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Forty-five minutes later, Butch stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching Marissa with Mary and John The three were bent over a diagra hu the case study approach to teaching Marissa how it all worked, and John had volunteered to be the case

Jesus, the kid had had it rough Born in the bathroom of a bus station Picked up by a janitor and taken to the Catholic orphanage Then housed with foster parents who didn&039;t give a shit after Our Lady downscaled its progra away fro in squalor while he supported himself as a busboy don He was lucky to be alive

And Marissa was clearly going to help kids like him

As the discussion continued, Butch noticed that her voice changed Deepened Grew ot even sharper She was, he realized, incredibly sood at this

God, he loved her And he wanted desperately to be what she needed What she deserved

As if on cue, he heard footsteps and s, cop"

Butch stared at his woer "Let&039;s do it"

Marissa looked up "Butch? I would love to get your thoughts on a police force" She tapped the diagra to need law enforce up so you want, baby" His eyes ive me a few, okay?"

Marissa nodded, smiled in a distracted way, and went back to her work

Unable to resist, he walked over and touched her shoulder When she glanced up, he kissed her on the mouth and whispered, "I love you"

As her eyes flared, he kissed her again and turned away Man, he hoped like hell this ancestor regression turned up so other than a shitload of Irish whitebread

He and Vishous walked upstairs to the study and found the frilly French roo in front of the fire, one thick ar looked like he had brain strain as he stared into the flaood time?"

"Yeah" Wrathon his et a littlethe cop"

"Fine" As Vishous left, Wrath stared at Butch with such intensity, his eyes were like torches burning behind his wraparounds "I didn&039;t expect the Scribe Virgin to let us do this"

"I&039;lad

"You understand what you&039;re signing on for here? This is going to hurt like a bitch and you could end up a vegetable on the other side"

"V&039;s done the full disclosure I&039;ood"

"Check you out," Wrath ht about this"

"What areall up into help"

The double doors clicked shut and Butch looked across the study Rhage had da beat-to-shit blue jeans, a black fleece, and no shoes or socks Absurdly, Butch noticed that even the guy&039;s feet were gorgeous Yeah, no hairy-knuckled, nasty-nail action for Hollywood Bastard was head-to-toe perfection

"Man, cop," the brother said "You really going to do this?"

As Butch nodded, Vishous stepped in front of hilove "Need you to lose the shirt, buddy"

Butch stripped to the waist, tossing his Turnbull & Asser on the sofa "Can I keep the cross on?"

"Yup, shouldn&039;t love into his back pocket, then whipped his black belt froe "I want you to put this thing in his mouth and hold it in place so he doesn&039;t crack his teeth But don&039;t et a sunburn anyway, being this close"

Rhage stepped in behind, but the sound of knocking on the doors interrupted everything

Marissa&039;s voice drifted through the wood panels "Butch? Wrath?" More knocking Getting louder "My lord? Is there so on?"

Wrath cocked an eyebrow at Butch, who replied, "Let me talk to her"

As Wrath willed the doors open, Marissa burst into the rooloved hand and Butch&039;s bare chest and hite as snow

"What are you doing to hi to find out if I have so of your kind in me"

Her mouth fell open Then she wheeled on Wrath "Tell them no Tell them they can&039;t do this Tell them¡ª"

"It&039;s his choice, Marissa"

"It will kill him!"

"Marissa," Butch said, "it&039;s worth the risk to find out about me"

She pivoted toward hiht There was a pause Then she slapped hi about yourself" Without taking a breath, she slapped hi "And that is for not telling "

Pain blazed in his cheek, throbbed to the beat of his heart

"Can you boys give us aher pale face

When the brothers disappeared, Butch tried to take her hands, but she snapped the her arms around herself

"Marissa this is the only way out I can see"

"Way out of what?"

"There&039;s a chance I can be who you need me to be¡ª"

"Who I need you to be? I need you to be yourself! And I need you to be alive!"

"This is not going to kill me"

"Oh, and you&039;ve done it before, so you know that for sure? I&039;m so relieved"

"I have to do this"

"You do not¡ª"

"Marissa," he snapped "You want to put yourself in my shoes? You want to try on for size the idea that you love me but I have to be with so about it, month after month, year after year? You want to think about what it&039;s like to know that you&039;re going to die first and leave me alone? You want to be a second-class citizen in the world I live in?"

"So you&039;re saying you&039;d rather be dead than be withto¡ª"

"But what coic? If you find out you&039;ve got a va to try so truly stupid?"

"I love you too much¡ª"

"Goddamn it! If you loved me, you wouldn&039;t do this to yourself If you loved me¡ª" Marissa&039;s voice cracked "If you loved me"

Tears welled in her eyes, and with a jerky movement, she clamped her hands on her face and treoing to be all right" Thank God, she let hiry at you right now," she said into his chest "You&039;re an arrogant, prideful fool who&039;s breaking my heart"

"I&039;m a man ants to take care of his woodda me out"

"I&039;m really sorry, I just wanted to tell you when it was over And I trust V withto kick it over this" He tilted her face up and thu about the future I&039; life I could be dead in ten years, who knows?"

"And if you die noill have missed out on that decade I want those years with you"

"But I want centuries Aeons And I want you to stop feeding off of Rehvenge"

She closed her eyes and shook her head "I told you it&039;s not romantic¡ª"