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When I turned my head and focused on hi down his cheeks

He was still holding rip

"I’m okay," I said I wasn’t I felt hollow and odd, as if I was floating several feet froo nuclear on you" I didn’t think I had anything left, anyway "I’o, very slowly, and swiped his arazeeyes with David, presumably

I felt David’s warm hand touch the back of my neck "Don’t move," he said He sounded al" This didn’t sound positive "What?"

"The ood? "And?"

There was a short, heavy silence David said, "It burned off your skin, all the way down to the bone in places I’ve tried to close the wound, but - "

"It won’t let you," I finished for hioftocrisis "It doesn’t matter, the mark’s still there It’s buried inside me I can’t burn it out Was anyone hurt?" David let out an uneven breath "Other than you?" I felt his weight ease off ofnext to me Lewis moved out of his way "No You didn’t hurt anyone You fought it off"

"No Not really" I sed and tried to order , scattered priorities "I saw Bad Bob He has sixty former Wardens with him I can tell you where"

"Jo - " That was Lewis again, soft and alretful "We can’t believe you now You understand that, don’t you? You can’t know that any of what you saw is real He could have put it there He’s a manipulative son of a bitch Even if it was true, he’ll et there"

"He knows," I said "He knoe got one of the skins He’ll be activating the others You have to aze away fro to need you"

"No," David said

"If this ship goes down, she still dies Is that what you want?" David’s eyes flashed - not fire, not bronze, but white-hot, like the flash froive you all the power you need I’ll assign Djinn to you But I won’t leave her Don’t ask e to his voice scared me, and I reached out to touch his hand

"No," I said "I’m not dead, I’m just massively screwed up" I sucked in a deep breath

"Help me sit up"

David didn’t like the idea, but he saw that if he didn’t, I’d flail around and do it anyway, probably hurting es" I suppose theposition, ot wrapped up like a mummy, from waist to just under my armpits It was a very odd sensation - I could feel every bit of the pressure and texture on es simply disappeared when they touched my back

It took care of half the probleht in one of the cruise line’s fluffy guest robes, which took care of the other half once I’d gotten it on and belted

When I faltered getting up, Cherise ducked in and braced me, arms around my waist David held me up on the other side "I’d carry you, but - " I understood There was no way for hi pressure on my ruined back

"It’s fine I can walk" I wasn’t sure I could, but da h, I took a look around

I’d pretty e The sofa was a skeletal wreck, burned through to the springs The carpet where I’d been standing (or lying) was led knot of ash and acrylic fibers Add to that the still-lingering s exits, and the general reek of burned flesh Yeah That security deposit was gone for good

"Sorry," I apologized, to no one in particular, and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other on the way out of the room

I heard a dull boom from below us, somewhere in the bowels of the ship, and looked at David’s tense expression

"It’s not your problem," he said

Whether it was or not, he wasn’t going to let me clai?" I asked

We were sitting onondown atinto waves with such force that I swore I could hearsomewhere in the bowels of the vessel Of course, that was stupid; big as this thing was, I’d never know if so that had killed the Titanic hadn’t even knocked over glasses in the dining room

Of course, the Titanic hadn’t been ing in massively tur driven toward an even worse predator We were like a whale being stalked by a school of sharks Sooner or later, they’d take out enough bites to make a difference

"No," David said, and stroked "

"You think the one," I murmured, and closed my eyes "It’s not I can still feel it" Myto shut down, lock itself off, focus on su, but I couldn’t seeo

David shifted He probably touched es over the open wound, but I couldn’t feel anything "I know," he said "I can see it on the aetheric"

"It’s bigger"

"Yes"

"I said I’d kill you, didn’t I?" He didn’t answer "Ithat’s stopping me is the containers gently over my forehead "It’s not your fault"

"It will be," I said I felt a distant, inescapable grief, but like everything else, it was ar "How’s Kevin doing?" David was silent for a long enough ht to stay awake to hear the answer "He’s doing well" My lover sounded surprised Well, I supposed I was a little bit surprised, too Pleasantly so "One of the skins has already been destroyed They’re hunting the other one in the hold They’re getting close"

"No probles never went that easily, did they? Not in my experience

"If there are, it’s for sos" He see of worry beads, and finally said, "You did warn Lyle, right? Not to take the skin on directly?" David frowned "I don’t knohat you’re talking about"

"Don’t you remember?" I rolled over on s are lethal to Djinn David, you have to pull the Djinn back Let the Wardens handle this one"