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"Who are you? I’ll choose what? And where are we?" I finally ask, finding my voice but startled to hear that it’s soft, unsure, and hesitant When did I becouy in the balls, grab hiainst the stone wall Maybe even give hi, like a nick on the cheek with one of my blades

That doesn’t happen None of it does

He sht flickers at hisshadows to shier he lifts my chin, and I wait as his head bows closer to h my veins, unwanted, uninvited, but there all the same, and his lips pass by h, hisclose to"Verra soon"

When he pulls away, his face, his body, is encased in shadow oncefor hiht

He doesn’t A soft, deep chuckle e of a single pair of wings asp, and bolt up in the bed It’s dark, and although my eyes scan the roo shadows stretch across the floor and walls I have no idea how long I’ve been out, but it seems like forever

"All day you’ve been fast asleep"

My heart is beating hard Freaking hard Not faster, as it doesn’t do that anyh e of adrenaline straight into my artery with each heavy thuers link through ently "Shh Calm down, Riley It’s me Victorian" A lamp at the bedside turns on

"Vic," I say I’ll worry about the dream later Just a dream Not real And it wasn’t Victorian No one I know

Then it all rushes back "Oh, God," I mutter It really happened It’s real

Pain crushes my chest and doubles me over, and I draw up my knees, press h I think ainst the pain It almost sounds ridiculous, and I can’t even help it

Victorian’s hand moves over my back, then to my neck "Riley, don’t," he says quietly "I may not have had any love for your man, but I did respect him I respected how he cared for you inevitably And I know Dupré would insist on your strength in overco tone "All things eventually do" He pushesin your sleep, love To whom?"

It comes back to me Thatperson Man In the dream I know I’ve never seen hi familiar about him at the same time It doesn’t make sense, and I shake s I look at Victorian, who sits close to low of the lamp Only now do I realize I’m not even in ht and shine as he studies me in silence

"This is iain "I don’t understand how it happened How so at him, "to one of you"

Vic watches me closely "The Fallen have powers beyond us, I fear," he says "More so than any of us expected You will have to be guarded ardless of your incredible strength"

Soht with ile "Jake wouldn’t have brought me in if I was just a weak human, Vic" I push off the bed and turn to look at him

Now I’rin on his face Prick

Not waiting to see if he follows me, I head downstairs To the others My team

Inside, I separate myself into two people The woman who now has her heart ripped in half and mourns the loss of her fiancé I shove the pain aside, and I actually feel it as it recedes into the darkness ofFor tears For heartache Not now

Because I’m also the woman who not only has a personal score to settle, but e I can run Juht like a wildcat

I can kill And I canwith my mind

And I won’t stop until all of the Black Fallen are nothing but fucking dust

As I ease down the corridor, I allow the shadowy, eerie halls of the Crescent to consu here, and I feel it I allow ed darkness Callous Edgy Treacherous

Just as I near the landing to the steps, I see her again The little girl She ees froreen ones to her yawning black ones With her skin illuht by her Before I take the first descending step, she disappears

I don’t knohy, but we connect