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"What the hell have you done? How s are out there?"

"Ten of the lot were unable to return We have sent twenty amble

Those who are unaffected will hunt those who are and put them down Cross will expect the Guardians to search for him, but there is no way for him to know about the hybrids"

Before the rebellion, Aidan had been Captain and Connor had been his lieutenant Together, they had run the Elite with faultless precision Life had see was co me this?" Connor asked suspiciously

"Cross’s death is not soued

"And you’ll have to kill Cross to get to the Key, I promise you that"

"We will e that when the time comes"

"Like hell you will!" Connor launched hi into the Elder’s chest with his shoulder

The Elder wouldacross the sand--

Gasping, Connor jolted awake, which also woke the war in his arms

"Hey" Stacey’s voice was husky frolow from the muted television, he saw her head turn toward hiainst hihtmare?"

He pushed up and climbed over her carefully

"Yeah"

"Want , he kissed her forehead "Go back to sleep I just re iain"

Connor moved over to the breakfast bar, turned on the recessed spotlights above it, and grabbed the notepad he’d seen there earlier Then he pulled a chair back fro atop Stacey’s textbooks, and turned his attention to finding a clean sheet of paper

As he flipped through pages of lovingly drawn renderings of Aidan, Connor’s heartbeat slowed

His breathing deepened and becaular The pictures of Aidan before hiside for centuries The Aidan captured by Lyssa in detailed pencil lines appeared younger and happier His eyes were bright and the lines of strain less apparent

Connor studied the i moments, then he heard movement on the couch He pivoted to find Stacey curled on her side, her eyelids fluttering as she drifted back to sleep

He s how the chill created by his drea what the feeling of female comfort could do for a man He could see how Aidan’s relationship with Lyssa had changed his friend in wondrous ways

Which only made Connor more determined to succeed in his mission

He was here for a reason His actions in this plane of existence would keep the people he cared about safe It also kept the proo--to protect the Dreamers from the mistakes of the Elders

Refocused on his task, Connor returned his attention to the blank paper before hihts

Aidan didn’t remember the conversations they’d had in his dreams There was no reason for Connor to think that his own brain was any different, which ination

Still, despite knowing how drea that the fantastical story Sheron had told him was a product of his mind He didn’t think up shit like that He considered himself more brawn than brain

Unless the Elders had a way the Guardians didn’t know about… Or perhaps Wager had gleaned more information from the data chip?

Confused and a bit horrified by the many possibilities--not the least of which was the idea that what he’d dreaan to write

It was the sound of a door opening and the distant ruy and too comfortable for words, it took her aat heavy-lidded eyes with her fists, she shifted a little and found herself wrapped in a heavy cocoon of large, sleepythe heavy ar across her, the soft lips and war hard-on that poked insistently into her buttocks They were on the couch in the living room, spooned on their sides, Connor’s chin above the top of her head, his big body half draped over hers She normally needed a thick blanket to stay warm, but his body heat resehetti-strap paja pants botto, Stacey looked through the dining roo equally shocked expressions staring back at her

"Uh…"

Horrified at the thought of Connor s breath, Stacey snapped her mouth shut and attempted to extricate herself from his embrace He was dressed, too, of course, but that didn’t

There was no way they’d ever be able to pretend that nothing had happened between theru her breast

Her nipple, shamelessly happy with the attention, puckered wantonly into his palm, which set off a now predictable reaction in his cock

"Uainst hers suggestively

Aidan and Lyssa’s mouths fell open