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"Mainly, I ith humans But I do h the hospital

infections from dee, stuff like that It’s not a big deal if Ithat seenosed as a mystery disease or a deformity Humans have an incredible capacity to explain away stuff they don’t want to know the truth about"

Tayla understood that Her mom had tried repeatedly to tell her that demons tormented her, had even described the Soulshredder, but Tayla hadn’t believed her, had chosen to believe that her -induced delusions Because at the time, that was easier to believe than the truth Heck, even after witnessing her mother’s death at the hands of a demon, it hadn’t occurred to Tayla that her mother had truly been tormented for years by the Soulshredder

Ge herself comfortable Too comfortable She’d been here, in Eidolon’s apartripping theto leave i in to her possessive urge to bean Ge answer

"Who? Eidolon? No" Gelittered "But you have I’ve smelled you on him"

Geez, did all de ,"

Tayla said, and then wondered why she felt the need to explain her sexual relationship with him

"Yeah, I’ll just bet"

"You sound a little jealous, sister"

"Jealous? Nah I could have him if I wanted him" The way she said it, so sure of herself, made Tayla bristle "He’s desperate for aabout sex"

"That’s good, then Because that’s all any incubus is about" Gem dropped her feet to the floor and propped her forearet too close He’ll either go through The Change and leave you behind, or he’ll take a mate and lock himself into a lifetime of fidelity Either way, you’re stuck on the outside looking in, and it sucks"

"You sound like you know a little bit about that"

"More than I’d like" Tension vibrated between them, so not the reunion Tayla would have envisioned for soration As you can see, I’m not a monster Our father--"

"Don’t call him that," Tayla snapped

"It’s what he is"

Realization slapped her upside the head "You know hiarded her coolly "I’ve met him"

"Met him? Like, what, for tea and crumpets? He tormented our mom, Gem! For years He raped her, God kno many times, and then he tore her apart in front of , because the door burst open, and Eidolon filled the doorway, fists clenched, concern branded in his expression "You two all right?"

Genored Eidolon to move closer to Tayla "What he did was horrible But it was his nature We all do things we’re progra less words A cry tore fro herself at the other woman Her hands closed around Geht Tayla around the waist

"How can you defend hiainst the set of ar her off Geo," Eidolon told Geot to look at who donated your DNA if you want to knoho you are What you can be"

Soh Tayla’s veins, an evil industrial sludge that threatened to leach the huht out of her "Oh, I knoho donated it And I want nothing to do with it Nothing to do with you I will never--never--integrate that shit into myself Go To Hell"

"I’m sorry," Gem whispered to Tayla, and then she looked up at Eidolon "II have to go I’radually, Shade’s hands eased away, but Eidolon only held tighter Grateful for an island in thein, she folded herself into his eer she could tread water before she drowned

If Gem had been part Trillah demon she couldn’t have run away from Eidolon’s apartment any faster She had really, really h with her parents already, now this

"Stupid," she muttered, as she hoofed it down the sidewalk in search of a taxi Raised aates in favor of more traditional onistic about Eidolon, so that had been totally uncalled for and more than a little childish Didn’t matter that she knehere her behavior had come from--her jealousy Not jealousy of Tayla’s relationship with the incubus--well, maybe a little, since Geht be responsible for her parents’ kidnapping--but mostly of Tay’s relationship with their mother

Gem had never had that She’d seen Teresa frouts to speak to her at a bus stop Gem had been terrified, fifteen years old and dressed like a punk, but Teresa’s voice had been soft and ar, a far cry from the clipped, stern voices of her adoptive parents

Yes, she loved her parents, would always be grateful to thereat one, but deep down, she’d resented the fact that Tayla had been given sole rights to being Teresa’s daughter

How fking petty Especially considering how Ge, but Taylashe’d suffered

Once Geh to venture out on her own, she’d tracked Tayla down, had followed her from school to the rusted-out trailer where she’d lived with three other foster kids When Ge the same clothes Tayla had bounced around between foster care and the streets so ot clean and regained custody that, for once, Tayla had a stable home Granted, the apartment she’d shared with Teresa was a roach motel, but they seeht

News reports had blasted the gory details nonstop, had shown pictures of the cri story of how Teresa had been torn apart by a vicious serial killer, and that her daughter, Tayla, wasTay had eventually been found, but she’d never spoken to the authorities about the ain into foster care, but by the ti of her foster father, Tay was already with The Aegiswhich was around the time the Soulshredder had come to Gem