Page 28 (1/2)

Up in her bedroom in the Brotherhood&039;s mansion, Cormia sat on the floor in front of the construction she&039;d started the night before, a box of toothpicks in her hand, a bowl of peas next to her She wasn&039;t putting either to use All she&039;d been doing for the good Virgin kne long was flicking the box&039;s lid flap open and closed open and closed open and closed

Stalled out and all but i for quite so a patch in the lip

If she was no longer First Mate, she had no reason to stay on this side She was serving no official function, and by all that wasand praying and serving the Scribe Virgin with her sisters

She didn&039;t belong in this house or this world She never had

Shifting her focus froether, she ht of the Chosen and their network of functions, fro of the Scribe Virgin to the recording of Her words and Her history to the birthing of Brothers and future Chosen

As she pictured herself living in the Sanctuary, she felt as if she were going backward, not returning hoely, what should have bothered her the most¡ªthat she had failed as First Mate¡ªwasn&039;t what upset her

Corround When it landed, the lid flipped open and a bunch of the blond sticks popped out and scattered in a tangle

Discord Disorder Chaos

She picked up what had spilled,she needed to do the same with her life She would speak to the Prio

As she put the last toothpick into the box, there was a knock at the door

"Coet up

Fritz put his head around the jae fro whether or not you would wish to join her for First Meal in her bedroom?"

Cormia cleared her throat "I&039;m not sure¡ª"

"If I may," the butler ather that the examination raised questions Perhaps the Chosen&039;s presence would calm our mahmen-to-be?"

Cor?"

"Yes"

"Tell her I will be there right away"

Fritz&039;s head dipped reverently "Thank you, madam Now, I must needs perform a pickup, but I shall be back and shall cook for you I shan&039;t be gone long"

Cored into a freshly pressed robe As she came out of her room, she heard the sounds of boots on the foyer and looked over the balcony The Pri across the mosaic apple tree on the floor He was dressed in black leathers and a black shirt, and his hair, that wonderful, soft profusion of color, was bright in the lights and against the dark width of his shoulders

As if he sensed her, he stopped and glanced up His eyes flashed like citrines, sparkling, captivating her

And she watched the glow in them dim

Cormia was the one who pivoted away, because she&039;d quite had it with being the one as left Just as she turned, she saw Zsadist co around the corner of the hall of statues His eyes were black as they shifted to her, and she didn&039;t have to ask how Bella was Words weren&039;t necessary, given his dark expression

"I was going to stay with her," she said to the Brother "She asked for lad And thank you"

In the beat of silence, sheover the warrior&039;s chest And there were other weapons on hih she couldn&039;t see thees under his clothes

She wondered where he was going Not the Other Side, as he was dressed for this world Where then? And for what?

"Is he down there waiting for me?" Zsadist asked

"The Primale?" When the Brother nodded, she said, "Er yes, yes, he is"

Odd to be the one who knehere he was and the one to be asked

She thought of his lack of weapons

"Take care of hiy

"Please"

Sohtened Zsadist&039;s face, then he inclined his head once "Yeah, I&039;ll do that"

As Cormia bowed and turned to the hall of statues, Zsadist &039;s low voice stopped her dead: "The baby&039;s not ht"

Cormia looked over her shoulder and wished there were more she could do "I&039;ll purify the room That is e do on the Other Side when I&039;ll purify the room"

"Don&039;t tell her you know"

"I won&039;t" Cormia wanted to reach out to the male Instead, she said, "I&039;ll take care of her Go and do your business with him"

The Brother bowed his head and took off down the stairs

Below in the foyer, Phury rubbed his chest and then stretched, trying to get rid of the ache between his pecs He was surprised at how difficult it was to see Cormia turn away from him

Curiously brutal, as a ht of the Chosen he&039;d met at dawn The difference between her and Corer to be First Mate, her eyes shining as she looked him over as if he were a prize bull It had taken all the manners he had just to stay in the same room with her

She wasn&039;t a bad feh, but her affect ht then and there and get down to it Especially as she&039;d assured him that she was more than ready to serve him and her tradition and that "every bone in her body wanted this"

This clearlyat the end of tonight

Sweet Jesus

Zsadist appeared at the head of the stairwell and cao"

As he ht, Bella wasn&039;t doing well

"Is Bella¡ª"

"Not going there with you" Z lance "We&039;re just about business, you and me"

As Phury frowned and then followed behind, their footsteps echoed up as if one person, not talking along Even with Phury having the prosthesis, he and Z had always had the sa heel to toe, the sa in their arms

Twins

But the siy, didn&039;t they In life, they&039;d gone in two separate directions

Both of which had sucked