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As Qhuinn and John stared at her with studiously blank expressions, Layla straightened in the hard chair she was seated in

Glancing around the restaurant, she saw only hu little confections similar to ere on her plates - so it was hard to understand rong

"Is it so forward Generally speaking, she found that hu to live their lives without interference But these two males would know otherwise

Qhuinn looked at her and smiled in a way that didn&039;t reach his eyes "After you fed the male, what did you do? What did they?"

She frowned, wishing they&039;d tell her rong "Ah well, I tried to talk theured since his comrade had been treated there, he could be as well"

"Do you believe that his injuries could have been fatal?"

"If I hadn&039;t gotten there in ti better when I left His breathing was much improved"

"Did you feed from him"

Now the tone in Qhuinn&039;s voice was dire To the point that, had the boundaries of their relationship not been well set, she ht he was jealous

"No, I did not You&039;re the only person I&039;ve done that with"

The silence afterward told her more than the questions did The problem was not the humans around them in the restaurant or outside on the streets

"I don&039;t understand," she said angrily "He was in need and I took care of him You of all people should not discriminate simply because he is a soldier and not of noble birth"

"Did you tell anyone where you were going that night? What you did there?"

"The Pri for fighters for a long time - it is what I do It is my purpose I don&039;t understand - "

"Have you had any contact with the in truth, I had hoped either one or both would appear at the ht see the wounded one again But no, I haven&039;t seen the here?"

Qhuinn got to his feet and took out hisoff a couple of twenties, he tossed the bills onto the table "We have to go back to the co - " She dropped her voice as a few people looked over "Why are you being like this?"

"Come on"

John Matthew stood up as well, his expression furious, his fists clenched, his jaw hard

"Layla, come back with us Now"

To avoid a scene, she rose up and followed the orders and deirl If the pair of the to tell her why

Planting her feet in the snow, she glared at the twowith you?"

Her tone of voice was one that even a year ago she would have been shocked to hear co out of her own mouth But she was not the same female she had once been

When neither of the from this stretch of sidewalk until you talk tothis, Layla," Qhuinn bit out "I have to - "

"Unless you tellon here, the next time either of those soldiers contactsto see them - "

"Then you&039;d be a traitor, too"

Layla blinked "I&039;lanced over at John When thestream of curses

And then the earth fell out from beneath her feet: "I believe the male you fed is a soldier nahters colloquially called the Band of Bastards And back in the fall, about the time you fed him, he made an attempt on Wrath&039;s life"

"I&039;s, John stepped in and held her up "But how can you be sure"

"I was the one who put those bruises on his face, Layla I beat the shit out of hiunshot wound treated That&039;s our ene Society is"

"The other - " She had to clear her throat "The other soldier, though, the one who took ht me to feed him - with Vishous They told me he was a soldier of worth"

"They said that? Or allowed you to believe that"

"But if he was the enemy, why harbor him?"

"That&039;s Throe, Xcor&039;s second in comoing to be godda on our watch"

John took out his cell phone with his free hand and texted quickly, but Layla wasn&039;t tracking anything Her lungs were burning, her head swi

"Layla?"