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Michael extended his left hand and Spike started to swab his wrist with alcohol

"Hold him down, mate," Spike ordered Griffin "Don’t let him move a muscle"

Griffin took Michael’s hand in his and held his fingers and forearainst the table

"I won’t even let him flinch" Griffin and Michael’s eyes still reh his body The buzz of the electric needle started up

"Won’t lie to you, kid," Spike said,a final adjustment on her needle "Skin on the wrist is thin and sensitive Getting ink on your ck would hurt less than this will"

Michael took a deep breath in and slowly let it out of his nose the way Nora had taught him

"It’s okay," Michael said and knew he’d never been so calm or certain in his life He had Griffin’s hands on hi in the world could penetrate the armor of his happiness "I can take pain"

Slowly Wesley turned around Standing in the doorway to Nora’s bedroom was a man well over six feet tall, with perfect pale blond hair, penetrating steel-gray eyes and a face too handsome to be human He wore jeans and a black T-shirt that revealed iht hand he held a motorcycle helmet

"So Søren rides awhy that was the first thing that came out "For some reason, I’m not surprised"

Søren’s eyes narrowed and the corner of his mouth twitched with amusement He tossed the helmet onto a chair and crossed his arms over his broad chest

"Hello, Wesley," Søren said and spoke no other words

"I’ to say hello to you" Wesley took a deep breath and took a few steps closer "We’re not friends This isn’t going to be a friendly conversation"

Søren stared at hihed in the priest’s eyes For more than two years, Wesley had wondered about Søren--what did he look like, how did he act, what the hell did Nora see in him? Now the man himself stood in front of him And that’s what Wesley saw A man--mortal, very handsome, but still only a man

"We aren’t friends, no" Søren said the words with a nanimous air "But e

"You hit Nora You hit her often You’ve sprained her wrists You’ve bruised her ribs You’ve done stuff to her she wouldn’t even tell me about Yeah, Søren, I think we’ll be enemies"

Søren didn’t seem the least surprised or intimidated by Wesley’s words In fact, he seemed almost pleased

"I a into any kind of fight with you I think Eleanor would never recover fro fit that would induce if she discovered we’d scuffled over her"