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"Garth," Jared yelled, starting toward hied directions and ran toward Eryk ‘’Shoo! Shoo!"

"Garth!" Jared put the crack of a lash into his voice He held his ground when Garth turned again, and clenched his teeth when the big rabbed his upper arms and lifted hi hi teht Then he felt Brock’s battle calm and saw the other ht have been a well-trained guard before being ht, Jared would rather have Brock’s steadiness at his back any day

"Put ht ‘rauders!" Garth insisted

"When you put me down"

Garth dropped him

Jared slipped on the rabbed hi his feet so firmly on the road it made his bones rattle

"Damn it, Garth!" Jared snapped as he stepped out of reach

Garth just hopped fro dance " ‘Rauders!" he said, growingman, then took a deep breath and blew it out Hell’s fire There weren’t any marauders No one but slaves owned by a stubborn idiot of a Queen would be traveling on a day like this Most likely, Garth had spotted an anih the brush and trees that bordered the road Althoughunless they had been startled for some reason, even animals would find a spot to shelter in, wouldn’t they?

Made uneasy by that thought as well as Garth’s continued distress, Jared sent out a wide psychic probe that spanned the narrow road and extended several yards on either side A few seconds later, he choked back a shiver of fear

Still out of sight but co steadily toward them were thirteen Blood males--twelve Warlordsand a Sapphire-Jeweled Warlord Prince whose psychic scent had that distinctive blend of viciousness and passion that separated Warlord Princes from other males They were a law unto themselves, no erous

Jared took a step back before he could stop hiht, and may the Darkness be merciful" He whipped around to face Randolf and Brock "Get everyone back to the wagon Now!"

Brock narrowed his eyes as if that would let hi rain "Jared--"

"NOW!"

Brock and Randolf looked at Garth, as now standing in the ood balance and his huge hands clenched Nodding grimly, they wrapped their hands around his thick- Jared alone on the road

Jared raked one hand through his dark hair and shen the rain squeezed out by the motion trickled down his back

ThirteenJewels He’d pulled back the moment his psychic probe had touched the Sapphire shield and he realized it belonged to a Warlord Prince, so there hadn’t been time to discern how dark the other Jeere The Sapphire was probably the strongest a them, but that didn’t help much If he were free to use the Red Jewels, he could take a Warlord wearing the Sapphire But the Red were only one Jewel rank darker than the Sapphire That wasn’t enough of an advantage against a man as, by his very nature, a killer A Warlord Prince wasn’t going to stand back and let anyone strike at his lighter-Jeweled followers And if he was rogue, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain from a fast, vicious strike that would leave th was unleashed

Jared shuddered, his e of a chess piece sca

You’re a slave Remember that! You’re aslave

It should have mattered It didn’t He couldn’t stand by and watch the Gray Lady risk herself in a battle while there was one

The Warlord Prince and hislight and the rain, they were nothingshapes, but he felt the power that swirled around theer

For a moment he just stood there, torn between his instincts to protect and the reality of his position As a slave, he was forbidden to wear the Jewels, and without that reservoir of power, all he had was the strength that was alithin him Granted, it was a deeper well than ainst a Sapphire who could draw on his reserves and sustain the attack

Jared turned away and kept a on had stopped He felt a swift, light probe brush against his inner barriers and pushed back instinctively, letting the Warlord Prince know for certain that he would face one on, he s how easily all the males had responded to the protective instinct Brock and Randolf had placed themselves so they effectively blocked the narrow road Ludicrous since they weren’t wearing Jewels and didn’t have any weapons Then he caught the look in Brock’s blue eyes and wondered what hidden things the guard le" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>