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“Alea” She reiven her and wondered about the woht?”

Rafe sighed, a deep sound of regret that filled the room “She is alive”

“She was brutalized” Kade threaded his hands together as though steeling himself “She hid her ties to our fairl both inside and out Our little cousin was always a rebel”

“Sometih down-trodden people for her to help” Rafe paced as he talked “She wanted to save the world The world showed her that it doesn’t want to be saved”

“That’s not true,” Kade argued

Rafe shook his head, a tiny, soesture Jessa would have bet this was a orn argument

Kade nodded his brother’s way “Forgive hiry I am as well, but I know that Alea will eventually coain Her mind and her heart will heal But only because Burke and Cole Lennox saved her” Heto soothe away his frown “She refused a security detail when she went away to school She isn’t in line for the throne, so we didn’t think she’d truly be in any danger She disappeared six ht she had no faers needed a woado sold her to liked to keep a variety of women for their clientele”

There went her appetite again The idea of a young wo sold made her shudder Her heart went out to the woman “I’m so sorry to hear that”

“She was drugged All of the girls were fed a steady diet of cheed for the drugs for weeks after she came home She was down to skin and bones, but all she wanted was another hit That’s just one of the htmares…”

“When Burke and Cole found her,” Kade continued, his voice going hard for the first ti held with fifteen other woht and think about everything your ainst their will Their descriptions were pleasingly detailed I have a vivid picture in my head”

“I can’t ih” She shivered despite the robe, feeling so terrible for the young woman Even after she’d been saved, it was obvious Alea still had a hard road ahead of her Delgado had ruined many lives, and now his son seemed determined to keep up the family business

“No, you can’t,” Kade replied “I wouldn’t want you to But I a you to take into consideration that their as vital to us and the fairls they rescued Yes, they sacrificed But Burke and Cole also saved lives”

Jessa stiffened her spine “Of course their as iree And I would have understood the truth But the fact is, they lied to me”

“Would you have understood? Really?” Rafe asked, his tone slightly arrogant, as if he’d already determined the answer to the question

So they had judged her “I would have done my very best Maybe it sounds selfish to you, but I wanted to be important, too”

“They believed you had been claimed by another man,” Rafe said

“Soiven me a real na God, she didn’t want to feel this aching, gaping hole in her chest She wanted to feel nothing at all for the, I would have sat up at night praying for theive h”

Rafe’s eyes softened slightly “Men are sometimes not the smartest of creatures We make decisions that we think are best to protect those we love And sometimes, we make mistakes It doesn’t mean we don’t know our hearts If they have told you they love you, then they mean this”

“They are good h at times, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have tenderness for you, for your son It would be a shame if that son never knew his fathers”

She glared at Kade That just wasn’t fair She was just supposed to forgive Burke and Cole the instant they walked back into her life? They had cost her a terrible year of heartache and pain, and never given her a choice “The funny thing is, if they had asked o to South America with them, I would have Or I would have stayed here and waited, as tough as it would have been I would have done whatever they asked But they didn’t give me a choice”

Yes, she was probably being stubborn, but the ot Of course they were heroes; there was no question about it But did that mean she was just supposed to take them back without a qualm? What happened the next time they had a “mission” they believed in? Would they leave her behind for months or more at a time with no communications? Would they decide that their son was safer without theood? They wouldn’t si Caleb’s heart, too

No She didn’t think she could risk that She wasn’t sure she was ready to trust theain

And that ry because she wanted to She wanted to throw herself in their arh they had left her pregnant and alone, she still drea out their names

She swiped angry tears away She wasn’t listening to her stupid heart this time She couldn’t afford to She wasn’t a child anymore Now she was a mother

Rafe straightened his coat “I’ive you so at all, ill help you”

Kade stood “Indeed All you need to do is call”

“You don’t know me Why would you do that?” These men confounded her They were obviously powerful, yet they seeenuinely care about Cole and Burke, ere basically edo their lives to help others out

“The royal fa one of our family Actually, two, since Cole also saved my brother, Talib,” Kade explained “When I asked hoe should repay them, do you knohat your men asked for?”

Rafe shook his head “My brother would have given the they wanted”

More tears Would they ever stop? “I know they didn’t ask for money”