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"Go," he said against her e to tell her he loved her burned inside him, but he couldn’t do that to her When he failed to come, she’d think he was dead or he had betrayed her Eventually, she’d find another man ould love her the way he did--one ould help her raise their child to be better than the creature who had fathered him

Before he could say the words that would spoil her chances for any semblance of a normal future, he pushed her away, cracked one of the sht for her, and helped her step through the narrow opening

She reen light disappeared, feeling like his heart had just been ripped fro by the time he made it to the suite The door was open and he could hear a low, frantic voice co across the living room toward the bedroo into hied face hite with panic

He saw Torr and said, "Stay with her while I get help Tynan is gone, so I’uinar? Grace ht in fear "What happened? Is she hurt?"

"II don’t know" And then he was gone

Torr was shaking so badly he could barely stand, but he forced hio into the roo on aHer eyes were open, staring at the ceiling

Panic sla hi out with a tre beneath his fingertips told hi She wasn’t even blinking

Torr shut her eyelids so her eyes wouldn’t dry out and hurt Her skin was so soft and delicate, so warave her a small shake and patted her cheek Maybe she was just asleep

"Grace," he said, hearing his voice break "Wake up, honey"

She didn’t respond

Frantic to find the reason for her state, Torr looked around the roo in here alone?

A case of bottled water and an unopened box of meal-replacement bars sat by her on the floor, as if she’d planned to stay here for a while There were no books, no azines, no TV to help her pass the time

And she was shirtless, with only a sheet to cover her full breasts

Torr looked over her body, searching for signs of injury She still had on shoes and jeans, but there was no sign of blood

He speared his fingers through her hair, feeling for any bumps or cuts Maybe she’d fallen and hit her head That could explain her bizarre behavior--why she’d slink off like an anie did not sit ith Torr,her She’d been his lifeline His whole world She was the reason he still drew breath

And he loved her so much

"Don’t you dare leave me," he told her "You can’t leave ether Did you see I can --torture es of yours"

She didn’t flutter an eyelash

Torr’s heart broke, splitting into jagged little pieces that made him bleed inside

"You can’t leave me I love you, Grace"

A fat tear slid out from the corner of her eye She’d heard hiently raised her eyelids, ht "You can hearfor son, but none came

"I know you can hear me I need you to hold on Help is on the way"

He closed her eyes again and pulled her into his arht was difficult for him to handle in his weakened state, but he didn’t care He needed to hold her, feel her heat and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed

Torr slid his hands over her back, trying to comfort her That hen he felt the hard buan caainst her spine A faint hu off of it

Torr didn’t knohat it was, but he knew it didn’t belong there He grabbed it, intending to pull it ahen Logan stopped him

"Don’t," he said "Don’t an for hesitating

"Do you knohat that is?"

"No Do you?"

Logan nodded His pale eyes gleamed with interest "It’s a transference device"

"Transferring what to where?" he demanded

"Take off your shirt"

"What?"

"Do it," de to fix her

Torr stripped it off, feeling it drag against so breath "I’ve heard of these devices, but never seen one It worked so well I had no idea"

Torr grabbed Logan’s ar him doard Grace "Do you kno to fix her or not?"

"I’an "Shesense, will you?" Grace’s life was at stake and he was talking in riddles If he hadn’t been the only help around, Torr would have pounded him in that pretty face of his

"This disk matches the one on your back"