Chapter 14

"It won’t happen again. I didn’t even realize I had my securities down—Vergel must have been reckless, it’s been a long time since I’ve been around another dark alchemist and blood drinker, never mind one who was feeding like that." Finn swallowed as he pursed his lips. "I overloaded on her magic for a few seconds there, and you caught the edge of it. Like I said, it won’t happen again, I promise." He paused. "But I want you to promise me something, too. I need to know that you’re not going to take off on me again like that. You need to stick with me, and if I say something’s dangerous, I need you to believe me. You are safe with me, Janet. I will never harm you. Because we’re in this together. And whether or not you believe in all this, I do. And from my perspective—" he nodded to the ragged hole "—you almost just became plant food. So promise me that you’ll stick with me and let me do my best to keep you safe."

"I promise," Janet said immediately, somewhat to his surprise. And then