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.”“Let me help you.” Will clamped his hand on Sev’s wrist.Their gazes locked.Neither moved.A crackle of energyraced up Sev’s spine.Will flushed, but his fingers tightened,branding.Sev stepped back, removing Will’s hold.“I need to leave.”“You don’t have to go.” Will frowned.“Sis and I werehoping you’d stay, so we could show you aroundWahroonga.”“I mean leave the town.”“You can run, but you can’t hide, Severin.”Human philosophy—like he needed it at this moment,but the sentiment had been spoken before, by Tarix andothers in the days after his disgrace had been made public.He’d faced the Council and his enemies, surely he could faceone vampire? Yes, alone, he could, but now he had to protectWilliam and a wizard without spells was less than useless.He chewed his lower lip, tasting his own fear.“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Will asked.“You know too much already.”“You’re a fuck, do you know that?”42Astrid CooperSeverin laughed.He was a fuck, and a good one, in Tax’sopinion.The fury in Will’s eyes quashed Sev’s humour.He’dmisunderstood—again.“Explain.”“Nope.You won’t tell me what’s going on, so stew on it.I’m going back to the party.Stay or go, mate, your choice.”Will stalked away, leaving Severin to stare after him.Thefrailty of the human ego.He’d heard rumours of it, but hadnot believed it until now.And it seemed Will Lawrence’sego was the frailest of them all.Humans… impossible tocomprehend.Why should be bother? But he realised, in thatmoment, that he was bothered.Bothered a great deal.And then the thought intruded, how had the vampirefound him? There was only one answer: he had beenbetrayed.Sev had covered his tracks, his psychic imprint,anything that might lead to discovery.Someone hadinformed his enemies.Who… someone?Tarix was only one who knew.Sev shook his head indenial.Tarix would not! But Tarix might have been forced toreveal…? No, his friend would die first.Had Sev misjudgedthe cat? Perhaps the shifter was playing a game of intrigue,politics? Sev frowned.No, Tarix would never betray him.Hehad to believe that.But there was no way he could return toSanctuary and discover the truth.When he had been expelled, the gatekeeper had changedthe spell-locks.It would be impossible for him to discoverthe new combination.The only way he could return toSanctuary was by invitation.That was never going tohappen.He was on his own.Sev leaned against the trellis, resting his forehead againstthe metal.He purged the fear, the loneliness and pain fromhis being as only a wizard could do—brutally.Matching thepain with deeper pain, excruciating, it brought tears to hiseyes.He straightened and turned on his heel and strode back to43Christmas Creekthe garden, determined to leave.Susan intercepted him.She gripped his arm.With his defences at an all timelow—thanks to the day’s events—Sev’s skin crawled at hertouch.He forced down the revulsion of a lifetime, a revulsionborne of a wizard’s training.It was forbidden to contact awoman unless under the most dire circumstances.Lessons,learnt with pain, were hard forgotten.And Severin’s traininghad been long and hard, his flesh scoured with burningspells to ingrain the lessons.Not that he needed suchreinforcement.Only a few wizards ever turned rogue andbecame women-lovers.They were regarded as an oddity,deluded, requiring only a good man to show them the errorof their sexuality.This woman had a strength about her almost the equal ofa wizard! The thought was shocking—but true.“You’ve upset my brother.When he hurts, so do I.”“It was not my intention.”“Maybe not, but you have.Go and make up.He’ll fret fordays if you don’t.” She paused, her eyes narrowed.“Please.”Severin stalked away, intending to leave the property, butinstead his feet followed his senses, finding William in asmall side garden, sitting in a white lattice gazebo.Thehuman radiated distress, but when he turned at Sev’sapproach, his gaze hardened.“You still here?”“Apparently.”“You don’t owe me an explanation, but I want one.”Severin folded his arms.“Don’t the fuck do that.”“What?”“That!” Will flicked his hand at Severin.“Fold your arms.I hate it, and that superior look.”Wizards were arrogant, it came with the job.Severin44Astrid Cooperspread his hands.“Sorry.It’s my training.Before.”“Before you came here? What did you do?”“Got into a lot of trouble.”“That I can believe.And that guy was part of the trouble?What are you running from, Sev? Let me help.” Will stoodup, hand outstretched.“If I let you help, you’d be dead, or worse.”“What’s worse than dead?”“You never want to find out.”“That guy’s part of the worse than dead stuff?”“Oh man, yeah.” Great gods, now he was talking like ahuman.“I’m a big boy, Sev.I can look after myself.” Will paused.“And fuck that look, too.If you’ve got trouble, then so do I.Cobber’s don’t run out on each other!”Sev had heard this word before.‘Cobber’ meant a mate, afriend.“Right.”“So, it’s agreed? I help you? You stay?”Every part of Severin, every instinct told him to run—faraway.From the vampire, but mostly from this human whomight just be the death of him.Will stepped closer.Severin held his breath.Their gazesclashed.Sev couldn’t stand it.The human’s sexual scent was ofspice, cinnamon, sandalwood, eucalyptus—an exoticcombination that was alluring.Alluring, like the most potentwizard’s spell.And Sev was captured, ensorcelled.Fightingit only made it worse.Severin leaned into Will, pushing him back against thegazebo into the shadows.His mouth came down softly onWill’s, a tentative taste.That was all he intended.Will pulledaway, his eyes searching, his senses flaring.Severin was lostin that instant.His arms folded Will to him and his mouth slanted over,45Christmas Creekharder, deeper with every moment.His tongue tip beggedentry and for a second Will’s mouth remained closed
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