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“And I was so hoping for a rousing game of charades. You’re here to get bitten. ”
“No. ”
“You’re planning to—”
“Brigit is dead. ” That silenced him. “Mercy thought Brigit was me. Shot her in the heart. ” I touched my own chest, fingers fanning over my sternum where my heart was beating rapidly, reminding me I was still alive. “Silver bullet. ”
Holden took a step towards me, and I recoiled. “I don’t think I can handle any more hugs right now,” I explained, holding my hand up to keep him at a distance. “I’ve been hugged more in the last two days than I have in my entire life. Were people afraid to touch me before?”
He’d stopped advancing on me, but there was nothing I could do to dampen the pitying expression on his face. “You don’t make yourself easy to touch. ”
“I guess now I’m only human. ” The smile I forced was the barest flicker. I didn’t feel like smiling, but I’d be dead before I stopped trying to make light of a bad situation. Without a joke here or there I’d be crushed under the weight of my own grief.
“Why are you here?”
“I need your help. ”
“Of course you do. You’re not big on social calls. ”
“I’m taking Kellen back. ”
“You’re kidding. Tell me you’re joking. ”
“No. ”
“Why? Do you remember what we went through to bring her here?” He raked his fingers through his dark hair, pushing the waves behind his ear. His beauty sometimes took me by surprise, sneaking up when I least expected to be reminded of it. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Probably. ”
“I can’t let you do that. ”
“Not only will you let me, you’re going to help me. ”
“You are out of your mind. ”
He started to walk across the room, but I darted forward and grabbed his arm. Physically I didn’t have the strength to stop him if he didn’t want to be stopped, but he went still under my touch. “You don’t understand what I’m trying to do. ”
“Then explain it to me instead of throwing idiotic notions at me and expecting me to be thrilled about them. ”
“Aubrey made a promise to me the night of the ball. He told me none of his people would harm anyone else in my world. Since then, another kid has died. I think if I take Kellen back and reunite her with her fairy boyfriend—providing I believe she’s not under a spell—I can use her and Aubrey’s promise to make him give me my abilities back. ”
“I…I don’t know what to say to that. ”
“Say, Secret you’re a genius. ”
“I shan’t. ”
“Then don’t say anything. It’s the best plan anyone has come up with so far that will make me who I was again and give me what I need to kill my mother. ”
“I can give you what you need to kill her right now,” he said. With my hand still on his arm I was standing much too close to him for turns of phrase like that. He cupped my face and twisted his arm under mine so his other hand fell to my waist. “I can save you all the hassle and all the trouble of this idiotic plan, and I can make you strong. One bite and you’ll belong. ”
When I looked into his eyes, they’d gone black. I waited for the ache in my own gums, or something to hint at the vampiric arousal I should be feeling right then, but nothing came. My heart beat faster and the skin on my neck flushed.
He trailed his fingers down my throat and over my collarbone, making me swallow hard in response. “Just one bite,” he repeated.
“And I belong?”
“Yes. ” Tilting his head low, he traced my throbbing artery with a gentle caress of his lips. When I didn’t pull away, I felt the graze of his teeth. That’s when I pushed him off me.
