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She must have.

He tried to calm his words.

She was obviously disturbed.

“Send Miri. Or Holo, maybe. But I need someone here now. She’s confused. She needs someone to talk to her. Someone who can––”

“I’m not confused.” Her mouth hardened. “Ordisturbed.”

She spoke perfect Prexci, like, scholar-perfect––the kind Jem and some of the older seers like Yarli and even Black occasionally used. The words sounded loud in the dark room, and damned weird coming from such a young mouth. Bell-clear, her voice had a strangely melodic quality, something that made Nick flinch, then stare.

Why didthatfeel familiar, too?

Had he noticed that in her voice before?

Nick couldn’t remember her speaking at Rucker’s house, other than in a whisper when he first found her, and a few words he overheard when Miri had been escorting her outside and asking her questions.

Either way, he needed to handle this carefully. Regardless of her haughty words, she was painfully young. She was was young and obviously shewasreally fucking confused, or why the hell would she be in here at all, much less putting her hands on him?

Why would she go near him, a vampire, at all?

She had to know what he was.

She’d known his eyes were the wrong color when he wore the contact lenses. She hadn’t seemed disturbed by his cold skin when she reached up for him through those metal bars, trying to hold his hand. Unless this was all just some weird psychological projection. Had she somehow imprinted on him, as the first face she saw when she was “rescued”? Did she see Nick as her savior? Did she feel like she owed him something?

The thought made him feel even sicker.

“Hey.” Nick held up his hands, palms out. “I’m not angry. I’m not. But you shouldn’t be in here. You shouldn’t be doing what you were doing to anyone, but especially not to me. You don’t owe me anything, kid. You never oweanyonethat… okay?”

He ended a little lamely, and cleared his throat, aware of his own discomfort.

“I’m not a kid,” she said simply.

“You are, though––” Nick began.

“I’mnot,”she retorted.

He started to argue with her again, then cut himself off. There was no point arguing with a kid about whether or not they were a kid.

He held his hand higher in alarm when she began to get up off the couch. He realized only then, to his utter and complete horror, that she was completely naked.

“Jesus fuck…” he snapped, fighting anger now.

He turned his face away, and stared at the wall, his hand still held up to ward her off.

“Where are your goddamned clothes, Aura?”

As soon as he’d realized she wasn’t wearing anything, he made sure not to look anywhere lower than her neck, but still managed to glimpse enough of her small, pale breasts, and a swath of skin down her belly to her legs, to feel deeply,deeplyfucking disturbed.

“Kid, you are really fucking confused if you think this is remotely going to happen.”

“Why?” she whispered.

Her voice sounded so damned young.

“Why? Well, I’m married, for one.” His voice came out harsher than he intended. “And you’re a damnedchildfor another…” He continued to hold up his hand, even as he switched back to his headset.“Some fucking help here would be nice,”he snapped into the comm.

“We’re on our way,” Black growled back.