Her eyes were wide with panic as she re

She dropped the coat and reached her hands

eyes we

wrist like a steel vice. She squeezed so hard that

n shock at her usually meek and soft-spoken employer. She t

er voice was a low, freezing rasp. "H

ly keeping his head above the surface. The allure of saving the Presid

d, actually raising her voice

t same tone Nora had used right before she forced

age inside Hest

e. She raised her

ac

g water. Hester's palm connected with Nora's cheek with so

n line of blood broke at the corner of her mouth. She stood complete

pocket with her left hand and wiped her right palm, as if she had

agged himself up until the water was at his chest. He was shaking v

blue finger at the t

deral prison!" Domenic roared, h

t, her hands suddenly flying to her torn collar. She patted he

r head up and

he antique sapphire brooch the

rted around nervously. "M-maybe you dropped it in the sitting room?"

. Her heels clicked sh

d absolute. "It fell off when he was

d finger at the da

ere and fi

looked like he was ready to murder someone. The physical

n't do it! I'm going to tell the First L

a cold, terrifying s

he excuse

one explosive step. Her hands shot out, gra

ster twisted her hips and hurled the a

curdling shriek as he

e rim and slammed into the deep end

to Domenic's face. He wiped his eyes just in

r instantly, turning into a lead weight that dragged her down. Blind

arms around D

zing, was suddenly pulled under by

each other's faces, kicking and shoving, each trying to push the other do

own at the chaos. Her eyes glittere

tle of fabric cau

ast the bare trees, toward the shadowed alcove o

oat stood perfectly still in t

the heavy, oppressive weight of hi

fraction of a second. She didn't pa

f tears to spill over her eyelashes. She grabbed the

's quarters, leaving the two peopl