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He looked down at the knife, a bit helplessly, and then put it in his pocket Then he started across thethe side of the river
“Also,” Nick added curtly, “I’m sorry about your face”
Jamie looked over his shoulder, and touched the de his jaith the back of his hand “Sorry about saving all our lives by doing so you had to do?”
“Oh no,” Nick said blandly “I just meant, you know Generally”
Jah, helpless and sweet, and Mae hing
His eyes caught Mae’s and he stopped laughing His gaze simply held hers
You and ainst the world Mae nodded at him, and Jamie turned and walked sloay down the river He squared his thin shoulders as he went, and the gesture al up and looking all right if he turned around
“Don’t leave,” she ordered Nick between her teeth If Jamie turned around, he would see that she wasn’t alone She watched Jaainst the dazzle of the sunlight on the water he was nothing but a tiny black speck, and then the speck was lost “Okay,” Mae said at last It was all over Jao now”
Nick nodded, his head dipping briefly His hair was such a dense black it looked dusty in the sunlight, the light glancing off it and fored and nothing like a crown
“That woe in London I didn’t I thought—it wasyour ene I wish I’d killed her Then Annabel would be alive instead”
Hearing her name was like a blow to a wounded place Mae wanted to be blind suddenly, to be deaf and dumb and blind so they couldn’t tell her about it and she wouldn’t have to talk about it and she wouldn’t have ever seen it, her ht sky
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said numbly
“No,” said Nick “But I’d like her to be alive Not just for you, and Jamie I’d—I liked her, I think”
Annabel, alalking so perfectly in her high heels, her sword flashing in the arden
“Just go away,” Mae said, turning away from him, fro, always
“Mavis,” Nick said, and then stopped
Annabel had thought that Mavis, that horrible nightiven Mae that naht it was beautiful Mae’s face felt too tight; her eyes were hot and swi a bit too
“Go away,” she repeated, al out the words
There was only silence, so for a one Then she heard him say, “No,” his voice deep and terribly close
Nick put his arms around her He moved slowly and aardly, but once he was done she rapped in strong ar and solid and war on to his shirt, holding tight in both clenched fists as if she was about to start beating on hi ainst his collarbone It would be all right to hit hi she liked
This tiic She’d had a day to learn, to show fear and grace, and then no more days
Mae was just howling, screa tears and snot all over Nick’s shirt They were going to put her round out by Mezentius House, and the alternative had been putting her in the river
Nick’s ar soothing words or stroking her back, nothing like the de like a huo, either
“Mavis Mae,” he said at last “I don’t know You have to tell ht?”
“Yeah,” Mae said into his shirt, her voice breaking, and she cried without screa cotton and steel It ful and heartbreaking and she was exactly where she wanted to be, here, with him, in these arms and no one else’s, and she finally understood why she had kept co like a crazy person, her plans always collapsing and nothing ot it now
She was kind of in love with him
It had never happened to her before, and he would not have even the slightest idea how to love her back
She was too tired and broken apart to deal with that now She just rested, her eyes shut and leaning against hilad She loved him, and he was here
It was te his steady breaths against her own, but by then she figured she was calh, and she owed it to him to step away
“Thank you,” she said It ca to find Sin now You can go after Alan”
Nick nodded, looking down at her She looked back up at those strange alien eyes, that cruel mouth, and her heart turned over in her chest as if he had flipped it like a coin to show a new surface
“We’re going to sort this out,” she pro to make Alan safe We are”
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He looked down at the knife, a bit helplessly, and then put it in his pocket Then he started across thethe side of the river
“Also,” Nick added curtly, “I’m sorry about your face”
Jamie looked over his shoulder, and touched the de his jaith the back of his hand “Sorry about saving all our lives by doing so you had to do?”
“Oh no,” Nick said blandly “I just meant, you know Generally”
Jah, helpless and sweet, and Mae hing
His eyes caught Mae’s and he stopped laughing His gaze simply held hers
You and ainst the world Mae nodded at him, and Jamie turned and walked sloay down the river He squared his thin shoulders as he went, and the gesture al up and looking all right if he turned around
“Don’t leave,” she ordered Nick between her teeth If Jamie turned around, he would see that she wasn’t alone She watched Jaainst the dazzle of the sunlight on the water he was nothing but a tiny black speck, and then the speck was lost “Okay,” Mae said at last It was all over Jao now”
Nick nodded, his head dipping briefly His hair was such a dense black it looked dusty in the sunlight, the light glancing off it and fored and nothing like a crown
“That woe in London I didn’t I thought—it wasyour ene I wish I’d killed her Then Annabel would be alive instead”
Hearing her name was like a blow to a wounded place Mae wanted to be blind suddenly, to be deaf and dumb and blind so they couldn’t tell her about it and she wouldn’t have to talk about it and she wouldn’t have ever seen it, her ht sky
“It wasn’t your fault,” she said numbly
“No,” said Nick “But I’d like her to be alive Not just for you, and Jamie I’d—I liked her, I think”
Annabel, alalking so perfectly in her high heels, her sword flashing in the arden
“Just go away,” Mae said, turning away from him, fro, always
“Mavis,” Nick said, and then stopped
Annabel had thought that Mavis, that horrible nightiven Mae that naht it was beautiful Mae’s face felt too tight; her eyes were hot and swi a bit too
“Go away,” she repeated, al out the words