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Not to a woman he intended to spend the rest of eternity with
"No"
Her dark eyes filled with a fear that sent a stab of agony through his heart
"Santiago, I couldn’t bear it," she pleaded, her face still ashen and draeariness "You know I couldn’t"
"And I can’t bear to lose you," he said with a blunt honesty He’d intended to save his proclamation of love until a more appropriate time Like when the current life or death situation was over Perhaps at a location that could be considered at least a little romantic And at the very least, he’d intended for them to be alone Now, he accepted that the tiht hi else, it was that there was no pro another second without telling this wo"
The dark eyes softened with a love that he could tangibly feel flowing between them even as her expression remained set in stubborn lines "But"
"No" He brushed his lips over the chilled skin of her cheek to the corner of her mouth "Ask me to be your mate Ask me to stand at your side for the rest of eternity Ask me to love and honor and respect you," he husked "But don’t ask me to sacrifice you I can’t"
"There will be no further sacrifices required," Siljar said in a weary voice "At least not today"
Santiago glanced up to discover Roke carrying an unconscious Sally toward the door and Siljar leaning against a pile of rubble He frowned as he realized the book had disappeared
"Where’s the spirit?"
Siljar gri power for once muted "It has been sent to the Commission There are those qualified to keep it ih she allowed Santiago to keep a protective arm around her shoulders She already sensed that there wasn’t a power on this earth that could force him to release his hold on her
Besides, she liked the solid weight It re alone, she now had a companion she not only trusted, but who filled her heart with a joy she’d never drealorious, irreverent, sexy vampire she loved without condition
The man she intended to claim as her er was over
"Why didn’t you destroy it?" she de that the tiny demon looked as drained as Nefri felt
"Because none of us could be certain ould happen if we did"
Styx stepped forward, his are attack and his face bloody "Cryptic as ever, Siljar," he accused her
"Not cryptic The simple truth," Siljar answered, one of the few de of Vaerous, but it did spawn vaed "To destroy itin e can’t predict"
Nefri gave a grudging nod Life and death were a far more delicate balance than led to reh the haze that had clouded her ainst her? So that had driven the spirit from her body? Ah, yes "Book?"
"It’s trapped in a vacuu as it’s properly monitored it won’t be allowed to escape"
"Shouldn’t you have thought of that before sending Nefri’s clan into danger?" Santiago asked, as always living on the edge
Thankfully, Siljar didn’t appear offended Instead she gave a lift of her brows "Nefri’s clan?"
Santiago tightened his arm around her "Our clan"
Siljar sht considering the razor sharp teeth "The sorcery created by the witches was enough to hold it prisoner for centuries"
Santiago lifted a brow "So you had no nefarious purpose in allowing Nefri to lead her people beyond the Veil?"
"She came to o pressed, ignoring Nefri’s frown He wasn’t fooled for a ave a dis her people living beyond the Veil would give us an early warning if the spirit did start to waken"
Before Santiago could say so even more stupid than usual, Nefri smoothly cut him off "But the spirit never disturbed my clan," she pointed out "At least, not that we ever noticed"
The dark eyes suddenly held a deep, unfathomable wisdom "Unfortunately, we didn’t realize how thin the walls between dimensions had beco a handful of va past the Veil using Gaius’s medallion"
Styx snorted at the understate of barriers had been more than unfortunate It had been a breath from the apocalyptic
"Oh yeah, and while the spirit was sneaking around, ere all nearly killed by the Dark Lord," he said dryly "You remember that, don’t you?"
"Of course" Siljar squared her shoulders, sain a pristine white "The Co prisoners that escaped through the weakened dimensions while you put an end to the threat"