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"To placate the Council, I agreed to spend one week each season socializing with the aristo families in Little Terreille"

"Which doesn’t explain why you came back in this condition," Lucivar said quietly He rubbed her ar She still shivered

"It’s like living in Terreille again," she whispered The haunted look filled her eyes "No, worse than that It’s like living in--" She paused, puzzled

"Even aristos in Little Terreille have to eat," he said gently

Her eyes glazed over Her voice sounded hollow "Can’t trust the food Never trust the food Even if you test it, you can’t always sense the badness until it’s too late Can’t sleep Mustn’t sleep But they get to you anyway Lies are true, and truth is punished Bad girl Sick-irl to make up such lies"

An icy fist pressed into Lucivar’s lower back as he wondered what nightht now

Capturing her chin between his thu her to look at hiirl, you’re not sick, and you don’t lie," he said firmly

She blinked Confusion filled her eyes "What?"

Would she understand if he told her what she’d said? He doubted it "So the food is lousy and you don’t sleep well That still doesn’t explain why you came back in this shape What did they do to you, Cat?"

"Nothing," she whispered, closing her eyes Her throat worked convulsively "It’s just that boys expect to be kissed and--"

"They expectwhat?" Lucivar snarled

"--I’ her frightened squeak "You’re seventeen years old Those strutting little sons of whoring bitches shouldn’t be tryinganything with you that would even bring up the question of whether or not you’re ’frigid’ And where in the na her hair with one hand while his other arhtened protectively around her Her yip of pain when he accidentally pinched her ary, resettled her in his lap, and began rocking at ateid," he said with a snort of disgust "Well, Cat, if objecting to having sorope and squeeze you is their definition of frigid, then I’ht to use you, no matter what they say Any man who tells you otherwise deserves a knife between the ribs" He gave her a considering look, then shook his head "You’d probably find it hard to gut a ht I don’t"

Jaenelle stared at him, wide-eyed

He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and ently "Listen to me, Cat, because I’ll only say this once You’re the finest Lady I’ve ever met and the dearest friend I’ve ever had Besides that, I love you like

a brother, and any bastard who hurtsto answer to reeave her a little shake, wondering how he could get that frail, bruised look out of her eyes Then he squelched a grin He’d do what he’d do with any feline he wanted to spark--rub her the wrong way "Besides, Lady," he said in a courteous snarl, "you broke a sole a promise to a Warlord Prince is a serious offense"

Her eyes flashed fire He could almost feel her back arch and the nonexistent fur stand on end Maybe he wouldn’t have to dig that hard to bring a little of her temper to the surface "I never did!"

"Yes, you did I distinctly re behind me!" Lucivar narrowed his eyes "You don’t have any human male friends?" "Of course I do!"

"And not one of theht you what to do with your knee?" Her fingernails suddenly required her attention "That’s what I thought," Lucivar said dryly "So I’ll give you a choice If one of those fine, rutting aristo ive him a hard knee in the balls or I can start with his feet and end with his neck and break every bone in between" "You couldn’t"

"It’s not that difficult I’ve done it before" He waited a minute, then tapped her chin She closed her mouth

Then she seemed to shrink into herself "But, Lucivar," she said weakly, "what if it’s my fault that he’s aroused and needs relief?"

He snorted, amused "You didn’t actually fall for that, did you?"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>