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“For the record, the king’s staff took excellent care of me”

“Still,” Tanner said as he unfastened the low-slung belt holding his sword to his hips before handing it over “Keep this I know you’re trained to use it”

She eyed the offering She hadn’t had a weapon in the house for fifteen years Her father had taken both his and her sith hie for a funeral on the day they’d died Jade had been ordered to stay with Michael’s family, but she’d sneaked away and had followed her parents And had witnessed their gruesome murders

She shuddered and pushed the ated it long ago

“Thank you,” she said to Tanner “To you both This is a very dangerous ti it has come to an end as far as the fire wraith is concerned”

“We’ll reeneral and a se perimeter”

She knew the slayers had had to come for her when she’d been at the castle, in order to ensure she was all right and to appease the villagers But she suspected they wouldn’t have deht the situation was still a perilous one

“It wouldn’t ain,” she said, “if the king is no longer watching me He and his bandits will have to devise so Or find a way to breach the castle walls”

“Not at all a likely scenario while the king’s still alive,” Tanner said

With the blaze Walker built warht here But you guys need to be careful in this blizzard”

Tanner chuckled “A little snow never hurt us”

Her gaze returned to them “I know you’re modern-day superheroes But it’s damn cold out there And the visibility is horrendous”

“We’re not amateurs,” Walker said He headed toward the door “Just stay safe, Jade”

Yes, her reputation preceded her Her stubborn and independent streaks, to be exact But on the heels of the horrifying encounter with the ht put her in jeopardy Plus…she’d promised Darien

After the slayers left, she built another fire in the bedrooe She wasn’t sure what she was going to do with herself until the storm broke, but sleep wasn’t a viable option—her aze re the back wall