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"I’ you with me" Caleb’s mouth found that spot on her neck that drove her wild and swirled his tongue over her hot skin His hips sped, and he changed his angle so that he was hitting that ic spot with every powerfuland reached for it, wanting to feel that perfect pleasure oneto hold back, and his teeth tightened over that place where her neck and shoulderdown through Lana’s body until they lit a fire inside her woed cry of completion just as she felt Caleb’s erection thrust deep and pulsed hot and hard inside her

His jagged shout vibrated her spine, lengthening her release until her whole body was tre it Slowly, the intensity faded, and she stroked her hands over Caleb’s back

He relaxed al those hard ht pressed li rather than fearing it

He said so that was muffled by the pilows

"What?"

He lifted his head and looked down at her Into her He was stil lodged inside her, jerking every tiasm made her quiver around him

He hadn’t worn a condom, and she could feel the slick heat of his semen inside her The intimacy of eye contact combined with the presence of his body so deep inside hers made Lana tremble She’d never been this close to anyone before, and it was almost too much to take

His eyes slid over her features, studying the," he told her

But it was solowing in his eyes He loved her but wouldn’t say it, because she had told hier She couldn’t keep hi to hi he’d done for her He deserved better

And Lana was tired of feeling alone, tired of carrying her burdens by herself

She puled in a deep breath, praying she was doing the right thing Like his confession of love, once she said the words, they could never be taken back She lowered her voice, stil uncertain whether the words she’d kept so tightly caged inside her would even come out

"Kara was there," she whispered "In Armenia She was the one who had my friends tortured The one who had them kiled She was the one who ordered my death"

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Caleb was stunned silent, but his arhtened around Lana as she spoke in a voice so loas hard to hear

Kara? That elegantly dressed, seely nor about her was off, but he’d never expected this It didn’t see It explained why Lana was so jumpy every time she went to the youth center It also explained why Kara’s perfued at his memory when they firstafter she’d been there He’d s with the stench of blood and death He’d never seen her

--she’d been one of the terrorists who had carefuly concealed their identities and never let a peon like him meet them face to face--but he’d smeled her

Lana shuddered in his arht if I pretended not to know her long enough, she would just go away I thought if she had no reason to suspect I could identify her, she’d leaveI could think of to protect my family"

Caleb wasn’t sure if her plan was norant "You didn’t tel anyone? Not even your s, I thought she’d go away--that she’d know I hadn’t told you or anyone else"

"I’m surprised she hasn’t already kiled you"

"Why would she want to kil me if I couldn’t identify her? It would just draw more attention, which I doubt she wants Besides, she liked the torture best She made them film it so she could watch over and over" Her voice treentle, but there was no easy way to tel her "Your death was part of Kara’s initiation into the Swarm She can’t let you live, even if you hadn’t seen her"

He felt her stiffen in his arone Wiped out"

Caleb pressed a kiss against her slippery hair "It doesn’tfor them, she’l have a reputation to uphold"

"I know she wants to hurt me, but if she kils ht of al the times that woman had the chance to hurt Lanait made his blood run cold

"Maybe that’s why you’re stil alive," he said "She’s enjoying watching you suffer But eventualy, she’l get bored In fact, she probably already is, which is why there was a sniper on the roof yesterday, waiting for a shot at you"

She sat up, gripping the sheet over her breasts Panic had drained the color from her cheeks "I’l never be safe, wil I?"

"Like hel you won’t I’ to have Kara taken into custody, for starters Then, if al goes wel, she’l die in prison Soon"

"And if it doesn’t go wel? If Kara has so in help from outside prison? Then what? You can’t do that You can’t let her know I told you who she is--that I’o after my family"

"She won’t have the chance, Lana I’l make sure she has no outside contact"

"Ho are you going to make sure? I won’t let you put ot to stop her You trustedyou to trust et rid of the threat she poses"

"That means you can’t be there when they capture her If you are, she’l knoas aze She looked so vulnerable right now, so afraid He wanted to do whatever it took to wipe away every trace of fear fro and questioning Kara to someone else, then that’s what he’d do