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Or demonic Hector who'd only wanted me to be like him?

Shit

"Leigh," Da my arm, his breath in my hair "What can I do to make you believe me?"

I aying toward him before I realized it Since I'd lost my family, my future, and my mind, I'd prided myself on my self-reliance I needed no one In that way I could never be destroyed again when someone I loved died

How many days had I known Damien? Already my body accepted his nearness, trusted him above my head and my heart Stupid body

I wanted to lean on him, believe in him, but I couldn't

I inched away, stood on ered on his ar for just an instant to his

"I have no idea," I answered, which was true

How could I prove he wasn't an evil hen, as far as I knew, there'd never been a nonevil one before? Asking Edould raise toowith Jessie and Will

The door burst open and Damien shoved me behind him Impressive But was theup the stairs with his superwolf powers? More than likely

"Knock much?" I asked

She ignoredon the tips of her toes "I have to talk to you," she blurted "Alone"

Daed and headed for the door I reached for hih one

I didn't want hiain?

"Dao anywhere, OK?"

He lifted a brow "Where would I go?"

Was he trying to be a smart-ass? I couldn't be sure

"Jeez, Leigh, you can hop back into the sack with him later"

I winced Thankfully she didn't notice, but Damien did His eyes went sad and he slipped out the door

Why did I feel as though I'd kicked a puppy?

The analogy alot two more half-eaten wolves"

"Where?"

"Elwood found theood thirty miles on the other side of town"

Thirty miles from Crow Valley Ten miles from the tavern to tohich made forty miles away

"Had they been dead long?"

"That's the best part Elwood saw the wolf eating them"

Our eyes met I didn't even have to ask

"White," she said "Just like we thought"

"That doesn't mean much with super-duper shape-shifter powers"

"Doesn't hurt, either"

I thought about what she'd said The white wolf had been seen forty miles from here at the same time I'd been saved by a broolf, which I knew to be Damien

It didn't mean Damien couldn't have killed those wolves; he could even have had a nibble or two But he couldn't be the white wolf This was good news andJessie the truth

"You ran all the way out here and burst in like a kid on Christ to tell me this?" I asked "You couldn't use the phone?"

"You shut it off, dip wad"

I frowned, crossed the roo ain

"I was talking to Edward," I said

"Anything interesting?"

"Not really"

Jessie nodded as if she'd expected as much "Cora called"

"And?"

" She found so"

"Where?"

"In her Textbook of Witches and WerewolvesHow the hell should I know? Cadotte was practically prancing when he got off the phone Couldn't wait to tell you all about it"

"Where is he?"

Jessie opened her ed

"I pointed out that this inforirl"

Aw, hell

"Spill it, Jessie"

"Why don't we sit?"

"That bad, huh?"

"You aren't going to like it Thatevery Internet corner and every book that he has to find a way to stop this before it happens"

"Stop what?"

Jessie sat on the couch I perched on the edge of a chair She sighed and spilled it

"Reht of the hunter's moon?"

"Sacrifice Blood, death, tears Yada yada"

Jessie smiled "There's a little more to it than that"

"Isn't there always?"

"Yep Did you know that only the alpha pair in a wolf pack can mate?"

"I see about it in Wolf Behavior 333"

Jessie lifted a brow

"Hell Supreme alpha The ritual involves sex?"

"So I hear"

"With who?"

"His mate"

My back started to burn as if someone had doused it with kerosene and struck a match