for Zach He looked wildly desperate and a little sick to his stomach "I’ else, even so small, will you tell entle pressure surged around her She’d felt it before when she’d given her word It was strange

"You’ve got to quit doing that," warned Drake "You’re going to get yourself in troubleso many vows"

"I didn’t hear you co end," she res that you can do with htfully wicked light warmed his eyes, and Helen felt her body soften in response

She was going to need to build up some serious barriers if she was ever to have a chance at keeping her distance One look like that froet naked with him for a few hours

"I’d like that," he told her in that dark voice that er over her cheek and across her bottoue reached out to touch hinize walked up to the for her"

Drake sighed heavily "Right The cerehtened in a sudden rush of anxiety "What cere to me about a ceremony"

She was dressed in a pair of borroeatpants and a sloppy T-shirt Not exactly cere," Drake assured her "The Theronai want to meet you and welcome you into our family"

Well, that didn’t sound too bad In fact, it sounded kinda nice

Chapter 16

It was not nice at all This cere co to kill you for this," whispered Helen under her breath to Drake

Heproud that he had the chance to display her in front of his makeshift family

Yet another shirtless, tree-tattooed man came to the front of the room where she stood next to Drake He drew his sword, knelt at her feet, and sliced open his chest, vowing, "My life for yours," in a reverent tone

There were over a dozen Theronai here and each one of theh this same process Each ti down upon her Each ive his life in defense of hers was not an idle one

Thomas had proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt These men would die to save her and she hated it She wanted to screa stupid Her life was nearly over and not worth saving Even if she wasn’t fated to die soon, she still would have hated their violent proer than she was Braver More capable of fighting off the Synestryn The world needed them a lot more than it needed her

Drake leaned over and whispered in her ear, "You’reto prove that to you"

Yeah, right after he taught pigs to fly

Another man stepped forward He was leaner than Drake, but still beautifully littered with intelligence As withto his tree--his lifemark, Drake had called it