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"But--" Nadia looked back at Mateo, as staring at her as though he had never seen her before

Such distractions ill-suited a Sorceress, but this lesson was one better taught by experience Elizabeth smiled thinly "As you will Say farewell to your forht, you present yourself to ht" Then Nadia blinked and said,her arain, the water swirled up to cocoon her and carry her across the waves As it shatter-splashed onto the beach, Elizabeth s to explore

Now the One Beneath was close Now He could give her strength Now He could reward his servants--

--including Nadia

How badly He had wanted Nadia to join the bloodlines to take up ic in his service Already He valued Nadia

Soon He would treasure her beyond any of His other possessions

Even though Elizabeth was the one who had served Him for centuries, the one ould ht flickered in her ht iiven to her to question the One Beneath She was to love and serve Hiht of reward

And yet the hot ember of new jealousy burned down deep within her heart

Mateo felt numb He pushed himself to his feet to walk toward Nadia

She stood before hi "I had to do it," she said, and her voice broke "I know you don’t understand I know you can’t forgive me for it But it was the only way, Mateo Please believe me"

Very slowly he said, "Of course I believe you"

Nadia sobbed once, but she shook her head, like it couldn’t be true

Mateo grabbed her into his embrace "Don’t you think I know you’d never do that unless--that you just gave yourself up for all of us? Nadia Oh, Jesus, Nadia I know you I love you You did what you had to do" He kissed her hair, clutched her close, and let her cry her heartbreak into his chest, so that the sound was lost in the rolling of the sea

Verlaine sat in the hospital room, her head on the same pillow as Uncle Gary She’d already cried all of her tears for Asa If the worst happened now, she didn’t think she could cry any anymore All the emotion that had been drained out of everybody else when they looked at her--she was starting to think it had been drained fro left of her but resignation