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He slid the soft, plum-colored sleeve of her sweater up her arainst his There was nothing handy for a tourniquet, so Balthazar sihtly just above her elbow A shiver ran along his body as she whiile skin at the inside of her elbow seemed to streak with the blue of her veins, with the darkness of her blood

The predator within him wanted to throay the needle, lower his s burned within his jaw, eager for release

Slowly, deliberately, he slid the needle into her arm, then pulled back the depressor Brilliant red liquid filled the syringe That shade of red had, as always, a hypnotic effect on hi, to pull the needle out at the right ood at that," Skye said "It didn’t hurt at all"

Balthazar couldn’t look away froh the plastic "I’ely--especially if I et the hell out of here Iainst her chest as if it led the tip of the syringe into his mouth, pressed down, tasted warone

Massachusetts, 1640

"YOU CAN’T CATCH ME"

Though he couldn’t see Jane, he could hear her giggling Balthazar looked for her, but in the thickly wooded glade, with the still-thick leaves only just starting to turn to gold, she was just one of the , he said, "I can try"

He dashed in the direction of her voice and was rewarded with a cry of laughter and a glireen dress would have ainst the gold, the one thing still living in a forest on the verge of its long sleep

Although he could have caught her al as he could It onderful to hear her laughter, to not worry about anyone overhearing or judging them, to just be in the moment--

--but even better to catch her

His hands slid around her waist, and she pretended to push against his chest to escape, but she didn’t push very hard After one moment’s hesitation, one moment where he wasn’t sure he dared, Balthazar bent down and softly kissed her … hardly for a second He’d never kissed anyone before

Nor had she He knew that when she pulled back and put her hand to her lips Yet he could tell she was as delighted as he was

"You shouldn’t," Jane whispered, trying to sound scandalized "What would the elders say?"

"The elders aren’t here" If they were, Balthazar thought, they ht order him put in the stocks for ies at his head He i to reed to that, his father couldn’t stand in the way any longer, and he could have his own hoh the trees around the her arms wide and spun beneath theht now I feel like I could fly Just like a bird"