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Daisy, already knowing that this is probably Harry’s doing, nods and gestures for Caether

"If you need me," Zia says, "just yell" She looks at Alex once and then at ain with that distrustful look in her charcoal-painted eyes

"She’s chained to the wall," I say to Zia, "She won’t be able to hurt me I’ll be fine"

Hesitant, Zia finally leaves too, and Harry pretends to follow her up, but I have a feeling that he hasn’t really gone anywhere at all, but only ht here," he says init

I turn back to Alex "What happened?" I want to ask if she’s alright I want to run upstairs and grab a First-Aid kit and some peroxide, but I know she’s fine and that in no ti to warn you," she says and I’ for months"

"Warn me about what?" I sit down in front of her and move away some strands of hair adhered to the side of her face by dirt and blood

"You won’t believeher head fall to one side near her shoulder "And I can’t blame you if you don’t"

"I can’t say that I will," I whisper, "but I want to hear what you have to say I’ll at least listen to you"

She raises her head again and tries to sit up straighter, positioning her back against the wall, the sound of the chains bound around her wrists clanking against the floor

I won’t remove them I’m not stupid

Her blue eyes meet mine and all that I see in them is pain and sha will be alright, but I know I can’t do that, either For a lances around the room as if to make sure we are alone and then she looks back at ins, "soas"

I don’t say anything, but I just look in at her intrusively, oes on, "I don’t know…it’s really strange…"

"No," I urge her, "just tell ht seem"

She nods a few tiirl met with Viktor several tins of pain, "and Viktor…well, I get the feeling he’s afraid of her--that’s one reason why it’s strange"

I nod but reo on I just need her to tellthe truth, or not

Her breath is unsteady, but slowly it’s beco…I-I don’t knowabout her or what she and Viktor are involved in, but…Well, it took a few visits for me to realize that she wants you dead You, Dria…and I don’t care that we’re bound by eneer"

Not believing this, I rise to my feet and step away from her, completely out of her reach Continuously, I shaketo let her manipulate me with her deadliest weapon: sisterly love

"Dria, I don’t care if you keep me down here forever," she says, her voice hardened and tre you the truth I’ up ht? Just tell irl Who is she, Alex? What does she look like?"

The truth is that I do want to talk about us, but I can’t let her know that And it’s not the ilances down at her bound hands, coiling her fingers around one another, maybe out of nervousness,her in like she had hoped She looks back up at e-looking with bright white-looking eyes and long, white hair Dria, she’s not hu," Harry says, "just let her talk, but don’t elaborate about ing up to Alex that this girl is a Praverian, and is probably the one we’re after

"But you said she was Viktor’s fledgling?"

"Yes," Alex nods "I overheard theht Viktor said soift--the power of a Black Beast--and that she owed hi her head "Oh, she didn’t like that much They went at it, like fists and claws at it, y’know? Last thing I heard her say was that if anything, Viktor ed her and that if he ever said anything about her to anyone that she’d kill Arah lance toward the wall, plunged deeply into the memory and then I turn back to ently pointing towards her, "You were the one that went to Trajan to warn hi in this house"

Alex nods "Yeah, I went to hi the truth," Harry says in my mind "I haven’t sensed an ounce of dishonesty in her yet"

Alex goes on:

"I was doing it to protect you," she says "I really didn’t care about Aramei, but I knew if I tried to come to you or to Isaac, that no one would believe er and that the threat was living inside this house It didn’t really turn out like I planned He was going to kill ed his mind and decided to use me instead"