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She laughed quietly, painfully “You spun a silver coin on the kitchen table and when it landed on its side, you gasped and said, ‘You’re the little girl ill always be s’”

Indeed, she had been that child…until her parents had been viciously murdered

Fat drops slid down her cheeks as she said, “When I was fifteen, I begged you not to tell ain, because the one you told me ten years earlier didn’t come true It didn’t last, Jinx”

At eleven years of age, she’d wanted to screa her a lie Her parents were dead and she’d believed she’d never sain How cruel had it been for Jinx to lie to her, when he’d claimed over and over that his predictions were always accurate?

But, of course, she’d never truly blamed him Yes, as a kid, she’d soaked up his optiedy had proven hiardless of his otherwise successful track record, she’d groary Still, she’d adored hiht again

Jinx was a man whose compassion and exuberance had won over even the most tainted of hearts—hers

Jade was not one to put her personal troubles on another, but she’d had a need to believe in Jinx And, years after her parents’ deaths, he’d done his best to provide her a measure of comfort in an uncertain world

She said, “I always adored you And I will always miss you”

She brushed away her tears After a moment of silence, she turned away and joined the slayers

Later, Jade ree to ensure it was safe inside When he indicated all ell, she slid off the back of the stallion and followed the other slayer through the front door

As Walker built a fire, Tanner said, “The general told us his patrol discovered a small colony of demons not associated with the alliance up by the Canadian border But the fire wraith wasn’t a them”

“Did Morgan say if they had a lead on where he ht be?” she asked

“No But certainly not anywhere near this village We’ve seen nothing out of the ordinary since you were attacked I can’t i took him on”

“Likely,” Walker said, “they had an assassination strategy plotted out They’re too small a band of demons to actually stor Darien from his protective walls”

Jade quickly explained, “He thought I’d been working with Lisette and had developed soeneral followed me Turns out, it was the wraith with the powers he sensed, since the rogue demon simultaneously watched g?’ sort of thing”