Free The Tigrens' Glory by Laura Jo Phillips Page B

to exit before climbing out behind them, smoothing the wrinkles in his shirt as he glanced around with a grimace of distaste. 
    “What are you doing here?” a female voice demanded.  Rollo turned to see Princess Gloriani and a small red haired woman walking down the porch steps of a wooden hut-like structure.  He barely glanced at the red haired woman who, judging by her casual clothing, was either a servant or a peasant.  He focused his attention on Gloriani, recognizing her only because of her clothing since he’d never seen her face.  She was the only female warrior whose uniform bore gold buckles and fastenings, a mark of her royal status. 
    “You will soon learn not to speak to me in such a manner,” he snapped as he walked straight toward her, his guards flanking him on either side.  “I’m extremely displeased at being forced to travel so far to fetch you.  It will go better for you if you get into the ground car immediately and give me no further trouble.”  His eyes widened when Gloriani drew her sword and stepped onto the grass, moving so that her body blocked the smaller woman who’d followed her off the porch.
    “Come no closer,” she growled.  Rollo stopped walking.  One of the few things he knew about the woman was that she was extremely dangerous with a blade in her hands.  Another mistake her father would answer for were he not King.  Rollo’s face flushed with embarrassment at being threatened by a woman, and anger that it had been done in front of witnesses.  She would spend days screaming her apologies for that insult.
    “How did you get onto the ranch?” the red haired woman demanded.  Her husky voice held a ring of authority that gave Rollo a moment’s pause.  He looked at the woman again, but saw no more on second glance than he’d seen in the first.  From the way she was moving slowly backward, putting distance between herself and Gloriani, she at least had enough sense to be afraid of him.  Then she stopped.  Not afraid enough, apparently.
    “Females who speak to me without permission are soon taught their true place,” he said coldly.  “I’ve no qualms about taking you in hand should you dare to address me again.”
    The woman’s eyes all but glowed with fury, but he ignored that, as well.  The smirk on Gloriani’s face he did not ignore.  The other thing he knew about her was that she rarely, if ever, allowed emotion to break through her stoic mask.  It was, in truth, the only good thing about marrying the woman, aside from gaining her royal status for himself.  He’d had many exciting fantasies about breaking her, and now was as good a time to begin as any. 
    “I shall enjoy watching you pay for that,” he said with his cruelest smile.
    The moment the words were out of his mouth, the other woman...changed.  One moment a woman stood a few yards behind Gloriani, the next there was an enormous winged creature standing in her place, spitting flames into the sky as it roared so loudly, and with such rage, that Rollo stumbled backward in fear before he could stop himself.
    “Now you’ve done it,” Gloriani said, her smirk widening into a full-fledged grin.  Rollo was staring openmouthed in shock, his mind unable to process what he was seeing.  Seconds later, three more of the spotted creatures, all larger than the female, suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.  He heard a soft grunt from Egis, who stood at his left side, and looked over in time to see him fall to the ground, one hand reaching for the knife blossoming from his chest.  Rollo looked back up and saw another knife, presumably belonging to Egis, sticking out from one of the female creature’s wings.  Then he looked at Gloriani, whose sword was back in its scabbard.  Instead, she now held two throwing knives, one in each hand, aimed at himself and Boke.
    Rollo held his hands out, barely noticing when Boke did the same.  He watched in mingled fear, horror and disbelief as the creatures