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"I&039; Anders and Bricker to be with us," Eshe said quietly, looking in the side lance at the SUV following theht forty-five and they were on the way to their appointed visit to speak to Agnes Eshe had suggested it ht be better if Anders and Bricker waited at the house, but Ared and said, "They won&039;t uests at the house, which they are, and that I would have felt rude leaving thelance into the rearview aze shifted back to the road as he added, "I feel better having them to watch our backs on the way there and hoainor ht

Eshe s he&039;d only added the "or lad you added the last part I&039;d hate to think you didn&039;t trust me to be able to look after myself"

"I&039;m sure you&039;re very capable," Armand said a bit stiffly, and she wondered if that was a tell with hiot all stiff and proper when he told a lie

"I am very capable," she assured hi in battle since I was thirty That&039;s a long time I can take care of myself"

Armand didn&039;t bother to hide his surprise at this news as he glanced at her "You have?"

"Yes"

He turned back to the road, his expression disgruntled "How did Orion handle that?"

"I&039;m sure he was fine with it," Eshe said with amusement "Especially since he&039;s the one who insisted I learn to fend for ht me how"

"Orion did?" Armand asked carefully

"Yes" Eshe smiled faintly to herself at the ht her how to fight with spear, knife, sword and every other weapon as it had appeared in history before his death Eshe&039;s favorite lessons had been hand-to-hand, though Those had always ended up with hot and sweaty love sessions A fine way for life , Eshe pushed thoseenjoyed the her breath out, she said, "Orion was a warrior He ay a lot He didn&039;t want to have to worry abouthome to a dead life mate"

"Smart man," Armand ht Susanna, Althea, and Rosaed "Different times, different places, different people It&039;s useless to regret things you didn&039;t think of at the time Everyone has a path and that wasn&039;t theirs"

Arlance "Do you really think so?"

Eshe peered at him with surprise "Don&039;t you?"

Armand turned his attention back to the road and shook his head "Life has see ti clearly," she said quietly "You&039;re still inside the fishbowl looking out rather than standing beside it looking in"

"What do you ed "Whenin the world that could happen and I would never be happy again I felt the same when my second son died"

"He died in battle too?" Aruessed There were few enough ways an immortal could die and es, especially when the weapons of choice had been swords

"Anyway," she ht the worst had comeand then my life mate, Orion, died I knew that day that that was truly the worst thing in the world that could happen to ain" Eshe sighed as she recalled those overwhels For a while she&039;d wanted to die herself

"I&039; over to squeeze her hand "I felt much the same when Susanna died"

She squeezed his hand back, and then as he retrieved it to return it to the steering wheel said, "I was in the fishbowl at that tian to see that if Orion had to die, the ti was the best I could ask for"

"Oh?" he asked quietly

"Yes," she assured hihter at home to comfort ht her hoht Orion ho his eyes from the road "He was there?"

She nodded "It was one of his rare visits He joined Orion for the battle, and when he was struck down, he hefted hihts to bring him to me No one else would have done that They would have burned his body with the rest of the fallen ione But Lucian brought hiood-bye and see to his cremation myself"

Armand was silent, and Eshe say the lump that had developed in her throat and forced a h, and have enjoyed moments of happiness in the time since And now I have you, another life mate to enjoy life with"

Arain, found hers and squeezed it gently, but then just as quickly had to replace it on the steering wheel as he turned into the Maunsells&039; driveway Eshe immediately turned her attention to the house they were approaching

Tonight was not like the other nights when Eshe had visited this farht in the house appeared to be on, as well as several outside lights that lit up the grounds so that it allanced over the house and yard as they drove up the driveway, and then to the car and van in evidence, and thought wryly that they should have called and nes sooner It would have saved them a lot of wasted trips out here

Arot out to wait as Anders pulled the SUV in next to them They all then walked to the house in silence, Eshe squeezing Armand&039;s hand when his bu the doorbell and waiting hopefully; John Maunsell had apparently been watching for them and opened the door before they&039;d even reached it

"Hello," he greeted the over Eshe and Arht surprise "You brought co them alone at the faruests," Ary, and then added, "I hope you don&039;t mind?"

"No, of course not You&039;re all welcoht it looked a little uncertain this time, which esturing for theed her forward, she stepped inside and slipped past hi roo the door for Anders and Bricker to enter "Agnes is in there knitting"

Eshe nodded and moved into the room he&039;d taken them to the last time she and Bricker had been there, her eyes curiously searching for the elusive Agnes She spotted her at once, a slim brunette in a white blouse and black pants, seated in a rocker, rocking gently as she knitted The woiving Eshe the chance to look her over

Cedrick had described Agnes as a little thing who looked younger than ht on She was slender and fine-boned and her features were alhteen or nineteen rather than the twenty-six or twenty-seven that most immortals looked to be The fact that she wore her dark hair pulled back into a ponytail only added to the youthful appearance

"Oh, hello" Agnes glanced up and beamed a smile as theaside on a table beside the rocker and stood, offering apologetically, "Sorry, I was trying to get the row done Otherwise I lose my count"

Eshe had never been a knitter herself, so hadn&039;t a clue what she was talking about, but it sounded a plausible excuse, so she sive you the once-over without you noticing"

Agnes laughed as she crossed the room toward them "You must be Eshe You&039;re beautiful And such honesty I like you already"

Eshe&039;s smile widened as she took the hand the wones"

"And you too," she said war Arreeting

Eshe watched curiously, noting the affection on his face as he hugged the slip of a wones pulled away to turn her attention to the other tco, "And who is this?"

"This is Justin Bricker and Anders," Aruests at the ht to leave thenes said staunchly "As you should Welcoentlemen"

She offered her hand to first one and then the other and then roup "Well, I suppose refreshments are in order"

"Oh, I&039;," John said, and Eshe&039;s sharp eyes moved over him narrowly The man appeared tense and nervous, his expression pained He cleared his throat and then explained apologetically, "We don&039;t have any mortal food here, Arly "We ate before leaving the house anyway"

Eshe slid closer to hi it hard to remind him of what he was supposed to do She heard hih, but then he forced a smile and said, "Actually, I&039;d be ht than refreshments Cedrickof buying a new tractor myself so wouldn&039;t mind a look at it"

"Oh" John looked nonplussed, his worried gaze irls would be bored without us I-"

"Don&039;t be silly," Agnes trilled with a laugh "Take them out and show them the tractor, John Eshe and I can amuse ourselves on our own" She chuckled and added, "We&039;ll just sit here and talk about you men It&039;s omen do, isn&039;t it, Eshe?"

"A lot of the tih she wasn&039;t sure that was true She and her usual partner, Mirabeau, often had better things to discuss orking together, but then as enforcers they weren&039;t perhaps your average fenes turned back to John "Go on You boys go play with your new toy, and Eshe and I ait here chatting"

John hesitated, but with everyone looking at hihtening, he nodded and turned to lead thea vacuum of silence for a nes said after thatthe archway to the hall to aze and ad back and insist we accompany them John can be terribly protective We&039;re all each other has"

"You have Armand too," Eshe said quietly "He seenes beam "Yes, he does," she admitted, and then worry crowded into her features and she added, "I hope that doesn&039;t bother you? I know it ht be a little uncomfortable for you since we are Susanna&039;s brother and sister"