Jerred's Price

Chapter Seven

Her self-imposed exile didn’t last nearly as long as she would have liked. Not two hours after she had gone to her cabin, Jerred commed her and asked her to come out.

“Our guests want to meet you,” he had said through the speaker, giving her no indication of what she should do or how she should act. She opened the door uncertainly and walked out into a situation that seemed tense at best.

There were five armed men in the room. She tried not to look at any of them directly, focusing her attention on Jerred instead. He stood as she walked into the room, holding out one hand to her.

She looked to his face for some kind of sign, but it was completely impassive. She took his hand and was strangely relieved when he pulled her against his side.

Then she looked at the man standing across from him and felt faint.

He was big—every bit as big as Jerred, although not as muscular. He had short, spiky white hair and his skin was so pale it hardly seemed to have pigment at all. His eyes were a piercing blue, light and icy. Tattooed across one cheek was a scarlet symbol, something she didn’t recognize. It looked bloody and carnal. She would have thought him handsome if there had been even a hint of warmth or humanity in his eyes. There was none.

“Giselle, this is Josiah,” Jerred said casually, as if they were at a party among friends. “He and I are business associates.”

“I don’t think Jerred intended for us to meet you,” Josiah said, flashing his teeth in a parody of smile. “He seemed to want to keep you out of the way. Naturally, I protested.

I wanted to see what kind of woman would make Jerred feel protective.”

“Nice to meet you,” Giselle said, feeling ridiculous. “But as you can see, I’m not really dressed for company. I really think it would be better if I just went back to my cabin until you finish your meeting.”

“Our meeting is going to take longer than I initially anticipated,” Josiah replied smoothly. She felt Jerred’s arm tighten around her, and she tried not to betray her fear.

She had no doubt this strange man would enjoy it if she bolted. His men watched her closely, hands hovering over their weapons.

“I’d like to invite you and Jerred over to my ship to share a meal,” he continued.

“I’m sure you’d enjoy the opportunity to meet more of my crew.”

“We’d be delighted,” Jerred said, his tone anything but. “I suppose it’s too much to hope that you’ll leave the ship untouched while we enjoy your hospitality?”

“Yes, that would be too much to hope for,” Josiah said. “I don’t trust you, Jerred.

I’ve never made a secret of that. Now you’re on my territory and we’ll do things my way.”

She shivered, and Jerred squeezed her again, as if trying to comfort her. It was a nice gesture, but it wasn’t enough. She didn’t like Josiah, not one little bit, and she’d been a waitress long enough to trust her instincts where strangers were concerned.

“We’ll leave immediately. Jerred, would you like to take the lead?” Josiah asked politely. Jerred nodded tightly, then dropped his arm from her shoulder to take her hand. She gripped his fingers gratefully.

“How long will we be off the ship?” she whispered. Jerred shrugged, then smiled reassuringly at her as he led the way to the airlock.

It took them less than five minutes to make the short trip to Josiah’s station. She’d known it was big, but as they walked out of the airlock and down the corridor, she realized it was more than a small space habitat. It was a fortress. There were tough-looking men everywhere, all carrying weapons and eyeing them suspiciously. Several times she thought she spotted women, and even a child or two peering down from an overhanging railing, but it was hard to tell. The lighting was just a bit dimmer than standard.

They were escorted to a small, well-appointed room, and Josiah spoke again.

‘You’ll find toiletries in the fresher, and I had them round up some clothing for you,” he said. “We’ll have dinner in an hour. I anticipate you’ll be with us for a while, so make yourself comfortable.”

He gave them a mocking bow, and then the door slid shut behind him. She turned to Jerred, and saw to her disgust that he had a bemused smile on his face.

“You can’t tell me this was part of the original plan,” she asked. “You said it would be a quick meeting. I don’t think this man intends to let us go!”

“That’s a distinct possibility,” he said softly. “At least at the moment. Don’t worry, though.”

“Easy for you to say,” she snapped, throwing herself down on the bed. She draped one arm across her eyes, and decided that Jerred’s ship really wasn’t so bad after all. At least he didn’t lock her in the cabin.

“What are we going to do now?” she asked after a moment. To her disgust, her voice wavered.

“I think we should just relax,” he said. “I would imagine we’ll be treated to a very nice dinner. Josiah likes to show off.”

