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It was so good that I wasn’t drinking when he said it "You don’t know me, Garen I don’t know you Help e is a partnership I think ill be good partners We’re sirity, and competence We do the same type of work, and we dedicate ourselves to it We care about reputation rather than fame We’re both careful, because we knohat’s at stake I think ould be a good hed "Genetics have everything to do with it If you were a flighty opportunist, I still would’ve seriously considered it, given your set of genes"

"The pickings are slim, I take it?"

"Yes We’re a rare breed, and e step outside of our own type ofthe power"

"Wouldn’t it have been wise to at least wait until the trials, so you would know for certain?"

He put his fork down "I don’t need the trials I know you’re a Pri what it is That suggests that your ability is genetic, and it will be passed on to your children That is gold"

"Mhm"

"Does it bother you that we’re discussing this as if the two of us were a rare type of cattle we’re considering breeding?"

"Of course, it bothers , Garen I have dreaenes"

"So do I"

True

He sighed "But there is always that catastrophic uarantee that our children will be powerful Priing House You’ll need to form alliances to survive You’ll need to invest in security and personnel for yourself and your family members, which ate the shark-infested waters of the Houses You’ll need training You er than rapple But in a life or death struggle, I would kill you I have the knowledge and experience of using uarantee that all of those needs would be taken care of"

A lot of what he said made sense "And what’s in it for you?"

"A partner who truly understands me Sooals Soroith ent woman Someone ill be a remarkable mother" He paused "The relationship with me will be honest, Nevada I won’t lie to you I can’t, but even if I could, I wouldn’t want to We both know it’s a double-edged sword, but it’s best we put it all out here now"

"I don’t love you, Garen," I said gently

"I know Like you said, we don’t know each other But you’re attracted to ood start Given time, we’d come to love each other I’ve seen it happen before That’s the way it happened for my parents My childhood was idyllic, because my father loved my mother and treated her with respect, and she loved him and offered the same respect back Neither of them had affairs They lived happily, until ed e can succeed"

"I don’t want to ht boxes"

"Isn’t that the criteria for all e? You marry someone precisely because they tick all of your boxes"

"I’m in a relationship with someone else," I said

He pushed his plate away and leaned forward "I said I didn’t want to criticize Rogan, but I o back on my word I really want this, Nevada This is an is larger than life High ier can carry a certain allure But he’s also unpredictable and ruthless He er assu you can handle it, and he’ll fail to notice thein erous situation in the first place, because that’s what a husband is supposed to do Ask yourself, would he be a good husband? A good father? Would he be able to control his tee fas can iver Think of all that stress Would you feel safe leaving the children with hi theood at this Much better than I expected

"I offer security, stability, and coe, a forhts and protections He hasn’t even considered it"

Garen leaned forward and touched ers The personal connection