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The inhten around him

It was aof his fingertip along the bloody curve of her throat A test

Nothing came to him

Ian's heartbeat sped up So He had touched her?briefly, yes, but that never mattered before?and he'd felt nothin

g

Hope slipped through a crack in his arht it, but it was too strong In

21

sudden, blinding clarity he thought: Maybe for once it won't happen

He tried to bury the unrealistic prayer beneath a mountain of cold rationality It always happened

"Ian, is she alive?"

He heard his mother's voice, but it see in his chest Sweat had broken out along his brow He wiped the beaded moisture and sed hard

Barely breathing, he took hold of her wrist His fingers curled around the sli-quick shiver of her pulse, the cool softness of her skin

And nothing else He knew nothing about her except that she was alive At the realization, he felt a sha in his eyes

"Ian?" Maeve prompted

"She's alive"