Mary and the Minotaur by Honey Phillips

Chapter Seventeen

Two months later, Miri finished sweeping out the latest room they had decided to renovate and nodded with satisfaction. She could hardly wait to show Sendat the results of her labors when he returned. He had gone to the market in the small village he had discovered on one of his hunting trips. The house turned out to be not quite as isolated as they originally assumed, but they decided that it made sense. If the Situni family had spent any amount of time here in the past, they would have wanted to arrange for supplies.

Sendat now made the trip into the village every few weeks, doing his best to keep a low profile. Well, as low a profile as a big Bukharan warrior could manage in a village of Tajiri. Despite that, the villagers had accepted him easily enough. He had let them think that he and his mate had been sent as caretakers for the beach house, and they hadn’t questioned him.

So far, he had refused to let her accompany him, arguing that while it was quite common for wealthy Houses to hire Bukharans, a human female would be far more rare. She knew he was right, and she didn’t want to start any rumors, but she would have liked to see the village. Not to mention the fact that she missed him when he was gone.

The sun was already past its apex so at least he should be home soon. He had set off early that morning with a load of shells they had gathered from the surrounding beaches. Quite a few of the shells that washed up there were suitable for trading - which made their lives much easier. As skilled as Sendat was in making use of their natural surroundings, some things were just easier to purchase. Such as fabric. He had agreed to try and find some fabric with which to make curtains.

It’ll be the perfect finishing touch, she thought happily, returning to the big living room. The weeds and debris had been swept away, cushions added to the built-in furniture, and the slightly lopsided table Sendat had built was arranged in front of one of the big windows open to the sea. This room, the kitchen, and the bathroom had been their first priorities.

Her efforts this morning had been the initial clearing of the room she had selected for their bedroom. It was at the far end of the house, but it was closest to the ocean and had a separate terrace where some of the original flowers still grew in lush profusion. She couldn’t wait to wake up there with Sendat, curled against his big body as the sun rose over the ocean, the only sound the slow susurrus of the waves.

She yawned and took another look at the sun, wondering if she had time for a nap before Sendat returned. As much as she enjoyed the restoration work, it was exhausting, and she frequently found herself wanting to rest during the middle of the day.

I might as well rest, she decided. If she was asleep when Sendat returned, she had no doubt that he would wake her up in the most delightful way.

As she headed for the big mattress that currently occupied one corner of the living room, a shadow passed in front of the window and she smiled. Maybe she could even convince him to nap with her - although she doubted there would be much sleep involved.

“You made good time,” she said gaily as she turned to face the door.

Instead of Sendat’s beloved figure, a stranger stood there. A stranger with red skin and dark hair and small black horns. He bore a striking resemblance to an Earth devil. Kaisarian. She recognized the race from Sendat’s description. He was big, nowhere as big as Sendat, but still far taller than her own short stature. If only her training was further along.

Sendat had been trying—not particularly successfully—to teach her some self-defense moves. Unfortunately, she was not very coordinated and he was so concerned about hurting her that he didn’t push her very hard. It also didn’t help that almost every time he flipped her, their session ended up in love-making. The main thing he had been able to drill into her was to take her time and wait for an opportunity.

Wait, she told herself, her stomach churning as she spotted the weapon holstered to the male’s hip. Better to try and use her wits rather than her very limited self-defense moves.

“Who are you?” she demanded, doing her best to sound confident. “This is a private residence and you need to leave immediately. My mate will return shortly.”

“Excellent. He’s the reason I’m here, after all.”

“Who are you?” she repeated.

“Captain Arulo, Sendat’s commanding officer.”

“The one who betrayed him.” Her lips felt numb.

“I would say that he is the one who betrayed me.” He sighed, and gestured at a chair. “Now I suggest we sit and wait for him to return. You did say it wouldn’t be long,” he added sardonically.

When she didn’t immediately obey, he patted the weapon on his hip meaningfully. Her heart pounded uncomfortably against her ribs, but she forced herself to try and think. She needed to find a way to warn Sendat.

“Can I get some water first? I’ve been working all morning and the sun is quite hot.”

He studied her face, and she did her best to give him a look of limpid innocence.

“We will both have some. Lead the way.”

When he followed her into the kitchen, she gave him another innocent look. “Or would you prefer tea? Sendat taught me to make it the traditional way.”

