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“I can’t.”
“Tab—”
“I love him!”
That stopped Eddie. He actually froze mid-step, his boot landing with a thump, an expression of dismay mixed with horror twisting his features. “You what? But he’s a Nightwalker.”
“No,” argued his slayer. “He’s Adam. My Adam… who just so happens to be a Nightwalker. Just like you’re an asshole, Eddie. Now go away.”
That broke the man out of his stupor. Firming his resolve, he lifted his sword up.
“I won’t let you kill him,” Tabby said.
Eddie glanced over at Boone. When the older man nodded, he gave his head a sorry shake. “Then you’ll have to stop me.”
“With pleasure.”
Adam thought that walking away from Evangeline was the hardest thing he’d ever done. Then, when he let Rafe escape, he thought that was the hardest thing.
Bullshit.
Standing back as Tabby slid her cinquedea from its sheath, remaining frozen in place as she faced off against the slayer prick… that was the hardest thing. It took every bit of grit and will he had to stay where he was instead of rushing forward and taking out the threat to his Tabby.
Especially with her honest declaration echoing in his stunned brain.
I love him… I love him… Ilovehim—
She never told him that before. She slept with him and she fed him and she worked with him, and while Adam realized the depth of his feelings for her ages ago, he was content to take whatever Tabby would give him without hoping he’d get a single scrap more.
But she loved him. She was fighting for him. And if it was any other woman but his slayer, Adam would’ve taken her place in the fray.
Not Tabby.
She could hold her own. He’d seen her take down Nightwalkers twice her size, and heard the snarls and the growls and the grunts as she collared a feral shifter after only a few hours of sleep. Even a bolt of dark magic to the chest barely slowed her down.
Eddie Daniels was child’s play.
The fight was over before it had hardly begun. Adam gave Eddie credit. He must’ve known Tabby well enough not to underestimate her abilities. He fought her like he meant it, though he wasn’t trying to slay her. He just wanted to get past her so that he could get to Adam.
It never happened. As Adam used the last of his control to stay back, and her uncle watched the scrap with a practiced eye, Tabby managed to use Eddie’s size against him, flipping him so that he was on his belly seconds not too much longer after she launched herself at him.
“Tabby,” Adam growled out. He couldn't help himself. The idea of her killing a friend… co-worker… whatever… over him didn’t feel right.
She stopped when the point of her knife was nearly kissing the back of Eddie’s neck. Feeling the point of her blade, Eddie went unnaturally still.
Adam wasn’t sure if she held back because of him or not. He wanted to think so. One glimpse of Tabby as she straddled his back, her knife so close to being buried in Eddie’s throat, and he wasn’t so sure that it was anything but her self-control.
God, she was amazing.
A little intimidating, sure, but fucking amazing.
“We kill the killers, Eddie. Aren’t we justified by being slayers? How does that make Adam any different? How many have you killed? I could take you out right now if I follow the code. But I wouldn’t do that… unless you go for my betrothed again.”
“The Claws Clause,” murmured Boone.
With a strange gesture—a quick slash with one hand, then the next—Tabby clambered off of Eddie. The other slayer laid flat on his belly for a few seconds more before he pushed himself up on his elbows, climbing up to his knees, and slowly moving back toward Boone’s side.
Adam had no idea what was going on—and he didn’t like it.
