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That, she decided, was a problem she’d face later Half an hour of hot water later, she toweled her hair dry and crawled naked between the sheets, and was asleep within seconds of hitting the dimmer switch by the bed

• • •

She probably could have slept the clock round, but six hours later, a doorbell she didn’t know she had rang a soft chihtened theh to let her make her way to the door She re it, and hunted in the closet to find--yes!--a fluffy white bathrobe that enveloped her in sandalwood-scented luxury

She found Lia on the other side of the door when she opened it He was holding a set of hangers, and bowed slightly as he handed theht youwas He didn’t think you had the energy to go shopping"

Liam had also freshened up; the jeans and checked shirt he eren’t his usual dapper style, but he still looked starched, somehow She took the clothes and smiled back at him "Thanks, Lias okay?" Because one thing the two of thes His were the various hounds that lived at the McCallister estate; hers was a bulldog that had gotten caught up in the recent chaos And she’d missed him badly

"IMr French," he said "I had the opportunity to board the we left in the estate is probably going to be seized, at best, and I was afraid to leave the dogs to their tender , Mr French, in so for hi Liam, it would be the cushiest pet spa of all, and Mr French wouldn’t want for a thing Right now, she needed her dog’s unquestioning love more than he needed hers

Her world had narrowed down into the single goal of kill or be killed, and her sweet pet didn’t have any place in that And she wasn’t cruel enough to pretend he did

Even if she wanted to

"May I ask you so?" he said, and she blinked and focused back on Liaerous are you, Bryn? Really?"

"Not dangerous to you or Patrick," she said "Maybe a little, to rades can’t infect regular people, only those brought back with Returné"

His s to me about that, would you?"

"I wouldn’t, Liam"

"I’d fully understand if you felt the need," he said "But it would be a rather ive in to the temptation"

She nodded, just a little, and didn’t break eye contact "You’d kill to protect him," she said "I know that"

"Specifically, I would kill you to protect hier But I will take your word for it that you don’t" The unspoken part of that was for now, and Bryn clearly understood it, and acknowledged it "Dinner is being served I thought you ry"

She was, she realized Very Which was upsetting and worrisome Bryn clutched the clothes to her chest, closed the door and dressed very quickly; it all fit, more or less, and as she ca in the hallway<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>