Morgan Selwood 3: A Victory Celebration Read Online Free PDF

the temple, too. So many leaks.
    "Without her your local war would
still be unfinished."
    Assarta raised an eyebrow. "And when
will we have the opportunity to meet this remarkable woman?"
    "She’ll be joining me for this
evening’s ball."
    "Ah. Excellent. Well now. Let’s move
on to the agenda items."
    Ravindra took the opportunity for a quiet
word with Prasad during the morning break, leading him away from the other
delegates and out onto a balcony with a murmured excuse. The city basked in
sunshine, the sky clear and transparent, a slight breeze stirring the flags on
their poles. A far off glitter betrayed the snow caps on the distant peaks, and
a bright glare low on the horizon was the second of this system’s twin suns.
    Ravindra leaned on the balustrade, one foot
propped up on the lower rail. "I want you to investigate, Prasad. This
whole business with Morgan smells wrong."
    "How did she get off the ship without
an escort?"
    Ravindra grunted. "It seems Morgan
explained that she was going out with a group of Fleet officers and wasn’t that
escort enough?"
    "Ah. That was a mistake."
    "Not one those troopers will make
again. They’re already off the ship. After what happened last time she went off
on her own..." He took in a deep breath and blew it out again, then
shifted his position, turning so that he had his back to the railing, his arms
folded. "It all seems to have been very innocent but…" he shook his
head and frowned. "Look at anything you can lay your hands on about that
night—the restaurant, the nightclub, the shuttle flight down." He gazed
out across the city. "I don’t know. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but she’s
such a prize. We’ve only just started to scratch the surface of what she can
do. Asbarthi may be dead but Bunyada isn't."
    "She is. I think if I was Bunyada ,
I’d be trying again."
    Chairs scraped in the conference room. "Report
to me as soon as you have something."
    " Srimana ." Prasad bowed.
    Ravindra returned to the conference as the
intelligence chief slipped out the doors.
     
    ***
     
    Eyes still closed, Morgan wiggled her nose
and breathed in deeply. Ravindra’s bed, but he was gone. She sighed, stretched
and yawned. What a night. What a spectacular, magnificent night it had been.
After that first glorious union, she had slept until, aroused and wanting, he
had woken her with kisses and caresses from erotic dreams into reality. Her
orgasm had rippled through her body like a seismic wave, shaking her to her
core, as she gasped beneath him, arms around his shoulders.
    She sat up in bed and put her arms around
her knees, her hair hanging down around her face. She still felt stupid and
guilty about her night out with the girls and yet she’d been touched more than
she realized by the depth of his concern. She had to admit that she wouldn’t
have imagined he’d care so much. Enough to want to marry her. That would have
been silly. He deserved to be their grand admiral but with her as his consort…
She shook her head. No. Even though they both knew she wasn't really an alien,
nobody was going to believe it. They'd point at her hair and her eyes and how
weak she was. She was glad they'd put that notion to bed.
    She stretched her shoulders, wincing a
little as sore muscles complained. Out of practice. Still, the dance had been a
spectacular success, two bodies moving together, working to the music in a way
she could never have imagined. The routine had certainly never been designed as
a duet.
    "Oh."
    That was it. The shift drive. What if the
interlocking parts of the motivator didn't quite dance to the same tune? She
leapt out of bed. This was something she could work on.
     
    ***
     
    Morgan ran a hand through her hair as she
walked along the passage to Ravindra's office. She'd been summoned, but by his
clerk. And he wasn't taking her calls. He wasn't even supposed to be here. What
the hell was going on? Oh, well. She'd find out soon enough. And at least she
could tell him they were