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 He better not do it in front of the Xihirians or he ll be toast, or I
should say burnt meat.
 Hmm, meat sounds good. I m hungry. Let s go get something to
eat. Saleeya opened the cleaning chamber s door. She held it open
for Mia to step out. They ran directly into Vitalion.
His face red and blotchy, he leaned closer, his knuckles white with
the force of his anger.  Miss Stayvel and Miss Tiller, so nice of you to
both finally join us to do what you ve been retained to attend to, he
ground out. Saleeya shivered at the jealous rage in his eyes when he
fixed them on her.  Both of you will be reprimanded for your
behavior. Especially you, Miss Stayvel, deserting your post without
my permission. You re foolish, stupid girls. I ll see you both punished
for your oversight and disrespect for me. When this venture is
completed, you won t work again for the government of Kriton or any
other Council member s world. Do you hear me? Spittle ran down
his chin, spraying across the small space between them.
Saleeya felt her face flame with anger.  Minister, we ve done
nothing wrong. We ve attended the Council meeting and will
continue to attend the meetings. My role is to assist the Council in
correct communication to ensure there are no misunderstandings, she
stated between clenched teeth.  I m doing that. It appears to me that
Xihirah 123
you have forgotten your place. Perhaps you should remember that I m
not your personal secretary or assistant. You have Jarvin Manntree for
that. I have performed and will continue to perform my function. Mia
isn t your assistant, she s mine. Saleeya jabbed him in the chest with
her finger.  The Kriton government isn t the only planet paying my
fees. I m not intended to be at your personal disposal. I m an
independent professional retained to offer my expertise to the entire
Council. Mia and I accepted an invitation from the Xihirian
Sovereign s mate. We re honored guests and should respect their
extensions of hospitality. My duty s to help smooth relations between
Xihirah and Kriton. Mia and I have done just that.
 How dare you.
 You can try to ruin us professionally, but I m sure the Kriton
Congress and the Council of Planets will see your error. I don t fear
you or your threats. Now, if you ll excuse us, we re going to eat.
We re hungry from actually paying attention to the meeting instead of
slipping into catnaps as you continued to do. Saleeya struggled to
regain control of her temper, her blood boiling at the tone and threats
spewed from Vitalion.
Saleeya and Mia tried to slip around Vitalion. He grabbed
Saleeya s wrist, his fingers sinking in enough to send shards of pain
lacing up her arm.  Let go of me, Saleeya demanded, twisting to get
out of his hold.
 You listen here, you animal-loving whore. He twisted her arm
more.  I see how you make eyes at that unpleasant Admoncor bastard.
I see how he watches you. You disgust me with your admiration for
that rutting beast. You had best beg my forgiveness for your unruly
and disrespectful tongue. Perhaps you should put your skillful tongue
to use in ways that ll ensure my forgiveness. If you re a whore, use
your skill on someone who s more deserving and human. Vitalion
repulsively spit into Saleeya s face. He leered suggestively at both
Saleeya and Mia.
124 Ciara Lake
Saleeya wrenched her wrist away free from Vitalion s painful
grip. Without thought, Saleeya slapped Vitalion across the face with
her other hand. The slap echoed loudly in the hallway. For a moment,
it looked as if Mia was ready to fight too. Saleeya thought for sure
that Vitalion was going to strike her back.  You re a bigoted,
deceitful, and disgusting man. You label the Xihirians as animals. The
truth is that you re the rutting beast. If you touch me again, I ll use
your teeth as a necklace. Saleeya grabbed Mia and rushed past him,
returning to the Great Hall. The Council guests were being slowly
ushered into the dining area. Saleeya could smell the aroma of
deliciously prepared food wafting through the air, yet her appetite was
gone.
Saleeya rubbed her aching wrist. She could already see the
makings of a rather ugly bruise and cursed Vitalion again. The
Minister s grip had been cruel and hurtful. Saleeya could feel unshed
tears in her eyes.
Mia touched her lightly on the arm to pause before entering the
dining area.  Saleeya, are you going to be okay? Should we have a
med look at your wrist? Mia put her arm around Saleeya s shoulders.
 No. Saleeya shook her head.  It hurts dreadfully, but I can wait.
I ll go see to it after we eat and conclude for the evening. There ll be
a break for the day. Social events will occupy everyone s attention.
Then I ll see to it.
 Saleeya, we should report this to someone. Vitalion really hurt
you. I don t care who he is, he has no right to physically hurt you or
say such nasty, suggestive things to you. How was he ever elected?
Mia angrily commented. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]