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Soainst the , and both Aden and Shannon turned The glass rose, then Riley was there, sh He was dressed in a black suit, was cleanly shaven and had his hair arranged in perfect spikes In his ar

"Shannon," he acknowledged with a stiff nod

Shannon, as used to Aden’s nightly visitors, nodded in return "Riley"

"I’ve gotta borrow our boy for a little while"

Shannon frowned "He’s b-been sick and needs his r-rest"

Riley frowned, too, gaze darting to Aden "Sick? Again? How?"

"Again?" Shannon’s focus swung back to Aden "When were you s-sick before? What rong?"

Oh, yeah Aden hadn’t explained--or lied, as he’d planned--so Shannon had no idea how iffy things had been for him

"Shannon," a musical female voice said from just beyond theVictoria had arrived "You are tired You"Yeah, I’m pretty tired" He scaled to the top of the bunk bed and lay down He was softly snoring a few seconds later

So ht A voice she used liberally, but always to help hih a part of hiainst him Hoould he combat the compulsion to do what she wanted if, like, he ic?

Don’t think like that She cares about you

He blahts

Still outside, she ht spilling from the room Her dark hair was piled on top of her head, he noticed, and several ringlets framed her pale face Her eyes had been outlined in black and black glitter sprinkled on her lids His favorite? Her lips were painted bloodred

From what he could see, she wore a silky black robe with thin straps on both shoulders and a neckline that dipped low in the center New favorite, he thought He even liked thearound her biceps like thin, bejeweled snakes

She was breathtaking

Mine The thought was his own, no one else’s Because she was His

"Aden," Riley said, clai his attention "You were sick?"

Aden nodded, and had to blink against the sudden renewal of dizziness Stupid pills He explained what had happened, what had been done to hied

Riley shook his head "I don’t kno you deal with all those voices anyway But don’t beat yourself up about it One slip-up in how long? A year or more? That’s reason to celebrate You know, at a va at him

"Help him dress, and I’ll ensure Dan stays away froht," Victoria said fro he held "I seriously hope you’re not going to make me do all the work"

"Please I’d have to be dead to let you put your hands on me" Aden stood--and almost tued to reht, and held out his hands Several articles of clothing were thrust at hi a suit almost identical to Riley’s Black, silk, expensive He brushed his hair and teeth, then splayed his ar inspection

"Better, but not done yet" Riley held out his open palm

Aden sahat rested in the center and actually backed away "No No way"

"You listened with a luht Bad idea, all the way around

"Your coronation ceremony will take place in thirteen days and--"

"Thirteen days," he interjected That seemed relevant somehow Familiar "So ear it now?"

"As a symbol of your power"

Power? Please He had no power Not any that o," Victoria said suddenly, at theagain "Everyone is waiting"

Riley arched a brow at hi, cere Always Your people won’t take you seriously without it, and you’re going to have a hard ti taken seriously anyway since you’re hu, he thought, but he reluctantly pinched the band between two fingers and slid the thing in place A large opal stared up at hiy mind could have studied those beaht because, in theirto their laws--of which he knew only this one--he who killed the king beca But Aden planned to appoint so, so himself be killed