“Becca, will you be my copilot?” He asks, his eyes soft and pleading.
I don’t hesitate to say yes, and lean in to kiss him.
He pulls away, “I also meant wife too, I hope you know that?” he says with a worried look.
“Oh really? I had no idea,” I say, playfully rolling my eyes as I kiss him again.
Our drop-ship is actually part of a much larger ship that we were able to buy, brand new, with the money we won off Mezzias a while back. It’s twice as large as the one that Falax captured me with, and has plenty of cargo space. Luckily we’ve agreed that we won’t be transporting any more potential brides for any creepy, slimy king. Instead, we’ve been traveling to all parts of the galaxy, where everyday is a new adventure.
I look out the enormous window in the main cockpit area, overlooking the planetary systems in our vicinity. I’ve been learning all kinds of cool space words these days, and it makes me feel like I’m in my favorite science fiction movies.
“Where to next?” Falax says, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I grab onto his strong arms, looking down at my hands. I admire the beautiful gem he picked out for me, and I start formulating our next plan.
“Well, obviously I’m going to need a dress,” I tell him with a sly grin.
“I know just the place,” he says, reaching over and pressing the hyper-jump button. The galaxy swishes past us as we fly at a breakneck speed, but are still able to stand and watch it all go past us, thanks to our state-of-the-art gravity reserves.
I look into Falax’s eyes, amazed at the journey we’ve made already, and looking forward to what the future holds for us as husband and wife. I smile, closing my eyes as I breathe him in.
This year, I’ve escaped the clutches of a gross king.
This year, I’ve traveled the galaxy as a bat-wielding smuggler.
This year, I’m about to be the wife of the sexiest guy in the galaxy.
This right here is the ultimate cross-country road trip.
END
Preview: Trials of Love Series Book 1
Adored by Tulari
Trials of Love Series Book 1
By:
Amelia Wilson
Prologue
Twenty years ago…
“Get down!” Commander Leonard yelled.
The three soldiers ducked inside the trench as plasma mortar rounds crashed into the ground in front of them. The purple soil erupted above them, raining a mix of dirt and grass upon them. More explosions and gunfire echoed from across the trenches. They forgot what fresh air was like as the smell of ash and charred bodies dominated their noses. Eighteen-year-old Private Theodore Raynor rocked back and forth in his blue and silver armored suit on a makeshift bench of sandbags that was sitting where the ground met the trench wall. The butt of his gun dug more into the ground with each encroaching explosion, as he pressed it into the ground like a walking stick.
Three days they'd held the line, but the siege was coming to a head. Fatigue was setting in, and they knew it was only a matter of time before the real offensive began, and they would be overwhelmed. A soldier's suit had more additions on it, based on their deeds and rank. Commander Leonard's form-fitting suit had individual shoulder pads in the shape of two wolf-heads, with bared fangs pointing outward to symbolize his ferocity on the battlefield. Some would think the appearance impractical, but his reasoning was that, if he needed another weapon on the battlefield and nothing was nearby, he could fit his hands into them like boxing gloves and fight more. Fierce as a wolf, Leonard had a pack, and he led them with strength; he would never leave a man behind. Metal rectangular pins of varying colors represented his accomplishments. Each soldier's metal suit was outfitted with a belt with extra rounds, a carving knife and other minor tools to help in the field.
Though Raynor looked like a mess, Leonard stood with a certain, imposing stature. His broad chest and powerful arms held his rifle close to him. His visor lifted into the helmet to expose his rugged, confident smile. He beamed with confidence. It eased Raynor's stress to a degree, but with the explosions getting closer and closer, fear permeated his mind.
Through a helmet with a dark visor that obscured his vision from the others, he visibly shook. The Nulani - often called Shifters by the humans – began their assault on Saranight Peak, the last human foothold on the planet of the Shifter’s home planet of Sara. Thomas, a soldier much older than Raynor sat in stoicism. It looked as if Raynor was the only one worried; but they felt it too. Thomas placed a hand on Raynor’s shoulder like a father reassuring his son.
“That was a close one,” Commander Leonard said with a chuckle. He didn’t flinch when the mortar hit. Raynor stared in amazement at Leonard’s tranquil state. To Raynor, Leonard knew they were going to survive. They had to endure. Raynor had a wife back on Centauri Prime with a daughter on the way. Seeing Leonard's commanding presence filled him with a new resolve. Raynor removed the clip of his rifle. Fully stocked. It only took a few well-aimed shots with plasma rounds to put a Shifter down. He inserted the clip in the gun again and took a deep breath.
"It'll be over soon," Thomas said in a gentle, but rough voice. He still had his hand on Raynor's shoulders. Raynor nodded. Thomas stood. He paced around with his shotgun. Though it was standard to use a rifle, Thomas preferred the stopping power of a combat shotgun.
"How do you know?" Raynor looked at the blood red sky through the dark grey clouds whenever an opening peeked through. If he didn't know any better, he would think that the planet itself was painting a picture in the sky based on the bloodshed of the battle. A drop of rain pattered against his sleek visor. The droplet slid down his helmet onto the ground. More raindrops pattered against his screen until a small rainfall started. He changed his attention to the peak behind the trench that they defended.
The base of the massive white tower held an ancient staircase made of a golden stone that spiraled around the tower up to the peak. That was the only way up the mountain, other than climbing, but there was no real way to climb it without being noticed. The humans figured it had some sort of religious significance to the Shifters, but to them, it was a strategic point giving them an advantage in their war. The many cavernous tunnels and caves inside the tower made it difficult to assail; but not impossible. As long as they maintained their entrenched position long enough, they would win.
