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"Anything else we need to discuss?" Saetan asked

Lucivar looked at her, then at Saetan, who, after a pause, dipped his head in the barest of nods

Lucivar opened the study door and waited

After bowing to Saetan and Andulvar, Falonar walked out Since it see to do Surreal also bowed to the two men, then followed Falonar out of the study so fast she stepped on his heels

Swearing, he lengthened his stride, finally stopping when he reached the center of the great hall

Surreal caught up to hier in his face as he watched Lucivar approach theuard duty is an insult," Falonar said

Surreal grabbed two fistfuls of her long tunic to keep frorateful it wasn’t worse

"It’s not an insult," Lucivar replied mildly "It’s fair You made a mistake, Falonar Some reparation has to beyourself by being too cautious"

"I realize what my caution could have cost"

"Yes, you do Which is why the discipline is fair" Lucivar’s ant suard duty plenty more times before you’ve been here a year I certainly did"

Falonar stared at him "You?"

The smile sharpened "Hard to believe that I would err on the side of caution, isn’t it? But I wanted to stay in Kaeleer, and I wanted to serve my Queen, so I kept my temper leashed asthose two, more times than I care to count" Lucivar paused "This is Kaeleer Here, a Warlord Prince’s temper is considered an asset to a court"

Falonar took a uard duty doesn’t seem like much when a witch could have died"

"Well, there is another part to your discipline," Lucivar said He tipped his head toward Surreal "You get to cope with her until sunrise Since she looks like she’s going to break her teeth unless she gets to yell at a ot even sharper "Of course, you could always offer to warm her bed and see if that buys you any leniency"

Falonar choked Surreal made a sound like a teakettle ready to boil over

"You consider spending a night with me a form ofdiscipline!" Surreal shouted "You prick YouI would call it a reward!"

Lucivar shrugged "Please yourself Just keep in mind that, if you both decide to extend this ’discipline’ past tonight, you have to have forreed to overlook that formality until sunrise, but not after that And this is an area where it isn’t wise to push Saetan’s temper"

After he left them, Surreal and Falonar eyed each other

"It would see with you as restrained as I had thought since Lucivar noticed it," Falonar said

Or the High Lord did,Surreal thought As family patriarch and sexual chaperon, she didn’t think ot past thatto yell at ar, I ht incentive, I may just yell"

Chapter Seven

1 / Kaeleer

Lord Jorval settled into a chair in Kartane SaDiablo’s sitting roo with the Healer has been delayed"

"Why?" Kartane said sharply "I had thought it was all arranged"

"It was," Jorval soothed "But there was an incident at the Healer’s residence, so it will be a few more days before she can meet with you"

"You could insist," Kartane said "Perhaps she doesn’t realize how iood to insist," Jorval interrupted "When she comes here, you want her attention on you, not on some domestic trivia"

"Then I suppose I have no choice but to wait"

Jorval rose "No choice at all"

An incident has occurred that requires postponing

An incident,Jorval thought as he walked back to his own hoh Lord had so carefully, so courteously phrased it Since the men who had been in Halaway to assist the escort had suddenly disappeared, and there was no word froood idea what sort of "incident" was delaying Jaenelle Angelline’s trip to Little Terreille