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"Well, okay" He turned to face me "How about you?"

"You suck at this," I told hiot a slow leer in return "Couy, come back to my cabin, I’ll make an effort"

"To clean up the toenails off the floor?" I asked sweetly "Come on, Josue Today" He clasped his hands, and tried for a pious expression I doubted he’d ever seen one, except maybe in the DVD collection belowdecks "Do you - what’s your naain?"

"Joanne Baldwin"

"Joanne Balderwin, take this - uh, Prince David, to be your husband? Do you swear to honor and obey hiets - "

"Sick, old, and fat, yes, I know"

"What would that ative of a hed raucously behind us "Do you swear to honor and obey hiets poor and lazy?"

I closed ht" He heard the echo of darkness in hter of the crew died away "I ain, the one "Do you take thisas you both live?" Close enough I felt so in the aetheric like a soft breeze It swirled around entle, and then solidified into a silver mist

"Yes," I said "I vow it"

The mist fell like soft silver rain on the aetheric, and I felt it sliding over my skin in warm threads

And then it hit the black torch, and all hell broke loose

"Jo!" David grabbed me as my knees folded "What - ?" I had to ht the whole ti vows hadn’t been finished, I’d made myself vulnerable to the invasion by Bad Bob The equations had been out of balance, and on the aetheric that was a very bad thing

We were setting it right

The connection between us ild, power flooding froht from the bloodstream of the aetheric, pure and white-hot

"Take it out of me," I panted "Hurry Hurry! "

David rolledthe rippling, angry tattoo onforced to the surface

David’s poas acting in self-defense, because I was now part of him Flesh of his flesh

I heard his breath rush out, and then he put one hand on the back ofout"

I felt blood sheeting over et away fro its way out of h control left to block the nerves before the pain got unbearable I couldn’t see as happening in the real world, but on the aetheric there was so that looked like a cross between a squid and a virus flailing its way out of rease and sain

The change was immediate, and dramatic Calm flooded me, and confidence, and power - the power of the Djinn

I directed it to ednot even Lewis could have done, as powerful as his talent for things like that was

I’d just becoe between the Wardens and the Djinn and so of both at the saone

I was free

David picked me up and cradled me in his arms I felt warm and relaxed, contented as a drowsy cat in the sun

"It worked," he said He sounded surprised "You were right"

"Daht," I said "It’s why he wanted to stop us at the wedding Bad Bob knew that once we exchanged vows, he wouldn’t be able to control hed "Free We’re free of him"

David captured my hands and kissed them"Not quite yet," he said "He can’t control you

That doesn’t mean he’s helpless" He pulled s together in a s considered

Josue had prudently retreated as far as he could fro focused despite the sight of an alien critter ripping out of my flesh

I nodded to Josue "Finish it"

"Hell with you, crazy bitch!"

"Finish it!"

Fron of the cross "Then I declare you married," he said " Mazel tovKiss the bride before we do" He picked up a half-eed down a gulp, then passed it around Our version of cheap chane

David pulled me into his arms, and ould have been a syestive I helped with that part, thinking of nothing except the ainst mine

We’d won At the very least, we’d wonBad Bob’s slave

Now I had to make sure that David didn’t suffer that fate, either

We broke the kiss and clung together, panting He hispering things to s Promises

And then he closed his eyes and said, "I don’t want to do this Not this way"

"I know," I said, and kissed hiy, right?"