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Drake had been to this particular house before It had been clean and well stocked with fresh produce and meat, rather than the typical nonperishable foods he usually found in Sentinel houses It had been a long time since his last meal and he hoped that whoever cared for this place was still as conscientious as before Despite his grief and sorrow, his body couldn’t keep going without fuel, and he had to keep going
"We’ll get so his voice to come out steady and calave a weary nod and slid out of the van Drake found the key taped to the back of the porch light and unlocked the door Rather than the stale smell of disuse, the house smelled of wildflowers and fresh-baked bread His story?" he asked Helen
She nodded "Not really I’m about to fall over"
"Let’s see if there’s soe and found a giant bowl of salad and a casserole dish with a note taped to the top that gave heating instructions for the lasagna Whoever stocked this house deserved a raise and a promotion
He set the salad on the counter and slid the lasagna in the oven, following the carefully written instructions It didn’t take long to find plates and forks and the loaf of still-war on the counter
"I feel like I’ someone’s home," said Helen
"You’re not The Sentinels own the property and pay people to keep it up It’s here so we have a safe place to rest"
"Good policy" He could hear her weariness rasping her voice
Helen washed her hands and dished up some of the salad for both of theht I still remember when the only comforts we had hatever our horses could carry"
Helen stilled in the process of filling his boith lettuce "How old are you?"
"Old," he said "Really old"
"You’re starting to freakto tell you exactly how old You’re exhausted We’ll eat now and I’ll answer questions after you’ve slept"
The fact that she didn’t argue proved just how tired she was
The rising sun streah the kitchen s and he could clearly see the lines of strain around heron her frath Defeated
He knehat that was like and it made hio away He wanted to find a way to show her the good parts of his life Convince her that it wasn’t all fighting and blood and death He wanted to teach her what they could be together--a powerful force to drive the Synestryn back into their own black world and save the human race from destruction But he feared that once she learned that there were other ether as tainted She’d want a fresh start with a man ould be more careful with her One ould ease her into their world and show her the joy it was to be a Theronai
When she found out that she could have soht made his hands curl into fists and he knew that he would prevent that fro with every breath in his body She was his and he was keeping her He would find a way to ht He’d take the time to train her so that she was confident in her power With any luck at all, they’d never find Kevin’s sword and she’d be bound to hiht entered hisroot He couldn’t do that to her He couldn’t do that to Kevin He took his oath to protect hu Kevin’s sword to roam free in Synestryn hands was in direct violation of that oath None of the Synestryn they’d seen in the mine had hands to wield the sword, but eventually, one that did would claim it as his own Or worse yet, one of the Synestryn powerful enough to use ic A de could release all the dark souls that had been slain by Kevin’s blade and countless humans would die as those souls took over their bodies
Drake couldn’t let that happen Not even if it meant a lifeti, but not worth what betraying his oath would cost hihts away and looked at Helen Her head was propped on her outstretched arm and she was asleep
He’d pushed her too hard It was time to make up for bad behavior
"Helen," he said quietly, and waited for her to open her eyes before he picked her up He didn’t want to scare her anymore He wanted her adrenaline to stay nice and low so she could sleep Then they would talk
She gave hiainst his chest Holding her felt so good he didn’t want to put her down He didn’t knoas going to find the strength to tell her everything The secrets he’d kept from her would drive her away from him once she knew the truth
"Do you want to eat before you sleep?" he asked her
She shook her head, and her silky braid rubbed against his arm "Too tired"
Drake carried her into one of the bedroo-sized bed Most of the Sentinel houses had big beds because the Sentinels tended to be big men This one happened to be draped in a rich royal blue, andshades covered the s to allow for easy sleep during the day
Helen rubbed her eyes and yawned