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shops.”
    He stood over Opal and only stared at her. Sapphire wondered if he realized yet what an imposing figure he made when he did that. But apparently her sister didn’t think so and stood up to him. He took a step back, but Opal advanced until he bumped into the table behind him. The man was in love with her, she suddenly realized. Sloan loved her sister and would…Christ, he was hurting as much as Opal was.
    “ Did I not tell you to leave me alone?” He started to nod, Sapphire thought, but Opal poked him in the chest as she continued. “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. What do you have, minions running around after me so that you can keep tabs on me? If you do, I want you to call them off. I’m a wolf and have been keeping myself safe for a very long—”
    “ I don’t have minions…not looking after you, anyway. I know better after the last time I sent Rufus after you. But I could feel your terror.” That shut her sister up, but Sloan wasn’t finished. Sapphire wanted to ask about what happened with Rufus, but Sloan continued before she could. “I could also feel your anger, as well as the murderous feelings you had for a few minutes. Did you kill someone? Not that I don’t think we could handle that, but I’d hate for someone to find a body in this lovely mall. But as I see no blood, I can only assume that you—”
    “ I didn’t kill anyone. Not that I’m not thinking about it right now. Would you like to be my first victim? I’m sure I’d feel a great deal better even if I could simply hurt you. A lot.” Opal started to turn from him but poked him in the chest again. “What do you mean, you could handle it? Are you saying you’d cover up a murder that I did?”
    “ Of course I would.” Sapphire couldn’t see Sloan’s face, but she could her sisters, and the look on her face told her that he’d shocked her. “You’re my mate. I have no choice but to protect you. And that protection extends to helping you rid yourself of the bodies if need be. I am but your humble servant.”
    “ So you don’t really want to protect me, but you would because you had to.” He started to speak again, but Opal cut him off. “You know what? This is just stupid. I don’t want you here. I’m having a nice time with my sister and grandmother, so you can just go do whatever it is you were doing. I’m just fine and dandy.”
    Sapphire watched him. Sloan was trying his best not to do something, but she was reasonably sure he was going to lose the battle. When Opal turned this time to walk away, he pulled her back and to his body. They had enough people staring at them right now; if he took her, as it looked like he was going to do, they’d never be able to come here again. But he only held her to him and nothing more for a good long time.
    When he spoke this time, Sapphire didn ’t know what he was saying. It wasn’t that he was speaking low that had her not understanding. It was the language. Whatever it was, whatever he said, Opal didn’t understand either, she’d bet.
    Sloan let Opal go , then walked to Sapphire. He sat at the table for several seconds before Opal joined them. The tension around the table was as thick as anything she’d ever felt. And when Sloan spoke this time, she could hear the barely-controlled anger in his voice.
    “ She will need clothing. A great deal of it.” Sapphire nodded. “I have put her name on my accounts, but she is…she is…. I have to ask you to keep an accounting of what she needs, please, so that I may purchase it for her.”
    “ I don’t want—” He cut Opal off with a look, and, surprisingly, she shut up. Sapphire glanced at her grandmother, who was laughing quietly but hard. Tears were streaming down her cheeks as she held her hand over her mouth. There was no help there, of course.
    “ I can give you a list, but I doubt very much she’d wear it if you bought it for her.” He nodded and turned to her grandmother. The smile he gave her