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my god! Have I been in a coma or something?
Stryker put his head in her lap, and his arms
encircled her waist as he hugged her tightly.  Oh
sweetheart, I thought I d lost you. Lissette, it was
so close. If I hadn t been coming to the club right
as you were screaming, right as he was attacking
you&  his voice trailed off, choked with emotion.
 You saved me? Her hands stroked through his
silky hair, over his shoulders, overjoyed at being
Sleight of Hand
alive, at his touch.  Thank you. But what
happened?
A cramp hit then, and she grabbed her
stomach, curling into herself. Wonderful. What a
time to have her period.
After the pain eased a bit, she looked up, and
saw that she was in his house. In his bed. In his
room.  Uh, Stryker, how long was I out? Why am I
not in a hospital? And why aren t you telling me
what happened?
 You ve been out for two days. You didn t need
a hospital. We ve been watching you here.
 Two days? And my neck is totally fine, why?
She suddenly remembered his brother.  Alex! Oh
my god, where is he? She tried to get out of bed,
but he shook his head and held her there.
 He s fine. Safe. He s with Dominic and several
of my men at a secure location. I didn t want to
take a chance and have him stay at your house in
case the attack had something to do with his being
in town.
 In case? You are so obtuse! Of course it had to
do with him. It was your mother! How long are you
going to live in denial about this? She slammed her
hand down on the bedside table in frustration. Only
to find herself staring, shocked at the splintered
ruins as it fell apart under the force.
Surprise rushed through her, stilling everything
in her head. It was as if someone else was watching
the gash in her hand heal as if by magic.
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Lauren Dane
Time returned to its normal flow as it became
crystal clear just why she had no wound on her
neck. Turning to Xander, she managed to find
words, even if they were spoken in a harsh whisper.
 You converted me!
He was on his knees on the bed, his hands in
the air in front of him.  I know you hadn t totally
agreed yet, but there was no way around it. You
were dying! He d torn your throat out. You d lost
too much blood. Oh god, sweetheart, you were& it
was such a mess. His eyes flashed with fear and
panic as he remembered the way she d looked.
 You were so pale. White as moonlight. Your pulse
was fading. There was&  his voice broke a
moment. He cleared his throat.  There was no
time. No time to get you to the emergency room,
and they couldn t have saved you anyway. He took
her wrist, bringing it to his lips and brushed them
over her fluttering pulse.  It was convert you or let
you die, and there is no way I am prepared to live
without you.
Lissie had never seen him that way. Vulnerable.
Emotionally raw and exposed. She felt his panic,
heard the fear of losing her and in that moment his
love, too. There was no shutting that out. In that
moment every last wall she had against him fell.
What defense could there be against the kind of
love that risked everything to keep her alive and at
his side? Her fury at losing her humanity drained
away. How could she be angry that he wanted to
save her life?
Sleight of Hand
Taking a deep breath, she let it go as she
exhaled. The regrets, the anger they did her no
good. She was alive, and he was there.  It s okay. I
understand. And I m grateful, Xander. You saved
me. She sent him a reassuring smile.
Still, the unreality of the whole experience hit
her.  Wow, I m a vampire? Is that why I m so
damned cold? And why am I having period cramps?
Wincing, she rubbed her stomach.  I thought at
least I d be PMS and period free once I changed.
Tell me the bonuses again?
He looked slightly horrified that she d discussed
her  female problems with him, and she stifled a
grin.  The cramp is the hunger. You need to feed.
He got up and spoke to someone in the
hallway. Shortly thereafter, three people came into
the room one of his harem, who looked
significantly less arrogant than she usually did, and
a woman and man she d seen as daylight security.
 I m going to go first, sweetheart. Watch me.
Xander leaned toward his donor, and she pushed
herself against him eagerly. Lissette was up and
standing quicker than she d even thought of doing
it. She pulled the woman back and got in her face.
 Oh uh-uh. There ll be no more of that, honey.
There s a new sheriff in town, and she says you ll
be giving him your wrist. An eyebrow arched up,
and she dared the hoochie to say one word.
Wisely, the donor held her tongue but did send
a pout in Xander s direction. Lissie noticed his
attempt to stifle a smile. Oh, he had a great many
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Lauren Dane
lessons to learn now that he d converted her, and
she was going to be around more. Starting with the
harem. Snorting in amusement, he took the
woman s wrist, feeding quickly before turning to
Lissette.
 It s all pretty basic. All you need to do is think
about feeding, and your incisors will come out. He
stroked a hand over her hair. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]