“Lovely,” she muttered. “And after that?”

“If things go well, we’ll be done here within the next cycle and be on our way.”

“Do I want to know what will happen if things don’t go well?”

“You may want to be careful not to display too much personal loyalty toward me,”

he said after a brief pause. “There are always opportunities for people with Josiah. You may wish to examine them.”

“Wonderful,” she muttered, and rolled over onto her stomach. She thought longingly of Manya’s, where all she had to think about was filling drink orders.

Granted, good waitressing was a challenging job, but it was fairly straightforward.

People ordered drinks, she brought them.

Nobody ever locked her up in the process.

She felt the bed depress as he came to sit next to her, and his hand rubbed slowly up and down her back.

“I’m sorry that you’re caught in this,” he said after a moment. “I really didn’t anticipate that we’d be here this long, let alone that we’d be leaving the ship.”

She tried to reply, but to her disgust a snuffling noise came out instead. She was crying, dammit. It wasn’t fair. She burrowed her head in the covers, allowing him to rub her back steadily as the tears flowed. It started slowly at first, but the more she thought about everything that had happened to her, the more she felt like crying. Her home had been destroyed. She’d been forced to leave Manya’s. Now she was stuck in a cabin that belonged to some damn space pirate, all because her “rescuer” had business with him. Things didn’t look good. It felt good to cry, but she wasn’t able to keep it up for long. Her natural pragmatism kept rearing its head, demanding that she get control of her emotions and figure out the next move.

After a while she sat up, wiping her face with her fingers. He sat next to her, his eyes filled with such compassion and concern that it hurt. Without thinking, she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. He kissed her back, a soft, gentle kiss that seemed to wash over her with infinite patience. It was enough to make her want to cry again.

She reached up her arms to deepen the kiss, but as she did so the chamber door slid open and a young woman stepped in. She looked past them at the wall, carefully ignoring their embrace, and held something out stiffly before her.

“Captain said to bring you this,” she muttered. “To wear for dinner. Said your coverall was ugly.”

Jerred stood and took the swath of fabric from her, and she turned to leave the room. Giselle waited until she was gone before she stood and joined him.

“Nothing like a vote of confidence from your captor,” she said wryly. “What is it?”

“It seems to be a dress,” he said. She took it from him and held it up. Her breath caught.

It was a lovely, filmy floating thing, made of some kind of shimmering fabric she didn’t recognize. The color, a deep, emerald green, would provide the perfect foil for her reddish curls. It was generously cut, too, to accommodate her chest. A chill washed over her as she realized just how closely Josiah must have examined her body.

“You might as well put it on,” Jerred said softly. “He won’t be happy until you do. I would imagine you’ll look lovely in it. He has good taste.”

“I can’t decide which of you I like least right at this moment,” she muttered acidly.

“I really can’t.”

She stalked off toward the fresher without waiting to hear his reply.

To her disgust, the dress did look lovely. Incredible, in fact. She’d never seen herself look so fine before. The fabric’s color was perfect for her complexion, giving her a soft glow like a goddess come to life. It did wonderful things for her chest, too. She’d always been well-endowed, but the cut of the dress celebrated the voluptuousness of her figure with a new level of comfort. Whoever had designed it was a genius, she thought. It supported her very well, yet left her feeling as sexy as if she were wearing nothing at all.

There were cosmetics in the fresher, and while she’d initially decided not to use them, she couldn’t help herself. She looked so good, dammit. She wanted to see the full effect. And she wanted to see what kind of effect it had on Jerred.

She didn’t have to ask him if he liked it. He froze as she walked back into the room, a terrible longing across his face.

“Do you like it?’ she asked, knowing the question was rhetorical. She could see the bulge in his pants all the way across the room. He was hers—in that moment she knew he’d do anything she asked of him.

She sauntered over toward him, and laid one hand flat across his chest provocatively.

“I think we’ve got at least twenty minutes or so before dinner. Can you think of any way we might pass the time?”

He swallowed, and she gave a low, throaty laugh. No matter how mad he made her, seeing him like this made her want him. And she did want him.

She could smell him, see the pupils of his eyes widening as he looked at her. She let her hand slide slowly down his chest toward his waist, and felt the stiffening of his body beneath her touch. She leaned forward on her tiptoes, and offered her lips to him in a kiss. He didn’t need to be asked twice.

