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Her hand clamped on his forear depends on it"

Jared sed hard "I’ll hold it"

What he saw in her eyes took his breath away

Lia tried to smile "I have to help Thera"

When she tried to athered her in his ar his head "Just once ently, deeply

Confused, he released her and stepped back "Go help Thera"

Jared watched as she hurried away from him There was a tartness to her psychic scent that shouldn’t have been there It didn’t fit her Wasn’t likeher

"Jared"

Putting that puzzle aside, Jared turned at the sound of Talon’s voice "What did she ask of you?" Jared de look "You know better than that"

Yes, he knew better than to ask another male about a private requestto know the answer

Talon looked around, as if to h to overhear the closer, he said quietly, "You’ve played chess with her?"

"A couple of tihtYou should have thought of this yourselfHe closed his eyes and pictured the ga as thepieces A Warlord Prince with a Black Widow, for example"

"How appropriate," Talon murmured "What about the Queen?"

"She--" Jared felt the blood drain out of his face "Mother Night, Talon, what are they planning?"

Talon shook his head "I don’t even want to guess Soe on Thera’s tee that scares a ether," Jared said as he stared at the street without really seeing it

Talon, too, stared at the street "Yes, I i way to spend an hour, Krelis thought as he picked up the discarded tunic and carefully cleaned his knife A useful exercise

Sheathing his knife, he studied his work A crude effort coh Priestess’s, but he hadn’t had the time nor the practice to equal her skills At least, not yet

Krelis smiled at his pet "I think it’s tiain"

Chapter Thirty-three

"Warlord! Shalador Warlord!" Krelis’s Craft-enhanced voice thundered over Ranon’s Wood "Co I want to show you"

Jared took a couple of steps away from the Coach and stopped abruptly, surprised by Blaed’s and Talon’s hard, restraining hands

"Don’t be a fool," Talon growled quietly

"Warlord! I want to show you so No one will harm you"

Lia and Thera came out of the Coach Both pairs of narrowed eyes stared in the direction of the landing place

"Is the little pleasure slave afraid to act like a man just once before he dies?" Krelis’s voice taunted

Thera twitched a shoulder "The web’s ready It’s keyed to Jared If anything happens to hi," Jared said fir to let a little cock-waving ruin everything we’ve planned--"

Jared cut her off "He wants to showI want hiao out, he’ll co alone," Talon said

Before Jared could object, Talon leaned closer and quietly added, "I know a few ed for a raciously accept the escort?"

Jared bared his teeth in a feral smile "To please the Ladies"

Talon returned the smile "We live to serve, Warlord" The unhappiness under the words kept Jared fro, thethat, Jared rested a hand on Talon’s shoulder, and said softly, "We live to serve"

"You didn’t have to threaten rowled a few minutes later as he, Talon, Blaed, Randolf, and three of Talon’s men walked to the curve in the road "And I’m not a child who needs his hand held"

"No, you’re not a child," Talon agreed "You’re just the only one of us who’s essential to the Ladies’ plan"

Unable to argue with that, Jared clenched his teeth

"You’re damned thin-skinned whenever anyone rinned "A winter up in the her hide It’s colder than Hell up there Nothing like a cold night to knock so with you"<ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>