Page 182 of Sins of the Heart

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Jerking away, she stared at him, chest heaving,

senses humming. Pupils dilated and dark, he watched

her, waiting for something. What?

EVE SILVER

185

Deliberately, she wiped the back of her hand across

her mouth, her fingers still curled around the hilt of her

knife.

He dipped his chin toward her hand and grinned.

“You’re gorgeous when you’re stabbing things,

Roxy Tam.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

O you who bring the ferryboat of Re,

Strengthen your rope in the north wind.

Ferry upstream to the Island of Fire

Beside the realm of the dead,

Collect this magic from wherever it may be

—The Egyptian Book of the Dead, Chapter 24

LOKAN KRAYL TRIED TO LIFT his head. Once. Twice. He

lay there, panting, his muscles refusing to obey the

commands of his brain. Embarrassment was his first

reaction. Anger his second. He didn’t recall ever being

this weak. This feeble.

Or his emotions being this far outside his control.

The ground at his back was cold and hard, the sky

above him heavy with clouds. Not white or gray. Reddishbrown—earthworm-red—the edges stained a darker hue.

Again, he tried to lift his head, this attempt a success only because he wouldn’t settle for anything

less. Teeth gritted, he stared down at himself, waiting

for his eyes to focus.

There was no blood on his hands.

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