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notebook. It was rude to waste a perfectly good gift, and he d take his fortune where he found it. He didn t
doubt that the release would disappear just as thoroughly as soon as he was through the front gate.
No one made any comment as he was escorted out, and Kellen found himself squinting in the early
afternoon sun, his fatigue burning away under the glare. His first order of business was getting as far from
Heston as possible. A glance down left him shuddering, and he amended his list. First, new clothes, then a
headlong flight from a man who could probably find him no matter what rock he hid under. He d been
running for years though, and he hadn t used up all his tricks yet, not by half.
The hardest part was figuring out if he was running from Tal and Vanya too.
Are you frisking me?
Copping a cheap feel, actually, Elain told her, not a trace of shame in her tone. I m going to do the
same with your husband, next. True to her word, she grabbed Tal, a hug and a pat down all in one. Vanya
tried her level best not to laugh at the utterly horrified look on his face, but it was hard, and she was a little
giddy. He glared at her over Elain s head, obviously disconcerted, and he wasn t very subtle about stepping
away as soon as he could.
Your Excellency. Tal bowed at the waist and then rose into a military rest, his feet spread slightly
and his arms tucked behind his back.
Elain s mouth twitched at the corners, but rather than frown at him, she merely sighed and waved a
hand. Talbot, you ve just broken into my apartment in the middle of the night, and I ve seen naked
pictures of you. Do me the favor of forgoing the awkward formality for a change, won t you?
Naked pictures of me, huh? He wasn t looking at Elain anymore, and Vanya did her level best to
look innocent, not at all helped by the faint blush she knew was blooming on her cheeks. I suppose that s a
fair argument for a lack of protocol. And if that s the case, could you just call me Tal like everyone else?
But Talbot annoys you so much more. She smiled at him, then waved them towards the sitting
room.
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The Slipstream Con
Vanya perched on the edge of a sofa she d always quite liked, and Tal sat next to her, an untidy
sprawl with his arm across the cushion behind her. His fingers twitched against her shoulder, light enough
not to hurt.
I need to ask you a favor, she said, feeling the tightness of false dread leave her chest when Elain
laughed and pulled her feet up next to her in the chair she d taken roost on.
I know that much, Van. I haven t seen you in five years, so I didn t think you d come to visit just so I
could make jokes at your husband s expense.
Vanya couldn t tell if there was honest reproach in the statement or not. By necessity, their parting
had been swift and complete. The few messages they d exchanged since then had been affectionate but
brief. The Empress could have friends, obviously. Vanya, on the other hand, didn t have the option of
falling back into a semipublic life, not when someone might see her and assume she was still working as a
fixer. The ease they d had together as lovers was in the past, and while the trust between them hadn t faded,
it was hardly enough to justify casual get-togethers.
Tell me what you need, Elain said, her patience as soothing as Tal s casual touch. You know I ll
make it happen.
I need you to pardon a felon. Or rather, someone who will be a felon as soon as he s convicted of
crimes that he absolutely did commit. She shrugged, barely regretting it despite the pain, because what
else could she do? No matter how she laid it out, it sounded ridiculous, but she d always been scrupulously
honest with Elain. At the end of their relationship, she thought that might have been the thing that had
driven them apart. His name is Kellen Frey, and he s being held without a bond in the processing facility
on Rogena.
Memory, as much as anything, allowed Vanya to sit still under Elain s frank scrutiny. Her dark brown
eyes traced over Vanya s posture, her face, moved to Tal and came back again. Her fingers drummed out a
pattern on the upholstered arm of her chair, and her faint smile grew by tics, until it was just shy of a grin.
You know I ve followed your career? It s amazing how much information I can get when I want it. I seem
to recall that you ve spent quite a bit of time working to put him there. There was no denying the grin
now, and Vanya should have known better anyway. Elain had years of experience reading people, and she
saw through more bullshit in a day than most people did in their entire lives. It was still amusing to see her
pull one knee up and clap her hands together in front of it, clearly delighted with whatever she d decided
was going on.
Come on, which of you is it? The obsession I could see coming, because the trail was always so fun,
but I wasn t expecting this. She looked younger in her pajamas and dressing gown, golden brown hair
pulled back into a braid, joy smoothing away some of the small lines of tension around her mouth. The
corners of her eyes still crinkled when she smiled, laugh lines that made tiny wrinkles in the otherwise
smooth perfection of her pale coffee skin.
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S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
Tal s fingers tightened on Vanya s shoulder, and she felt his back stiffen as he sat up straighter. Are
you suggesting that we re asking for his release just because of& of a supposed obsession? When Elain s
smile merely widened, Tal coughed, gaze drifting around the room until if finally came back to her. Right,
fine, okay, he said gruffly. So maybe that has something to do with it.
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