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“Twinning, huh?” I asked her. There was barely a quaver to my voice, and if my hands were shaking I assumed there was too much going on for anyone else to notice.

Sheer relief is a powerful thing.

Lynn grinned like she didn’t have a care in the world.

I glared at them both, but blind kung-fu Lynn couldn’t see it, of course.

“Where have you been?” I asked her.

“Where have I been?” she asked incredulously, her smile dying. She was standing up straight and waving her arms around wildly. “Where have I been? Miss leaves this plain of existence for months without a word is asking where I’ve been?

This plain of existence? I’d known I was somewhere far away. Somewhere strange. But a different dimension? That bat-shit crazy thought hadn’t crossed my mind.

“Hello, sister,” Sven said into the awkward silence.

Lynn’s head swiveled in his direction. “Who is that? Is that Sven?”

“Yes. Nice to see you after all these years.”

“I’d say it’s mutual, but I can’t see anything. Nice to hear you.”

“I’ve defected to your side,” Sven said simply.

She nodded, looking impressed. “Nice. That should be handy.”

“Can Jillian and I speak alone?” she asked everyone politely. She waved at who knows what. “Go over that way. Just far enough to give us a bit of privacy.”

They did it, though none of them liked it.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked her when we were alone.

She sighed. “Drake wants me to marry him. I explained my commitment issues, and he didn’t really get it. He says I have to marry him, and he’s made some convincing arguments about it. I said I’d have to think about it. He says he’ll help me get my eyes back when I’ve given him a straight answer.

“You have the worst taste in men. Literally the worst.”

“Erg. I know. It’s well documented. You know, Drake’s actually kind of nice when he’s not being completely evil, but that’s neither here nor there. And hey! Like you’re one to talk. Oh I’m sorry miss finds a guy who worships her and leaves, never giving him the slightest explanation as to why. How’s that worked out for you?”

I scowled. “That’s not what happened.”

“Tell that to Dom. And literally everyone you’ve ever been involved with. Dom just affected you more than the others because you became attached. You never realized that worshipping thing could go both ways and how much it sucks from the wrong end.”

I scowled harder, realized she couldn’t see it, and shushed her loudly. “Uncle. No more talk about our love lives, please.”

“Truce accepted and reciprocated,” she said easily and instantly.

We rarely fought. Hadn’t had a real row in centuries. This was as close as it got, in fact. We were always quick to wave the white flag.

When you have as much ammo against each other as we do and you’re both too good at war as we are, a real fight is the equivalent of launching nukes from both sides.

Peace or total destruction were our only options. So peace it was, always. True sisterhood was a law unto itself.

“Now listen,” said Lynn. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh-oh.”

“It gets worse. I’ve been planning.”

“Yikes.”