Allis

dden spot by the estate's back

ary-looking cooler, her face etched with worry.

person who knew even a fraction of my secrets. An orphan I'

taking the heavy cooler. "And the bi

ssed a warm paper bag into my other hand. "You have

my chest. I nodded, then hurried

at looked like standard medical supplies: sterile gauze, saline, antibiotic ointm

ent. Disguised as

deal with that

carefully cut away the harden

from clenching. The stitches were crude, some already torn

, with saline and antiseptic. M

ower and speed, was now so fr

of the vials of nano-agent. I administered it in small doses

roscopic, well-trained soldiers, beginning

d a professional compression wrapping technique I'd learned while minoring

m water with a syringe, and turned him to pr

cision instrument. Calm, ef

inished did a wave of

de the bed and finally rememb

hot and sour soup from my fav

s castle of conspiracy and crisis, the simple wa

y doctor comes once a week, but he's been 'on vacation' for the past month

d the name away. Inc

ed Kade's real-time

ture was slowly starting to drop. His

realize I'd been holding.

ht softened the sharp lines of his face, hi

war anymore. He looked like a

from the moment I decided to save hi

listening to the sound of his steady

not in a soft guest bed, but on the

ave me a sense of peace

as the one