"Air support will be here soon. They can't break this line. Just hold on to hope," Leonard said. His dark visor closed, to block the rain from entering his suit. He looked skyward. The screen calculated the temperature, wind velocity, and predicted that the storm would only last for an hour. It would show video messages and indicate the position of friend and foe from the satellite in orbit.
“Eve, show me the battlefield.” A square map of the battlefield popped up on the center of this visor. It focused on their three green dots. It zoomed out to see anything within one hundred meters. Hundreds of small red dots and dozens of large red dots encroached on their position. They didn’t have the anti-siege weapons, since the humans had lost their weapons’ foundry, to the east. There was no way to repel the Shifter’s siege beasts. Their mobile catapult creatures would decimate them.
“How does it look, Commander?” Raynor asked. Hope began to drain from Leonard. He kept his head high, looking for the answer to give the young Raynor.
“Looks like we have time. No problem,” Leonard said hesitantly. Thomas noticed the lapse in confidence. His experience allowed him the wisdom to know they weren’t in a good position. Raynor felt vibrations through the ground at his back.
"If they break through before then, it won't matter. They're getting closer. We've been fighting them back for months, but it's always been back and forth. What changed?" Raynor said. Leonard didn't have an answer for him. The Shifter's attack patterns always seemed random. There was no strategy, but they knew their land inside and out. In the recent months, they had organized and pushed them back, as if something drove them forward. New leadersh
ip?
"Have faith, my friend," Thomas said. Raynor scoffed. Raynor was losing himself to despair again.
“What has faith ever done for me? My friends are dead, the planet’s on the verge of falling back in control of the Shifters. We’re going to die out here.”
"Did you ever think that the reason why the Shifters didn't just roll over and accept defeat was that they were doing it just for survival? Some sort of faith drives them. You can see it in the way they fight. They believe in something. They believe in a better future. They fight for their home." It was Leonard's time to scoff.
“Sounds like you’re sympathizing with them.”
“I’m not the first one to show resentment for the conflict here. Have they even told us, directly, how this war started?” Leonard turned toward Thomas. He poked at his chest aggressively.
“It’s not for us to question. Our job is to follow orders.” Thomas shook his head.
“That’s the type of attitude that can lead to the extinction of a species, including us.”
“How so?” Raynor chimed in. Leonard drew his hand back to hold his rifle. Another explosion sounded down the trench. Agonized screams echoed in the air before they abruptly silenced. The Shifters were in range of them now. It was all a game of chance if they died by mortar fire.
“We are oblivious to the corruption in our Grand Earth Government. They send us out to conquer these planets, not caring of how many human lives they sacrifice to achieve their goal. It was only a matter of time before we met a species that was capable of fighting back.”
"So, we give up? Let them walk in and take the place and hope they spare us?” Raynor snapped back.
“Better surrender and hope for mercy than to die like this.”
“No. We will fight and die holding this line before surrendering,” Leonard said adamantly. There was no option to retreat. Thomas sighed.
“What if they knew the air support was coming and the battle was hopeless to begin with?”
“What do you mean?” Raynor asked.
“I think in worst case scenarios, it’s something you learn to prepare yourself for after being in the army for so long. Humor me for a second.”
"Then we're already dead, and I'll die for my species," Raynor said as he glanced at Leonard. Leonard nodded proudly to Raynor. He couldn't see his smile, but he knew Leonard would approve of his response. He was guilty of wanting to be like Leonard when he got more experience and wanted to show his confidence to him even in these dire straits.
“You’re young and brainwashed by their training. I’ve been fighting for longer than you’ve been alive, boy. You’ll learn all of this one day.”
“If we don’t die here.”
“Then let’s sur-“
“Absolutely not,” Leonard cut him off.
“This battle is lost, Leonard, you know this.” Gunshots rang in the distance followed by another mortar blast.
“Eve, status report.”
"I can no longer pick up any friendly forces in the outer trenches. Predicting time before your position is reached… Three minutes," Eve said only for Leonard to hear in a feminine robotic voice. Leonard braced himself but found his legs shaking. He couldn't show weakness to the others. He turned to them. Thomas seemed perfectly fine. Too fine. His willingness to surrender so quickly, that wasn't like Thomas. Had the pressure just gotten to him? He raised his gun and kept his finger on the trigger pointing at Thomas.
“You’re starting to sound a lot like a Shifter. I don’t want to believe it, take the eye test.” Thomas stood still. He didn’t flinch at the rifle pointed at him. He didn’t raise his shotgun in defense, not wanting to meet his end by friendly fire.
"This is ridiculous, you're losing it." The visor lifted from Leonard's helmet to a visibly stressed and sweating Leonard. He threw his rifle to the side and removed a holstered pistol from his waist. He charged Thomas and pushed the gun against his visor. If Thomas's screen hadn't been there, he would have felt the full weight of Leonard pressing against his forehead.
“Use the eye scanner, now.” Thomas sighed.
"Raynor, lend me your scanner, so Leonard will believe me?" Raynor stared scared at the two. He fumbled with his belt and removed a small pen-sized object. He extended it to Thomas. Thomas slowly reached for it. His visor lifted to reveal a weathered face with bags under his eyes. He pressed a button on the body of the pen-like object, and it whirred on.
A single beep and a green light meant it was ready for use. He brought it up to face level and shone the pen into his left eye first. A light green line scanned across his eye. A beep of approval signaled from the pen. He moved the pen to the other eye. The green line similarly scanned across his eye and beeped again. Thomas tossed the pen back and Raynor, who caught it with a sigh of relief.
“Happy?” Thomas asked.
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