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His head lowered until his nose was only a scant inch fro sped, and her heart kicked hard He was going to kiss her and she was going to let him God help her, she needed him to kiss her She didn’t even care anymore that it was a trick She wanted him too much to care

His hand slid from her cheek to the back of her head He tilted her head back so it was at a better angle She could feel his big body shaking with need OrShe couldn’t be sure

"You know I’ht?" he asked, his deep voice low in the quiet house

Lexi couldn’t speak She gave a slight nod of her head Not only did she know it, she craved it

Zach closed the distance another ave in He was her enemy, but it hardly seeo out like this--kissing a man who made her blood race and her body ," he told her "Just like you’re wrong about all the rest"

With that, he let go of her and stepped away

Lexi had to grab onto the wall to steady herself Her head was reeling and her body was aching with the loss of his touch She opened her eyes just in time to see him close a bedroom door behind hi on the faded carpet, hugging her knees

He didn’t co He just stayed locked behind that door

Lexi waited in agony She shivered with cold and confusion Why hadn’t he kissed her? She would have let him Hell, she would have let him do a lot more than just kiss her

And what did heabout all the rest?

As the fog of lust faded fro She didn’t want hi else He was the enemy She wanted to kill him

Didn’t she?

Lexi covered her face with her hands and let out a frustrated growl He’d done this to her on purpose He was using his evil ic to confuse her To manipulate her

This hat the Sentinels did They tricked their prey into compliance They used them and then they killed them Her mother’s journal had been clear about that

Then why had he stopped? Zach had her where he wanted her Why stop there?

Lexi pushed herself up onto her wobbly legs She needed to think--to get away froh to clear her head She couldn’t run away because she had to finish her h space between her and Zach so her brain would start working again

She turned to go find so to snip this bracelet off her wrist when she heard a deep groan of pain co from behind Zach’s door It stopped as if cut short; then there was a thud like so heavy had landed on the floor Maybe a two-hundred-plus-pound man?

What if he was hurt?

Lexi was reaching for the doorknob before she realized that this was probably another trick Put her off balance, thento work She wasn’t going to fall for a con like that Her ht her well, and it was about tiroan filter through the door and had to cover her ears Her feet felt heavy and her stoed to walk away fro

His body heaved under another wave of pain so intense it blinded hiainst his skin until he was sure he was bleeding He tried to crawl into the bathroom to wash the blood away so it couldn’t draw the Synestryn to Lexi, but he was too weak His li in another breath left him exhausted

He was such a fool He should have never walked away fro her--so close to clai held him back

She didn’t trust him He wanted to prove to her she could, and the only way he could think to do it was to show her his restraint

Bad plan

And noas paying the price He’d had his chance to taste her sweethi wave of pain slas Tears strea his hot skin Everythe agony of his swelling power Huge fists of energy pounded on his insides, deo to Lexi and force her to let it out Make the pain stop

But it was too late for that He couldn’t go to her now He couldn’t even lift his head All he could do was lie there and listen to the pitiful sounds of pain welling up from his throat

He was pretty sure it would be the last thing he heard

Chapter 5

Lexi stood on the front porch It was as far as she could go without feeling that nagging itchiness the bracelet caused when she moved away from Zach

She’d wanted to clear her head, but all she could think about was the noises she’d heard co from his room