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A voice said, "Don’t let him touch you!"

It was an elderly voice

One of the men not armed with a sundowner shot his pistol

Floote, at the top of theseries of thuds

Someone belowdecks screamed

"I said no one ed

He lunged at the sa, fur beco upwards She knew that sensation Of course she knew it She’d experienced it on and offnullification feeling of a preternatural Her mother’s touch

"Hello, little cousin" The Italian held her, vise-like, froether they faced an audience of startled Spotted Custard crew

Oh dear, thought Rue, they were after

For why else send a preternatural, unless you had aCousins

"I a silence "You’re not hunting werecats You’re hunting ht his cheek down to hers She could feel him smile "Never doubt we’ll kill theher alive We’ve no interest in taking any of the quietly, we’ll leave them be Proritted her teeth and squirrasp Unfortunately, he was a lot bigger and stronger He was only h Rue rolled her head away froun to her left A gift Froained overn out for you, there are people whoover thaton about safety, always urging her to learn to fight

"In India, as I understand it Fair ga you at once Took us a while to catch up and by that tiet into London these days And, of course, you’ve many friends there, don’t you, cousin? Not to land, not any row to hate this man "And Queen Victoria cut me loose, too Withdrew the Crown’s protection"

"You’ve no sundoeapon, have you, cousin?" He pressed his own sundowner against her side, a cold hard reuardian as well as her adopted father, and she’d known it was some sort of deal her parents struck to keep the va her She hadn’t realised that it incurred an obligation of protection froally an adult, that protection was gone And then she’d cocked up her legal standing with the Crown as well

What had Darown up and a fully-fledged independent now, and knowing your faun" She’d dis overprotective and worried