by Keri Kruspe
Which he did, but his expression remained closed as he crossed his meaty arms over his massive chest, still wearing the black battle suit that held Grirryrth. His shoulder-length hair was loose and fell in soft waves around his hard face. The facial scar was in stark contrast to his dark skin, a frown on his full lips under the beard.
When she’d entered, Prince Qay stood to greet her. “Ah, glad you’re here, Sherri.” He resumed his seat. “We’ve been discussing the fate of Earth after the devastating events of the day.” Leaning back in the chair big enough to hold his powerful frame, he fingered the side of his square jaw. While the prince was nowhere as big as Ki, as a Zerin he was still a formidable male figure.
“Earth is not part of the Federation Consortium and is, in fact, a protected habitat. That’s why the Gidennon were there to study the planet. Fortunately, we were able to rescue the whole research team and took them back to their base.”
Sherri tapped a finger on the desk. She might not have liked that little dweeb, Wapho, but she was glad he and the other little aliens were okay.
Qay continued. “And because it is a protected habitat, a member species cannot be placed into the leadership of this planet. However, until the Council of the nine systems can meet and decide the ultimate fate, we have to put in place someone from Earth to lead and act as a liaison between Earth and the Federation.”
Sherri nodded in agreement and turned toward him. With laced fingers, she sat forward—this way she’d avoid the stony expression on Ki’s face. Him, she’d deal with later. Right now, it was imperative to go over the plans Qay and the others had come up with.
“Tell me, Sherri.” Qay’s voice took on an inflection that was hard to understand. It sounded like a mix of trepidation and caution. “Is it true you started your own successful company on Earth called ‘Phoenix Destiny Studios’?”
Lora let out a short gasp.
Sherri could understand Lora’s surprise—the name of her company was as well-known as Facebook or Twitter. She contemplated the royal Zerin heir.
His handsome features were serious as his dual-emerald orbs regarded her with a detached coolness.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw D’zia chuckle at Lora’s dumbfounded expression. He picked up her limp hand and gave her a quick kiss on the knuckles before placing it on his thigh.
No reaction out of Ki. He sat there with eyes focused on Qay.
His indifference started a low burn in her gut. “Yes, that’s correct.” Sherri refused to dwell on the hurt feelings his attitude caused. “It’s the reason I left Earth. With false evidence of me illegally performing corporate espionage, they convicted me in an airtight case.” She glared at Qay. He’d better figure out she wasn’t easily intimidated. “Those charges and the phony proof were deliberately set up by my best friend and partner, Natalie, in a power-hungry grab for full control of the company.” Heat flushed her face in renewed anger. It had been a big mistake staying out of the limelight and letting Natalie be the figurehead. Most people had no idea who Sherri was until the charges created a sensational splash of tabloid fodder.
Qay put up a palm in a universal gesture of acceptance. “Actually, we put an expert on the case. All the phony charges have been exposed, and the charges dropped. You are completely exonerated and the guilty party was arrested.”
She paused with a creased forehead. “What? How?”
D’zia supplied the answer. “Have you ever heard of the hacker, VØØDØØ?”
Sherri snorted. “Anyone who’s anyone in the computer business has heard of VØØDØØ. What does that have to do with anything?”
“Once she was on the case, you were cleared within thirty minutes, Earth time.” D’zia supplied with a grin.
“Her?” Lora’s mouth puckered. Her Zerin pearlescent skin reflected the soft light in the room.
Sherri admired the intricate scroll that started in the middle of her friend’s forehead and covered the right side of her face just below the cheekbone in dark purple ink. In the swirls at the temple, a teardrop crystal, clear and bright, twinkled.
“Yeah, you and Sherri know her better as Chloe.” D’zia’s grin turned into a smirk. Lora’s wide-eyed astonishment made Sherri bark a quick laugh, even though she probably had the same stupid expression. “Chloe? Chloe from the StarChance?” Sherri glanced at Lora for confirmation, just as stumped. She shrugged with her palms up.
“People, we’re off topic here,” Qay interrupted. “Sherri, we have a proposal for you.”
His stern face made her mouth go dry. No way was she going to like what he said next.
“We need you to head up the coordination efforts between the Federation Consortium and Earth and become the de facto leader of your planet.”
Yep, she was right. She didn’t like what he had to say. “Um… ah… excuse me?” She hedged. “You want me to do what?” She couldn’t help but glance at Ki whose attention remained on Qay. That slow burn deepened. Would it kill him to look at her? A little support from him would go a long way to help calm her frayed nerves. She gripped her hands until her knuckles turned white.
“We have to move as fast as possible before your people create a mass panic after the deaths of their leaders. The void of their departure will cause a vacuum hard to control unless we fill it immediately.” Qay’s mouth thinned to a stern line.
“But…why me?” She took a quick glance around the table. “I’m sure there are millions more qualified than I am to do this.”
“While that may be true—” Ki turned those navy/hunter green eyes her way and his intensity struck her dumb, “—we do not know or trust any of them. And you have proven yourself with your bravery and intelligence in striving for the betterment of your planet. Add to that, you have a better understanding of our galactic government than any of your human peers.”
Sherri blinked. Wow, that was some speech.
“Good, it’s settled.”
