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"Brother, hold" Max put a hand on Malachi’s shoulder

"Take me to oing to be aout of your ive her tio very badly"

Malachi vibrated with need His heart was racing just knowing she ithin reach He ached for her, but he tried to think of Ava’s needs before his own She thought hi to be a shock no rip on the doorknob and stepped back

"When?"

"It’s not even dawn," Da her to you later today But let us give her tiet, Malachi, she felt you die You don’t reone, but she lost half her soul that day She barely ate She has grieved, brother This may be far more difficult for her to accept than any of us can know"

"And you are not yourself," Max added, squeezing Malachi’s shoulder "You barely remember her You barely remember any of your past You love her, but you don’t know her anyain"

"Give us tihtened awe, came to hi her to you"

Chapter Twenty

AsBrooke at the scribe house in Oslo, she was anxious to get away It only o back to the human world that much harder She didn’t want to witness the easy camaraderie of the Oslo scribes, which renize the open adoration the men showered on Brooke and her mother--whohted in every childish story the girl told and answered any question Candace put to them The older scribes were obviously more accustomed to Irina--one of the men was mated to Chelsea, who had been at Sarihöfn--but they doted on the women no less because of it

They were exhausted fro but still had time to cook breakfast for all of thee old house in the middle of Oslo They welcomed Orsala onder, clearly honored to have the elder Irina in their ho-looking scribe clearly had to hold hih the door

"They’ve come back," she heard him whisper to his brother He didn’t even try to hide the tears in his eyes "Do you think… they’ve really conore it all She hid in the s their kind eyes and welcoh she was exhausted When she finally dozed offnear the foot of the bed

"Rhys? What are you doing here?"

"No one had seen you for hours," Rhys said quietly A bashful sood to see you, Ava"

"What are you doing in Oslo?" Her voice was hoarse, and she reached for the bottle of water near the bed

"Max called us He’s in the city"