For Stephanie to have been well and truly calmed down, it would have taken a very long time indeed. The first feeling after the white-hot anger was prickly anxiety. If Alistaire could do that so easily, who else could?

Who else has?

Her tone when she picked up the phone was frostier than anything Robert Drake could reasonably manage. "Did you completely forget everything that's happened over the last several months? Or why we're in this to begin with? No doubt, because it wasn't relevant to your immediate goals."

However, all things considered, the apology did mean something. If he hadn't apologized, she wouldn't have bothered hearing what he had to say at all.

"This had better be important. I'm not in much of a talking mood right now. Make it short."