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"No Usually we can sense one another if we’re not distracted--vampires, I mean--but I was Distracted" He sounded like he wanted to cut that part of himself away, that if he could take a knife to himself and do it, he would

Skye whispered, "Then how did you knoas in danger?"

"I didn’t" Dark though the rooh now for her to see his eyes

"Why were you distracted?" She lifted her face to him "Why did you co, "Because you were off with souy I couldn’t stand it Skye--"

He didn’t finish what he was going to say He crushed her to him as his mouth closed over hers

This time he didn’t pull away after two kisses, or five, or ten This time his hands brushed over her hair, outlined her back, traced her entire body This tiet lost in the wild tide that swept over theain, breathe hih, she gasped--in delight, but it shook hied "I need to get you home"

She kneould happen if she went home with hio so far that there would be no turning back

Skye kissed hiainst his open led up in each other all the way down the hall, all the way to his car, and at every stoplight on the way to his house Then everything blurred together--the moment she took down her hair, the feel of his chest beneath her palms as she pushed off his shirt, the way their bodies looked together in the firelight--all one long, delirious dream from which she never wanted to wake

Chapter Twenty-three

BALTHAZAR HAD FORGOTTEN HOW THIS COULD feel Lying next to the girl you loved, knowing that she loved you in return The si the ti silly just to make her smile

Not that they had much time to waste on silliness

That Saturday afternoon, after he’d taken her back to her ho out in her bedroom Her bed was still made--for the h "Would they try to take e?"