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“Good,” he said gruffly “You’re conscious”

Her eyes were blurry Her tongue slicked over her lips

“Who…? Where…?”

Confusion was common in cases of hypothermia You lived in these s

Jesse sat down next to her, tried to look reassuring

“You’re fine,” he said briskly “You, ah, you passed out The rain—”

She turned her head Looked around her, then looked again at him

“Blackwolf Mountain,” she said thickly “The sacred stone—”

“Right”

“The lightning”

“Yes”

“Rain,” she said “And cold So cold…”

A shudder went through her Enough conversation She wasn’t warh yet

“Look,” Jesse started to say, “we can discuss this when—”

The kettle shrieked She jumped like a doe taken down by a hunter’s bow

“It’s the kettle, that’s all I’ll make some tea We can talk then Okay?”

She didn’t answer Her gaze wasover him He hadn’t had a shirt on when she’d first seen him and he didn’t have one on now, but it felt different, maybe because he knew she was almost naked beneath the duvet

Maybe because she knew it, too

So behind those violet eyes It was like watching her watching a movie Emotions swept over her face Awareness Fear Terror

“Ohod…”

Enough This here he’d come in

“Take it easy,” he said, his voice rough “Just take it—”

The lights went out

Just like that Out No blinking No going off, cohts were on They next, the room went dark

Dark? It was black as pitch