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I shrugged, pleased "I was feeding you"

His teeth shohite and even when he laughed "And for that I thank you But this is a feast, Jane There’s enough food here for days"

I lifted my eyes from the food to Bruiser’s face and said, "So we don’t have to leave anytime soon" He stilled His pupils widened slowly as he stared at the food in his hands Even es on the island to take ed, heated andheated It was hard to breathe I Uncertain what he would do

He met my eyes, an electric spark at the connection that shivered through me from the arches of azed at ht of me was the air he breathed The sun that lit his world The ht As if he’d been denied breath and sunlight andturned over inin a wo to be born It settled low in h me, thick and viscous and sweet, like warht

Ours, Beast purred back Oursoursours

Carefully, but without looking at what he was doing, Bruiser set the packages on the bar They landed with a papery sliding and the sharper snap of plastic His lips parted and I thought heas if in a martial movement, carefully balanced, ready for a strike When I didn’t back away, he lifted a hand and slid it around my neck His palm arm, feverish in a human But eren’t human With the other, he reached up and re thelide His hand followed, s a beast

I licked my lips Went stiff all over Bruiser’s hands went motionless

I whispered, "When I was five years old, I was on the Trail of Tears My grande into a bobcat Wesa Then she shovedA long ti, I found a buried carcass of a deer in the ice, a rare find then, after the whiteNot paying attention"

Bruiser’s hand slid down ain, once, as if he stroked the pelt of a cat His eyes heldme time

"It was the kill of a htto killfor ray place of the change and I stole her body It was black ic Her soul is inside with me still She’s a killer Predator So am I If we--"

Bruiser’s mouth landed on mine He crushed me to him If I had been human, I would have broken I hadn’t even seen hi Bruiser’s tongue scoured my lips They felt burned, almost painful I opened ertips as Beast’s nails pierced ently into Bruiser’s sides He didn’t pull away He laughed, intoseparatedHolding ainst his body, he bent overin synchrony He whirled us slowly,out

I slidBeast’s claws, extruded froh to break skin

No gray place of the change, just us, just Beast and me, in one body, at one place and time