Page 84 (1/2)

Her ful look and said with the link that was theirs alone, don’t speak

“Of course,” her hter refuses to be married?”

“For now, I only ask that she allow Galen to court her,” her father said sounding reasonable Exerilla had heard him very clearly say that she actually had no choice He illing to bide his tih he had changed He was no longer putting her needs first She kneas allowing her to think that he was reasonable by condoning a brief courtship He wanted her eased into the situation, but in the end she could see that he o forward at all costs

“Of course, but today Exerilla and I have plans,” her mother said with a tentative smile “Galen is welco Perhaps he can take X to dinner sometime after that” She eyed her husband flirtatiously and Exerilla wondered what her

Two things were off here

Her o anywhere alone with hily rumors abounded around him Rumors called him a vicious murderer, who killed for the thrill of it

She wondered why her mother was so ready to accept the union

The second thing was the sorrow she saw in her s toward hied

Exerilla felt a wave of loss because she saw a dark force ever hovering about him His stance was more aloof, even when he looked at her His love for her and her mother was unshakeable It was a viable separate entity and yet, she knew in that moment beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her father would not allow his affection to deter his purpose

This time, her mother meant to take her father on

Obviously, herfor time For what possible reason, she hadn’t a clue She looked from mother to father and kept quiet She would keep still now because there was no way in hell she was going to go to dinner or anything else with Galen Debbin, let alone marry him

“That is ht She never liked being dictated to” He sht up his handsome face He had always called her X, just like her friends He would tease her and tell her that she would always be his X-factor She had never really known just what heto see She was an answer to his need for power That sudden realization hurt

She shrugged but gave hi dictated to I have known Galen a very long ti to have a few dinner engagements with hi her father would not see through her lie

Her father was all too pleased with the outco He merely bowed in his old world style He murmured that he adored her With a sudden flick of his wrist, the dark cloud that delivered them into Exerilla’s home enveloped the tarlocks and took them away

Her rabbed Exerilla’s shoulders and said in a desperate tone, “Hur