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Deline found that she was staring at Carrone; rather, she realized that she was staring at him when he shifted uncomfortably.

“So,” she spoke carefully.  “You want a life, a life that isn’t being a bounty hunter any more.  You want someone to go home to at night, or someones, a marriage or a joining.  You want people you can look at as partners, as equals; you don’t mind being the junior in a marriage, though, as long as you have a place. But you were planning on settling down and then you went after the wrong rabbit.  Am I close?”

“That’s – that’s it, yeah.”  He huffed and lay down on the floor, staring through the glass at the fire.  “That’s it. So you see why you – you being the wife of the Emperor, that means that you’re in line for the throne when he dies, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t  – you probably shouldn’t make it sound like it’s an imminent thing,” she protested. Continue reading →