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But I owed Derek an answer I said, "You were trying to answer her questions without trying to solve her problems I solved her problems It’ll cost Leo another s on this house, what’s a few thoua cut piece of two-by-four out of his way His didn’t cause any dae "SoI need to solve problems, not answer questions?" He stopped at a cooler and passed me a can of Coke He took a Mountain Dew for himself We popped the tops and sipped as he considered my answer

Derek led the way out the front door and partway down the steps, which had been salvaged and re-inal house "because they are part of history," according to the expensive architect We sat on a step, looking out over the property and the massed vehicles I listened to the myriad conversations on the work space, watched a helicopter on the horizon, and saw a black SUV drive slowly past the entrance to Leo’s place Seeing it cleared ht," I said to Derek "So others"

Derek was instantly alert, and any anxiety over his lack of personnel proble skills slid away "I can put a shooter there" He pointed across the property to the barn "There’s a nice spotter location on top Flat, protected frouy inside the house Talkies and we’re good to go"

"Yeah Do that Now, you want to tellpissed-off pheromones Nope Can’t say that "Upset" Yeah That would do "More upset than just dealing with a construction site and a decorator"

Derek frowned and studied the barn where he could put a shooter He didn’t look at me at all when he said, "It’s this Enforcer stuff"

"Uh-huh," I said, drinking froet to the point

"How’d you deal with the blood-drinking part? And the sex part?"

I pulled in a breath that was part Coke and coughed And coughed Which wasn’t planned but was really handy for thinking of an answer to the sex part of the questions--which I totally had not expected After about ten seconds’ worth of coughing, during which Derek’s face told s, I realized that he and Leo weren’t having sex, but that Leo had coood thing This was delicate territory And despite ood at delicate territory

I rolledthat the bare truth was ot here, I wouldn’t let Leo drink fro down, ain h "I was afraid that if he tasted e But I got ure out how to tell hiot a taste, and he didn’t knohat I was So I was safe Then I stupidly used a nonexistent Enforcer status to get so done"

"I re what it ht?" I nodded "Not the brightest thing, there, Legs"

"Yeah Stupid, I know, especially by Mithran law When he needed me to be his Enforcer for real--" I stopped This ay et with Derek I didn’t want him this close I didn’t want to share I benthtly back and forth on the front stairs

If I was honest, I didn’t want to say the words aloud to anyone who didn’t already know And I didn’t want to look atI was a coho needed talk therapy "Crap," I ht it hurt, talking so fast it was a garbled strand of words "When he needed al rights to make it happen Bruiser had been injured and hisof his oas gone Mentally he was"-- h my words when I continued "Leo used compulsion to force Bruiser to holdand binding on me"

My breath ached on the words, way deeper than I’d expected

Derek cursed softly I smelled his shock and his protective instincts as they kicked in It was an odd scent from a man who didn’t trust supernats, and who surely didn’t trustthe helicopter as it moved away on the horizon Seconds ticked by, neither of us talking, not looking at each other, staring out over the cars and trucks High over the front drive, a hawk circled, riding the air currents Gliding Hunting Free

"It’s takenafter the silence had becoot soht it would, to be honest MostlyI’ve just had to work through it I’m a skinwalker I understand the animalistic need to dominate another creature In lots of anihts, one ani it But I’m not an animal" Liar, liar, pants on fire I s at me I went on "Resistance is normal for me I resisted He partially boundby force as his by legal right--according to his point of view--and ht have been his by a more, mmm"--I searched for the words--"o that route" I glanced at Derek, gauging his reaction

Derek frowned harder He had a fresh marine haircut, which was a pretty dreadful lack of style but he made it work, especially with that frown It pulled his face down hard andhis ht sheen in the day’s heat "I don’t understand," he said finally