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But her eyes, they were…sad So, so sad as she walked toward Hawke He fell to his knees before her, his head bohispering words I couldn’t quite ht elaborate, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from his princess or from the Assassin who kneeled before her

The silent bubble burst a blink later, and Alek was racing to his sister and wrapping her in his arh for all of us to hear “Avi, you’re okay”

She blinked a few times, her head just visible to me in her brother’s embrace

So sick slid into my stomach

She was so not okay

Two hours

It had been two hours since we’d returned to the residence with Avi in tow, and ed to convince the assassins to leave her with us Us being me, Valor, and Olivia, who had returned hoht

And Avi hadn’t spoken a single word

Not One Word

Valor and I exchanged silent looks of concern as we sat in the chairs opposite Avi’s bed, Olivia electing to sit on the bed next to Avi Olivia hadout of the elaborate dress into a pair of fur-lined leggings and a soft-as-silk blue sweater that hung to her knees She’d kept the gloves on, but she always had worn gloves I’d always loved that about her How she took charge of her life and wouldn’t allow herself to be mated unless she was ready, unless she chose it And as the va to touch her bare skin in hopes of theirto claim her

My own -sleeved shirt I wore, and I wanted to tell my friends, to show them Benedict’s ink onso da so damn quiet we couldn’t even fathom how to help her