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Winter shriveled back The basket slipped froround

Before her, Levana shed the guise of the old wo its skin

"My researchers assured me the disease would act quickly," said the queen, her cold eyes roving over Winter’s skin Curious Delighted

Winter’s thoughts spun, puzzling out the truth fro out truths from illusions

Where was Jacin? Why was Levana here? Was this another nightmare, a hallucination, a trick?

Her sto absorbed into your bloodstream even at this verythe devoured candy roiling inside her She pictured her heart, her arteries, her platelet- down their conveyor belts "Microbes?"

"Oh, don’t worry Young and able-bodied thing that you are, it should be an hour or two still before you begin to show symptoms A rash of blood-filled blisters will erupt on your perfect skin The tips of your delicate fingers will shrivel and turn blue…" Levana grinned "I do wish I could be here to witness it"

Winter peered through the forest, toward her allies Levana would stop her if she tried to run She wondered if she could get out a screa your friends? Don’t worry I’o, little princess I will let you return to them and infect them yourself They made a mistake when they chose you over "

She faced her stepain "Why do you hate me?"

"Hate you? Oh, child Is that what you think?" Levana placed her cool fingers on Winter’s cheek, over the scars she’d given her years before "I don’t hate you I am merely annoyed at your existence" Her thumb caressed Winter’s cheek "Fro I ever wanted Your beauty Your father’s love And now, the adoration of the people My people" She drew her hand away "But not for long Your father is dead Your beauty will soon be tarnished And now that you are a carrier of the blue fever, any citizen who coret it"

Winter’s sto absorbed through the lining of her sto into her veins Each beat of her heart pushed it further through her systee Of all the tortures she had seen her step merciful about this death A slow, calm acceptance

"You could have their adoration too, you know," she said, watching as Levana’s condescending smile hardened to her face "If you were kind to the your slaves If you didn’t threaten them and their loved ones for every minor crime If you shared the riches and the coue stilled

"I am queen," Levana whispered "I am the queen of Luna and I will decide the best way to rule --will take this froo tend toback, Winter turned toward the people If she could see just one person, get off one warning …

But then the forest closed in around her and she collapsed, unconscious, to the ground

Sixty-Three

"Have you seen Winter?"

Alpha Stro the upward-stabwo to face Scarlet "I have not"

Scarlet scanned the hectic crowd for the thousandth ti ti his head back, Strom sniffed a few times at the air, then shook his head "It seems she hasn’t been around for a while now Perhaps she’s found so out her own eye with a stick I’ood for her to be left alone"

Gruestured at one of the beta members of his pack, then sha his keen eyes into the crowd, before turning and gazing into the forest

"You’re being creepy," said Scarlet