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“Are conduits really as rare as Iris claims?”
“Absolutely,” Merrik stressed. “It is a great honor to be—”
The door flew open and Tov stormed into the room. “That son of a whore refused to meet with us!”
Clearly, shocked by the news, Merrik turned toward his outraged teammate. “Have they heard the outcome of the assessment? How can they justify refusing to meet with us?”
“They are one of the founding families. They don’t need to justify their actions to the likes of me.”
Tov’s basic meaning was obvious, but Cara lacked context. Merrik, however, understood. They both looked furious.
“What is a founding family? And why does that excuse their rude behavior?”
Before Tov could explain, her parents walked into the room. Lezod spotted Tov, sneered disdainfully, and ordered Cara, “Get dressed. We are leaving.”
Anger snapped inside her like a spring. Who the fuck did he think he was? After everything she’d been through today, she refused to start the entire process over. “Why did you let them examine me if you had no intention of considering their contract seriously?” She still didn’t understand why Lezod had turned on Tov and Merrik, but it was obvious that he had.
“Your father doesn’t like it when his schemes do not turn out the way he anticipated,” Grinnel said with a faint smirk.
Cara couldn’t decide if she found her mother’s snark or her father’s deception more insulting. “Maybe it’s time to start letting full-grown women choose their own mates. Even a primitive planet like Earth has figured out the advantages of that.”
“The assessment is being reviewed,” Lezod told her coldly. “No decision will be made until President Raydo assures me that the proceedings were appropriate.”
“Appropriate?” she scoffed. “We have very different definitions of the word.”
“And when the security feed reveals that the only team not willing to abide by the parameters you established was the team you clearly expected to win?” Tov persisted, arms crossed over his chest. “Will Cara be ours then? Your biggest mistake was holding this here. Unlike chancellors and prefects, Zevon Raydo can’t be bought.”
Ah, now there was a name she recognized. Zevon Raydo had recently been elected president of the Citadel. He was making sweeping changes to Citadel polices, so he had many powerful enemies. He also had thousands of enthusiastic fans. Apparently, Tov was one of the latter.
Merrik moved up beside Tov, blocking Lezod’s path to Cara. “We accepted this invitation in good faith. It will reflect badly on the House of Slanar if your word can no longer be trusted.”
“I will worry about the House of Slanar.” Lezod leaned far enough to the side that Cara could see him. “I said get dressed.”
“The attendants have my clothes.” She matched his impatient tone.
“Then that will have to do.” He lunged forward and grabbed her arm and dragged her out from behind Merrik.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” She tugged against Lezod’s hold, but he was stronger than he looked.
She reached for Merrik with her free hand as Lezod dragged her past. If someone had to have authority over her life, she would rather submit to Tov and Merrik than her father—or Chancellor Laeth!
Merrik shook his head, regret clear in his eyes.We cannot interfere until the review is complete, but he cannot offer you to anyone else. Be patient. We will come for you.
With a clearer understanding of the situation, she stopped struggling. Once they reached the corridor, her father released her arm. They only encountered a few staff members on the way to the departure ring and no one seemed surprised to see a woman dressed in a bathrobe.
Tov’s warning about the need for sex in the heat of battle and being displayed after discipline echoed back to her now. Did she really want to be part of a society so desensitized to sex that it was nothing special, no more meaningful than a hearty meal? Thanks to the assessment, those situations were much too easy to imagine. Humiliation, pain, and staggering pleasure all blended into a conflicted mess; was that really what the rest of her life was destined to be?
They reached the transport and a uniformed crewmember helped her onboard. The ship was slightly larger than a shuttle and infinitely nicer. There were two rows of forward-facing seats, but the center-facing seats farther back had built-in footrests. All of the seats were wide and deeply padded, clearly meant for comfort rather than safety. Cara sat near the back and her parents faced her.
“What is your objection to Tov and Merrik?” she asked once the transport had cleared the departure ring.
Lezod made a sound that was part sneer. His jaw clenched and anger reignited in his gaze. “No daughter of mine is mating with a filthy pirate. The blood of the founders flows through your veins. You were meant for better things than those two.”
“Who the hell were the founders? You keep saying that as if it explains everything.”
Lezod scowled at her. “You had access to the research library for weeks. What were you reading during all that time?”
“The history and development of the Citadel,” she countered sharply. She could see why Lezod and Ephrod got along so well. They were both sanctimonious snobs. “That seemed most appropriate to my situation.”
