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Andra’s voice was soft and quiet "We need to find out if he can help you"

"I don’t want his help," said Nika

"But you need it, baby"

"I don’t want to force you," said Samuel "I’ll come back a little later, okay?"

"No, no, no," said Nika "Not later Just do it"

Nika held out her hand and her body tightened as she cringed against the pain she thought was to coer over her hand and Nika jerked back His riht, angry red This ti her skin as if she’d been burned

He said to Nika, "Guess I’ to be able to help you I’m truly sorry for the pain I’ve caused you, my lady"

Not as sorry as Madoc was He knew this was just the beginning of her suffering More men would come every day now that they knew she was here They’d all want to touch her Hurt her

"This isn’t going to work," Madoc told Andra

Andra gave hio talk to Tynan Can you stay here with her?"

"I’ve got things to do"

"More i sure Nika doesn’t try to wander off?"

"I thought you didn’t trust me," said Madoc

"I don’t But Nika does"

"I’ain," said Nika She sounded tired, worn out fro, she simply said, "I need you"

Fuck How could he say no to that?

"Fine," Madoc told Andra "I’ll stay, but only for a little while Hurry the hell back here, or get Grace"

He felt Nika s his skin, his luceria Andra shut the door, closing theether

Madoc tried not to panic He wasn’t going to hurt Nika He was going to be very careful and make sure he didn’t make any mistakes All he had to do was sit here and let her hold on to hi Her body relaxed and he eased her back under the covers where she belonged Then, he moved the chair to the farthest corner of the rooo back to her, but he didn’t dare She was safer with him all the way over here The farther he stayed away from Nika, the better it would be for both of them

It took almost an hour for Ronan to finish whatever the hell it was he’d done to Zach He’d sent Lexi to burn all the bloody tape and bandages, and when she ca Zach’s blood

An odd kind of fascinated disgust held her in place She stood in the doorway, staring Ronan lifted his mouth fro different about Ronan now His skin had a healthy flush to it and his face didn’t seeaunt as before

Ronan stripped his heavy trench coat froe out of hisand slid the needle into his vein

"Zach’s the sick one here," said Lexi

Ronan pulled the plunger out and the elowed

"Holy shit! What the hell are you?" she asked before she could think twice about it

Ronan gave her an auinar"

Va into detail about how dangerous the Sanguinar were They could hypnotize their prey with a single glance and drain their blood in , sharp claws and fed on the pain of their victims

And Lexi was trapped in this house with one of them

Her heart kicked hard and she backed up, slaest you get ahold of yourself, little girl," chided Ronan "Zach doesn’t have time for you to be afraid"

"I’m not afraid of you," she lied

Ronan rolled his eyes "Don’t lie to "

He could read her thoughts, too Mom had said so

Oh God What if he knehat she was planning--that she was going to blow them up? What if he’d already read her mind? She was so dead

"Get over here, Lexi I need you to helpto stall for tiure a way out of thisset to inject hi to like it It hurts"

"It didn’t hurt when it was inside of you"

Ronan crossed the sht, and his jaas bunched with frustration "Yes, it did And it est you start cooperating"

He grabbed her ared her bodily back to the bed and pushed her down so she was sitting on Zach’s legs

"Try to keep hi yellow stuff into Zach’s arm