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Amaya, release him

No; want

Do it, I said Now!

She hissed her displeasure, but her flaround, slinking back to her blade with so flames flickered and died, Tao opened his eyes and blinked Then awareness surged, and horror spread across his pale, thin face

"Oh god, Ris," he said, voice hoarse and raw "What have I done?"

I quickly sheathed A froiven it was so bad, all I wanted to do was throw up "Nothing that can’t be--"

I cut the rest of the sentence off as he collapsed, and I lunged forward to catch hi Tao like a sack over his shoulder, then swung around to face me

"Your hand--"

"I can heal it when I change to Aedh fore to cradle et Tao home and worry about me later"

Azriel didn’t look at all happy, but he ht I took a deep breath and glanced at my hand Bad mistake All I saas a raw and swollen h up until that point--becaan to shake, and round, my sto h th chased the weakness from my flesh and snatched the pain from my burned and blistered hand

Eventually, I pulled away and glanced down Though it was still red and tender, , and I could flex aze rose to Azriel’s "Thank you for healing lad that I could" He brushed the sweaty strands of hair from my eyes, but despite the tenderness of his touch, there was anger in his expression "You should not have endangered yourself that way, Risa It could have ended very differently"

"But it didn’t" I hesitated "Where did you take hiht Ilianna in to tend to hiht "And we should go The police are co red and blue lights of the eot hurt"

"No one but you," he commented, as he wrapped his ary form He didn’t i rooain, and there was an intensity, a ferocity, that hadan odd sort of dance "What?" I said, al like that again," he said "Because I will not"

Annoyance flared I tried to step back, but his grip tightened aroundme closer "Da to you?" he cut in, his voice flat and even despite the fierceness that radiated fro

"You know that’s--"

"What I know," he cut in again, "is that the link between us has evolved into sohts I will not feel your agony like that again and not do anything about it"

My breath caught somewhere in my throat "I’m sorry I didn’t know--"

"And wouldn’t have cared if you had" His voice was griain"

I took a deep breath and released it slowly "Okay But I also meant what I--"

"Oh, I am under no illusions where I stand when it coe of bitterness in his voice stung deep inside "That’s not fair, Azriel"

"And yet it is nevertheless true" He released me and stepped back "Go tend to Tao"

"Azriel--"

He cut me off with a short, sharp motion "You have what you wanted, Risa"

And with that, he disappeared, leaving ry, confused, and oddly hurt

"Risa?" Ilianna said

I forced a smile and turned around "How’s Tao?"

"Unconscious" She hesitated "Are you okay?"

"Couldn’t be better Is Tao going to be all right?"

"I don’t know" Her expression was concerned "What’s going on between you and Azriel?"

"Nothing" And everything "Is there anything I can do to help Tao?"

"The best thing you can do is get some sleep You look like shit"