Then there was the tightrope performance she had to do between Jade and Louis. Louis’s presence here brought back so many pleasant memories, so many reminders of what life had to offer. She’d never thought before just how much of a tomb she’d built for herself on Cablans; unconsciously she’d been letting Jade shape her life at least as much as she’d been shaping Jade’s. Jade seemed perfectly content as a hermit and an outcast—but that sort of life wasn’t, and never could be, hers.
Jade. The thought of that small, dangerous, fragile woman filled her with a rush of emotions she was unwilling to sift through. Clearly Jade was not happy being here; even before Louis’s arrival she’d been restless, and the introduction of the threat he represented only increased her tension.
Jade, Jade, what w
