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"I know it has, lirsha" He scooted toward her, slowly, and with every inch, she felt panic rise "But now it’ssense You weren’t his intended victim He didn’t kill yourher for years"
"Years? No That couldn’t be" She frowned, because actually, what he said ood life, and then she started doing drugs Tayla re rid of her demons
They’d been real The deet clean for a while, and then relapse, going off about deain Hethe tis"
"When did she start using?"
"I’rand happened at once Her e in the middle of a nervous breakdown everyone assus, and an unexpected pregnancy"Oh, God God, no"
"Yep" Shade’s rim line as he connected a unit of blood to Eidolon’s IV line
"There’s only one reason E would have turned into a Soulshredder, Tayla"
Cramps twisted her insides, threatened to double her over "Because he sensed it in me," she said hoarsely
Eidolon inclined his head "The demon who killed your mother--"
"Was s had been "That’s why you can see scars no one else can Shredders can see old injuries, even if they’ve healed They find weaknesses and exploit theh the veil of darkness that started to descend
"Dude, and I thought I was fked up"
"You are, du of blood from a dresser knob as she backed toward the door She had no idea where she was going, just that she needed to get out of this roo second
"I, uh, I need so Eidolon’s shouts for her to come back The sound of footsteps behind her only spurred her faster, and before she knew it, she was running barefoot along the h-rise building
"Tayla!" Shade’s voice echoed after her, distant, but not distant enough Panic had reached up and taken her by the throat, and right now she just needed to be alone
She darted down the fire escape stairs and kept going once she hit the lobby People stared, but she didn’t care The door and into the rainsoaked daylight
The cool spring shower did nothing to ease her fevered thoughts even as it saturated her to the bone People dressed in business attire and outfitted with u a crazy, holed hair, hole-ridden jeans, and no shoes
She didn’t give a crap
The Soulshredder that killed h her head She clamped her hands over her ears, as if that would block them out, but it only made them echo more violently off the inside of her skull
Ashe could
She ran
Twenty
If nervous energy could be harnessed, Eidolon would have lit up Manhattan with his pacing Shade and Wraith had gone in search of Tayla, and now, fifteen minutes later, there was no word He’d stayed behind in case she returned, but he didn’t knobut wait
The front door flew open, and Shade, dripping wet, burst inside "She’s gone Wraith is tracking her, but I have a feeling that if she doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be"
Pain struck hi Tayla could do to him if she tried "I have to find her If her deis catches herI have to go" He grabbed a jacket from his closet "Call Gerabbed him by the shoulders and shook him "Give her some space She just found out her sire is a species that round"
"Why do you care?"
"Because you do"
In a moment of tense silence, Eidolon let the words sink in He did care for Tayla, and heit "Is it that obvious?"
"Ah, you’re kidding, right? She’s the eneot Yuri killedyet youall that means you care A lot more than you should" He dropped his hands and leveled a hard look at Eidolon "That said, she could have taken you out a couple of tiht not be a total wench"
"She’s not" The night they’d shared came back to him in slow motion He’d fked a lot of females, but he’d never once made love to one
He’d made love to Tayla over and over
"Shit," Shade muttered "Don’t do it Don’t bond with her E? You hear me? She’s a slayer--"
"Not anymore"
Curses fell out of Shade’s mouth, creative ones Eidolon had never used "You know our blood is toxic to humans"
"She’s half-deh to make a demon your mate, but someone trained to kill you? Twenty years from nohen she decides she wants a divorce--"
"That’ll bemoment "If I wanted to take a ht But only because of your curse" A curse that would doom Shade to a fate worse than death if he ever fell in love "My situation is different A lot different"
Shade shook his head in exasperation "Fine Whatever You bitch about Wraith being so stubborn, but you rabbed it He listened for a et to the hospital" His sinister grin e just woke up from her coma"