Taken (Calliston Series - Book 1) Read Online Free

already knew to be laughter. He wasn't yet sure if it were the same for all Lyrissians or just unique to Tarn. "My respect for you increased that night, U-man," Tarn said. "Seeing to my daughter's needs over your own. Not many Lyrissians would have done what you did."
    "I'm willing to bet they wouldn't have dismissed the guard, either," said Viktor. "Has she told you why she rejects her suitors?"
    Tarn nodded. "Many times. All my other daughters are happily mated. This, S'rea tells me, is not the life for her. She is an intelligent Lyrissian with a gift for science. She is the reason I am here."
    "I don't understand," said Viktor.
    "Females are sacred," Tarn said, carefully choosing his words. "They bring life into the universe. They hold sway over the males. Start wars. End wars. Life and death. It may not seem like it to you, U-man, but they hold most of the power. Either some males realize this and wish to take it away, or they go to the opposite extreme and smother their females. It is not pleasant to have that done to you. S'rea is smart enough to see this. If we do not reach out and spread out across the universe, females like S'rea will be a rarity. So I am here for her."
    "That is a noble reason," Viktor said.
    "What is yours?"
    Viktor smiled. "It is my job."
    "Your other reason?"  
    "I needed a new challenge. I needed to get away," said Viktor. "To find myself again."
    Tarn nodded. "That is noble."
    * * *
    S'rea accepted a drink from Viktor, who cautiously smiled at her. The wounds she had inflicted upon his face were slow to heal. If he had been a Lyrissian male, they would be a distant memory by now. Knowing that made her feel something. What exactly, though, she didn't know. It wasn't a happy emotion, that much she was certain of. Perhaps it was regret.
    Her father was the last to receive a glass of the red liquid. He lifted it high in the air and declared in Common, "To tomorrow. May it be better than yesterday."
    "To tomorrow!"
    S'rea sipped at her drink. Her father, in his usual customary manner, drank all of his in one gulp. He smacked his lips together in appreciation and smiled at his daughter. S'rea would have smiled back under her veil, except the glass slipped from her father's fingers. She watched it fall in slow motion to the deck and smash. By the time she looked back up, her father was clutching his throat.
    "Father!" she cried, and ran to him.
    Not a sound escaped his lips as he tried to gasp for air.
    "No!"
    * * *
    Viktor paced back and forth outside the door to medbay. His hair was disheveled from the abuse he was putting it through and his suit was a crumpled mess. Never before had something like this happened. Not that he knew exactly what had happened. All he knew was that he had given Tarn his drink and now the Lyrissian representative, S'rea's father, was on the other side of those doors in an unknown state.
    Someone had suggested poison, and Viktor had immediately thought of Roger's warning. Assassination. The why was obvious: they wanted the negotiations to fail. The who was what they needed to know in order to put things right.
    The doors opened and Viktor stopped pacing. S'rea stood framed in the doorway. Her eyes, usually a dark color, were now tinged with yellow. She glared at him and he swallowed hard.
    "You," she growled.
    "Me?" he asked, eyebrow raised.
    " You gave it to him."
    "Poison?" Viktor asked.
    "So you admit it," said S'rea. She stalked forward, eyes glued to his.
    "No," said Viktor. "I don't admit to anything."
    "No, you would not be that stupid."
    "Thank you. I think," Viktor said, still wary.
    S'rea circled him. "Your U-man doctor thinks it was a reaction to something added to his drink."
    "And I gave him the drink. I think I'm seeing where you're going here," said Viktor. "But I want these talks to succeed as much as your father does."
    "So you say."
    Viktor expelled air in exasperation. "S'rea, is he okay?"
    "He will live," she finally admitted. "If he had not, we would