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Andrea shook off Sean’s protective hold and went to hi?"

"My job" The a down his torso would have had a human on the floor in shock Ronan ot to the man’s other side "In the back, lad Now"

"I’m fine It’s just a bullet My own fault"

"Shut it" Sean and Andrea towed the bigger man to a door marked "Private," and Sean more or less shoved him into the office beyond

The office was ordinary--cluttered desk, a couple of chairs, a storage cabinet, shabby sofa, and a small safe in the wall that only the bar’s human oas supposed to know the coood and well that Liaainst the wall like an upright cross, and threads of its Fae ic floated to Andrea from across the room Andrea had no idea whether pure Shifters could sense the sword’s ic as she, a half-Fae, half-Lupine Shifter could, but she did know that the Shifters in this Shiftertown regarded the sword, and Sean, with uncomfortable awe

Sean pushed Ronan at a chair "Sit"

Ronan dropped obediently, and the fliht Ronan was an Ursine--a bear Shifter--large and hard- uncombed He didn’t have an ounce of fat on hi neverto Austin Only Lupines had lived in her Shiftertown near Colorado Springs But Ronan had proved to be such a sweetheart he’d quickly overcome her uneasiness

"I can’t stay in here," Ronan protested "What if they coet that bullet out of you" Sean snatched a blanket fro sofa and dropped it over Ronan’s lap Shifters weren’t ht he needed to protect Andrea frolory Ronan, adht I’d be away from the door maybe a minute" Ronan’s deep black eyes filled "What if sootten hurt? Or killed? It would have been because ofsoftie" Sean’s voice took on that gentle note that htened away the bad guys before anything worse could happen"

"If I’d been at my post, I would have blocked the door, and none of the bullets would have gotten inside"

"And then you’d look like a cheese grater," Sean said "And be dust at the end of my sword I like you, Ronan I don’t want that"

"Yeah?"

Andrea set down the first-aid kit she’d fetched froe of the desk, her hand on Ronan’s unhurt shoulder "I don’t want that either"

Ronan relaxed a little under her touch--he needed touch, reassurance, all Shifters did, especially when injured or frightened Andrea wanted to give Ronan a full hug, but she feared hurting hi to put as rinned weakly at her "Hey, you’re not so bad yourself, for a Fae"

"Half Fae"