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"It was Roag"
Ge breath "God, Tayla He was devastated when Roag died"
"Did you know Roag?"
"Not well Roag wasn’t around ht like vamps and slayers--" She shot Tayla a sheepish smile "Sorry, Guardians Eidolon was always afraid they’d kill each other, especially after Roag went through his s’genesis"
Tayla rubbed her eyes, exhausted and bitterly regretting what had happened between her and Eidolon She should have kept her enesis and therequirements, maybe she wouldn’t have flipped out like she had But then, hoas she supposed to have known? The Aegis had an extensive library at its disposal, but anything but the most basic of books had to be ordered froents, and noas too late to do any of that
"Tayla? Are you okay?"
Not at all "I just wish I knew more About Seminus demons About Soulshredders"
"Yeah, well, don’t beat yourself up I greith dehtened her skirt, which had bunched up during her transformation "Have you checked out E’s library?"
Tayla resisted the urge to thunk herself on the forehead "You’re a genius"
In the den, they sifted through the hundreds of tomes on the shelves until Gem found what amounted to an encyclopedia of demon species Tay sat doith it, started with the section on incubi, and specifically, Seeneric than she’d hoped for, still gave her so rituals, and dermoire symbols
"Gem, you’ve been friends with Eidolon and his brothers for a long tilanced up fro "Years My parents took me to UG
for most of my medical appoint for a ? Is he really that desperate?"
"God, Tay, I’m sorry I said that--"
Tayla cut her off with a shake of the head "Wraith said so like that, too"
"Listen to me" Gem slammed the book closed with such force that Tayla juical, annoyingly intelligent males I’ve ever met, human or demon He isn’t so desperate that he’d lock hiht turn on hiht be a bad mother to his children Yes, his life and his hospitalto him, but he’d rather die than be bound to a female he doesn’t love He loves you, Tayla"
"I don’t think--"
"I can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice We’re Soulshredders, sis, which means that we can sense weakness and pain in others Eidolon’s weakness is you But you could also be his strength He loves you, even if he hasn’t admitted it, even to hi uilty as hell "Doesn’tto do with lanced at her watch and laughed, a bitter, scornful sound
"Perfect It’s tiet to the hospital Kynan should be there soon"
"He isn’t involved in what happened to your parents" Tayla spoke with the confidence she wanted to feel
Geri has happened to them"
Gem didn’t have to finish the sentence Tayla kneould happen, knehat lurked behind the cage of Geo prove it"
A deep-seated ache throbbed through her She had a feeling that afterwith Ky, whatever hope she’d had to sois would be as dead as her relationship with Eidolon
Just as Gem predicted, Kynan arrived at Mercy General with two Guardians in tow Tayla watched covertly fro rooy as Gem approached him Dressed in blue scrubs that looked tas, Ge that lured him away from Tim and Jon, and they disappeared into an examination room
A moment later, Gem slipped out of the room where she’d taken Kynan Tay met her near the door "I told hiuys He’s not expecting you"
"Thanks Wish rabbed Tayla’s arm as she brushed past "I hope he’s not involved"
"Me too, Ge breath, Tay entered the room where Kynan, dressed in his usual jeans and leather jacket, braced his forearrassy quad Tufts of spiky dark hair stood up haphazardly as if he’d been running his fingers through it
"Hey, Dennis" He swung around, his co on the tile
"Hey, Ky"
"Tayla Jesus Christ" He cah to embrace her, but battleariness sparked in his eyes, and he halted a stang’s length out of arm’s reach "You’re supposed to be dead"
His proximity forced her to look up at him, but she wouldn’t be the one to back off "Disappointed?"
"How can you say that?"
"Oh, I don’t know Maybe because you tried to kill me? Twice?"
To his credit, he looked stunned But then, in all the years she’d known Kynan, she’d never known hi but brutally honest If he appeared to be surprised, he probably was At least, she’d have believed that before Right now she wasn’t so sure Not when her life was on the line
"I’ave nothing away about what he was thinking The man was no fool, and his cautious nature had saved his life more than once
Her tes to say "How about, ‘Sorry The Aegis tried to turn you into a suicide bo a price on your head’? Yeah, I can think of a few things you could say Why don’t you start hat you were told aboutmoment he took her in, froet "Lori said you were sent to the de spell But when you didn’t release the spell or return, Jagger sent Bleak and Cole to your apartment They were ambushed by demons We assumed you’d been killed, too"