He took her mouth harshly, his lips ravaging hers and pulling out a response that was nearly uncontrollable. Her arms wrapped around him. He picked her up, grinding their hips together even as they stood in the center of the room. She felt his fingers working the fabric of her dress up, sensing the exact moment he realized she wasn’t wearing any undergarments. His mouth grew harder. His fingers clutched the rounded mounds of her buttocks, and she wiggled against him enthusiastically.

He pulled his mouth away from her and gasped.

“Lift me up just a bit more,” she whispered. He hardly seemed to understand her, so she took matters into her own hands, boosting herself up his body. “Now, open your pants,” she muttered. “I need you inside me.

She clung to him as his hand reached past her. Anxious seconds were wasted, and then she felt his length springing free below her.

Instantly, she lowered herself down over him and they both moaned. His hands were once more firmly grasping her cheeks, supporting her as they stood in the middle of the room, fully connected. She marveled at his strength. Even that short period when she’d fully supported her own weight had been enough to strain her arms. He hardly seemed to notice that he held her. His hips rocked against hers, and she wiggled in response. An answering shot of sensation shimmied through her, and she rocked again.

Intriguing what a difference their new position made. Parts of her body that had never been fully touched before were being touched. Each twitch of the hips brought new sensation…

She would have liked to stay still for a while, fully exploring this new position, but he seemed unable to control himself. Beads of sweat started to build up on his face, and his hips pressed against hers until she started moving faster. Up and down she rode, seating herself on his fully length with each movement. Every stroke brought her just a little closer to where she wanted to be. There was a tightness in her legs, a need for something that was becoming impossible to ignore. She tilted her pelvis inward, wanting to get closer, knowing it would be hers if she only waited a bit longer.

Each thrust seemed to bring him closer, too. She could feel it in his cock, so hard it had to be close to bursting. But she could also feel it in the rest of his body. He breathed harshly, and every part of him was rock hard from the strain. His motions became jerkier, and then he was moving across the room to back her against the wall.

“Can’t get enough leverage,” he muttered in her ear, thrusting into her with a new strength. His cock pinned her, grinding her into the wall with an urgency that was impossible to ignore. He thrust harder, and each time he hit home, his pelvis ground against her clit with an intensity that made her want to scream. She was so close, it seemed like each thrust would set her over the edge. There was a wire inside her body pulling tight, winding so hard that her heart pounded to keep up. If that wire didn’t break she would die, smothered by the pressure from within. He thrust into her again and again, and then she screamed as he gave one final thrust, slamming into her with such force that she knew she’d be bruised in a few hours.

She screamed, clutching him to her body as she convulsed in orgasm. Her body gripped him so tight he couldn’t move, and then she felt the hard, hot spurts of his seed within her. He moaned, leaning into her with his full weight, pinning her against the wall so hard he could hardly breathe.

They gasped for breath, and then a sound entered her consciousness.

A horrible, nasty, intrusive sound.

A lone, slow clap of the hands.

She closed her eyes as Jerred stiffened, then slowly lowered her so her feet could touch the floor. He shielded her with his body as she fumbled with the dress, doing his best to preserve her modesty.

When she was done, he fixed his own clothing. He stepped back from her, and she opened her eyes to find Josiah watching them with sick amusement. Behind him were two of his armed men, their faces carefully impassive.

“Nicely done, Jerred,” he said softly. “I see you like the dress.”

She caught her breath, wanting to tear into him, but Jerred grasped her arm in firm caution.

“Josiah, why is it that I’m not surprised you didn’t knock?” Jerred asked with an acid smile. “I assume that you’re ready for us to come to dinner?”

“Yes,” Josiah replied idly. “Follow me, I have a special treat for you. Wine from the Emperor’s own private reserve… I came across three bottles of it recently.”

Giselle’s breath caught. Did all pirates and smugglers have a direct line to the Emperor’s cellars, or had Josiah stolen the wine from their ship? She glanced up at him, trying to determine if his face gave any hint. She might as well have been staring at a stone—his expression betrayed nothing.

They followed Josiah through more corridors and several galleries. She was struck again by the size of the place, and the openness. She wanted to know more about this place, but something told her asking was a bad idea. Maybe when Jerred was all done with his meeting and they were safely away, he’d give her more information.

