take her home," he said, and left Viktor to talk with the officials who were taking Karo away for treatment.
A'ea and V'rea, the two sisters that Viktor had met when he first arrived, stepped forward in Tarn's wake. Even though they fussed over S'rea, Viktor wasn't ready to leave her alone.
"Do you know what she was doing here?" he asked V'rea.
She looked at him as if he were something unpleasant she had stepped in. "This is our mother's memorial," she said. "She always comes here."
"Oh," Viktor said, and gave the external signage another look. His reading of Lyrissian was nowhere near as good as his verbal. He turned back to V'rea, slightly alarmed. "I destroyed a few urns."
"There is no urn for our mother," she told him. "They left nothing."
That information only relieved some of his guilt. He pushed it aside, though, when he caught what A'ea was saying to S'rea.
"How dare you," A'ea hissed as she pushed her sister around. "How dare you do this to Ne'a, to me, to father. Why do you destroy this family? Why do you hurt Ne'a and her mate? After all that I did for you, after mother left us."
Viktor grabbed the woman by the elbow and shook her. "That's enough."
"How dare you!" she growled.
"How dare you ," he said. "Where I come from, we call what he did attempted rape. He tortured her. He tortured your sister. Your own flesh and blood. So how dare you, lady!"
She gaped at him, outraged. "This is your fault, alien," she said.
"Alien, huh?" he said, and grinned. It wasn't one of his usual grins. This one was ugly, it was feral. "Well, you'll have to get used to us aliens. 'Cause either you're going to make peace with my people or the ones that butchered your mother."
He didn't wait for a response. Instead, he let her go and reached for S'rea. He was aware of A'ea babbling obscenities at him—some pretty colorful ones going by the attention they were now getting.
"Let's get you home," Viktor said softly to S'rea in Common. He put his arm around her and worried a little when she didn't try to beat the shit out of him. "Hopefully Harom will turn up soon so I don't get myself into even more trouble," he murmured.
* * *
S'rea glared at Harom, who guarded her door. She had spent the last twenty-four hours alone in her bedroom. Her father had come in once or twice last night and Harom had delivered her meals. Other than that, she had been alone with her thoughts. She knew it was for her own protection. Her father would be mending her reputation as well as the family's, finding a way to brush this aside so it would not affect the negotiations or Ne'a. That was what hurt S'rea the most: that her niece would be tarnished by her actions.
She sank down on her bed. Defeated. She gingerly touched her neck. They had removed the Orka device and it had been taken away. It had left vicious red welts on her skin. They would in time heal, but the rage she still felt inside consumed her. He should have died. He would have died if the U-man hadn't been there. If he had not been there, then she might not have had time to recover enough to fight Karo off.
That was something she had forgotten. The U-man. What would happen to him?
S'rea jumped to her feet, marched across the room, flung open the door and knocked Harom over. "I am sorry," she said before she ran from her father's house.
* * *
"This does not look good," Tarn admitted to Viktor. They sat at a large table, along with various other officials involved in the investigation into what had happened last night.
Viktor had to agree with him. Somehow this was being blamed on him, but he wasn't sure how. He knew why, that much was obvious. He was the enemy. Take him out and the negotiations would continue in favor of the Orka.
Viktor ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't shaved that morning and the stubble was evident on his face. He was not a smooth-skin like everyone else in the room. "What do you recommend?" he asked Tarn.
"Well, I only have one suggestion. But I do not
A'ea and V'rea, the two sisters that Viktor had met when he first arrived, stepped forward in Tarn's wake. Even though they fussed over S'rea, Viktor wasn't ready to leave her alone.
"Do you know what she was doing here?" he asked V'rea.
She looked at him as if he were something unpleasant she had stepped in. "This is our mother's memorial," she said. "She always comes here."
"Oh," Viktor said, and gave the external signage another look. His reading of Lyrissian was nowhere near as good as his verbal. He turned back to V'rea, slightly alarmed. "I destroyed a few urns."
"There is no urn for our mother," she told him. "They left nothing."
That information only relieved some of his guilt. He pushed it aside, though, when he caught what A'ea was saying to S'rea.
"How dare you," A'ea hissed as she pushed her sister around. "How dare you do this to Ne'a, to me, to father. Why do you destroy this family? Why do you hurt Ne'a and her mate? After all that I did for you, after mother left us."
Viktor grabbed the woman by the elbow and shook her. "That's enough."
"How dare you!" she growled.
"How dare you ," he said. "Where I come from, we call what he did attempted rape. He tortured her. He tortured your sister. Your own flesh and blood. So how dare you, lady!"
She gaped at him, outraged. "This is your fault, alien," she said.
"Alien, huh?" he said, and grinned. It wasn't one of his usual grins. This one was ugly, it was feral. "Well, you'll have to get used to us aliens. 'Cause either you're going to make peace with my people or the ones that butchered your mother."
He didn't wait for a response. Instead, he let her go and reached for S'rea. He was aware of A'ea babbling obscenities at him—some pretty colorful ones going by the attention they were now getting.
"Let's get you home," Viktor said softly to S'rea in Common. He put his arm around her and worried a little when she didn't try to beat the shit out of him. "Hopefully Harom will turn up soon so I don't get myself into even more trouble," he murmured.
* * *
S'rea glared at Harom, who guarded her door. She had spent the last twenty-four hours alone in her bedroom. Her father had come in once or twice last night and Harom had delivered her meals. Other than that, she had been alone with her thoughts. She knew it was for her own protection. Her father would be mending her reputation as well as the family's, finding a way to brush this aside so it would not affect the negotiations or Ne'a. That was what hurt S'rea the most: that her niece would be tarnished by her actions.
She sank down on her bed. Defeated. She gingerly touched her neck. They had removed the Orka device and it had been taken away. It had left vicious red welts on her skin. They would in time heal, but the rage she still felt inside consumed her. He should have died. He would have died if the U-man hadn't been there. If he had not been there, then she might not have had time to recover enough to fight Karo off.
That was something she had forgotten. The U-man. What would happen to him?
S'rea jumped to her feet, marched across the room, flung open the door and knocked Harom over. "I am sorry," she said before she ran from her father's house.
* * *
"This does not look good," Tarn admitted to Viktor. They sat at a large table, along with various other officials involved in the investigation into what had happened last night.
Viktor had to agree with him. Somehow this was being blamed on him, but he wasn't sure how. He knew why, that much was obvious. He was the enemy. Take him out and the negotiations would continue in favor of the Orka.
Viktor ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't shaved that morning and the stubble was evident on his face. He was not a smooth-skin like everyone else in the room. "What do you recommend?" he asked Tarn.
"Well, I only have one suggestion. But I do not
Similar Books
