Charlotte Boyett-Compo- WIND VERSE- Hunger's Harmattan by Unknown (best management books of all time TXT) 📗

to the small of her backto usher her inside the empty cage. “I suppose I’ll have to readjust myself toa social life.”

“I don’t have one so you need not worry onthat account,” she said as the doors closed. She frowned. “You aren’t going towant to start a social life, are you?”

He shook his head. “Not high on my list ofthings to do to make up for twenty years of exile,” he said. “I don’t know thatI will always be capable of playing nicely.”

“Just the thought of having to return mymother’s call irks the shit out of me,” she snapped. “And to think that womanwas given access to my quarters! There’s no telling how much snooping she’sdone by now.”

“I hope you don’t keep a diary,” he said.

“Of course not,” she snapped. “That’s asilly female thing to do.”

“Far be it for you to do anything soimpractical,” he teased.

The elevator stopped and they walked out,were quiet until they reached her door.

“I’d rather take a beating with a Dóigrathan return her call,” she said.

“Dóigra?” he questioned.

She shrugged as the door shushed back onits pneumatic hinges. “An Amazeen weapon,” she explained. “It has a star-shapedglass ball on the end used to burn flesh.” She pointed to her own Dóigrathat stood in one corner of her quarters.

“Ouch,” he commented, having missed thewicked-looking thing before. It didn’t look like anything he’d like to haveapplied to him.

“You should have brought your spear,” shetold him. “We could have crossed them on the wall.”

The vid-com screen was pulsing a lightpearly gray color—not intrusive but not something that could be overlookedeither. It was a not-too-subtle reminder that a call had been generated and areply was requested.

“Might as well get it over with,” Shaneegrumbled. “Vid-com on!”

The face of Queen Polemusa, the defensequeen of Amazeen, appeared instantly on the screen. She wasted no time gettingto the point. “You took your time getting back to me, Shanee. Were you hurt inthe attack?”

“No, Mother,” Shanee replied. “I’m sure thecaptain said as much to you.”

“He’s a man,” the queen scoffed. “He can’tbe trusted.” Her eyes narrowed. “Is that the Reaper with you?”

Ailyn had sat down in a chair, an anklecrossed over his knee. His elbows were on the chair arms, his fingers steepledas he stared at the vid-com screen. “I am Ailyn Harmattan,” he said. “Yourdaughter’s mate.”

“A Reaper,” the queen sneered. “A malewarrior of supposedly incomparable abilities though not as good a fighter as anAmazeen.”

“Try me sometime, sweeting,” Ailyn drawled,his voice hard. “Any time you feel you want to get your ass put down, look meup.” An evil smile pulled at his lips. “I’ll be happy to oblige you.”

Shanee’s mouth dropped open and she turnedto stare at her husband. No one dared speak to her mother in such a way and tohave Ailyn do so put unbridled fear for his life in his mate’s heart. “Ailyn!”she hissed in warning.

“Why are you disturbing Shanee?” Ailyn asked,ignoring his wife.

Polemusa’s gray eyes widened. “How dare youallow him to speak to me in such a fashion, Shanee! Chastise that man and sendhim away so we can discuss our business.”

“Any business you have with my woman, youhave with me,” Ailyn snapped. “State it and be gone. We’ve had a boring eveningwith boring, pretentious people and I’m getting a fucking migraine.”

Sputtering with outrage, Polemusa cursedvehemently in her native Amazeen language. Her face had mottled with anger andher eyes were as hot as the fires of hell. “You despicable cur!” she insultedAilyn.

“You meddlesome old hag,” Ailyn threw rightback at her.

“Bastard!”

“Bitch.”

Shanee was so astonished all she could dowas turn her head from vid-com to husband as though she were at anold-fashioned tennis match.

Another wild curse propelled Polemusa upand out of her chair. She doubled her fists and braced her weight on them asshe leaned on the desk before her.

“I received word an attempt was made onyour life three months or so ago and that you nearly died, Shanee. Since youhad not bothered to inform me what had happened I came to Riezell to speak toyou, to talk sense into you about this ridiculous job you have undertaken withthe Guardians. I want you…”

“We don’t give a Diabolusian rat’s ass whatyou want,” Ailyn interrupted her, his face as hard as flint, eyes as cold asice. “Shanee is a grown woman—a married woman—and is no longeranswerable to you or her tribe since you tossed her out for following thedictates of her conscience. If all you’re doing is calling to complain, wedon’t care to hear it and now you can end the call.”

“How dare you!” Polemusa shouted.

“Vid-com off!” Ailyn ordered and the screenwent black. “Turn off for the evening.”

Completely stunned by her husband’s take-chargeattitude, Shanee just stared at him. He was sitting in the same position, hiseyes on her now instead of the vid-com screen, and his face was once again calmand relaxed.

“You’ve made an enemy of her, ehemann,”she predicted.

A slow smile turned his face even morehandsome. “Not at all. She’ll want to meet me face-to-face to size me up. Sheknows I’ve put her on notice and she won’t dare ignore me again. If I have tofight her, I will, but I’m warning you now, I will be the victor in the duel andwhen I put her down, it won’t be easy and it won’t be pretty, but she will knowher place.”

She had no doubt of that. Her Reaper hadthe strength of ten men, which meant he had at least that much strength againstan Amazeen.

“You’ve been so calm up until now,” shesaid, amazed and intrigued by what she perceived as a remarkable transition—noplay on the word intended.

“There is an old Gaelachuan saying thatthere is always calm before the storm,” he reminded her. “Well, little Amazeen,you’re looking at a tornado in the making if your mother doesn’t back off andleave you the hell alone.”

“But you…”

“You, my precious wife, are not the onlyone whose persona changed the moment she stepped on this ship,” he said.“Though there were many things you changed in me on Theristes, there was one Iwould never have anticipated.” He uncrossed his legs and stood up, adjustingthe