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"No But I may be able to help all the same"

"How?"

"I’m a bloodhunter"

Paul pushed hih everyone knew the Sanguinar had bloodhunters a their ranks--men who tracked down bloodlines by scent alone--no one kneho they were It was a carefully guarded secret

"So? Why should I care?"

"Because I drank Helen’s blood"

That ad for his sword He didn’t want anyone touching Helen’s blood She was too precious

Paul shoved Logan against the wall and put the edge of his blade against the Sanguinar’s throat "Never do that again"

Logan just s cute "You should thank me, Theronai Now that I’ve tasted her blood, if there are any more women out there related to her, I can find theo still as he tried to fully absorb the ian’s words "You’d help me search for another like Helen? A woman who could be mine?"

"Yes"

Was this sons of a trap, but his excite The lure of his own lady was a potent one "Even if we found another feuarantee she would be able to join with me"

"No, but if Helen was compatible with you and your power, then it stands to reason that another woht be as well"

"No one seems to knohere she came from Do we even know if there are others out there like her?"

Logan’s voice dropped to a dark, seductive tone "No, but wouldn’t you prefer it be you who finds out first rather than one of the otherfor women of their own There was no question about that The only thing keeping Paul fro was Helen He wanted to stay near her Just in case she needed hian and sheathed his sword He had to think--figure out why the Sanguinar wanted to help hi What’s in this for you?"

Logan shrugged as if preparing to ask for noI ask only for your blood--as ive whenever I have need"

"A blood oath? That kind of bond would give you too s I otherouldn’t"

"True, but I’m not so you in nefarious ways And don’t forget that once your lifemark is bare and your soul withers, you won’t need anyone to force you to do things which you now finddistasteful You’ll do whatever feels good We’ve both seen it before"

And it was often ugly Men ere once noble and selfless turned into sonizable They were reckless with the lives of others, interested only in their own desires and willing to do whatever it took to get what they wanted No matter who it hurt

Paul wanted to believe that he was stronger than those men, but he knew that was a lie He would become what many of his brothers had if he allowed hian’s eyes flared with a bright, hungry light "It’s a fair trade, Theronai I save your life by helping you find your lady, and in return, you save mine" His eyes moved deliberately to Paul’s lifemark "From the looks of it, if I fail to help you, our blood oath will be a short-lived one"

Logan had a point

"What do you have to lose?" asked Logan

Not much

It would be hard to walk away from Helen, but she was bound to Drake, and he hadn’t lied to her when he told her he’d hear her call for him He kneould

But what if she never called?

His hand rubbed over his life away He was running out of time more quickly than before Helen had inadvertently sped his soul’s death by her mere presence

What choice did Paul have? He was surviving on hope and Logan offered hi deal Happened all the tiht the Synestryn

"Fine," said Paul "I’ll accept your bargain if you add in a stipulation that if we find er her safety Our blood oath cannot prevent an His sht flash of white teeth that revealed sharp twin fangs "I would never think of har one of our women"

"You took Helen’s blood"

"Does she look ill? Injured?"

"No"

"That’s because she isn’t Even if you do subscribe to the notion that I’ood to harm those from whom I feed I tire of your people’s dislike for our existence It is no more my fault that I must drink blood than it is yours that you must have an outlet for your power We are as ere created to be, no matter how uilty flush rise up the back of his neck "I know it’s not your fault that you need to feed That doesn’t an waved an elegant hand as if dis it "Do we have a deal, Theronai? Your blood in exchange for my aid and no action of mine harms your lady?"