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“Yes,” she whispered in a voice that trembled only a little “Yes, I’ll come with you”

“Good” Rarev rose as sracefully as he had dropped to his knees “There’s no tio!”

5

“Wait!” Ee out the back door of her flat

“What is it?” Rarev turned his head, frowning at her, his blaster in one hand

“You can’t kill them—any of them,” Em said earnestly “They may be a bloody nuisance, but they’re still oing to make you out to be a monster—they’ll vilify your entire race!”

“Very true” He nodded thoughtfully “You’re very wise, Minister Oxley”

“No, I’ve just been in public service long enough to knohat people are like,” Eet us out of here and to your ship without killing anyone, do you think?”

“I can, but I’et a lot closer than I’d like” He frowned “I do have a personal shielding device I can activate—you’re so s as you stay close”

Em did her best not to snort at this—it wasn’t ladylike But she had not often been referred to as “small” before, especially in the tabloids

“All right,” she said blandly, ht face “I’ll stick close by”

He frowned—again, an expression that was olden eyes

“I don’t mean you should stay by my side—I mean you’ll have to touch me at all times If we lose contact, the shield won’t cover you In fact, you’d better put an arm around me and I’ll put mine around you”

Eht have protested this inti at her earlier—if the situation wasn’t so dire As it was, however, she felt she had no choice

So she didn’t co his muscular left arm securely around her shoulders It felt rather aard to Eer, but this was literally a ht ar as she did so that he was extre