Playing with Passion Theta Series Book 1 by Gayle Parness Page B

sense
the moisture in the air? Our sisters have been busy. Floods and
famine will follow soon. Lumex will bring a torrent to bear if you
anger her again. Wiklyn will cause tremors and landslides.” His
sisters were masters at manipulating water and earth. “We will lose
the game.”
    "Those bitches are too busy trying to
control their own subjects, to bother us."
    "Yes. Perhaps, but..."
    "I never lose the game, as you well
know, Susa. Not in thousands of millennia.”
    “ You’ve been blessed with
fortune,” his brother grumbled.
    “Ha. I’ve been smarter than you three,
and continue to be. Perhaps I might offer you a gift. Watch the
next execution from my private box. I've hired Sun Yow as torturer.
He had a cancellation."
    Susa scowled. "No, thank
you."
    The air had grown chilly, even though
The Director's fiery energy usually kept it near 100 degrees
Fahrenheit. “Then leave me, brother.”
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Ingrid's first full day with her new troupe was ridiculous on
so many levels.
    When Ingrid made it downstairs for
breakfast, Diane, the female diva of the troupe, was already at the
table eating and scanning the news on her H-tab. She looked up from
her emagazine and smiled, but the expression didn't seem genuine.
Divas started out as ingénues, like Ingrid and Gene, then, after
reaching a certain age, moved into the troupe's diva slot. A new
Ingrid joining the troupe was another reminder they were aging.
Some took it better than others did.
    Ingrid smiled back, hoping to get off
on better footing this first full day. "Good morning, I'm Ingrid."
Totally unnecessary, but first days were always awkward. She should
know.
    "Mmm." Diane sent her a weak wave, but
didn't look up from her meal of cereal and yogurt.
    A young male poked his head out from
what seemed to be a pantry. "Hey, good morning, Ingrid. I'm Alan,
the assistant production manager. You want eggs or pancakes or
something else? I usually cook breakfast," he explained. He was a
redheaded kid with freckles and a nice smile.
    "I don't want to bother
you..."
    "Ask him for anything. He likes to
cook." Diane was watching the exchange, looking friendlier now that
Alan was talking.
    "Well, yeah, that's part of it. I
mean, Mack doesn't live here on the property, although he usually
wanders in around ten or so. Somebody has to make sure the troupe
eats breakfast—most important meal of the day and all. You actors
use up a ton of energy and today you'll be working together for the
first time. It’s important to keep hydrated, too,
‘cause…”
    "He also likes to talk."
    Diane’s snarky interruption raised
Ingrid’s hackles. The kid was being friendly and helpful. In her
experience, most APM’s were pretty nice, trained in the institutes
as techs instead of actors. After their stint as an assistant
they’d move up the ladder to become a Mack, the head honcho in a
troupe.
    Alan's cheeks pinked up, turning away
to get back to cooking some eggs. "Sorry. There's cereal on the
first shelf and fruit salad in the refrigerator."
    Ingrid didn't like the way Diane had
embarrassed him. She touched his shoulder. "I'd love two scrambled
eggs and some wheat toast. Do you have any jam?"
    His grin was massive. "Strawberry and
apricot. Do you want some cheese in your eggs?"
    "That would be lovely. Thank
you."
    "Coffee's in the corner."
    Ingrid nodded and fixed herself a cup
of coffee, taking a chair a little farther down the table from
Diane than she might have before the incident. She pulled out Sass
as Gene slid into the chair across from hers.
    "Sleep okay?" he asked, grinning like
a mischievous angel.
    "Yes, fine, you?" She smiled back,
happy to be with someone familiar.
    "Like a rock. Unpacking is hard
work."
    Diane giggled, the sound forced.
"Gene's like a rock in several ways. Well, I suppose you'll find
out soon enough, unless you already have." She winked at Ingrid in
an exaggerated way.
    Gene ignored Diane. "What did you
order? I can never decide. Alan's such a