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Nick reached for the earring

"Clear!" Curran roared "Clear if you want to live!"

People scattered, putting distance between theet it to Bahir’s box or it would claiiant

Nick’s fingers touched the gold He took a step toward the circle His eyes turned white

His body snapped into a rigid stance His hand crept up, shaking from the muscle strain Muscles in his face jerked An inch Another inch The lure of the djinn was too great It pro, every desire fulfilled, every wish granted, unlimited power, untold wealth, supernatural justiceIt told hi he wanted Nick was about to slide the earring into his ear

Curran sht cru flew through the air, painfully slow, and Curran’s fingers closed about it

No

Curran’s fur stood on its end His face turned flat He took a slow small step toward the circle His eyes stared into the distance, unseeing, as if he had gone blind

No, no, no

"He can’t have you," I told hiht hi his head His jaws lengthened Bigger fangs thrust out of his jaws He was becoan to s away behind the curtain of the djinn’s ic

I stepped in front of him "Curran, do you love me?"

He focused onup

A shape began to form in the air just ahead of us, translucent and weak, but I would recognize its outlines anywhere The djinn had searched Curran’s mind for a powerful eh d’Ambray, because Curran wanted to kill him If Curran took the bait, I would lose him forever

I cutit with liquid heat "Give "

Curran shook, every id with tension

"If you ever loved ers and let it fall" My blood snapped into a gauntlet, obeying ic It should shield h’s forers opened The earring fell and I caught it withopen doors inside uilty thought, it knew theed my soul

I took a step Far ahead ofat the circle’s boundary, binding hi the portal open

Twenty yards left Dear God