Chapter One
Santa’s head flopped to the side, making him look like he’d overindulged on the eggnog. Then it bounced back with renewed vigor, over-correcting and flipping the other way.
Rich frowned as he sat watching Santa’s too-cheerful face flop back and forth. Right, then left.
How could a man who’d spent his entire life living in the freezing cold with a bunch of elves be that damn happy? Sure, everyone loved him but who cared about that? Rich snorted.
Love. Stupid emotion.
Power. Wealth. Admiration. Those were things he understood. But love? Helping others for no reason other than personal satisfaction? Giving without taking?
What the fuck was that all about?
People weren’t really like that. Oh, there were some selfless, truly nice people. His cousin, Alice, was one. But most people were selfish bastards who looked out for number one.
Those were the type of people he could relate to. Hell, he could be their spokesman. Because if he knew how to do one thing well, it was to be a selfish bastard. And he wasn’t going to apologize for it. If it meant getting his way, then that’s just what he had to do. He wouldn’t be where he was now if he hadn’t been an asshole sometimes. Okay, most of the time. But it was paying off because soon he would have everything he’d ever wanted. He would overthrow that asshole Duncan and take the position that was rightfully his.
Head-Councillor of the Earth Council.
Finally, he would get revenge for his father’s death and rule Earth.
Life couldn’t get much better than that.
What did he care if it was two weeks until Christmas and he was alone on a spaceship in the middle of nowhere? No family, no friends, no one to celebrate with.
“Fuck, like I give a shit about Christmas?” he muttered to himself. He usually worked through the holidays anyway.
Picking up a stress ball, he tossed it from hand to hand as he glared at the bobble-headed Santa Alice had given him. She’d been upset with him for leaving Zerconia without taking anyone as back-up. But he’d needed to get away from Zerconia quickly. Bad enough he had to see his sister and cousin succumb to the dubious appeal of one of those overgrown ape-like Zerconian warriors, but watching Sophie find a mate had been more than he could take.
Not that he’d ever thought he would have a relationship with Sophie. She was too sweet and gentle for him. No, she deserved much, much better. Although he wasn’t certain that better was that giant Toriq. He had about as much personality as a block of cheese. But he was her mate. Zerconians took that seriously. They mated for life.
Personally, Rich thought that sounded like a death sentence. He didn’t buy into that mate-for-life, protect-the-little-woman, happy-ever-after bullshit. Mated to the same person forever? Nope, not for him.
Not even if that person was Sophie.
The bobble-headed Santa rocked back and forth, mocking him with its cheerful smile. He snarled then threw the stress ball at Santa, knocking him off his perch on the edge of the desk. Now that was the best use of that stress ball he’d ever had. Maybe he should throw it at things that annoyed him more often.
The sudden blaring of the warning siren made him sit up in a hurry, all thoughts of Zerconia and Sophie fleeing.
“Computer, what’s wrong?” he asked urgently.
“Malfunction. Losing power rapidly.”
“What? What sort of fucking malfunction? I paid good money for this heap of metal, there shouldn’t be a goddamn malfunction.”
Unless that bastard, Rufus, ripped him off. This is what he got for buying a ship in a hurry. He hadn’t done a proper background check on the idiot he’d bought this ship from. He’d been too eager to get away from Zerconia to spare the time.
“Can’t you fix whatever the fuck is wrong?”
“Negative.” It rattled off all this shit he didn’t understand.
“Computer, what is the solution?” he interrupted its spiel.
“We must land. Immediately.” A 3D map appeared in front of him. “There are three planets we can reach. But only Tiran can sustain your lifeform. Do you wish to head there?”
“No, let’s go to one of the other planets,” he said with heavy sarcasm.
“Which one?”
He sighed. “That was sarcasm. Head towards Tiran.”
“Affirmative,” the mechanical voice told him.
The ship shuddered and dipped to the right. He had to grab hold of the desk to remain standing. Were they even going to make it?
“Computer, connect me to Logan.”
“Rich?” Logan’s deep voice came through the speakers just as the ship shook again. Logan had worked for him for years. He was a security specialist and a damn good investigator. Thanks to him and his team Rich now had evidence that High-Councillor Duncan had been embezzling funds for years.
Rich gritted his teeth, feeling his tension rise. This was not what he needed. “Logan, I may not have much time. My ship has a malfunction; we’re about to crash land on Tiran.” He quickly gave the coordinates.
“Got it. It’s going to take us at least five days to reach you. Probably more like a week.”
“Understood,” he said grimly. “Just get here as quickly as you can.”
“Keep—” The communication broke off.
“Computer?” he queried.
“All power has been diverted to the engine. Brace yourself for impact.”
Well, fuck.
***
“It has been a good hunt,” Amira stated.
Laylla nodded solemnly. “There is much meat to feed the village now.” She looked back at her fellow hunters. No deaths, only a few injuries and one dead stampa beast. It was a very good hunt. Now they just had to travel back to the village with their kills.
“Are you looking forward to the ceremony?” Amira asked. “You could have forgone the hunt to stay behind and prepare.”
Look forward to the ceremony? Laylla wrinkled her nose. She would rather roll in the dead carcass of a stampa beast and parade naked through the village than take part in the ceremony.
“The hunt was more important.”
Amira raised her eyebrows, looking shocked. “The elders do not think so.”
The elders weren’t the ones having to participate in the ceremony, so Laylla thought very little of their opinion on the matter. She was the one who was expected to give her body to one of the males so they could fornicate with her.
It was for the greater good.
