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Steps never slowing, he flicked her a lance "You won’t mean to, but you will Drainers can’t help themselves, and they certainly can’t stop Otherwise, like I said, they weaken and die"

He was saying she was--allegedly--a parasite A s as if they were a beer keg, and drinking them dry The moisture in her mouth vanished, and her heart skipped several beats "You’re wrong My mother… I ate…"

His expression softened "You didn’t kill your mother I don’t knohy she weakened after your birth, but you had nothing to do with it" He didn’t sound convinced "The draining thing, it probably switched on during your first encounter with the otherworld"

"Not true" She shook her head violently,at her "I dated Tucker, and you’re the one who told me he was part demon I made him feel better, not worse" Proof that she couldn’t possibly be a Drainer, right?

Riley paused to e the back of his neck "And then you met Aden And then the two of you summoned all of us here And then you were cursed and received your first taste of ic"

All excellent and irrefutable points "What happens if I am?" Don’t say that You can’t be, no matter the evidence "What happens if I’m a Drainer, I mean?"

"I don’t know" He bent and picked up a small, round stone, then tossed it into the trees A branch cracked; there was a thump

She could only watch hiuys…kill Drainers"

"We do," he said, his tone dead

As dead as she would soon be?

Light-headed at the thought, she fell backward, her hand flying to her neck "You would killwith the force of his breathing "And I wouldn’t let anyone else harm you, either God, Mary Ann I can’t believe you’d even think that of en that had snagged in her lungs "This is new to me, Riley, and besides that, we haven’t been on the best of terer diluted, and his expression softened "No We haven’t"

Hearing hih she’d been the one to say it first "So do you want to…break up? If ere even dating, Iaround Oh, God She wanted to vo now

Were, he’d said Her blood chilled as if little ice crystals had formed in her veins "And noe’re not?" Did that needy voice really belong to her? "We are dating, Mary Ann" His head fell back and he stared up at the star-filled sky "We’re just going through a little rough spot"

We are dating Okay, yes, that was good Very good The relief that spread through her was palpable

Then he added, "I mean, I think we are, at least," and that relief drained

Drained Not a good word choice, she thought, laughing without humor Because if what he’d said before, about Drainers destroying…if that was true, that would mean… no No No! She would not venture down that mental path Like a hypochondriac, she’d only convince herself that her "symptoms" were real

Riley pounded to the porch steps and plopped down, resting his elbows on his knees "If you really are a Drainer, you’re going to kill everyone I love" Heher aura, hts "Hell, one day you’ll kill ht of his death--at the thought of causing it "I would never hurt you Ever!"

"You wouldn’t mean to, but…" His head fell into his upraised hands "Da"

"This just can’t be right, Riley Iso fast I was fine, , leaving only ruins around her

His laugh was as humorless as hers had been "That’s the way of the world, Mary Ann Everything changes in a blink"

Not like this Not for her

No, not true, she thought next She’d ed She’d discovered Tucker had cheated on her with Penny and in seconds, her entire world had changed She’d learned the truth about her ed

She’d ed

"Is there a way I can stop this? Reverse it?" she croaked out "If it’s true, Itone left no rooument