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Giovanni’s face swam before me, close, pale, and drawn, clearer than memory, more clouded than reality I couldn’t hear him, but his lips for ritual enveloped one Agony floodedbut pain and silence Giovanni’s face beforeElinor over and over Pain Elinor, Elinor, Elinor Pain Elinor, Elinor Giovanni

Shuddering, I sucked breath throughmemory that threatened to unbalance me These are not my memories, I fiercely reminded myself I can control this

Mzatal’s advice came back to ah Slowly, the disturbing memory retreated back to its lair It felt different froht e "I’ memory"

He let out a snort and nodded as if satisfied that I un the ruins

The two faas abruptly chittered and went still as stone, including their tails I’d never, ever, seen a faas still Ever A heartbeat later they both darted off and through the rocks I blinked in surprise, about to turn and head back down the hill when I felt it: a lord’s aura And not Rhyzkahl’s, I realized with dismay This aura was cold No, not just cold Cold As Fuck

Shit I so did not want to deal with any lord right now, especially one that even the faas would hide from What the hell was that all about? But I couldn’t see any other way down the hill, and I wasn’t sile like the faas who’d apparently ducked and hid behind so on a boulder that was partially tucked behind a section of the ruins Maybe this lord was sis, and would then leave without bothering to look around Maybe if I stayed super still he wouldn’t notice ht with a scowl I scuttled back into the shadow and as out of sight as I could get

I breathed as shallowly as possible, listening to the fall of his footsteps on the stone and peering through a gap in the coluynous, he sauntered into the center of the ruins, then lifted his head, nostrils flaring as though scenting

He turned to look directly at me Fuck

Primal instinct screaht now to breathe, much less move

His eyes narrowed "Co back the unreasoning terror, I silently cursed If I refused there was no telling what he’d do I clih I tookso My eyes aze away Beautiful A shocking amethyst color that reminded me of the syraza But I didn’t like as behind those eyes, didn’t want to see any ht have been a ruthless serial killer, but he was a puppy compared to this dude

I stopped about ten feet away A smile played on the lord’s lips

"Co a spot directly in front of him

My skin crawled as I moved forward His aura flowed overa shudder of na near the creepiest person I’d ever known tihtly, which only served to increase the ick-factor A shiver raced over er instead of theterror that wanted to come out

He stepped closer so that he was barely a foot in front ofdeeply as his aura surrounded me, viscous and dark Slowly he moved around me My breaths became shallow, and I clenchedHe stopped behind ht back a shiver