“So you’ll do it,” Shiloh said.“Good, that is one thing off our minds.”
“What?No,” Ellard snapped.“Gweneth is a troublemaker.And the clothes she wears…” His mind slipped to her tanned legs and her cleavage—the vision she’d appeared in the dress thing.Appalled at the direction of his thoughts, he shook his head.Hard.
Lynx grinned.“Jannike told us there is nothing wrong with the way she dresses.That’s the way they dress on Earth.”
“Jannike and Camryn never wear clothes like that,” Ellard pointed out, his voice emerging clipped and disapproving.But his mind slipped to a memory without permission.One of Gweneth in a brief red thing at the swimming hole.Two pieces of fabric to screen her breasts and her…female parts.Never mind that the other women who’d arrived with Ry Coppersmith aboard the spaceshipIndefatigablehad worn similar apparel.Gweneth had made him stare.All those curves…
“Jannike wears Earth clothes sometimes,” Shiloh said with approval.
Lynx chuckled.“She says she prefers clothes she can fight in, although now that she is expecting our first child she won’t be able to train, and Camryn is almost ready to give birth.”
“She looks as if she might pop,” Ellard said.
Shiloh thumped him on the shoulder.“Don’t tell her that.”
“Back to Gweneth.”Lynx scanned his comp pad.“We’re short of transport.You’ll have to take our ship.”
“What?”Ellard realized he was gaping at his brother and Lynx.He snapped his mouth shut.“You never let anyone fly theGallant.”
Lynx thumbed to his next page of notes.“You’ll need to leave on the morrow.Let us know this eve if you agree to take Gweneth with you, otherwise we’ll have to choose a senior soldier.”
“Who?”Ellard demanded, his fingers flexing again.
“Durant might be suitable,” Shiloh suggested.“Or perhaps send Councilor Chewang.He’s sensible and would make sure Gweneth stayed safe.He sounded keen when I mentioned the task to him earlier this morn.”
“No!”Ellard snapped.“Durant is an idiot, and Chewang has so many females I’ve lost count.He’d seduce her.He’d hurt her.”
“Chewang has a steady business.He comes from an excellent family.Gweneth might be the woman to capture his interest.”Shiloh shared a quick glance with Lynx.“She bears the feline mark on her cheek, even though she can’t shift.She would make any Virosian male a fine mate.”
Phrull.He couldn’t let Gweneth go to Narenda with either of those males.His shoulders slumped momentarily before he straightened.“All right, I’ll do it.But Gweneth has to listen to me and not do anything stupid.She needs to follow my orders instantly with no argument.”
Lynx nodded.“Of course.We’ve already spoken to her.”
“I’ll go and tell Chewang his presence isn’t required,” Shiloh said.“He’ll be disappointed.”
Ellard grunted and turned to Lynx once his brother disappeared.“All right.You’d better give me specifics of what you want me to do.At least that way, the assignment will get done correctly.”
A sound came from the corner of the room, and Lynx coughed, clearing his throat.“Beg your pardon.I believe Jannike told us the Earth expression is a frog in my throat.”
“What is a frog?”
“A creature that lives near water, ponds, and such.”
Ellard grimaced, none the wiser.“This Earth place is weird.I can’t understand the women half the time, and Ry and their pilot, Nanu, are just as bad.”
Lynx grinned, his feline-green eyes glowing with a private thought.
Ellard decided not to ask about the cause of the humor.“Tell me what we need to do on Narenda and who we need to speak with.”
He listened and nodded.
“I’ll send the full details to the shipboard comp pad,” Lynx said once he finished talking.“But those are the basics.”
“I’ll go and pack.”Ellard left the king’s office, his mind full of all he needed to do.It wouldn’t be that bad.Most of his cycle would be consumed with piloting the ship and plotting the course.They’d speak with the dragon shapeshifters on Narenda, get their cooperation, and fly back to Viros.No problem.
Chapter 2
On board the Gallant spaceship, heading for Narenda
