Page 64 of Condemned

“Then you know more than I do. No gifts. Let’s ride.”

Keeping her, even the words made this seem silly. Her being a little obsessed with them didn’t mean she had to stay. Did it? That Zo thought to just do it, without asking her, made her even more uncertain.

She shrugged at Takk and he regarded her without showing any obvious emotion. Perhaps her shrug had been lost in translation. They were at opposite ends of this but both of them thought it best she leave, eventually, one way or the other.

Let Zo have his fantasies.

As if they could buy her with presents.

* * *

J’kai watched throughthe scope then lowered it as the troop rode off toward the lower pass. Her newly acquired florse shifted nervously between her knees. She patted its shoulder. The mare’s leopard coat was scattered with red spots on white, with a red star-shaped blotch on her forehead. She was starkly identifiable and J’kai would not have bought her if not for the urgency.

A pity her instructions were to wait to finish this until she joined the six warriors assigned to help her. She could have ended the girl in the forest while the sex was happening.

Simple. Quiet. Maybe the captain would’ve had to be killed also but that would’ve been minor collateral damage.

This other plan of cooperating with the six seemed chaotic. They’d never worked together. More things were likely to go wrong. She nudged her heels into the florse. The second-highest path was a riskier way across the mountain, but quicker. She should get to the other side before them.

A strange feeling of relief had arisen when she’d discovered she was not to eliminate Avalon, yet. J’kai put her hand to her chest.

In all her days of killing, she’d not seen a huleon so welcomed by others—neither human nor mauleon.

She clicked her tongue again, flicked the reins. “Let’s go.”

She’d find them again at Omage. It was clear they were going there from many conversations.

Perhaps she could learn something from this one before she ended her? Even her victims could impart knowledge.