Read Online Price of Ransom by Kate Elliott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kate Elliott
Ads: Link
smiled wryly. “Well, I’ll say this for him, he was sincerely sorry to have to do it.”
Lia glanced up. A surge of anger sparked in her expression, as if she was about to argue with this assertion, and then she thought better of it and lowered her gaze to stare at the floor again.
“Then the mutiny came,” Lia continued. “I couldn’t stop it, not by myself. And Jenny”—for a moment she looked as stubborn as Paisley—“I do love Jenny, for everything she’s done for me.” She stopped, waiting for Lily to dispute the fact. But Lily could only turn away, glad that Jenny was not here to discover that Lia’s love for her sprang out of gratitude, not sentiment.
“I wanted Jenny to have a home,” Lia insisted. “I wouldn’t have left her without a place that belonged to her. Even when I found out who Jehane was, that he was Mendi, I could have gotten a message to him. But I wouldn’t have left her without the stability of a home, of a family. But she has that now. There’s no reason I can’t go back to Jehane.”
Lily turned sharply back. It was not even that Lia had betrayed Jenny and Gregori, and the entire crew. But the thought that Lia’s action had precipitated the events that had led to Kyosti being locked in the next room, the possibility that his perhaps inevitable reaction to that moment when he believed Lily dead had driven him insane … that Aliasing could calmly sit there and so blithely forget what she had seen on the bridge—
An abrupt surge of physical anger ripped through Lily. She had to resist the urge to raise a hand against Aliasing. Until, turning, she saw Lia’s face. The animation, all unconscious, that lit Lia’s face as the young woman contemplated her return to Jehane tempered Lily’s anger. She herself had acted impulsively, going into a riot at Roanoak to find Kyosti. It was no excuse, and yet she recognized that there are times when emotion overwhelms rationality. Sometimes it led to great victories. Sometimes it led to disaster. And she remembered the look she had seen on Alexander Jehane’s face when he had met Lia again on Blessings. Sweetness was not a trait she would ever have identified in Jehane, but that one time—that one time, the way he had commented on Lia’s beauty, she would even have called him tender. The full force of what might be the only authentic emotion Alexander Jehane had ever allowed himself to feel would be hard to resist. She could not bring herself to vent her fury on Aliasing.
“If you did go back to Jehane, what makes you think that his lieutenant Kuan-yin—who, according to Comrade Vanov is the same person who arranged for our deaths, and yours and Gregori’s, here—won’t try to kill you again? And succeed next time.”
There was a slight chime at the door, and it slipped open to reveal Jenny. The mercenary had one arm in a sling, bound to her chest. Her face, though clean, was bruised and swollen.
Lia’s back was to the door. “Jehane will protect me,” she said firmly. She turned her head. “Jenny!” And stood up.
Jenny’s expression, beneath the bruises, was a mask, taut and controlled. “You’re leaving with the survivors,” she said at last, as if she had just that moment realized it. “Back to the Boukephalos .” Behind her, in the corridor, Gregori loitered; behind him stood Yehoshua, still armed.
“Sit down,” Lily said, gesturing to the chair.
“I’d rather not,” Jenny replied.
“Jenny,” Lia began, pleading, “I never meant—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Jenny snapped, losing her temper. “You made it pretty damn obvious when you let Vanov on board. You almost killed my son.”
“I couldn’t have known,” Lia exclaimed, defending herself with anger. Behind Yehoshua, two Ridanis passed carrying a stretcher. A thin plastine sheet covered the body that lay on it. “ You don’t understand .”
“You’re wrong.” Jenny’s voice was calm again. She shifted and winced, some pain in
Lia glanced up. A surge of anger sparked in her expression, as if she was about to argue with this assertion, and then she thought better of it and lowered her gaze to stare at the floor again.
“Then the mutiny came,” Lia continued. “I couldn’t stop it, not by myself. And Jenny”—for a moment she looked as stubborn as Paisley—“I do love Jenny, for everything she’s done for me.” She stopped, waiting for Lily to dispute the fact. But Lily could only turn away, glad that Jenny was not here to discover that Lia’s love for her sprang out of gratitude, not sentiment.
“I wanted Jenny to have a home,” Lia insisted. “I wouldn’t have left her without a place that belonged to her. Even when I found out who Jehane was, that he was Mendi, I could have gotten a message to him. But I wouldn’t have left her without the stability of a home, of a family. But she has that now. There’s no reason I can’t go back to Jehane.”
Lily turned sharply back. It was not even that Lia had betrayed Jenny and Gregori, and the entire crew. But the thought that Lia’s action had precipitated the events that had led to Kyosti being locked in the next room, the possibility that his perhaps inevitable reaction to that moment when he believed Lily dead had driven him insane … that Aliasing could calmly sit there and so blithely forget what she had seen on the bridge—
An abrupt surge of physical anger ripped through Lily. She had to resist the urge to raise a hand against Aliasing. Until, turning, she saw Lia’s face. The animation, all unconscious, that lit Lia’s face as the young woman contemplated her return to Jehane tempered Lily’s anger. She herself had acted impulsively, going into a riot at Roanoak to find Kyosti. It was no excuse, and yet she recognized that there are times when emotion overwhelms rationality. Sometimes it led to great victories. Sometimes it led to disaster. And she remembered the look she had seen on Alexander Jehane’s face when he had met Lia again on Blessings. Sweetness was not a trait she would ever have identified in Jehane, but that one time—that one time, the way he had commented on Lia’s beauty, she would even have called him tender. The full force of what might be the only authentic emotion Alexander Jehane had ever allowed himself to feel would be hard to resist. She could not bring herself to vent her fury on Aliasing.
“If you did go back to Jehane, what makes you think that his lieutenant Kuan-yin—who, according to Comrade Vanov is the same person who arranged for our deaths, and yours and Gregori’s, here—won’t try to kill you again? And succeed next time.”
There was a slight chime at the door, and it slipped open to reveal Jenny. The mercenary had one arm in a sling, bound to her chest. Her face, though clean, was bruised and swollen.
Lia’s back was to the door. “Jehane will protect me,” she said firmly. She turned her head. “Jenny!” And stood up.
Jenny’s expression, beneath the bruises, was a mask, taut and controlled. “You’re leaving with the survivors,” she said at last, as if she had just that moment realized it. “Back to the Boukephalos .” Behind her, in the corridor, Gregori loitered; behind him stood Yehoshua, still armed.
“Sit down,” Lily said, gesturing to the chair.
“I’d rather not,” Jenny replied.
“Jenny,” Lia began, pleading, “I never meant—”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Jenny snapped, losing her temper. “You made it pretty damn obvious when you let Vanov on board. You almost killed my son.”
“I couldn’t have known,” Lia exclaimed, defending herself with anger. Behind Yehoshua, two Ridanis passed carrying a stretcher. A thin plastine sheet covered the body that lay on it. “ You don’t understand .”
“You’re wrong.” Jenny’s voice was calm again. She shifted and winced, some pain in
Similar Books
