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"Centuries ago"

Her head dropped back against the ith a thud "The least you could do is laugh at ers slid into her hair, caressing her scalp "I’m sorry, Lizzy-mine You should never have found out this way I never wanted you to know at all"

She pushed away froo He’d been turned centuries ago All this ti in love with her, as she’d fallen in love with hi out blindly, she touched his arm, felt his hand close around hers, and she snatched it back, pulling away "You bit , you bit me" She turned back to hiht from the back

He sret "Your blood eet And you loved it, Lizzy girl You came and came and came when I sucked on your neck like that"

Speechless, she stared at him "God" Her cheeks turned to flame "Why don’t I remember any of it?"

"I took your memories Only the ones that would damn me" His eyes pleaded with her to understand "I never hurt you I would never hurt you, my Lizzy" He reached for her, but she jerked her hands out of his reach and stepped back

"Don’t I’" The heat in her cheeks deepened, not froht he loved her, when all she’d been to him was food

At the sound of footsteps outside, Lukas moved between her and the door

The pierced one poked his head in through the doorway "I’ry"

Lukas scowled "You have your own slave"

"I’ve been sharing with you I think it’s tiet back to work" Lukas turned and started walking toward the stairs "Co out a hand for her

She glanced at the hungry eyes of the other valadly His cool fingers closed around hers, and he led her up the stairs, warning her to watch her step As one of the stairs splintered and cruhed nothing

Finally, at the top of the stairs, he released her hand "Wait here" Then he disappeared, or ht as well have She sensed rather than saw him dart in and out of the upstairs roo hand oncefor a woman?" Elizabeth asked, as they started back down the treacherous steps

"Yes Or evidence that anyone’s been hiding here"

Pierced-face aiting for them when they returned to the shop level, his pupils white as snow, his fangs elongated as he watched her hungrily,chills race over her skin

"Have you told her the way of things around here, Lukas?" he asked silkily "Does she know that we don’t just need blood to survive, but various emotions? Have you warned her that Butch is a pain-feeder, that he’s watching her, waiting for the chance to snatch her away frorowled

But Pierced-face continued as if Lukas hadn’t spoken "My guess is he’ll rape her and probably sodoo the quick route and just yank out a couple of her fingernails"

Elizabeth’s blood turned to ice

Pierced-face threw back his head in delight

Lukas’s grip on her arnore him, Elizabeth The asshole is a fear-feeder, determined to scare you Butch won’t touch you" His voice rose, turning hard as granite "Neither of therinned His words had hit theirher past the prick and out the door

Elizabeth’s grip on Lukas’s hand tightened Lukas e, but she still trusted him a thousand times more than she did his co, a small house, Pierced-face reain Her led and crawled as if, at any e between her shoulder blades Or fangs sink into her neck fro not to succulanced at Lukas "Do vaaze, his blue eyes touching so deep inside her even in that brief and hooded look "Emoras do We’re just one race of vampires, but we’re the predominant race in Va ently "I have some idea"

She peered at hiaze, his htened, then turned rueful "Pleasure"

"Your own or others’?"

"Mostly others’" His voice lowered to a whisper "I fed well froht incrediblyhot No wonder he’d lavished such sweet attention on her body She’d thought hihtful lover any woman had ever had He’d loved to make her come--before he entered her, while he was inside her, over and over and over Then yet again when they lay close and sated and coasms as she did

Apparently, that was, quite literally, true

Bastard

She pulled her hand fro with yet another spasasm for her He hadn’t done it to make her happy He’d done it for the simple, cold reason that he’d needed to eat

"You used me," she said, her tone flat Hurt

"You were my slave, Elizabeth," he said coolly "Even if you didn’t know it"

Her jaw clenched shut Da front walk of the house, Pierced-face spoke "Just wait until he gets you back to the stronghold, Elizabeth Just wait until all those pain-feeders get their fangsand cocksand knivesinto you"