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Reflecting back on the success of their completed mission, Mira nodded to Nathan’s other squadthe cover we needed to breach the rebel’s coot serious skills, kid"

"Thanks" Though hardly a child, Mira had known Rafe since he was an infant Of the group seated around the table now, he was the newest recruit, fresh out of training ten o Mira was al Breed warrior was capable and ell beyond his years He was also the son of an Order elder, Dante, and his ifted with his mother’s unique extrasensory talent Tess’s ability to heal with her touch was a conflict for her son, who had also been born with his father’s innate courage and virtually unift from his mother was his fair hair and eye color On Tess, the honeyed waves and aqua, infinitely feminine On Rafe, six foot six and wrapped in lean, hard muscle, the combination turned every female head in his vicinity

One such fe their table fro she could to catch Rafe’s eye He’d noticed And there was no doubt he knehat the pretty girl would be offering hiance lift the corner of the warrior’s mouth in the moment before he and a few other reet her

"Hey," the young woest She’d made her choice, no question

"Hey, yourself," Eli answered for the rest of the table "What’s your nalance at him and the otherme to coht?" His voice was smooth and unrushed, that of a male totally at home with his effect on the opposite sex Or another species, in this case

"I told them I wasn’t afraid," Rafe’s admirer went on "I told theave a quick toss of her head, flustered but flirtatious "I irls, Mira thought with an a civil unrest between hue of wo to donate their fresh red cells in exchange for the sensual high of a vampire’s bite

Balthazar chuckled "Very brave of you to coiggled, nervous but determined "Anyway, they said I should do this, sohere I a her lips as she inched closer to Rafe, she pushed her long brown hair back over her shoulder The adjustment bared the delicate white coluo sharp with the instinctual reactions of more than one Breed male at the table

"No reason for your friends to be shy" Torin’s voice was a smoky, dark invitation that made even Mira’s dorh parted lips that didn’t quite hide the pearly white points of his fangs "Call the as you are, Britney"

When the girl excitedly ot up fro soht to accept the indecent proposal being extended to them here But that didn’t ht, boys That’s ten minutes fro curfes"

Nathan stood now too, the only one of the valy unfazed by the approach of several warht "What are you doing?"

"Getting out of the way I’ll be back in a few"

He frowned "I should go with you - "

"No, stay" She held up a hand, gestured with a nod toward the arriving women "God knows these fools can’t be trusted without adult supervision"

The taunt got the anticipated rise out of Eli, Bal, and the others, but Nathan’s gaze remained solemn When his broad mouth went flat in disapproval, she reached out and cupped his jaw in her palm She felt him tense at the contact and suddenly wished she could take back the tender gesture Nathan may have spent more than half of his thirty-three years of life with the Order, but the scars of his dark childhood ht never be buried Touch and tenderness always put the fore, made him twitch like no amount of bloodshed and battle ever did

"Have some fun, Nathan You earned it too, you know" Mira started walking away from the table "Ten minutes," she called over her shoulder "Soet back"

She was fine until she reached the exit Then the weight she’d been holding off all night settled on her chest and brought hot tears like needles in the backs of her eyes

"Shit Kellan" She let his naainst the brick exterior wall several yards away from Asylum’s crowded entrance God, she hated how much it hurt to think of him Hated that she hadn’t been able to find her way free of the hold hisin her too It had broken her somewhere deep inside, in a place no one but he had reached, before or since

Mira hung her head, not bothering to sweep aside the loose blond tendrils that had escaped her braid and noung into her face like a veil She cursed under her breath, struggled to pull herself together Her fingers were tre as she wiped the h "Dary self-rebuke worked well enough for her to lift her head and square her shoulders But it was the high-pitched, hu that really snapped her out of her sulk Mira would know that barnyard hoot anywhere Just the sound of itin a group of petty thieves and troubleet into Asylu with his distinctive laugh, had helped earn the delinquent his street name of Rooster

Son of a bitch

She hadn’t seen the bastard in years Her blood boiled to spot hi around with his repeat-offender friends when he should be rotting in a prison so on the business end of her blades