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"Bye now," I said as I leaned against the counter and tried not to gri char nored the on the hardwood floor Landon lurched to catch up, already digging in a pocket for the car keys

A shower of pixy dust sifted down fro rack I hadn’t known Jenks was up there, but I wasn’t surprised as he gave Trent a thuhed heavily, and together we listened to Ellasbeth’s heels aggressively striking the floor in the sanctuary "That wo," I said softly, and Trent pulled

"Oh God," he alht around ears "I think you are the only thing keeping irls"

But he had kissed her "Really?" Ithe curtains over the sink drift

Breath catching, he nodded, still staring at the ceiling as if the words he wanted to say were i see and there’s no easy answer, I ask myself: Will this decision take me closer or farther from you? And then it’s so clear Even if it doesn’tus closer? My heart thudded He had ered Ellasbeth had brought everything back that I’d been ignoring, everything that Trent had been working his entire life for and lost because ofthat I couldn’t help hi as a flash of heartache lit throughto let her see Lucy? Trent, that’s so dangerous"

"It was your idea" He exhaled, pulling ainst his shoulder and I could feel every inch of hih It would bery, not cruel, and I’a choice down beforeto make every sacrifice she would’ve made if she had ets is to be a part of Lucy’s life, not s I love about it My revenge is coinal role, I thought, tension winding throughthis as a way for Ellasbeth to wind hiave etpieces back into play to try to regain his standing I kneouldn’t sacrifice me to reach his end, but there was no way he could do it if I was beside hirow cold, indifferent I’d seen it before

"I don’t trust Landon," I said, feeling ers defined the lines of his back "I don’t trust Ellasbeth, and I certainly don’t trust theer useful to Landon, and she realizes she won’t get what she wants, she’ll try to gain custody with a o, avoidingher the very chance she needed to stick a knife in his ribs "Trent--"

"You think Landon’s chara charm passed down by oral tradition for two thousand years," I said, then added, "But I think they use it enough that as long as Landon reht, it ork Are you sure you don’t have anything in your library? He could be setting us up That char smile only made me more concerned "He wants an end to the vampires more than an end to me or you We can trust that"

"So we’re safe until the undead vaet" I reluctantly pulled froet a pencil and paper fro and not his"

"I think Jenks has it," Trent said, looking out at the garden "Jenks!" he shouted, startling me "Where’s the charm?"

Pen in hand, I turned fro rack to turn the few hanging pots as if to empty them "You had him copy it? Why didn’t I think of that?"

"Because you--" Spent dust spilled out of one, covering Trent in silver He sneezed,to the floor It had to be the copied char and the glyph of a pentagra "Because you aren’t used to dealing with civil servants disguised as religious leaders"

A smile found ed at his belt, pulling hiain My arms went around his neck, and I beaers ofwith the hair at the nape of his neck, stretching until I could just brush the arch of his pointy ears Heartache sweptcould I hold on to hiain," he said, eyes alight with possibilities as he tilted his head and our lipsfro it could never last My hand fisted in his hair, and his breath caught at the tight demand He pulledht as my back hit the counter and his hand slipped underover et both of us in a rush?

My eyes opened as our lips parted, but the tingling he’d started continued,hands, searching, rising to hint at finding les down to my spine "You knohat to do when you think ofthings anyone had ever said tome feel loved and needed all at the sa atnow?" I teased

"I’ to remember why you haven’t ainst each other and content to just be

Because I can’t take that hurt again, I thought, unable to say it Because anything this good can’t last Because I love you Because Ellasbeth and he were talking again, and I knew that hat everyone wanted Quen would be so-o-o pleased

"Tink’s titties, you two aren’t pressing flesh again," Jenks griped as he flew in at head height, saving lad pixies dust instead of sweat You should see the heat waves co the doubt my silence had ry alers drift down his back to his tight, grabbable backside Trent responded, and I don’t knohat happened to Jenks’s copied spell as I suddenly found myself spun around and plunked on the counter

"Oh God!" Jenks co hiertips as I traced his jawline "Stop it, will you?" Jenks griped "Just ’cause there aren’t any more kids in the church doesn’t mean you can"

Breathless, I pulled froht between his teeth for a bare instant, and a flash of passion lit throughmy feet fall frousted pixy hovering before us I’d found Trent to be a surprisingly attentive lover the last threewine at Career, and his casual touch as he tried to teach h the passion had been real, I knew the intent behind the last thirty seconds had only been to shock Jenks It made me love him even more--he was a part of my life, and I hadn’t seen it even happen Now all I had to do was hold on until it fell apart<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>