They crossed through a large, heavily guarded doorway into the most lavish set of rooms she’d ever seen. Women garbed in clothes every bit as fine as her borrowed dress bowed low to them as they walked through the rooms, until they finally reached a dining room. There were low, long tables on the floor, flanked by comfortable couches designed for lounging.

“We eat in the Imperial style tonight,” Josiah said, a strange smile on his face. She felt Jerred stiffen beside her.

Josiah walked slowly to one of the couches and lowered himself gracefully. There was a menace in his movements, as if he were a predator who had just found a particularly tasty piece of prey.

“Jerred and I have dined together like this many times,” he added. “Although rarely in such charming company.”

He gestured for her to lay next to him. She would have preferred to sit on one of the couches across from him, but Jerred shook his head in a barely perceptible manner.

Great.

She walked over to where Josiah had indicated and sat on the edge of the couch, wondering just what was the proper way to lie down and eat. She’d seen people eating like this on vids about the Imperial nobility, but never tried it herself. Seemed awfully decadent.

Still, she managed to get herself seated.

Jerred took the couch across from them with a grace that surprised her. She wondered again about the stock of Imperial wine on his ship. Surely he didn’t actually move in Imperial circles? There were hundreds of billions of people on the settled worlds. Only four or five thousand had that kind of rank. What were the odds?

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy dinner,” Josiah said softly, and he rang a small bell conveniently placed on the table. Instantly, a number of scandalously clad women came in carrying platters of sumptuous food.

It was all she could to keep her mouth from hanging open. This really was like a vid.

Soft music began to play as the women brought them food, a haunting melody that seemed somehow very sad to her. She took a sip of her wine. Even though she was prepared for its effect, the strangely erotic tingles it sent through her were startling in their intensity.

Once again, it seemed to go straight down her throat and between her legs. She shifted, feeling liquid pool there. Jerred caught her gaze from across the table and a wave of longing swept over her. Her muscles actually clenched, she wanted him inside her so badly. A memory of him slamming her up against the wall earlier made her clench her legs. The memory was so enveloping that it took her a moment to realize their host was speaking to her.

“How long have you and Jerred been…ah…partners?” Josiah asked, taking a drink of his own wine. She turned her attention to him, noticing for the first time how attractive he was. Of course, the disturbing tattoo faced away from her. She examined the feeling carefully, turning it around in her mind. Was she attracted to him? No, not really. She could appreciate him aesthetically, but the longing she felt for Jerred seemed to leave no room for other kinds of longing. It was a good realization. At least now she knew that whatever special properties the wine had, it wasn’t solely responsible for the way she reacted around him.

“We’ve only been together for a few weeks,” Jerred replied, surprising her. She turned her gaze back to him, catching a hint of a warning in his expression. For some reason he didn’t want Josiah to know they’d met on Transit Three. Fair enough.

“That’s right, it hasn’t been that long,” she said. “We met in a bar,” she added awkwardly. Great. Now she sounded like a cheap floozy.

Josiah burst out laughing, and Jerred’s face turned grim.

“In a bar?” he repeated, “How very unusual. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you pick a woman up in a bar, Jerred. Well, at least not a woman that you kept for more than a few hours. This one must be special.”

He reached over and grasped her chin firmly, turning it so he could examine her face. She froze, disgusted by his rudeness. Her eyes flew to Jerred, but once again he shook his head very slowly.

“You see, Jerred knows better than to make me mad,” Josiah said. “Well, at least better than to make me mad in my own stronghold. I would imagine under the right circumstances he’d kill me for touching his woman.”

He dropped her chin and turned to smile blandly at Jerred.

“She’s not my woman,” Jerred said, his tone light. “I find it convenient from time to time to acquire a bed mate. Just because you’ve never seen me do it before, hardly makes it a novelty. I’m actually growing tired of her, though. Care to take her off my hands?”

He smiled back at Josiah, his expression every bit as bland as the other man’s had been.

“That’s a possibility,” Josiah said, taking another drink of his wine. “But we can discuss that later. For now, shall we eat?”

