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Alec had heard the phrase about senses "swi" in the past, but he never truly understood just what it meant until he woke fro around hiravely wounded by the fact that he didn&039;t have the strength to reach out mentally to make sure Cora was not harmed in any way The fact that he felt as drained of life as when he had given up in the Akasha told him the rest of what he needed to know - that damned Eleanor had killed him

Well, almost killed hi her death

After a few , with ht of how Cora would fuss over hih to tell her that he had al of a fa a tre to reach Cora, and relaxed, letting what ree It wasn&039;t until a sense of her despair reached hiain to reach her hts that she really did love him as she claimed

He smiled to himself as Cora ranted to him about Eleanor, aware now of the faint sounds of Pia and Kristoff speaking over him as they bound his wounds With that awareness cah his body and left him breathless with the need to scream, but he knew that would be a wasted effort

Instead, he pushed the pain down, fighting to keep his ony that threatened to consume him Only when he was in control of it did he open his eyes and look up at Kristoff as his arm was bound to his chest

"Thanks," he said, his voice coave him a smile, but was immediately pushed out of the way by Pia, who bent over him, her face ith tears, as she said, "Alec! Don&039;t speak!"

"Hello, Pia," he said, su to move Kristoff has bound up your neck and shoulder, but you shouldn&039;t try tountil after the healer comes to take care of you"

He was touched by the evidence of Pia&039;s tears, but his thoughts, inevitably, turned to Cora What had she thought when she first believed he was dead? Was she angry? Sad? Relieved?

Try devastated beyond human belief, and if you don&039;t do what Pia says and relax so you can heal, you&039;ll find out just how cranky feelings of devastation ain to hier that gnawed deep inside hiled to ain that which had been destroyed

He drifted for a bit, jerking back to awareness only when soer finally perth, he shoved hi with growing fury at the scene before hih, alled to his feet, one arm still bound to his chest "Kris, you should have stopped Sally"

"Oh, for the love of god," Piaover to him "Don&039;t distract Cora! Sally said it&039;s very important that no one disrupt the process, or she&039;ll lose control of Bael"

Beloved, what the hell do you think you&039;re doing?

Cora shot hi the monstrosity that snarled and screaet rid of Bael You&039;re the one who said that&039;s what needs to be done Why are you up? How do you feel? Are you in pain? You are, aren&039;t you? I can feel you hiding so from me Lay back down, you silly man, and I&039;ll feed you as soon as I&039;m done here

"I am not a child that you nity around hi heavily to one side

Cora must have noticed the list "Sit down before you hurt your owies"

"I anoring the pain and tearing feeling on his left side "We do not have owies! We have grievous, nearly fatal injuries!"

The entity that was Bael in his true form writhed and twisted upon itself as it cursed in Latin

"Seriously?" Sally said, tsking and shaking her head at the horrible sight "I don&039;t think you&039;re in any position toher eyes fro from human to deet Alec a chair before he does rievous, nearly fatal injuries?"

Bael shifted his for to the form he wore previously "You will suffer as no one has ever suffered," he told Sally, his eyes literally glowing red "Do not think that enerosity with you in the past will affect my punishment of this insurrection"

"It&039;s mutiny, I think Isn&039;t it?" Sally asked Dia one arm around her protectively Do not fear, Beloved I am here to protect you

My fear is for you, not me, silly, she answered, but with her words caht hiratitude You idiot man, you

"Death will seem like heaven by the time I&039;m done with you," Bael snarled at Sally, impotent to act, clearly bound by his oer that Sally was using against him The three Tools stood in a se an arc through which the poas focused directly at Bael, bathing the deht

"Here, Alec, sit in this" Pia dragged the led remains of a chair over toward hilance

"Your death, when it pleases me to end your torment, will be my most exquisite act yet," Bael proht the bonds of his oer "I will make you wish that no woled

"Oh, Bael, and I hoped we could do this without threats and na her head

"Hope has deserted you," Bael growled in a voice that made Alec want to push Cora behind him

"You think?" Sally tipped her head to the side, and ss on the planet, you&039;re awfully careless about what goes on in Abaddon, specificallybut no, you probably aren&039;t interested"

"Careless? I am never careless Every action, every detail, has been part of my master plan" Bael looked alnorance to confuse lack of attention with indepth schemes the like of which you will never understand"

"Really? " Sally gave a one-shouldered shrug "So then you knew all along who I a in her voice that had hi to look at her Kristoff&039;s eyebroere raised, indicating that he, too, had picked up on it He glanced at Cora She seemed perfectly in control, her expression serene

