Read Burnt Offerings (ab-7) for Free Online

you understand how unusual it is for a woman to fight her way to second in command. She's about five foot six, small-boned. Ask how she's winning."
    "You're being coy, Irving. That's not like you. I'm not going to play Twenty Questions with you. Just tell me."
    "She killed the first two people she fought. She didn't have to. She chose to. The next three challenges she made just agreed she was dominant to them. They didn't want to risk being killed."
    "Very practical," I said.
    He nodded. "Sylvie's always been that. She finally picked one of the inner circle to fight. She's too small to be one of the enforcers; besides I think she was afraid of Jamil, and Shang-Da."
    "Jamil? Richard didn't drive him out? But he was one of Marcus's and Raina's flunkies."
    Irving shrugged. "Richard thought the transition would go smoother if he kept some of the old guard in power."
    I shook my head. "Jamil should have been driven out or killed."
    "Maybe, but actually Jamil seems to support Richard. I think it really surprised him when he wasn't killed instantly. Richard has earned his loyalty."
    "I didn't know Jamil had any loyalty," I said.
    "None of us did. Sylvie fought and won the place of Geri, second in command."
    "She kill for it?"
    "Surprisingly, no."
    "Okay, so Sylvie's tearing up the pack. She's second in command. Great, so what?"
    "I think she wants to be Ulfric, Anita. I think she wants Richard's job."
    I stared at him. "There's only one way to be Ulfric, Irving."
    "To kill the old king," Irving said. "Yeah, I think Sylvie knows that."
    "I haven't seen her fight, but I've seen Richard fight. He outweighs her by a hundred pounds, a hundred pounds of muscle, and he's good. She can't beat him in a fair fight, can she?"
    "It's like Richard is wounded, Anita. The heart's gone out of him. I think if she challenged and really wanted it, she'd win."
    "What are you telling me? That he's depressed?" I asked.
    "It's more than that. You know how much he hates being one of the monsters. He'd never killed anyone until Marcus. He can't forgive himself."
    "How do you know all this?"
    "I listen. Reporters make good listeners."
    We stared at each other. "Tell me the rest."
    Irving looked down, then up. "He doesn't discuss you with me. The only thing he said was that even you couldn't accept what he was. Even you, the Executioner, were horrified."
    It was my turn to look down. "I didn't want to be."
    "We can't change how we feel," Irving said.
    I met his eyes. "I would if I could."
    "I believe you."
    "I don't want Richard dead."
    "None of us do. I'm afraid of what Sylvie would do without anyone to stop her." He motioned to the other bed. "First order of business would be hunting down all the wereleopards. We'd slaughter them."
    I took in a deep breath and let it out. "I can't change how I feel about what I saw, Irving. I saw Richard eat Marcus." I paced the small room, shaking my head. "What
can
I do to help?"
    "Call the pack and demand that they acknowledge you as lupa. Make some of them come here and guard both of them against Sylvie's express orders. But you have to give them your protection. You have to promise them that she won't hurt them, because you'll see to it that she can't."
    "If I do that and Sylvie doesn't like it, I'll have to kill her. It's like I'm setting her up to be killed. That's a little premeditated even for me."
    He shook his head. "I'm asking you to be our lupa. To be Richard's lupa. To show Sylvie that if she keeps pressing, Richard may not kill her, but you will."
    I sighed. "Shit."
    "I'm sorry, Anita. I wouldn't have said anything, but ... "
    "I needed to know," I said. I hugged him, and he stiffened in surprise, then hugged me back.
    "What was that for?"
    "For telling me. I know Richard won't like it."
    The smile faded from his face. "Richard has punished two pack members since he took over. They challenged his authority, big time, and he nearly killed them both."
    "What?" I asked.
    "He sliced them up, Anita. He was like