THE END
Also by Samantha Jane
Eve’s story is now available for purchase:
STARCROSS (The Order of Orion: Book Two)
About the Author
Samantha Jane is a die-hard fan of both romance and action-adventure stories, and when the two genres combine, she’s in heaven. She lives in Australia with her superhero husband and two daughters who wish they could fly and shoot laser beams from their fingertips. Juggling a family, a day job and writing is her own action-adventure story.
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Enjoy a sneak peek of Eve’s story, STARCROSS, provided at this end of this book
Acknowledgments
Writing a novel has been a dream of mine for two decades. Incredible support from my family and friends helped this dream to become a reality. Much love and appreciation to:
Paul, my superhero husband, for your unwavering support—never once did you question my dream or the time spent chasing it. Your continued encouragement and love mean the world to me.
Imogen and Scarlett, my precious daughters, for understanding and being patient with Mummy’s computer work. You’re the best cheer squad a mother could ask for. And yes, one day, when you’re older, I’ll let you read this book.
Carole and Mal, my wonderful parents, for raising me to believe in myself and to chase my dreams. I did it!!!
Ella, Pam and Jess, my writing support group—I couldn’t have done this without you. Ella, you were the first to encourage me to put pen to paper, and I’ll never forget that. Pam, our online friendship is something I’ll always treasure. You’re an amazing crit partner and this book wouldn’t have happened without your daily texts to keep writing! Jess, ever since we met at a writing workshop, you’ve pushed me to keep going and not give up. You trail blazed the way forward with self-publishing and I’m so very grateful.
To the other early readers of Starborn—Jen, Nancy, Kayleigh, Jemina, Cherie, Maria, and Brenda—your feedback and encouragement made this book a better novel.
To Trish, the ‘Editor in Heels,’ your dedication and professionalism helped make Starborn sparkle.
To Tony, my amazing neighbor, for gifting me with your incredible graphic design skills to help me create THE perfect book cover. I love it so much!
To ALL my friends and family, your love and support gave me the courage to take a risk and share STARBORN with the world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Keep reading for a sneak peak of…
STARCROSS
Order of Orion: Book Two
* * *
Eve
Eve pounded her fists against the door. “Let me out, you motherfuckers!”
It had been hours since her sister and the pretty boy blond guard had visited. Since then there had been zero contact from her jailers and she was wound tight. After her capture she’d expected an immediate interrogation or at the very least some sort of intimidation, but there had been nothing. Nothing except endless white. Maybe that was their angle; capitulation through the fucking color white. Equal in height and width, her cell was a cube of white walls, white ceiling and white floor. Her head nearly touched the fucking ceiling. No windows. No furniture. No mirrors. Only a white door she’d been shoved through and then locked behind her.
“Hey you Order of Orion fuckers, let me out!”
They were probably monitoring her in the cube so yelling was unnecessary, but it made her feel a hell of a lot better. It gave her a chance to let off some steam, so she yelled some more and cursed her identical twin sister. If it hadn’t of been for Willow, she’d be on her way back to Noctem right now to get her final paycheck and then freedom.
Instead, she’d traded one jail for another.
Willow’s blue eyes and her pleading voice, both so much like her own, had tugged at heartstrings she’d thought were destroyed years ago. And like an idiot she’d backflipped on her plan, fucking herself in the process. Of course, the chance to kill her long tormenting companion had been an added temptation. That bastard, Reybourne, had gotten what he deserved when he lost his bowel function and heartbeat thanks to her and Willow uniting their Starborn power against him. They’d become a tandem tornado of will and revenge. However, the triumph of payback had evaporated almost immediately when she’d realized his death had left her the sole survivor of the Noctem team attacking a fortress full of a thousand Starborn.
Now, she ran her fingers through her cropped, bleached hair, dug her fingernails into her scalp, and tried to think. She needed to get back to Noctem headquarters. They would have received the upload of The Order’s registry of Starborn operatives and families. They’d know she had successfully led the team to the hiding place of The Order of Orion—a fucking underground bunker on an island off the coast of Canada. But with all her comrades dead, they’d be waiting for a status report.
Guilt stabbed at her when she thought of how The Order and its members were now exposed to her boss’ cruelty. The Order had fought to stay secret from normal society for hundreds of years. They’d also vowed never to use their powers for harm. Unlike Caine, who ruled Noctem and its rogue band of Starborn with zero scruples.
But she couldn’t worry about that now. What’s done was done.
Time was ticking. The longer it took for her to check-in, the greater the chance Noctem would think her dead, or worse, compromised, or even a traitor.
“Let me the fuck OUT,” she screamed again.
Granger
Granger heard Eve’s curses through the walls and the audio link. As part of the detail assigned to guard her cube, he’d listened to her derogatory comments about The Order for what felt like hours. Her potty mouth matched her rough appearance of tattoos and black leather. She was a wilder, coarser version of Doctor Willow Trilby, and a sexier version too. She had one of the hottest bodies he’d ever encountered—lean and strong with sensational curves. He tried to block out her shouting and his lurid thoughts.
