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RAPHAEL didn&039;t try to prevent Ashe fro away her earlier glow of post-coital bliss as she regarded him with a wary suspicion

"What was that about?"

"This is ree" Her chin tilted to a defensive angle, yanking the sheet over her body still flushed froer who says he&039;s not even human is most certainly nancy"

His stunned reaction to yet another i possible was shattered by her stark words

While he&039;d been reeling at the sight of hisraw and exposed by their explosive passion He should have been cuddling her close and assuring her that she was precisely where she belonged

In his ar to resurrect her protective walls

Christ, could he fuck up the situation any worse?

He leaned on his elbow, aze with an expression of open concern

"You don&039;t want the baby?"

Her defiance faltered, soly vulnerable visible in the depths of her dark eyes

"Ihaven&039;t had time to think about it"

His hand ainst the sudden, brutal fear that she nancy

"Ashe, I&039; when I say this is ain his voice His child ht very well prove to be the savior of the Pantera "My people-"

His words ca his head toward the door

"What is it?" she demanded

"I&039;m not sure"

With a fluidon his jeans and T-shirt beforesilently across the roohtened senses picking up the un up the steps and the uns they carried

It wasn&039;t the stench of their weapons, however, that off in their ss or disease

But a sour s

Without hesitation he spun on his heel and headed back across the room He didn&039;t knoho the hell thesearound to find out

Not when histhe bed, Raphael leaned down to wrap the sheet around a startled Ashe, scooping her off the ainst his chest as he headed toward the open

"What the hell are you doing?" she rasped, futilely battling against the sheet tangled around her li"

"But I&039; down to whisper directly in her ear

"Shh We need to get out of here Now"

She tensed in his ar to let anything happen to you" The words were a vow that came from his very soul "Hold on"

Her eyes widened as he held her out the , and she belatedly realized his intent

"No," she choked as he gave a shove with his feet and they were falling through the air

He landed softly, keeping her tightly pressed against his chest as he allowed his senses to search the darkness

Only when he was certain that there were no strangers lurking in the alley did he jog toward a nearby side street, heading south of town at a speed that could never be ht now he didn&039;t care if he exposed his superior skills or not He needed to get Ashe soet her arms free so she could no doubt punch hiave a hiss of frustration

"Dammit, let me down"

"Not until we&039;re safe"

"Safe fro he said was going toht and you&039;re not sure why?"

"That about sums it up"

"Sums it up?" She kicked her feet in fury "Take me back to the hotel"

"Not a chance in hell"

"I&039;ll scream I-" She bit off her words as he reached the outskirts of town, jogging along the edge of the swaar&039;s Den "Why did you bringup the back stairs and slaainst the steel door

There was a tense wait as security checked him out on the monitors, then the door was finally shoved open to reveal a furious Bayon

"What the hell are you doing?" the younger Pantera snarled, glaring at the female in Raphael&039;s are room of the bar

"Make sure eren&039;t followed," he coht de about crazy cats in heat, he slipped out the door andhis hold on a still furious Ashe, Raphael crossed the storage roo the wall swing inward to reveal the secret chambers hidden behind the bar

He halted in the coather in private

It wasn&039;t fancy Nothing more than two overstuffed sofas and a handful of padded chairs sturdy enough to endure the roughhousing that came with a race of people ere cats at heart

It was, however, the only place they could talk in privacy

The attached rooh-tech security that kept watch on the fringes of the swa and everyone who entered the bayous, while the upper story was set aside for private bedroo to take Ashe to another room that included a bed

Not until he was convinced there was no threat

Gingerly setting Ashe on her feet, Raphael stepped back, but not before shehim on the chin

"How dare you kidnap e

Rafael rubbed his chin More to give her the satisfaction of believing she&039;d hurt hi to protect you and ed the sheet until it rapped tightly over her breasts, her hair spilling over her bare ivory shoulders like a river of ebony

"Protect me from what?"