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"The fuck I can’t!" I scream I elbow hi "Let hs softly "Your valor is impressive But you cannot stop this" He turns and looksHis face isperfectly normal Handsoh ers into the screa The in to die down The smell of acrid smoke and charred flesh fills my nostrils "And you can’t stop ers wrap around rasps ht up I take a swing at the rave;re," he says softly "I didn’t hten you"

I’h sleep I don’t kno h "You never have frightenedto"

Eli frowns "What do youmy eyes withflesh of a huhs and pulls ed man Justasleep on his couch The one there, the one who lured me there" I look at Eli "I think he was one of the Fallen I saw him take the man’s heart"

"Damn it, Ri," he says, then looks attheir hands dirty after all?"

I shake uys," I say "Fast They have no conscience, Eli None" I shakehow many more will die And I think there’s a lot more to the Fallen than even Jake and Gabriel, and Darius know" I shake et them, Riley," Eli assures me "I swear it"

I nod "I didn’t hurt you, did I?"

Eli laughs softly and stands me up "You missed, so no" He wraps his arms around me and lowers his head "You didn’t even ht onto the floor And you’re still wearing all your clothes, including your dirk"

"Yeah," I answer, burying my face in his neck I wrap my arms around his waist "Floor worked just fine Too tired to take everything off Good thing I didn’t impale myself with ainst my ear We stand there a second or two, or h, even after shifting a ti that’s in the way?

"Maybe," Eli says He grabsoverable to have you for hours at a time stirs a need within me so fierce, it literally hurts" He dips lower, his lips brushing rave;re?"

Oh yeah, I sure do

With light pressure, Eli nudges my mouth open with his, and at the sarasps one of ainst the bulge straining against his pants

I sroans into ry, deterue across my bottom lip and pulls it into his ht, constant, then a little harder, a bit faster The erotic, slick movement makes my pulse quicken, my breath catch The cool ers one by one

Eliood," he whispers His accent is thicker Sexy as hell Another big turn-on, and Eli knows it I do as he asks No probleainst h Then Eli’s hands slide to ht slipping in through the , he locks a profound stare to mine "I am so in love with you, Riley Poe," he says quietly He slides his fingers over ave me "I still can’t believe you’reis, I allow it Revel in it

And I can actually say it back now

"I’ius Dupré" I kiss his nose "It actually took a vampire to claim my icy heart"

"Your heart has never been icy," he answers, and kissesonmy arms around his neck, Eli lifts and settles s around his waist, and heat pools low, deep, and I press harder against him He kisses ainst the closed door, and s into th of hi between h his hair and pull his head back to give e of it I taste his lips Bite Lick Then I kiss hily, beats a little faster I feel restless inside, and it’s growing asp "Now, Eligius"

Eli lets ainst the door Eyes darkened by raging lust hold s the clasps ofboth drop to the floor Graspingshirt by the hem, the material slides over my skin as he pulls it off and tosses it onto the floor Likewise, I pull his shirt over his head, drop it, and slip my palms over the chiseled muscles of his chest, lower, to his stomach, and around to the sainst my neck, and I don’t even tense up anyertips, Eli slides the straps of my bra off my shoulders and unclasps it, and my heavy breasts are free of the silkypile of clothes on the floor The cool air brushes my skin, and one of Eli’s hands finds my lower back and pulls me closer He drops his head, kissesover the swell ofhis hair, I pull his mouth to exactly where I want it In an erotic kiss, he suckles me, makes my skin flaroin to his, closer, hot, aching Shivers of pleasure rack ue and lips rake over the sensitive peak, causing the throbbing pulse between h his silky hair and hold on