Faith gazed at Buffy, and Buffy watched a small yet truly significant tear sliding down her cheek. It glinted like one of the many stars looking down from above them.

Without saying a word, Faith lifted her left hand and placed it as before, on Buffy’s cheek. Then she licked her full red lips and slowly leaned towards the blonde girl. She stopped just inches away from her face as they focused intently on one another.

“That’s the most amazing thing anybody’s ever said to me.” Faith’s whisper blew over Buffy’s lips, but before she could take time out to just about deal with that, Faith gently kissed her.

The first touch of Faith’s sensuous lips to hers felt like somebody had tugged the world out from under her, and she was tumbling through space. Buffy was pretty keen on theme park rides, but she had never been on any rollercoaster that had given her a rush quite like what she was feeling with Faith kissing her.

The kiss was soft and Buffy participated just as gently. It was surprisingly chaste considering how overtly sexual Faith was, but Buffy wasn’t complaining because it was perfect.

Their lips slowly slid against each other’s, opening ever so slightly to taste the delicate skin on offer. Buffy could feel her whole body warming up, and it was emanating from the points they were now connected.

The hand she had resting on Faith’s hip had moved up and round a little, so now it was holding the taller girl to her on her lower back. Faith’s left hand had moved from her cheek and was now more hovering between the area of her jaw and neck.

Every soft touch from Faith’s hand to her lips was fuelling a small fire inside of Buffy. She knew it was just a delicate start, but she also knew what could possibly follow would be the most intense experience she could ever dream of having.

With the waves of the ocean speaking to the sand and the salt cracked cliffs either side of the small bay, the two slayers fell into each other. Faith moved over Buffy, gently encouraging her onto her back. The kiss was becoming a little bolder, a little more heated. Buffy let out a sigh as Faith teased her top lip with her tongue before continuing in the reserved caress. Whispering feather light kisses on her.

Their soft wet mouths opened slightly for each other, and Buffy felt like the world had just began to spin that little bit quicker. She was tasting the warm saliva of the dark girl and she craved more. Flicking her tongue out to meet Faith’s full lips, Buffy wrapped her arms around her slender back, holding her closer. But Faith didn’t allow all her weight to settle on her, and she seemed to be avoiding the kiss deepening into more. Buffy pulled back and looked into dark and wide pupils.

“Faith. . .kiss me properly,” Buffy’s asked. Her need obvious in her tone.

Without hesitation Faith closed her mouth over Buffy’s and promptly slipped her tongue past her parted lips. Buffy accepted the offering gratefully with a moan and their tongues slid against one another, tasting and exploring. The heat between them quickly grew from that point on. Although it still seemed like Faith was being uncharacteristically restrained.

Faith twirled her tongue in a sensual dance over Buffy’s, stroking, licking, teasing in a delicious wet kiss. Then she dropped her thigh between her legs and rested more weight on her as she buried her left hand into her silky blonde locks.

Buffy had one hand firm on the lower back of the dark slayer and one close to her shoulders. She could feel the warmth of the other girl seeping into her through her clothes. She was tasting and feeling, and wanting. And she wasn’t the only one. Moving her hot kisses from Buffy’s mouth to her neck and ear, Faith spoke huskily and breathlessly, sending shivers down Buffy’s spine.

“You taste so good. And you’re so fucking soft,” Faith said softly as she brushed her lips over the sensitive skin of the older girl’s neck, concentrating around her pounding pulse, licking there lightly with the tip of her eager tongue.

“God, that feels good, Faith.” She had never realised her neck was such a sensitive area, but there was just something about the way Faith’s moist tongue was flicking over her that was driving her wild.

Buffy wrapped her hands up into Faith’s luscious dark brown hair, effectively encouraging her to continue paying attention to her neck. Leaning her head back, Buffy relaxed completely into the embrace of her long ago enemy.

“You like that, huh?” Faith said huskily.

It was pretty much a rhetorical question, much like the one earlier about Buffy being ready now. She certainly felt more than ready with Faith resting upon her, nibbling at the willing flesh of her throat.

“Yes. I like it. Don’t stop.” Buffy was almost embarrassing herself at how turned on she was getting from such a simple act.

But it was more the fact that it was Faith doing it that was the turn on. The weight of her, the smell and the warmth of her. It was almost too much all at once where before she had had nothing but broken dreams and half hearted wishes. Buffy felt overwhelmed by sensation and they hadn’t even done much more than kiss.

