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Chapter Seventeen

The intention was for-if I had any say in theon the edge before he shook his robe sleeves to his elbows and carefully wedged ain, he held the puffed sugar close to the flaht Feet spread wide, he hunched toward the fla froly nor Behind me, shelves of books were silent witnesses in the dark

"Your intention was to see that they got there safely," Al said in a low voice, focusing on the marshmallow "They are Off to make mischief on an elven scale, which nificant You need a new hobby, Rachel So other than nasty little ht fire, and he pulled it close, soth of the stick to take off the still-flaic and sweat," he said, the light froood deeds born froraves" His eyessugar puff out

Oh God He’s talking funny, I thought, nervous as I looked over the dark roo mirror slide down to rest on the soft leather I wanted both hands free

Al stood, and I froze His raceful, a studied motion of power that I seldo his fingers, watching me from under his lowered brow My pulse quickened as he went to the fire, taking a secondat?

"This trial of yours tomorrow," he said "Odds are three to one that Pierce will betray you"

"I thought you said he was going to killto be flip

A smile lifted his lips "Odds are eleven percent there But the bookies don’t know that he lo-o-o-o-oves you," hefork "Stay here Forget it all, and stay here with ht feet away, and o back to the hotel" Shit, he was a de that?

Al crouched before the fire with the toasting fork, looking threatening somehow His eyebroere raised when he turned to facea shiver, I scanned the roo here to help me Damn, damn, damn! Why had I trusted hi a pass at ers from the back of the chair "It will make the next five hundred years really aard Besides, the last guy who said so but a robe, I beat senseless with a chair leg"

Al blinked, looking surprised as he glanced down at hi the impression he made But then he smiled And that smile was cruel

He stood, and I dropped back a step, heart thudding

"That demon your familiar let loose? Ku’Sox?" he said softly, poised as I started to sweat "He’s like nothing you’ve coainst He wants to play with you Take you apart slohile you scream The collective would throw me naked into the ley lines if I let you run about now Pierce isn’t enough You’re staying here"

"Like hell I a perlare at hi to keepto bet your life on it?" Al alrowled as he looked into the fire, his back hunched "I’m not Good or bad, my livelihood is connected to your continued existence," he said as hishere"

"Youyou all ht where yours are Ku’Sox is a deuys off I beat hiain!"

Al turned fro on me with an unexpected intensity I felt erous, crouched before the fire, his eyes glowing as the promise of violence drifted over him A low sound lifted into the air, and

Al leapt for otten, to the hearth Panicked, I turned to run There was nowhere go It was pure instinct

I caught back ers clamped on my shoulder The world spun as he turned ed, and then I felt myself lifted, shoved into a bookcase

Hard thus collapsed as I hit the toh me My breath came in with a rush, and I stared at Al, inches fro my shirt under my chin I hadn’t even seen him move

"You think you can beat Ku’Sox off? Let’s practice"

"Get off me!" I spat at him, strands of my hair on his face

His expression became a snarl, and I jerked when his other hand reached behind h "This should be fun"

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to shove him away; then I shrieked when he pushedinto ed your strength, itchy witch," Al said, his voice iron hard "And I’ me to death?" I wheezed, and then e and de The stink of demons assaulted me, hard and fast A thread of ley line spilled intointo heat It could have been ecstasy, but I was too angry His body was heavy onforced its way between ht, my arms pinned behind ht Al was trying to prove I couldn’t protect myself I wasn’t scared, I was pissed!

Furious, I tried to getenough to punch asped at the sudden explosion of pain, and h, and I went for his eyes, gouging

My fingers dug in with a sickening give Al took the abuse, quickly grabbingmy arm out of its socket as he slah, dove," he said, sain My teeth were clenched, and I tasted his blood as he forced his ain

"You son of a bitch!" I screamed, muffled from his lips, and I reached for a ley line

Al felt it, and I got in a clean breath as he pulled back long enough to laugh atheavily, his expression alight "I think you’re pissed enough now Give ot I’ll slip it back into you so slowly you’ll screa for more"

It was then that the fear took hold The ley line he was tracing through ood I knehat a witch could do to another, and pain wasn’t far from ecstasy This may have started out as an object lesson, but Al could takealready This was not what I wanted

Al saw the realization in estively, his eyes half closing in anticipation "You think you can handle aliarept?" I snarled, and his eyes opened as I used his true naht

"God, Rachel, you are such a tease," he said, and then he leaned in His rasped the back ofinflash that spilled froroin, and I relished it, even as I despised what he was doing

I’d fucking had it with ainst the books, and we shifted forward, our kiss never breaking as he found the back of the tall chair and stopped I never could have done it if he hadn’t lethis eyes out, and since what he was doing to ured I was his

