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Chapter Nine

Jacob wanted to strangle her Strangle her then roll her beneath hiive her pleasure with his hands on her

Fuck this And fuck Tho this better

But as he thought back, he realized the dying man had indicated that all vampires lived by the code of hierarchy established by dominance Even as their queen, Lyssa had to continually earn the title Otherwise, she would have becoo, political currency trotted out by anyone who could take her and use the value her blood gave her

When she'da political alliance between the ancient Asian royal house and the more distant remnants of the Western European one, it had been her decision Jacob was dealing with a woh to know exactly what she had to do to protect as hers No s of culture and civilization hich they surrounded theht a level of brutality to their personal and public politics that overnments look like schoolyard antics

He just hadn't understood how deeply that sentiment pervaded vampire society, even into the sanctity of the bedroo all the long hours with Thoarten, the barest concept of what education would require of the student

He wasn't the type of htly He too had a code of honor he'd clung to grimly, even when every other decision in his life had sees had made him leave Gideon, but primarily it had been a shadow that had haunted his dreaone into the world to seek it as if he were looking for a grail Gideon had scoffed at him, told him he'd read too many Irish folktales

Jacob doubted the nagging feeling hiht he first saw Lady Lyssa The shadowhirown stronger under Thoe Yes, he was a drifter, a dreamer A man who'd been in search of a hazy sense of destiny for the almost thirty years of his life But that destiny was her He was certain of it

This, though--he glanced up at the manacles, felt the scream of his muscles--hadn't exactly been part of the picture

Okay Hepanic, fury and--holy God--unabated lust He had a lot to learn about Lyssa's world But she'd wanted him free there at the end so he could touch her He'd felt it He knew it

He had to earn her trust Maybe then she'd learn to respect hi he was there to care for her

That one visual su so e so it

Everything else hat he had to learn to get there

He'd have been surprised to know Lyssa did respect hih to think she should boot hi to ain

Mr Ingram sat at the kitchen island on a stool, yesterday's paper open The es Jacob had prepared for hiram finished each section of the paper, he'd folded it neatly to his right She wondered if he was nor to stave off panic at being left with no instruction or direction while effectively is' favorite rooardless, due to its war but didn'thairy rugs tossed about to land in doglike shapes The radio had been left on her preferred jazz station, Russ Free the room

"Your h to leave h I'll ad cookware

Your main fellow there likes to show his teeth every time I shift "

"The closest bathroo as you wish Bran, off guard "

The driver jus erupted as if she'd run an electric current through the linoleued out with repetitious thurowls In less than a moment, they were alone

He cleared his throat "I guess they needed to go, too "

"They tend to approach everything with zeal, " she said with a tight smile "Please Go take your comfort and then I'd like to speak to you At the very least to thank you for your professionalism It's been awhile since I've had one , let alone two in the saht "