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"You don’t know that," Blaed protested, keeping his voice low

"All I’s Maybe it’s a holdover fro Hell’s fire, I don’t know But we’d be fools not to pay ht," Brock said "I’ll--"

The door opened

Brock and Blaed released their supportive hold on Jared’s arht coray eyes looked almost black from exhaustion Her voice quavered when she quietly asked hiht She looked frail, and he suspected her pride was the only thing keeping her on her feet

Her frailty made him want to push her until she struck out and proved she was still strong and powerful

"Thank you, Warlord," she said solehtly laced with bitterness to hide another ee

Tears filled her eyes She turned and retreated into the rooe with her injured knee

Jared rocked back as if she’d slapped him Shame filled hiht of it He tried to dredge up enough anger to burn away the sha hard, Jared looked behind him Brock and Blaed had discreetly disappeared to finish the chores

"Jared?" To to stand there letting the rain in until Thera gets h to hit you with a skillet?"

"Maybe it would help," Jared muttered as he followed the boy inside and firmly closed the door

Silence strained tempers already frayed by fear and exhaustion, broken only by the scrape of utensils against plates andthat couldn’t easily be reached They choked on the food that had been bought with a young witch’s life, but they ate it Their bodies needed fuel Landens ical powers, but they didn’t understand the price that ith it; didn’t understand how fiercely that inner fire could burn, especially in those ore the darker Jewels; didn’t understand how quickly it could consume the body that housed it if no other fuel was available

So they ate in silence, never ht pay for the next hed with relief when the meal finally ended

Thera picked up her plate and walked over to the kitchen area of the large single roo up Withinon the benches on either side of the long wooden table were Jared and the Gray Lady

He’d deliberately sat at the opposite end on the opposite side, as far away fro with the last chores in order to stay away fro them, he looked at her for the first time since she’d met him at the doorway and thanked him

After a minute, she raised her head and ray eyes Nothing at all As if all the fire in her had been doused

Then she flinched and fixed her eyes on the chipped blue jug filled with autumn wildflowers that sat on the table

Why? Jared wanted to ask her He could understand that Sapphire-Jeweled bastard riding back here ahead of them to create the psychic wire in order toBut why had thewith flowers? Because he was certain the Warlord Prince had done just that

He understood the rogues giving up the shelter and providing supplies in exchange for Polli, even if that son of a whoring bitchhadn’t given thenawed at hiave a worateful to get a feesture?

Jared watched her reach out and delicately touch the petals of a dark-orange flower He didn’t ask

His bitter reply when she had thanked him had wounded her deeply It shouldn’t have ue who should have hated her for owning slaves had given her flowers

She rose slowly, her hands braced on the table to support her

Jared clenched his fists and forced himself to stay seated as she slowly, painfully, lilanced at him, and quickly looked away He was the dominant male His refusal to help her amounted to an order for the rest of them, and only a direct order from her would countermand it

She had reached the door before To to tell us the next part of the story?"

Jared turned to look at her Her eyes were closed Pain deepened the lines in her face

"Not tonight," she said in a husky voice She stepped out into the rain, hobbling over slippery ground to the wagon

Guilt stabbed at Jared As glad as they were to get away froet away from them A Queen should never feel that way about the males who served her

Jared shook his head Hedidn’t serve her She had bought him He owed her no loyalty No matter how many back roads they traveled, they’d have to come close to the Winds sooner or later That’s when he’d try to slip the leash To go hoh to see his fale" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>