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She focused on his weapons harness, a crisscross of straps across his chest that held his daggers in front, as well as sohtened on the grip of the dagger under her cloak's concealing folds But that was a hts, er over her body, feeling the wicked edge of the blade leave thin lines across her skin Taking it down, down, so the porooves beneath it teased her sex She'd wanted to push it all the way in, but had been held back by her own uncertainty and a longing so great it had frightened her So she'd shoved it in, defying her own fear

She'd writhed around the thickness of it, her es, unable to stop the undulation of her hips as her body built higher and higher Moving toward soining his hands holding her, pinning her, the weight of his body over her as he prepared to drive an entirely different type of dagger into her

The tip had slashed her thighs on both sides froyrations of her lower body She'd envisioned tuled in her cloak, a chaotic yin and yang with no balance to it

Returning to the present, she noted how the water ress such that she saw hints of the ans beneath the fabric, a curve, a shadow Then there was the ripple along his waistline, the diagonaldown beneath the belted tunic, which stopped at hs and calves showed the sath as his upper torso But while he had the well-muscled arms, the defined chest, the striated abdoly forht breadth for letting a female lean on him, pillow a cheek close to his heart

There it was again, that tug at so within her whenever she looked at him, as if she'd been enveloped by a war the usual cold Hades, she'd been infected by Anna's newly mated romantic drivel

He was still a fledgling in the Legion's ranks, so his wings were ivory, with shades of pale brown in the primary feathers Until he was fifty, they wouldn't knohat his matured pattern and feather color would be

His face, like his body, was lean, nothing wasted, etched perfection She saw the bone structure, the fair line of the forehead, severe shape of cheekbones, resolute chin, firmly held lips Brown hair to his shoulders, streaked with chestnut

But it was those eyes that could rivet She suspected whoever had created him had crafted his whole face specifically as a frame for those warm, syrupy brown eyes Anna had described syrup to her, the way sunlight coh acould catch the flow as it poured out of the bottle onto things called pancakes The sun would old to a vibrant, warm earth tone Colors of peace, rest

For twenty-nine years, Mina had survived in a world that wanted her dead She kne to read intent, purpose, fro about the nature ofshe did was about survival or the accued books from these very wrecks and others to learn even ht her, restoring and protecting paper words beneath the weight of the water, handling the pages delicately so as not to tear the it over text to translate it, no e As a result, she'd been able to teach herself to read several of those languages without the filter

Hades, coels weren't that difficult to read, though it didn't make them any less of a threat Anna Yes, she did understand Anna, though she didn't necessarily understand her own reaction to thebut a friend Anna still stubbornly sought her out about once a week to impose a visit upon her, if Mina couldn't evade her

But she couldn't read David She couldn't fatho on in those deep brown eyes Maybe that hy he fascinated her to the point of utter stupidity

She had three modes of existence Run, kill, or defend herself in whatever manner was necessary She just wasn't sure she kne to defend herself against David, but of course she found herself too proud to run from him An odd reaction for her, a witch who'd never let pride take the upper hand when it came to her survival

There was always the other ot closer He didn't know she had it If he got close enough, she could do it

Even as she had that thought, she vainly reached to pull it back She knew better than to open that gate The bloodlust roared up It poured into her, heated her skin, tightened in her chest like her closed fist One er could sink into his heart He was a fledgling; it was his oeapon and the angel's heart was the key organ She h that she could follow it up with a killing blow Or she could take his heart,She had the power to do it

No The world around her started to reel The roar in her head beca, the call of the flock Her lips tre call in response, take her place a into sharp talons, starting to overlap the grip of the dagger The skin stretched tight over her face, her bones in danger of splitting through the thin layer and showing her true nature

Back up, back up Her long tentacles used their sensitive feelers to take her swiftly back over the coral until she was in her concealed nest Knowing he'd already pinpointed her location, she hoped it would buy her time to either strike or flee Or make his blood run over her hands

No That wasn't what she wanted She wanted to taste his flesh on her tongue, dig her nails into his back, feel his body on hers Closing her eyes, she fought for control

"Mina" David was saying her naer, either Firm In control "What happened to your face?"