“You’re getting me so hot, Faith,” Buffy confessed. Her breathing was sharp and ragged. Her nipples straining, and aching to be touched. And she was wet. Wet and willing for Faith to do to her what she had always secretly wanted her to do. “I want you to touch me.” Buffy had almost whispered her request, still shy before the girl she wanted so much.

The gorgeous slayer ceased gently sucking on Buffy’s neck and leaned back to look down at her counterpart. Buffy found something in her eyes that she didn’t expect to see. Apprehension. There was no gung-ho, action-now, talk-later confidence emanating from Faith right now.

“You. . .you do want to touch me, don’t you?” Buffy wasn’t sure whether she had once again been given mixed signals from Faith.

“Of course I wanna touch you. It’s just. . .I’ve never. . .” Faith looked almost embarrassed, which was strange to say the least. “I’ve never been with a girl before. But not only that. . .I’ve never done anything other than fuck before either.” Faith looked away into the sand beside Buffy’s head.

“Hey, it’s ok. Faith,” Buffy gently placed her hand on Faith’s cheek, coaxing her to face her once more, “I’m kinda glad, ‘cause that makes me the first. I’ve never had sex with another girl either, but I know I want to with you. I want to show you how much you mean to me. How much I desire you. Will you let me show you? Do you trust me?” Buffy asked.

All thoughts of Faith taking control, taking the lead and showing her the way, left her head as she pushed the taller girl gently onto her back.

“I trust you,” Faith nodded, sighing as Buffy brought their lips back together.

Buffy didn’t hold back as Faith had been doing. She knew exactly what she wanted, even if she had no experience to go with the urge. Lying between Faith’s thighs, Buffy kissed her passionately. Fully. Until they were both groaning against each other and straining for more contact.

Without realising she had started moving at all, Buffy found herself becoming incredibly aroused as she pushed her hips against the younger girl. They were both rocking into each other. Their bodies crushed together in need and hunger, as the sand beneath them softened and adjusted to their weight.

Faith was rolling her hips in time with Buffy, grasping for friction and feeling. Her hands were now holding Buffy at the waist and then on her toned backside, so their pussies were right against each other. Their movement headed somewhere clear and precise to both girls it seemed, and Buffy wanted to feel the girl beneath her against her skin. She wanted to remove all their barriers, material and otherwise.

Buffy began placing soft wet kisses on Faith’s sensually arched neck, and ran her hands down Faith’s sides, tripping her fingers over the light fabric of her tight red tee shirt, until she reached the bottom of it. Looking up for objections and finding none, Buffy began to peel the tee shirt up her fellow slayer’s torso.

Faith lifted herself off the sand a little and helped Buffy to remove her top and bra. Faith’s flawless breasts were now exposed, looking velvet soft and delicious, her nipples dusky and firm. Buffy suddenly felt completely confident in what she was doing. All she could think about was tasting the younger girl all over. Learning all she could about her powerful yet delicate looking frame. She removed her torn jacket, keeping her eyes sunk into the almost bashful deep brown before her.

The fact that Faith appeared to be shy in a situation Buffy thought she would be more cocky and sure with, was only fuelling her lust for the dark girl. She wasn’t too used to vulnerable Faith. Or coy Faith. Or. . .rip my clothes off and teach me a thing or two Faith. It was really turning her on.

She felt, unusually, like the one with the experience and the raw hunger, whilst Faith seemed more timid than Buffy had ever imagined she could be. She could see things in her friend’s eyes that she never thought she would ever see directed at her. There was trust, belief, and even love. It was more than Buffy could take.

She pushed the younger girl back into the fine white sand and kissed her fiercely before trailing her lips down Faith’s exposed neck, and across her elegant collarbones. Placing feather light kisses over the tops of Faith’s breasts, Buffy found her hand unbuttoning the dark leather trousers she wanted inside of.

“Faith, can I?” Buffy said breathlessly, in a tone lower than she’d ever heard herself speak.

She waited for a response. It came, with a divine smile and a nod.

“Yes,” Faith answered.

