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Her boot splashed in atowards the Cider Orchard A good place to hide in a rainstorhs, to think about what she suspected and reason it out so she knehat to do and how to react if he asked her Rain gushed around her,her shiver, but not with cold Her e Colvin’s hands in the tunnel He had not pulled away, had not rejected her as he usually did She bit her lip, unable to rein in her thoughts What else could it be? Sowe and Brynn had their account from Edmon, his close friend – close as a brother There were no words to describe how she felt, how her heart tus of heat and chills at the same time

The Cider Orchard looh the rain and mist to hide herself and calm her emotions She was soaked and muddy She did not care She just needed a moment alone, a moment before she would have to face hiht Was there anyone else she cared aboutwonderful between theainst its trunk, heaving with the effort of walking so fast She leaned her head back against the fir off her hood to listen to the rain Think, Lia Just think A wretched could marry into Family It had happened before, had it not? The Mediuh

With her hood down, she realized that so her name At first she dreaded it was Duerden, but her heart shuddered in recognition of the voice It was too soon How could she face Colvin without crying? Without fainting? It was happening too fast It was too soon She was not ready

"Lia!" his voiced called again and she heard hih the mud

She hurried to her feet and had taken only a few steps when he discovered her Rain ran down his face, his hair a wetwas hard, he had obviously labored to catch up with her

"You walk…so quickly…I was calling after you…"

She shook her head a ue work "I did not hear you The rain I turned around when I did"

"I alad you stopped Why are you out here?"

"The Aldermaston…well, he said…well, it does not really matter Did you stop at the kitchen first?"

"No, I saw you crossing the grounds"

"It is warmer in the kitchen" She felt like an idiot Her

"Of course it is warmer in the kitchen Why are you out here in the rain? Is so?"

"No It does notyou neededafterhow alone they were and her heart burned so ht she would never be able to s She noticed his hand and hungrily wanted to grasp it

"Lia, I wanted to tell you so I have tried, but sowith you from my tome, which I left in my chamber I had to tell you before we rass "I wanted to tell you since I came, but I could not Not until now"

"TellShe could not stop herself froht"

"I should take you back"

"Just tell ly

"Here, away fro her with hiested it, actually, after I told her about you"

Lia nearly fainted She sed, her thoughts blazing She could not speak She could only lean back against the trunk of the apple tree and gaze at his face, watching his ertips bit into the bark as she waited breathlessly for hiazed down, then into her eyes Rainwater trickled down his cheek "There is a power that the Alderh the Medium, they can adopt you into a Faree to do this very often But it does happen" He sed, steadying himself "Lia, my sister and I…ould like you to be part of our Family To be a Price To share our Family nahts ca down around her like stones "You want…you want me to be your…your sister?" she whispered in disbelief