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respond?”
    The claws dug in farther. “I would remind you that you’re mine, and your first loyalty is to me. If not for me, you’d have been executed.” Her eyes bored into him. “I can see why you may be tempted by Rowena, but she is the wife of my son. Even I would not be able to protect you from his wrath.”
    He blinked. Not the answer he’d expected. Her grip loosened, she patted the back of his hand and released him. “There is a leftover honey cake on the platter, if you would like it. Go now, Wolf. I will expect you in the morning.”
    He slipped quietly from her room, the sweet smelling honey cake encased safely in his hand, but stopped dead just before tripping over one of the children. The young girl, Kai, was crouched beside the door and sprang to her feet when he appeared. She was no more than twelve years old. It killed him the way they treated the children. It was bad enough for the adult slaves, but to use little ones in the same way…it was a harsh world. “I have a message for you, Wolf.” She rubbed her grimy face with a dusty hand. She looked tired enough to fall asleep where she stood, and Jared felt a wave of protectiveness toward the mite. He nodded for her to continue.
    “You must go down to the stable block, now. A lady waits to see you.”
    His mouth fell open, before he remembered to clamp it shut again. Lila . It had to be Lila. Excitement surged, and he sucked in a joyful breath. “The stable block?” Kai nodded. This was it, his ticket out of here. He couldn’t hold back his grin, probably the first real smile since he’d ended up there, and Kai stared at him, a wary expression on her face. He remembered the honey cake and presented it to her. “Go on. You can have it.”
    Her eyes widened. Slowly, as though expecting it to be lifted away, she extended one grubby finger to stroke the top of the sweetmeat, and then stared at him again. He nodded. It was the least he could do, to repay her for bringing this message. “Thank you, Wolf.” She snatched it, devouring it in seconds before turning to run away down the corridor.
    He knew how to dodge the guards on the doors and which exit to use, and a few minutes later he crept across the dark yard, circling round the moonlit patch to avoid detection. He peered through the open doorway. Horses surrounded him, most of them sleeping, while he picked his way through the stalls, heading for the central area. He’d sat here a few hours earlier, to polish the harness, and re-polish it after it’d been dirtied again. Pausing, he let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He could make out a figure in the far doorway: petite, long robe, hood. Female.
    His heart pounded against his ribs as though he’d run across the fields, and he wanted to shout and punch the air in delight. This was the moment he’d dreamed of. He took a second to savor the anticipation. He stepped into the shaft of moonlight and paused as she turned to him, the hood rustling over her hair.
    “Lila.” His voice croaked on her name. His chest felt warm and, Jesus , he had tears in his eyes. “You came back for me.” He moved forward another pace and another, and then ran the final steps to halt just inches from her. “ Lila ,” he breathed, raising a hand to push back her hood. A fraction of a second too late, he realized his mistake.
    “Lila?” Rowena’s voice snapped like a whip. Oh no. Dear God, no . “Tell me, Wolf. Who is Lila, and why would you be meeting her here?”
     

Chapter Twelve
    Lila
    Marc considered my suggestion and nodded. “It should be easy enough to find out. I’ll ask one of the house slaves.” He stood and stretched, rolling his head from one side to the other as he yawned. “Will you stay here?”
    He had to be joking. “I’ll come with you. We can pretend to be looking for the kitchen.”
    The night was still young, and the house bustled with people: servants and residents, slaves and guards. With my arm tucked through Marc’s, we