LITMIR.BIZ

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good about this kiss. If I’d successfully taken all of Colin’s soul, I could have killed him. Or, if he was strong enough to survive it, he would become another gray, capable of hurting others.

      Either thought scared the hell out of me.

      My gaze shot to Bishop. “Colin kissed me. I—I’m sorry. I couldn’t help myself after that.”

      Colin shook his head as if to clear it. He glanced at me, and then at the two tall boys staring at him.

      “What—?” he began.

      “How do you feel?” Bishop asked him.

      He scrubbed his hand over his forehead. “Um, okay, I think. What happened?”

      Bishop grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him out of the booth. “Don’t kiss her again. Ever. You hear me?”

      Colin gaped at him. “Who are you?”

      “You don’t want to know. Leave now.”

      Bishop let him go and Colin staggered back, then glanced at me as if waiting for me to defend him. Instead, I forced myself to look down at my hands, which I’d clasped in my lap.

      “Sorry,” he began. “I, uh, don’t know what I was thinking.”

      Without any further argument, he slunk away from us and was swallowed by the rest of the crowded club.

      “Your girlfriend’s a great kisser,” Kraven said drily. “Her tongue is like...wow. She doesn’t hold back. You’re really missing out with that pesky soul of yours.”

      Bishop turned on the demon, his eyes flashing. “Stay away from Samantha or I’ll kill you.”

      “This is the thanks I get for saving the day? She was going to suck that kid dry right here in the middle of the club. Besides, why are you mad at me? I think some of that angel attitude should be pointed in her direction. Or can gray-girl do no wrong in your eyes, even when she slips up? Or slips someone else the tongue?”

      Bishop’s expression didn’t lose a fraction of its fury. “I think you do want me to kill you. Is that your goal?”

      Kraven gave him a humorless smile. “Don’t know. How many times can one brother kill the other? Are you looking for some kind of Guinness World Record here?”

      “Try me.”

      Kraven liked to mess with the minds of others, but I wasn’t in the mood for it now. He wasn’t helping anything by baiting Bishop like this.

      “Why do you have to be like this?” I asked.

      He finally spared a look in my direction. “Please. You should be thanking me for saving your pretty little ass a minute ago. Instead, I get vilified. Whether either of you wants to admit it or not, the kiss worked. It snapped you out of your monster madness.”

      Bishop’s brows drew together as if he was considering this possibility. His gaze then hardened. “We’re leaving.”

      Kraven saluted. “Yes, sir.”

      I’d wanted to come here tonight so I could find some answers. I’d honestly thought I was in control of myself and my hunger.

      But I’d hurt Colin, and if Kraven hadn’t stopped me I could have killed him.

      “I’m sorry,” I whispered to Bishop as I pushed myself up from the booth.

      Bishop didn’t meet my eyes. “How much of that boy’s soul did you take?”

      I couldn’t help but notice that he hadn’t replied to my “I’m sorry” with a breezy “it’s okay.” Couldn’t blame him for that.

      I let out a shaky breath. “Not much.”

      “Be careful. He’ll instinctively seek you out in the future so you can finish the job.”

      “How do you know?” Kraven asked.

      “Believe me, I know.”

      I was definitely ready to leave. I’d done more than enough damage for one night. Stephen wasn’t here so there was no reason to hang out a moment longer. I wanted to run home and hide my face from the world, but instead I tried to stay calm and not let anyone see how devastated I was. I said a quick goodbye to Sabrina and Kelly, who’d thankfully missed all of my drama while they’d been busy dancing.

      Roth caught up with us at the front door past a poster advertising Wednesday’s “Halloween Bash.” We exited the club, and the cool, late-October air immediately chilled me. Stars sparkled in the clear, black sky and the moon, along with the parking lot floodlights, lit up the night around us. I ignored the cold, instead pulling my too-thin coat tighter around my shoulders.

      Roth scanned the three of us silently trudging along the sidewalk. “Did I miss something?”

      Bishop’s jaw tightened. “No.”

      “Me and gray-girl just made out,” Kraven said.

      Roth made a face. “Disgusting. Why would you want to kiss something like her?”

      “Research.”

      I expected no less from Roth. I was well aware that he despised me. Tonight only proved that I was in more trouble than I thought.

      I scanned the night surrounding us, anything to take my attention off what had happened with Colin and Kraven.

      “I’m taking you home,” Bishop said.

      I took a deep breath and let it out. “To keep me out of trouble.”

      “For starters.”

      At that moment I spotted something in the sky that grabbed my attention. I felt the color slowly drain from my face. “Can’t go home. Not yet.”

      “Why not?”

      I pointed at the sky behind him where a familiar searchlight had just appeared in the distance—although I knew none of them could see it like I could. “Looks like you’re getting a new recruit.”

      Chapter 3

      “Don’t know why a gray can do this,” Roth grumbled as he trailed after us. “Why can she see the searchlights when we can’t?”

      He didn’t know the truth and neither did Kraven. Only Bishop knew and he’d sworn me to secrecy about it.

      I wasn’t just a gray.

      Bishop always talked about the universal balance and how important it was. Well, I was about as balanced as you could get. Equal parts dark and light thanks to my birth parents—whom I’d never met. Up until a week ago, I didn’t even know I’d been adopted.

      My father was a demon named Nathan, my mother was an angel named Anna.

      Anna had been killed shortly after I was born and Nathan had joined her in the Hollow, her final resting place. The same place Carly had been sucked up into.

      Theirs was a forbidden romance doomed from the start, but it had produced yours truly. Because of this, I was what was termed a “nexus”—the center, the connection—and the fact that I’d lost my soul meant I could allegedly channel the powers of both Heaven and Hell.

      It helped me do things, see things. It made me special. It made me valuable. Clinging tightly to this thought after what I’d done to Colin was the only thing keeping me from completely freaking out.

      “Why are they sending someone else?” Kraven asked, ignoring the other demon. He didn’t sound happy.

      “I don’t know,” Bishop replied. He walked so close to me that I could barely concentrate. My hunger still had me tightly in its grip and the scent of his soul, of him, did crazy things to my head. “You’re sure it’s one of our searchlights, Samantha? Not just a regular one?”

      “Positive.” The light that

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