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sooner I can take that over, the better. He’s very conservative.”
    “I’ll ask your father to give you a quarter of his funds,” Laev said.
    Face flushed, Jasmine bobbed back up. “A third.”
    “A quarter. I’ll give him a report of your last two years’ investments and my personal opinion on your progress as a financial estate manager.” Laev slanted her a look. “You will write the report. Include graphs. Don’t manipulate the figures, I’ll know if you do. Make sure it’s thorough.” He waved. “Again, excellent job. You’re dismissed for the morning.”
    She nodded and went to the door of a small office off his den. So she planned on working here instead of at home. He admitted he’d like the company.
    He activated a holosphere about an airship venture he was considering. All in all, Jasmine was more conservative than himself. But she’d been brought up by T’Ash and D’Ash, both very aware of the value of gilt, and with the ingrained idea that the Family fortune must be preserved and grow and must not be put at risk. Gilt was important to them, but the bedrock of that Family was love.
    He’d been raised by his father and FatherSire who weren’t averse to wagering a great deal to win a great deal, always knowing that their Family fortune was secure. Plans for increasing their wealth and influence had always been paramount for the Hawthorns. The men had been demanding guardians, always pushing for success, with little affection between them. He wouldn’t be like them in that.
    “You should get married again. Consult with a matchmaker to find your HeartMate,” Jasmine said.
    She’d caught him off guard and inwardly he flinched. Everyone knew his mistake, that he’d disappointed his Family. Tendrils of past guilt and shame snapped like lashes. He quashed them as always. “Over the line, Jasmine.”
    Jasmine wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “Brrrr,” she said. “You can really freeze someone with that gaze. You look just like your FatherSire when he was displeased, like when you took me on as an apprentice.”
    “Long time ago and I’m waiting for an apology.”
    Her head dropped. “Sorry.” She shifted from foot to foot and he knew her outburst wasn’t just about him. He gestured her back to the chair.
    “What’s the problem?”
    Blinking rapidly she took the seat, whipped a softleaf from her sleeve pocket, and mopped her eyes. “It’s Nuin. His Passage fugues to free his Flair, his magic, are so big and intense and scary.” She shuddered.
    Laev rose from his own seat, went to the no-time drink storage, and pulled out steaming hot cocoa with a swirl of white mousse. He handed the mug to Jasmine, weighing his words. He’d always been honest with her. “The greater the Flair, the stronger Passage is.”
    She sipped, nodded, and looked up at him from under spiky lashes. “Dad and Mom are taking turns being with Nuin, but they have a Healer and a couple of fire mages, too,” Jasmine whispered. “Nuin’s always had fire psi. They’ve stripped his bedroom of nearly everything. No one’s died in Passage for a long time, right?”
    “I haven’t heard of anyone.” Laev infused confidence into his voice. Families would usually keep such an occurrence a secret.
    Again she drank her cocoa, slurping a little. “Mother and Father are HeartMates. Second Passage is when you first link with a HeartMate, right? In sexy dreams?”
    Laev supposed Jasmine needed reassurance that common knowledge was true. He took his chair, kept his manner cool and voice matter-of-fact. “That’s right. If there is a woman or man out there that you can bond with emotionally, physically, spiritually—one made for you, Second Passage is important. That’s when your mind and emotions spiral out to connect with your mate.”
    Jasmine shifted again, this time in her chair. “And you make a HeartGift.” She stared at him. Everyone knew Laev had made a HeartGift—and given it to the wrong