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was the most erotic thing he d ever experienced.  Why not?
She grimaced.  Mixing your black aura with my inner wraith could be really bad news for me.
 Inner wraith? She d gotten his attention now.  That s what you have?
  Yeah, kinda. Inner wraith trying to be an outer one . . . long story. No happy ending yet, so it s not
worth telling. She hugged her arms to her chest and bounced in place, not dressed for the cool night air
of the approaching autumn.  You re a shadow warrior, right?
 You know what I am? He couldn t keep the surprise out of his voice as he shrugged out of his jacket
and draped it over her shoulders.
She beamed as she slid her arms into his coat.  So you are one? That s fantastic. I figured as much when
you did the whole disappear-into-a-black-cloud thing before you shot out the door, totally ditching me
without a good-bye. Kind of rude, just so you know 
 Wait a sec. You know what a shadow warrior is? And you still came out here after me? Alone?
Damn. He liked the sight of her in his coat. He tugged it tight around her.
She rolled her eyes and lifted her arm so his jacket sleeve slid down her arm and exposed her hand. She
waggled her fingers at him.  Ooooh, big scary shadow warrior. Deadly killer guy. She dropped her
hand and snorted.  Give me a break, Jed. You ve got no bloodlust in your eyes right now. I m not
worried.
Damn if he almost didn t feel like laughing at her again. Her irreverence was almost contagious.  Most
people realize what I am and run away screaming. Being evil and damned will do that.
She wrinkled her nose.  I know exactly how that feels. Sucks, doesn t it?
He frowned.  I don t really pay attention 
 Of course you do. She patted his chest.  When that angel treated me like a leper, it really upset me.
Which is why I d never treat you like that, even if I was afraid you wanted to kill me, which you don t, so
we re good.
He blinked.  You met an angel? He wasn t even sure he believed in anything that good anymore.
Except possibly Paige. Inner wraith notwithstanding, there was something about her that was just so
damned innocent. Untainted. He picked up a lock of her hair and brushed his thumb over the tip.
She smiled at him and patted his hand, apparently encouraging him to keep playing with her hair.
Worked for him.
 The angel s another long story. Bad ending. She gave a dramatic shudder.  Which is why I need you
to get me to a gateway. Can you do it? She fastened an expec-tant gaze on his face.
 A gateway? He had to think for a minute about what she was talking about.  You mean, a gateway
between heaven and hell? One ofthose gateways? At her eager nod, he sighed and ran his hand through
his hair.  I haven t thought of a gateway in years. I can t 
She grabbed his arm.  No, no, no. Youcan ! I know the gateways are all closed up now, but they re still
there, right? Her fingers dug into the muscles in his forearm, and he caught an undercurrent of
desperation that belied her carefree attitude.  I m sure I could find my way through if you d just point me
to one. Please? It s really important.
He tangled his fingers in her hair and tugged softly.  Trust me, sweetheart, if I could, I d jet you over to
one and drop you off to have at it, but I don t know where they are. Shadow warriors haven t guarded
them for almost five hundred years. Before my time.
Her shoulders sagged with a disappointment that made him feel like an ass.  I know you haven t
guarded them, but you don t think you could find one? Just one?
 Hell, Paige. I wish I did. I really do. He was surprised to realize he meant it. He just . . . something
about Paige just made him want to be a better man, the kind of man who could take five minutes to give
her what she wanted. Her smile would be enough to carry a man for at least a century or two, no matter
how much shit he had to wade through.
She mustered a smile. Even at half strength, it still called to him.  Well, I appreciate the sentiment, even if
it still leaves me completely hosed.
His eyes narrowed at the desolation in her tone, and he began to realize that she was in serious trouble,
far more than her spunk would indicate.  What exactly is your problem?
 I m going over to the dark side. I mean, I m going to become the dark side. The whole shebang. That s
me. She sighed.  Paige the Evil Wench. It s all going to get really really ugly, trust me. I mean, I m all
about being evil, given that I m a Rivka, but not being able to touch my friends and descending into this [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]