Urgh, now she was beginning to sound like the elders.
“Every female over twenty-five summers has to participate in the ceremony if their name is called, Laylla. Your name was called forth by the elders. You should be grateful. I am nearly twenty-eight summers, and my name has yet to be called.”
Laylla glanced down at Amira, taking in the hurt look on her face. The elders didn’t see Amira as a good candidate for the ceremony because she was so much smaller than everyone else and had been born with a limp. But she was deadly accurate with her bow and arrows. She was loyal, and she followed the rules.
Laylla grimaced. Just the idea of having her body bathed and prepared to accept the male the elders chose made her feel ill. And spending months carrying a child would just slow her down. Not that a child was an unwelcome idea, she would like a child. Eventually. But she did not like having it dictated to her when she should have a child and who she should join with. She should be free to make her own choices.
She could just leave. Like Halna. Everyone knew what had happened to Halna, even though she’d left when Laylla was young. She was used as an example by the elders about what would happen if you disobeyed them. She’d died alone, her remains had been found weeks later. Even though Laylla was certain she had the skills to survive on her own, it would be a lonely existence, and she didn’t want to live out her years alone. Even though both her parents were gone, she still had her friends and her grandmother, although they weren’t close.
“Your time will come, Amira,” Laylla told her reassuringly. “You are still young yet.”
Amira wrinkled her nose. “Will it? Somehow, I do not think that will be the case.”
A loud, booming noise made Laylla pull up her mount in alarm. She held her hand up to her forehead, sheltering her eyes as she spotted something falling through the sky.
“What is that?” Amira asked, alarmed.
Laylla didn’t know, but whatever it was, it was headed towards the ground at an alarming pace. There was a loud boom, and the ground beneath them shuddered. Laylla froze for a moment, then her mount reared, trying to buck her off and she had to work to calm the terrified Lonzi beast.
“Caria, Bianya, and Molana, stay here,” Laylla directed. “Amira and Sirya, you are with me.”
Laylla took off in the direction of the crash, pushing her mount into a run as she burst out of the wooded area and onto a long plain where she saw the smoke billowing up in the distance.
“Do you think it’s one of the flying ships?” Amira asked excitedly. “My mother said one landed here when she was young.”
“Didn’t Micah come from one of those ships?” Sirya asked, speaking of one of their elderly males. “Perhaps this is a relative of his?”
“From what Micah has said, the universe is a large place, filled with many different species. I do not think this will be a relation of his,” Laylla called back.
“Do you think they will be dangerous?” Amira asked.
“I do not know. But ready yourselves for any possibility.” They grew closer, and she spotted a large object in the distance. The sunlight glinted off its exterior and smoke billowed up into the green-blue sky. She pushed her mount faster, worried that whoever was on that flying ship had not survived such a terrible crash.
As she grew closer, she quickly dismounted and moved towards the ship, which was far larger than she had first suspected. Looking at the marks on the ground, it had obviously skidded along before smashing against some trees, a few of which had been uprooted. The heat radiating from the gray metal ship was incredible. She walked around it, searching for a way inside.
“Over here!” Sirya called out.
Laylla raced around to find Sirya and Amira standing in front of what looked like a small gap where two panels met. A door perhaps? But the gap was too small for any of them to get through.
“Pull from the other side,” she ordered them, grasping hold of one panel and pulling backwards. She flicked out the ends of her hair, using them to wrap around the panel and tug as well. Amira and Sirya did the same. Suddenly, the panel shifted, and Laylla nearly went flying. Amira landed on her ass on the ground.
Sirya helped Amira up as Laylla approached the opening cautiously. The inside of the flying ship was dark. Sparks sizzled above her head making her flinch and duck. Smoke clawed at her, burning her lungs.
“Stay here,” she called back to the other two as she wrapped strands of her golden hair over her mouth and nose to filter out the smoke.
Laylla’s hair was an extension of herself, like her arms and legs, she could use it like extra limbs. Flexible and strong, the hair of all females of her kind grew well past their buttocks, an asset in any fight.
Laylla moved cautiously through the flying ship, her eyes burning with the smoke. She needed to move quickly. It wasn’t safe to remain inside here. She was starting to believe the ship held no sentient passengers when she heard a low moaning noise coming from the passageway. She walked forward then nearly tripped over something on the ground. Crouching, she saw a long leg.
Excitement filled her. There was someone here.
She felt her way up the person’s body, wishing there was some light. The limbs she encountered were hard, muscular. She ran her hand over another body part, startling as it moved.
What was that?
She touched it again.
A male voice grumbled something unintelligible.
Laylla was so surprised at the sound, she fell back on her ass with a thump. Goddess! If the others could see her now, they would laugh.
The being shifted, and Laylla moved back further. Her eyes were starting to slowly adjust to the darkness, and she could make out a head and shoulders. The being coughed and Laylla jumped slightly. What was she thinking? They needed to get out of here.
“We must leave,” she told the male and stood, expecting to be immediately obeyed.
The male didn’t move but just lay there staring up at her. Perhaps it could not move. It was male, therefore far weaker than she was. She reached down and grasped hold of his arm, pulling him up. It took more effort than she thought it would. This male was much heavier than the males she knew.
The being pushed away from her, backing up. Then he crumpled to the ground. Laylla stood over him for a few seconds, waiting for him to move. When he didn’t, she sighed and picked him up once more, throwing him over her shoulder.
He should have just allowed her to help in the first place. But then what did she expect? It was a male, after all, and they weren’t known for their intellect.