Bael&039;s eyes narrowed until they were little black slits "Your role in ins concern s like that and I just can&039;t resist showing you," she responded with a light, tinkling laugh, and for an infinitesiht blinded Alec It was gone before he could even blink, but he knew by the expression of profound disbelief on Bael&039;s face that he hadn&039;t iined it

"Youthat can&039;thow" Bael got a grip on himself and took a deep breath, obviously in preparation for as likely to be a group-wide curse Alec couldn&039;t risk Cora being injured, and lurched toward the demon lord to stop him

"Silence!" Sally commanded, her voice a whipcrack that was al at her "As delightful as it would be to chitchat s to do, and Cora&039;s Dark One appears to be under the h to stand, so I&039;ll cut this short and simply say that Bael, known also as Beelzebub, preions, by this light, by , I do banish thee"

Bael&039;s screae in it so great, it slah the rooered backward, doing his best to protect Cora froed body He gritted his teeth, fighting to keep fro consciousness, deter to protect her or die trying

So et a cold? Because est baby in the world whenever he got sick or hurt, but he has nothing on the sort of thing you&039;re thinking right now As if I&039;d let you die

You seehtening up as the last echo of Bael&039;s scream faded He helped Cora over a s toward them I am the Dark One; you are the Beloved I protect you That isit was to provide hts, she said with a faux sigh, her ar around his waist as she leaned into hi his head spin with need and happiness and hunger

"That&039;sthat&039;s it?" Pia asked as she and Kristoff slowly picked their way across the furniture that had been toppled in Bael&039;s wake "You just say a few things and he&039;s gone?"

"WellI could have ," Sally said, getting down froh the floor "I just assus to do"

"But" Pia looked around the roo an answer "But that was so easy Why didn&039;t you do that before?"

"Easy? Oh, lawks a-mercy, no, it wasn&039;t easy" Sally shook her head "Bael was the preet to be the pre a whole lot of wallop, if you knohat I mean And Bael had more wallop than anyone I&039;d ever met, which is curious, really, when you think about it" Sally looked thoughtful as her voice trailed off

"I&039;m still confused," Pia complained

"I think it was us, Pia," Ulfur told her, relief evident in every line in his body "I think weTools, that is"

"If Bael&039;s gone, does that ain?" Cora asked Alec, her hands gently caressing his arm and chest as she checked his injuries Do you still hurt?

Not when you are near "Yes, that is exactly what itthe petite woman a for orders in a low tone, waved her hand in acknowledgment

"Butthey&039;re just three people I mean, I understand they&039;re conduits and all" Pia shook her head "I guess I&039;"

Kristoff bent his head to whisper in her ear

"I think it&039;s just that we&039;re awesoh, licking the tip of Alec&039;s nose His heart war and dance, to shout froain," he dehted hi with love "Te a to molest your Dark One, why don&039;t you do it soht here where any of the dee can see? If you&039;re worried about Alec&039;s injuries, you can use one of the roo dis the little red wool jacket and patting her hair "Now, should my first act as preh-speed wireless Internet in Abaddon? I&039; if I have to go a day without ht, that&039;s it!" Cora said, turning in his ar all nice, and apparently perfectly norhtly obsessed about hair and makeup, and the next you&039;re the evil demon lord ants to conduct the most horrible tortures upon us, and hand us over to Bael so he can destroy us"

"Are you destroyed? " Sally asked her sweetly, and Alec could feel the frustration and genuine confusion that gripped his Beloved

"No, of course not," Cora said with a glance over her shoulder to him

"Then I didn&039;t want to hand you over to Bael"

You&039;re not in the least bit concerned about Sally despite the fact that she is the source of all our troubles, are you? Cora asked

She isn&039;t, you know For sohed into his , aren&039;t I?

You didn&039;t happen to see a flash of light a few o, did you?

Huh?

I&039;ll explain it later, if Sally doesn&039;t do the job herself

Cora rubbed her te "You didn&039;t want to hand us over to Bael, and yet you told hi us to Abaddon not handing us over to hiet your ideas about dear Sally, but I can assure you that you really are not being quite fair to her Oh dear, is that the tio reassure hi Cora&039;s hand and kissing her cheek before turning her eyes to Alec "You take care of her, now"

"I intend to," he said gravely, a but worship the woreeting a man as he strolled into the twisted remains of a ballroom