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I felt behind htly to the side to hide the fact I was holding it It wasn&039;t much of a weapon, but it was better than a paperback

The man stopped in front of me, so close I could smell his woodsy aftershave

"I want you to leave this room now," I said in a calht noise of unhappiness "I don&039;t know anything about a court, but I do know that you have violated several laws, and the police are even now searching for you If you leave right noill not harm you, but I am fully prepared to defend "

An annoyed look flitted across his face "Stop saying that! I have not attacked you!"

"You strangledout that reason never worked with deranged madmen, but too irritated to listen "I almost died! If that&039;s not an attack, I&039;d like to knohat is!"

"I told you - that was before I knew you werethe annoyance

I waved the book around in a vaguely threatening manner "I&039;d just like to knohat you think I could be if not mortal!"

"You&039;re a virtue," he answered quickly, reaching behindthem onto the bed "Thus, you must be a member of the Court of Divine Blood, and as such, bound to uphold the laws therein You wish for an accounting? I will give you one The Hashmallim do not enter the mortal world unless it is to capture someone intended for destruction Since I saved the lives of you and your friend by spiriting you away from under the nose of the Hash in that debt, and the price shall be exculpation"

"I forgive you," Sarah said with breathy adoration, her eyes glowing as she gazed at him

"The first thing I do after this guy is locked up is get you to a good head shrink," I told her

"Wo me up until my face was close to his His eyes burned into"I hate being referred to as if I was nothing but an object!"

"You pushnoises of distress as she pushed in close to us, her hands on his arain" I waved my arms frantically for the la, half plaintive as she brushed her lips on his cheek

The ave her another soul-piercing look "You are not foraway, an oddly content look on her face as she stood watching us

"Stop hypnotizing - "

The man took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment, and twisted his body as I tried to knee hi his hold onas the first ti - he spun ainst the wall, his body pinning ames with you You will exculpate me now, before I lose my temper"

"Fine," I said, exhausted, sore, and heartily tired of the handsoh to kissand bothered by the fact that I could even think such a thought "I forgive you for kidnapping us, assaultingwith"You have the Gift! I saw it! I deive you!" I bellowed back at hied with someone else

He really was an incredibly handsoht Physical attractiveness had nothing to do with anything

Theme as he stepped back I hadn&039;t been aware that he had lifted me off the floor, but I slid down a few inches until ave out on ainst the wall, divided between the desire to cry and the urge to whack the man across the kneecaps with a blunt instru his ar for soether as he looked down at himself "It didn&039;t work"

"What didn&039;t work?" Sarah asked, watching hiot to e of the bed, where I clutched both the book and the lahtly "When did you say you received the Gift?"

"What gift? No one has givenhave you known her?" he asked Sarah She plopped down onto the bed next to one froh her calm acceptance of the kidnapper was at odds with her very vocal threats to the local police about the actions her husband would take if the rade," she answered

"Has she always been like this?"

"Obstinate, you ?"

"Hey!" I objected, poking her in the hip with the book

"Rigid and uniinative and one-track-minded? Oh yes, she&039;s always been that way"

The kidnapper looked attalked about as if I&039;ht here!"

Sarah patted my hand "She&039;s also ss, and is unswervingly loyal to anyone she calls friend"

"I rumbled,down at htened around the base of the lahed and put her arm around me "She&039;s also my best friend, and someone I trust with , she&039;ll do everything she can towords in my mouth! I do not countenance crihtful look at us both He snagged the chair fro on it with a belligerent look at me

"I could scream for help, you know," I told him

"No one would hear you over the noise," he answered "I&039;ht When did you last see Hope?"

"Oh! The faery?" Sarah asked, clasping her hands together "I can&039;t believe I forgot about her! Portia said she saw her while I had run to town to get my camera That would be about two - "

"Sarah" I cocked an eyebrow at her

"I was just trying to be helpful"

I ignored that and leveled a long, hard look at the th had not diles, high cheekbones and a blunt, square jaw doing asa sense of ruthless purpose His skin was darker than that of an Anglo-Saxon, a war black hair swept back fro to run their fingers through the silky black curls For a ht died just as quickly as it had been born

"If I answer your questions, will you leave?" I asked with a resigned sigh