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He grinned "Of course I’ll have a couple of horses waiting"

Relief washed overhiainst hi"

Later, after I too had had a chance to bathe and both Wolfe and I were fed, Kir apologised before leaving and locking us in the bedroom Wolfe had clai about Kir, about Wolfe, about the horseshoe brandWolfe’s body

"I was surprised at your vehement refusal to let Kir sell ht you wanted ht you wantedto look at him His handsoer

"What do you ht I wanted you dead?" He snapped

I was so tired So sick and tired of ain I wanted wildflowers and summers by the streahting tears, I turnedup to sleep

Why would Kir protect Wolfe? Why was there friendship and trust between them?

Why did Wolfe protect me and look out forto realise I don’t know you at all"

"Yes you do," came his hoarse response "You just hate that I’nore that enigmatic comment, I slahter

Chapter Sixteen

Kir’s old bed was not co hadthat brand on his sto at it, the soul deep look he and Kir shared as Kir asked hi How could a man so committed to the protection of the crown and the principles of honour and loyalty be a charlatan underneath, waiting for his ht Because his father had been one

But Kir wasn’t hateful to Wolfe like I was In fact, if ht (and who knew these days) I suspected Kir was protective of Wolfe Why? Again, as Ito condeuilt was co My whole body treht some kind of comfort in sleep The need to offer coers into fists to stopevened out,into the lumpy mattress beneath me With his fall into slumber, I finally foundof Haydyn as I had been hts, I automatically assumed in ain and had some delicious secret to tell me Last time she’d awoken me this early it was to tell iven her virtue to hi at her with an, wake up," an irritated voice snapped at me

Wolfe

I shot up on the bed and crackedas I pulled back Wolfe’s face hovered inches before mine, his pale blue eyes narrowed in pain He rubbed at his forehead, already swollen in the upper corner fro the dead," he grouched and pulled back

I rubbed my cheek sleepily and then cried out at the tender pain that shot up my face "Wow, that hurts," I whimpered and watched warily as Wolfe’s face turned black as a thundercloud

"If I see hi to kill hi about "Is it really that bad looking?" I was afraid of the answer

Wolfe walked over to me slowly and hunkered down to his knees so ere at eye level The air whooshed out of my body as he reached up tentatively to touch my bruised cheek, his features etched with concern and some other ee to buss into his touch like Haydyn’s cat, Z, when one of Cook’s cakes was in the vicinity A hot shivery rush of tingles exploded across the top of my skin as our eyes connected My stomach lurched I couldn’t breathe I needed hipast hi him on his ass There was a h of a reflection to show the red and purple swelling on ht Wolfe’s eyes in the reflection "Is it alaze A strange tension sprung up between us If I were honest with myself it had been there since we’d been taken by the Iavii For so with and bitching at Wolfe I had never once felt this horrible, ill-at-ease way around him I didn’t like it Not one bit I was so afraid of what itto say but it didn’t matter because the key turned in the lock in the door and suddenly Kir was there, sthe door and striding in, every inch the confident rookery gang leader

I didn’t look at Wolfe "Yes"

"Great-" Kir cursed under his breath as he reached "

Feeling Wolfe’s burning gaze, I gently tugged out of his hold "I’ve had worse"

Kir grew serious "I reht to exude the strength I wasn’t feeling "Alright, so nohat?"

"Now you aze switched between Wolfe and I, "To get out, you take a left, a right, and the back door is at the top of the hall I left it unlocked" Now he just stared at Wolfe "When you attack htened

Kir sighed heavily, his lip curling up ally "I mean it, Wolfe"

I wasn’t surprised when Wolfe et hurt

Co to the same conclusion I had drawn, Kir pulled back his shoulders, his own expression determined There was a dark, mischievousness in his eyes, I didn’t trust "Fine" He shook his head, throwing Wolfe a warning look "Then I guess I’ll just have to ht nified surprise and instinctively pushed against his hard chest as he crushedkiss The hand on my waist slid down my back and squeezed et away Quite abruptly that n as his body renched froh the door That’s right Straight through the door Not the doorway The door I gaped in befuddlement at Kir collapsed around the wooden splinters of the door in the hall, groaning as he drew hi position