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"It’s Tayla Look--"

"Where is he? What did you do to him?"

She lowered her voice and drifted farther away fro to hih that portal, and when he got back" He’d looked like he went through a rinder "He’son the other end of the line was loud enough to make her jerk the phone away froo He’s probably in shock, but you can’t put a blanket on him because it’ll wick the blood out of his wounds I’ll be there as soon as I can"

He hung up, leaving her with the distinct iht, she located the therrees As the hum of the heater filled the apartment, she hurried back to the den

"Hey," she murmured, as she sank down next to where he shivered on his hands and knees, in the sa, but the straining muscles in his jaw told her why; he’d clenched his teeth so hard he couldn’t speak

Nausea rolled through her Who had done this to him? Other Seminus demons? Were they not allowed to kill humans? The questions ate at her, but until Shade arrived, the only thing she could do was to try to take Eidolon’s mind off his pain

"I like your apartment," she said "I snooped Hope that’s okay Didn’t find anything weird"

She let a teasing note filter into her voice, because as much as she didn’t want to admit it, she wasn’t surprised at what she’d found in his apartment Normalcy

"So, uhwhen do you think we’ll knohat kind of de really horrible" She alo she’d made no distinction between really horrible and not as horrible when it caular and less labored, so she kept talking, inane chatter about stupid things like her bad grades in school, her favorite food--oranges--her desire to learn to ice skate By the time Shade stalked into the roois ever had, though she had no way of knowing if he actually heard what she’d said

Shade didn’t spare her a glance as he dropped his medical kit and knelt at Eidolon’s head "Hey, h his brother’s presence had allowed hiain, Eidolon moaned, and the pain buried deep in the sound made her heart bleed

"What did they do to him?" she whispered, and Shade’s flat eyes focused on her as if he had just realized she was in the room

"Looks like a coaze over Eidolon’s frame and added,

"They also used teeth"

Ice for her when the Guardians attacked her in her apartment He’d killed to protect her "He didn’t deserve this"

"Let it go, slayer" Shade turned back to Eidolon, his expression softening as he gently took his brother’s face in his palms and lifted his head "Those bastards really worked you over this time, didn’t they?"

"This time? He said he’d never killed a human before"

"He hasn’t"

She wanted to ask what he’d done to deserve the other beatings, but the cold rage in Shade’s expression didn’t invite questions

Shade inspected his brother’s face, his touch tender and light When he finished, he lowered Eidolon’s head and spoke in a soothing, low tone as he ran his hands over his ribs, belly, and extremities Eidolon’s teeth chattered, but he didn’t h the exa and hand ht inside pocket"

Glad to have so to do, she fetched the item and handed it to Shade, who injected the contents into Eidolon’s shoulder with professional efficiency The guypersonality of a pissed-off pit bull, but he exuded confidence in his medical abilities, and, she couldn’t help but notice, a raw masculinity that was every bit as powerful as Eidolon’s

"Was that for the pain?"

"Antibiotic" Shade pulled soainst the rules"

"Rules? There are rules for being beaten nearly to death?"

Instead of answering, he started an IV with the blood, and hung the bag froe palm on the back of Eidolon’s neck, one of the few uninjured areas, caressing in slow circles

"Bro, your pulse is off the charts, and your resps are all over the place I need you to relax" Shade closed his eyes, and for a h Eidolon’s tension had slipped away, but then he convulsed, and his breathing grew labored again

Without thinking, Tayla covered his hand with hers Shade’s eyes flew open, and at his dark stare, she jerked her hand away, afraid she was hurting rather than helping

"No," he said, grasping her wrist A lol erupted from deep in Eidolon’s chest, and Shade’s eyes narrowed "Well, now, that’s interesting," he ain "Your touch seems to calm him Leave it there until I put hiers, the ones that had saved her life and brought her pleasure, and a few minutes later, Shade nodded

"He’s out He should stay that way for a couple of hours"

"He’ll be all right though, yes?"

"Yeah We’re not easy to kill Just FYI, Aegi" He gathered his gear and gestured for her to follow him into the kitchen, where he washed up "If Wraith calls, don’t speak a word of this If he comes over, don’t let hi she didn’t think he’d answer, but as he dried his hands, he said, "Eidolon was punished, not for so Wraith did Wraith can never know"

"So this wasn’t about what happened at my apartment? I don’t understand"

"You don’t need to"

"Yeah, I do I’ to hurt Eidolon, or I would have done it instead of calling you, right?"

Shade bared his teeth at her "If you hadn’t, I’d have--"

"I did," she snapped "So tellyour brother did"

"I Don’t Like You"

"Feeling’s mutual, buddy So spill already"