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"You may ask any questions you like, Zachary"

"Your voice," Zach said, wondering if the priest would answer questions about hilish accent A very faint one, but it’s there"

"Very good," Søren said with approval "You would notice Most Americans don’t They simply assume I’m overeducated I was born in Aland My father was English And he was evil I pray daily that it is only the trace of his accent I’ve inherited"

"You seduced a young woation You don’t think that’s at all evil?"

"Since I became a priest, Eleanor is the only woman hom I’ve been sexually intimate No children, either, I assure you But you are welcoe of or abused I believe you’ll find her answer enlightening"

"Why do you keep calling her that?" Zach couldn’t reconcile his Nora with the priest’s Eleanor "She changed her nao"

"She was born Eleanor and it was Eleanor hom I fell in love She has made decisions in her life that I do not approve of these past five years I prefer to remember her for who she was, not for what she’s become She can forsake her name and her past I never will"

Søren’s words stirred anotherto prove he knew so about Nora the priest didn’t "Not entirely I went to one of her book-signings not long ago She was reading to solanced at Søren’s face, but other than a glint of a smile, the revelation seemed to have no impact on him

"Yes, well," Søren said as they passed under an archway into another hall, "Eleanor always did have a ith children"

Nora slipped off the bed and brought Michael with her She bade him stand still while she knelt down and reached under the bed She pulled out a metal briefcase, entered the numeric combination and snapped the locks open

"Are you scared?" she asked

"A little" Michael looked down at her

"Here, I’ll give you so to help with the fear It’s called a ‘safe word’"

"I’ve read about safe words…in your books"

"Good Since you’re an angel, yours will be ‘wings’"

"Wings," he repeated

She dug through the briefcase for all the supplies she needed--rope, condo and just go hos’ and we’re done We’ve all safed out It’s completely okay"

Nora shut the suitcase and slid it back under the bed She rose up and faced hih heels, they were alht