Judged Read Online Free

on the way down, and I kicked him to stun him before I took off.”
    “You kicked an Oefric and ran away?”
    She winced as the sealing continued with small increments.
    “No, I kicked an Oefric and used the skimmer to jet away. If he followed on foot, I might have lost him.”
    Kadenz nodded. “Might have but probably didn’t. Well, I am very glad that I came in here. At least I won’t be caught by surprise.”
    He finished his work and examined her wound closely. “He was stabbing at you when this was done.”
    She twisted her lips. “I am aware of that. It wouldn’t have bled so much if he hadn’t.”
    He sighed. “He’s on the property.”
    “What?” Alice looked toward the door.
    “His scent is coming in through the window.” Kadenz pulled his work shirt off over his head.
    Alice swallowed nervously. “He’s here?”
    “Someone followed you, because I am not expecting any guests that smell like metal.”
    In front of her eyes, Kadenz shifted into something that was half man in tight pants and half beast, claws and fangs extended.
    She couldn’t figure out if it was more canine or feline. She didn’t have a chance to guess. A snarl from outside had him running to meet the sound.
    Alice got to her feet and rushed to the doorway. Two man-beasts were wrestling on the ground and blood was flowing out of one of them. It took a bit of squinting to figure out who was who, but the dark blood on the buttocks of one of the creatures told her which one was Kadenz. She was thankful for the fork at that moment. The small mark meant that when the large furry creature came toward her, she didn’t scream and run.
    Alice moved past Kadenz and tried to approach the hunter on the ground, but her host held her back. He shifted back to his normal shape. “You don’t want to get near the body. I made a bit of a mess.”
    She looked and saw the still form that had reverted to the shape of the man in the market. His pale blue eyes were wide open and staring at her.
    Alice turned away and cleared her throat. “Do you have any wounds that need tending? Turnabout is fair play.”
    “A few scratches that need cleaning if you wouldn’t mind. Oh, and a puncture wound on my ass.”
    She cleared her throat and let him turn her back toward the house. “Oh, that. Sorry about that.”
    “Don’t be. I deserved it. If it makes you feel better, you can patch it up.”
    She laughed. “Fine. Come in and sit down.”
    “No, first, I will shower so that you won’t have extra work. You might want to change as well. Your breast is showing, and while it is a lovely sight, I feel that I am impinging on your privacy.”
    Alice yelped and pulled her suit up. It had indeed slipped down to mid-torso on the left side.
    “I don’t have another mourning suit.” She muttered it as she headed up to her room.
    Several suits and costumes were lifted and set aside as inappropriate for her work. She settled on a relatively simple dress with her Terran undergarments comfortingly in place. The dress was relatively simple by Kalian standards. The edges were covered with three inches of thick embroidery. She fastened the sleeves back with a sash cross-tied behind her back.
    She stepped out of her room and Kadenz came out of the first room with only a towel to conceal his hips and the only point of him she was still unclear on.
    He blinked. “That is quite the gown.”
    “It is the least formal thing I was allowed to bring. Hecor was a stickler for formality at all times.” She shrugged and reached into the deep vee of the dress. “Here is your credit chit. I bought enough to last us just over a week. If we need more, I can go again.”
    Kadenz shook his head. “I have called the peacekeepers to come and retrieve the body. You are not to mention your earlier interaction with him.”
    She scowled. “There were witnesses.”
    He reached behind her and pulled the jewelled pins that kept her hair in place. The red strands tumbled down over her