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we shall eliminate them
all.”
    “You cannot force them to respect me.”
Shoulders drooping, she rubbed her eyes. “I must win this kae’don myself, but Lady help me, I’m losing.” Bitterly, she
sharpened her voice. “I hate losing.”
    Rhaekhar’s heart went out to her. All
day she hid her emotions and fears, constantly wearing that proud mask he had
come to despise. He dreaded each trip to the Green Lands. Not because of the
time away from his homeland, but for the cost she paid in pride. It was a
constant drain on her spirit to be here among her own people, and that saddened
him more than he could say.
    “Let us return to your room, my heart.”
Rhaekhar threaded her fingers in his and led her down the hallway. The twins
would put a smile on her face when nothing else could. “You have neglected to
join me for a Green Land bath this trip.”
    She squeezed his hand and the heat in
her eyes squeezed his heart in turn. He had made love to her countless times,
but he would never weary of her passion. “I get to give you a massage this
time.”
    “Your wish is my desire. However,
whatever you do to me, I—”
    “Get to do to me, I know.” She laughed
softly and leaned into him, rising on her tiptoes. He obliged by leaning down
so she could whisper in his ear. “I bet I can make you lose control.”
    “You challenge me, na’lanna .” The rumble in his voice made her eyes darken, her lush
mouth softening as she dropped her gaze to his lips. “I accept.”
    Dharman bumped into her, smashing her
fully against Rhaekhar. Thinking the lad meant to insinuate himself into their
challenge, he growled a warning. If she had invited her Blood, Rhaekhar would
accept him without question, but he refused to tolerate a warrior’s
interruption, not even one as close and loved by her.
    Turning toward Dharman, she opened her
mouth to take the lad to task, but the harsh look on his face stalled her
retort. He gripped her close, tucking her against him while backing them both
tightly against Rhaekhar. Someone cried out and the Blood didn’t hesitate. He
took her to the ground and covered her protectively with his body.
    Rhaekhar let her go else find himself on
the cold tile as well. His own Blood pressed closer but Varne’s manner of
protection was much different. Rahke in hand, he took up stance shoulder to shoulder with Khul and the other eight
Blood, wary but not alarmed. They all knew to whom any threat would be aimed,
and she was safe beneath her nearest Blood.
    A crossbow bolt quivered in the wooden
doorframe, not a hand’s span from where her head and been moments ago.
Immediately, he glanced down at her, but he couldn’t see anything but her
Blood’s broad back covering her.
    “Great Vulkar,” Rhaekhar ground out,
gripping his rahke but not drawing
it. There was no need. Her golden-haired Blood, Jorah, charged after the
assassin. “Will she never have any peace?”
    Varne shook his head. “Not while she
returns to these Green Lands.”
    Listening to her na’lanna bond, Rhaekhar searched for any hint of pain to make sure
she hadn’t been wounded. He trusted her Blood implicitly, and they would take
any wound to her body, no matter how small, as a grave failure. All Blood
possessed a fierce sense of honor, but Khul’lanna’s Blood extremely so. Only
lads when Vulkar had sent them to her side, they had never worn their own kae’valda and never would.
    Until
she dies.
    Rhaekhar pushed that horrible fear away.
He’d already sworn to die before her. If Vulkar called her home to His Clouds
early, Khul would ride at her side.
    He felt a wrenching in her bond, an
unexpected emotion. At first, he thought she had picked up on his grim thoughts
of death, but Dharman jerked his attention down to her. Whatever he saw, the
lad dropped his body fully against hers instead of politely hovering above her.
    There was no mistaking the surge of
physical response through her bond. Rhaekhar held his breath a moment, and then
let