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"Please listen to ent, afraid to scare her off should he say the wrong thing "Let's talk this through The best thing you can do right now is grow stronger "

"I intend to" She nodded, knowing he ood in the people of Thólos He rong This occupation has stripped away our pretenses; it has rity, kindness—it exists here…" Claire closed her eyes, nestled nearer once again "You, Corday, are a good man"

He didn't hesitate to pull her flush "And you're a good woman"

Resting her cheek on his shoulder, she sighed She ood woman once, but the truth was, she was not a person anymore She was a shadow

"I want you to know that while you were gone, we uncovered the distributors of the counterfeit heat-suppressants O and protected The drugs were destroyed; every last man paid for his crimes"

There was a flutter in Claire's chest, a ht infect her "Thank you, Corday"

"You are a part of that, you know?" Boyish eagerness, a desire to see Claire pleased, infected his grin "Your deterht for them They have you to thank for their freedom"

"I didn't do anything but get raped and cry about it"

"You're wrong" Corday took her cheek, est monster of the, Claire"

But she wasn't "No… you don't understand The pair-bond, the pregnancy… I started to care for hi it out loud made her mouth taste of vomit "I eak"

Corday knew none of that was her fault "Given the circumstances, what happened was only natural"

"I don't knohat it was… but it was I stopped seeing a monster and wanted the attention of the man And once he'd persuaded my affection, he uess Listening to him with her… it ripped the pair-bond out He can't control me now"

The total lack of emotion in Claire's voice disturbed Corday Whatever Shepherd had done had daa, and a part of hi was only because she was supposed to re

Oblivious to the apprehension in her friend, Claire continued "I get it now This breach was not about gaining power We're his puppets, falling rabid at the snap of his fingers We dance on his stage Shepherd, his Followers, they're punishing us all for…" she scoffed under her breath, "for blind ignorance For alloas done to them"

"You are free of him, of his lies, and his evil, Claire Remember that"

"The Do outside Not frost, real snow We are not free of him, not e let that happen We let this all happen"