The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven)

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Rex stood there, totally frozen, his jaw practically on the floor.

He'd been so worked up and thrown off that he'd completely forgotten about that Vyrdenia law protecting military higher-ups.

Now Raven was in the clear, and he had nothing to pin on her.

A second later, he looked at her again, this time with a cautious edge.

'This woman's playing chess while I'm stuck on checkers,' he thought.

Raven didn't even blink at his stare and turned to Lorne instead.

+5

"General," she said, cool as ever, "Dane tried-and almost managed-to kill a six- year-old. Jax showed up with a crew to take down a military general. Up to you how to handle it."

Rex snapped out of his daze at her sharp tone.

His chest tightened in an instant.

Scared the General might decide right then and there, he jumped in quick.

"General," he rushed out, panic clear, "Dane and Jax messed up, no doubt, but it's not as awful as she's making it out to be. Nobody died because of them-please, let my last family off!"

Raven's eyes went colder at that.

"It's exactly because they've got a military general like you in their corner that they pull this stuff!" she fired back, her voice hard.

"If every bigwig's family ran loose like this, Vyrdenia wouldn't need an enemy attack-we'd fall apart from our own military circus!" she added, sounding all high and mighty.

Rex wanted to throttle her after that self-righteous rant.

He'd say something, she'd hit back twice as hard.

He'd never felt so cornered.

"Sir..." he tried again.

Rex opened his mouth to keep going, but Lorne shut him down with a raised hand before he could get it out.

"The Grayson family's in the wrong," Lorne said, low and steady. "If I let this go just because you're pleading, what do I do when the next military hotshot tries the same thing?"

Then he turned to the soldiers behind him.

"Guards," he ordered, voice booming with authority, "take Dane, Jax, and this young woman. Lock them up in Bastion Prison. The courts can figure it

out!"

Rex's heart dropped like a rock.

Dane and Jax went rigid, their faces draining of color.

Vivian's expression turned to pure, wild panic.

If this hit the courts, once that 'attempted murder of a military general'

charge landed, it would be death or life without parole at best.

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Chapter 30

a desperate move, she threw all caution aside and shouted

71%

+5

Drake's a lieutenant general! I just had a

to me!"

fazed at all. "Drake? I know

gave it

face twisted with

went icy, and he said, "If you're still

Valor handle

and

he

glare, his eyes full of

sir," he added, voice thick, "Lieutenant

you stepped out-she said even you wouldn't be able to

talked to you rudely, no rank or nothing," he said, hammering it

'peeping Tom' at you, her

she's got zero respect for you!"

attitude, she's gonna mess

the military down with

young," Rex said, his tone weighty. "I'll give her props-she's done plenty for

who've been in the trenches forever, hearing some

and they're still below a punk who's barely an adult. You

losing heart, and to give Lieutenant General Valor some time to cool off, drop that

colonel for now. Wait till she's at least thirty

the military will fall into

Raven let out a sharp, cold laugh at

head, her

"since so many think I'm not up for this job, no point in bothering with a demotion-just let me walk away

FRIEND. If the military figured she didn't belong, she wasn't about to keep

even sweat unseal that

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Chapter 30

a strange quiet

at

believe what he'd just

She actually

she out of her mind?'

advice, she'd still be a

for and

Rex couldn't

hold on", Rex muttered to himself, "she's already climbed this far;

her rank. Rex's look

military can't roll without

by a cheap move like that, he wouldn't

trick to flex on him? She was just screwing herself. Her

regret this,"

Lorne

a glare.