Read Online Perdition (The Dred Chronicles) by Ann Aguirre - Free Book Online Page A

since she went through those desperate motions, sure she would be the exception—that she could chart a path out of here and get back to what had passed for her life. But the problem was, there were no routines. The transport shuttles arrived irregularly, and everything went into lockdown. There was no way to implement a plan that required timing and preparation when you had mere minutes to get in position.
    She’d tried, more than once.
    Failed.
    “Feel free to test my conclusions, but . . . escape is impossible.”
    “So,” he said gently, “is my very existence. And yet here I am. Therefore, I submit to you that every problem has a solution. We simply haven’t identified it yet.”
    Fascination sank sharp teeth into her, driving Dred to ask, “What do you mean?”
    It was unprecedented; she
never
asked personal questions. From the faint flare of satisfaction in his blue gaze, he knew it, too. The bastard. But he wouldn’t be drawn.
    Jael merely shook his head. “I haven’t known you long enough to trust you with my deep, dark secrets, queenie.”
    “As I recall, you said you didn’t have any.”
    “A man who ends up in here is definitely a liar, and that’s likely the least of his crimes.”
    “Is it yours? I thought all convicts claim to be innocent, wrongly accused.”
    Jael shook his head, his eyes feverish with intensity. “I’m a wicked thing, make no mistake.”
    “Your honesty is refreshing. And yet I think one who
admits
to being a beast cannot be so rotten as he claims.”
    “You’ll be searching for my halo next. I’m sorry, love, but it’s out for polishing.”
    That rejoinder, quick as it was, reminded her of an issue, one she’d left for too long. “When Grigor’s men attacked, you called yourself my champion.”
    “You take exception to that?”
    “It implies I can’t fight my own battles.”
    “Even warrior queens have a knight who fights at their word. It doesn’t mean you
can’t
. Only that I will.”
    She’d intended to smack him down, discourage the presumption, but his words intrigued her. “So if I say kill, you’ll kill?”
    “Will it earn me perks and pleasures?” His look heated.
    “That depends on your definition.”
    He lifted one shoulder in a careless, graceful half shrug. “I’ve been used as a weapon before.”
    “But you didn’t like it.” By the infinitesimal widening of his eyes, he was surprised she’d guessed that, but his aura gave away flashes of color, hints of old pain. Her ability used to only function on violent emotions, but she’d found her empathy to be like a muscle; the more she used it, the more she could, and the more emotions she detected. It wasn’t always welcome.
    He changed the subject. “If you don’t mind, I’d like some answers. I had more questions for Ike, but you sent him off.”
    For some reason, she feared what he might ask. Personal matters were verboten, but her filters had been faintly askew with this fish since he entered Queensland. He’d gotten her talking about her father, for Mary’s sake, without half trying. Who knew what he could persuade her to reveal if he applied himself?
    “Give me the lay of the land. I ken there are territories, but how many, who runs them? That sort of thing.”
    Relief poured through her in a calming tide; her shoulders relaxed. Dred could handle inquiries about how Perdition ran. “What did Ike tell you?”
    “He’d just mentioned Abaddon and Priest when you arrived.”
    “A religious zealot who’s created a cult of sorts. Everything Priest does is for his own self-aggrandizement and to reward or punish true believers.”
    “He’s mad, then.”
    “As a hatter. There are six territories, counting mine. Four are governed by men.”
    “And they are?”
    “Mungo, who rules over Munya. Not sure if it’s named after him or the word means something.” She took Jael’s shrug to indicate he had no idea either. “They’re not too nice about their eating requirements, if