Shield's Lady Read Online Free PDF Page A

hunting."
        There was a collective gasp of anguish from the assembled Avylyns, but Gryph ignored them. His attention was on Sariana. She did not gasp or cry out in horror. She merely blinked, her long lashes momentarily veiling the speculative intelligence in her eyes.
        Without a word she moved the weapon kit a little farther out of his reach. Gryph abruptly decided he'd had enough of her little games. He gathered himself for a quick, determined swipe at the kit.
        Just as his hand came out, however, Sariana released the kit and it sank instantly out of sight. Gryph watched in shock as his precious weapon kit vanished into a concealed opening in the stone. The opening was already sealing shut. There was not even a line to mark where the trap door existed. Westerners loved such gadgets.
        Impatience, irritation and the indulgent curiosity that Gryph had been experiencing up to that point disappeared in an instant. Fury engulfed him. The hand Gryph had been extending to grasp his kit locked around Sariana's small wrist instead. He yanked her forward until her upper body was sprawled across the table. Her eyes widened and he realized he was finally seeing genuine alarm in her gaze. It was about time, he decided.
        "Get it back." Each word he spoke fell like a stone into the appalled silence that had seized the chamber. "Now."
        "Please," she whispered, "just listen to me. That's all I'm asking. Let me tell you the whole story of the prisma cutter. We need your help."
        "Get back my kit or I'll find a way to make you vanish just as easily as you made it disappear. Understood?"
        "You've made yourself quite clear," she replied in a shaky voice.
        She was finally scared, but her eyes still met his with steady determination. In spite of his raw mood, Gryph felt a reluctant surge of admiration for Sariana's daring. He knew of no other woman in Serendipity or the outlying provinces who would have taken such a risk.
        "Give it to him, Sariana," Jasso hissed. "Quickly."
        "Hurry, before he kills us all," Lady Avylyn pleaded.
        Bryer and Mara sat staring at Sariana, panic in their expressions.
        "What will it cost us to get your help?" Sariana whispered, her eyes huge.
        Gryph was amazed. "You're still trying to negotiate a deal, lady?"
        "We need your help," she repeated doggedly. "If you won't accept the offer of being introduced socially while you wait for your payment, what kind of a deal will you accept? Name your price."
        Gryph looked down at her. "Tell me who needs my help."
        "I've just told you. The Avylyn Clan."
        He shook his head, knowing suddenly what he wanted from her. "No. Not the Avylyns. They would be long gone by now if it wasn't for you. Tell me who really needs my services. Tell me who will pay whatever she has to pay in order to get them."
        Sariana stared at him, confused. Gryph waited, willing her to understand what he wanted from her. Then he saw the knowledge dawn in her large eyes.
        "I need your help," Sariana said quietly. "Say it again."
        She set her teeth. "I need your help." Gryph nodded, satisfied. "That's right. You. Not the Avylyns." He released her. Sariana sat back in her seat, massaging her wrist unobtrusively. She regarded him with wary, smoldering eyes.
        "Get my weapon kit out of that stone table," Gryph ordered calmly.
        Sariana pressed a hidden button under the table and a section of the polished stone surface silently slid open. She reached inside and retrieved the kit.
        "I only wanted to make you listen to my proposition," she said, handing the kit to him. "I just wanted to get your attention long enough to convince you that you won't lose in this deal."
        "You've taken more risks tonight than you even realize, Sariana Dayne," Gryph remarked as he quickly fastened the weapon kit back on his belt. "But you're in luck.