Jerred nodded. The women came forward again, this time filling small plates with delicacies from the different platters. One placed a dish covered in candied fruits and nuts before Giselle, and she took a bite resentfully. Damn, it was really good. If only it had been inedible—she would have enjoyed snubbing Josiah’s hospitality. Jerred also seemed to be enjoying his food. She noticed that one of the women has lowered herself to the floor beside Jerred’s couch. She was tall, svelte, and dark, with raven-colored hair that hung well belong her waist. Everything that Giselle wasn’t.

The woman touched Jerred’s shoulders, and holding up small, particularly choice bits of food for him. He took them from her without sparing a glance for Giselle, and she felt her anger rising. She took another deep drink of the wine, and then set the goblet back down in disgust. The last thing she wanted was to feel more lust for the man. If he wanted to get laid, he could do it with the slut sitting next to him. The woman hardly wore any clothing at all, just a few strategically spaced scarves.

She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and she turned to find Josiah watching her closely. He smiled, and for the first time she thought there might be a spark of human emotion in those cold, icy blue eyes.

“I’m sorry Jerred isn’t paying closer attention to you,” he said softly. He ran his fingers across her shoulder lightly, and she felt a frisson of sensation uncurl from where he’d touched her. She pushed it back, unwilling to acknowledge it.

“You really don’t know him very well, do you?” Josiah continued softly. “He says you’ve been together for several weeks, but I would imagine it’s been less than that. Do you know what he is, for example?”

She ignored him, carefully taking another bite of fruit. The woman had come around Jerred to kneel in front of him, blocking her view of his face. What was he doing? Did he want her? How could any man not want her, Giselle thought, repulsed.

The woman was perfect. Not short and round and spotted, for love of the Goddess. She wasn’t the kind of woman men met in bars. This was the kind of woman who could serve the Emperor without anyone thinking twice about it. She was definitely out of her league here.

Josiah leaned toward her, whispering in her ear.

“He’s a spy, you know,” he said softly. His breath brushed against her cheek and she shivered. The tip of his tongue flicked out, tracing her earlobe so softly that she hardly realized he touched her at first. She quivered even as she willed herself not to respond.

“He pretends to be a smuggler, but he’s really in service to the Saurellian government. If he knew you knew that, he’d have to kill you.”

She tried to pull away from him, but somehow his arm had wound its way around her, holding her securely so she couldn’t move. His insidious whispers continued.

“He’s also a friend of the Emperor’s,” he said softly. “He’s a double agent, and a darling of the Imperial court. He’s bedded hundreds of women there. He fucks them until they give him their husbands’ secrets. How much room do you think has in his life for someone like you?”

With that, he pulled away from her. Any hint of emotion or warmth was gone from his gaze.

She looked across the table to see the woman sitting next to Jerred, rubbing his back languidly. Her eyes, so deep and rich and brown, gazed back at Giselle. There were secrets in that gaze. Her touch on Jerred seemed possessive, as if she knew she owned him.

Or perhaps as if she’d touched him before.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying Celia,” Josiah said smoothly. He turned back to Giselle.

“She’s always been his favorite. He likes those tall, dark types.”

Giselle gritted her teeth and nodded her head. What had she done to deserve this?

All she wanted to was a decent, regular job so she could get back on her feet. This simply wasn’t fair.

“Celia has been asking after you as well, Jerred,” Josiah continued. “I promised her she could have you. Of course, that was before I searched your ship. I’m not sure you’ll be capable of accommodating her once I’m done with you now. I really wasn’t very pleased with what I found there.”

Giselle looked to Jerred quickly, suddenly afraid.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he replied lightly. “There’s nothing on my ship that should concern you.”

“Oh, really?” Josiah said, his tone growing harsh. “I find that interesting, because in one of your encrypted databanks there was a detailed schematic of this station and the five largest ships in my fleet. Why would you want information like that, Jerred?”

She looked to him, waiting to hear his explanation. She had no idea why he might have such a thing, but she hoped to hell he had a good reason. Josiah didn’t seem very pleased about the situation at all.

Jerred didn’t reply, though. Instead he sat up and pulled Celia against him, whipping out a knife and holding it to her throat.

Everyone froze, and Celia gave out a low moan. The music stopped.

Then Josiah burst out laughing, and the music started again.

“Oh, Jerred,” he said. “I’m impressed by your play acting, but I really don’t care whether you kill Celia or not.”

The woman moaned piteously, and her eyes caught Giselle’s. All trace of seduction, superiority was gone now. They were just two women afraid of the men around them.

