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“You knoho I am, then”
“Lady Livia,” Gerald breathed
Mu “That’s what he used to call me You were after my time, I think”
“Yes I had nothing to do as done to you,” Gerald said, bloody buthis calm
Nick felt his lip curl “He clais”
Muly Her odd sh her eyes were suddenly fixed and cold She esture of dismissal, as if she still called demons and had one in her power, and then she looked away from Nick immediately
It was best to huhtly off Gerald,to the point farthest away frohtly, and came to kneel at his feet
“Innocent?” she repeated, her se than ever
She pulled her shirt down, revealing an expanse of dead-white skin and, over her heart, black against the sil of the Obsidian Circle It ren above one of the Salisbury pubs, showing a woiant hand Drawn over Mu not a woestion of tension about the fingers of the hand, as if they were just about to clench over the world and crush it
Mu the cotton out of shape There over his heart was the sa the same world
“Nobody ears this mark is innocent,” Mum whispered
Gerald, blood still running down his face, sagged a little in his chair “You’re not going to help me, are you?”
“No,” said Mu How is Arthur?”
“I don’t think he’s changed,” Gerald said “He talks about you, often He never wanted to hurt you He chose you—”
Mu “I chose hie the world for you Choose a man with that much power over the world, and all he really wants isso close to her that she could have slipped an arm around her waist
“It’s probably best to change the world yourself,” she added “Nobody should risk being a sacrifice”
It was strange seeing Mum lean close to Mae, as if she was a normal woman with someone she liked, but Nick didn’t have time to think about that Alan would be back soon He flipped open his knife again and gave Gerald a ful look
“What else do you want to know?” Gerald asked wearily
“When does the Circle plan to move to London?” Nick demanded
Gerald hesitated
Nick moved forward, relentless as the tide He leaned down to Gerald and closed his free hand around the ician’s throat
“I’ve been talking a lot about s recently,” he inforet scared Want to knohat else I don’t feel?”
Gerald’s voice was a whisper through the vise grip on his throat “What?”
Nick trailed his knife down the cotton of Gerald’s T-shirt until the blade rested against Gerald’s stoician trembled and closed his eyes Cut someone in the belly, and they could live for hours afterward They just wouldn’t like life much
Nick leaned closer to Gerald, laughed in his ear, and murmured, “Pity”
“Nick!” said Alan fro?”
“Saving you some trouble,” Nick answered, and then looked over his shoulder
Alan had one hand clenched on the door frarip on the door was keeping him on his feet He looked as if someone had punched him in the stomach
“Get away from him!”
Nick released Gerald’s throat and pocketed his switchblade in onetoward his brother Alan flinched, and Nick stopped
“What’s the big deal?” Nick asked roughly, not sure ords would help and ords would upset AlanIt bothers you, it doesn’t bother ht you’d be happy”
Alan closed his eyes and sed, and so about his face reminded Nick of the way Gerald had looked as he waited for the knife to come down
“It should bother you,” Alan said in a low voice
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“You knoho I am, then”
“Lady Livia,” Gerald breathed
Mu “That’s what he used to call me You were after my time, I think”
“Yes I had nothing to do as done to you,” Gerald said, bloody buthis calm
Nick felt his lip curl “He clais”
Muly Her odd sh her eyes were suddenly fixed and cold She esture of dismissal, as if she still called demons and had one in her power, and then she looked away from Nick immediately
It was best to huhtly off Gerald,to the point farthest away frohtly, and came to kneel at his feet
“Innocent?” she repeated, her se than ever
She pulled her shirt down, revealing an expanse of dead-white skin and, over her heart, black against the sil of the Obsidian Circle It ren above one of the Salisbury pubs, showing a woiant hand Drawn over Mu not a woestion of tension about the fingers of the hand, as if they were just about to clench over the world and crush it
Mu the cotton out of shape There over his heart was the sa the same world
“Nobody ears this mark is innocent,” Mum whispered
Gerald, blood still running down his face, sagged a little in his chair “You’re not going to help me, are you?”
“No,” said Mu How is Arthur?”
“I don’t think he’s changed,” Gerald said “He talks about you, often He never wanted to hurt you He chose you—”
Mu “I chose hie the world for you Choose a man with that much power over the world, and all he really wants isso close to her that she could have slipped an arm around her waist
“It’s probably best to change the world yourself,” she added “Nobody should risk being a sacrifice”
It was strange seeing Mum lean close to Mae, as if she was a normal woman with someone she liked, but Nick didn’t have time to think about that Alan would be back soon He flipped open his knife again and gave Gerald a ful look