Marked by Sarah Fine

wouldn’t let me give up.”
    “You saw that he was Marked, didn’t you? You knew he was going to die.”
    “Yes,” she whispered. “I needed to know.”
    “Damn, Cacy.”
    “I’m all right. I just don’t want anyone to give Eli shit for this. He did an amazing job, and he deserves better.”
    “I’m sure it’ll all get sorted out,” Dec said. She heard him inhale sharply, then Trevor murmuring an apology in the background.
    “Go. Focus on getting better. I love you.”
    “Love you too.”
    Cacy tucked her phone back into her pocket and looked down at herself. Her bloody uniform hung from her hips. Eli had just taken off the top part, but he’d steered clear of anything below the belt. She smiled. He probably thought she would have been embarrassed if he undressed her all the way. Even though he had an undeniably sexy edge to him, Eli seemed like the wholesome type. She pushed the formfitting fabric down her legs, wondering what he’d been thinking as he undressed her.
    “Get a grip,” she whispered. “He probably thought you were bleeding to death.” She tucked the Scope into the pocket of the T-shirt and frowned as she considered all the things Eli had seen last night. Way too much, actually, and not because he’d practically seen her naked. He’d been in the Veil. He’d seen a Ker, even though he couldn’t possibly know what it actually was. He’d witnessed her heal supernaturally fast. He must be utterly freaked-out.
    She opened the door to his bedroom and walked into the living room. He lay on the couch, looking pretty unfreaked. He was sound asleep, one arm folded over his face, one hand resting on his chest, which was rising and falling with each slow, deep breath. Cacy tiptoed over to him, her eyes sliding down his chest to the narrow trail of hair that started below his belly button and dipped into the waist of his boxer briefs. Oh. Her fingers twitched with temptation. Getting involved with him would be violating her strict no-guys policy, but after what she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours, she needed some serious distraction. And, staring at the generous bulge in his briefs, she was willing to bet he would do the trick.
    A door behind her creaked open, and Cacy whirled around so fast she nearly fell backward onto Eli. A tall woman with dark-blonde hair emerged from the bedroom across the hall. “Hi there,” the woman said quietly, her eyes dipping to Eli’s body and back up to Cacy. “What are you doing in my apartment?”
    “I’m . . . um . . . Eli’s partner.” And who are you?
    The woman frowned, a thin line creasing the space between her big green eyes. “Oh. Okay. That was fast.” She tilted her head. “Then why is he sleeping on the couch? Did you get into a fight already?”
    Cacy looked down at Eli’s half-naked body and let out a high-pitched giggle before clapping her hand over her mouth. “No, no, his paramedic partner. I’m Cacy Ferry.”
    “Ferry?” The woman’s mouth opened, like she was completely at a loss. “Um, I mean, I’m Galena. I’m Eli’s sister.” She offered her hand.
    Cacy shook it as she stared at Galena’s face. She had such beautiful, sad eyes, just like Eli’s, only dark where his were bright. “Welcome to Boston.”
    Galena grinned. “I can’t tell you how happy we are to be here. Coffee?”
    Cacy looked down at Eli again, but he seemed to be out cold. “Sure. Thanks.”
    Galena padded into the tiny kitchen and pulled a box of coffee pellets from the counter. She dropped one into a cup and pulled a jug of water from the counter. She held it up and shook it back and forth, the water sloshing heavily. “We’ve got running water from two to four p.m. every day. I love this town!” she crowed as she filled the cup then popped it into the microwave.
    “So,” she said, looking at Cacy through her lashes. “Eli called me early this morning.”
    Cacy stared at her. “Okay.”
    Galena fiddled with the bottom of her