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“Good. He’ll still be fun.”

“He’s an assassin.”

Elspeth sat up straight. “No, he’s not!”

“He is.”

“Oh. This is good. Tell me more.”

“You like the fact that he is an assassin far too much.”

Chapter 33

Quin and Kol watched as Rokai’s ship lifted into the sky, then turned and walked several feet before Quin stopped and looked back at Jhan who still stood staring at the small speck in the sky rapidly fading from view.

“Are you coming, or are you going to stand here and wait for them to return?”

Jhan didn’t answer.

“Jhan!” Quin shouted.

Jhan, never one to startle at all, slowly turned his head toward Quin. His brow was wrinkled with confusion as he tried to work his way through all he was feeling. “Why would she want to go help him?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Quin asked.

“The female! Elspeth! Why would she volunteer to go back him up?!”

“If you listened to anything they said, she already has at least once,” Quin answered.

Jhan turned his head to look up into the sky again, his hands resting on his hips.

Quin and Kol shared a surprised look.

“Jhan? There something you want to talk about?” Kol asked.

“No!” he snapped. But followed that with an immediate, “The fuck is she following him around for? Does she know he has an Ehlealah?!”

Kol started laughing.

Quin just grinned.

Jhan turned and glared at both of them. If they’d been anyone other than who they were to him, they’d have been worried. But they’d grown up with him — Kol was actually his blood cousin — and while aware of all he was capable of, werenot the least bit afraid of him. “I don’t find anything at all funny about this. Why is this funny?” Jhan demanded.

“Because you’ve obviously lost your mind,” Kol said.

“I’ve not lost anything at all! I just want to know! And somebody tell me what exactly a Druid Warrioress Priestess is!”

Quin started laughing. He walked back over and slung his arm around Jhan’s neck, forcing him to walk back toward the palace with them. “You saw the female, Elspeth, yes?”

“Of course, I did. I wouldn’t be asking if I hadn’t.”

“Well, it seems that Elspeth is a Druid Warrioress Priestess. And it seems, my friend, that she is, or will be, your Ehlealah.”

Kol slapped him on the back. “Welcome to the mated life.”

“I’m not mated!” Jhan insisted.

“So, if she comes back with Rokai, you’re not interested in pursuing her?” Quin asked.

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