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The call hu It rass, catnapping to the sound of a trickling stream

I opened ate I frowned and forced myself to turn away

The call was the sanored it every full nore it this month, too

The cabin door clicked open behindaround

Nathanial It had to be--Bobby would have spoken by now I didn’t hear hie down the steps, but his heat suddenly filled the air behind ers e to lean into him, to wrap , I stepped away froether in Deue was too thick inh the woods…?

No

I’d s I sed and hugged my arms across my chest It wasn’t that I needed the comfort, well, at least that wasn’t all of it, but , I was afraid I’d reach for Nathanial if I didn’t restrain my hands

"When are we supposed to see Tatius?" I asked, because sohts before he demands our presence We should report to hiest we go now, or even later tonight

Neither of us were ready to deal with o Eventually We had to And then we’d find out exactly what Tatius hadforward to the conversation

But before that happened, there was so the other conversation both of us had been avoiding all night

"So what is the deal, Nathanial? The way I feel about you, is it real? Is it me? You? The stupid, mooncursed vampire bond we share? What is it?"

He let out a breath "Kitten, my powers control perception The ability to trick the eye, the ear My abilities have no sway over eaze dropped "Yours do"

My hands fell to ister his words, ic that didn’t feel like Gil’s--and a green light flashed behind e stood several feet behindhis polished shoes With a wave of his hand, the snow melted in a three-foot radius around hi his head in a self-satisfied htened his already pristine suit Then he looked at rasped it

"Hello, e said, his lips curving to show flat white teeth "I have a job for you"