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She couldn’t suffer that either She put both her hands up to ward him off

Then there came a swirl of fabric and the scent of apple blosso cal her back aboard the Custard and away fro Away frolassy wolf eyes Up the gangplank and through a silentPercy, and down the stairs, and into the privacy of the captain’s quarters

There Rue could heave out the sobs of certain loss that coe For Paas meant to be immortal, and for the first time Rue knew that he was not

FOUR

In Which the Maccon Fa Rue’s back and ood like that She didn’t ask rong

Finally Rue said, "I" – sniff – "hate" – sniff – "stays"

"Let’s get you out of that corset, then, shall we?" Which was a ood a friend Pri and tried not to know that Rue rarely wore underpinnings Now she pretended delight at helping her strip and cliown

Rue loved her for the pretence

"Prie of the counterpane and looked at her hands, trying not to cry again

Priht about that"

"It’s Alpha’s curse"

Prim did not mollify that horrible statement with platitudes "Do you kno old he is, your father?"

"Old enough"

"Is that what it looks like, the curse?"

"It differs, depending on the Alpha There are not h Priht at me and yet did not see me And in his eyes there was only the wolf No Paw"

Priht want to talk to someone who knows more about this situation"

"Dama?" Rue scrubbed at her face with her hand

"No – yourto do, but I believe you should confront her Theythis fro that he should have deteriorated this quickly"