Buffy’s fingers eagerly worked Faith out of her almost impenetrable leather pants. And as she pulled them off along with the heavy boots, she gazed up along the slender legs and firm lightly muscled thighs in front of her. Faith wasn’t wearing panties and the blonde girl’s eyes devoured her trimmed center, as the once rogue slayer lay back with her legs spread far enough apart for Buffy to fit between.

Faith was wet. Buffy could clearly see her arousal glistening on the pretty pink folds of her pussy, wet and waiting to be touched, and Buffy wasn’t going to let her wait too long. She wanted to soak her fingers in the musky scent of Faith. She wanted to dip her tongue into it and taste the very essence of her.

Buffy placed her hands on Faith’s thighs as she leant forwards and stroked her way up to her breasts, capturing the younger girl’s mouth, and melting their lips together. She cupped the soft breasts and felt hard nipples rubbing against her palms with every tender squeeze. Both girls were groaning from the giving and receiving of pleasure.

Buffy had never touched another woman in such an intimate way before, but she wasn’t finding it strange at all. Maybe because she had craved Faith for so long, and thought about, and dreamt about touching her. She was just too busy enjoying the softness of the girl beneath her to worry about anything else.

“God, you’re so. . .I love the way you feel.” Buffy fondled Faith’s chest as if she had been doing that kind of thing for years.

As Faith sighed under her caress, Buffy rubbed her thumbs over the solid nipples straining towards her. She watched as Faith’s lips parted, taking in deeper breaths. She kissed her succulent lips then made her way down, dipping her tongue into the small valley at the join of Faith’s collarbones. She slipped her right hand to Faith’s tiny hipbone as she used the other one to prop herself up as her mouth descended on a route over lightly tanned skin. Breasts. Smooth. Heated flesh.

Buffy sucked a nipple into her mouth, claiming it with her teeth and tongue. She pulled and sucked until Faith was grinding her hips up against her. Buffy moved over to the other breast and subjected it to the same teasing and soft sucking.

“Fuck. . .that’s good, B.” Faith tangled a hand in Buffy’s hair as she encouraged her to suck more of her in.

Buffy drank in the flesh of Faith’s breasts, trying, but knowing she never would to satisfy her need to have them in her mouth. Kissing her nipples and rolling her tongue around them, she remembered there was something else she wanted to do even more.

Gliding her hand from the other girl’s small hip, she revelled in her nakedness. Flowing over the toned stomach, which was tensing as her fingertips tickled. Sweeping over the strong slim thigh, which dropped open as she ran her fingers up the inside. Then eventually round to the warm and wet strip of dark hair covering Faith’s intimate folds. Buffy gently cupped Faith’s mound in her palm, allowing the heat to burn her skin as Faith slowly rolled her hips in the hope of more contact.

“Buffy. . .please touch me.” Faith gripped onto Buffy as she spoke, pulling her close in the sweet smelling air around them.

Taking a deep breath, Buffy slid her middle finger in between the moist folds of Faith’s slick pussy. Slowly teasing her fingertip in and around the sticky juice emanating from her, she closed her eyes, just enjoying the moment. Caressing Faith intimately.

Her lips were pressed against Faith’s neck. Her lungs full of the smell of her. Her body lying between strong thighs, feeling the softness of Faith’s nakedness and her tantalisingly kissable skin. Her finger, slipping around over the erect clit in the liquid heat of Faith’s sex, with her sighing and moaning for her.

Time seemed to grind to a halt, and she looked down between them. Watching as Faith’s deceptively fragile looking body moved against her hand. Her fingers were glistening with Faith’s essence, and she wanted to taste it. She wanted to taste the beautiful girl writhing against her.

Buffy kissed her way down the firm body of the other slayer, feeling her mouth water at the prospect of what she was about to do. Faith began breathing heavier, her left hand entwined in golden locks while the other dug its way into the sand beside them.

“You smell incredible, Faith. And you look. . .God, you’re just so sexy,” Buffy groaned, as she hovered above the spread pussy of the dark girl until she could no longer keep from wanting to devour the drenched offering.

Without warning Buffy lowered her head and slid her tongue into the moaning slayer’s pink folds, licking over the sensitive flesh inside. She was instantly taken over by the need to just eat Faith’s pussy for all her worth.

To suck her. Lick her. Fuck her. Feel her come against her lips. She wanted as much of her in her mouth as she could. The inexperienced girl didn’t even stop to think that she’d never done such a thing before. She just wanted Faith so much.