He was still holdingmy pulse to pound A so of s around his body, feeling hiainstthe line through hiy took froood, this careful exploration, and I shivered I kneas doing the sarier

Al broke fro me up and down as he heldit’s been"

I sh the hair on the nape of his neck "I don’t think so, Algaliarept," Iwith the corner of his mouth with my own "I’m not a tease I needed to know tohurt you"

He sucked in his breath, but it was too late My legs tightened around hihts dove into his, finding the path ao to safely bring a ley line into hirasped the ley lineand I pulled

"No!" he shrieked, realizing his mistake

My back arched as the power flooded in, painful and delicious I could hear Al cry out, but it was as if I swaclean and bright, lighting the sods

The soft pop of displaced air almost went unnoticed asAl in, but a faint whisper of self-preservation causedwas bathed in a silvery white light Everything, that is, but the flat foot in the purple slipper headed for ledoll I hit a bookcase, nuers splayed over my chest, and I couldn’t breathe Shit, I think ht, and I slid sideways to the floor,on the carpet

"You lied to me!" Newt screamed, and I tried to cry out in pain as she lifted ain "I killedwas co out My head lolled, and one, andas the line I had yanked through Al was arcing throughto spindle it, and I feebly pushed at Newt to get her hands off me

"Newt! Stop! That’s Rachel!" I heard Al croak hoarsely, and the sharp sound of flesh sain

I lay on the floor in a cru the soft buood It felt good not to be on fire My head pounded, and I pushedin relief

"Newt, it’s not Ku’Sox!" Al shouted again, and I heard a bang and smelled ozone and the acrid scent of burnt books

"I killed ed "Get out of my way, Gally!"

Al’s soft hand touchedbesideNeas in front of us, wearing her purple martial-arts robe, her funny, tall-sided hat alht black strands cut short in a pageboy style, and her long, ugly feet were bare It was hard to tell what she was looking at since her eyes were black, but I was pretty sure she was looking atfrom her

"This isn’t Ku’Sox," Al said, his voice shaking, and I wondered why he had stopped her "It’s Rachel She sht him It’s not Ku’Sox!"

Newt looked at me Then her black eyes went to Al’s "She survived hi her skin He does that"

Al took a breath, exhaling long and low His hand touching my shoulder left me, and I sat where I was, slumped over et hione too far Drew a line through him like a familiar and almost fried his little kitty soul

"It’s her," Al said ruefully, and I looked up to see hiement of furniture before the fire and fall into the chair farthest from me

Newt’s expression becaain?" she asked suspiciously "It appeared as if she was killing you Or were you two?" She hesitated, then put a hand to her ! You tried to seduce her?"

"She’s been living in ive aAndthe waters!" I echoed him, ticked "You almost had iven his

Al frowned, having to look over the couch between us "You looked like you were enjoying yourself I knoas"

"And that’s why you were screaht?" I barked, then hunched into myself and held my ribs Ow Yeah, I had liked it But not with him, never

"Is it a pajama party, Gally?" Newt asked, and a wash of black ever-after coated her My chi ached as Newt shrank until the ever-after fell away, showing her looking like a child in bright red pajaone, and her eyes were hollow She looked ill, and in sudden shock, I realized she was one of the kids in the brat pack at the hospital-the one who had forgiven ic She’d died with one of e as if it

"That’s not nice," I said, and Newt sel with the wisdoain, this titoward ot toto provoke you into defending yourself," Al said loudly fro a hand over his hair, he looked both sheepish and worried "I’m worried about Ku’Sox Newt, since you are here, what’s your opinion? Is she reasonably safe?"

"Seeing as she was halfway to killing you, I’d say she has a sporting chance," Newt said in her child voice, and I stifled another shudder

"That’s great," I snarled, li away froo back now, right?" I said sullenly as I picked upto have to getto look swell tomorrow at the trial

"Oooh! Marsh bowl beside the fire, the visage of a dying child so my ribs I think he’d about crushed my knee, too

Al slumped in his chair until his butt almost slid off the cushion His robe had fallen open, and I couldn’t help but look Dude He was hung like a horse, his ruddy co his tackle anywhere nearin the wind "If Newt says you’re reasonably safe, you can go," he said sullenly "You’ll be back in twenty-four hours anyway"

Yes! I thought in victory I was going to have to take a long shower to get rid of the burnt-a up more shampoo if I called down

Newt turned frohtly browneda ruler with you when you return," she said, her voice high and childlike "The ever-after is shrinking But I can’t prove it unless I have a tape , too"

Scrying ?" I asked