Free Ashes to Ashes-Blood Ties 3 by Jennifer Armintrout Page B

all those other women. She was dangerously close to becoming an obsession, and if he didn't control himself now, he might never be able to.
    He shoved her off him under the guise of clumsy gentleness and tucked the blanket around her, pointedly ignoring the hint of dark color that peeked over the lacy edge of her bra.
    "You had a bad night. We both did. You're not physically up to anything… physical."
    "Werewolves heal quickly" She cocked her head.
    "Yeah, well." He scratched his neck, a nervous tic that seemed to emerge only around her.
    " I'm not up to it."
    Frowning, she crawled forward, rising to her knees to loop her arms around him again.
    "Did you get hurt?"
    He didn't return her embrace. "Yes."
    She finally got it. It took her long enough.
    With a wounded look, she eased away from him. "You are not still angry about what happened between us?"

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    "Of course I am!" he cried. "Jesus Christ, it's only been a month! What kind of inhuman bitch are you, to ask me that?"
    Her eyes flew open in shock, then narrowed again. "Not a human. I did not think that was news to you."
    "Don't change the subject!" He stood and paced angrily at the side of the bed. "You can't do this. You can't just decide we're chums when you're lonely or horny or—"
    "I am scared!" she shouted over his tirade, her voice hoarse. "I do not want sex, I wanted you to stay with me. You have an annoying habit of cuddling. I thought if we had sex, you would stay, and I would not be alone here. I am sorry if I opened your wounds regarding me, but what was I supposed to do?"
    She was more human than she gave herself credit for. He felt like an asshole, and he hated that she could make him feel that way. "First of all, I don't have any wounds because of you."
    She glared at him, hurt shining in her eyes even as she prepared for another round of fighting.
    He let her stew for a minute, then sat beside her on the bed. "And second, all you had to do was ask."
    The way his voice went rough, the way he had to clip his words short to get them out made him crazy. He was going to say something stupid. He knew it, and wouldn't be able to stop it.
    "All you have to do is ask for anything, and I'm not going to be able to tell you no." He swallowed. There it was . "And that's probably why I hate you so much." She smiled and kissed him, a friendly peck, thank God, and pulled him with her onto the bed.
    As she arranged the covers around them, he glanced at the clock in the corner. "You know, it's not exactly my bedtime."
    "Stay," she implored, twining her fingers with his. His lips quirked in a reluctant smile. "And I'm not exactly dressed for bed, either."
    "Stay," she repeated, yawning.
    He did.

    During the day, while we slept, the atmosphere in the house seemed to change. If the Oracle had intended to snake our confidence by nearly killing Bella, her plan had backfired. By the time we gathered for another—hopefully uneventful—war council, we'd all found some sort of peace with each other.
    Max, however, hadn't found peace with his dining room, so we met in the library. Bella lay curled before the fireplace in a pose that betrayed her canine blood. Max sat at her side, occasionally giving her head an affectionate scratch. Each time he did this, Nathan, seated in the stiff-backed wing chair next to mine, rolled his eyes. I gave him a warning glance and cleared my throat. "So, she can see into the Oracle's head? Like with a blood tie?"
    Bella shook her head. "No. I am not familiar with your vampire tie, but I know I cannot control what I see."
    "So, the Oracle is controlling it," Nathan murmured pensively. He stared straight ahead, the way he always did when working out a difficult problem.

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    "Not necessarily." Max tried, and failed, to make eye contact with Nathan, so he turned to