Thane frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand. What do you mean, negotiations are over?”

Lady Cadieux shrugged her bare shoulders. Though the dress she wore only covered her breasts and waist, she showed no sign of being cold. She moved closer to Kate, her bare feet making no sound as she walked across the forest floor. “Arcturus is far more persuasive than you might think, even among our kind.”

Leaning in close to Kate, silver hair cascaded like ...