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The simple fact was, no one but me could find the keys No ry And I was Very ht I owed him the chance to explain his reasons He had tried – in his own stoic, say-as-little-as-possible way – but I’d been too locked inenough, though, and I was ready to listen now Besides, I’d faced up to Jak’s betrayal, and had given him a second chance, even if it extended only as far as friendship Did Azriel deserve anything less?

"What sort of trouble?" Jak asked

"The kind that cohtful"

He gave the bedroom doors a so more than I did – an innocuous, unpainted double entrance into another room But the er crawled through est walking away frolanced up at hi we turn around and walk away?"

"You knowout what the ould do"

"I don’t suppose suggesting you at least wait here would do any good?"

"No Besides, you’re armed and I daresay your reaper is near"

"I daresay a reaper is near," I commented, voice a little harsher than necessary "Whether they’ll couess"

I forced my feet forward Jak fell in step beside me "I take it from that there’s been a lover’s quarrel?"

"It means exactly what it says A reaper is near, just not Azriel More than that you need not know"

"Which, of course, just fuels the fire," heby the day"

"And erous" I slowed as I neared the double doors, scanning the sense of wrongness was growing

Aers but resisted the urge to reach for her Not every probleht believe otherwise

Not, she replied, and sounded a little ht that she couldn’t solve every problem, or the fact that there didn’t seeiving the evil eye to?" Jak asked

"A bedroo I sensed rather than saw "I thought you were looking for clues?"

"I am, but I’m not likely to find them where the builders could inadvertently stumble upon them"

"And the builders couldn’t stue in his voice Whether it was sarcasm or concern, I wasn’t really sure

"Well, yes But it would suit Lucian’s twisted sense of huoing to enter, or are we just going to stand here and stare at the door?"

"I prefer the latter option uess we should do the first"

I gripped the handles and slid the doors back into their respective recesses The large room beyond was more finished than it had been the last ti-sized bed still dominated the middle of the room, but the three bathroom walls had been plastered and the fourth side was now a half-height glass-and-brick wall that would have provided so on the toilet but little else

My gaze swept the rest of the roo out of place Couldn’t see anything that suggested there was, in any way, so in wait for us

And yet that’s exactly what I sensed

It would be sensible to retreat Totally But retreating wouldn’t get the damn keys found Wouldn’t save Mirri’s life

I sed heavily and forced ainst one shin, then a snap Quickly looked down and saw the gli for the hammer to fall