Page 45 of Double Cut

“The one who acted as judge, jury, and executioner?” she asked, glancing back as a team of beings that weren’t Ahn’hudin hauled the carcass away and cleaned the bloody mess.I guess robots don’t do all the cleaning up on this planet.

“Ahn’hudin law specifies immediate execution for any unauthorized being in possession ofvevrexxu.”

“Then who would be authorized?”

“The emperor, the general superior, the science master general.”

“Ah,” she said with a nod. “Only someone as high in the hierarchy as it gets. So, what about the guard who now has possession of it?”

“He will have already alerted his superior officer who will have dispatched a squad of centurii to escort him to a secure disposal unit. Each of the squad and the centuria himself will witness the toxin’s disposal. He will then report to the barracks for decontamination.”

“Come along, little flame,” Sarus urged. “We do not wish to be late.”

“No, we mustn’t keep the emperor waiting,” she murmured under her breath.

They continued their brisk progress through the transportation hub, finally reaching a bank of escalators. They rode up the moving staircase, Sarus hoisting her off her feet and settling her back down at the top so there was no risk of her filmy skirts becoming trapped in the machine. Courtesy demanded she thank him, but she still resented the high-handed handling.

Shortly after they disembarked the escalator, a squad of guards snapped into place around them.

“Rak hul,” the squad’s leader greeted Horas and Sarus. He studiously did not look at Evangeline.

“Huht taan gi,” Horas replied.

“Why don’t I understand what they’re saying?” Evangeline whispered to Sarus.

“Huht taan gi,” Sarus said to the squad leader, then he turned his attention to his mate and answered her question. “He uses the tongue of warriors. We prohibit its upload to translators, and none but the Ahn’hudi warriors know it.”

“Is it a written language?”

“No.”

She smiled. “Then you guys are like the Navajo code talkers the U.S. used in World War II. That’s pretty cool.”

Sarus blinked, not knowing the reference she used, but happy to accept that she found his explanation reasonable and was willing to accept it.

Surrounded by their military escort, they were led down three long corridors to a small drawing room sparsely furnished with comfortable seating, a couple of small tables, and what looked like a silver tea set. Sarus set the carrier down and flexed his cramped fingers. Within the carrier, Poppet growled.

“The general superior will meet with you shortly,” the squadron leader said, darting a quick glance at the carrier as though expecting a monster to explode from it and attack.

“So, no emperor?” Evangeline quipped when the door shut behind the last of the squad to leave. She took a seat. “Should we feel slighted?”

Sarus saw the twinkle in her eye and realized she was joking. He favored her with a wide, close-lipped smile and a low rumbling purr. She grinned at him as her body responded to the familiar sound. Her muscles relaxed and the scent of her arousal perfumed the air.

She commented, “You know, I’m not at all sure I want to meet the emperor.”

“The general superior is probably more powerful than the emperor,” Horas murmured as he and Sarus sat on either side of her.

Both males grabbed one of her hands and held it between theirs. Evangeline wasn’t sure whether they held her hand to comfort her or themselves. They sat without talking for a few minutes. When the door to the drawing room slid open, the two males rose their feet and stood at attention.

The biggest, fiercest warrior male she could imagine entered. He towered over Sarus and Horas who thumped their chests and bowed their heads in respect. His shoulders dwarfed theirs. His stiff black crest rose in tall spikes. His yellow eyes narrowed as he took a deep sniff of the air. Evangeline wanted to cower behind her mates and escape the huge male’s piercing, predatory gaze. With difficulty she stifled a whimper of fear and forced herself to stand tall and proud.

“Well done, Evangeline Antonia Donal, formerly of Earth and now citizen of Ahn’hudin,” the general superior greeted her, his voice a deep, resonant hiss that would have done James Earl Jones credit in his role as the voice of Darth Vader. “You have courage.”

“Rak hul,” Horas and Sarus greeted the general superior.

“Huht taan gi,” the general superior replied.

Neither of Evangeline’s mates relaxed. Both were outclassed by this formidable Ahn’hudi warrior, and they knew it. The general superior was the alpha of all alphas, and he knew it.

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