Page 55 of Skinwalker's Bane
“That’s what I said,” Cai Lessie said quietly and looked at the others with an “I told you so,” expression.
“If Sauber could get away with it, I think he’d try to invoke the lemon clause,” Anar said. “He looked as though he was setting himself up for an embolism, out there. He’s that upset about the shard.”
“So are the Cavers,” Haydn said softly.
“What’s the lemon clause?” Adam asked.
“The Renegation Clause,” Devin told him. “The citizens of theEndurancehave up to a year after a general election to renege on their vote and dismiss the Captain. It’s a safety clause—just in case a Captain gets the chair then turns into a monster overnight. It was added to the ship’s charter after Rickey Stacie was elected and was so incompetent, he couldn’t get anything done.”
“How come it’s a secret then?” Adam asked.
“It’s not,” Cai replied. “It just hasn’t been used since it was added to the Charter. If you’d read the Charter, you’d have known it was there.”
Adam scowled at him. “I don’t like politics enough to do that. The first page is bad enough. All the therefores and avows.” He shook his head.
Devin hid her smile. Adam said he didn’t like politics, yet his grasp of strategy and policy was more than adequate.
Anar got to his feet and moved around the table to where Devin was sitting. “A dance, if you would care to say yes?”
Over the next twenty minutes, Devin drank three cups of printed coffee and danced with everyone at the table except Adam. Then she returned to her own table, where Rask had lost her approving smile.
“The Chairman was asking where you went,” she growled.
“I was talking to the skinwalkers. It was a fruitful conversation.”
“Skinwalkers!” Rask’s expression soured even more.
“It pays to curry favor everywhere,” Devin told her. “Whether you like it or no, skinwalkers have a huge influence over the ship. The Director of the skinwalkers was at the table, with one of the crew chiefs.”
“They don’t care about politics,” Rask said dismissively. “They’re only concerned about enjoying themselves as much as possible between shifts. They’re a strange group of people,” she added softly, frowning as she stared at Adam’s table. “Plebians, all of them.”
“Liya Cassel is one of them,” Devin replied.
“Liya…Cassel?” Rask looked shocked. She glanced at the table again. “That’s Liya Cassel? The mousy blonde?”
“That’s her,” Devin replied. “She gave me this dress file, too.” She rested her hand on the velvet.
Rask looked more interested. “Really.” Her brow puckered. “Maybe you have a point about currying favor.”
Devin didn’t respond. Her point had been made.
The rest of the evening was a blur of coffee, conversation and dancing. Long past midnight, Devin made her way home on the train, amongst many other well-dressed people, and reflected that the evening had been perfect except for one glaring omission. She had not danced with Adam.
It was nighttime on the Table, too, when she reached there. The dayline was hours away, yet, so the air was cool and refreshing. The scent of dirt and hardy succulents was welcoming and familiar. She lingered outside for a while, listening to insects click and chitter and realized she was watching the hub, to spot when another taxiboat left the dock, heading into the Palatine and maybe coming her way.
Adam had ignored her all night, which was the safest thing he could have done. Just sitting at his table had been careless enough. Devin had sold Rask on the expediency of it, though.
She realized she was waiting for Adam. Not just waiting, but anxious to see him. If hedidcome to the house tonight and found her out here, it would scare him. Not much made Adam afraid, that she knew of. Her gut told her that if she let him see any hint of neediness in her, though, he would startle just as the cicadas did when she got too close.
So Devin went into the house and reluctantly took off the green velvet dress and slid into bed. Her feet were throbbing from all the dancing and she reallywasvery tired. It was late even for her and for the last couple of weeks, she’d been short on sleep.
Quite without meaning to, shedidfall asleep, only to be woken sometime later as a heavy arm tucked itself over her waist and the hand slid up under her breast and grew still.
Adam’s lips pressed against her neck and the heat of his body settled behind her.
Devin closed her eyes, smiling to herself.
I will not ruin this, she whispered to herself in her mind.Whatever it is, I will accept it just as it is.
