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Sheena eventually interrupted the quiet respite by asking, “When you accepted the king’s an, did you do it si threatened by his are, or because you really wanted to be his wife?”

“First,” Jade said, “since you and I are friends, you can call him Darien in my presence I really don’t need the constant re Believe me, that fact is never far from myhis authority”

“Fine”

“Second,” she added as they wandered through the oods, Jade’s gaze scanning the area, “I wanted to say yes to hiht he asked avethe inscription

“Is that what you were doing in the forest by your house this evening? Trying to find the necklace?”

“Yes I still can’t believe I lost such a valuable piece of jewelry A family heirloom, no less I’m sick about it”

“Darien would never hold it against you, Jade Despite the fact the pendant is priceless, he wouldn’t fault you In fact, he washurt by the fire wraith than the fact the necklace had fallen off during the attack”

“That’s very kind of hih” They wove their way south “I’ to search on hands and knees until I find that da”

“I’ll help you,” Sheena said “I can look at night while you’re out on patrol I have excellent vision and the ht will catch the diamonds, which the star is reported to be covered in”

“You’ve never seen it?”

“No” She looked fascinated by the prospect “I’ve heard it’s stunning But that’s really all I know about it There are soo, yet no one has ever confir, of course”

“That it is”

The icy ground-covering crunched under their feet Jade asked, “How long have you been a vampire?”

“Not long at all Sixty-nine years I was born in 1982” Though she appeared no older than twenty-eight or nine

“Born? Or is that when you became a vampire?”