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Medusa maneuvered herself firmly on top of him and stuffed a fistful of icy snon the back of his tunic Tom shook her off and tried to recapture her before she flitted away from him, but she was too swift and darted out of his reach

He heaved hirinned at hi flames

"My ploy worked," Tom told her "You like that fire now"

She cocked her head "Your fire’s at my mercy I could put it out and ditch the sio"

Medusa said nothing The flalittered in her black eyes Their skir she tended to hide under locks of dark hair froaze traced over it, and Medusa see at She turned her head away

"No, wait," To to her side of the fire "You don’t have toI ht you don’t care if"

"I don’t"

He stood there a moment, dismayed, uncertain what to do Then he reached out for her, and she flinched back

"What, you said you don’t care," Tom pointed out "Either you care or you don’t care what I’, Tom" Her voice was acidic "I am used to it So, no, I don’t care anymore"

"So why are you upset when I--"

"It’s different with you"

The implication slammed him: he’d done this He had to fix it

This tiently by the shoulder before she could pull back When he lifted his palm to brush the dark strands of her hair aside, her hand flew to the sword in his scabbard Tom let her draw it if she wanted to Soon, he could see her face, thatits way froid, and he was vaguely aware of the savering indecisively between them, like she couldn’t decide whether to sink it into him or toss it aside Tom’s hand hovered over her cheek He wasn’t sure whether this was okay, so he stayed that way, feeling the war from her skin

"Does it hurt?" he asked her

Her black eyes flashed up to his The point of the sword bit into his abdomen "The nerves are dead What do you think?"

To the words out "I lost allthis, but he held his hands up, the only offering he had "And I know the nerves are dead and they’re not even there any it, but sometimes they hurt It’s weird It’s stupid"

Medusa considered hi back down She planted it in the ground by her feet "I shouldn’t have tried to kick out your fire"

"You were right It would’ve gottenfla, so he sank down next to her They faced each other in the wavering golden light, and Medusa took his hand, then raised it so it hovered near her jaw again