Chapter 12
Uma smirked as her eyes rose from her book and followed Vrin. The male still had not forgiven her for the other day—not that she cared in the least. Served him right for being an absolute bastard. She certainly wasn’t pitying his surly carcass. She reclined back in her chair as she watched him suspiciously eye her as he stalked through the room. A faint smile curled her lips. She had no doubt he was thinking unpleasant things about her, but at least he was keeping them to himself. It seemed that, despite his mouth, he was smart enough to acknowledge that not only did she have direct access to his food but had also proved that she wasn’t shy about tampering with it in retaliation.
As much as she wanted to laugh out loud at his pained expression, she decided that discretion was the better part of valor—especially if it meant maintaining the current uneasy peace between them—and dropped her gaze back to her book before he had the opportunity to look her way. She didn’t look back up, not even when her skin prickled with awareness as she felt his eyes drift over to her. Instead, she flipped the page and pointedly refused to acknowledge him until he finally walked past and exited the room.
Thank the gods for small favors. She snapped her book closed and stretched in her chair. It wasn’t as comfortable as the chair in her office, but as the main clerical and intake area as well as the front service of the armory, it was far better than sitting in the holding area. Let Vrin go brood elsewhere rather than ruin a perfectly comfortable spot.
That was at least one thing in her favor due to the snowstorm descending full strength upon them. It had allowed her to open the rest of the station up during the day so that they weren’t trapped in such a small space together. She had the only key, so it wasn’t like they could go anywhere. She was seated in the only space that was closed with a reinforced gate during the day when there wasn’t someone directly behind the desk. For security reasons given the files and weaponry in that part of the station. As a result, the Ragoru only got locked up at night in their cell before she retired to her own bunk—because while she was generous, she was also too cautious to take chances when her own life any sooner than she had to.
It would be different once they were out crossing Old Wayfairer’s territory and through the mountain passes at the borders. She would have to be on her guard at all times then, but she’d be damned if she were going to voluntarily subject herself to that any sooner than she had to. Even her personal tent was not Ragoru-proof.
“I could have saved myself a lot of trouble and not intervened with the guild’s foreman,” she muttered. “I could be spending the storm comfortably at home and left this to the usual assigned guardswomen to deal with.”
As captain, she wouldn’t have even been the one to escort them. Why wasn’t this something she had thought about more carefully? She groaned inwardly. Her conscience had been pricked by the obviously trumped-up allegations and, as a result, had been too damn charitable. But it seemed that life hadn’t hardened her so much that she could truly regret her decision. Even if she could have been comfortable with the idea of the males being locked up for days on end, she didn’t even want to think of how unbearable Vrin would have been to the guards. She didn’t want to put any of the women under her command in such unpleasant circumstances if it could be avoided.
“Vrin seems to be holding a grudge.”
Uma was startled at the sound of Kam’s voice so close to her and turned her head to peer up at him where he stood a respectful distance from her side. Catching her eye, he offered her a quick grin and leaned back against the wall as he lowered himself to a seated position. She peered at him for a long moment, but when he made no further move or commentary she simply shrugged and pretended to be busy as turned and she pulled open one of the numerous drawers that lined the wall behind her to flip through the files. The files waiting to be processed should at least keep her busy...
She frowned down in annoyance at the scant files remaining. Why wasn’t there more work to catch up on so that she would have more to occupy herself with? She had worked on a few files, but she hadn’t thought she had gotten quite so much done. Damn. So much for having a decent distraction. Sighing, she removed a file and set it on her desk before directing a pointed look at Kam, hoping that he would get the hint and follow Vrin’s example.
Unfortunately, the male was either dumber than a box of rocks or he was intentionally lingering to draw a response from her.
Not exactly a safe gamble in her current mood.
“As it happens, I don’t care,” she replied as she flipped the file open. She immediately grimaced and understood why it had been buried. Some people filed complaints about every little inconvenience. “As long as he has worked out what the basic acceptable behavior is and keeps his comments to himself then we will be fine.”
