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"What kind of look?"

"I don’t know," he says, his grin growing "But I think it ht be … a smile"

I smack him on the shoulder Hard

"I can’t be sure," he continues, "because I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one on your face before, but it definitely looks like--Hey!"

I start s with every hit He’s laughing, I’rabs each of hter slowly dies The look in his dark eyes says he feels the saaze drops to my mouth and I suck in a breath

"Gretchen …"

His head startsslowness My eyes drift shut I can feel his breath on my lips, hot and daic arc between our lips, like the spark of static electricity when you reach for a metal doorknob in winter I shiver as the sensation skitters down my spine

Then our lips hter than a butterfly on a flower But I feel it … everywhere

Then Nick is pulling back and my eyes open He has the saether,His smile takes over his face

"Gretchen!" Grace’s voice echoes around me "Here we are!"

I look up the sidewalk to where Grace and Greer are standing outside the bakery Grace is waving like wild, trying to get o"

Nick doesn’t release my wrists "This isn’t finished"

No, it’s not I shake o I turn away from his serious expression and start up the street

"Oh no," Nick says

I turn back A black spot has appeared in the street a few feet froht next to Nick

Not now Can’t the beastie real down a monster isn’t exactly convenient at the moment, but it’s still part of the job description

I face the portal, ready for whatever steps through The creature that appears in the eryon--a hideous thing with three giant bodies joined at the shoulders, three ugly heads, and three sets of beady eyes It’s backed by two pairs of diseased-looking wings with feathers falling off, leaving raw, gaping wounds Technically, the thing is iant Chrysaor But the gene pool definitely got corrupted along the way

The geryon looks at runts I don’t think it can even speak

Nick moves to my side, like he wants to protect me He of all people should know I can take care of this et in the way

I’m about to tell hiazes focus ondirectly at Nick, one of its faces contorts into a look of pure fury