In my copious off-time. O.O<\/p>\n
It’s …well, a slightly erotic SF. \u00a0She’s an assassin.<\/p>\n
If I finish it, it will probably be a J.C. book.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hated to admit it to myself, but there are only two people who would have done this. Only two who would benefit.\u00a0 My son and his wife.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arching my brows, I edged in closer, searching for weapons.\u00a0 So far, I\u2019d yet to see a single one.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot tell if the look on your face is curiosity or merely an attempt to distract me.\u201d\u00a0 He sighed and then reached out, pushed a plate toward me.\u00a0 \u201cIf you are any good at your job, you\u2019ll recognize this.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes moved to the plate, a thin disk of what looked like hammered gold.<\/p>\n
The sight of the three small berries there made my belly clench, even if I was there to kill him.<\/p>\n
Death\u2019s seal, the most poisonous plant in three systems.\u00a0 Deadly, and outlawed on almost every planet in those three systems.\u00a0 Just the tongue of it on the tongue was enough to kill a child.\u00a0 Half of a berry could kill a woman my size.\u00a0 Three berries could kill three men.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to make this easy,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cMy son seeks to kill me, thinking he\u2019ll inherit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cree reached for a berry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWait,\u201d I said, the word ripping out of me despite my intention not to speak.\u00a0 \u201cWhy?\u00a0 If you wish to fight him, then why do this<\/i>?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t wish to fight him.\u201d\u00a0 He smiled, rolling the berry between his fingers.\u00a0 \u201cI wish to deny him what he tries to take by betrayal.\u201d\u00a0 Then he shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cAnd I refuse to let him use another in his endless vendetta against me. Do you know\u2026it\u2019s our belief that for every life you take, you must save two more if you want to leave this existence with your soul intact?\u201d<\/p>\n
I inclined my head.\u00a0 \u201cI have no soul left.\u00a0 You do this for nothing if you try to spare me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you had no soul, it wouldn\u2019t concern you to see this berry in my hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
He smiled at me as he tossed it up in the air.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know why I did it.<\/p>\n
It should mean nothing <\/i>to me.<\/p>\n
I could easily claim his death as my own.\u00a0 Poison wasn\u2019t unknown to me.\u00a0 I suspected I even knew who had provided him with those three priceless, deadly berries.<\/p>\n
But my hand moved, almost as though it had a mind of its own and the sliver-thin dart stole the berry from the air and I quickly used two more darts to destroy the other two berries.\u00a0 He could still lick the plate, I supposed, but somehow I didn\u2019t see this regal, elegant man choosing that route.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d he asked, his voice puzzled.<\/p>\n
Staring at the plate, at the thin stalks of the darts, I shook my head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d I murmured.\u00a0 Then I looked at him.\u00a0 \u201cDo you count now?\u00a0 As one half of a life?\u201d<\/p>\n
He cocked his head.\u00a0 \u201cWell.\u00a0 I suppose I would, even though you came to kill me.\u00a0 Do you plan to walk away now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Walk away.\u00a0 I\u2019d never walked away from a job in my life. \u00a0I had failed before.\u00a0 Twice.\u00a0 And I\u2019d suffer more pain than I cared to recall.\u00a0 The breaking of my bones was a sound that had haunted my sleep for years.<\/p>\n
But to walk away?\u00a0 Never. Doing so meant<\/i> my life.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t much of a life, but it was the only one I had and as though the son of a bitch who held my leash already knew of my failure, I started to sweat.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t work like that.\u00a0 I had time, weeks even.<\/p>\n
But if I didn\u2019t kill Cree, my handler could choose to end me.<\/p>\n
It was as simple as that.<\/p>\n
Staring into Cree\u2019s wise old eyes, I made a decision.<\/p>\n
I turned my back.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow peculiar,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"