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And so they hadn’t The three of the everyone inside alive The pain-filled screams still sometimes echoed inside Thane’s mind But he did not feel any better about the past…and he knew his boys did not feel better about themselves
"You will do what you feel you must," he finally said "I will not tell Zacharel" He paused, head tilting to the side "Who is she, this woman who betrayed you?"
"That, I will not tell you"
"Because you think I would shield her Interesting II’m sure you will learn about me I love two men, and no others" There wasn’t room in the small cha to hed "You will letI can do to aid you in your quest" A de I must do this alone She hides fro her from the shadows I will be the one to unearth her"
Understood "Very well I will leave you to--" He trailed off as a sense of foreboding suddenly struck hih hismental link, because he could feel his leader’s dread and fury
Zacharel, he said, projecting his voice into his leader’s , no response
Zacharel, what’s going on?
Again no response
Was Zacharel ignoring hio," he told Koldo He would have to track the angel the old-fashioned way
"There is trouble?"
"Worry not, for this is not so that concerns you," he evaded He would not have thehe could do "I will return when I’hter, winded yet buzzing with adrenaline Black blood formedto finally ease the burn that had begun to blaze inside the cavern, when Zacharel had… When he’d… Even now the burn increased, and she rubbed harder
Don’t think about it Right now, des thick in the air, pungent enough toYeah She’d think about that It was far one to town on each of thenone to escape To her surprise, he’d also placed two blades in her hands when she’d dropped her own, her last, enabling her to continue fighting
And fight she had, the sharp ulars,her prey for easier elimination What she’d lacked in skill she’d made up for in creativity and deter across the motionless, headless bodies to reach her
Before he could think to take back his blades, she shoved theh the slits in her pockets and into the sheaths strapped to her thighs "I’, and yes, one of her ankles isted and throbbing, but she would hurt like this forever if it ing the truth of her words for himself At the same time, she looked him over He was just as blood soaked as she ith sweat trickling down his teh Come, we must clean you up" He offered his hand to her
To his credit, he didn’t force her to link her fingers with his but waited for her to initiate contact on her own She licked her lips, wishing there were some other way to leave this place But he’d just uttered the only words that could have ed her skin, and already she had welts
Expression blank, he said, "I am sorry for what I did to you, Annabelle, I truly aht up… I’m sorry," he repeated
Such sincerity from him should have surprised her, but it didn’t "I know you are," she said And she really did, now that her e of fear That had been his first kiss, and he’d been caught up in the sensations, just as she had been…until he’d ripped her top and bared her breasts, and memories of Fitzpervert and his camera of sha to kiss you again"
That part of their relationship was over Zacharel hadn’t meant to hurt her, but hurt her he had He’d abused the very fragile trust she’d built with him He hadn’t stopped when she had wanted hi again
Muscles ticked below eyes of green frost, a testae your o of that leash… "No, I won’t, and I won’t leave with you until you accept it And by the way, did you know you’re snowing again?"
At first, he offered no reaction to her words, or her rejection Then, with a powerful shrug of his shoulders he flared his wings, studied the feathers of one, then the feathers of the other "I eis"
Disappoint him appear as boyish as he had inside that cave, when he’d wanted her so desperately I will not soften But finally, blessedly, the burn in her chest faded
"So that’s what the snow is all about?" she said "Why was he displeased with you in the first place?"
"I killed huh I did not realize it at the tilad I did not judge you guilty and end you without thought" Zacharel closed the rest of the gap between theer content to wait for her to take his hand His body brushed against hers, and she stumbled backward, even tripped over the limb of a fallen demon and fell to her butt "What a shame that would have been"