Giselle’s breath caught her in her throat.

“Please, Jerred,” she whispered. “Don’t kill her. She doesn’t deserve to die, and I don’t think that Josiah cares about her at all.”

She knew she was right about that. As far she could tell, Josiah didn’t care about anyone. He wasn’t human—or at least he wasn’t human where it counted.

“Shut up,” Jerred said roughly. “You aren’t part of this. I don’t care what a little whore like you thinks.”

His words stung her at first. Then she thought back to his comment early, about making friends with Josiah. Was he trying to protect her? Or simply reverting to form…

She sat back, trying to think what to do next. Before she came up with anything, one of the guards came up behind Jerred and hit him over the head with the butt of his blaster. He dropped like a stone, and Celia scrambled away, clutching at her throat and screaming. A line of crimson blood dripped down between her fingers.

Josiah sat through it all, a smile on his face, his arm curled around her rigidly. After a moment he turned to her and spoke.

“Celia will be fine,” he said softly. “Jerred is a weak man. He never intended to hurt her. I know him well enough to predict that. You have a choice to make now.”

She nodded slowly, watching two men roughly lift Jerred’s body and haul him out the door. Where were they taking him? Would they hurt him?

“Are you listening to me?” Josiah asked softly. “I really think that you should.

You’ll only have one opportunity to make this choice and I’d hate for you to miss it.”

She swallowed and forced herself to pay full attention to what he said.

“Now you get to decide where your loyalties lay,” he said smoothly. “You can either choose to stay with Jerred or you can choose to join me.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “How would I join him?”

“In my prison cells,” he said. “I haven’t decided what to do with him quite yet.

Normally I would set an example of man who betrayed me. It’s good for business. On the other hand, I’ve known Jerred for a long time and we’ve had many mutually profitable business dealings with each other. I can’t help but wonder whether I should let sentiment enter my decision-making process.”

She saw nothing resembling sentiment in his face. He was inhuman—she had more than enough proof of that. Poor Celia still clutched her bleeding throat as the women fluttered around her, trying to help.

“What about her?’ she asked softly, nodding toward the woman. “Do you care about her?”

“No,” Josiah said, cocking his head thoughtfully. “Not particularly. I mean her no ill will.”

She thought for a moment, desperately considering her options. She’d told herself a thousand times that she hated Jerred, but seeing him attacked like that tore at her inside. She cared about him for some reason. There was no point in denying it to herself.

“What if I decide to stay with you?” she asked softly. “What do you intend to do with me?”

“Well, I suppose I’d discover what it is about you that intrigued Jerred so,” he said softly, running one finger up along her cheek.

“He seems to genuinely care about you,” he said. “He’s lying when he says he’s taken other companions. He’s never done anything like that before, and I assure you that I make it my business to know such things. There’s something different about you.”

She closed her eyes, and then nodded. His fingers cupped her chin, a gesture that should have been comforting. But he gripped her just a little bit too tight, with too much calculation—she had a sudden flash of insight. He wasn’t interested in her sexually. He played with her, just a he’d played with Jerred over dinner. Something else drove this man.

“What is it you really want?” she asked suddenly, opening her eyes.

He seemed surprised, and then a look of utter enchantment came across his face.

“Aren’t you a cute little thing?” he said slowly. “Maybe Jerred isn’t such a fool after all. I’m still thinking about what to do with you,” he continued. “Why don’t you run along and get some rest? We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

“I’m not tired,” she replied. “I’ve only been up for a few hours. The ship’s cycle is different than yours.”

“Ah, yes,” he said slowly. “You’re still on Transit Three time. I had forgotten that.

I’ll get you nice room and you can read or something. I have other business to take care of right now. You’ll be fine on your own, I assume?”

She nodded, still unsure of him. He hadn’t answered her question.

He stood, turning away from her.

“Gwendlyn, please take Miss—what is your name again?”

“Giselle Canting,” she said slowly, rising to her own feet.

“Miss Canting to her room,” Josiah said. “Make sure she’s comfortable, and give her full access to the station’s libraries. I certainly wouldn’t want her to get bored.”

He nodded to her, then stroke out of the room. She looked to Gwendlyn, who smiled and nodded toward the door. Everyone else ignored her.

Clearly, they didn’t consider her a threat.