“I wanna put my tongue inside you. I want to taste you deep inside,” Buffy moaned.

She flicked her tongue over Faith’s hard little clit then slid it further down and swirled it around the opening to her hot, dripping entrance, sucking on her opening a little as Faith shuddered.

“I want you inside me too.” Faith’s voice was husky, needy, and slithering all over Buffy. “Go inside me, Buffy, please. Fuck me with your tongue.”

Faith looked deep into Buffy’s eyes, shimmering and open for her to see just how beautiful her soul was.

Faith opened her legs further, bending them at the knee then raising her hips. Spreading herself wide for the other girl. Instantly Buffy was inside her. Shoving her tongue as far into the dark girl as she could. Burying her face in pussy juice and hot fleshy cunt. The taste of Faith was driving her wild and she couldn’t get enough. She had wanted her tongue up inside the other girl’s pussy for so long.

“Oh, yeah!” Faith called out, tightening her fingers in Buffy’s hair.

Making her tongue as stiff as she could, she fucked the writhing girl with it. Faith was moaning and trembling as her body quickly raced towards climax with Buffy sliding in and out of her dipping hole. The sound of her tight tunnel sucking at Buffy’s tongue, drowned out the sound of the incoming tide as it lapped at the blonde girl’s feet.

“Oh. . .Fuck, B. You’re so good.” Faith began to shake harder the moment Buffy rubbed down on her clit with her thumb in the abundance of sticky clear fluid.

She was close. Buffy could taste the thick fluid gathering deep inside Faith. Ready to flood out into her mouth.

“Buffy. Oh, Buffy,” Faith moaned. “Oh Fuck!” Faith’s body stiffened, and she shook as she came, drenching Buffy’s face with her hot come.

Buffy swallowed as the creamy liquid slid down her throat, savouring the tang and the texture. Drinking down as much of Faith as she could, because it was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted. She loved it. And she knew right then and there, in the heat of the muggy Spanish night, that she loved Faith, and that she had no other choice but to love her. It had always been there, deep inside her.

Smiling, with Faith smeared all over her lips, Buffy wriggled her tongue a few times, delighting in the little squeals emanating from Faith. Then she slipped from Faith’s convulsing pussy, and moved up her body, kissing up along the center of her stomach and between her breasts.

“Buffy, I love you. I love you, B,” Faith managed to say between deep breaths.

Faith had the most beautiful smile curling her lips, and a small tear trickling down to the sand beneath. Buffy was in no doubt that she wanted to be with this gorgeous girl for the rest of her life. They belonged together.

She was happy. They both were. Together at last.

But then. . .a sharp jolt shot through Buffy, as the happiness she felt suddenly gave way to excruciating pain and a sudden feeling of dread. Buffy closed her eyes tight, and raised her hand to the source of the agony, clutching at her chest. It felt like a thunderbolt had struck her right in the centre of it.

“What the hell?” Buffy groaned out and slumped forwards. She could hardly breath from the shock of the pain.

“Sorry about that. It’s a side affect, but you’ll get over it,” somebody distinctly said.

It was a familiar voice, a distant, echoing voice, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. Buffy didn’t know what was happening.

All of a sudden she felt the world rush past her. She felt ripped from reality. Buffy opened her eyes and they immediately began to sting as intense light flashed before her, stealing her sight. But all she could think about was where the hell Faith had suddenly gone. She could no longer feel her underneath her. No longer smell her or sense her, or taste her even. It was like she had been snatched away from her.

“Faith!” Buffy cried out blindly into the now spinning colours before her eyes. Trying to find her in the blinding pain. “Faith?” Tears began to stream down her face, stinging her cheeks as they flowed.

She was beyond confused. Her mind a flurry of thought and panic as she felt the heat from her skin, the heat that Faith had almost burned her with, slip away, leaving only a cold icy chill.

“What. . .what’s happening? Faith. . .what’s happening?” Buffy cried, wanting her partner in her arms again. She wanted her soft dusky skin next to hers, but she was gone.

All at once Buffy felt alone. Lost. Heartbroken and damaged. Her throat was dry and her wrists were sore. She reached out into the confusion to find her lover, but she was no longer there. She was gone. Had disappeared into the cacophony of sounds and images swirling in front of her.

