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How could he estion that he pay for the crew? Just pay off the crew for her? Like she couldn’t provide for them Yes, the crew hadn’t had a stretch of time off for a while, but lucrative jobs that didn’t involve illegal or distasteful cargo were hard to co, and she wasn’t going to take handouts from Xan

Hoas this going to work? Her creould be arriving any day now, and what then? Where did that leave her and Xan? Making her way to the comm room, Sloan couldn’t believe it had already been three weeks The ti, she was finding it hard to get her bearings

Sloan entered the coed to avoid sla behind

“Careful,” he bit out “Ah, Sloan, so lovely to see you,” he said in that creepy way of his that made her skin crawl

“Ragon, very nice to see you, too” She tried to skirt around hiuard to keep away from her was alas another royal, so it was strictly hands-off

“And what are you doing out in the palace this lovely day?”

“I’ in to see if I can contact my ship”

“Leaving so soon?”

“Perhaps” She wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible

“That would probably be for the best” He stalked off, and she stared after hi in her stomach

This e encounters Sloan had had with Ragon since he’d flown in only a couple of days after they arrived on D’Arian He’d

burst into Xan’s office, off the throne rooly bewildered When he saw Xan, it was like he’d seen a ghost, which wasn’t that strange, considering, but his shock see he had been alive all this ti and proceeded to the comm room

Sloan spoke with the comm specialist and had thenal to see if the ship was in range Sure that they hadn’t wanted to use too ht still be a couple of days out Sheher place in her world Being here in the palace, Sloan feltenslavement with Neven Everywhere she stepped there were land mines of protocol and diplomacy It was a world she had never been prepared for, and Sloan wondered how long until Xan saw that

Venu stepped into the comm room, and it immediately went silent All chatter stopped as the coined she didn’t often show up here

“Please clear the room,” she commanded The specialists ju up fro a hasty retreat Sloan moved to leave as hen Venu held up her hand