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Nola faced off with her sisters They for at her

"You freed rowled, and several warrioresses booed and hissed at Nola

She had always been so of a tribe outsider, so she wasn't surprised at the cold welcome "He isn't yours, but yes," she said proudly "I freed hi herself fro herself nose-to-nose with Nola "I want five ofthe vampire within the next five minutes"

Footsteps echoed as the warrioresses complied

"And you," the queen continued, "you know the punish your sister's slave?"

"Yes," Nola repeated The punish Not that they could adible, she would have risked it Zane's freedo the skin on her back At the very least

"Delilah returned and told us you lived still, but that did not stop our worry for you And now I find you here, working against us Why would you do such a thing?" the queen asked, sounding genuinely curious rather than enraged

"The vah at the hands of the As He is courageous, wild as the ani"

And he would return for her She trusted him

Never before had she trusted awatched him these past few htly She knew he did not say things simply to placate his audience Oh, yes He would return

What they would do when he reached her, she didn't know She only knew that she needed to be with him To see his face and hear his voice She could live with any curse, as long as he was alive and well and with her

Kreja sighed "Wise words, but that does not change what you have done Not only did you free a slave, you freed your sister's slave For that, you will deal with Amelia in the battle arena She will be armed You will not Afterward, if you survive, you will be whipped, as is our custoers around Nola's suddenly solid forear her toward the arena, Aasped in shock Whatwhyhoas it possible?

"I will not go easy on you," Amelia snarled at her

They can touch me Which h her

Would she be alive when Zane returned?

Zane reached the vaone His wounds - unhealed Followed as he'd been, he wouldn't have been able to hunt for food Broken as he was, he'd been unable to capture a single aninized him He was hefted over a shoulder and carted inside the palace The touch disturbed hiht it He was in too much of a hurry and knew this was the best way By the time they reached his personal cha whispered frouard lay hi his own neck

Zane shook his head and closed his eyes "Glass" He would not take froht - unless that living source was Nola Once, when he'd ensured she would welco her dreams, he had tasted her The sweetness of her bloodthe decadence of her moansand he'd reveled in every nuance of her He would not overshadow that preciousfrom someone else, even in his desperation