“A lady should be respectful," is all he manages through gritted teeth. He pitches the towel in the corner.Miriam snorts. "That's me. My fair fuckin' lady.”

“Miss me?" he whispered, giving me the once-over, eyes lingering on my chest. My heart skipped a beat. My glyph pulsed painfully."Like a urinary tract infection," I said, through gritted teeth.”

“He tried to turn me into a buffet?” I gritted my teeth. “Before he killed me? He couldn’t kill me first and then eat me? That’s just fucking rude.”

“I gritted my teeth for a second, fighting a smile. If there was one thing he couldn't resist, it was an opportunity to give me something.”

“Fighting positions, please, ladies...''That's debatable,' Halt said in an undertone to Will as they stood watching...'The 'fighting' part or the 'ladies' part?' Will replied with a grin.Halt looked at him and shook his head. 'Definitely the 'ladies,'' he said. 'There's no debate about the 'fighting.''Will shrugged. He knew there was an edginess to the girls' relationship and that it had something to do with him. Why that should be so was beyond him.”

“Well I'm not dancing," Will said through gritted teeth. "I don't know how."Oh yes you are," Alyss told him. "Let's hope you're a fast learner."He glanced at her and saw no prospect of escape. "Well,at least I won't be the only one," he said. "Halt will be terrible too."But nobody in the assembly knew tat for the past ten days, Halt had been taking dance lessons from Lady Sandra.”