“Really? That would be a pleasant surprise. No one else on this planet seems to be capable of doing so.”

As she hoped, he settled down at their rough kitchen table while she hurried behind the counter to gather the tea supplies. As she set the kettle on the heating element, she reached casually beneath the counter. Sendat had left the communicator from his flyer there for emergencies. She pressed the button that would call him, then pressed the button next to it. If she remembered correctly, it would record their conversation.

Afraid that Arulo was regarding her suspiciously, she quickly concentrated on measuring out the tea.

“How did you find us?” she asked.

“By using my intelligence,” he said arrogantly.

The fact that it had taken him two months didn’t seem to give him much reason to boast, but she kept her mouth shut, unwilling to antagonize him. But he must have seen the skepticism on her face, because he frowned.

“I had to spend the first month clearing up the mess that Sendat and Chinit created. My superiors were far too interested in the details, and it took time to reassure them. It was really most annoying. Since I knew Chinit had fled the city, once I had that situation under control, it was simply a matter of identifying and visiting any abandoned Situni residences.”

She caught herself nodding. Sendat had told her that Jabbwa had suggested the same approach.

“A very tedious business,” he complained. “I thought I found him once, at an old mining town up in the hills. There were signs of visitors, but they were old by the time I arrived. I suppose I should have known he would have chosen the most remote location.”

“But why are you here?”

For the first time anger flashed across his face. “Because I had a very profitable operation until he got involved. To be entirely fair, much of it was the fault of that fool Chinit. At least Sendat eliminated that problem. Now all that remains is to take care of him.”

She shivered, then tried to disguise it by concentrating on the tea.

“You were the one who told Chinit where we would be, weren’t you?” she asked, wanting to hear him confirm it out loud.

“Of course.”

“Didn’t you realize that he would try and kill Sendat?”

He shrugged. “It was one possible outcome. If Chinit killed Sendat, it meant that I would not have to do so. On the other hand, if Sendat killed Chinit, he would be branded a double murderer and no one would ever believe that he was actually a member of the Fleet. Both outcomes were equally satisfactory.”

“You’re a monster,” she whispered, forgetting her plan to placate him.

“Not at all. I’m merely a male who knows how to profit from a situation. And speaking of profit, I believe I am going to earn a good deal of credits by selling you. The fact that you bear a passing resemblance to the First Consort will only increase your value.” He ran his eyes assessingly over her body. “You’re a little plump for my tastes, but many males prefer that. Sendat certainly seems to. Such an upright warrior, yet so easily corrupted by a female.”

“He’s not corrupted,” she said indignantly. “He’s the most honorable person I know.”

Arulo sighed. “I suppose you’re right. It’s most inconvenient.”

Biting her lip, she brought the tea to the table, carefully whisking each cup before offering him one.

“You will forgive my discourtesy, but I would prefer that cup,” he said firmly, reaching for hers. “I have no desire to be poisoned.”

Poison!Why hadn’t she thought of that? Although apparently, it wouldn’t have worked anyway.

Arulo laughed. “From the expression on your face, it appears that my fears were unfounded.”

He took a sip of the tea, then nodded appreciatively. “You were quite right. This is delicious.”

“I still don’t understand why you’re here. You said yourself that no one would listen to Sendat. We’re living quietly in this out of the way place and we haven’t made any attempt to cause trouble.”

“Perhaps, but Sendat is a loose end—and I don’t like loose ends.”

“You always were an efficient bastard,” Sendat said from the doorway. He had Chinit’s old blaster aimed at Arulo. “Move away from him, Miri.”

“What are you going to do now, Sendat?” Arulo said mockingly. “Shoot me and add a third murder to your total?”

“Self-defense isn’t murder.”

“I’m not sure how you can call it self-defense when you’re the one holding a weapon on me.”

“He has a blaster too,” she warned Sendat as she backed away from the table.

“But he isn’t going to use it, are you, Arulo?”

“I’m not a fool, Sendat.”

“No, you’re not. You’re too clever and too unscrupulous for your own good.”

Arulo shrugged. “A sensible male works with his talents. As you have done. But I don’t think that cold-blooded murder of an unarmed male is one of them. So the question now becomes, what are you going to do with me?”