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"Three, two…" I heard Mike call

"Ah! Noertips icy cool

"You okay?" Mike said My eyes stayed shut, but I felt hily

"It’s really bad this tiainst both sides of ht"

"Doesn’t feel like it"

The cage door came open and Falcon lifteda little

My butt found the bench at the side of the room, and Falcon squatted down in front of s, a smile on his face "You lasted ten ently pulled ertip over where it pulsed the worst "You !" I pressed it back into ood job, Ar" Mike tapped er"

I looked up,down on his iPad "Welco fit Re ht breath through my teeth "This is different"

"No, it’s not, baby You just need to grow up"

Falcon frowned, his eyes thoughtful "I dunno, Chief," he said, half turning to look at Mike "I think she ht need to lay down for a bit"

"Nope She needs to keep exercising it" He put his iPad down and reached a hand out for mine "Come on One more, then we’ll call it quits for the day"

I looked at his hand, then Falcon, and coveredto tears "I can’t, Mike Please Please don’t , Ara," he said with flat sympathy "Just one more Come on, then I’ll take you up and run you a nice warainst , coloured with ers, sending violent surges intoin the back ofdown my neck, into my spine

"Ara?" Mike squatted besidethat noise?"

"It hurts!" I screa off the bench "Make it stop, Mike Make it stop!"

A hand ca o "What happened?" Arthur said

"I don’t know" Mike knelt besidehand over the two I had fused to my skull "She just fell to the floor"

Arthur liftedit open with his thumb "Dear God, look at her pupils"

Mike leaned in and his eyes ide, but I didn’t care what they looked like The white shock of pain lockedrabbed Arthur’s arm as he slipped them under me

"I have some herbs that will help"

"Help? How? Tell me what it is before I let you touch her"

"Passion Flower" Arthur rolled back on his heels, leaving round "It’s used in humans for conditions of anxiety and tension In vae the communications between electrodes in the brain"

"I don’t like it No!" Mike shook his head, scooping my arm over his neck "I’ll just--"

"Ah!" A jolt of heat shot froh my arm and stabbed my shoulder "Arthur! Please? Don’t listen to him--just help h "Fine Just do it"

"It’s all right, princess" He bundled me in his arms, warm and safe, and kissed my head "I’ll see you well in no ti happens to her, I’ll have you drawn and quartered"

Arthur bowed his head and pushed past

"And have her back before the Council ain, his whole body tensing, kind of treirl needs rest"

I closedMike drop his finger of caution before I buried my face

As the fresh air of the countryside washed across rate of claws inWhite spots filled my eyes as they rolled back in my head

"Amara? Stay with me," Arthur said, panic lucid in his tone

"I just want David, Arthur I miss him so much"

"I know, htening everything, but I was lost behind the pained circle of shadow shroudingonto my side in his bed "Why is it so much worse this time?"

"I don’t know,the railing and felt the darkness closemy kit"

I didn’t even bother to answer, not even a nod Arthur’s voice dissolved under the ringing in ain, a few glass bottles clanking together

He rolled me onto my back and laid my arms neatly byslime under my neck

"What is that?" I asked