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"No" She gave a decisive shake of her head "I don’t believe you"

"Rather harsh, lover," he protested

"He didn’t want you to take me to the coven Why?"

Dante muttered a low curse Damn Viper and his poor imitation of a mother hen

’You could not possibly have heard as said between us," he futilely atte and that he was trying to convince you of soed "He’s worried about what the coven will do to you, isn’t he?"

"Viper has always distrusted ic"

"Dante, I want the truth" She folded her ar on a don’t-screith-me attitude "Will they harm you?"

He shrugged "They need ed," shefar too close to the truth "In fact, I think that we should reconsider seeking out the witches"

"What?"

"I won’t have you hurt"

Dante griaze on the empty road Despite his undeniable flare of pleasure at her concern, he wasn’t about to make this woman into a martyr

"Abby, we have no choice"

’There are always choices"

His expression hardened at her soft words "Not if you are to be rid of the Phoenix They’re the only ones capable of transferring the power to another"

There was a long pause, and Dante had almost convinced himself that he had forced Abby to see reason when she cleared her throat

"Then erously swerved before Dante could regain command of hiuard Slowing to a runtled frown

"Yon don’t knohat you’re saying," he growled ’You haven’t been prepared to becoave a lift of her brows "Was Selena?"

He grih Selena had been huant belief that she was above others Not surprising for the daughter of a duke who considered hiod Selena had viewed the power and iht rather than her duty

"She knehat she was getting into," he htly touch his arm ’Then tell me"

Dante carefully chose his words He didn’t want to add to her terror, but then again, he had to make sure that she understood precisely why it was iine what it is like to be iine it makes life insurance a rather ave a lift of her shoulder "I’ll adht"

"Ityour family and friends wither and die while you remain precisely the sa life pass by without ever touching you It h "My so-called relatives could have posed for the poster of dysfunctional families My father terrorized and then abandoned us, rave, and o the moment they could escape" There was a brief silence "I have always been alone," she whispered in the dark

Dante flinched "Abby"

She sucked in a sharp breath, clearly regretting her brief moment of vulnerability

’What else?"

"You will always be hunted," he retorted starkly, thrusting aside the urge to offer her comfort He had toyour death"

She turned in her seat to regard hi to disguise itself"

"It is, but there are always those with enough power or desperation to track you down That hy I was chained to the spirit as protection"

He could feel her gaze sweeping over his rigid profile