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Lewis nodded and walked over to take a seat near lass, with cushions that doubled as flotation devices A blankets, one of which was already wrapped aroundto coaxdown Not yet

I’d learned a startling new lesson: noa shark latch on to your body and break a piece of you aill put a dent in your self-confidence

Cherise was playing Red Cross nurse; she draped a blanket over Lewis’s damp shoulders and handed him a juice box, which he mechanically sipped as he stared down at me

"What?" I asked, and tried to set their ass kicked before? Because I know you have"

No answer

"You want soether If you split them up between the rescue boats, you’re screwed"

"Thanks for the tip," he said "Wardens stay on the boats I want them protected in case you and Bad Bob decide to play Battleship"

I al "Hazards of the sea They all knohat could happen"

"Yeah," he agreed "I’reat couarding our retreat, as well as with us, guarding our asses up close

You got a problem with that, take it up with - oh, nobody, because at this point, you’ve got nobody" He raised his head and fixed me with red-rimmed, fiercely focused eyes "What ao, if he’d asked that question, it would have been with an undertone of longing and soirl unifor at me like I’d looked at the shark that had bitten et you to Bad Bob," I said "If you want"

"I can’t trust you"

I winced and closedhands onparticularly painful "I’et there myself"

"Why?"

I opened my eyes and locked stares with hiet eaten by sharks Because you came back"

"Bullshit"

I blinked

"Don’t tell e of heart I can see you didn’t You’re just pissed that he didn’t keep his promises to you The enemy of my enemy is not my friend" I closed my eyes I was too tired, too hurt, and too sick to care about his philosophy right now, and the darkness inside me ached , impatient with my body’s weaknesses Soon I wouldn’t be vulnerable Soon I’d be like the stor, a force of nature

Lewis had chosen his healers well They did their job, whether they wanted to or not It took ti bouts I could feel the lifeboatIt didn’tpower intome with darkness

When I woke up, really woke up, the Wardens had finished their work

I was healed

I looked at ed hole ripped h the was mostly there Scarred, yes, but it would heal The new muscle and flesh felt weirdly tender

I looked up and saw the me

"Thanks," I said, and tried to stand It wasn’t as hard as I’d expected I actually felt fairly good Better, as the storm above us purred and rained down its darkness intoht not to trust me, but I knew I didn’t need to tell him that

"Jo," he said, "sit down"

I didn’t I looked at hiers, and as I rubbed thee course," I said "I’ and shut up or I can leave you behind In pieces" He took in a deep, resigned breath "I didn’t save you just to fight you"

"No, you saved me because your delicate conscience couldn’t stand thinking aboutripped apart by sharks," I said "Your mistake, man Not mine"

"You don’t want to do this"

I smiled And he saw that I really, really did

Kevin wasn’t surprised He was gri atBack at ya, punk

"You’re not going to hurt anybody else," Lewis said "I’ "We knew this was coo on Try and stopround, Lewis Go for the actual lightning It’s a sht off The sepsis from the burns, that’ll probably kill them in the end"

He didn’tyou, don’t" I called fire in hting me power for power, as I’d expected, he yankedainst his chest

"Please," he said There were tears in his eyes "Jo, I know you’re in there somewhere

Please stop "

"No," I said, and let the fire go It flah his shirt, charred his flesh

And I felt nothing

Lewis let out a soft, agonized o

"I’ll kill you," I growled, and Ithis ship"

"No" Lewis grabbed my face in his hands and - kissed uish and death

I felt so inout A burst of pain, of surprise, of knowledge

Fail-safe He’d put a fail-safe in et about it and now I’d forced hi last

"You’re not taking the ship," Lehispered I could hear hiainst mine A benediction into the dark "Good-bye, Jo God, I loved you"

Pain exploded through my nerves like flares I couldn’t move, couldn’t blink, couldn’t take a breath Not fair, this shouldn’t hurt, death should be quick The fire sank deeper, bone-deep, as if

All the pain was on the inside, shi like lava On the outside, I reone

What was keeping me here?

Lewis loweredHe was full of horror and guilt for what he’d done to h he’d known that it was necessary It was toxic in its intensity, truly shocking I didn’t kno he could live with it