“Faith, where are you? Please. . .please don’t leave me,” Buffy sobbed, calling for her lover, her lungs burning from the raking breaths forcing their way out of her. She could feel herself bending over in pain on all fours, but there was no ground beneath her.

Confusion. Loss. A bottomless ache inside.

There was nothing around her but a torrent of chaos. There was nothing. No sand, no sea, no sky, no solid forms anywhere. No Faith. Her heart sank, and the feeling was the most intense thing she had ever felt. No Faith. Without knowing why or how she knew. . .she was sure she had lost her dark beauty. Somehow, someway. . .she had lost her, and it hurt more than she thought she could stand.

Buffy collapsed onto something solid, curling up into a tight ball as she clutched at her chest. Repeating to herself over and over. . .

“But I love you. You can’t leave me, I love you, Faith. Don’t leave me. . .please.” Her eyes were shut tight as tears fell in floods from her very soul. But she could feel something had suddenly changed around her once again.

The world felt like it had stopped spinning, but she still felt alone. Faith was still gone. Things were still seriously wrong. Her heart still felt like it was in shreds. Tattered and torn, and bleeding inside her.

“Well, that wasn’t too bad now was it? Just a little bump back down to reality,” the same voice spoke to her.

Angel. It was Angel’s voice.

Buffy slowly opened her stinging eyes, focusing on the dirt beneath her. It was brown and gritty, not soft white sand. She lifted her head to turn in the direction she had heard the voice. Swallowing down her sorrow in order to breath, Buffy took in the sight of her former lover stood over her, grinning at her like a Cheshire cat. It wasn’t Angel at all, it was Angelus.

“W. . .what’s happening?” Buffy’s throat was sore and her voice harsh and broken.

“It’s understandable that you’d be a little confused. Maybe I should help you up so you can get you bearings, oh sweetheart of mine.” He bent down to pick her up and she recoiled from his touch.

Then she heard her. Faith. . .in the background somewhere. Buffy’s heart soared, her whole demeanour lifting, before she heard what she was actually saying.

“Are we done yet? I’m bored now the shows over,” Faith said. Her tone was cold and distant and it confused Buffy all the more.

She knew she had to sit up and discover just where the hell she was and what was happening. She carefully lifted her body up out of the cold dirt, turning to face what was obviously the center of the dismally lit room she was currently in. Her head span as gravity weighed heavy on her skull. Sitting on the dusty floor, looking up into the lifeless eyes of the vampire stood in front of her, it all came flooding back.

It wasn’t Angel or Angelus. It was the First. She had lost. They had all lost and The First had won.

The world was in chaos. Her friends and family captured. Many people killed. Buffy felt the agony of reality hit her, and she bit back the urge to cry in front of the creature that had caused it all. She forced herself not to let the overwhelming emotions take her control away.

“Ahh, I see you’re remembering. Good. Now I don’t have to spend hours trying to get it into that dumb blonde head of yours,” The First spoke through Angelus.

Buffy tried to ignore the fact that The First was wearing Angelus for a body, and attempted to shake the ache in her skull and the grief she was currently being overwhelmed with after being ripped away from Faith so distressfully. It was all still confusing her.

She realised she had been knocked unconscious at some point, and her arms and legs were tethered to the wall behind her. She couldn’t quite lift her head enough to see past the large vampire in front of her to see where Faith was, so settled for staring at him with her best “I’m gonna kill you” look.

“Ok. . .so I get that you’re in charge, for now,” Buffy sneered. “But what was that? What I just experienced. Some sick joke?” Buffy could feel fresh tears straining to escape at the realisation that none of the last few months she had experienced, none of her time with Faith, none of it had been real.

Despite her resolve not to show any weakness in front of the first evil, a tear slid from her eye and trickled a lonely trail down her bruised cheek. Because she knew. The reason why Faith was there, just behind Angelus in the shadows where she couldn’t see her, was because she had turned against her. Faith had betrayed her once again and joined forces with The First. She was truly lost to her now, forever. And she couldn’t stop the tears and the pain and the anger, and the grief that was tearing her insides out.

“Aww, look at that, Faithy. She’s crying for you. Isn’t that sweet?” he said, grinning wildly.

Chuckling, he moved to the side slightly, giving Buffy her first view of the dark slayer.

“Yeah, it’s fucking adorable. Now can we move on, or are ya gonna torture her some more?” Faith asked, all bravado and cold stark confidence that shot through Buffy’s heart like a rusty nail.

