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I could feel Leorking all of that out, and realizing that he was in a trap he couldn’t escape

Just like David

"Let me have her," David said "Let me have her and I swear I will not harm you" Lewis’s voice came back stripped raw Bloody "You think I’m afraid of that ?" He stopped and took a deep breath "She’s too dangerous You know that "

"No," David said softly "I don’t know it You fear it There’s a difference Let me have her, or I will teach you fear All of you You think you’ve suffered at the hands of the Djinn?

You have no concept of how much I can do to you "

Lewis knew theaway, and after a certain point, life wouldn’t return to the deco tissues of my body Not any kind of life I’d want to have, anyway

He also knew that forcing David to kill me was even worse

"Do it," Lewis said "Save her"

Before the words were out of his mouth, David acted A silver cascade of power flooded me, pounded on ht of the Djinn, bathing le of Bad Bob’s tattoo the silver light went out

There was still a deadly core there, hiding inside me Under the skin Not even death had taken it away

I took in a convulsive breath and sat bolt upright, still held in David’s arh the pain My eyes spilled over with tears of agony, liquid screaive voice to as raging inside

If I couldn’t come back all the way, come back clean, I didn’t want to come back at all

I shuddered, and my eyes rolled back in my head, and for a precious moment I blacked out as my nervous system simply refused to conduct any more pain

I returned to consciousness sloith the distant awareness of pain but unable to feel it directly My back was nuhs I couldn’t feel the back of my head, either Or the tops of my shoulders

Out of nowhere, I felt the soft press of lips against h I felt the burning drops of his tears on my face "That’s all I can do," he said "Jo Please Come back to me"

I blinked, and ht," I whispered It wasn’t I felt sick and wrong, and the light seeht for my eyes "I’m so sorry"

David’s eyes widened Instead of bright copper sparks dancing in the inside hi to be sorry for," he said "You saved their lives If they’d let you die"

The look he gave Leas utterly black with fury I couldn’t i end of that much hatred David really wanted to kill him, slowly and horribly

Even now, I felt the conviction of that echoing inside hi back his attention "No," I said "Don’t you dare

Don’t use me as an excuse" My voice was a parody of its usual tones, and I had no doubt he could see the sincere fright and dread in my eyes "No matter what happens Promise me

He did that for a reason "

He lifted a hand and traced the line of ht as a breath "No"

"Promise me, David"

"No"

"Pro at all He was serious about this Very da David’s bottle Now, he gestured to Kevin and handed it over As Kevin’s fingers closed over the glass, David’s body shattered intoon the appearance imposed by his new master

As he re-formed, I saw the differences, not the similarities: His hands were too broad

The ar skull tattoos His jeans acquired leather motorcycle chaps, and his shirt vanished to reveal a broad, ed leather jacket

His head was shaved

The only things about hie was his face, and his eyes Those remained his

Those remained the ones that I knew

Kevin cleared his throat "Okay, order number one, you will not kill, or allow to be killed, any Warden not actively fighting with Bad Bob Biringanine in the current war That includes Lewis Order number two, you will not kill any hu thehed

"Especially don’t kill et back in the bottle" David took all that without a flicker, and then he was gone His eyes were the last thing to leave, and they never wavered from mine

I felt sick down toworse than I could iine and for me

Just for me

"So what now?" I asked Lewis My voice sounded scratchy and uncertain I felt stretched as thin as rice paper, and just as fragile

Lewis slid down to a sitting position and rested his head in both hands "I don’t know," he said "He’s put blocks around thetaken over, but it won’t be enough, not for long This thing is vicious, Jo It’s fatal We’re back where we started, and I think you know I can’t let that stand"

My hands were shaking I pressed the"

"I need you to get off the boat," he said "I need you to let us leave you behind" In the open water

With the sharks