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Josephine’s vivid eyes di," he said "I’ve been with everyone who lives here, everyone but Meliai"

"How many?"

He exhaled "I don’t think you want to know"

"Because of my jealousy issues, you et that bitch to talk"

He grabbed her arm "Ah-ah You do not threaten a nyrounds, you’ll be shunned by every single one of their species"

"So?"

"They are everywhere, and they are necessary They can htmarishly difficult"

"When you offered me your ‘open relationship’--to stray but then hts like this?"

"It was going to happen eventually, Josephine I told you I broker in inforet it This is part of ht at the Accession" He curled his finger under her chin "Better to get this out of the way, so you knohat to expect" So you don’t get your hopes up

"You would choose your job over yourto remain myself My mate should try to understand why that matters to me!"

"This is your plan B? The one you had in place before you screwed ht need to transact with Meliai," he said, his ire at the ready

Josephine’s was just as ood as saying ere exclusive Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you did the deed!"

"Did I ever agree to those terms?"

She blinked repeatedly, as if she’d been slapped "Wow I am as naïve as you accused You schooled me, didn’t you?"

"I tried to back out, for just this reason You manipulated me into it"

"Maybe I did--the first round But not the next twenty!" A gust of wind blew her hair over her pale face She tossed it back "What are you going to do about your poison? Your deone"

He shoved up the sleeve of his shirt