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"Why did Peter leave?" I asked, and her expression faltered and she lowered her eyes "Jack told me it was because ofabout," Mae replied tersely

"Mae" I stared at her until she’d look at hed

"This really is a conversation for another day" She forced a s day, and I’d really just like to take a hot bath I’ to amuse yourselves with"

"Always!" Jack bea a fresh tee shirt and shorts

"And behave," Mae warned him as she walked past him "I mean it"

"Yeah, yeah," he ue at her Then he waltzed over to lad you know Do you have any idea how hard it is keeping anything fro, but it didn’t bother oodme over as well "Do you have any idea how hard it is to have things kept fro "Ezra and Peter keep stuff fro If they had it their way, I probably still wouldn’t know that I was a vampire"

"You’re forty?" I wrinkled h, checking for my response

"No It doesn’t I know that this all should completely freak me out, but it doesn’t I feel stupidly safe with you"

His lips curled mischievously, and I knew that I had accidentally dared him to scare me He twirled the stool around so my back was to the island, and then he stood in front ofht in front of

"What about now? Are you scared?"

"Nope Am I supposed to be?" I sone low and husky, and his eyes were almost translucent as he studiedatof its own accord, sped up I breathed in deeply, and he smelled so clean, like Ivory soap andmore somber, and his face inched closer to mine

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"You can hear my blood," I said softly He didn’t answer but slowly pulled his eyes away froer rolled off hie desire "What does it sound like?"