The Journey's End Read Online Free PDF Page B

the techs were right.  Blood would tell.
    “I will let go when you are in the coach and we are away,
not before.”
    “I could kill you.”  It was more growled than said, but he
understood.
    “You could try.”  He looked over her head at the techs
standing so patiently, waiting for the law to play out.  “Do you really want to
show these people what you are showing me?”  Then he looked into her eyes
again.  “They might not have the same reaction.”  The fact that she could read the
reaction in his eyes was not helping her to keep primal urges at bay.  Why this
was the one man able to affect her in this way, she didn’t know, but it was
painfully clear that she needed to get back to her ordered existence before it
was too late.  On the other hand, he obviously had no problem holding on to her,
even should she decide to rip out his throat in front of all of these
witnesses.  Whereas she would do almost anything to keep that from happening. 
    So she would go with him. She knew she could defend herself
if need be, and then when she had the chance, she would escape. She had done it
before and she would again. No one could keep one such as her captive for
long.  Having made the decision and needing to be free of his touch as soon as
possible, she stepped over the line and kept going.  He did not let go of her hand,
nor did he try to stop her.
    One of the soldiers held open the door for her as she
stalked up the small steps he provided.  She felt the coach tilt and then right
itself as Menelaus sat across from her, still holding her hand.  She could hear
discussion going on outside the coach as the diplomats took over the trading,
but she was not really listening. 
    The coach rocked softly with each step of the horses, and
she was trapped inside; her hand and her eyes trapped by the man across from
her.  She wondered if she hadn’t just made a terrible mistake.
    When they were many slow miles from the bridge and the
freedom it represented, he released her hand in a slow glide.  She let it drop
to her lap and tried to take a deep breath, but the closed confines of the
coach were too much.
    “Stop the coach.”  She knew she sounded desperate, the shade
of her eyes flashing a warning, but she was still surprised when he knocked on
the top and the coach slowed.  She had swung open the door and jumped out
before it came to a complete stop.  She landed gracefully in a crouching
position, then stood up slowly as she scented the wind.  She stood very still,
just listening to the coach come to a halt and the king jump out and stand,
watching her far enough away that she could have made a run for it if she had
the slightest doubt that one of the many milling soldiers wouldn’t stop her.
    She was unsure how long she stood there, her eyes closed as
she willed herself to calm deliberation.  Animal reactions would not help in
this situation; she needed to have her wits about her.  Regardless of what the techs
thought of the intelligence of these people, she had seen nothing that proved
they were anything but highly evolved.  Indeed, in underestimating them, the tech
showed themselves yet again in a harsh light.
    She turned and faced the king,  aware that he had yet to
take his eyes off her.  Her own eyes were a cool tranquil green.  She was no
longer in any danger of losing her inner demon on the world and that alone
caused enough relief that she smiled.  From the narrowing of his eyes, that was
not what he expected and she decided then and there, she would cease to be
predictable.  Keeping him guessing seemed as good a plan, at the moment, as
anything else that was flashing about in her head.
    Her smile grew in volume and he was aware that she was
laughing at him by the look in her eyes,  but he could see no cause for it and
that frustrated him.
    “Thank you very much.  That was just what I needed.  Shall
we go?”
    She climbed into the coach ahead of him, aware of his
hesitation.  He wasn’t