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I hesitated, then shook o hoaze swept me, and his voice ry as he said, "Oh, I don’t know Bloodstained blue silk looks quite fetching on you"

And if I didn’t watch it, that would be all my life contained Bloodstains On my skin, in my soul I forced a smiled then walked away, Quinn by lare of the sun as alked out of the building, pausing on the front step as I looked down the street My car was still parked where I’d left it

I squinted down to the other end of the street but couldn’t see Quinn’s car "Where’s your car parked?"

"A few streets over I abandoned it when I felt you slipping too fast" He bent to kiss ht behind you within ato pass out while I’," I said "I’htly touched my nose "You lie, Riley Jenson, but I appreciate the effort"

With that, he turned and walked away I watched hi the lithe, economical way he moved, then turned and headed for my car

Withinfor the city Quinn’s black Porsche was three cars behindpast Albert Park, when I saw the truck It was on the other side of the road and driving way too fast, its et out of its way and sending theed over into the other lane, hoping that would keepa silver bullet, the last thing I wanted was to be oddamn truck

I couldn’t see any cops behind the truck, but they surely couldn’t be too far away The driver was obviously high on either drugs or alcohol, and someone would have reported hiht of the cab and the darkened s made it almost impossible to see the driver He was little more than a dark shadow, and for some reason, the small hairs on the back of my neck rose

Which was ridiculous

He was just another idiot in the grip of so I’d seen plenty like him before, and I had no doubt I’d see plenty in the future

And yet so

I watched hiers tense on the wheel The truck swerved away from my side of the road and, for an instant, I felt safe

But I’d barely relaxed rille suddenly filled my vision I cursed and ripped the wheel sideways as I hit the gas pedal The car half spun as it surged forward and the truck hit the rear, smy head before it could hit theMetal cruer side of the car bent around the post

We’d barely come to a standstill when another car hit us head-on It torebackward, the windshield shattering under the ilass For a ,froas pedal, but it didn’t make a damn bit of difference I reached forward and turned the key, shutting the engine off Moisture ran down the side ofers came away bloody I hadn’t even felt a bu of rowl of the truck’s engine The driver was still ets And Quinn’s car had been three behind ed and for a rabbed the handle and flung the door open In ht, al, then climbed out The road ith wrecked vehicles and dazed people getting out of cars Ahead, the truck had found another victim A black car had been turned onto its side, and the truck was hitting it again and again, rolling it over and over There was blood on the windshield, and the back half of the car was crunition No one could survive such ahit

That black car belonged to Quinn

"No!" The screa myself past the door and ran down the road I couldn’t lose him as well Not like this Not in so sharp hit ainst the road hard, skinningin pain

I swiped at the thing indart "What the fuck?"

I reached for it, but my vision was suddenly blurry The dart became two, then three, then all of theet to et to Quinn and to stop the truck, but ;around and around, until I just wanted to throw up

"Well, what have we got here?" The voice was rich and soant It was also far too familiar

Blake

The Alpha of the red pack The man who’d e for the huo

Kye had warned eance, and yet despite that, I just hadn’t expected he’d act this soon

He ait oddly erratic Like sos and he couldn’t put ht on it

"You’d better hope you haven’t killed the ain some clarity in my vision

God, I just wanted to close the bruises and almost-healed scratches all over his face, an indication he’d been in some sort of accident recently

Shame he didn’t die in it, my inner wolf snarled It would have savedwhat had happened - and whether it had been an accident, or someone’s attempt at retribution

"Oh, he’s dead, have no doubt of that," Blake said "The car doesn’t even resemble a vehicle anymore"

Fear leapt into my throat, my heart I didn’t want to believe him, but I couldn’t feel Quinn Not in my mind, not in my heart

He couldn’t be dead

He couldn’t

Boots invaded my vision Shiny brown boots I swiped a hand across my eyes and forced my head up Past the boots and the medical uniform, until Blake’s blunt features swalinted with pleasure and his expression was victorious

"I will kill you, Blake" Though the words were shouted inside my head, they came out as little more than a croak "And if I don’t, the Directorate will"

"Oh, the Directorate can only legally kill me if I kill you And I don’t actually intend to kill you That would be too easy The person I intend to kill will be someone else entirely"

Which made absolutely no sense I lickedthrough the rest ofwith the effort of holding ht, and it was all I could do to not collapse

"Don’t you dare go near Rhoan," I spat, "or I’ll fucking erase you and every one of your goddamn sons fro hi unable to find or save his sister will be punishave me another sharklike smile "And you, my dear wolf, won’t even remember who you care for, let alone who I a to remember who you are I bid you farewell, Riley Jenson I hope you enjoy the week you have re - but I very much doubt you will"

And with that, ly process Sensations floodedand, most of all, painful