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"Sure" I followed behind hiaze fixed on Josie

A look of curiosity filled her features as Basil carried a large silver tray toward the bed He placed it beside her "I’ve brought you soup, Kyría, and steaaped at hi, a small smile curled the corners of e bowls "I’ve brought water, but if you would like some other type of refreshment, I would be more than happy to retrieve it for you"

"Water is fine," she said, glancing atback at Basil "Thank you"

"My pleasure, Kyría" He bowed and then backed away from the bed "May I be of any other service?"

I shook my head "That will be all"

Basil bowed once aped at me "Did hedid he just call me ‘lady’ and you ‘lord’?"

The s up the bowl and spoon "They’re kind of ‘old school’ around here"

"Okay," she said, but she was eyeing o over, but I want you to eat as much of this as you can first" I dipped the spoon in the soup, loading it up with broth and what appeared to be so to hand feedand felt uess I am"

"I can feed myself"

"I know, but I wantI want to do this" And I did "Besides, you’re busy holding the robe closed over your very, very glorious breasts"

Josie’s face flushed red and her eyes narrowed "Don’t talk about rin pulled at my lips "But I can look at therin snuck free "I’m not sure I can promise not to look" I moved the spoon to her mouth "But I’ll try"

Josie watched me for a ot about half a dozen spoonfuls of soup in, and half that amount of rice, before she said, "I saw you You realize that, right?" She leaned back from me "I saw you out on the balcony, and unless that was a really realistic night here"

"Please eat soer flashed across her face, and I was thrilled to see it Anger was better than despair and desolation "Seth--"

"I will explain everything to you Everything," I promised "But I need you to be better--healthy and whole, and I" My throat suddenly felt thick "I came back to you--after I left You weren’t at Gable’s house You were somewhere else I didn’t "

Her eyes widened "I thought I felt you I chalked it up to a dream, but it was you?"

I nodded

"How in the world?"

"I’ll get to that," I said "When I left you, I told ain Obviously I hadn’t held myself to that I caain That’s how I learned what had happened I didn’t--I didn’t even knohat happened until then, and when I heard that Hyperion had taken you, I have never felt so helpless I’ve never felt such terror before, because I couldn’t find you I didn’t kno to find you I could’ve lost you--lost you in the worst possible way, but I didn’t You’re here, and right now, I just want to help et better, you need to eat, because you told me earlier that you didn’t remember the last time you ate Please let ht she was going to deny ain, there was no hiding the way my hand trembled We nearly finished off the bowl of soup and rice in silence, stopping only when she swore she could neither eat nor drink any it on the table by the door

She was still holding the robe to her chest when I came back to her, and it was hard not to think of the fact that she was nude under that