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She let out a shaky breath and shook her head, as if chasing away thethe pain I felt whenever I saw Eripped er "Me, too" I squeezed her hand and searched for so more to say, but she spoke first

"I need you to pro," I said

"I need you not to die"

I cracked a smile Emma didn’t "You can’t," she said "If I lose you, the rest isn’t worth a daainst h," she whispered "Promise me"

"Okay I won’t die"

"Say, ‘I promise’ "

"I promise You say it, too"

"I promise," she said

"Ahh," Sharon said airily from the corner, "the sweet lies lovers tell …"

We broke apart "You’re not supposed to be listening!" I said

"That was long enough," he said, dragging his chair loudly across the floor and planting it next to the bed "We have iy you owemy character and reputation"

"Every as true," I said "This loop is full of scus and creeps, and you are a money-driven lout"

"With not an ounce of syh, again, thank you for saving us"

"Around here you learn to look out for nuht Everyone wants so So yes, I reetically self-directed and profit estion that I would have dealings of any kind with someone who trades in peculiar flesh Just because I’m a capitalist doesn’t mean I’m a black-hearted bastard"

"And how could we have known that?" I said "We had to beg and bribe you not to abandon us at the dock, reed "That was before I realized who you are"

I glanced at Emma, then pointed to my chest "Who I a tile as a boate in and out of the Acre if I promised to keep an eye out for you while I did it I was to bring you to see hiain"

"You must have me confused with someone else," I said "I’ast How many peculiars do you knoho can do that?"