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Diane stared back at hi the fact that her future would be as bleak as hell if she gave him what he wanted, if she left with him and returned to the safety of Sanctuary

“I do have to do this, Lawe,” she stated softly, the growing anger dropping away in the face of his concern and the conflicting eaze “I don’t have to do it for you or even for myself It’s for Honor Roberts It’s for Fawn and for Judd and the other Breeds that were tortured in those labs I’h or knew enough to protect them when they needed it I do this for ht of Amber “For the consequences she may pay for Breed research after that bastard injected her I do it for what they did to you, to the others and for what they’ll continue to do God, Lawe, I do this because it’s who I am”

Lawe stared into her eyes, saw the conviction there, saw the woman she knew herself to be as well as the woman he knew she could be “You only see the warrior you are, Diane” He sighed, feeling as weary as she had sounded o “You don’t see the rest of you, but I sense her I hope you find her, before you destroy both of us”

Mating heat was so ether Lawe knew it for the e, beautiful relationship it could become

Staring into her eyes, he tried, God knew he tried with everything inside him, to still the dominance that was so much a p

art of hiive her the encourageet from it

He’d felt her hurt, knehat he’d done to hurt her and he hated himself for it

Without a thought he’d attempted to wound her self-confidence just as he’d attempted to weaken her belief in herself

He’d done it without thinking, without a h him He’d seen it in her eyes, in her expression She’d known even before he had what he was up to And she deserved so much more

She deserved much more from him

“Before I destroy both of us” She sighed as she turned away from him “There is no ‘us,’ Lawe There’s still just you and what you want”

She looked alone, bereft Staring at her, Lawe couldn’t believe the gift standing before hith and will she possessed She was as strong as the woiven him birth And he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she would die for histar had died for her mate, Elder

“After my escape from the labs I avoided every woman who I felt, even remotely, could have beenco

Reaching out Lawe touched the side of her face with the backs of his fingers, brushing her hair back as he did so “Not because I didn’t want you” He cupped the back of her neck as that reh hi I was, I wanted my mate I wanted to hold you, to have you hold h and feel the contentment I knew other Breeds felt with their mates I wanted to sleep with that sense of peace others spoke of But even more, even more than that, I wanted to ensure that the evil I knew existed in this world never touched you Because I knew the dangers, I knew the pain and horrors that I could bring to you And I wanted nothing reatest of all those dragons”

She turned her head away, blinking Da back tears?