The Warrior's Shade: Saxen Saga Book 2 by Ingrid Moon

Author:Ingrid Moon [Moon, Ingrid]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798989242450
Amazon: B0CVB3GQDF
Goodreads: 208031496
Publisher: Ionic Press
Published: 2024-04-15T07:00:00+00:00

24 Resigned

The door slid closed, and Reia settled back, tapping her fingertips together. That boy was always such a ball of anxiety, so cautious and calculating. Well, apparently it was not doing him any good right now, at least with his fleet.

Reia had a pretty good idea what was left at Ravis, unless Vindik had gutted it since her departure. The lot was worth a hell of a lot more than 250 liens. She shook her head. The boy was a genius at some things and an idiot at others. If he'd asked 300, she wouldn't have blinked.

If she could muster the least sympathy for him, she might deposit more than 150. Sure, he had helped to save her fleet and Elyon's life, but feelings of gratitude never surfaced. Had she not also sacrificed so much, including herself, to win their freedom?

He had pierced her veil, though she believed he would play along. If anyone else realized that she loved none of the people who had devoted their lives to her, the dominion would collapse. No, as long as she held that power, she would use it like a web to hold this fleet together. And she would use it to build trust—even a false trust, as Boone's had been—with leaders in the League, so that someday their dominion, and perhaps the entire Fringe Quadrant, would be recognized as a legitimate, sovereign entity.

But she was not without love. She loved Elyon. If not, she would have abandoned her again. The first time was not her fault. Despite their constant bickering, Elyon loved her, too. Through all the girl's rage, spite, and sorrow, she always leaked her desires in her aura. She was terrible at hiding them, and that gave Reia a lot of rope to work with.

Thinking of Elyon, Reia mulled over the plans she had for the girl this evening—plans that required Elyon to separate from her consort. Reia would have to arrange it without causing a scene. Elyon was adept at humiliating herself.

Opening the comm, she called on her own administrator, Cephea. The woman's golden-brown hair and slender face filled the vis, as if she were sitting too close to her console. “Domina,” she said.

“I need a crew to survey a shipyard at Ravis,” said Reia. “I'll send the coordinates through. Confidentially,” she added.

When the comm ended, she reached out to Sin Glajure, the businessman who had been so eager to find a reason to do business with her. Almost too eager, particularly for a man from the Coalition, because their culture insisted all Saxen were abominations. But she was safe out here in the Fringe. Although this frontier space was independent, for the League or C.N. to operate outside their agreed-upon boundaries could be considered an act of war. In any case, Glajure was not C.N., at least not any longer. They would never let him get away with his mop of black hair and scruffy jaw.

“Domina Reia,” he said with a little too much saccharine and that odd accent in his voice.

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