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"Are all Seminus demons so sappy?"

This time, he couldn’t contain the smile "I doubt it"

"I really, really do not understand demons" She closed her eyes and breathed deeply "I heard Wraith say so desperate to stop the s’genesis by taking a mate"

"We’ll talk about it later You need your rest" He pulled the sheets up over her, but she stopped hirasp on his wrist

"Tell me about it"

Oh, hell He swore and looked up at the ceiling "Taking a lifees We still becoain the ability to shapeshift, but the insane need to iht will disappear"

"And you’ve been looking? Your brother said ‘desperate’ "

"Yes, but--"

"So am I like, your last resort?"

"No, Tayla" He climbed into bed beside her and tucked her into his body, her back to his chest "It’s nothing like that"

There was a long pause, and then she said in a s around her, he tipped her face up to his and sealed his mouth over hers Her lips arm, firm, tasted mildly of the salt fro to hi toward hiainst his lips, "How close?"

"Close," he ad the narrow distance between her hipbones where her woht not co the show"

She pulled away fro withto do with the fact that you’re on the verge of no-return?"

As much as he wanted to answer that, he couldn’t Had he o, he didn’t know if she’d have set fever to his blood the way she did now

"That’s answer enough," she said, lurching to the other side of the bed "And my answer is no I won’t be anyone’s last resort"

Shit This could’ve gone better

"Just listen for a minute, okay?"

"I said, no"

He sat up and stretched across the bed for her hand, which she yanked away "Dammit, Tayla, I don’t care if my instincts are responsible or not I want you"

"Oh, that’s one hell of a proposal," she snapped, tugging her robe tight around her "Excuse me if I don’t run out and reserve a caterer and a church Oh, wait You probably can’t set foot in a church"

"So I need to work onsoht not have anything to o, but that doesn’t e of ree" She glared at hiers of fury that pinned hirabbed her and held her to hiet me to fall for your shit? You don’t wantI do want you, and I know all I need to"

"You know nothing Nothing How am I supposed to believe what I ai butcher A le"

She shook her head "See, that’s where you are wrong I a about me?" When a tremor entered her voice, she cleared it ruthlessly "Let’s talk about your brother Roag--"

"Don’t say it" He searched her eyes, seeing an ugly truth in their murky depths "Don’t Even Say It"

But she pressed on, leaning forward on fists pressed into the mattress "I was there At Briger set the place on fire, the sound of de "It ht not have been you" The desperation in his voice was pathetic, and he hated hiht have been I don’t re a demon like you, but--"

"He could have shapeshifted"

Eidolon felt his world collapse in on him, felt his chest crack wide open It hurt Gods, his heart hurt

The female he wanted as a mate had killed his brother Had been involved, at the very least

"Do you see, Hellboy? Do you see e can’t be together? Can you really see beyond what I was? Can I ever see beyond what you are?"

But he was no longer listening "You killedthe anger rise in hi inside He could feel The Change pulsing, clawing to the surface

With a roar, he tore out of the bedroom, out of the apartret Because he was pissed, hurt, and he was also out of tih the bedroolance at the bedside clock told her she’d slept later than she’d wanted to Eleven a

She hadn’t bothered chasing after Eidolon last night He’d clearly been devastated, and besides that, his eyes had gone red, just as they had before he’d turned into the Soulshredder, and she was so not prepared to deal with a repeat of that