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He hacked a neall of foliage to shreds, the tree li "After you"

"My hero-villain," Keeley said, entleman half of the time?"

An ache in his chest "I don’t have a mother"

"What?" She rounded on him There was no pity in her eyes, only curiosity "You’ve never had anyone tuck you in at night, either?"

Either? "I came into this world fully forh I don’t enjoy thinking offrisky"

Eht of little Kee Kee subjected to such things The Sugar Plum Fairy should have been pa to her cheek but ended up fisting his hand and dropping his ar harder and harder to catch hi around her and taking the lead

"During the best ti the worst, they paid me no heed at all Which is probably why I ensured there were as hter so neglected she would rather be punished than ignored "I’ as she said, "The past shaped ret it?"

Not one for pity Got it But he wanted to knowabout her

Becauseshouldn’t admit itcan’t help myselfhe was in total like with her Stupidly, foolishly, but there it was There was no question he liked her looks--his constant erection was proof of that But more important, he liked her Who she was, even what she was

Never had a relationship been more doomed

"I’ve heard Curators were created before humans," he said "True or false?"

"True The earth was ours But as you know, the fallen angels challenged the Most High, lost and caht and it wasn’t long before most of the earth was infected"

Most of, she’d said "Not all?"

"There was a walled-off section, a garden, where the huels later found a way in there, too"

Lucifer? "These lights," he said "I’ve heard talk of theine Curators are lightbulbs We literally glow It’s an outward sign of the conscience we possess within"

"And without the light?"

"Absolute darkness No conscience"

"How have you kept your light all these centuries?"

"What makes you think I haven’t lost it? I mean, you can’t see it It’s hidden inside ht you had At first Now?" Simplest explanation? "I’m still alive"