Paying the Price (Book 5 of The Empire of Bones Saga) by Terry Mixon

Author:Terry Mixon [Mixon, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Adventure, Space Opera, Military Science Fiction
Publisher: Yowling Cat Press
Published: 2016-06-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Kelsey stood in her room at the Imperial Palace, feeling like a stranger. It had only been a year since she’d last stood here, but it felt like a lifetime. She wasn’t the same girl who’d imagined adventure and excitement exploring the remains of the Old Empire with her despised half-brother anymore.

No, not even close.

Now Jared was as close to her as Ethan was. Maybe more. Her full brother had become less friendly when puberty hit. Overprotective. And she was sure that would make for one hell of a fight when he found her.

She’d managed to get Talbot off doing something else for a few hours by telling him she needed a little alone time. That would keep him from punching Ethan in the face when her brother did something that offended him.

Her enhanced hearing picked up the sound of his approach. The Imperial Guards let him into her room without argument and he was angry. Furious.

Big surprise. It was time to settle this once and for all.

“What the hell were you thinking, Kelsey? Dammit, you gave him everything he’s been craving. I thought you were smarter than that.”

She smiled sweetly at Ethan. “It’s good to see you, too! Yes, I really missed you. And I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”

His expression grew even more thunderous. “Don’t toy with me. I demand to know why you helped Mertz build a platform to seize the throne.”

She allowed her false cheer to slip away. “This is old and tiresome, Ethan. He’s not after your job. Frankly, I doubt there is anything he’d rather avoid more. We were wrong about him and you need to see that before you make an ass of yourself.”

He stepped close to her, his expression more than a bit menacing. “Don’t tell me how to feel,” he said in a low voice. One that she’d have found threatening before her idea of threatening changed forever.

Now Ethan didn’t even register on her danger meter. She knew he couldn’t hurt her. He would never intimidate her again.

Kelsey stared into his eyes from only a few centimeters away. “You’re in my personal space. Move or I’ll move you.”

The surprise in his expression was gratifying, but he didn’t back down. “Not until you see sense.”

“Back up. In case you didn’t catch it, there’s an unspoken ‘or else’ attached to that.”

“You always think you know better than me,” he sneered. “You’ve been nothing but soft and weak. Now he’s twisted everything in your mind until you think he’s on your side. Well, I’m not going to allow you to throw away our birthright so easily.”

She put her hand on his chest and pushed gently. For her, that is. Ethan staggered back a few steps, shock written all over his face. She’d never had the physical strength to deter him before. Now she had enough to throw him through the wall if he made an ass of himself.

“I’m not going to stand here and let you froth on about something you know nothing about,” she said coolly.

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