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"Heis mutual"

"No, it wouldn’t be"

Tynan didn’t elaborate, so Lily looked at her bare walls, one of which had a th of it now Her pictures, framed photos of places she’d been and people she’d enjoyed, lay scattered on the floor Glass was strewn everywhere in the hall, and a quick look behind her told her that the kitchen orse The force of her energy leaving her hadopen solasses left Or plates

She didn’t want to look at any more destruction

So she looked at Tynan, because he was the only thing here that didn’tripped out of her body He stood, tall and dark and calain Lily felt an inexorable pull toward hith and steadiness as she felt her own façade threatening to crumble But Lily kneithout a doubt, that she’d have to be a coive in

He hadn’t saved her, Lily told herself He’d shown up while she was saving herself And none of this would be happening if he hadn’t been following her to begin with Reer to te with She pushed the memory of the look in Daround, where she could ponder and worry over it later Though Tynan’s voice still whispered that unthinkable word on a loop in her mind, over and over and over…

Assassination

"So these Shades are trying to killto tell me why"

"Because whoever hired them would rather see you dead than have you help the dynasty they’re trying to destroy," Tynan said "Damien won’t scare off so easily--he wants his money My queen offers her protection in return for your help identifying her enemies"

He extended his hand, but she stayed where she was She wanted so badly to just give in, to shift the burden of her safety onto soe But she’d learned the hard way that the only one she could rely on for protection was herself

She kept her hands where they were

"Your queen, whoever she is, can go to hell"

Tynan pressed his lips together into a line of disapproval "Don’t be a fool, Lily You’re dead if you stay here Let me help you," he said

"Help me? You caused this! You said yourself you were careless I would have been fine if you hadn’t shown up!" Lily cried, outraged that Tynan thought she was so naive, so easilyjust a little, and Lily knew she wasn’t ie silver eyes It made her feel for him, when she should have felt no sylireat, and so much more ancient than what any human could muster, that it touched her unexpectedly For just a led for so long that he has accepted it as a perree, it was a state she was inti with hio ahead," Tynan said gruffly "But there’s no changing what’s past What matters is now And the choice is either myself and the protection of the most powerful dynasty of vampires in the world, or Da people out of theirbut deterone… if she hadn’t just ione I want to be left alone Tell your queen to find soift is rarer now than it ever was It took me months to find one Seer: you And if it hadn’t been ht you out eventually"

Lily looked at hi to consume her "A Seer? Is that what you think I am? What exactly am I supposed to be able to see, huh? The future? Can’t do that The hearts and minds of other people? You’ve struck out there too I’m not a mind reader or a visionary And I think you’veue as they sounded But Tynan didn’t seeain, his voice was soft but insistent

"Maybe you don’t think so, Lily, but you’ve got the outward signs--more, in fact, than I are existed--of the sort of hu and the dead It’s not about prophecy but vision, and you should be capable of that too You uided"