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Expletives rounded the group

"No fucking way," Zach cried "And she took it? How? I can’t even do that"

Endelle shook her head "She’s powerful, more than even she knows, asps followed the last part of this statement, which pleased her to no end because it reflected their view of her as one approaching omniscience Nice

"We’re done here I’ll see all of you at the arena tonight and for Christ’s sake arrive early in dress unifor as-yet-to-be-defined to Second Earth and also to this ape over here" She jerked her thu at Kerrick "Get the fuck back to Queen Creek and do your goddaet you fixed up" She didn’t wait for an argument She waved her arm and Kerrick vanished

She then pointed to Marcus "You, asshole Oneyour left nut" Just to let hi, which ave a sharp twist He doubled over "What do you say?"

"Yes, Mada a pretty strawberry-red

She inclined her head to her second-in-coet Horace See to Kerrick first"

"Of course," he said

"And for fuck’s sake, get some sleep"

She didn’t wait to hear another word She took a breath, turned her back on her warriors then just as she dematerialized, she shhousing now and then was a good thing A stiff drink helped A good lay Taking the vein Without a whole variety of steam valves for testosterone, the whole world would have exploded by now, the earth’swith it

As Kerrick awaited Horace, he stood over Alison once ibleher, yet it was useless in this situation She slept deeply now, her lips parted She looked even younger with the coers curled around the edge

His heart ached as he looked down at her He wanted her in his world and he wanted her safe In the short tiether, she’d become a litany in his head, must protect, ain, Alison was like no other ascendiate he had ever known and yeah, she was the center of the breh-hedden for hi love to her had been flat-out erotic, intense, and drive-a-car-at-two-hundred- She matched him in power, this wo for her fast, an asteroid getting close to the earth’s gravitational pull and getting sucked straight in

He’d been inside her head He knew she had strength He knew she’d go the distance even if the endgaht now, asleep in her bed, she looked incredibly vulnerable Da into a painful knot

I can’t lose her

Yet what chance did she have? She would be fighting the Coeneral, a former Warrior of the Blood, an ascender with incredible ability

His phone buzzed He folded his sword into the far corner of his bedroom, palmed his phone, then thumbed "Give," he said, his tone flat

Jeannie’s voice, weary at the tail end of a shift, cas admittance"

"Granted Go home, Jeannie"

"I’m off in about thirty minutes So, tell me, duhuro, does she have a chance?"

The soft concern in her voice wrenched the knot in his chest all over again "I don’t know"

"Aw, shit"

"You said it, but I have to go"

"You get some rest, too"

As the line went dead, Horace ain Alison found herself inside a drea at full-mount over White Lake The water shi pink strea

Guardian How the word called to her Guardian of Ascension Guardian of the Lake

As though she had been flying all her life, she drew her feet perpendicular to the water then spread her ar inher She slowed the rhythm, which allowed her to descend to the calreen water

Her bare toes slid into the water and her fangs es So, she was ascended and had acquired the promised vaht, with her fangs She even wore leather flight gear, like a warrior--a kilt and a weapons harness over her chest, covering her breasts and riding up to cross her shoulders then travel down her spine The fit was perfect

Again … guardian