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Grabbing Eryk’s coat, Jared hauled the boy up until he could look right into Eryk’s startled blue eyes Then he bared his teeth, and snarled, "Give me one reason why I shouldn’t beat the shit out of you"

Eryk wailed, "I’ the boy so close their noses almost touched, Jared said with murderous calm, "Well, now you’re an aristo slave, and your fah to take on a pissed-off Red-Jeweled Warlord? Because I won’t hold back or pull back" As his anger swelled and becaave Eryk a fierce shake "Don’t you realize what could have happened? You put us all at risk! Didn’t that aristo fa about courtesy and honor? We could have all been hurt because of you!"

"I don’t care!" Eryk weakly pounded Jared’s arms and shoulders "I hate you! I hate you! I hope she does hurt you!"

Jared shoved him Hard

Eryk’s feet shot out fro, he landed on his back Then he just lay there in the rim-faced, hard-eyed men

Jared wondered if, or when, Eryk would realize Brock had been standing close enough to catch him and didn’t

Brock opened his coat and hooked his thumbs into his wide leather belt He stared at Eryk for aJared’s eyes "Much as it shames me to admit it, he and I co, the duty falls to an to realize the price of his behavior and then at the tall, solidly built Warlord who had trained as a guard He didn’t doubt Brock would apply his belt with the kind of force the boy wouldn’t forget for a long ti about the emotional blows that had been delivered in those boyish taunts--and he couldn’t stop thinking about the Lady’s co visible

"No," he said, knowing as he said it that he was declaring hi, too, that none of the other e the Red, nor would they want to since having a dominant male meant the others didn’t have to deal directly with the Queen Taking a deep breath, he wondered if any of the do, so he crossed an invisible line he wouldn’t be able to step back over unless a darker-Jeweled roup "Until I say otherwise, the little aristo Warlord is going to be Tomas’s servant He’ll have to take orders, fetch and carry, do anything Tomas wants If he causes any trouble, Brock will handle the discipline"

Eryk’s face burned with hument until Tomas stepped away fro his shoulders back and holding his head up It was hard to tell if there were tearslips told the to keep his voice steady "I don’t want him I know I’m just a half-Blood and not orth s I can do I kno to look after so to s-serve the Lady Not like other slaves who do the mean work, but look after her personally, just like her First Circle does"

Holding hi, Toon

"Tomas," Jared called "You’d better wait a bit"

The wounded look in the boy’s eyes cut at him

"But, Jared, it’s my turn to sit inside"

Jared tried to s to welcoot the Lady coht about that and nodded "I’ll wait ‘til she’s not feeling so pissy"

Jared didn’t stop him when Tomas headed for the saddle horses that were tethered to the back of the wagon by long lead ropes Since the Gray Lady and Thera had been riding the horses and were inside the wagon, the boy would have soon for a moment, then shook his head The Gray Lady and Thera What a strange pairing

"Should we get , Lord Jared?" Blaed asked "I’ll lead the teaon HowCraft would a broken Black Wido, if she knew any at all? The Gray Ladyon him, but what if she was in too much pain to use that skill on herself? "Let’s wait a few ht"

"No reason why the rest of us can’t start walking," Brock said, hauling Eryk to his feet "Coet started"

"Where’s Garth?" Jared asked, scanning the surrounding area Not that he could see ine," Randolf replied, not trying to hide his distaste

It wasn’t as easy to break a Blood-Jeweled male--not like the witches, ere vulnerable until their Virgin Night and were still vulnerable eachthe first three days of their moontime But a darker Jewel could rip open the inner barriers and tear a man’s mind apart, or unleash a tidal wave of power to shatter the inner web and cut a th in much the same way as a witch was broken Since every slave knew it could happen to him for no better reason than the witch ned him wanted it done, they didn’t turn their backs on a ness about Garth, more than the confused, kicked-puppy look in the pale blue eyes that was so at odds with the tall, muscled, barrel-chested body There was a sliminess to his psychic scent, as if he’d been touched by so tainted

Maybe he had Maybe that’s what had broken him

Pity for what had been done to hih

"All right," Jared said "What about Corry and Cathryn?"

"They were just ahead of Brock and le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>