The Iron Admiral: Deception Read Online Free PDF

made me watch. Even if I closed my eyes I could hear her scream, hear her beg them to stop. There was nothing I could do. Not a damned thing. And then they slit her throat, like an animal. Blood from her artery splattered my face.” His face was emotionless but a dark fury burned in the depths of his eyes. “You think I was hard on him? Think again.”
    His words left her numb. Horror, disgust, pity for a helpless child. And his sister, just fourteen. What a way to die. A nightmare. That could have been her. He might have been forced to watch them rape her, slit her throat. “I’m sorry,” she murmured at last. What else could she say? “I didn’t understand.”
    “And now you do.” He took a deep breath and blew it out.
    And him? What had they done to him? She wrapped her arms around herself, squeezed tight. She couldn’t form the words, shrank away from hearing an answer.
    “They beat me senseless and left me for dead. I was lucky; I was found, taken to a hospital and the Confederacy doctor there took me to Malmos with him. I couldn’t go home, so I lived with him until I was old enough to get into the Fleet Academy. By the time I had my commission, it was all over. The Confederacy Fleet had liberated Ceres.”
    He didn’t even look at her, slumped in the driver’s seat, gazing at nothing. But he’d sure given her a few things to think about. The skimmer joined the major sky way, cruising above the brighter lights of the inner suburbs with the other traffic toward the brilliant towers of the city center. Home was minutes away.
    Thoughts tumbled through her brain. A helpless boy watching his sister being tortured and killed.
    Saahren
    on Tisyphor, gentle and caring and now this other side to him, a vengeful spirit. She couldn’t think about this now, didn’t want to think about it.
    “Who were those men?” Allysha said. “The ones who turned up?”
    “My escort. Secret Service people. I asked them to keep a distance. I wanted at least to feel I was alone with you.”
    “Are they always there?”
    “Yes. It goes with the job.”
    The Lysanda landed at level thirty. He ignored her protests and walked her to her door. “I had a wonderful day, Allysha.” His voice was soft and his eyes wistful.
    “Pity about the violence at the end, eh?” Oh, buckrats. If anything, she was more confused than ever.
    “Look, I enjoyed it too, but… I’ve got a lot to think about.”
    She saw his frustration, his unhappiness, in his eyes. He just nodded. “I love you.”
    Suddenly, for a moment, she saw into a wounded soul, saw what drove him, saw a boy watching his sister being tortured. Her heart cried out to him, but her head stopped her. Not now. “Goodnight.”
    Allysha closed the door and heaved a huge sigh. Oh, man, what a day. Peeling off her coat, she walked over to the window and gazed out over the gardens separating the Fleet buildings. That one over there, its blank facade bathed in moonlight. His apartment was on the eighty-seventh floor. He’d been angry when he learned that she didn’t need her techpack to access the computer systems onArcturus , that she could connect via her implant, she’d even been a little bit frightened of him. But that was a nothing in comparison with the raging fury he’d shown tonight. He’d almost seemed possessed, demonic.Chohzhu .
    She’d never felt so confused, not even with Sean. Maybe that was her issue, she fell for the wrong men.
    Everybody had warned her against Sean; her father, Xanthor. But she’d known better. She’d even become estranged from her beloved father because of Sean.
    She sank down onto the arm of a chair. Saahren. It would be an even worse mistake with him. He’d shown her tonight how dangerous he could be.But he apologized , said the little voice in her head,he explained. He was protecting you, reliving the murder of his sister .And let’s face it, you had a wonderful day with him. Even considered a kiss goodnight.
    “Oh, shut up,” she