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"Please tell ony that it brought tears to ie, please"

I looked at him out of the corner of my eye "I aun pushed harder againstfor, yet the response I kneould get

"Bridger, please don’t kill ed "I’m not evil, I swear"

"But you are one of theer to accidentally slip on the trigger, waiting to die "They used you to get to me! Were you sent to corrupt me? To make me fall in love with you so I wouldn’t be able to kill you? So I would trust you? Are you supposed to turn me to their side? You see! Your fear It felt … it feels so real!"

"It is real! They are trying to killdown my cheeks I lifted a hand to wipe the stars burst before er warned "Who are your parents?"

I wanted to throw my hands up in exasperation Of course, I didn’t I’d be shot if I did "I don’t knoho they were! They died before I o, and the aunt who got custody of me never mentioned them I don’t even know their first naer, the Skinwalkers, they have been trying to kill me since I was a child! They want me dead because I am like them, but not like them They killed my aunt and cousin For all I know, they killedtime"

I felt the gun falter against my temple for the briefest moment; then the pressure was back "How do I know you aren’t lying to ain "You can feel everything I feel, so you tellto you? I would never hurt you! Can’t you feel that?"

"That doesn’t matter! I am the sworn enemy of those who steal an aniritted teeth "It is ie, no matter how I feel about you!"

"Steal an anie," I said feebly The gun was off er asked

Tentatively, I turnedon his pale, pale cheeks

"I don’t e into different aniun in his hand

He lifted the gun toward h this tiainst my head "But you said you turn into aniht Animals But I never needed an animal’s skin to do it I’ll show you," I pleaded between sobs "Just give me a chance to prove myself"

His face wavered between hope and despair, and then all erabbed ainst er ordered I walked He herded me to a part of the house I had never seen, where all the furniture was covered with sheets We came to a shadowed stairwell Carefully I ascended, worried that if I accidentally tripped or stepped wrong, a bullet would shatter through e in er ould put it there

"Do not try anything, Maggie, or I will shoot you," Bridger warned when my hand started to rise to wipe away ht of stairs The house was uncoe, too, like a shoe store or a leather shop I wanted to rub athall was a dusty, ancient door with an antique brass handle Beside the door was a er typed in a code and I heard a lock click

"Open it," Bridger instructed, nodding to the door without taking his eyes from mine I pushed the antique door inward and stepped into heavy darkness The strange odor pered when I inhaled When Bridger flipped on the light, I knehy