Page 28 (1/2)

"You bitch!" he yelled "You’re supposed to protect us!"

There was so she was too close to using it on the boy, she dropped the stiletto Then she grabbed Kester by the shirt, swung hiainst the narrow piece of wall between the cupboard and the passageway

"Listen to me, you little piece of shit," she snarled "You were told there is danger, you were told so to hurt all of us, and you were told to stay away froest balls?’ and you dared your friend to open the door And now he’s dead So listen up, sugar That little fool shouldn’t have disobeyed ot that? If he had done what I’d told him to do, he would not have died Not here Not like that"

She let go of Kester and stepped back "I hope he’s dead I really do But if the rules of this house hold true, you’ll see his that will be trying to killyou "

She spun around, grabbed the laeway

His hand shook so much with excite notes if he couldn’t decipher theood to waste

Oh, yes This exchange wasexcellent

But one thing did worry hian to wonder ifwhen she’d told the children she used to be an assassin

Surreal passed the back stairs and ended up in the kitchen She set the lamp down on the worktable and looked around--and wondered if whoever had prepared this house had been foolish enough to leave any knives she could use

On the other hand, she’d walked into a strange room, alone, with only a lamp She’d dropped the poker when she’d leaped into the cupboard And she’d dropped the stiletto too So as the real fool?

Stupid boy Stupid,stupid boy to die that way

Her eyes filled Her throat closed

NoNo No tears No grief Not here Not yet But…

The boy had disobeyed He’d defied a straight order What in the naaame The rest of theetting killed,she thoughtWon’t save Rainier and me either

She looked around the kitchen and said too softly, "I’ll find you, you son of a whoring bitch Iwhen it happens, but I will find you And when I do, I will rip you into small pieces and feed you to whatever you’ve put into this house"

She laughed, barely ar, I skinned my own father and fed him to the Hell Hounds If I can do it to him, I can do it to you"

THIRTEEN

Lucivar stared at the rin The effort hurt his ht face as he accepted the shieldedWarlord

"Thank you, Warlord," he said

"It was ht as he watched the er walk across the courtyard--and then sca web Maybe he’d sounded alittle too threatening the last time the pup was at the door

He frowned as he closed the door and locked it for the evening There had been a , but not the careful script he was used to seeing

He looked at the back side of the e Official SaDiablo crest pressed into the red wax

He broke the seal and opened the paper

Lucivar,

If you’re home, stay there until you hear from me