Free Steel Victory (Steel Empire Book 1) by J.L. Gribble Page A

Colonies and brought back word of recent military activity.” Max placed his empty water bottle on the floor beside his seat. “It could just have to do with one of the nasties that keep coming out of the southern Wasteland, but I wanted to speak with Asaron about it. See whether he’d been in the area recently and get his opinion. ”
    “What’s going on?” Kane said.
    “I don’t really know,” Max said. “Apparently I need to include more training in group tactics. The kids could only report a few groups of soldiers heading north. They didn’t actually see the groups, so I don’t even have numbers to work with. I was hoping Asaron might have heard something.”
    “I don’t know when Grandpa was down there last, but it never hurts to ask,” Toria said. “Come over for dinner tonight and ask him. That way you can talk with Mama before the council meeting, too. You could show up together. That would really get Fabbri pissed.”
    “Devious child.” Max shook his head. “You take after your mother. Remind me never to cross you. I’m sure you’ll get worse with age. But I will accept the dinner invitation. We have work to do.”

    Dull. Dull, dull, dull.
    Victory had expected this meeting to begin with a bang, but instead everyone tiptoed around the issue at hand. With fifteen councilmembers, the tiptoeing resembled a herd of elephants in a crystal shop. Two of the elected human members hadn’t even known about the current situation. Genevieve and Tristan, pack leaders of the leopards and wolves, respectively, hadn’t before she called them. Lena took control when the head of council requested a rational explanation of recent events, and Victory was content to sit back and try to ignore the broken spring in the seat of her chair.
    She zoned out, rather than jumping in and giving her own two cents—or three, or four, she had plenty—and risking the impression of being too close to the subject at hand. Instead, she set her eyes on Lena and let them glaze over, to drift to the end of the council hall where the seal of the city of Limani was painted in luscious colors on the far wall.
    Two boats brought the first colonists to settle Limani over five hundred years ago. Now the golden Toxo and Peristeri rested on a background of blue seas and silver sky. They brought freedom and civilization to the shores of New Europa when the settlers established a city-state in the style of their Grecian counterparts. For the most part, the spirit of independence and community ran strong in Limani.
    But as Victory knew from over a century of living there, it wasn’t always the case. Once Lena finished, the opening riposte was presented.
    “This behavior is unacceptable.” The barest hint of a low hiss, evidence of his reptilian other self, underlay Lorus’ pronouncement. The council’s representative of werecreatures other than wolves and panthers curled his hands into fists on the table.
    Emily Fabbri sat opposite him, staring back in matching fury. “I have received multiple complaints from my constituents, and every single one of them demands something be done about your blatant offenses against Limani’s community.”
    From her seat farther toward the head of the table, Victory could see Lorus’ elongated pupils. Soon he would be flashing fangs even longer than hers. It looked as though she would lose the bet with Max made over dinner. She had expected Tristan to lose his temper first. Limani’s most powerful male werewolf did not get his position in pack hierarchy by taking things lying down. Of course, Max had bet Victory would be the first to lash out, so perhaps now she could keep her twenty bucks.
    Victory realized she had missed Fabbri’s retort when Tristan’s deep voice resonated off the council room’s walls. “You are a lying bitch!”
    She prepared to jump into the fray when Tristan’s apparent insult roused the meeker human councilmembers to attention. Lucia Stein, the eldest member of the