Laura Jo Phillips by The Katres' Summer: Book 3 of the Soul-Linked Saga Read Free Book Online
take sides with a woman such as Darleen Flowers against him. She was their Arima. Arimas should not take sides against their own Rami.
He took a slow deep breath and reminded himself that she did not yet know she was their Arima. Besides, he told himself, after all she had been through, it was normal for her to be a little irrational.
“I will neither harm, nor threaten Darleen Flowers,” he said at last, then tried to change the subject. “Who is this man?”
“Lio Perry, the man I told you about,” Summer replied, perfectly willing to set aside the discussion concerning Darleen until later. She did not know what the woman had done, but whatever it was, it appeared to have been serious judging by Maxim Katre’s response.
“We will have the security officers take him into custody then,” Maxim said. He turned his head slightly. “I believe I hear them coming now.”
Summer bristled. “You will not,” she said flatly. “He stays with me.”
Maxim frowned. Would this woman contradict everything he said? It was one thing to be strong and capable. Another to be argumentative and unreasonable. “Why would you want this man to remain with you?” he asked.
Summer opened her mouth to explain, then decided it might not be a good idea. What if these men decided that injecting Lio with the Controller was wrong, and took him away from her? She needed the knowledge in his head too much to allow that to happen. She considered the problem for a moment, trying to dredge up some reason that would convince them to let her retain custody of Lio without actually telling them the truth.
Her Mother was a Sentient Species Specialist and had written many books on the subject, all of which Summer had read. She took a moment to flip rapidly through several of those books in her mind until she hit on something she thought might work.
“I claim this man as my captive,” she said boldly. “I defeated him in honorable combat, and he is mine to do with as I wish.” Summer almost winced at that stretching of the truth. They hadn’t actually engaged in battle, conking him over the head from behind with a statuette probably couldn’t be considered honorable, and she hadn’t even been the one to do it. But, at this point, she didn’t really care about splitting a few hairs.
“You claim Right of Capture?” Loni asked with no trace of emotion to indicate what he thought about it.
“Yes,” Summer replied, wondering how she knew that Loni was surprised by her claim when his expression had not changed by so much as the flicker of an eyelash.
“You must claim Warrior Rights before you can claim Right of Capture,” Maxim said.
“Then I claim Warrior Rights,” Summer said, though she cringed inwardly. The idea of herself as a warrior was laughable. All she knew of war and combat was what she had read in Father’s library. There had been a lot of books, but reading did not make a warrior.
Maxim was aware of several races whose women were warriors, and he was also aware that many Earth women chose to be warriors. Summer had certainly handled the pain baton with easy familiarity, and her ready stance when she had greeted them had spoken of one who knew how to handle herself in a fight. He had never heard of a Clan Jasani female warrior, aside from Saige Lobo. But even though Saige was warrior-like, she was always kind and agreeable with her male-set, the Lobos. She did not argue with them at every turn. But Summer was not Jasani, he reminded himself. At least, not yet. And to deny her Warrior Rights out of pique would be petty.
“I recognize your claim of Warrior Rights, and honor your Right of Capture,” he said finally.
Summer nearly sighed with relief, but bit it back in time. She could not show these men any sign of weakness or they would walk all over her. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she knew it.
A thought occurred to her and she
He took a slow deep breath and reminded himself that she did not yet know she was their Arima. Besides, he told himself, after all she had been through, it was normal for her to be a little irrational.
“I will neither harm, nor threaten Darleen Flowers,” he said at last, then tried to change the subject. “Who is this man?”
“Lio Perry, the man I told you about,” Summer replied, perfectly willing to set aside the discussion concerning Darleen until later. She did not know what the woman had done, but whatever it was, it appeared to have been serious judging by Maxim Katre’s response.
“We will have the security officers take him into custody then,” Maxim said. He turned his head slightly. “I believe I hear them coming now.”
Summer bristled. “You will not,” she said flatly. “He stays with me.”
Maxim frowned. Would this woman contradict everything he said? It was one thing to be strong and capable. Another to be argumentative and unreasonable. “Why would you want this man to remain with you?” he asked.
Summer opened her mouth to explain, then decided it might not be a good idea. What if these men decided that injecting Lio with the Controller was wrong, and took him away from her? She needed the knowledge in his head too much to allow that to happen. She considered the problem for a moment, trying to dredge up some reason that would convince them to let her retain custody of Lio without actually telling them the truth.
Her Mother was a Sentient Species Specialist and had written many books on the subject, all of which Summer had read. She took a moment to flip rapidly through several of those books in her mind until she hit on something she thought might work.
“I claim this man as my captive,” she said boldly. “I defeated him in honorable combat, and he is mine to do with as I wish.” Summer almost winced at that stretching of the truth. They hadn’t actually engaged in battle, conking him over the head from behind with a statuette probably couldn’t be considered honorable, and she hadn’t even been the one to do it. But, at this point, she didn’t really care about splitting a few hairs.
“You claim Right of Capture?” Loni asked with no trace of emotion to indicate what he thought about it.
“Yes,” Summer replied, wondering how she knew that Loni was surprised by her claim when his expression had not changed by so much as the flicker of an eyelash.
“You must claim Warrior Rights before you can claim Right of Capture,” Maxim said.
“Then I claim Warrior Rights,” Summer said, though she cringed inwardly. The idea of herself as a warrior was laughable. All she knew of war and combat was what she had read in Father’s library. There had been a lot of books, but reading did not make a warrior.
Maxim was aware of several races whose women were warriors, and he was also aware that many Earth women chose to be warriors. Summer had certainly handled the pain baton with easy familiarity, and her ready stance when she had greeted them had spoken of one who knew how to handle herself in a fight. He had never heard of a Clan Jasani female warrior, aside from Saige Lobo. But even though Saige was warrior-like, she was always kind and agreeable with her male-set, the Lobos. She did not argue with them at every turn. But Summer was not Jasani, he reminded himself. At least, not yet. And to deny her Warrior Rights out of pique would be petty.
“I recognize your claim of Warrior Rights, and honor your Right of Capture,” he said finally.
Summer nearly sighed with relief, but bit it back in time. She could not show these men any sign of weakness or they would walk all over her. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she knew it.
A thought occurred to her and she