Storm Born Page 0,32

grinned. "You'll remember a lot more before I'm done." Behind him, a few of the other men regarded me with renewed interest. I felt myself go rigid, despite my bold words.

The black-haired woman eyed Rurik distastefully. "If you think I'll let you give in to your...perversions here, you're wrong. You're as bad as them."

"Stop being so prim, Shaya. You know who she is."

"It doesn't matter. You can have her later if the king says so, but you're not doing anything while we're on patrol. My patrol."

I didn't quite take that as female solidarity, but it was better than nothing. I'd come expecting a grisly death, not a gentry gang bang. Wil might be a lost cause, but if I fired on one of the guys, my minions could probably do serious damage to the others. I tensed, ready to fire.

"Stop," Volusian suddenly said, moving forward. "Don't touch her."

"We don't take orders from you," replied Shaya.

Volusian was unfazed. "No, but you do take orders from your king, and my mistress has business with him."

I saw the men freeze. So did I. Business with their king? Ah, right. We were in the Oak Land where Dorian ruled, the king Volusian had originally wanted me to see. Suddenly I wondered if this winding way we'd taken had been a ploy of his to get us to Dorian after all. If so, I wondered if he'd imagined capture as part of the plan.

Shaya regarded me coolly. "King Dorian has no business with her."

A few of the men looked like they doubted this, and I jumped on it, as well as what Volusian had said about Dorian earlier.

"Are you so sure?" I smiled, portraying the same smug confidence I used with the minions, even as my heart pounded in my chest. Too many eyes on me. It was like public speaking. "I've come a long way to talk to him. How do you think he'll react if he finds out you've killed me before I've delivered my message?"

"Tell me your message," she said impatiently.

"I talk only to him. Alone. I don't really think he'd like you getting the gossip before he did. Or not getting it at all if you kill me."

"We won't kill you," said Rurik cheerfully. "We have plenty of other things we can do. You'll still get to the king...eventually."

Volusian fixed his red eyes on Rurik. "And how do you think Dorian will feel when he learns you've been at her before him? The king's tastes are quite...particular."

In another situation, I would have decked Volusian. Whose side was he on anyway? Stupid question, I realized a moment later. He was on his own side. As always.

The gentry all appeared put out. They looked like they really wanted to kill someone. The woman verified as much.

"They've killed our people. We cannot let that go unpunished."

One of the other female riders strode forward. "No, actually. Everyone's still alive. Some just barely...but if we can get a healer out here fast enough, they'll live."

All alive? So much for Team Eugenie. I'd known gentry were stronger in their own world, but this...It didn't bode well for our gallant attack on Aeson and his people. Next time I'd aim for the face. I doubted they'd come back from that.

"Let's kill the weak human anyway," suggested one of the others, "just for fun. We can still bring her to the king."

"The king's going to offer me hospitality," I informed them, still talking out of my ass, "for my whole group. He'll be pissed if you kill one of them. It'll make him look bad."

I was lying, and Shaya looked like she knew it. "You seem very sure of yourself, Odile, but I'm less convinced."

The other woman crossed her arms. "We have to get a healer. We need to go back for help now."

Shaya thought about this and then gave a sharp nod. She delegated people to stay with the wounded and others to escort my party back. Before she did, she ordered me disarmed. Rurik made a great show of this, touching me a lot more than was really necessary as he took away the athames - handle first, of course - and wand. When he wrapped his fingers around the butt of the gun, a look of shock crossed his face and he recoiled.

"Damn it!" he swore, cradling his hand. "It's...I don't know what it is. But it doesn't feel...right."

I smiled sweetly. Thank God for polymers. Almost as effective as iron.

The commanding woman's eyes flashed. "Someone take