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"You coddle her"

"She’s sick She needs to be coddled"

Madoc stood up to his full height and stared down at her with bright green eyes devoid of allher"

"Not froance "You’re a fool if you think you knohat’s right for her"

"Then I’ht, but I swear to God, if you hurt her, I’ll kill you as slow as a ry heaviness of it bear down on her She stuave her a cold, empty smile "You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep Didn’t Paul tell you that when he collared you?"

"She doesn’t know the ways of our world yet," said Paul "But it’s not going to ht?"

Madoc shrugged "Guess we’ll see"

"I’ him alone with her," said Andra

"Sure you are We have a deal And while we’re all herepromises" Madoc knelt down in front of Andra He drew his sword and cut open his chest, right through his shirt "My life for yours"

Thank God Paul still had a hold on her arm or she would have fallen on her ass just then Madoc’s vow felt like a lead blanket covering her Trapping her

"What the hell?" she ave her another eot a shitload et ho hand over her bare back "Don’t worry about it Everything is going to be fine" He shot Madoc’s chest a lance "Clean yourself up"

"Sure will Then the two of you can get the hell out The crazy girl and I have work to do"

"She’s not in any shape to work," she told Madoc as he went to the adjoining bathroom

Andra moved to follow hi an ass Paul stepped in front of her and she ran into his hard body

"Leave it alone, Andra"

"I can’t She’s my sister She’s weak and she can’t look out for herself"

"Madoc won’t hurt her And soh theagain"

"It should be ot to live with it Trying to stop hi to hurt you, and I can’t let that happen"

Nika had quieted, but she was still staring at the ceiling, her lipsover and over in a silent chant Andra hadn’t been able to do anything for her, but Madoc seeet her to listen Maybe it was best if she let hi

Except that thing Paul had helped her do earlier to get her to eat Maybe if she could convince him to show her how to do that, she could learn to help Nika on her own He said she had power now, and she knew exactly how she wanted to use it

"Okay," said Andra, feeling a glimmer of hope

"You knohat she likes to eat," said Madoc as he ca and leave it outside the door I’ll get her to eat"

Andra prayed his confidence wasn’t hollow "Just be careful with her"

"Yeah, yeah She’s fragile and all that shit I got it already Now get the fuck out"

Chapter 12

Paul took care of burning the clothes he and Madoc had bled on during their oaths to Andra While the cloth burned, he found her a clean shirt to cover the te swell of her breasts

When he came back into the kitchen, Andra had made a mountain of food for Nika "There’s no way she’ll be able to eat all of this," he told her

"I know, but she freaks out over certain textures and colors This way she’ll have sos to choose froured you all could, too"

Her ry red patch of skin where she’d burned her hand on soh the luceria, he felt her frustration Her fear for Nika’s life Her determination not to fail her sister

He didn’t dare tell her it would be okay Life had taught him that it often wasn’t People died every day Eventually, Nika would, too

"I want to try to reach her," said Andra "The way you did with Sammy"

"We can try," he told her

Hope lit her face, but he held his hand up before she could get carried away "Don’t get your hopes up too high"

"Hope is all I have right now"

"I get that Believe e happened so long ago"

"I don’t care how small the chance is I have to try Just tell ot to learn to control my power so you can use it"

"How do I do that?" she asked