Page 14 of Rule

“Where is your cloak?”

“I gave it to the human. She was notdressed appropriately for the weather.”

I peered around him. “Where is she?”

“She saw the bathroom and asked to use it.At least I think she did.”

“What do you mean?”

“The translator is not working yet.”

I groaned. “Krono, are you serious?”

“Yes. She does not understand a word Isay, and she speaks complete gibberish.”

“The agency assured me that she would havea working translator when she arrived.”

“She does not.”

I muttered a curse and rubbed at the backof my neck. “How does she look?”

Court shrugged. “Small and frail. Shedoes not carry enough meat on her bones.”

I frowned. In her picture, she’d lookedcurvy enough. Not that it mattered. I wasn’t attracted to the human. I haddeliberately chosen her both because she was breeding incompatible and becauseI did not find her pleasing to the eye. I knew I didn’t need to worry aboutCourt. After what Dana did, he hated all female humans, but I didn’t trustmyself, so I made sure to find a human I was not attracted to.

Does that matter? Even if you wereattracted to her, you would not be able to satisfy her. Your ability to pleasea woman is gone and it is never coming back.

I shoved my inner voice deep down as aflush covered my face.

Court gave me a curious look. “What iswrong?”

“Nothing. Does she seem healthy?”

“I guess. She,” he paused, “flinches whenyou move too fast.”

“She is probably nervous. She cannotunderstand you, and you do not give off a welcoming vibe.”

Court frowned at me. “I was courteous toher. I gave her my cloak so she would not freeze to death. She did not evenhave a coat, Bran. She came here for a three-year job with only a small bag.Does that seem strange to you?”

I didn’t want to admit it, but it was a bitstrange. When Dana moved in, she had three trunks and four suitcases. Herclothes alone had filled my closet and the guest bedroom’s closet.

“Perhaps she does not care for materialthings,” I said.

“Perhaps.” Court studied me for a momentin the light of the fire. “Her eyes are green, not blue.”

“What?”

“Her eyes are not blue. They are green.”

“They are blue. In the picture, they areblue.”

“I do not know what to tell you, Bran. Youwill see for yourself soon enough that they are green.”

Something niggled at the base of my skulland I flicked on my tablet. I pulled up the human’s file from the agency andscrolled to the end where her picture was. I studied it carefully. Her eyeswere definitely blue. I glanced up at my best friend. “Court, her eyes are -”

The human was standing next to Court. Shewas wearing his cloak and she had a clearly anxious look on her face. Her palecheeks flushed, and she bowed her head and, oddly, curtsied before smiling at me.

I studied her face, feeling a weird warmthburning in my gut as I stared at her soft pink mouth, high cheekbones, andlight green eyes. Krono, she was beautiful.

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