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Kristoff roared in anger, throwing himself toward Alec

No slouch on the reaction front, Alec spun around and was out the door, Kristoff in hot pursuit

"Stay here," I told the others, dashing after him

Andreas tried to pushhis wrists and yanking hi," I told him

His scoas familiar, if not identical to Kristoff&039;s "You stay"

"That&039;s thehirabbedfor the door

"Love takes precedence over blood," I said, tossing up a wall of light in front of hilare as I ran through the light should have dropped me dead on the spot, but I simply repeated, "Stay with Frederic!" as I ran off

Kristoff and Alec were no longer in sight as I raced down the hallway, Andreas&039;s frustrated curses following me A door opened as I passed it, Rowan&039;s eyes visible as he peeked out before fully opening the door

"Pia? What&039;s going on?" Magda asked as they e his calanced up and down the hall, doing a double take at Andreas trapped behind a wall of shiht

"Alec is here He&039;s betrayed us! Kristoff is after hihosts No tiht into Mattias, who had evidently co the other Zorya out

"Pia-pooh!" he burbled happily, rubbing his mouth where my forehead had siant Viking," I said, disentangling myself from him in order to run around the corner I hesitated for a second, unsure which way to go I was in a reception area, a flight of stairs on ht was taken up with an empty curved desk, and the typical setup of chairs and s what looked like informational pamphlets Across the wall on the far side of the room was a banner that proclaimed, THE BROTHERHOOD AND YOU! FIVE SIGNS THAT YOU MIGHT BE HAUNTED

"Wait for us; we&039;re coda said as I hurried up the stairs

"You need o with you," Mattias told me

"No! Stay with the reapers, all of you! They could be up to so, and Andreas is alone with them!"

Roho had been about to follow, nodded and disappeared back into the hallway Magda and Raymond continued on, deterda declared as we reached the top I was a bit breathless, but didn&039;t pause, just charged down the corridor that resembled the one behind us "You need us"

"My dear, really, posse?" Raymond asked so for the man whose life oven into mine "You don&039;t think that&039;s a bit dated?"

"I love you!" declared Mattias as he followed them "I want to be your posse, too!"

"Do you have a better word for it?" Magda asked Raymond somewhat snappishly

"Well associates"

"Da open the door next toto the next one "Don&039;t do this to ested

"That&039;s just being pedantic," Magda told hi me "&039;Compatriot&039; is much more dated than &039;posse&039;"

"Supporters, then," he offered

"We&039;re her friends, not garter belts!"

The last door opened to reveal an e around in bewilder my shoulders before I realized what that da out of the way as they both tried to coht? I hope I have enough filroup up the last flight of stairs

The sunlight was blinding e eed from the relative diear The roof held a tiny little garden on one side, with all the big cooling units and communication equipreen grass, two ed at each other, both clad in coats and hats, the blades of their swords flashing silver in the sun

"Kristoff!" I yelled, shoving aside a lawn chair as I dashed forward

"Stay back, Beloved," he yelled, glancing over his shoulder ataway dulled and wet

"Watch out!" I bellowed, picking up the chair with the intention of throwing it at Alec

"Perhaps I should be fighting Pia rather than you," Alec taunted him I threw the chair, but he moved aside easily

Kristoff snarled an invective that had Alec laughing

"Then you would knohat it&039;s like to watch your Beloved die before your eyes"

"You what ?" I asked, setting down the second chair I had just hefted

Alec laughed again, dancing around Kristoff, his bladeso fast it was just a blur I had no idea how Kristoff parried those jabs, but he did,as easily as if he&039;d been born to it

"Let&039;s ju Raymond forward a couple of steps "You have the Taser Go zap Alec"

"Haven&039;t told her yet, have you?" Alec asked Kristoff

"Told me that you er causing the light to gather in my palht, shaking his head "I wouldn&039;t dare They&039;refast, inhuht I released the light, shakingelse I could use to disarm Alec

"You&039;d think vaht so a large potted plant

"Ray, do soda de!"

"Er" Ray pulled his camera out of his pocket and took a picture

"Oh, for the love of all that is right and holy" Magda snatched his camera away

"He didn&039;t tell you how he killedoff her body? He didn&039;t tell you how I alht, too?" Alec called

My eyes widened as I looked at Kristoff You killed Alec&039;s Beloved?

No

Then why-

My wife did I told you she killed the mate of a Dark One

You didn&039;t tell me she was Alec&039;s Beloved!

I didn&039;t know until you showed ht you said vada said as Raymond pestered her for his ca aside as Kristoff lunged forward, si a metal bench at him Alec jumped back, then immediately started an attack on the other side

I realized at thathimself between Alec and me My heart war entler emotions for irlfriend, but I had at last resigned iveKristoff wave after wave of love

He glanced back at me for a split second, startled I blew him a kiss Mattias, next to me, blew him one as well

"We weren&039;t yet Joined I had just met Eleanor when she ran into the Zorya"

The word echoed with a horrible reverberation in da asked, just as astounded as I was "Uh-oh"

"No!" I screae of theout and was instantly upon him, the sword held at Kristoff&039;s heart "Nooo!"

Alec looked up froreen eyes like those of a cat, relish evident in them as he panted, his face and hands blistered "Why shouldn&039;t I kill him, Pia?"

"Because I love hi my face Tears spilled overas well, his gaze steadfast onaround the hilt of the sword "Not good enough"

"Then because I can do this" I pulled as hard as I could on the power of the ht that filledit into Alec&039;s chest

He flew backward into a storage bench, knocking it over, his ar up in the chair cushions that spilled out from inside it

Kristoff reached for the sword Alec had knocked out of his grip, stalking over to where the man who had once been his friend lay inert in a s from a cut on his head

I joined Kristoff We both stood and watched Alec for a moment

"You didn&039;t kill hih power in that ball of light to knock hie off a little chest hair Your as a Zorya?"

Pain washed through hi that, for a mos have changed over the centuries, that you were a sacristan"

Kristoff turned toblue "I did not know the woman was his Beloved"

I touched his mind with mine He was reluctant to allow the intimacy, but I was insistent, and he finally let ht was due to his plans with the vaht I would hate you if I knew you were once a reaper, too?

You did not wish to be Zorya anymore

So?

You have to beyou up And I knew that once you were aware of what I had been, hoas my ho had started the reapers on their path of murder, you would not wish to re disbelief Do you seriously believe that I would du you were a couple of hundred years ago?

Other woelica?

He turned away frouess," Magda said softly "Why don&039;t we go inside and give the over the cada had handed back to hi for this amount of sun"

"Come on, Mattias MattiasHoney, we need to have a talk about Pia Why don&039;t you cos stand"

The others left I grabbed Kristoff&039;s arm and made him turn around to me "I know you don&039;t want to talk about her And I pro up her name after this, but please, Kristoff, answer me Did the woman you loved above all others shun you because she found out about your origins?"

His eyes narrowed "The woirlfriend The one the reapers killed," I said, in case I&039;d gotten her na

"I loved her, but I didn&039;t love her above all other wo some reapers when somehow she stumbled across information about my past She was repulsed by what I had been, and ran away froht her"

"Wait aher when I firsthis chin

"But you had sworn eternal vengeance or so "I had sworn to avenge her death, yes As well as find out who had given her the infor to that death"

"Still haven&039;t figured it out?"

We both looked down to the source of the question, Kristoff i the sword tip to Alec&039;s neck

Alec waved it away, pulling himself up until he was propped up on a nearby bench "You can drop the sword I&039; to try?" I squeaked

"Yes It see to take his Beloved as he took ers co, why didn&039;t you endonce and for all?"