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“Is something wrong?” The female’s voice
was husky—lovely. The sort of voice Elide
had always imagined great beauties
possessing, the sort of voice that made men
fall all over themselves. From the way some
of the males around her had been smiling,
Elide had no doubt the female had that effect
on them, too.
Elide wobbled her lip, chewed on it. “I—I
was looking for someone. He said he’d be
here, but ...” She glanced to the warriors, and
toyed with the ring on her finger again. “I s-s-
saw your uniforms and thought y-you might
know him.”
The merriment of the little company had
died out, replaced by wariness. And pity—
from the beauty. Either at the stutter or what
she so clearly saw: a young woman pining for
a lover who likely was not there.
“What’s his name?” asked the taller