n was

Not sending cryptic messag

t bulge before I did what Dam

idn't feel s

ing as I tried to hear. Only my heart

urned int

d

no

int

mach d

he door, my heart th

her

andle

a breath. No

rying to

y anything to defend myself with. But the guest room

le rattl

ody

sil

eath, waitin

en I h

oot

from the

the b

d turne

eyes traced the floo

stomach

matter is on the oth

s

th

il

ed his hand and knocked his knuckles 

. Ca

is was

s so patient, s

chok

s my phone, but before

an m

a

e pulled something from

enly the balc

,

ned a

wo steps when a gruff ha

y, wriggling in his g

gers ti

red. His voice wa

as I could, but h

me in closer. "You know I d

hold burned my flesh, but what

d.

ing

wisted. "Nat

ed up my arm and

rling," he said. "I

him, but he

d

ly voice resoun

ur hands

an f

he door in the mome

looked li

ent long enough to convey

speed up, and then I noticed simultaneou

rough every inch 

s voice was

ed. Mocking

mused. "Wha

fully and dangero

n false surrender. "Relax.

econds until you're out of my eyesight

n lau

he steppe

g to me. "You can't just put her

fists c

sec

r, and no matter how much you

e se

id, letting his head lean

seco

back to me, hi

," he said softly, "you wil

se

n, Dami

r of

, smug and colle

ne

d him by

s hands and scrabbling for Damian

his voice sh

n her again," he sai

s face

idn't fi

ishing second enough time to make the

ed and cast 

me, I saw the twinkl

thin

ing da

sem

from his mout

soon, swe

n, he w

oom, I collapsed onto th

oded, breath coming har

le

lin

ttle. Jus

ce har

ust exhaled loudly and ra

thing for a moment

he turned tow

outside there,"

d

s gon

ng me

knowledge that t

ven c

ldn't

of his presence stil

had bee

touch

e at

gh I were a misplaced remnant someho

udde

e asleep. The guest room was opulent, but cramped. Nathan's fingers were stil

nded. I need

ped onto the stone cold floor. I crept slowly to th

sn't

ng I saw when I walk

mi

, which looked like it had been carved from stone, turned toward mine,

been

r

d knowing flickered

e at rest," he sai

wrapping myself up

ened. I knew there was something he was n

nted from the wall

lin

l, so hardly detect

e body we

d of reaching to touch me, c

h me," he

sita

ice something raw even, something un

alcony. But it felt good against my overheated flesh. The city glimm

on the railing and st

for him

he d

ed, weighted

, fi

ted to do to him?" His

n't a

e I di

d se

w his hands had wrapped around Nathan's throat

hiv

amian faced me then, a dark, dangero

oat ti

," I wh

rdened. "I won't

little bit

e been relie

complete certainty in his

was more th

as a

itated. "Why do y

aw cl

hought he wouldn

hen,

re mine t

mach f

use of h

id them, how he looked a

en't simply a

a wa

have be

e I

f pulling back

when Damian was

n't f