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Turns out he was back chair by the , although barely, and woken way earlier than Zeth due to the piercing shafts of sunlight spearing over the top of the compound wall and directly into the bedroo, stiff and cold, for the dark shape of ait With his eyes closed and hand softly flexed inwards as he breathes deeply in and then out, he looks so vulnerable and harhtest with his unconsciousness; his ly carved out of his belly and chest, arht nohich erous I’ that he wakes up in a betterLacey is okay She kneasn’t going to take her with me God kno, but she didn’t bat an eyelash when I said she was going stay with ht Two at the most The relief on her face had actually been very obvious when I said it wasn’t safe for her to corown concerned when she’d followed ious paraphernalia all over the walls: crucifixes, icons of the Virgin Mary and cherub-faced depictions of Jesus blessing the h she’d sed stiffly and sat herself down, folding her hands in her lap and eyeing my father suspiciously I don’t knohat’s happened tovery bad I’ to be more traumatized when I pick her up than she hen I left her there

I’ about this when, at around seven thirty, Zeth sits bolt upright in the bed, gasping His eyes scan the roo physically lifted and a thrown onto the bed on the other side of the room I let out a small yelp as Zeth’s hand sails, clenched into a scuffed-knuckled fist, doardout a choked shout

"Fuck!" he shouts He letsI can do is placeheart and try and suck so uncontrollably where he leaves me curled on the bed He hurls himself across the other side of the roo his hands over his face, drawing in long, uneven breaths of his own

"Fuck," he says again, almost too quietly for ure out what the hell just happened Eventually Zeth lowers his hands and fixes a darkly uni that could have happened," he growls at me

The statement is so ironic that I almost choke "Says you! Fuck you, Zeth"

"Yeah, fuck rees He pushes away fro the bed I kick back against the ru to keep a safe distance between us "You have no idea how cos Why the fuck did you come here?"

I feel ridiculous and more than a little betrayed by my own body when my eyes start to prick "I didn’t exactly have much choice Your friends, Charlie’s men, broke into my place and tried to kidnap your--" I stop myself just in time Zeth’s reached the bed now, and has cli closer His brows furrow "They tried to kidnap Lacey," I tell hi that kind of craziness to my friends or totoI’ve worked so hard for so I can get the girl you dule tear of frustration races downonto my bent knee

Zeth sits back on his heels, still only wearing his boxers, tattoos shifting as his ly without any conscious effort on his part He’s built like a statue of aSome kind of portrayal of what the masculine physique would look like if it were rendered to perfection I hate hiht nohen I know I look like shit And I’ He’d looked so intent on coo but now he seems a little torn

"Don’t do that," he tells me in a flat voice

"Do what? Be mad at you? Of course I’m--"

"Cry," he interrupts "Don’t cry That’s a shitty, underhanded trick"

"Trick?" I can’t believe it I can’t believe hiunpoint, threatened, driven across three states, shot at and threatened so to make him feel bad Asshole! I throwa pillow overto hold back Even with the pillow it e, powerful hand closes around h the sheets The pillohipped out of lare at hi He drops down on top ofa cupped hand over laring

"Shut up," he hisses "For the love of all that’s holy, please shut the hell up, Sloane You’re gonna split my head apart"

I don’t stop, so he takes further action and digs his knuckles firmly intois like a bell up my arm Zeth’s head kicks to the side When he turns it back to ain He’s so mad sparks practically fly from his dark eyes