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I sit down on the chair and listen intently

"But the defects are watched all their lives by the Sect," she goes on "Just as a precaution I was commissioned to be the one atched Claire I didn’t know she wasstory short, I found out through a blood test after I had befriended her, and soirl Innocent"--she eyes Victor coldly with blame--"I became protective of her And because she wasThey found out And that’s when they realized I had been coles to adjust her position but just ends up slouched against the wall in the exact saue after they tried to reform me Solis and the SC-4 couldn’t find ht--I learned froht to evade them" She lowers her eyes "But I couldn’t stay away from Claire I wanted to protect her, because I knew the Sect would eventually go after her if they couldn’t find me Claire kneas her sister, but I never told her what else I was, or as after her, so it was hard in the beginning to er and I convinced her to move But she did and I made sure she was safe while I let her live her life Claire fell in love--with Niklas--and I was intrigued by it so I never tried to put a stop to it and I never had any suspicions I was free, experiencing a strange new life--from the shadows, of course; I couldn’t involvea plethora of emotions that I’d never felt before And it ue made me blind Eventually they found her and came for her"

"Those men in the house," I say, "were they part of the SC-4?"

"Yes," she says, and then she eyes Victor again, "but they weren’t the only ones sent to kill Claire"

I want to look back at Victor, too, but I can’t will myself to do it I have so many questions for him, and I know that he holds all of the answers that will put everything else to rest, but like he said, this isn’t the time or place

I stand from the chair and pace the tile in my boots, my arms crossed over ain

"Why didn’t you just kill eance is what you wanted, why this elaborate gaesture a hand in front ofnot only on Victor and Niklas, but on the rest of us? Why not just take one of us out?" I ht be thinking the sa His eyes pass over mine slowly, as if he wants to keep theht about it, and then he looks back down at Nora with all the hatred he can ly eriht She never tries to cover her naked breasts, but I guess I wouldn’t care much about shame either if I had just been tortured

"I didn’t just coht at Victor "I came here because I want to join your Order"

I feel my eyes widen in ot to be kiddingher head slowly, "actually I’m very serious Why do you think I did all this?" She tries to gesture a hand, but pain shoots through her when she lifts her ar my abilities And what better way to show you all what I’rand tour?"

Victor shakes his head with disbelief

"You are insane," he says

I’anization, Faust," she goes on "I a you’ve ever wanted in an operative, Victor"--her words burn me even if it wasn’t her intention--"and you can’t deny it as ht now I have proven ly allowed myself to be tortured by the h anyone who hears it in our underground world--I cannot be broken" She narrows her gaze on hier be co, wicked woman she had been before she was tortured