Faith was barely even looking at her. All sleek indifference and walls. Too interested in inspecting her chipped black nail polish to care. Buffy swallowed down the urge to vomit in her distress and sat up as straight as she could, turning all her attention to the dark figure looming above her. She was determined to do her best to remember that she was the slayer, mustering all her courage to disregard the fact that her heart was breaking so she could do her job. She had to find out what was going on.

“Tell me. . .what the fuck was that about? The beach. . .the. . .everything,” Buffy questioned, not meaning to only highlight her time with Faith.

After all, it was almost two months of her life that had just been dreamt up or whatever. But all she could think about was what had just happened. Or what she thought had just happened.

“That. . .was fun. Don’t you agree, Faith?” The First asked, and Faith made an uncommitted sound in the background. “Ya see, I asked you to tell me what the deepest most desired secret of your heart was, and you refused to tell me. You must have forgotten about that with the concussion,” he grinned. “I wanted to know. Wanted to get inside that slayer head of yours. Call me cruel, sadistic, or even crazy.”

“I wouldn’t if I were you, he likes it,” Faith drawled with a chuckle as she began to pace a little behind Angelus.

“Isn’t she just perfect,” he beamed, glancing over at Faith with what could only be described as an adoring look on his face. “Where was I? Oh yeah. . .your inner most desires. I projected them for my entertainment, and the pleasure of watching your heart break. A great way to torture don’t ya think? And hours of fun for all. Although to be fair, we only really saw the last exciting and titillating instalment. But I’m sure I’m not just talking for Faith and I when I say. . .bravo.” He swept his hand to the center of the room, Buffy’s eyes following his gesture.

There, in the middle of the gloom, was a replay of her fantasy of her and Faith, straight from Buffy’s head and heart and out there for all to see. Because just to the left of that, were all her friends and family. Giles, Willow, Xander. . .Dawn, amongst a few of the newer slayers. They had seen it all. They had witnessed the entire thing.

The images abruptly cut off as Angelus laughed aloud at the horror on Buffy’s face. She wanted to look away, sure that they would feel disgust at her actions. At what her heart craved most in the world, which was and always had been the dangerous and cruel dark slayer standing beside The First, her eyes cold and black in her moment of glory.

“Ya know. . .I never pegged you to want to be the dominant one, B. But what with all the showing me what to do crap, and me practically begging you to touch me, I guess I had you wrong. Shame it’d never happen that way though. Shame that you’ll never get what you want,” Faith said cruelly as she strutted towards Buffy, who was trembling with a mixture of sorrow, pain, and rage. “You’ll never have me squirming underneath you like you want, Twinkie. Never touch me or taste me, or have your tongue shoved so far up me I’m seeing stars, like the way you need.”

Buffy closed her eyes at the memory. She could still remember the feel of Faith’s pussy against her tongue. The warm wet flow of her come as she shook for her. The taste of her. The way she had told Buffy she loved her. She wanted to forget it all now. She needed to.

If she was going to survive. If any of them were, she had to forget everything that had happened in her so-called fantasy. She had to forget about Faith, and about how much she loved her and longed for her to be by her side.

The ruthless callous girl leaning down to her now, wasn’t the Faith Buffy wanted her to be. And she never would be.

“Don’t look so down, girlfriend,” Faith smirked and placed her finger under Buffy’s chin, forcing her to look into her bottomless brown eyes. “We can still have fun. Of course. . .it’s not gonna be the kind of fun you were thinking about between us.”

The smirk told Buffy all she needed to know. She was well aware of Faith’s fondness for knifes.

“Enough chatting girls. I have things to do. Faith. . .I need someone killed, in your oh so special way,” The First strode towards the door, waiting for his accomplice to follow him.

Faith smirked, but as she slowly pulled away, her eyes locked on Buffy’s and the blonde girl could almost have believed there was a flicker of emotion deep within their almond depths. But as soon as it had appeared it had gone again, to be replaced by the steely gaze she was more accustomed to from her counterpart.

She didn’t have time to work it out as Faith pushed her back, hard against the wall. Buffy hit her head, and was vaguely aware of a scream from Dawn before she slumped forward and the world went black.

The last thing she heard, dripping in the smug tone of Faith’s husky voice, was. . .

“Psych.”