Page 190 of Moon Craving

of turning into a wolf? The Chrechte are mighty warriors but small in number in

comparison to their full-human counterparts."

"That does not explain Talorc not telling me."

"No, it doesn't. I do know that the Chrechte protect the secrets of their people very

closely. If they are discovered to have betrayed the secret, or someone they tell is found

doing so, the sentence is death."

"But you told me," Abigail said, worried for her sister.

"Of course I did. You are my sister and you are mated to a Chrechte warrior. You

are no security risk to the people."

"Clearly Talorc disagrees."

"He's not an easily trusting man."

If he loved her, he would trust her, but that wasn't something Abigail was going to

mention to her sister. "And I deceived him."

"Yes. Though just as you should understand the Chrechte's need to keep their

secrets, he should have understood your need to hide your affliction and not judged you

untrustworthy because of it."

"He gets very angry when I call my deafness an affliction," Abigail said, realizing

that if she did not change the subject soon, she would break down in grief over the

implications of what she had just learned.

"He does?"

"Yes. He says it is not an affliction, just an infirmity and not much of one the way I

compensate for it."

"He can be a smart man."

"Yes." It was all Abigail could do to maintain her facade of normalcy for her sister.

Her heart was shriveling in her chest at all the conclusions to be drawn from Talorc

keeping the secret of the Chrechte from her.

Why was she delivered such demeaning blows each time she thought she had

found happiness?

"Are you all right, sister?"

For the first time in her life, Abigail lied to Emily. "Yes. Of course."