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you don t mind&
Shall I have the emergency number for a
healthcare provider ready then?
Kate gently squeezed Styx s hand and, ignoring
Cian s taunts, she scooped a hearty bite of eggs into
her mouth and tentatively chewed. A little bland,
but very edible. Smiling, she nodded at Styx and
scooped up another bite. The bacon was a little
crispier than she normally preferred, but she d
rather die than criticize especially in Cian s
presence.
The French toast is perfect, she praised
between mouthfuls, and, despite his stony
expression, she could tell her words had pleased
Styx.
Any moron can make French toast, Cian
grumbled beside her.
And even a Ghoul knows when he s not
wanted, Styx shot back.
So what s your excuse then, leech?
If it weren t for the fact that you re her brother,
Faerie, I d
Oh, for heaven s sake, Kate exclaimed, setting
her fork down on the side of her plate. Her fed-up
glare skated back and forth between the two of
them. Can t you two give it a break? Just for a little
while? You re driving me
Her pager danced across the counter near the
phone charger. With an angry huff, Kate slipped
from the stool, skirting Cian on her way to the small
black device. One glance at the number sent her
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straight into her doctor mode. Without another word
to either of them, she began filling her pockets.
ID& check. Phone& check.
What are you doing, lass?
Pager& check. I have to go to work.
Now? You just sat down to eat, Styx argued.
It s not safe for you to go out right now, Kate,
Cian spoke over the top of Styx. You ve begun to
phase. You re powers are too vulnerable, to
unpredictable. You need to train. You need to learn
to harness the quickening.
Yeah, well& Cash& check. I don t have time
to do either right now. Debit card& check. I have to
go.
Keys& where were the damned keys?
Spying the glint of silver, she shoved the
cookbook aside and snatched up the keychain.
Keys& check.
The glance Styx and Cian exchanged was
mutually irritated. If she hadn t been so worried
about getting out the door without missing
something, she might well have stopped to make
some pithy comment over their choice of common
ground.
Kate, you re not going in, Styx ordered. Al-
Rashid is still out there
And whose fault is that, I wonder? Cian
pinned Styx with a snide sneer. Too busy playing
Julia Crocker to worry about
The harsh roar erupting from the back of Styx s
throat was decidedly not Human.
Exasperated, Kate laid a restraining hand on
Styx s forearm and glowered at Cian. It s Julia
Child and Betty Crocker, not that it matters. Just
lay off, all right, Cian?
You say you re worried about her safety,
Vampyre? Then send her with me. I can take her to
the Isle of Fae& I can
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Trap her there like your precious elders
trapped Aaron? Never.
Stop it you two! She shoved her arm into her
jacket, blanketing the room in general with a fierce
scowl. I don t have time for this.
Kate, you
No! She jerked the coat up on her shoulders.
Cian& get it through your thick Faerie skull& I am
not going to go to the Isle of Fae with you. Not
now& maybe not ever.
But lass, Da wants
Your father, Cian. You re father, she
enunciated. Bottom line& he s a stranger to me.
And, it may sound selfish, but right now, his wants
aren t real high up there on my list of priorities. I
don t She broke off, shaking her head. I need
time to think about all that. And, in the meantime, I
won t be pressured into some kind of relationship.
Yes, I will train& eventually& and you can teach me
what I need to know. But any training will be done
right here, on my terms. And you&
She ripped the pager from her waistband,
thrusting it up into the air a scant few inches from
the tip of Styx s nose. I ve accepted who you
are& accepted what you are. This is who I am, Styx.
I. Am. A. Doctor. She re-attached the pager to her
jeans, her motions jerky. If you want to be with me,
then you re going to have to deal with that. She
turned one last heated glare to Cian and snapped,
and so do you.
Styx glanced quickly at the slivers of late
afternoon sunshine winking around the heavy
drapes, his face a roadmap of anxiety. At least wait,
let me call Zack back&
Just because you can t leave the apartment,
doesn t mean that she can t. Or that she should have
to rely on a dog for protection. Cian s chilling gaze
scolded Styx. I will keep my sister safe. Cian held
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his hand out to Kate, I can shimmer us there. It will
be your first lesson.
Kate glanced at Styx. If he turned any redder in
the face, she feared he d pass out. Taking pity on
him, she shook her head. This time& we ll walk.
But that was the only concession she d be
making for Styx s peace of mind right now. She
turned away and strode toward the door. She made
it two steps before Styx hooked her elbow and
tugged her around, straight into his arms. She had
no time to do little more than gasp is surprise as his
arms wrapped around her, and his lips captured
hers.
And, just like that, she slipped under the
enchantment of his kiss.
For a few precious moments, his hot, hungry
mouth slanted over hers& as his unyielding arms
crushed her against the hard length of him, the
world melted away. Her fingers slipped into his hair,
and she yielded.
At length, Cian s groans of revulsion broke
through the fog. Slowly, Styx released her. Dazed,
she staggered back a step, and he smiled down at
her. She stared dumbly back up at him.
Gahh& he turned her mind to mush.
His grin turned downright wolfish. Changed
your mind?
God help her, but for the life of her, she couldn t
remember a damned thing about what had
happened just before he d laid those magnificent lips
on her. About?
Behind her, Cian snorted, plainly disgusted.
You were on your way to work, Kate, Styx
reminded her gently.
Work? The haze evaporated. Work! Damn it!
Whirling, she raced from the apartment, Cian
dogging her heels.
****
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