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His fingers tightened, as if he was surprised. It didn’t hurt, but it reminded her of something.

“You shouldn’t touch me. No, that’s not right. I shouldn’t touch you.” Her face scrunched before clearing again, a triumphant cry leaving her as she said, “You don’twantme to touch you. That’s it.”

“Quiet, Kiva,” Jaren said in a hard voice. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Angry again.” Kiva blew out a breath. “I’m always making you angry.”

“I’m not angry,” Jaren stated, leading her down another alleyway. “I’mlivid.What were you thinking, taking — what was it? Silverwish? Bloodwraith?” He leaned closer and sniffed, before edging back again and saying with clear disgust, “Angeldust. Unbelievable.”

Everything was swirling around Kiva, the colorful scarves like fluorescent bats flapping their wings. Something on the ground caught her attention, and she clapped gleefully. “Happy kitty!”

Jaren tugged her back before she could try to pet it. “That’s a dead rat.”

Kiva pouted as he pulled her away. “Sad kitty.”

“Everworld help me,” Jaren muttered.

“I’m tired,” Kiva said, and right there in the middle of the dirty, dark alley, she folded her knees and collapsed. When Jaren swore again, she squinted up at him and noted, “You curse a lot more now than you used to.”

“I wonder why,” he said under his breath.

The next thing Kiva knew, she was in his arms, with him striding quickly through the darkness.

“So strong.” She sighed contentedly and nuzzled her face into his neck. “So perfect.”

His arms tensed around her, but he didn’t reply. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, his familiar scent loosening something deep inside her that not even the angeldust could soothe.

“Miss you,” Kiva whispered against his skin, causing his tension to grow. “So much.”

From that point on, time held no meaning for her, the drug distorting everything she knew, until she became aware of other people aroundthem, and a room that was way too blue. She tried to focus again just as she was lowered onto something soft, with her arms being pried away from their death grip on Jaren.

“No,” she whined. “Come back.”

He ignored her and stepped away as the others came into view, their voices reaching Kiva as if from a dream.

“What do youmean,she’s high?” Caldon demanded.

“Come on, Tipp,” Naari murmured, “let’s go look for King Sibley’s kitchens. I could use a midnight snack.”

“But Kiva —” Tipp started, until Jaren quietly interrupted, “She won’t want you to see this, buddy.”

Cresta, meanwhile, was swearing loud enough to be heard in Evalon.

Kiva was vaguely aware of Naari leading Tipp out of their suite, but her own eyes remained locked — blurrily — on the ex-quarrier. “I had to do it,” she slurred. “I didn’t have a choice.” She laughed. “Well, Idid.But Ididn’t.”

“What’s she on about?” Caldon asked.

“She’s been rambling nonsense ever since I found her,” Jaren said, his tone still bristling with irritation. “You won’t get anything out of her — she needs to sleep it off.”

“This isn’t like her,” Caldon defended Kiva. “Something must have —”

“Shut up, both of you,” Cresta snapped at them. “You have no idea what she —”

“NO!” Kiva shouted, sitting up, the room tilting around her. The spike of panic left as quickly as it had arrived, but she remained cognizant enough to say, “Don’t tell them.”

“You can shut up, too,” Cresta said, pushing Kiva back down and crouching in front of her. “I got you through withdrawal once, I’ll damn well do it again. But as a so-called healer, you should have known betterthan to dabble with angeldust when you barely survived your last addiction.”

“I didn’twant—”