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Endelle shook her head "Marguerite’s fine but we just learned Stannett’s been busy uerite" She wasn’t thinking when she said this

After nine thousand years, Endelle knew she should have learned so close to discretion Instead, she felt a wave of heat flow froravel in his voice with his resonance so that Endelle took a step backward

Fiona covered her ears "No, Thorne! Please don’t start this"

Jean-Pierre juot in Thorne’s face "Would you please not use your resonance when Fiona is near? Dammit, Thorne!"

But Thorne’s nostrils flared "Move it," he shouted His eyes were bloodshot and red-rimmed

Endelle knew exactly where this would end, so, shit

"Settle down, boys" She put a hand on each shoulder then gripped them hard, painfully hard, until both Jean-Pierre and Thorne dipped in her direction and spewed a few profanities

Fiona sighed and moved back to the fireplace She rubbed both of her ears, though So damn sensitive

Once her warriors had settled down, she released them Thorne returned to the , Jean-Pierre to stand next to Fiona He crossed his arlared at Thorne

Fine Whatever

She glanced at the tickets The spectacle event was tonight so what the hell was she supposed to do? And what the hell was she supposed to do about Marguerite?

The only event I’ve ever stolen down to Second Earth to watch was Dark Spectacle I consider this a true aberration in my spiritual development But as is supremely human, I could not resist the event year after year, despite my annual vows to set aside such foolishness

--Memoirs, Beatrice of Fourth

Chapter 18

Fiona rubbed her ears a littlethis tiht hand She thought she understood her dilemma If it was a trap, and what else could it be, then Endelle would be sending people she cared about into an extreerous, possibly even deadly, situation

But Fiona didn’t have the sao," she called across the roo Call it a date with destiny"

"You cannot go," Jean-Pierre said

"Why not?"

"Because it would be ed "I think it would be o Besides, aren’t you just a little curious?"

"To find out what your friend Casi stubborn again"

"As are you" But he looked down at her and she thought she saw his lips twitch

She put her hand on his forear crossed his arms "Don’t you see? If Rith is there, if Rith intends to be there, then I ue, but I have no doubt that if he can find me he will hurt me And I believe Casimir spoke truly I believe Rith is more powerful than any of us know"

"I do not think you are ready, Fiona"

She rubbed over his arm and stared at his chest, his broad beautiful chest A terrible feeling descended on her--that if she went tonight, it was possible she would never know Jean-Pierre again as she had, in bed with hi because he was so beautiful She ht not, either

But Casiao Not one more woman is to be harmed by Rith’s hands, and I don’t care if you tell anization set up to handle the supply and demand We’ll take this one step at a time First Rith, then whatever else we have to deal with"

"What about et a say?"