his hand. He released his thumb and held his hand open, so she could see his palm. Hairline designs ran around the palm, like he had been holding a decorative ball covered in skin-colored ink. The lines stood out against the rush of blood back into his palm, but as the blood settled, the lines steadily disappeared, hidden in plain sight.

Tess watched in amazement, then thought of something else. “How hard were you going to push him?”

Shade snickered. “She has you figured out.”

“It’s dependent on what I sacrifice, in this case, my blood. And since I value my life more than anything and I need blood to stay alive…a lot.”

“A lot?” Tess said, not liking the reluctance in his voice. He studied the dirt on his shoes.<...

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