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But she’d done it However, she couldn’t feel it It really wasn’t a yee-haw, throw-your-fist-in- the-air kind of victory, anyway, right? The ie of her face was a brand on her mind, but more than that she felt Derek’s silence His eternal absence The hollow eloried in the creature’s pain, she felt a little sick A lot sick

She barelyit all up Breakfast, lunch… Actually, she hadn’t eaten lunch, so just breakfast and bile, dark, putrid bile that smelled a lot like the soul-eaters She’d taken the Darkness into her, made it work for her, used it to drive thehtened fro for a hand toith shaking fingers As she scrubbed it over her o see if Miriam was okay, if they needed help

When she stumbled to the bathroo back in "I told you to stay here," he said evenly, taking her ar her back to the commode She winced in embarrassment because she hadn’t flushed yet, but before she could close the lid, he stayed her, stared down at the leavings frohted onskin boot to close the lid and depress the handle as he rip on her arm

"I didn’t… I didn’t hear you say that Is Miriam…"

"She’s on her way to the hospital Linda and Christine are taking her She’s got a broken ar that required an ambulance, but she does needon her there The soul-eaters got hold of her long enough that she’ll need that to prevent soul infection As it is, she’s going to have so in her soaked clothes Looking down at the tile, she sawup the floor "At so to have to look me in the eye, Ruby," he said quietly

"I don’t want to"

"I know you don’t What do you think you’re going to see there?"

"Things I don’t want to see" She didn’t want to play ga, broken, unfixable Her shields were too thin "Leave et out of here I’ve taught theh We only had a few days left anyhow, and you can handle that" Her teeth were chattering, et at Asmodeus another way Where innocent bystanders couldn’t be hurt She had the key to getting in now She didn’t need to be here any his eyes on her face "No Go away"

"Ruby, I’er than you are You’ll either helpclothes off you, but it’s going to happen You’re going to take a shower, get waroing to"

He pushed her arms up over her head, worked the shirt up with a quick, iround Then the undershirt, unhooking the bra with neutral efficiency He pulled off the jeans with a bit ot them down her hips, he pushed her back onto the closed coet them and her sneakers all the way off He’d turned on the water, and blissful stea increased Why was it that cold became even colder, almost unbearable, on the outskirts of such a blissful, heated spray?

"I swear to God," he ht is done"

"I had it handled"

"Yeah, you against four soul-eaters I could see that"