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Phillip wanted to look for Hunters who could be flipped to our side. I worried it would put us in danger to talk openly, but he didn’t seem as concerned.

Couldn’t exactly have a rebellion without an army.

Knowing I wasn’t the only one of my kind helped a little. I didn’t like it, but it made me feel closer to Phillip. I wanted to ask him how he figured it out and when. Or how he stayed inside the Organization with the same people who betrayed everything he knew, but I didn’t want to unintentionally burden him with my curiosity.

None of it mattered, anyway.

“In a few months, you’ll only need a blood bag every couple weeks at most. Until then, you’ll need one every day to keep up your strength while we train.”

I pulled the laces on my black Converse and looked up at Phillip, who was sliding a dagger into his pocket and then retrieving his claymore next to the bed. “Is that what you’re going to wear tonight?”

He peered down at his outfit, his black pants cut through and showing skin along his thighs and knees.

His hair was slicked back. A nose-ring hung from his nostrils again, and he sported two snake bite piercings I wasn’t even aware he had. A tight muscle shirt hugged his taut chest and was tucked into his pants, making him look like a seriously juiced up version of Danny fromGrease.

No matter what he wore, he looked all bad boy.

Sometimes the Austrian looked like a rich mafia leader who just liked an assortment of melee weapons. Other times, a Harley-owning biker with a fascination for medieval weaponry. Today it was a degenerate who loved 1950s classics and sometimes swung a big sword around for fun.

“Actually, I had a question.”

Phillip peered up at me after inspecting his clothes, not the least bit sure what I meant by pointing them out. “Just ask. Why do you play coy when we both know you’re not even close?”

“Rude.” I sighed, pointing at his face. “How do you have piercings when our bodies heal too fast to keep them?”

His smile was already pissing me off.

Without saying a word, it was evident Phillip thought I was flirting with him. After days in nothing but his company, I didn’t want to rock the boat, so I never brought up the kiss or how eager I was to repeat it.

I tried not to remember the way his hot breath merged with mine, or how the feeling inspired sickly-sweet poetry in my head. Or how in weak moments I stared at his lips and tried desperately to remember the sensation of them. Or how I wanted him to do it again—and again—until I didn’t breathe whenever we kissed.

Thankfully, a life completely upended helped distract me enough to keep certain feelings at bay.

“My face isn’t the only place I’m pierced,” the older Hunter whispered in a deep husk that rattled like the engine of a bike.

I worked quickly to school my face. I’d die before I let how sexy I found the sound show on my face.

“It’s a bit complicated, but there’s a way to do it. Sort of a trade secret, but one you need to be aware of.” He came closer, and I unintentionally leaned back to put space between us. “There’s a way to deactivate our abilities. It’s an injection that reverts our genes to their previous setting, to put it simply. When you get pierced while the genes are deactivated and with the help of a little concoction I devised myself, once they’re reactivated, you’ll still have the hole where you were pierced.”

His grin suggested he was about to say something extra perverted.

“Or say you want to partake in a certain hot and heavy activity for the first time, it’s better to do that while your genes are deactivated. That way, you’re not...newto it every time you partake, if you catch my meaning. Sadly, we still feel pain.”

“And you can just like, reverse them? It’s that easy?”

Phillip sat down, upset I zoomed right past his very unsubtle nod to losing my virginity. I’d learned very quickly how best to deal with his particular brand of humor.

Ignore it.

“The serum is complicated and requires someone familiar with its creation, or it won’t be effective. But yes. Lucky for you, I’m smart and familiar enough to recreate the serum anytime I want. It was sort of important if one day I planned to overthrow the very people who created me. Probably a good idea to know how they might try to kill me and how to make sure they couldn’t.”

I didn’t want stroke his ego, but even I had to admit that he was brilliant to do so. And by the smile he gave me, he already knew I thought so.

“So why not use that instead to activate my genes?” I asked, not sure why he kissed me with his blood instead.

Phillip scoffed. “That’s hardly fun, is it? And I didn’t really have it on me at the time. Not a great idea to keep my only weakness on me at all times so my enemies have a way to kill me, wouldn’t you say?”

Fair point.