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“It’s not me, either” Soft “I didn’t know—didn’t understand about the Borns when I was brought over After the exchange, I woke up, strong, thirsty, so thirsty, and I didn’t even feel the Born’s power at first”
Ah, key phrase there At first
“Then the prick started trying to worets weaker the farther you are from the Born, so my tactic was to stay as far away froers knotted around the sheets “Guess that tactic didn’t work so well, huh?”
“He knehat I was doing So” He exhaled heavily “To teach me a lesson, he went after my family They didn’t know They had no idea what I’d become and when the vampires came for them…” He shuddered “They suffered Gri ‘my ass in line’”
She flinched
“I buried the second” He unballed his fists, stared down at his palms “He wanted me to come to him Wanted me to kill Wanted me to be part of his twisted va his pack” And sensing a challenge frolanced at her “Made a deal with the devil”
That didn’t sound good Dee rose, fued to dress
The silence in the room thickened
She shoved on her shoes
Si her
Dressed, armored, she finally asked, “What kind of deal?” No, not for as Asshole naic—and he used it on aze darted to her ht Skye drained me nearly to death before each sunrise”
“Simon!” Blood loss like that—
“In return, he put a spell shield in place for h to weaken Grim’s call Not block it completely, but to mute it so I could turn away from the Born” He stalked toward her Lifted his hand and ran his fingers down her cheek “And find you”
Her fingers lifted and curled around his wrist “Why didn’t you tell ?”
“Because you would have run from me No” A slow shake of his head “You would have tried to kill me, and I needed you too much to have you turn away You’re my shot at freedom, Dee Real freedom This shield won’t last forever I’ll be lucky if it lasts a fewto keep out I know it Skye knows it Grim knows it” His eyes blazed darkness as he told her, “I don’t want to becohtened around his “You won’t” He wasn’t like the others He’d fought too hard Held on to his sanity by going right into the darkness
“Over the years, there have been others ere changed and didn’t beco machines It’s the Borns, they’re in control The Taken just dance like puppets on freaking strings The Borns who have been tainted by the power—”
Or curse, depending on who you asked
“—they’re the ones ant the blood on the streets”
“Is that what Grih “Grim wants the world And if he can, he’ll take it”
Not while she was around “He’ll keep co those she cared for, just as he’d attacked Simon’s family
“It’s his way He separates his prey Makes you suffer, tries to break you”
His flesh arainst her “I don’t break easily” Never had Never would