Free The Days of the Golden Moons (The Two Moons of Rehnor, Book 5) by J. Naomi Ay Page B

concerned for your safety, Madame,” Auntie Luci said.  “The bracelets
will prevent you from going anywhere that is unsecured and dangerous to you.”
    “The
Alliance will never allow you to go to Earth,” Taner insisted.
    “Oh,
it will.”  My mom shook her head.  “The Alliance will do anything for the right
amount of money.  It is the Emperor that needs to understand that this is a condition
on my part.  You may send an entire security team with me if you like.  You may
put a security dome over my mother's house.  You can secure every damn door. 
You can orbit the planet with a starship.  I don't care.  I am going to go to
Earth even if I have to cut off my hands to get rid of these.”
    “For
how long?” I asked.
    “I
don't know.  Do you want to come with me?”
    I
thought about that for a moment.  I kind of would like to go.  I was a little
worried that she would disappear again, and if I went with her, at least I could
make sure she came back.  Of course, if her security team was with her, they
would make sure she came back too.
    “School
starts next week, Sir,” Auntie Luci reminded me.  “You and Petya are moving to
your dorm room on Friday, are you not?”
    “That's
fine,” Mom replied.  “You don't need to come.  I may even try and bring Gramma
back here with me.”
    “Ok,”
I agreed.  “But you won't be gone too long, will you?”
    “I
don't know,” she shrugged, “I'm kind of in a precarious position here.  I'm
supposed to be the Empress, but I'm not sure if I'm still married to the
Emperor or just a slave of the state.”  She banged the bracelets against the
table.
    “Oh,
you are still married,” Taner insisted.  “He hasn't said anything to the
contrary, and I can assure you, he's been...uhem…entirely faithful.”  Taner
glanced at me.
    “Well,
I'm not sure I want to be.”  Mom lifted her chin.  “Being married implies that
you actually live together and occasionally speak to each other.  I know he's
the Supreme Big Guy in the galaxy right now, but it would have been awfully
nice if he had at least sent me a letter and welcomed me back to sanity.”
    “That
would require a return to sanity on his part as well,” Auntie Luci remarked
with a smile.
    “It
would also have been nice if you guys found me and maybe rescued me some time
before eight years had passed,” Mom added.
    Taner
looked embarrassed.
    “You're
back now and that's what's important,” I said.
    “Right,”
Mom agreed and then smiled at me.  “Geez, I just can't get enough of looking at
you.  You're like eye candy in addition to being utterly brilliant.”
    I
rolled my eyes.  It was nice to be adored.

 
     
     
    Chapter 15
    Jerry
     
    I
saw on Galaxy Net Daily that Katie had met with the President of the Alliance
and the Governor of Rozari.  I was sitting in the coffee shop drinking an Iced
Green Tea Frappe sweetened with stevia and eating an 18 grain raisin roll for
breakfast.  The news service had a short vid clip of Katie standing with the
other guys and Lord Taner, the guy I once gave a bypass to, hovered right
behind her. 
    Actually,
Taner didn’t look too well in the clip.  I did a mental calculation and
wondered if he needed a follow up procedure.  Katie looked awesome though.  She
looked beautiful while she was here playing Ninja sandwich maker, but she
looked absolutely gorgeous dressed up like a queen.  The funny thing was as I
studied this clip, as I watched her face over and over on my tablet, I
realized, I didn’t need her anymore.  I was a whole person now without her. 
Sure, I still loved her in that brother-sister kind of way, and I would miss
her, but I didn’t want her anymore.
    It
was right about then that someone sat down beside me and set down a venti cup
of something hot and filled with whipped cream.
    “She
gave them the house,” that person said, and I glanced up from my tablet to see
Janet there.  “It was like the Taj Mahal, he built it for