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After several minutes of silence, I looked over my shoulder and glared at her. She hadn’t moved, probably judging my lack of self-control around blood.

“Is it that hard for you?”

I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

“Being around blood.”

“Not really.”

“So, just mine?”

“Go shower, Raelynn.”

She crossed her arms. “No.”

“For fuck’s sake. Why are you such a brat?”

“I’m not a brat. I’m curious.”

I pressed my fingers against my closed eyes, really not wanting to have this conversation with her, but not stopping it either. Something was clearly wrong with me. “You’re my Nyrith. I like blood. It’s only natural.”

“So let’s say I let you try it.” She held up a hand when I looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Hypothetical!” She cleared her throat. “Let’s say I let you try it. Would that calm you down? Make you stop… I dunno… craving it?”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. She’d lost her mind.

“What?”

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I sighed. “Long term? Yeah, maybe I’d calm down. Short term? In the moment? I don’t have a fucking clue.”

“And the cravings?”

“I don’t crave your blood.”

She crossed her arms again. “Well, if it isn’t cravings, then the freak outs whenever I cut myself or something.”

I wouldn’t dignify her diagnosis of my reaction to her blood with a response. She made me sound like an addict.

“I’m not gonna shower until you answer me.”

“You’re infuriating.” I rested my elbows on my knees and rubbed my face. “I don’t have an answer for that. I haven’t been in this situation before.”

“So, try it.”

I jumped up and backed several steps away from the bed. “The fuck did you say?”

She pushed up onto her knees and looked at me, her face scrunched in confusion. “Try it.” She rubbed her neck, looking at her dry fingers. “Oh, it stopped.”

“Listen. You’re not on Earth anymore. You can’t go around offering your blood to infernals and think they’ll stop themselves like me or the guys. They will kill you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not stupid.”

“Debatable.”

“I’m not.”

I hadn’t thought so, but here she sat half-naked, offering her blood to someone who’d not only threatened her life on more than one occasion but could also snap her neck with ease.

“I’m only suggesting that you do what you’ve wanted to do and try my blood to see if it will temper some of whatever it is you’re dealing with. If we have to live together, it’d make things easier, right?”