The Elders had paid him great trust and respect by choosing him to guard her, especially now while the Sanctuary was in chaos. The surprise attack by Noctem was the first strike against The Order in living history. Eve’s emotional telepathy had rendered almost all the Starborn population in the Sanctuary unconscious and vulnerable to the Noctem incursion. No one had ever seen that kind of power, not even in her twin. Now, the only thing keeping the Sanctuary and all its inhabitants safe was the fact she was being held in a cube with a metaphysical field that suppressed her ability.
“I hope they fry her,” said Kristen, a butch Mercurian woman on guard duty with him. “All of those Starborn out in the community…Noctem has all their files now. It’s awful. They’re sitting ducks now ’cause of that bitch.”
“Yeah, she’s gonna pay.” He checked the holster of his handgun for the hundredth time. He wanted to be ready for anything. It rankled his pride that Eve had dropped him like Sleeping Beauty when she had breached the Sanctuary defenses and infiltrated their compound. He, like every other non-Mercurian, had fallen unconscious from her emotional telepathy.
“You don’t seem to be affected by her ability out here.” Kristen inspected him with squinted eyes. “The cube’s shield seems to be working.”
He didn’t care that part of the reason he was on guard detail was to act as sentinel for Eve’s telepathic power. If he fell unconscious the rest of the Sanctuary would go on red alert. A canary in a coal mine. But he’d rather that than be away from the action. Here, he could keep tabs on what was happening. Lucas was being tight-lipped as usual and gossip had yet to filter down from the Council.
He looked both ways down the corr
idor before turning to Kristen. “Have you heard what the Elders are planning?”
And by heard, he meant telepathically. Kristen was a strong Mercurian cognitive telepath.
“Yeah, there’s something big going on. Big enough for the Council to be holed up in crisis talks.”
“Serena’s acting as the new interim Council Mercurian?” When their former leader, Wren, died at the hands of Noctem, Mercurian Starborn needed an immediate representative on the six-seat Council. The Order prided itself on having all six houses of Starborn represented to govern their community.
Kirsten nodded. “Yeah and she’s pushing for some radical action.”
“Like what?”
“No one out of Council is privy to the details…yet.” A thumping sound started again on the door behind them. “That bitch won’t quit.” Kristen banged on the door with her fist.
“She’s asking for water.” He could make out Eve’s demanding shouts, decorated with curses.
Kristen drew her gun from the holster on her hip. She nodded at him and then at the cube door. “Let’s play. Give her some water and see what she does.”
“Are you freaking serious? We were told not to communicate with her.”
“Granger, don’t be a total pussy.”
He said nothing and leaned against the wall.
Kristen still held her gun with both hands, her legs wide apart. Usually he could charm the pants off any woman he wanted, but Kristen’s penchant for hot women made her competition rather than fair game.
“Come on,” she urged. “You pass her the water. Let’s see what happens. If she drops you, I’ve got your back.” The expression in her voice wasn’t snide, but Granger was pretty sure she was egging him on and hoping he’d fail.
No big surprise. Since coming into his powers at the late age of twenty-four, it had placed a target on his back from the day he’d arrived at the Sanctuary. “Sure, why not?” he found himself saying.
Smiling a big fat grin, she swiped her palm over the bio-lock and stood to the side. The pneumatic doors slid open and he readied himself.
Dressed in skinny black jeans and a tight black singlet, Eve stood facing him with her hands on her hips. Her lips curled in a sharp smile. “Well hello pretty boy, good to see you again.” Her voice was silky smooth and surprisingly full of confidence for someone who was facing torture or death.
He returned the smile. “Hey darling, how’re you liking your new quarters? Comfy?”
She nodded at the water bottle in his hands. “You coming in with that water?”
Granger tightened his hold on the plastic container. The cube’s size would make it a tight fit. He thought of Lucas and Willow and how his commander had softened like Brie cheese around her. And Lucas was Mercurian. He shuddered to think what Willow’s twin, could do to a Jupita Starborn like him. Jupita could manipulate the environment through weather, fire, electricity or earth. But Mercurians fucked with the mind.
He glanced at Kristen and her snide smile, and stepped forward. When he didn’t feel any immediate change, he handed Eve the water. She looked at him directly and gave him a one thousand watt smile. His gut tightened. She was any man’s wet dream—with long legs that went on forever.
She took a long drink and then wiped her mouth before slowly screwing the cap back on the bottle. As though she had all the time in the world, she placed the water bottle on the ground. Moving with lithe grace, she then leaned a sculpted shoulder against the wall. He couldn’t help but stare at the Japanese tattoos that ran down the right side of her neck and upper body. The work on her arm was pure artistry, but what captured his attention was how the design trailed down the right side of her chest and disappeared under her singlet. When he noticed the outline of her nipples, he forced himself to look up.
“Like what you see?” Her crystal blue eyes ran over his features and he felt himself being well and truly eye-fucked in return.
“You’re Noctem scum,” he said, more to remind himself than to insult her. His desire for her both scared and excited him. He’d teased Lucas that Willow had made him a love zombie with her metaphysical ability, and here he was exposing himself to her twin’s same power. Eve smiled again and suddenly he felt a surge of arousal thunder through his body.
He stepped back out of the cube, almost stumbling in his haste.
Kristen hit the button and the door slid shut. “Sly bitch,” she said under her breath. “Well, you didn’t drop, so that’s good. Did you feel anything from her?”
“Nothing.” He moved to guard the door.
Kristen glanced at his crotch. “Yeah right,” she said with a smirk.
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