Read Slave Empire III - The Shrike for Free Online

depositing it on the low
table with a smile. “Dig in, chaps.”
    Rawn reached
for a smoked Atrasian eggroll. He had gained more weight, Rayne
noticed, and his stomach bulged over his belt.
    “Married life
agrees with you, I see,” she remarked.
    He patted his
paunch. “After years of near starvation, I’m enjoying the fruits of
your fame, sis.”
    “The Atlanteans
are supporting you?”
    “Of course. I’m
your brother. When you disappeared, they allowed me access to your
accounts. You don’t mind, do you?”
    “No.” She
sighed.
    Rayne longed to
tell him about her problem, but it was impossible with Norva
hanging on every word. She did not expect him to have a solution,
but just telling him would have helped. Still, she found his
company and light-hearted banter relaxing, and laughed at his
jokes. Even Norva’s subdued disapproval could not dampen her
enjoyment. They all jumped when an energy shell materialised in a
blaze of light. Five black-clad men bowed to Rayne and moved into
the corners to take up defensive positions.
    “So, your
protection has arrived,” Rawn drawled, eyeing them. “Why do you
need so many guards in your brother’s house? What does he think I’m
going to do?”
    “I’m sorry.
It’s not you he’s worried about.” She found the guards’ presence
unwelcome too, and longed to order them out.
    “But it’s not
you he’s protecting, is it? It’s his precious identity. Maybe
they’re here to make sure you don’t run off to the Atlanteans to
collect the reward.”
    She smiled.
“What would I want with the reward? I have everything I could
possibly wish for.”
    “Do you?” He
studied her. “You don’t seem particularly happy. I didn’t want to
say anything, but you’re pale and thin.”
    “That isn’t his
fault. I was taking drugs. I couldn’t handle the empathy. It was
driving me mad. And people didn’t want to be around me, not even
you.”
    He looked away,
frowning. “It’s difficult being around someone like you. When you
came back from the Crystal Ship, you’d changed. I tried not to let
it bother me, but...”
    “I know. I
don’t blame you, or them. The drugs helped to dull my talent, but
they were bad for me. He’s given me a more normal life. I don’t
have to take drugs anymore.”
    “You call this
normal?” Norva asked, her expression hard. “To be surrounded by
guards wherever you go? It must be like being a prisoner.”
    Rayne sensed
her jealousy like a foetid smell, and almost wrinkled her nose in
disgust. Before, Norva had been jealous of Rayne’s fame and
fortune, now she had even more to envy. She would have liked to be
in Rayne’s position, with guards protecting her as if she was
something precious. Rayne forced herself not to react to the
emotions, and formulated her reply based on Norva’s words
instead.
    “It’s better
than hanging around in clubs, so full of drugs I didn’t know where
I was half the time.”
    “I don’t like
those men in my house.” Norva shot her husband a peevish frown.
    Rawn looked
uncomfortable. “Do they have to be here, Ray?”
    Rayne
hesitated, then ordered the guards to wait outside. The leader
objected, but they obeyed when she insisted. Norva smiled,
radiating a peculiar kind of satisfaction that puzzled Rayne. Was
it because she had given in to Norva’s wishes, or something else?
Rawn was clearly relieved that the brewing conflict had been
averted, and offered her a plate of finger food. She selected an
Emlinian cheese wedge, although the fare was too spicy for her
liking.
    Norva changed
the subject to her spring clothes-buying spree, and Rayne’s eyes
drooped with fatigue. It had been late when she left Ironia, and
her worries and unhappiness had kept her awake for the entire
seven-hour journey to Darmon. In the comforting presence of her
brother, her worries faded and lassitude took hold. Norva asked if
she wanted to lie down, displaying unusual concern, and Rayne
accepted the offer, going into the