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“She’s the chick with the va blood?”

The loud voice pulled htmares about pale-skinned monsters with sharp teeth and claws I openedwhite paint on the

“Yeah, her name’s Jill,” was the reply Both voices—one familiar and one not—cah the thin door

“So, what are you? Like, her protector or so?”

“So like that”

“Shit, ht? What if you get a taste of her? Will it kill you, too?”

“I don’t drink blood, so I’ out”

I slipped out of the lumpy bed and moved toward theto the left of the door so I could peek outside The vieas the saray ce twenty-foot-tall pal my view of the main street

Declan Reyes stood with his back to the green door, his profile clearly visible to e was covered by a black eye patch His face was scarred around that patch from old injuries, just like the rest of his body Dhampyrs like Declan—half human and half vampire—healed fast, but scarred from every flesh wound they received They also didn’t have the benefits of immortality like a vampire did Thanks to his human side, Declan was every bit as mortal as I was

He had his arms crossed over his chest, and he faced a darkhaired man only a couple inches short of his six-four The uard

Or, more likely, a vampire hunter

Declan had said he was going to contact one of his old pals here in Los Angeles to see if he could help us out This must have been the pal in question Nice of him to make house calls

The idea of anyone else getting involved withnot to couarded about my privacy It was safer that way

The rinned “Wait I think I get it You’re doing her, aren’t you?”