t cold against Etha

to the rain lash again

stirred beside him,

o her bed an hour ag

his had been

hing, her

t, burnin

vement, then sat up, the sh

hen they looked at him i

g is in ten

as cool, ma

lenched. He kept

or will be m

' t look

would come. He ha

the words any

gratulations, Mi

s even, betr

under rattle

a small, invol

ips curled int

of a little n

hood he barely remembered, a trauma sea

n' t a

ed, naked, unconcer

will resume your duties as my p

d. "Und

ified, a roar a

violence, the hunger before S

boy the

rained him, made him i

ad been the only flicker of war

, a shared secret in

or her: his fear of storms, his aversio

her perf

ad come to him af

iancé, had fainted when she'

assessing Ethan. "I need someone... experience

be prepared fo

order, a new dimen

s about her n

t still clung to the memory of

ompl

hope was e

ntly, his movem

r, his burner phone v

encrypte

s. Information rega

s. The "a

ew, something other than

. A reaso

had