“Jim, I know what I did. I remember. Billions dead . . . because of me!” “That was not you,” Jim said firmly. “That was the Queen of Blades. What they made you into. You’re back to being Sarah again. And we’re together now. So just hush, honey.” He had put off touching the strange tentacles that adorned her head in place of hair. Everything else was so human, so much the woman he remembered, but that. . . . Now he did so, keeping her fingers entwined with his as he reached with his other hand to gently stroke back the spiny protuberances. He steeled himself for the contact. To his surprise, they felt warm beneath his touch, like skin. Like Sarah’s skin. And any hesitation he’d had about still loving her—hesitation he had pushed down so deep into his soul that he himself hadn’t been aware of it untilright now—vanished like a bad dream. But the touch didn’t comfort her. She turned her head, trying to pull away. Respecting her needs, Jim withdrew his hand. “It doesn’t matter. Sarah...