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The indecision fused in his features told me that his next words were going to be incredibly important. I didn’t speak. Didn’t dare breathe. I feared one moment of distraction would staple the words in his throat and I would be back to his usual hot and cold. I was so close to him opening up and finally trusting me.

When his attention locked onto me again, I braced myself.

“Red, my blood is hunted.”

“Huh?” I screwed up my face, not understanding.

“If I heal, I have to kill. A life for a life, that’s how it works.”

I blanked momentarily, not comprehending his words. They replayed in my mind until I finally caught up. Kill.

Oh, holy fuck.

Bile rose in my throat.

A muscle ticked in his jaw, gravestone eyes returning. They locked onto me like a soul, finding its next owner. Then I remembered the night I found him in the bathroom. It came back to me like an old movie on a reel — black and white flashbacks.

He’d been covered in blood…

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. “That night, after…” My cheeks burned at the thought of us in the graveyard, but I kept talking. “That was you, after you…”

Killed someone.

I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“Yeah.” Gravity dropped his hands to his sides.

I couldn’t speak. I feared my reply would come out all wrong.

“Say something,” he whispered. “Anything. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

I swallowed my shock, saying the only thing I could muster. “Holy shit,” I whispered, stunned. Because I had never imagined he would say that.

He blinked rapidly, watching my reaction closely. “You can’t tell the group. They would never forgive themselves for asking me to bring back Skye and Wes if they knew.”

I stood silently, still trying to process this new information.

“I can’t drag them into this,” he added.

Wait, what? Was he for real? I knew without a word of doubt that every person in our group would have his back on this, no questions asked.

“Okay,” I said without thinking.

“Okay?” He looked at me as if I’d gone insane. “You heard me correctly, right?”

Words would not come, and I desperately didn’t want to screw up what I said next. When I finally picked my jaw up from the ground, I spoke honestly. “Everyone’s magic has a dark side. Yours is just, um, next level. The group would understand if you told them.”

He shook his head. “I can’t. The more people who know, the more lives I put at risk.” Eyes downcast, he said, “That’s why I can’t get involved with you.”

All this time, I’d questioned if he was feeling our connection. But this had never been about his feelings for me at all. “You’re scared to let anyone in,” I said, realization suddenly hitting me. “To let anyone get close. Scared to feel.”

He shook his head. “That’s not true.”

I moved closer, closing the space between us. Inside my chest, my heart pounded, every second feeling like an hour, a day, a week. Dragging in a ragged breath, I looked up into eyes I thought I would only ever see as a friend’s, realizing how much more he had become to me. “Then prove it. I know you want this as much as me.”

He slowly shook his head, his voice quieting. “I would never forgive myself if you got hurt.”

My hand cupped his cheek, capturing his gaze once more. “I can fend for myself. I’m a goddamned witch,” I said, leveling with him.