Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 128061 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 640(@200wpm)___ 512(@250wpm)___ 427(@300wpm)
I knew she was just blustering. We couldn’t say anything, not until he made a move against me. For now, it was enough that I could help his mistress and her baby.
After a deep breath, I sipped a little lemonade. “This really was a terrible start to the big meeting. What if they all go like that?”
“They won’t. Definitely not.” Patty leaned over and put her hand on my forearm as Austin walked toward the door. “It’ll work out, you’ll see.”
Austin’s heavy footsteps echoed over the freshly polished wood floor. He turned the corner into the kitchen with an air of ruthless power. His gaze traveled my face as he closed the distance between us, and then he put his hand on my shoulder to lean me back so he could glance down my body.
“I heard one of the leaders left this house incensed.” He smoothed his hand down my back. “I felt your anger through the bond. Did he touch you?” he growled.
“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.”
“He tried,” said Mr. Tom, the tattletale. The last thing I needed was Austin keyed up about my safety. That sort of thing would turn a very rational alpha into an utter nightmare.
“It was Withor from Nikken. He just went to give me back the rattle,” I quickly replied. “Speaking of which, Mr. Tom, go throw that horrible thing away. It hurts my heart to even think about it. Poor child. How disgusting is that leader?”
“Dis-gusting.” Patty turned her nose up. “I am absolutely appalled. How has he been allowed to maintain his post? What are we, in the Dark Ages?” She slammed her fist onto the counter. “This is an outrage, and I can’t tell anyone! What am I going to do? I can tell Ulric. I can at least tell him. And Nathanial. Nathanial won’t like this one bit. He looks up to all those leaders, but he won’t look up to this one anymore. I can at least do that much. Someone has to know.”
She stomped from the room.
“He thought I was trying to blackmail him, and he offered me guardians,” I told Austin as he moved around me and lowered into the seat to my right.
“Like he’d offer them to a production cairn?” Austin asked.
I hadn’t thought about it that way. “Yeah, I guess so. It didn’t sound like he was planning to hand them over, free and clear. Then again, I didn’t ask for more information. I just threatened to raid all his production cairns and destroy his business.”
“Hmm.” Austin lifted his eyebrows at me. “That’s one way to go about it, I suppose. It would save us from buying some of the equipment we need.”
“As well we should,” Mr. Tom said, placing a glass of water in front of Austin. “I would offer you lemonade, sir, but you really do eat too much sugar. We need to cut back on that. Water will be fine for you.”
Austin looked at Mr. Tom like he’d grown a third eye before shaking his head and leaning back.
“You did the right thing, Jess,” he told me. “A leader who’s made that many questionable decisions is on a path to implode. I’ve seen it in the shifter world. The Dick world, too. If you ask me, his age is starting to grate on him. Without children to carry on his line, he’s looking in the face of mortality. He’d have enough money to comfortably sustain himself after he steps down, but I’m betting he doesn’t want to relinquish power.”
“What does that have to do with his lack of an heir, though? Wouldn’t he be in a similar situation if he had one?
“When an alpha’s child succeeds him or her, there is an element of pride. The alpha isn’t stepping down so much as passing on the torch. The business stays in the family, as it were. I assume the sentiment is the same for Withor. He’s worried about losing his grip on the cairn and he’s starting to get desperate to secure his interests. Maybe it’s past time for him to step down, and he is doing anything he can to stay in the game. That would certainly explain some of his rash actions.”
“So…” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “That’s not good, though. He has a big cairn. That’s a lot of people depending on his leadership.”
“It’s a great thing, babe.” He put his hand on my leg. “I’ve heard Nathanial mention that cairns that undergo a change in leadership are given plenty of time to find their way. No one kicks them when they’re down. They all kinda regulate each other, it sounds like. It’ll give someone else the chance to keep the cairn in high status, and maybe that someone will look a little more favorably on you.”