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Throw her down and take her? Kill the man she actually wanted?

"Will you move to Panama with me?" he asked

She licked her lips "You’ll be there with me?"

"Yes" He dared anyone to try and pry hih I have nothing to offer you?"

Nothing to offer hientle touch he’d always craved The acceptance he’d never before had And when she looked at him, he never felt as if he was a nuisance, as if he was beneath her He feltempowered

But all he said was "I’ll be happy"

"Then I would love to," she replied without a single beat of hesitation

"Good"

"On two conditions," she added, blinking open her eyes

He stepped back, increasing the distance between theulped and shifted unco us back on Saturday We, uh, well, we have a double date"

He’d known, but hearing the words from her lips caused every ounce of his earlier fury to return--ti on any date, Nicola"

Her mouth fell open, snapped closed "I already said yes"

"And now you’ll say no"

A moment passed in stilted silence

"Is that so?" she said with a quiet fury of her own

"That’s so You must do what I say, when I say Reers over the counter "You once told me to do whatever was necessary to remain calm You once told me to do whatever was necessary to find peace and sow joy Well, the date seemed like my best bet at the time So which would you have me do? Please you, or save my sister and myself?"

He clenched his jaw painfully It was just as he’d suspected--and no s, he couldn’t take this away from her "Very well Go on your date" The concession scraped his throat, left it raw and burning

Perhaps, while she was out with the male, Koldo would return to the Downfall Perhaps he would allow the Harpy to dance for hiet everything Nicola had ever made him feel He wouldn’t ruin the Harpy, and the Harpy wouldn’t blame hih every cell in his body rebelled at the thought

"What’s the second condition?" he demanded

She exhaled with force "You have to take , and pick "

Yet another bloas unprepared to deal with right now "You won’t quit?"

"No I have to "

Was that all? "I’ll pay you to live with ain heryour bills One is the same as the other"

"Actually, no, it isn’t I won’t be dependent on you fortook root, and it didn’t sprout a pretty flower patch It had gnarled limbs and dripped with blood She would allow Koldo to clean up her past, but she was afraid he would muddy up her future--the one she planned to share with another ree to your terms" And he would do more than take the Harpy He would take others So many others! As many as it took to find soht now, the only thing he wanted froy

"Now I know you’re related to the guy in the park," she said snippily "You look just like hilare like that"

Guy at the park? He didn’t allow hiuy?"

"Well, the demons ith some very scary people People as tall as you, with bald heads, even the girl, and fangs and a terrible black mist that rose from their bodies And the first one I saw looked like an older version of you"

At first, he was too stunned to react But as he breathed, his thoughts aligned and the shock gave way to dread

His father had survived the boht, dazed--the vilest male he had ever encountered

"Did any of them touch you?" he demanded

"No They just looked at me and smiled the meanest of smiles"