1 State of Grace Read Online Free PDF

it a very paltry thank you.”
    Silverleaf continued to stare. His expression changed, though. He was no longer quizzical. Now he just looked disgusted.
    “Very well,” Silverleaf said at last.
    “ Mademoiselle ?” Wolf said.
    He offered his arm. She approached him with a surprised look on her face.
    “ Merci beaucoup, monsieur ,” she replied with a sexy smile.
    Wolf breathed in her perfume. It hinted of pears. He tried not to stare at her as she took his arm. He didn’t want to give Silverleaf any cause for jealousy. At least not yet.
    Wolf escorted her over to the bar. She never took her eyes off him.
    “Cabernet,” he said.
    “And for the lady?”
    Wolf turned to her and asked the question with his eyes. She smiled.
    “Mead,” she told the bartender, continuing to stare at Wolf.
    “Very good,” the bartender said, and went to fill flagons for them.
    She looked Wolf up and down. He only smiled.
    “You know ’e only let you do zat because ’e ’ates Urlanders, don’t you?” she said after a moment. Wolf flashed her a quizzical look.
    “Why would he let me buy you a drink then?” Wolf said. “Wouldn’t he refuse me if he hated me?”
    “ Non ,” she replied. “’e is forcing you to spend your money. Why do you zink ’e comes ’ere? ’e likes to take money from your people.”
    Wolf glanced over at the table. Most of the crowd had broken up. A few of the faithful were hanging on, but they all looked glum. They knew Silverleaf was going to win. He always wins . It all was starting to make a certain kind of sense.
    “Is that why he cheats?” he asked.
    “I don’t know what you mean,” she replied.
    “He’s using magic to make sure he draws exactly the card he needs,” Wolf said.
    “I don’t know ’ow ’e does it,” she said. “All I know is ’e always wins, and ’e does it to take money away from your people.”
    Wolf nodded. There was a lot more to Sagaius Silverleaf than cards. The elf had some sort of agenda.
    “If he hates humans so much,” Wolf asked, “why is he keeping you as a girlfriend?”
    “I did not say ’e ’ates ’umans,” she said. “I said ’e ’ates Urlanders.”
    Wolf nodded and returned her smile. This woman was incredibly beautiful, and he was pretty sure she was playing the field, despite being attached to a very powerful elf.
    “So Gallicans are okay,” he said.
    “It would appear so,” she answered. “’e doesn’t seem to complain.”
    Presently, the bartender returned with their drinks. Wolf paid him along with a generous tip.
    “Why did you offer to buy me a dreenk?” she asked.
    Wolf smiled again. He looked deeply into her eyes.
    “Because a beautiful woman shouldn’t have to wait for what she wants,” he replied.
    She said nothing for a moment. She looked him up and down, and then gazed into his eyes.
    “Be careful, Monsieur Dasher,” she said at last. “Silverleaf is not a nice person. ’e is a deadly enemy.”
    “I know,” Wolf answered, flashing confidence. She smiled demurely. “By the way, I never got your name.”
    “Simone de Beausoir,” she replied, blushing a little. “It’s nice to meet you, Monsieur Dasher.”
    “Call me Wolf.”
    “I zink zat would be a bit presumptuous,” she said. “I don’t know you well enough to call you by your first name.”
    “Then we should get better acquainted,” he said.
    She smiled at him over the rim of her flagon. Then she took a sip of mead, still not taking her eyes off him.
    Wolf was growing very attracted to Simone de Beausoir. She was so beautiful, and her accent completely charmed him. He liked Gallican. It had a pretty sound to it, and Gallican-accented Urlish was even better, to his mind. The way she pronounced her soft “th’s” as “z’s” and her short “i’s” as “ee’s” got his blood flowing. She sounded very exotic, and she had a body and a face to match.
    “I zink you should quit while you’re ahead, Monsieur ,” she said.
    “And why is