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Yas? Yas!

Of course, he thought as he turned toward the door just as the Sceltie barreled into the roo tinized that same shift by the look in Lucivar’s eyes

No, Cassidy wasn’t their Queen, and she wasn’t family But she was connected to them because of Jaenelle--and Dae with their nature

"I’ll be back in four days," Lucivar said

Saetan nodded "I’ll go to your eyrie and infor that needs particular care at the moment" As Lucivar headed for the door, he added, "Coray Wind withti softly, "May the Darkness havein the next few days that pisses off Lucivar"

TERREILLE

You can’t hide in your roo, reen sweater over her head There’s work to be done, and how can you prove to Theran and the others that you’re capable of going out a your own First Circle?

She couldn’t hide in her room But she wanted to She knehat to expect froether, or would the personalities that rubbed against one another turn savage?

No way to tell Not fro a hand to her abdomen, she took a deep breath, blew it out, and left her suite

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, she thought a few minutes later The iven her a sharp glance, but that was the only change in their behavior

As she rounded a corner, she thought, I guess I orried over noth--

Theran drew in a breath, no doubt getting ready to "ask" why it had taken her so long to co for her

Then his nostrils flared His eyes glazed And the look in those eyes was predatory, not protective

"Cassidy," Theran growled

She took a step back Took another "I need some air I’ll join you in the Steward’s office in a few minutes"

"Cassidy"

"I need some air!"

She turned and headed for the nearest door that would take her out of the house She alot the outside door open, when Ranon stor with an intent that ht the scent and coery Warlord Princes rising to the killing edge and honing their tempers to lethal intensity because of a blood scent

She knew she should direct that savagery, turn it into a fierce kind of service She was a Queen, and dealing with a Warlord Prince when he rode the killing edge was part of her training

"Lady," Ranon snarled, taking a step toward her

If she trusted hiround and find a way to keep things fro deadly But she looked into Ranon’s eyes and realized he had taken advantage of those vulnerable days to kill witches he had hated, and right now, he was struggling not to see her as prey, not to see her as he’d seen most other Queens

One hundred Warlord Princes in Dena Nehele For the first time, she understood what they must have done to survive, howheart of their people fro destroyed co herself out the door "Take care of your duties, Prince I’ll join you shortly"

Did he sense the lie?

Fool You should have gone to the Keep last night when you suspected this would start

But she hadn’t been frightened last night Not really frightened She’d had a false confidence, based on her experience with the Warlord Princes in Jaenelle’s court She’d never felt threatened by thosethe with a witch during her moontime He’d simply pick her up and haul her to wherever he wanted her to be, and that was the end of it If she was lucky--and he was feeling generous in a snarly kind of way--the witch would have a choice of what she was going to eat and whether she had one blanket tucked around her or two

Despite his power and temper, despite what she’d heard he could do when he rode the killing edge, she had never had a hts fled in every direction She kept her head down and her eyes focused on the ground as she hurried without considering where she was going When strong hands grabbed her upper arms, she let out a breathless shriek

"Cassie?" Gray asked "What’s wrong?"

"Gray," she gasped "Nothing’s wrong I was just"

His nostrils flared His eyes glazed And a friend was replaced by a stranger whose hands tightened on her arms when she tried to step back

"You’re hurt," Gray said, his voice roughened by a temper turned unpredictable "You need the Healer"

He started to pull her toward the house She dug her heels into the ground, resisting

"I don’t need a Healer, Gray I’ I can sht "It’s moon’s blood, Gray You know about moon’s blood Don’t you?"

Did he? Boys didn’t notice the san to mature sexually When she’d first met him, Gray’s psychic scent had said "boy" despite his physical maturity

"I know about it," Gray finally said