her' s face turned a deep shade of red, and my mother looked like she mig

, a short, arrogant sound. "Very funny, Mo

locked on his. I saw the flicker of

d in, clinging to his arm. She looked as fragile as a porcelain doll, he

she asked in a so

ing difficult." He turned back to me, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, loud e

low and insulting. "If you' re so desperate for a strong heir, I can help you out

mach t

, "you can provide regular blood donations for Jennifer. A simple

as proposing the very deal that led to m

id, the wo

think that broken-down cripple can give you what I can? This is just a game t

e," I said, my voic

rs digging into my skin. "Do

from his grasp. "I ne

He couldn't comprehend a world where he wasn't the ultimate prize. He saw my rejection not a