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Alan lookedupstairs”
“Yeah, we can handle this,” Mae said, her voice cal dragged out of hiainst his will “Olivia will stay with us”
She smiled at Nick, and he kept his face chill and expressionless so she would transfer her smile to Alan She did transfer her s: If there had been no hope for Alan at all, it would have been less of a dilemma
Nick let theainst the wall, exa the claw marks of the wolf The deepest were on his stomach, on one side of his belly button Nick looked at the red grooves and was distantly pleased that the wolf had been too busy trying to bite hied on the inside
The roo isted like bedsheets after his fight with the wolf, and their prisoner seeician lay crumpled at Gerald’s feet
“We could just kill him now,” Nick said, and watched the slow shudder work its way through Gerald’s body, fro lips
Alan looked impatient “We can kill him for Jamie”
“No,” Nick snarled
Alan looked at hile focus he could somehow keep him safe, and then his strained face smoothed out “We can talk about that later,” he said softly “First let’s just go upstairs and get that talisone a minute, and — I want you to have it I don’t want you in any danger”
“Good luck with that one I just strangled a wolf to death five ruffly Alan siven in
Just on this one thing He’d coet a talis to put up with any of this nonsense about Jah for Jamie already
“C’mon,” said Alan, and Nick moved to follow him
“This is just a thought,” Jaht see if you can find a shirt”
When they went into Alan’s roo an uneasy eye over Alan’s bookshelves He hadn’t had a chance to put Alan’s precious photo back in its hiding place yet, and he had a suddenIf Alan tried to sneak a look at the stupid picture he liked gazing at so much, he’d find out what Nick had done
It didn’t ht to discover the truth, but somehow he didn’t like the idea of how Alan would look at him if he knew
He turned deliberately away fro into one of Alan’s baggy old T-shirts, lying slung over a chair He went to lean against the wall, looking out of the here the sun was going down, the sky briray roofs of London
Alan knelt down by his wardrobe and took out the box where he kept his protective charhtfully as if he was telling rosary beads Or as if he was afraid to look up
“I’ Jamie’s mark off,” he said slowly
“You’re being stupid”
“You don’t understand—”
“Yeah, I don’t understand I don’t understand why you’re being stupid!”
Nick’s voice rose in a shout, a harsh, flat sound like a whip cracking or a door sla at anyone but Alan he kneould have seen the effect of the shout: seen the sound seep into their bones and ive in
It was different with Alan Threatening hi himself He would have to find some other way to make Alan do what he wanted Nick looked at his brother and suddenly felt icy calm
He knehat threat to use
“Here it is,” Alan said in a quiet, pleased voice, as if Nick hadn’t shouted at hiot to his feet with his usual care, a flash of pain drawing a deep line between his brows, then smiled and limped over to Nick
The talis fro sensation of dread in Nick’s sto at it, but when Alan beckoned, he bowed his head and let his brother slip the talis back into harness
The talisman burned where it touched his skin Nick set his teeth at the return of the dull, constant pain and looked into Alan’s face, which showed uncomplicated relief
“Do you knohat I’ll do if you don’t take that mark off?” he asked He did not shout this time He lowered his voice so it was a very private and personal threat, a soft promise of pain
Alan recognized it “Nick,” he said, startled and a little pleading
Nick had to make him understand
“You care so ician She still has the sigil Her lifeblood would save you”
Alan took a quick, unsteady breath, his thin chest rising and falling sharply He was tre
“I’d do it,” Nick swore to him “I’d trade her for you I’d do it in a heartbeat I won’t let you die!”
Alan’s mouth twisted viciously “Why not? More useful to you than Olivia, am I?”
He atching Nick in the same hurt, horror-struck way he had when he’d seen Nick with the ain, to where the sun was sinking, shadow closing its claws over the houses one by one He fought with black incomprehension: Alan wanted a particular response from him, and he didn’t knohat it was
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Alan lookedupstairs”
“Yeah, we can handle this,” Mae said, her voice cal dragged out of hiainst his will “Olivia will stay with us”
She smiled at Nick, and he kept his face chill and expressionless so she would transfer her smile to Alan She did transfer her s: If there had been no hope for Alan at all, it would have been less of a dilemma
Nick let theainst the wall, exa the claw marks of the wolf The deepest were on his stomach, on one side of his belly button Nick looked at the red grooves and was distantly pleased that the wolf had been too busy trying to bite hied on the inside
The roo isted like bedsheets after his fight with the wolf, and their prisoner seeician lay crumpled at Gerald’s feet
“We could just kill him now,” Nick said, and watched the slow shudder work its way through Gerald’s body, fro lips
Alan looked impatient “We can kill him for Jamie”
“No,” Nick snarled
Alan looked at hile focus he could somehow keep him safe, and then his strained face smoothed out “We can talk about that later,” he said softly “First let’s just go upstairs and get that talisone a minute, and — I want you to have it I don’t want you in any danger”
“Good luck with that one I just strangled a wolf to death five ruffly Alan siven in
Just on this one thing He’d coet a talis to put up with any of this nonsense about Jah for Jamie already
“C’mon,” said Alan, and Nick moved to follow him
“This is just a thought,” Jaht see if you can find a shirt”
When they went into Alan’s roo an uneasy eye over Alan’s bookshelves He hadn’t had a chance to put Alan’s precious photo back in its hiding place yet, and he had a suddenIf Alan tried to sneak a look at the stupid picture he liked gazing at so much, he’d find out what Nick had done
It didn’t ht to discover the truth, but somehow he didn’t like the idea of how Alan would look at him if he knew
He turned deliberately away fro into one of Alan’s baggy old T-shirts, lying slung over a chair He went to lean against the wall, looking out of the here the sun was going down, the sky briray roofs of London
Alan knelt down by his wardrobe and took out the box where he kept his protective charhtfully as if he was telling rosary beads Or as if he was afraid to look up
“I’ Jamie’s mark off,” he said slowly