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He stared silently down at her as ifher smile faded into solemnity and she stared back at hine He is half brother to Mara’s horses, Alexander the Great and Suleinificent”
Her brows drew together in a question “Mara’s horses? But didn’t I read somewhere that Alexander the Great was your horse? Didn’t he win the Grand National for you one year?”
His lips twitched into a faint s a hitand a point “You are well-inforer I sold him for a fraction of his value to Mara when she ift to her husband”
“Married?” She tilted her head up in a question “I don’t re about that”
“New Year’s Day Very quiet Very private It was Mara’s wish, and I—”
“And you could never deny her anything,” she finished for him “I remember that about you” She studied him for a moment “Who did she marry?”
That faint smile came and went “An American bastard who does not even know his father’s nah her at his words, then her eyes narrowed in accusing fashion He accurately read her accusation and explained ruefully, “That is his own definition of hiive the blood from his veins to keep Mara safe, because she is his whole world”
“Oh, I’uilty that I—”
“That you never called her, never wrote to her after the first two e She suffered under the loss of your friendship, little one She never said anything—you know that was never her way—but I knew just the saht you so cruel, so careless Not to Mara”
She was stung by the accusation, knowing there was some truth to it, and at the same time startled and wounded by the use of his pet nao—little one She’d always been petite and seeth of will and a stamina that could put many men to shame Next to Andre, however, who’d always towered over her since the first day she met him, little one had been an obvious endearment And at the time she hadn’ta pet name for her, the same way he’d had one for his sister Dernya, which meant “little treasure” in Zakharan, hat he’d always called Mara Kolinya, or the English translation, “little one,” had been his choice for Juliana It had made her feel precious Cherished
But Juliana hadn’t expected to hear it on his lips ever again Thrown off stride, she tried to defend herself “I just couldn’t re herself to say the words Couldn’t bring herself to talk about that terrible day she’d learned the truth about Andreand about the fairy-tale world she’d been living in for two months
His eyes darkened “So I am to blame for that, as well?”
Pain welled up with such overwhel force she couldn’t hold it back It slashed across her face, and the backs of her eyes prickled as a precursor to tears She blinked rapidly, not wanting hiain He closed his eyes, and if she hadn’t known better she could almost have believed he couldn’t bear to see her pain But he’d authored her pain so otten Was that possible? Could he have forgotten? Maybe he just wanted to forget, the way she wished she could I would give anything to forget, her heart cried
When Andre opened his eyes again Juliana saw that he had somehow retrieved that iron control over himself she remembered so well “How did you come here, Juliana?”
If he could control himself and speak in a normal voice, so could she “I walked”
“All the way from the palace?” He raised his head to look at the palace in the far distance, several miles away at least “All by yourself?”
“I like walking”
He didn’t sine you doin Hollywood Not alone”
“Not soherself to a semblance of a casual suard “I’m sure you know all about that”
Andre untied Charlene and quickly mounted with a creak of saddle leather Then he held his hand out to her in imperious fashion “Come I will take you back”