"That isn't what I meant," Shadow said quickly. "It wasn't you. It was... Well, it was the fact that I was sick and he used it against me to manipulate me into making a decision that I typically wouldn't have made in that short amount of time. Handfasting isn't as forgettable as Valyn would have you think. While it's not a true marriage, it certainly gave the impression that I felt more for you then just a friend and acquaintance had there been other people around to witness it who knew what a handfasting meant."

It also made him rather uncomfortable to know how easily Valyn had used him to solve a problem. True, he was sure Valyn had never intended any harm to either Shana or himself nor had he really thought his plan through. If Shana had fallen head over heels for him, Valyn probably wouldn't have been as elated as he fooled himself into thinking he would be. At least, Shadow would hope he wouldn't.