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Jag sank to the rock behind her, burying his face in his hands

She understood hiht, Liv Asyou said aboutCordelia For getting her into that mess in the first place"

She didn’t respond He hadn’t really expected her to His gaze drank in the sight of her vibrant head, her fragile neck bent as she stared down into the water

"I won’t let them hurt you, Liv Any of them I can’t undo what’s been done, but I can ain I’ll leave the Ferals I’ll live with you, wherever you want to go No one is ever going to hurt you"

Slowly, Olivia turned her head, aze with eyes that even now, even after all he’d done to her, radiated with a strength greater than his own

"Go away, Jag I don’t want you in aze and saw no trace of the hatred that should be there No hint that she cared anything for him at all Only deep weariness lived in her eyes, and a sadness that tore his heart out

"You do need me, Liv They’ll hunt you If not the Ferals, then someone else"

She lifted a brow "And you’d sacrifice your life and your work here to protect me?"

"I won’t let anyone hurt you"

"Anyone other than you, you h the heart "I deserved that I didn’t mean to betray you, Olivia"

"No You didn’t want to hear what I had to say, and you lashed out atit

And now it doesn’tmatters anymore"

"OliviaI care about you, too I think I’ in love with you"

She lifted her head slowly and looked at him over her shoulder, but there was no joy in her expression

"You don’t believe ," she said wearily "Maybe you do feel so about ood until you love yourself You’ll just keep punishing you and hurting ive yourself and find a way to see past your ood person deep inside, you’re not ready to love anyone else"

She pushed her hair back, propping her elbow on her knees "It’s okay to fail so yourself to try to do the right things And forgiving yourself if you fall short on occasion Until you’ve done that, and let go of the guilt and self-hatred, you’re toxic, Jag"

Olivia turned back to face the river, turning her back on hi stared at the back of her head, at her sled with a pain almost more than he could bear He couldn’t leave her Yet he would die before he let anyone hurt her again

Even hi the rising sun and trying not to hate himself, when he first heard the cry A child’s cry of fear

His head snapped around and he spied her ih the woods toward the cliffs where they sat She wore jeans and a Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, but the shirt was torn at the neck, and tears strea leaped to his feet and started for her

The child saw hi to hurt rowled in fury

"Bastard," Olivia hissed beside hi hadn’t realized she’d followed, and hemoment, they were once more in perfect accord

As one, they cliirl reached the took one as Olivia took the other No one was hurting her

An odd, almost sly smile broke over the child’sfroze He told himself to snatch his hand from hers, but it was too late

Enthrallment descended over his ed eyes

The eyes of a young Mage

Chapter Twenty

"Where is he?" Lyon dehe aze "Olivia didn’t kill him I don’t pretend to understand that relationship, but my instincts tell s for hiht shatter his kneecap, but she wouldn’t kill him"

"Then where the hell is he?"

"I’ll find hiether the three set out, Wulfe in his ani them As Wulfe set the direction, Hawke took to the skies

I see him,Hawke said as they neared the riverOn the rocks He’s not he asked Goddess He’d been so sure she wouldn’t hurt hi’s instep, he’d thought the jaguar shifter had finallyhe’d seen since had confir looked at her, but the way she’d looked at Jag With the eyes of a wo the pull of love

After all they’d been through together, he couldn’t bla her back to Feral House, especially if he thought he could control her

But he was afraid they’d both been wrong

We should have gone with hihe said to himself as o after her alone

Asshot And he was a da they needed was to lose another Feral

Well he’s not alone, now I don’t see any sign of Olivia, but there are people around hiht up with Hawke Wulfe stayed behind, away fro, he couldn’t retain his clothes when he shifted, but neither could he downsize into soe wolf or the large, scarred, naked man - was human-friendly Hawke landed in the woods and shifted, then led Tighe to the sroup of elderly hikers who’d found the Feral

Several looked up when the two , just eased past the’s prone form He touched his hand, terrified he’d find it quickly cooling, but Jag’s hand felt warlance at his throat and he could see the pulse pounding strongly

He closed his eyes with the force of his relief

"We’ve called 911," one of the wohe looked up at her, a woray hair and wise eyes

"Was he alone when you found him?"

"Yes He was just like this We tried to wake hihe nodded, then scooped Jag up, slinging him over one shoulder The humans stepped back, their eyes wide, as if he’d just perforth

He supposed he had, from a mortal viewpoint

Pamela Palmer Rapture Unta for hi out of the ordinary except for a little surprising strength If there’d been time, he’d have taken their , and the sooner he got him back to Feral House, and away froet over here Jag’s fine, but he’s out cold See if you can pick up Olivia’s scent

We need to find her

He turned back to the hu wolf, but he’s harmless"

Wulfe passed theain as they reached Hawke’s Yukon

The big wolf leaped into the vehicle, then shifted back into a man "I followed the trail to the street and lost it Maybe she hitchhiked out, or took a car?"