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Her heart felt ridiculously warm, like she’d just aze fell to her breasts and he pushed the coaze remained pinned to her nipples, which she knew had beaded in the coolair "Thorne wants to see us in five "

She was about to nod and get up off the mattress, but he pushed her back and before she could protest, he had his ht pressure, not too hard, not too light

Her back arched Da

She moaned then shoved at his shoulder "Would you stop that?"

His mouth popped off her breast and he looked up at her with all those big teeth He looked so beautiful, even happy, and almost relaxed

"But your breasts are like food to "

He was nothing less than tes Oh, dear God She sed hard "Noe only have four et dressed, brush our teeth, and move our asses to administrative HQ"

"Would you not like some coffee first?" He looked so innocent that she fell for it

"We don’t have time for coffee Oh, you mean coffee, as in … Jean-Pierre, what a rascal you are"

She lifted her arm and without one ht to his master bathroom and hopped in the shower Fiveto HQ without showering!

He tookwalls

--The Forbidden, Devotiate Grace

Chapter 12

Thorne pounded on thenow! You heard Fiona Marguerite is obsidian fla up at hiht be obsidian flame We don’t know for sure"

"She had a vision of black and red flames," Thorne shouted "How much more proof do you need?"

Fiona stood beside Jean-Pierre near the never-used fireplace on the all He held her hand because she’d drawn close the moment Thorne’s face turned beet red and Endelle sent a shower of brilliant white fireworks in the direction of the tall ceiling

"Goddaet your ass over here I want to kno you contacted her Tell h She really didn’t like the idea of walking into the middle of the ind, but she didn’t have much of a choice Not really

She released Jean-Pierre’s hand and moved to the end of the desk The marble slab, supported by woolly htas she didn’t stand on one side or the other

Endelle rocked back in her black leather executive chair She leaned her head against the Appaloosa horsehide Even though it was barely dawn, she’d changed her clothes and noore a beige snakeskin halter, a heavily embroidered white leather mini skirt, and around her neck a collection of rattler tails Vintage Endelle

Fiona described how she had awakened to the sound of Marguerite’s cry for help then launched into exactly how she had contacted then recontacted the powerful Seer

"All right I concede you have a connection with her, but one vision about red and black flames does not an obsidian flame , and I can’t do that right now because I have a treaty with Owen Stannett" She didn’t look at Thorne, but even Fiona felt the waves of anger radiating fro over the desk so that he was just three feet away from her

Fiona took a step back Way too ht now

Endelle turned slowly in his direction, her eyes hooded "You knohat’s bullshit? You You’re fucking bullshit You could have told otten access to all the future stream information we needed We could have shut Greaves down by now But you kept your woot your rocks off That’s bullshit, Thorne How many Militia Warriors and ascenders and mortals have died because you couldn’t bear to part with your favorite piece of ass"

Fiona didn’t need an invitation She scurried back to her much safer place beside her own Guardian of Ascension The air in that roouilt

"You would say that tosay that to me when I have bent over for you and taken it and taken it and taken it until I’ eyes? You knoe’re in this war up to our necks in alligators, because you’re the worst at what you do You’ve given Greaves all the ammunition he needs, day in and day out, to simply walk aith torlds and you sit there and tell uerite froodda hell, you bitch" The resonance he put in that one word, and that he spoke it from his mind as well as his voice, dropped Fiona to her knees

She covered her ears and screa, like knives in her head, flipping and slicing Tears streamed down her face

Jean-Pierre dropped beside her and petted her back Then suddenly he was on his feet and"You hurt her, you ht herself, to call Jean-Pierre back, but there was nothing she could do She leaned against the fireplace and rocked, her hands still to her ears as the warriors, like two bucking broncs, went at it

Thorne head-butted Jean-Pierre He staggered back, then launched at Thorne, tackling hi him to the zebra skins He straddled Thorne and with preternatural speed started landing punches in quick succession until Thorne scissored his legs in a quick jerk and caught Jean-Pierre around the shoulders with his powerful thighs