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Our lih immortality beckons?

His hand is covered with icons, there for the taking I disguise reed as I count theer A symbol of ownership? I can view it no other way since men of his culture do not require one, just as livestock do not brand theiris as detestable as a collar, and that I cannot abide! When I taste bile, my path beco body

As he leans down to kiss my neck, I ask, “Will you fetchsmile “In this, I’erness, though it roils from him His manly needs, his lusts “As you wish”

He turns his back to the E How foolish The heat of battle rises, taking me over Without a whisper of hesitation, I slip soundlessly from the bed

Before he can react, I shovein his ear, “Till Death do us part”

I ith tears strea down my face

Husband He was my husband And I had betrayed hiotten the upper hand and ended me

“Forced aze No wonder he hated ht to! How could I have been so evil?

It was one thing to battle an enee sacred voith soht

No wonder I’d had no chance of seducing him I don’t handle vipers He’d learned not to trust, he’d learned so young

All his hardness, his ruthlessness, had been honed by nored the tenderness in his expressions, the warmth in his eyes as he’d beheld her He had intended to make her happy

To make me happy

Yet even when blind to all he offered, that woman had fallen for him She’d just refused to ads for hi for my chest I felt like his wife I needed to explain to hi me alone in his bed

Return to me, Aric

Silence TooCyclops Together we cliht knock I had no idea what ti her eyes “What’s up, girl?” She wore a football jersey and leggings A baby squirrel peeked its sleepy eyes from herher door wide, I entered In all this tiht’ve pictured it—posters of ani shelves Her falcon rested on a wooden perch next to her bed like an alararoo sheets, and a thick s

I knew there were no o, Matthew had toldaway fro these treasures Still, I couldn’t let her think I’d softened toward her too e itated sole wave of her hand quieted mewls and caws “So you wanna talk about it?” She cli frohout into the storht

Somewhere out there both Aric and Jack roamed the world Jack had broken my heart, and I’d broken Aric’s “Did you know Death and I were involved in a previous game? Married?”

“Um, some cards speculated”

“I just dreamed about it About how he used to be”

“I tried to tell you he’s not all bad,” Lark said “From what I understand, you kinda put hies’ scores of ten”

“I did Nothing could be worse than what I did,” I s out I’m confident about that You’ve seen the way he looks at you when you dance, right? Well, you can’t iine how he looks at you when you aren’t aware You’re still a lock”

I sighed, not convinced There was soflashed, I said overof Joules”

“I know, right? At least he doesn’t want to off you”

“For now” I turned back to thejust as another bolt struck Lightning forked out over black Greenish-yellow forked out over red?

My breath caught Slitted black eyes stared back at en

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“FEAST! OFFERING!”

“Lark!” I screah theGlass shattered, riddling me as his fist connected withwhen I slammed into the far wall Bones fractured Skull? Ribs? Shoulder blade? Shards jutted froen snatch at Lark as the wolves defended, tearing at his arms This far across the rooh I expected her to flee, following the exodus of creatures tro en twisted his great bulk, wedging hi “ALTAR EMPTY!” he boonition hit my panicked htning hides the ht of a bolt And Matthew had given me instructions: You en’s altar was empty; it was time to lose my cuff

I whispered to Lark, “T-take me to the basement To the sunlamps”

“Shit, shit! Boss’ll killfor her wolves to follow She yelled to Ogen, “Hey, dickwad,fro shook

With my ar in the direction opposite to the kitchen, a trio of wolves at our heels As we fled upstairs, I gasped out, “What’s happening?”

“It’s some Sabbat that I’ annual one”

We lurched upbefore

“I’ve never seen hi, Evie I’ve called for reinforceht take them a while to followa corridor until she stopped in front of a wall

She pressed her hand against the wainscoting, and a panel swung open Just before it hissed closed behind our troupe, her falcon gave a piercing cry and dove inside