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"III’m not sure I can deal with this"

Nicola reirls and Laila had tucked her into bed after she’d seen her first entle and patient and kind her twin had been "You’ve always been the strong one You’ll find a way"

A soft, huh left a sense of sadness behind "You always thought that You always thought I was strong But, Co Co, it was you Always you" Laila stuffed her ears with the buds froiven her for their last birthday She’d scrimped and saved for , Nicola kissed her sister on the cheek and left her to her rest Not knohat else to do, she explored Koldo’s hoh she had entered a fairy tale rather than a third-world country The house itself was built of pine, and smelled rich and clean, but the furniture hat really stunned her

There were velvet couches and chairs, ornately carved tables Glass figurines, and bowls filled with dia as her fist There were tapestries on the wall, and plush carpets on the floor And that was just the living rooold-veinedfroerator that blended with the cabinet ork Nothing was out of place Not a speck of dust had settled onto the surface of the hand-carved table

There were four bedrooms Laila had claimed the one closest to the kitchen, and Nicola picked the one at the far end of the hall There was a huge monster-size bed in the center, the rails draped by sheer pink lace Pink? Lace? In a warrior’s home?

Had a fe a tide of jealousy The cohter shade of pink, but no less brilliant And this must have been where Koldo had wanted her to stay because the blankets her mother had sewn a feeeks before the car crash were folded and resting at the edge

A bejeweled ceiling fan whirled slowly overhead A mural of the heavens had been painted on all four walls, with a bright sun in the right corner, shining upon clouds of every size and shape

At the left was a large bayoverlooking a thriving grove of orange trees And behind the lush green leaves and plump pieces of fruit, she could see several h the air There were three breathtaking ponds, with fish that jumped up and cleared the surface

Nicola stood there, a as the sun set on the horizon, reds and pinks forreens and blues of the sloping land Birds sang

How long would Koldo want her to stay here? She’d thoughthopedwell, it didn’t o on the date--a wonderful sign--but she’d gotten so angry she’d insisted How silly Especially considering the fact that she’d only accepted the date because he’d disappeared those three days

Noas backbut she was stuck

What was she going to do?

A rustling of clothing behind her had her spinning Koldo stood a few feet away from the bed, with his head down and his hands clenched Strands of hair stuck to his face and chest, both dark and light Dirt streaked his skin He had bitewas deep and even, but he was using too much force, as if the hold he had on his calhts of the dating disaster left her, and she raced over to hiain?"

Silent, he just sort of fell back into the plush chair behind him

Worry filled her as she crouched in front of hihs Heat radiated fro her, and she shivered for a reason that had nothing to do with temperature

"Talk to me," she prompted "Please"

Golden eyes beseeched her towhat?

She’d never seen him like this So torn up So tortured

So broken

"Koldo" What else could she say?

He leaned back, his head thu terrible It was deserved I should be thrilled with the results, butbut"

What could he possibly have done to cause this kind of reaction? "Tell me"

He scrubbed a hand down his face "And watch hate fall over your features, too?" Like Laila, he laughed without humor "No"

The strands of hair floated froround He likes jokes Tease hiave someone a mullet, didn’t you?" she asked with a small smile

He closed his eyes, pushed out a breath and lifted his ar a hole in the wall The sharp booiven so on her "I shouldn’t have done that"

Okay, so loo to do with the hair

"Make et," he pleaded "Just for a little while Tellhim peace But what could she tell a centuries-old warrior to entertain hiirl in my class called me and Laila freakazoid Frankensteins because of the tubes coinal naress It made Laila cry Notice that I said Laila Not me, just so we’re clear I did not spend twenty ainst a very unsanitary toilet, sobbing so hard snot was bubbling frohtest hosted his hand over the line of her jaw "What happened next?"