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"The men in blue robes are Conclave shield weavers," Tae’s shields Since these are Ronan’s best students, I can’t risk anyone being hurt"

"So, Ta so close to theain I won’t let it"

Taainst ripped the chair’s armrests Tam had never been able to do that before

"Stop it"

His laughter stopped "Just a demonstration, Raine What happened between us is still there We’re not entirely separate anys are beyonds are impossible to resistLike you Please stay away from me"

Don’t think about Ta again right now Eternal da sex didn’t last nearly long enough--damnation lasted an eternity That tossed a bucket of ice water on ot on you?"

Silence "It’s complicated," he finally said

"With you it always is," I irl, Tam I can handle cole You ain, but you didn’t keep it Then you killed the person you ain with In my family that makes any and all deals null and void How does it work in your faht hoorks in e

"The Khrynsani aren’t your faht, and concluded in the span of two seconds

Oh hell

The Khrynsani worked for Tam’s family The Mal’-Salins

I just sat there A Khrynsani shaht next to s fell into place for me and it wasn’t pretty

The Khrynsani wanted me, whichthe legal road Their shaet to pick either your enemies or your faer in your back

Talance flicked back to the dining suite He was gone

Piaras appeared at my side and I damned near ju on so I didn’t want to disturb you"

"You didn’t disturb me, kid You scared the crap out ofattention" I was too busy realizing that Tam’s family had somehow roped hi with hi who the voyeur was, but I turned and looked to the front table anyway Yep, it was Carnades I was half terinned sheepishly "Well, how did I do?"

"Absolutely beautiful" I didn’tbut wanted e shields, everybody out here would’ve been--"

I sucked inthe skin betweenthere exceptI was being groped by invisible fingers I stepped back and the touching didn’t stop I blew out my breath in short puffs and looked at Carnades’s table He was turned away fro to sorippedyou"

"It’s… not you" My breath caard was beside ers suddenly splayed, the tips pressing into ainst the center of my chest Power radiated inward frohred surged against the hand from inside of e like a vise I couldn’t breathe at all Piaras’s face blurred and faded I was going to pass out

"Raine!" It was Vegard I could see his face, but his voice sounded like he was yelling doell I dimly heard him call for Mychael

With the pressure caht crushed asping mouth and nose with the sharp, coppery scent of blood More blood than one body could hold, the blood of hundreds, thousands of screanant And evil Gleefully evil

Black flowers blooe of my vision The hand onh bone My silent scream became one of the thousands as I fell into darkness

Chapter 13

"It wasn’t Tam," I said for the umpteenth time