Page 24 (1/2)

When she didn’t answer, Eidolon’s Justice Dealer cool disintegrated, and he grasped her by her collar and yanked her to her feet His right te hih, that any roughness he aimed at Tayla wouldn’t be to kill her No, he’d shred her clothes with his bare hands and take her hard, show her what he hat she was, and that she was his

Daht the conversation back to less pleasant violence

"You tortured hi, fraghts

"Notup He didn’t tell the they didn’t already know about the hospital I’"

To Tayla’s credit, she’d seeht an explosive device into the hospital, upset that her colleagues had tortured Yuri to death It should have been Eidolon they’d captured If the s’genesis hadn’t been acting up when it had, he’d never have given the on-call pager to Yuri after Luc’s surgery And, oh, shit

Eidolon released Tayla and turned to his brother "Yuri gave Gelares were death rays, Tayla would have been seared to ash by the look Shade gave her as he stalked toward the door He reached for the handle and paused "What are we going to do with her now? Hand her over to the Male-concieo or do her ourselves?"

Eidolon moved to his brother and lowered his voice "I still need to talk to her" When Shade would have protested, Eidolon cut him off "She saved my life"

"And you saved hers You’re even Kill her"

Planting his open palh to make Shade jump, Eidolon leaned in so close he heard his brother’s heartbeat "Do not argue withto you, E A year ago you’d have done the right thing"

"Yeah, well,the selfish thing See for you and Wraith"

Shade snarled a vile curse and charged out the door, sla it loudly behind him Eidolon let out his own snarl of frustration Loeren’t his style, but lately they were falling out of his hting with his brothers Shade, especially

Eidolon’s own anger flared bright and hot as he rounded on the cause of the tension between theues to h him, and he had no idea why They were ene like this But for soe that she’d wanted to destroy what he’d worked so hard for tore at him

"I don’t need to ask why That you hate us is obvious--"

"I don’t hate you," she said hoarsely Her gaze cut to hi him like a scalpel "God help me, I don’t hate you"

Shock "

"No If I hated you, I’d have let that bo lot"

He laughed, a hollow, bitter sound "You were saving your own skin"

"I suppose I’d think the sa" She studied the floor "Was anyone hurt?"

"Yes," he said, angry again "The Aegis didn’t destroy my hospital, but it did take out a few staff ues set you up to die as well?"

A ragged sob shook her The tears she’d been holding back fell "I was a sacrifice For the greater good--

"

"For the greater good?" Eidolon saw red Blood red He closed the distance between thee to shake her until her teeth rattled "Do you honestly believe that?"

She looked up at hi her eyes into a reat sacrifice, then I was nothing to them" She blinked, and a tear ran down her blotchy cheek "They’re all I have If I’er leaked out of hi emotional sieve Before he could think better of it, he pulled her against him, held her while she sobbed into his chest

This wasn’t supposed to happen He was supposed to snarl and strike and draw blood for what she’d done Cuddling her, pressing his lips to the top of her head, rubbing her finelyidea

It certainly wasn’t supposed to feel this good Nothing felt this good, not anything that happened while fully clothed, anyway

Her hard body, soft in the right places, tucked against his in a perfect fit, and the way he stood between her legs as she sat on the edge of the desk ether even better His ck stirred at the thought, and gods, he needed to get his head on straight

"Yuri," she said, her voice tre as violently as her hands on his shoulders, "was he a doctor?"

"Yeah A good one" A shudder wracked her body, and even though he shouldn’t, he felt the need to alleviate her guilt a little "He was also a hyena shapeshifter and a cruel asshole"

"Still, what they did to him"

He’d probably deserved Eidolon didn’t voice that, though He’d lost a talented surgeon, and replacing him wouldn’t be easy

A noise outside his office drew his attention away froh theuy isn’t a doctor," she said, drawing back to watch Wraith, swaying like a sapling in the wind, in the outer office He stuainst the wall

"Fucking perfect," Eidolon muttered "Stay here"

He threw open the door and crossed to Wraith in four strides

"Hey, bro"

Eidolon seized his brother by the throat and lifted hihed, flashing fangs "Oooh, the language of Justice Big E is pissed"

"I told you to lay off the hu sick of the reruns, man"