Aphrodite's Flame by Julie Kenner Read Free Book Online

else. Well, he was going to be damned disappointed, because she was truly at a loss.
    Finally, he sighed, then lifted his tablet again. He made a tick mark, and she imagined him putting a check by
Humiliate Isole Frost
.
    She frowned, then sniffed, picking up subtle hints of Bilius’s emotions. He hid his feelings well, but still she caught the edges: no-nonsense professionalism and a deep contempt. Contempt for her, of course. By now, she really ought to be used to it.
    Bilius focused on her for a few more minutes, as if once again waiting for her to speak. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. He glowered, but finally spoke. “As I said, I do not approve of this promotion, but there is no doubt that your record—on paper, at least—supports it.”
    Izzy bristled, her entire body tensing at the suggestion that somehow her work record had been forged.
    “Nonetheless,” he continued, “I have only your record to work with, and the ultimate decision regarding promotions is, unfortunately, not up to me.”
    Great. She’d be reporting to a man who had absolutely no interest in seeing her succeed. This just kept getting better and better.
    “The decision for upcoming assignments has been made, and you have been selected to evaluate a somewhat challenging candidate. Were it up to me, I would not leave the responsibility for such a vile Outcast in your hands.”
    She frowned, the scent of his contempt for this particular candidate almost overwhelming. The stench of his distrust seemed to fill the air; this was not an Outcast that Bilius wanted re-assimilated. Of
that
, she was certain. Who, though, could the Outcast be?
    She was just about to ask when the elder continued. “The responsibility is too great to entrust it to someone with less than perfect credentials,” Bilius said, as Izzy’s cheeks burned with shame. “It is not, however, up to me. For that matter, I will not be your supervisor for this endeavor.”
    “Excuse me?” she said, sure she’d heard wrong. Bilius’s absence was simply too much to hope for.
    “My duties have become increasingly time-consuming as the treaty negotiations heat up. I am, therefore, temporarily stepping aside at the request of the Inner Circle of Elders.” He paused and cleared his throat. “Zephron will be the interim director of the Re-Assimilation Program.”
    “Oh.” This was good news. She tried to keep her face passive. “I understand.”
    “No,” he said. “I don’t think you do.”
    “Um.” She focused on the floor, not sure what to say but decidedly relieved.
    “Keep in mind that I am only stepping aside temporarily.” She looked up and saw the steely glint of his eyes. “I will be returning.”
    She swallowed. “Of course,” she said, then nodded deferentially. But as soon as he left and the door closed behind him, she let out a little cheer.
    Her mini-celebration was cut short by the return of reality. Bilius might be temporarily handing over command to Zephron, but that didn’t change the one inescapable underlying fact: Her own supervisor didn’t believe she was worthy of this new job.
    She sighed and rubbed her temples, all her insecurities returning to ride roughshod over her ego. When she’d received word of the promotion, she’d thought she’d finally found a place where she fit in and where they believed in her on her merit. Where they weren’t whispering behind her back and saying she didn’t really belong.
    Apparently, she’d been wrong.
    A tear clung to her lashes, then fell, landing with a plop on the polished wood. Before she’d been accepted into the Council, she’d had to make a decision, just like every other Halfling. She’d had to formally choose to join the Council, and she’d had to formally reject the process of mortalization.
    She had done so, of course. She’d been awed by her uncle when she’d first met him, then blown away by the very existence of Protectors and their mission to protect and aid mortals.