Page 89 of Splintered Shadow
Baris ignored the man’s outburst and spoke over him. “To ensure that my benevolent gesture of sparing your lives is not abused and that you remain where you are confined, I will seize every Starshade ship. All of them.”
“You have no right!” This time, a younger man spoke.
Joie remained silent. She was, perhaps, the most reasonable person in her family.
“I have every right. I am your king,” Baris said.
“You cannot just take our property without cause.”
Baris’ expression remained neutral. It was fucking disturbing, to be honest.
Sarah tore her eyes away to find Vekele. He grinned, like an owl about to snatch up an unsuspecting mouse. If owls grinned. Look, she was stressed. Owl was the scary bird that her brain supplied. Go with it.
“I am married to Joie,” Baris said, his voice cold beyond measure. “As my spouse, we share property. What is mine is hers. Was that not your scheme? Hold me captive until you have an heir? Unfortunately for you, what is her property is also mine. As my queen, she is the highest-ranking member of the House Starshade. Therefore, what is Starshade’s is mine. You follow the logic.”
“The treaty prevents that,” the older man said.
Baris gave a weary sigh, theatrical and a touch too weary. “Which was signed under duress, therefore void. The treaty is useless. If you want to fight in the courts, I am sure the judge will enjoy hearing all about how you hacked off my thumb, carved out my karu’s eye—”
His voice broke, and he looked away.
“I am done with this,” Baris said. With his back to the male, he raised his hand and made a cutting gesture.
Vekele grabbed the man from behind and slit his throat. Red spilled forth, soaking the man’s shirt. His eyes were wide in surprise.
Sarah turned away. She shouldn’t have come. Vekele had been right. She didn’t want to see this, but she couldn’t leave. This was his reality. It wasn’t a fairy tale. It was brutal and vicious.
She hoped Baris could make it a kinder world, as Vekele believed.
“Does everyone acknowledge Joie Starshade as the head of House Starshade? Or do you really want to debate the finer legal points? Good? Good,” Baris said. “Joie, transfer the fleet access codes to me.”
A guard gave Joie a tablet. With shaking hands, she punched in the necessary data. Once completed, Baris took the tablet.
“Five ships. So few?” he asked.
“Your Majesty’s last attack on our shipyard crippled our fleet,” she said, her gaze cast down.
Baris loomed over the kneeling woman. “Place bands on them and keep them confined,” he ordered.
Guards hauled the prisoners to their feet.
“Your Majesty, my king,” Joie said. “May I have my father’s body? I would inter him in the family crypt.”
Baris responded slowly. “Yes, though that is the last boon you may ask of me. Take them away.”
The king gestured to his brother and said to Sarah, “Stay with me a moment.”
He waited until the guards cleared away the prisoners and the blood. The moment they were alone, he slumped down into a chair.
“I owe you a boon, Sarah Krasinski of Earth,” he said.
Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but Baris held up a hand to silence her. Bloodied and bruised, missing a thumb, and he still commanded the room.
“Do not argue. I was already in your debt when you agreed to marry this one,” Baris said, absently waving a hand at Vekele.
Vekele responded with a glower. It was so normal. Bizarrely normal. After the horrors she witnessed, the normalcy of his demeanor eased the dread inside her gut.
Fuck. She loved that grumpy bastard.
