Gianna stood frozen, her mind still reeling from what Elias had just told her. But the shock of the healer's motives quickly gave way to a different, more pressing confusion."Why are you helping me then?" she asked, her voice sharper than she intended. "If your sister wants Nolan dead, what do you gain from stopping her? What do you stand to gain from any of this?"Elias's expression remained calm, almost amused, as if her question was one he'd been waiting for."I don't want you to give up your life," he said simply. "So I'll get you the blood jar. But only on one condition."Gianna's stomach tightened with unease, but she pushed the feeling down."Name it," she said."You'll take an oath," Elias said, his voice steady, "to bear me a child."For a moment, Gianna couldn't process the words. They simply didn't make sense, didn't fit into any shape her mind could hold."What?" she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper."You heard me," Elias said."If you need a child," Gianna
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