"Joanna Wylde - Dragon's Mistress" - читать интересную книгу автора (Wylde Joanna)

"Guildmistress Karya," Drake said, his voice filled with smug triumph. "I thought I'd call and let you
know myself that I've convinced Daniella here to come work for me, now." He reached down with one
hand, patting her head as if she were some exotic pet.

"I see," Karya replied coldly. "You do realize that it is against our code for her to make a contract
with you without Guild sanction. It is traditional for a man of your position to make such arrangements
through the local Guild authority. In this case, that would be me."

"I don't think that's necessary," he replied, smiling at her. "As I'm sure you've noticed, the Guild no
longer holds the same position in this sector that it once held. Daniella has already made her decision."

Karya's hands clenched against the armrests of her chair. Her voice betrayed no tension, however,
as she calmly asked, "Dani, is this true?"

Dani lifted her head from Drakes lap, and turned to look into the view screen. Her face was flushed,
her lips red and swollen. She had the look of a woman who had been well loved.

"Yes, Karya," she said, her voice filled with malicious glee. "Lord Von'hot's made me a wonderful
offer too good to refuse. Especially since he'll be paying me directly, not through the Guild. I'm tired of
giving my earnings away to people like you."

"Daniella, you do realize that if you do this, you'll be expelled from the Guild. We're here to protect
you-" Karya said, but her voice was cut off by a scream in the outer office. Calanna burst through the
door, crying. Behind here were six heavily armed men in Drake's livery.

"I've sent you an escort, Guildmistress," Drake said in a light, amused voice. Karya's gaze snapped
back to the view screen. He was pushing Dani's head back down toward his hips, and smiling with
satisfaction. "I've decided that we no longer need Guild administrators on Von'hotten. Of course,
individual pleasure workers will be more than welcome to stay, if they so choose. You, however, are no
longer welcome."

With that, the transmission ended. Calanna was kneeling at her feet, crying and begging the men not
to hurt them. Karya looked at her captors with cool dignity, then took a deep breath and stood up.

"I assume you'll allow me to collect my things?" she asked quiet dignity. The troopers looked at each
other, and then one stepped forward. With interest, she noticed his discomfort. He didn't approve of his
orders, she realized.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," he said in a low voice. "But we've been instructed to escort you directly to the
space port. Your ship is waiting."

"I see," she replied quietly. "Calanna, pull yourself together. They aren't going to hurt us."

Calanna, still whimpering in fright, slowly stood up. Karya grasped the younger woman's hand
firmly, and together they followed the soldiers out of the room, out of the building, and into a waiting
transport. Karya held herself with stiff dignity the entire time, looking neither right nor left.

In fact, she didn't allow herself to relax at all until several hours later, long after she'd left Von'hotten.
They allowed her to leave on a Guild ship, and in the privacy of her own cabin, Karya went into the