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Now she could Maybe this hat her life was supposed to be dedicated to Or maybe that desire she’d always had to serve others was soenes Either way, she couldn’t turn away from Drake and his people Her people now

Her choices were few She could hold Drake’s decisions against hiry at awhat he thought was right and accept where fate had led her In the end, staring at the proof of so many lives sacrificed, it wasn’t a hard decision

She said, "I don’t have ue, she covered his mouth with her hand "No Just listen I want us to find Kevin’s sword"

His arms fell to his sides and he took a step back Air cooled her back and shethe comfort of his warmth "So you can be free of me"

Helen turned and looked him in the eye She’d hurt hi the truth "No I want to find Kevin’s sword so it can hang here with the rest"

Relief relaxed the tension in his angular features "Kevin’s sallowed by a kaj, and the only way to kill it is with fire Magic fire"

Just hearing the word made her flinch, and her sto them for centuries I’m sure"

Helen wasn’t sure she could do it, but she had to try Maybe this here her vision would inevitably lead her Her destiny She would take the kaj with her, and Kevin’s sould be recovered So for no reason at all

She squared her shoulders and prayed for courage "Okay Let’s go play with fire"

Chapter 17

Logan stayed in the shadows, unwilling to let Drake see hiive Drake a few days to cool off before he approached Helen for more blood He’d nearly used up the power in the blood she’d already given him Drake’s injuries had taken much of it and Project Lullaby had taken the rest Only hours after feeding, his gut was already twisting with hunger again

Good thing he’d had centuries to learn to live with it

"You’re right She’s a failure," said Gilda as she watched Helen struggling to call even the smallest wisp of flame to her hand

Gilda was as beautiful as she was deadly, with long hair that flowed in rich, black waves that ended at her hips Her skin was fair and untouched by the passing of centuries Only a few silvery strands, the saive away her advanced age

Helen’s body shook with effort as she tried to make fire appear fro into the lake Logan was sure that Drake had chosen the location solely to ease Helen’s fears How could fire be a threat when so ainst the nape of her neck in an effort to ease the flow of power between theood

"I didn’t say she was a failure I said she’d never be able to call fire That part of her is broken and can never be ifted healers on the face of this planet and yet you cannot heal her"

"No Whatever is broken inside her has been that way since before she was born She was created with this flaw"

"Why?" dean’s shoulder, but he knew that her die and Gilda was the most powerful female Sentinel left alive Not that she had much competition

"I don’t knohy," he told her honestly

"Find out" It was not a request "If she cannot be healed, then she will kill Drake as she did Thomas"

"She killed Tho?" Drake never would have told Gilda that, even if it was the truth He would protect Helen froer

A touch of sadness shimmered in Gilda’s black eyes "I took the memory from Thomas’s sword I sahat happened If she had been able to do her job, those two kajone up in flames within seconds Thomas intervened to save her and it cost him his life"

"That was his choice Helen never would have asked it of hian had read thather rabbed hian could see a furious, dangerous anger lurking in her too-dark eyes She was no le Even though Logan couldn’t see hi distance--and would kill Logan if he so much as mussed her hair

"She should have killed the kajmela herself, not let it take Thoht her, but he wouldn’t let Helen be bla that wasn’t her fault "There was no way she could have knohat to do Her ignorance was Drake’s fault Not hers"

"Would you have me slay him for his mistake and bond her to Paul?"

"No Of course not"

"Then what do you suggest, leech?"