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Lyra got tentatively to her feet and began to collect the scattered bits of clothing strewn on the ground At least she wasn’t angry, Jaden thought The boxer briefs that hit hi away from him seemed to have restored a portion of Lyra’s usual spirit

"Get dressed, hot stuff If I bring you back naked we’ll give ot to his own feet He began to dress, but the ht have iined It was a reminder, and not too subtle, that however much they enjoyed each other, an actual relationship was impossible Forbidden, if not explicitly by his kind, then very ht he would care In fact, he’d convinced hi touched her, tasted her, Jaden was having a hard ti away She was… important to him

He kneas a problem

He just didn’t knohat the hell to do about it

The hair on his neck prickled an instant before the familiar scent hit hiht had gone dead silent around theent whisper

She whirled around, eyes alight, body suddenly tense Her gaze connected with his, and he felt so that was both bizarre and co But how? What had she just picked up froh Four shadowy figures appeared around theht itself Jadento shield her fro

And Lyra, true to for tinized it quickly as LaSalle, one of the Ptole for ways to curry favor with Arsinöe It seemed he’d found a new one

"I would have preferred it had been longer," Jaden said

He heard a soft chuckle LaSalle stepped forward, and Jaden’s eyes, so well adjusted to the darkness, skilance at the other three was nized, ould neverbut harm He and Lyra were far too exposed out here He should have known better after the other night But he hadn’t wanted to believe these adversaries would be so bold… not here, of all places

"You know the song You can’t always get what you want And for you, in particular, there’s a nice reward to be had" LaSalle’s eyes, shrewd and cold, glea place to hide And evena little low, even for you"

"If you’re the company he used to keep, you can color rowled beside him Jaden’s heart sank, even as LaSalle’s lip curled

"You’ll be sorry for that, bitch This cat is the property of the Ptole reward on his head for his return… and a slightly s his head If you forceas a bonus"

"Try it," she snapped "This is my pack’s territory Once they find out you’ve been here, you’ll be hunted down And we don’t take prisoners"

"She’s the Alpha’s daughter," Jaden said, torn between ad that for once she would step back and not come off as quite so sure she could destroy every ene her would be a bad ive a damn what a bunch of wolves thinks You think we’re afraid of your kind, chere?" he asked Lyra "The wolves only live because we let the to hirowled, his claws already curling froht, and Lyra didn’t deserve to be hurt because of it These were no lazy courtiers These were the sort of va his kind, and others, for sport But he wouldn’t be taken without a fight, and there was no way he was going back to Arsinöe alive

Naturally, Lyra did the opposite of what he wished

"The hell with that," she said, glaring at LaSalle "This place belongs to the Pack of the Thorn And Jaden is under our protection"

Jaden winced, knowing how that would sound, and LaSalle burst into laughter