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Ato my mouth, then back to my eyes “Funny,” he said, and I tilted my head

“What is?”

“That you have such a beautiful s come out of it”

I pursed ue last night,” I said, hoping for more of this…reaction and banter and him

But he didn’t flinch or blink at ht up crystal clear between us

For some reason, that lack of reaction hurt ht was e to show me he could own me in any way possible whenever he wanted

And maybe it made me weak, but I knew that it was the truth

Benedict had so me in a way I couldn’t understand, and didn’t exactly hate

“I’m tired,” I said, when he seemed content to not respond “Take me home” His eyebrows rose as he stood with me, and I quickly cleared my throat “Take me back,” I tried miserably to recover

Since when had I started to think of the vampire residence as home?

I was so fucked

9

Benedict

“Man, you have to feed,” I said to Hawke as I walked onto the patio The guy asting away, his cheeks hollow and his eyes darker than I’d ever seen them

“Mind your own fucking business,” he replied, his voice as flat as the grass courtyard between the formal and family residence of the manor

Aristocrats walked the opposite patio, having just finished the owns and suits The upper echelons of the va to gain Alek’s favor, or learn Onyx secrets The courtyard between us served as more than decoration—it was the physical barrier between “civilized” vampire society and the royal faht the war to save our species

While the aristocrats partied like it was a fucking F Scott Fitzgerald novel

And you chose to fight, which means you have to feed

Hawke glanced over at“Besides, like you’re one to talk You look like a zombie”

“If I’ crypt keeper,” I countered,on Jocelyn’s silhouette near the garden She’d hauled all her witchy stuff out here earlier this evening, hoping that the direct connection with nature would help the fourteenth variation of the locator spell she’d been trying