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Nadia turned toward hi too close for co?"

"What are you doing, uess You meant to kindly inforer with the living Why you thought she’d enjoy that knowledge is beyond me, but it’s the only sensible possibility" Asa raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Faye Walsh next to them, paused in place as she attempted to crouch and take cover behind her seat "If ‘sensible’ co lectures fro around in his skin, not letting her know her own child is dead?"

"What I think is irrelevant I didn’t ask for a role in Elizabeth’s little dramatic production, but I play it as best I can Let the Prasads live without grief while they can I pro" His expression had been unreadable for as redients Aren’t you? Love is powerful, Nadia Maybe more powerful than you realize Certainly more than you can control"

This chaos--this was because she loved Mateo so much? Nadia felt a sick sort of shiver inside "Why are you talking toyou out"

"Helping?"

Asa held out his hands, gesturing at the entire frozen-in-place scene around thes, to think how you ht undo the worst of what you’ve done? Very useful, if you’ll take advantage of it But I’d hurry up, if I were you My existence is eternal, but my patience isn’t"

Nadia knew better than to trust a demon’s word "Why would you help ht me here doesn’t make me her servant," he said, very quietly He stepped even closer, tilted his head, as if studying her expression; she could feel the heat radiating froh her clothes "I serve the One Beneath, not her Yes, if she co that helps them both, I have to do it But that doesn’tainst her, if it doesn’t betray my unholy lord and master You think I’m your enemy, but there are ways I could be a very powerful ally, Nadia"

For asome sliver of the truth?

But she said only, "You need Mrs Prasad to believe in you again, or else you’ll have blown your cover You’ll be punished"

He sh her--as though he knehat she looked like without her clothes "You say it so easily What do you think the punishments of hell are like? Have you ever considered that?"

Her heart thumped wildly in her chest "It doesn’t et it for her own sake So I guess it’s your lucky day"

"Only if you think fast" Asa held up his hands, obviously about to allow tiain, this ti was simple, really Basic And one of the first lessons she’d learned, one she ought to have remembered before noas that the simplest way out was alain, and she heard the chunk of the ax against wooden seats, but Nadia kept concentrating on the spell