Death in Winter - Michael Jan Friedman [75]
I am losing my grip on the outworlds, the praetor admitted, if only to herself. Braeg is right.
And he hadn’t missed an opportunity to say so. He had been everywhere in the last couple of days, rallying the citizens of the capital against her.
To that point, Tal’aura had refrained from crushing the admiral beneath her heel, though it was well within her power to do so. But that was before she received Manathas’s report, when she still believed Sela was defusing the rebellion on Kevratas.
Now she was less confident in that regard. And if events on Kevratas unfolded as she feared, Braeg would gain momentum from them-making him too much a factor to be ignored, regardless of how his death might turn him into a martyr.
A praetor dared not display even a glimmer of weakness. She would have to deal with the general… and soon.
Beverly was warm… ever so warm.
She was in her grandmother’s house on the green planet Caldos, a lovely old place with a stone hearth, and in the hearth blazed a merry golden fire. Bathed in its heat, she didn’t have to wear anything more than a robe.
She was content, at ease, unthreatened, and she could have stayed that way for the rest of her life. Especially with such a tall, handsome fellow sitting beside her, adding his warmth to that of the fire.
She snuggled into the hollow of his shoulder and said, “I’m so glad you’re here.” And some other endearments, of which she was barely aware.
He whispered something in return and stroked her cheek. Then he took a step back and turned into a shimmering green mist. A moment later, the mist entered her, making use of her every pore. And with it inside her, she felt a dark and undeniable passion.
Beverly’s eyes closing, she gave into it without reservation. “I had no idea I could feel this way,” she murmured.
“We’re nearly merged now,” said the tall, handsome man, whose name was Ronin-or was it the glowing green mist? “As two candles join to form a single light…”
She didn’t hear it all. She was too caught up in the emotions running through her. But she did hear him say he loved her, and she said she loved him in return.
Just as she was about to merge with him forever, she heard a knock on the house’s wooden door-a hard, abrasive knock that roused her from her lover’s embrace. Before she realized it, the door was open.
And Jean-Luc was standing just inside the threshold.
Beverly pulled her robe around herself and got to her feet, feeling vaguely ashamed. But why? She hadn’t done anything of which she should be ashamed.
“I’m sorry for startling you,” said Jean-Luc, his features hard and suspicious. “I knocked, but there was no answer.”
“What do you want?” she asked, surprising herself with her curtness, her eagerness to be rid of him.
“I hoped to meet your new friend,” he said, his eyes searching the room.
“He’s not here,” Beverly said quickly, knowing of course that it was a lie.
“Well,” said Jean-Luc, “if you don’t mind, I’ll wait. I’m anxious to meet this remarkable young man…”
“Jealousy doesn’t become you,” she told him.
It was a hurtful thing to say. A vicious thing. But she longed so much to be left alone with the tall, handsome man, she would have done and said things that were even crueler.
“This is my life,” she spat. “I’ve made my decision and I’m not going to change my mind, so leave me alone.”
Jean-Luc looked at her for a moment. Then he shook his head. “No. There is something wrong here. This is about more than just an obsessive love affair.” And he asked why no one had seen her lover except her.
Just then, he appeared-the tall, handsome man she had come to love, whose name was Ronin. “All right,” he told Jean-Luc. “Here I am.”
Beverly moved to him, took his arm.
“And,” said her lover, “I believe Beverly asked you to leave.”
But Jean-Luc stubbornly remained where he was. “So you’re Ronin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” And he asked where Ronin was from, and how long he had lived there on Caldos.
“All that matters,” said Ronin, “is that I’m here now. And that Beverly and I plan to be together for the rest