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When neither Beale nor Holt answered him, he nodded "Three out of three of us, then"

The Blood survived within a complex dance of power There was caste, social rank, and Jewel rank, and an ever-changing pattern of as do stick was used, he was the dominant male here at the Hall In the whole damn Realm, for that matter But there were times, like this, when it tickled him to know that all the males who lived at the Hall were equal in one way: they all served, and they were very good at assessing one another’s skills and letting the one most likely to succeed take the lead

Of course, Jaenelle didn’t always appreciate the fact that they worked together so well Which also tickled him

Until he remembered aited for him in the study

Daemon tipped his head toward the study door "A pot of coffee and whatever Mrs Beale ht have handy"

"And then you’ll be unavailable?" Beale asked

Daemon considered Theran’s claim that he owed the Grayhaven family a favor, and he considered Jaenelle’s certainty that Theran was connected to the vision she had seen

Jaenelle had been trained by the Arachnians, the golden spiders ere the weavers of drealed webs of dreams and visions Even noith her power diminished from what it had been, she was the most accomplished--and deadly--Black Widow in Kaeleer

So he would listen to Theran’s claim, and no matter what he heard, the other Warlord Prince would join him and his Lady for dinner

Whether Theran Grayhaven would see another sunrise was a different consideration

He looked at Beale and knew the butler understood the nature of the man ned the Hall

"Yes," Daeed, Theran thought as he watched Daemon walk back into the study and settle behind the blackwood desk The sexuality was chained again, thank the Darkness, but the rim than when Theran had first entered the rooers, and rested the black-tinted forefinger nails against his chin

"I understand you think I owe you a favor," Daemon said

Hell’s fire

"You are Jared’s descendant, aren’t you?"

"Yes," Theran replied "The last of the bloodline that goes back to Jared and Lia, as the last Gray-Jeweled Queen we had in Dena Nehele"

"Because of that bloodline, I’ to hear you out"

The words were courteously spoken, but there was a growing chill in the deep voice

How to explain when it ed out of his coat and vanished it to give hi the journey between the Keep and here--what to say, how to explain Now

"We need a Queen"

Dae your pardon?"

Theran leaned forward, gripping the arh to make his hands ache "You don’t knohat it’s been like for enerations after Lia--just two!--the bloodline failed The last Grayhaven Queen wore a Yelloel She wouldn’t have been the Territory Queen at all if she hadn’t been a Grayhaven After that" He sed hard

"After that," Dae to sell themselves to Hayll in order to rise to a power they wouldn’t have gained otherere the ones who ruled Those who opposed Dorothea’s bid to control the whole of Terreille were either broken so they had little or no power, or were killed outright so the males would have no one to serve except Dorothea’s pets"

Theran stared at Daemon "How did you know?"