“Really?” Kam’s soft question drew her gaze at him as she gave him a sharp look. He smiled and shrugged. “Vrin is not the sort to forgive and forget. I sometimes think vengeance is what you call a hobby for him.”
She forced her attention back to the file and feigned a smile. “What luck—it just so happens that it’s mine too.”
An amused chuff escaped the male. “Laro will not be pleased if he retaliates, but I will be certain to inform him of your position. If nothing else, this should be interesting.”
His claws scraped lightly against the floor as he straightened once more, and Uma glanced up at him reflexively. He offered her another quick smile before he left her side, leaving her—presumably to return to the training room. Her brow lowered. Kam seemed pretty sure that Vrin would strike back—and likely do so in a way to ensure that he could get maximum pleasure out of his revenge. She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she studiously returned to her work. How juvenile.
Despite that, she stiffened in her chair as he walked past again sometime later. The passing hours had put an odd pep into his step, and his attention was fastened on the armory wall to her left. Even so, he didn’t head immediately there but moved about the room leisurely. Her eyes followed him suspiciously as he moved around the room. She didn’t know what exactly he wanted, but she wasn’t letting him out of her sight until he moved on. He was certainly taking his time too. He loitered at random points around the room, seemingly engrossed in one thing or another—several of which were very large and very sharp weapons mounted on the walls at ready use for the guards.
What exactly was he up to?
Resting a hand behind his back, he leaned forward to peer at several restraints hung on pegs, and Uma slowly folded her hands in front of her as she eyed him. He seemed deeply interested in the lengths of chain in front of him, and the dozens of sets of manacles next to them. The hair at the back of her neck slowly rose as he ran a claw over the heavy links as if contemplatively.
“You have a lot of restraints,” he rumbled after a long moment. “Ragoru have been known to braid grasses and leather for cords, but nothing like this. It must be very useful and keep those you use them on under your complete control.”
“That is one way to look at it,” she agreed. “But we prefer not to use them unless it is absolutely necessary for our safety, or the safety of others.”
“Restraining someone who is a threat to your safety is a good idea,” he agreed as he turned a shuttered look in her direction.
Her fingers curled into a fist against the desk as the air thickened with tension between them. “Not something you are likely to encounter. With the Order gone, you have few threats, correct?”
Vrin paused and his brow raised while his ears pricked toward her. “Sometimes troublesome things can be just as concerning. Little things can be considered a threat to safety as well if you care about your own welfare. Like a female who may poison your food. How trusting should someone be?”
Uma feigned a polite smile, her own eyebrows inching up. “Are you worried I cannot protect you?”
He scoffed, and the sound carried more threat than humor. “I worry about your understanding of the word protection.”
Leaning forward, she gave him a pointed look. “Do you really wish to make an enemy of me during your short time here?”
He turned toward her, his much larger frame looming over her. “Are you admitting to being my enemy? Do I need to demonstrate how I deal with an enemy.”
“What, it is not endlessly offending them with your mouth when not trying to scare them with vague threats?” she fired back as she arched an eyebrow at him.
“That is me being pleasant,” he growled meaningfully as he picked up a heavy chain and curled his fingers around it.
Uma’s eyes dropped to it and her heartrate picked up as she stared at it grasped in his hand. If he restrained her with it or used it as a weapon, she would have very little to defend herself against it.
The corner of his mouth suddenly hitched, and she narrowed her eyes at him in turn. “You are just fucking with me, aren’t you?” she hissed.
“You may never know,” he rumbled as he dropped the chain. “Do not try to poison me again, female,” he growled. His ear suddenly flicked as he straightened to his full height. “As I did not enjoy the experience and do not wish for a repeat of it, and would probably enjoy restraining you more than a male should in regard to a female, he has no intention keeping as his mate, I will keep the peace as long as you do.”
With those parting words, he walked out, his tail lightly flicking in her direction as he passed her desk. Uma stared after him, uncertain whether to be amused or offended at his words or aroused at the mental image they conjured. With a shake of her head, she turned back to her file.
“I’m going to end up just as demented as him by the time this is over,” she muttered.