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"I did," She poked her head over the railing and glanced in Raklan's direction. "However, someone threw your barrels overboard after you left."There was quite a commotion as Ethan, Alana, and Rachel all turned to chew out Raklan. Hailey tuned them out as she waged war within herself.On the one hand, the proverbial devil on her shoulder was making a very compelling case. If they wanted to rescue Taloni - and get killed in the process - why should she care? They would do it anyway and she would just be helping them do what they wanted. Shouldn't friends do that? Besides, she did owe them a favor, and this might count...On the other hand, she'd be giving them the tools they needed to commit suicide. It was like giving a loaded gun to someone who was suicidal. It was like giving a bomb-vest to a known terrorist.She shouldn't do it.Then she thought about her former owner...Her hand once again moved to rest over her stomach where the scar lingered. If anyone deserved to die, it was th
TO BE MATED 1402
"Lord Delmar had someone track me down and hire me to take it out. He offered double my usual rate; quadruple if I took them alive. I'll split it with you."Falkaan whistled. "Deal. I saw the dragon fly north five days ago, his airship - with the wood elf - left the day after.""Are you working with any assets?"Falkaan shook his head. "No, unless you count Mr. Damon. He's one of the best airship pilots I've ever met, but couldn't fight his way out of a burlap sack.""You and I versus a vicious dragon?""Just like old times."Kendra laughed. "You'd know about old times wouldn't you?"Falkaan ignored her jab, "Unfortunately, it's not just the dragon and the wood elf anymore," and then he described the dragon's flame-haired companion and her parentage."Lord Delmar's daughter?" Kendra mused, then whistled. "How in Illuminar's name could a dragon have persuaded a Lord's daughter to follow him willingly?""Unknown," Falkaan shrugged. "The dragon hasn't been here long enough for a will-bre
TO BE MATED 1403
"What?" She asked."Taloni," he said. The merry mood faded slightly, but didn't leave altogether. Her smile faltered, but remained nevertheless.She nodded. "Yeah.""I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bond with her. I wasn't even awake when it happened.""I know, but the question remains: what now?""I don't know," he said. "She made a really good case that bonding is just as binding as marriage, maybe more so. I never planned to be married to two women, I just find myself..."Semi-married to two of us?" she offered.He nodded. "If I wasn't bonded to Taloni, I'd get down on one knee with a ring right now."Alana looked very confused. "Why in Illuminar's name would you do that?""It's how we propose marriage where I come from."Alana's mouth fell open. "You would marry me?"Suddenly Ethan felt a little embarrassed, though he wasn't sure why. "Uh, yeah. I mean, assuming you were willing."Her smile would've cracked the room in half if it was any wider."But what about Taloni?" Ethan asked.Her
TO BE MATED 1404
She well recalled the first time she'd had sexual thoughts about Ethan, just before they'd left Gralden to rescue Beth. She had been nearly mortified by the idea of being intimate with anyone, especially Ethan. Now she imagined him making love to another woman and it didn't bother her much, if at all.Well, it bothered her that it didn't bother her.It was almost the opposite.Somewhere deep down, she liked the idea that Ethan was so virile, so potent that she alone wasn't enough to satisfy him. She almost wanted to 'show him off' to other women; to see him take them to bed and watch him do unspeakable things to them while she waited for her turn.The innocent wood elf alternately screwed her eyes shut and forced them wide open trying to erase the thought from her head.It wasn't working.She was finally distracted by a slight creak on the stairs behind her. Hailey had made it down the stairs with nary a sound and appeared to be sneaking. She glanced around and when she saw Alana, she
TO BE MATED 1405
Alana produced a small leather coin purse from her belt. "Anthiel gave me enough silver from the ship's treasury to get what we need."Ship's treasury?" he asked. Other than the cube of gold - which was safely hidden in the captain's cabin - he couldn't feel any other gold on board."Yeah, apparently Lord Borden loaded us up with a bunch of silver before we left Gralden." Alana explained. "He thought you'd have an easier time letting go of silver than gold."He nodded, then started down the gangplank. His foot had left the gangplank and was about to set foot on the metal moorings when-BZZZT!!Ethan jumped backwards and shouted in pain. A white-hot jolt had shot through his foot. For a split second, he thought they were being attacked and felt his flight-or-fight reflexes kick in.Then he realized what it was.It was a static electric shock.He nearly knocked Alana and Hailey over as he landed back on the wide gangplank. Everyone was staring at him looking extremely confused."That wa
TO BE MATED 1406
Hailey slipped through the crowd barely disturbing a single garment even though the crowd pressed in on all sides. Her stealth was made easier by the dim lighting. The red-orange hue of sunset had given way to the dark blue/gray of twilight. She had the knife under her robes, and she clutched it tightly to her chest."You can do this. You can do this." She said to herself for the millionth time.She knew she could do this.A quick excuse to Alana and she had bought herself a few hours of time before the Argo left. She had noticed Rachel watching her, and was extremely grateful that Ethan had unwittingly distracted her. If all went according to plan, The Arena Champion - her former master - would be dead and she would be back on the Argo before anyone suspected a thing. With a little luck, they would be far outside the city before anyone found the body."You can do this, you can do this."That bastard was finally going to pay for... for...Hailey pushed her grief to the back of her min
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A Deadly Engagement and Long-Awaited WeddingEthan took a deep breath. "Alana Tarihowen, will join your soul with mine as the strands of this braid are joined? Will you marry me?"For a few glorious seconds, the look on Alana's face was pure, unadulterated bliss. She reached out and touched the braid with the tips of her finger and she looked like the happiest woman in the entire world...But only for a few seconds.Then her face fell.She retracted her hand slowly as she met his eyes. Her eyes and their bond were filled with both longing and sadness; yearning and sorrow. She bit her lip and took a long, slow, trembling breath. Then with more hesitation and reluctance than he'd heard in his entire life, she uttered a single word:"No."* * *It was just before sundown as Kendra bowed low in respect before entering through one of the large double doors that led into Illuminar's grand cathedral. The sheer size and scope was incredible. Its highest was point hundreds of feet tall, and th
TO BE MATED 1408
He continued. "When this person -- someone you wouldn't expect -- saves your life, just remember this: they are your best chance in this life for true friendship and someone you can trust implicitly.""Truly?" She asked, though she didn't believe it was possible. It just seemed too good to be true."Truly," he said, but then his voice grew serious. "But He also gave a warning with the message. If you squander this chance, you may not get another. Don't waste it."* * *If Beth felt like walking to Ethan's ravine in the forest had taken a long time, it felt like walking back to Arcanum took even longer. She had initially enjoyed the hues of purple that made up the Astral Plane. Now -- after over a week there -- she never wanted to see that color again.During the long walk, she'd occasionally removed Aharown from its scabbard -- which was now secured to her belt -- and swung the blade around experimentally. It felt natural in her hands, like the hilt had been made for her, yet it felt
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