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“I aood reason” Claude Ansara, another cousin, had been Judah’s closest confidant since they were boys Claude was second in line to the throne, right after Cael hier brother to Cael and Judah’s father

Rus rose from the others, so that undoubtedly there had been an eency of some sort of which they were not aware The Dranir had never been late for a council

Why has there been no telephone call? Cael wondered Why hasn’t the news of Judah’s death been iven orders to disappear i Judah, and not to resurface until Cael was irrefutably in charge of the Ansara and could give hiht the Raintree Soon On the day of the summer solstice

Once the Raintree had been destroyed, the Ansara would rule the world And he would rule the Ansara

Suddenly the chahty wind had ripped the creature, his icy gray eyes surveying the room, stormed into their midst Clad in black boots, black pants, a bloodstained white shirt and ripped black vest, Judah Ansara arrived, growling like the ferocious beast he was The wall of s facing the ocean rattled froe

Cael felt the blood drain fro moment when he realized that Judah had survived the assassination atte under a spell created by Cael’s incredibly powerful ic, which meant that Judah’s poere undoubted

ly far greater than Cael had realized But that wasn’t of key iht now Even the fact that Stein was dead was unireater concern What Cael needed to knohether Stein had lived long enough to betray him?

“Lord Judah” Alexandria rushed to his side but stopped short of touching him “What has happened? You look as if you’ve been in a battle”

Whirling to face her, Judah narrowed his gaze and glared at her through sharp, shadowed slits “Someone within my own clan wishes me dead” His voice reverberated with the throaty intensity of a er “The warrior Stein came into my bedchambers at dawn and attempted to murder me in my sleep The woht to drug ht But they were both fools to think I would not sense danger and act accordingly, despite the strong ical spell that had been placed on Stein I switched drinks with the lady, so she was the one sleeping soundly, while I was dressed and ready for battle when Stein slipped in through the secret passage to my quarters that only you, the council, even know exists”

Cael realized that he e, lest suspicion fall i that someone on the council…?”

“I ilare “But rest assured, brother, that I will discover the identity of the person who sent Stein to do his dirty work, and when the tie” As Judah rubbed his bloody shoulder, a fresh red stain appeared on his shirt

“My God, you’re still bleeding” Claude went to Judah, his gaze thoroughly scanning Judah’s big body for signs of other injuries