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wasn’t natural.
    “Sorry, sir.” Tallos grabbed Lucius by the back of the shirt again, hoisting him up. Using less force than he had on the walk there, Tallos guided him to a leather couch and dropped him down.
    “There. That’s better.” Staring at Lucius from the Captain’s living room chair, the man adjusted his crisp black uniform. Eight red slashes adorned his chest like blood. Taunting Lucius. Silently threatening him.
    “Would you like some tea?” the man offered in a genteel sort of way.
    “No, thank you.” Lucius jerked his head, trying to get the hair out of his eyes.
    “Yes. You are in a state, aren’t you.” The Graygual officer, called the Hunter by his men when they couldn’t be overheard, glanced at Tallos. “See to it that he is cleaned up. I do not like to speak to filth.”
    “Of course, sir.” Tallos didn’t bother looking in Lucius’ direction. And he wouldn’t bother to tell the barber to take it easy, either. If Lucius’ throat wasn’t cut as he was being shaved, it would be a miracle.
    “Now.” The Hunter held up a piece of paper. “I’ve taken the liberty of crafting a letter for you. As before, you will look over it, point out anything that doesn’t fit your phrasing, we’ll fix it, and you’ll sign the bottom. And as before, if you do not do as expected, I will kill one of your women. Understood?”
    Lucius ground his teeth.
    The Hunter’s bleak eyes studied him for a moment before he glanced up at Tallos again. “Bring her.”
    “No!” Lucius yanked at his hands. The tight rope rubbed against his sore wrists. “No. I’ll do it. You don’t need to bring her.”
    The Hunter’s flat stare didn’t waver. “On the contrary. A slight hesitation means the desire for disobedience. It is a power struggle. You forget that you have none. To prove this I must, once again, punish you.”
    A door opened somewhere in the back of the house, emitting a woman’s whimpers. Bare feet slapped against the hardwood floor in sporadic patters. As they grew nearer, the sobs became more evident.
    Lucius yanked at the rope again as Alena was forced into the center of the room. A beautiful woman with large, brown eyes looked at him from under her tear-soaked lashes. A large bruise covered her right shoulder and yellowing skin colored her jaw, half hidden behind lank brown hair.
    The Hunter waved one finger.
    “No!” Lucius yelled.
    A house guard stepped up and slapped Alena across the face with the back of his hand. The force sent her reeling. She fell onto the brickwork at the side of the fireplace, sliding down to the floor. Before she could get up, the guard was yanking her up by her hair and pushing her back toward the middle of the room.
    “Please,” Alena begged, falling onto her hands and knees.
    Without passion, the guard pulled back his foot.
    “No!” Lucius yelled again, struggling to his feet. “I said I’d do it! I said I’d do it! ”
    The Hunter’s finger waved for the second time. The guard put his foot down and stood impassively over the sobbing woman.
    “What kind of animal are you?” Lucius spat at the Hunter.
    Something akin to humor sparkled in the man’s gaze. “I want a small task completed that is easily within your power. If you do this task, you would save her the pain and embarrassment of violence. Yet you still try to defy me. One might say you are the animal, not I.”
    “Show me the letter.” Lucius watched the woman on the floor with a pain in his heart. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt. To see any of the women hurt. Fighting Shanti had been one thing. He could easily block out her femininity with her masculine fighting ability. Landing a punch or kick had been a small victory, short-lived. But the women of this land were soft. They weren’t used to fighting or defending themselves.
    He bowed in defeat as Tallos took the letter from the Hunter and approached. He read it quickly, not really needing to. It said what it always did: the city