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"Dad, that's bullshit Mom said you were pissed at Reah She said you blamed her for my disappearance We both knoas responsible for that, now don't we?"

"And ere only listening to anted to hear" Glinda walked into Jayd's study "We wanted those girls as close as we could get theet them here The truth is that Reah should have been here, too We left a precious High Deroves on the Southern Continent, alone and unguarded Anything could have happened out there Admit it"

"So almost did happen Today" Tory stood "What would you do, Dad, if Reah had taken that last step? Would this be your chance to do what you wanted to do all along, and hand all the rights to irls over to Jayd and Glinda?"

"Son, it isn't quite like that," Garde said

"Then how is it? How's Mom, Dad? She okay? What if that had been her out there about to kill herself?" Tory skipped away

"You fked up," Jayd turned to Garde

"We all did," Glinda pointed out

"Again" Lok gestured for Drake to co Sweat poured off Lok's body, the dragon tattoos glistening in the early twilight Aurelius stood nearby, watching both Falchani spar Drew stood next to Aurelius, asn't doing very well

"He's trying to punish himself, isn't he?" Drew said

"Yes But not all of us have such a convenient outlet"

"How close was it?" Drew asked He wanted to gauge how upset Aurelius was

"A few inches, if that If the Larentii hadn't coone"

"I heard Kifirin showed up, too"

"He alar stepped between them The rest of us just stood there, too stunned to ht Everybody ar, I think We still don't knohere he took her"

"Would you mind if some of the rest of us come? We know Reah, too"

"I don’t ed

"Then we'll either plead our case or leave," Drew agreed "I don't believe it was only her mates ere blinded for the past twenty-five years If we thought about Reah, it's as if the thoughts slipped away and we forgot again When Kifirin reh we'd been asleep all that time"

"I think that is an apt way to put it," Aurelius agreed "Farzi and Nenzi turned and went hunting, earlier I' they came across lived over the encounter Lendill went off with Norian to question ht now"

"Lissa says that those controllers even convinced that young Surnathan's s into his neck and then ordered him to kill all those workers at the electronics plant"

"And then to kill himself," Aurelius nodded "Dantel Schuul isted, as was his daughter Lendill told hter were lovers, likely since she was ten"

"Twisted and sick," Drew sighed

"What if she doesn't come out of this?" Tory sat on the corner of a low table and stared at Gavril