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But she wanted to

Obviously, Allista was one of those woht A few ht hi with a witch oke up grumpy—and he had become an expert at all of them

“Tersa askedpast Allista “Sinceis a bit off, why don’t I make breakfast for the two of you?”

He shrugged out of his overcoat and vanished it as he continued down the hall to the kitchen, not giving Allista time to answer

All right Tersa hadn’t told him to come this early, but she would be awake—and he wanted to slip out with his requested gift before too many people were up and about

“Good ,” he said as he walked into the kitchen

Tersa turned away from the counter and studied him for a moment Then she smiled “It’s the boy It’s my boy”

Her boy His mother was a broken Black Widow lost in the dom Lost in the dreams and visions—and the shattered pieces of her mind She remembered him as the child he had been before he’d been taken froain but didn’t knoho she was And sometimes she remembered hiiven day, he was always the boy Her boy

“I’ve coave her his best-boy grin “And to talk about gifts”

She narrowed her gold eyes as if she was about to argue Then she shrugged and turned back to the counter “There are bacon and eggs and bread for toast”

“That sounds like breakfast,” Daes?”

She hesitated—and he wondered if she would be able to answer or if her mind had turned down another path too far res

“I like them scrambled,” she finally said

He put an arainst her temple, and felt all his love for her well up and squeeze his heart “Me too”

Lucivar Yaslana backwinged and landed lightly on the ay in front of Tersa’s cottage He looked at the cottage directly in front of hihbor

Manny had spentwith her hands, and didn’t shun physical labor Even now she’d taken on the duties of housekeeper for Tersa and Allista, an arrange woman by any stretch of truth, and it see the ays

Not swept, he realized as he studied the sharp, perfect edge that divided the snon froet that kind of edge Not with a shovel or broom, anyway So someone had used Craft to remove the snow