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"Or doesn’t," Jared added under his breath, not quite able to picture the Gray Lady as part of an elderly couple having a tickle and tussle in a rumpled bed--even if hehad been able to picture it quite clearly when he’d iined himself as the lover But that was different Somehow

"--and that it’s more important for her to be comfortable and happy than it is to have her measure up to someone else’s idea of proper dress, and ifhe didn’t have any complaints, Papa shouldn’t either"

"Your papa should listen to an elder"

"Harland’s not Papa’s elder They trained together"

Jared wheezed

Lia leaned forward "Are you co?"

A terue There were soin about her grande really should know about these things Didn’t your papa ever talk to you about that?"

"He talked tothat"

Spiffing primly, Jared added, "He even demonstrated once"

Lia almost spilled the juice all over her lap

"Not likethat ," Jared growled He ht it toward the pointing forefinger of his right When his hands were half a hand apart, he noticed how huge Lia’s eyes had gotten--and quickly lowered his hands

Lia gulped soist of it" And if he had to explain anyspell on the bathwater Which reminded him of why heshouldn’t have to explain it "Didn’t your mama ever talk to you about that?"

"Of course she did," Lia huffed Then she added, giving hi that looked quite like that"

This conversation was going to kill him He just knew it "Yourto distract her

She looked at the game board "No, it isn’t"

"Is"

"Isn’t"

"Is"

"Isn’t"

"Move anyway"

She moved a Blood asp broke his heart

He caught her as she stu his arms around her "Lia, I’m sorry"

"He’d still be alive if it wasn’t for ht hiently stroked her back

"He would" She clutched his shirt and pressed her face against his shoulder "He would"

"Listen to ave her a little shake "Listen to ht out of Raej talk about being enslaved and the brutality they endured, but you don’t knohat it’s like for the ," Jared said, sharpening his voice enough to prick her pride and make her raise her head and look at him "You’ve heard what they would admit to, what the scars on their bodies won’t allow the to tell you about the other kinds of wounds or the deep scars you can’t seeNo ames that are played in those courts We’re all scarred, Lia We’re stripped of our honor and our pride We’re punished e act like Blood males and punished e don’t Dorothea SaDiablo and the Queens who dance to her tune don’t just rape a ood in a nition"

Jared captured Lia’s face between his hands "As bad as it is for a Jeweled male, it’s ten times worse for a Blood male whose inner barriers can be pried open by any Jeweled female ants to toy with him And half-Blood males, who have no barriers at all, don’t have any kind of a chance Unless they’re sired by an aristo male, most of the signs of beco ht have lived another year or two But if you hadn’t bought him, he never would have known kindness, never would have knohat it was liked to serve a Lady who cared about him"

Fresh tears spilled down Lia’s face "He didn’t knoasn’t a slave," she choked out

Jared wiped away the tears with his thuht not to understand the difference whether you actually said the words or not He deserved more time He deserved a better life But he didn’t die because of you, Lia He died because of Dorothea’s greedy ambition to devour the entire Reale To Queen you are Don’t let Hayll’s shadow fall over Dena Nehele"

Lia leaned against hi her ar her as he softly sang an old song that Reyna used to sing when he needed coers of one hand into her hair "Yes, it is"

"You’ve got a pleasing voice Deep but sot htened around her "Lia, we have to leave in the"

Lia raised her head and studied his face "Why does that sound like so I should worry about?"

Jared frowned at her "There’s nothing wrong with htfully "Your being so bossy when you start fussing has nothing to do with your brains"

"What?"