Page 26 (1/2)

"I couldn’t find a seith a view" He put Mickey down, along with his litter box

"So where’s your dog? Did you eat it after all?"

"While you were packing I called the lady alks hi for a few days Wasn’t sure how he’d react to the weasel"

So? Don’t like him much?"

"He keeps , but the underlying affection in his voice gave his, and she followed his of medieval castles and châteaus on the walls, to a bedrooe, richly decorated in undy The four-poster bed had to be custo-size How odd

Then it struck her, and she bit off a gasp The bed had been made to accommodate more than two people

"This is your roouest roos on the polished wood floor and in a flash, framed her face in his warht his head down to her neck, his lips caressing her skin "You sleep with me"

Like a real couple Way too intimate "I don’t want to"

He inhaled deeply "Don’t lie to me, Tayla I can smell your desire"

God, that sense of smell of his was a pain in the ass "I need space"

"The bed is big enough to give you that"

"It’s big enough to give an entire cheerleading squad space"

She felt hiainst her skin "You almost sound jealous"

"You’re delusional"

"And you should get soertip stroked her jaw line lightly "You’ve had a hard day If you want to shower, the bathrooht Robes are in the closet" He cocked a dark eyebrow "You didn’t really get into a fight with a Daeva, did you?"

"No" God, what she wouldn’t give for this entire day to rewind and start all over "Look, about the halfde with ht out and asked if he was lying to her, but the day had gone to hell in a handbasket, and she just wanted a straight answer

"Come with me"

She followed hie as his bedroom, but cozier The walls were lined with full bookshelves, es she couldn’t read A desk took up one corner, a leather couch took up an entire wall Blackthe rooht have expected

Eidolon pulled a leather-bound book froe Closing his eyes, he waved his hand over the parch up under his pal, shiny--wet--picture of bloody internal organs appeared

"First of all, that’s nasty Second, how did you do that?"

"It’s a es, I can visualize anything I’ve seen, and it’ll te photo"

"Cool But eew What’s that supposed to be?"

"That’s your open abdomen"

She recoiled "I’ht Are you sure?"

"I was up close and personal," he said grians They’re misshapen Formed from a union of two different species And no, it’s not a huh she could escape what he was saying "I still can’t believe this My mom wouldn’t have kept me She wouldn’t have wanted me if some demon had--"

"She probably didn’t know"

"But how--" She cut herself off, because yeah, stupid question "An incubus"

"That’s a likely scenario"

The conversation they’d had at her apartment before she knocked hilimmer of hope "Waityou said incubi only have "

"No, I said Se Other breeds of incubi can produce both males and females"

She really was a deer She hated what he was saying, but none of it truly surprised her, if she was being honest with herself Even as a child, she’d been different from the other kids More intuitive Her vision had been off-the-charts perfect As she got older, her other senses had become more acute

And her ability to empathize and syoing to happen toto turn into some horrible beast?" She’d kill herself before she allowed that to happen

"I don’t know"

"You don’t know? You don’t know?" A bitter laugh escaped her "You’re supposed to be a doctor A demon doctor" She waved at the books on the shelves "You have demon sorcery at your disposal, and you don’t know?"

"There’s soht" He propped a hip on his desk, stretched one long leg out in front of hi to take over rather thanproblems There’s a question what, exactly, you’ll turn into, but you will turn Or you’ll die"

"Dying is better than the alternative"

He shook his head "There’s another option"

"Yeah, I can eat a bullet before either of the other two happens"

"No With Shade’s help, I think we can integrate your huy and forht You don’t know So if I do nothing, I either die or turn into a monster?"

The antique clock on the wall ticked away several seconds of silence "That about sums it up"

"Wow," she said quietly, "my future looks pretty bleak" Worse than bleak The only thing she had to look forward to was her own death Then again, she’d never had anything else to look forward to, so this was nothing new She trailed a finger over the books on the shelves "So I’o off?"