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Much later that morning, the sun a short way off from bathing the world in a false sense of warmth, Cinder strolled into the kitchen. When he’s ventured out hours before he left the keeper of his heart in this very room, Io proclaiming a desire to bake the evening away if he truly had to spend it alone. Cinder expected to walk into a war zone, the sink piled high with dishes and the counters spotted with batter and various powders. The only evidence of Io’s handiwork came in the form of red and green striped boxes on the dining table with an adjoining platter treats. His beloved certainly toiled, each box bearing the name of a pack member.