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“But even when they were ’tite old women who’d lived such lives, cher”—raw pride in every word—“they would act as nant tenderness, the grief teainstwhile I held them as I’d done since they were babies with dirty faces and a hundred kisses for their brother

“‘Janvier,’ they would say, ‘dat Arnaud, he’s a lazy saleau He sits on his behind all day long while his pa-pere carries and fetches And did you hear what Colette did? She put a cunja on dat jolie jeune fille I said you should marry’” A thickness in his voice “It didn’t matter when I came, they always had room at their table for me, and a hundred stories to tell”

Ashwini could alile mortal sisters protectively in his embrace Until one day, there were noout, she comforted him the sa his cheek in a touch that said he wasn’t alone

He took her hand, pressed his lips to her knuckles before releasing her

“Do you stay in touch with any of their descendants?” she asked, his name written so deep in her heart, it would never be erased

He laughed, and the sound was big and warator should I le family event Their descendants are as fierce as lorious I’ll take you to the next fais do-do—or I’ll say we’re co and it’ll be the excuse they need for a party Then you’ll see what a wild family I call mine”

Ashwini had known soinal families, but she’d never met one who spoke of his family with such affection For ht of the new Or they’d become too inhuood fais do-do As long as you haven’t told thear, you are already a favorite My family thinks I need so to stay here, to talk and laugh and flirt, insulated froht their tied to a woman whose life had been stolen from her with heartless cruelty

They stepped out without any need to discuss the point

“Your fancy car will be safe here?” It was an artwork of a er lots with security?”

“Elena owns an interest in the blood café over there,” he told her, to her surprise “She set up this lot for anyone from the Guild or the Toho needs to use it in this part of the city—it has top-of-the-line security Your Guild hasn’t told you?”

Ashinced “Memo must be in my Guild in-box Haven’t checked it for a while” Words had never been her friend “I’m dyslexic Got help late, and while I can read fine if I putfor ate behind thean to walk in the direction of the clubs “I didn’t learn to read until I was in Neha’s court”