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I like it enough that I say, “How about a deal? A sort of truce? I’ll extend to you the benefit of the doubt as well as my prized honesty if you promise you’ll improve quite a bit Should you violate the truce’s conditions, I reserve the right to exact revenge”

He grins, shaking his head “What sort of revenge?”

“You should hope you never find out We Tristanians know a lot of very odd things I have ways to make you pay that you’d never expect”

When his brows rule ?”

He laughs at the na—an error that I quickly re at the floor so I’ll avoid his too-faaze “Is that it, then? You truly want to wait here until daylight?”

He rubs his hands together, then exhales audibly, as if he’s got the weight of the universe on his wide shoulders “I could start digging now, but I’d rather know a little better what’s up there above us”

“A night in the burrow, then”

He presses a palainst the floor, then looks up so our eyes meet He doesn’t speak or make a face, but simply stares at me—until I want to scoot away

“Are you having a seizure?”

He laughs “Jesus”

“Is not an expletive I tolerate”

One big hand covers his face before he gives me a pointed look “You feel okay? Do you feel dizzy or sick?”

“I believe I’d know if I had a concussion I’m the fill-in doctor after all”

His lips purse Bastard But he doesn’t change his tone “You think you can stand okay?”

Weren’t we in reverse positions just a bit ago, when he rolled down the slope? I runI don’t want to look at him as I say, “Of course”