Qay didn’t give her a chance to respond. It looked like he considered the matter closed.
“Contingents of Federation Consortium advisors are on their way here as we speak. Even though I’ve made a preliminary announcement to your planet, we’ll do a follow-up once the Imperial troops are in place to keep the peace. Gentlemen, time to leave.” Qay got up with D’zia and Ki close behind.
Tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, Sherri sat there, lost. It took a moment before she realized Lora hadn’t disappeared with the others. “What the fuck just happened?” she whispered. The back of her neck squeezed in panic.
Lora gave a human shrug in her alien body.
From her pointed ears to her three-fingered hand and opalescent skin, her otherworldliness was secondary to the bombshell that had dropped in Sherri’s lap.
“It’s a weird-ass universe, that’s for sure.”
Sherri glanced at the now-alien Lora. Well, wasn’t she the picture of the understatement?
“All ya gotta do is remember the motto that puts everything into perspective.” Lora’s mouth quirked.
Sherri raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? And what’s that?”
“Earth doesn’t need a hero, just a professional.”
One month later
Sherri stood in the Oval Office of the White House with her hands clasped behind her. She stared with unseeing eyes through the large picture window, her back to an empty room. She wore a silk business suit in a deep cobalt blue, the pants flaring at the top of her bare feet. A contrasting pale-lavender blouse remained untucked, the fabric resting outside her waistline. Designer shoes with sensible three-and-a-half-inch heels were tumbled to the side of the Resolute desk, the famous furniture normally reserved for the President.
Which, of course, she wasn’t.
Although the burden she carried was heavier than any president ever had. The last month had passed in a blur of activity no mortal woman should have to endure.
Good thing she was more than human, even if she resembled one on the outside. She’d come to te
rms about her changed humanity that now included a powerful dragon. On the upside, sharing her life with the Solaherra dragon gave her an abundance of energy and stamina—something she needed on more than one occasion.
Oh well, best to focus on the good and not the bad. The only real downside was Cheithe had to be let out on a regular basis. It took a careful adjustment of her packed schedule to travel to a remote area to let her dragon fly when the pressure became too much. Once a routine was set, living with Cheithe had became easier.
One of the advantages sharing her life with the dragon was an increased need for protein in her diet—up to six times a day. Sherri’s appetite doubled, which she did her best to hide from the public. How could she explain eating enough for two grown men at one sitting since her metabolism increased? She ended up hiring a personal chef—after the woman signed a confidentiality agreement. Sherri now ate balanced, nutritious meals (heavy on the meat) every four hours. Best of all, she indulged in any chocolate decadence she wanted. She’d even lost those last five pounds that had plagued her adult life.
The hardest thing to deal with was Cheithe’s grief. At odd times Sherri would find herself engulfed with a mourning so deep, she had to excuse herself from others to wade through the pain in private. Every day it became harder and harder to offer reasons blinding misery wouldn’t overtake and incapacitate her. Things were getting out of hand and she worried she was losing her mind.
She had to admit the grief wasn’t just Cheithe’s.
All because Ki left.
An unbidden image of him made her chest crush in pain and her breath shorten. Her heart thundered in her ears, making her deaf to outside noises.
The choking sounds of her silent tears notwithstanding.
Damn it! She had to get a handle on her spiraling emotions. With conscious effort, she unclenched her fingers and forced her arms to hang at her side.
We must fly.
Cheithe spoke the same refrain whenever Sherri found her feelings careening out of control. The memory of soaring through the air unfettered by machines or the presence of others soothed as nothing else could.
Unfortunately, now wasn’t the time.
I promise. After this meeting, we’ll get away for a couple of days. How do the cold mountains of Canada sound?
I need my mate! Cheithe’s petulant cry broke Sherri’s heart.
I know, I know. I need mine too. Sorrow weighed her down. Meanwhile, we can fly.
Yes. Cheithe sniffed. We will fly at nightfall. The Solaherra dragon withdrew, but her presence never went away. Sherri appreciated that. Cheithe’s companionship was invaluable and lifesaving. When not bogged down with sadness, her dragon had insights on how to mold the human race into becoming viable citizens of the galaxy. That was something most Earth people weren’t equipped to handle.
“Sorry to interrupt, Leader Cantor,” Basimah, her assistant, spoke in a soft voice in the Bluetooth in Sherri’s ear. “But the others are ready to begin.”
“Thank you, Basimah. Please tell them I’m on my way.” She’d given up trying to get her Muslim-American partner to call her by her first name for weeks now. Basimah’s tenacity was one trait Sherri admired most about her, so she shouldn’t complain.
Going to where her shoes were, Sherri slipped her bare feet into them. She loved the jaunty spread of small peacock feathers on the face of the dark-blue pumps that gave color without being gaudy. For what they cost, gaudy wouldn’t dare show its tawdry face.
As she straightened, Basimah walked in with silent purpose.
With quiet efficiency, she handed Sherri a tall cup filled with her favorite hot latte.
With a deep inhalation of the nutty fragrance, Sherri took a tentative sip. *Sigh* The shot of caffeine was more than welcome. She gripped the warm cardboard container, her lifeline.
Basimah’s dark, knowing eyes smiled as she passed Sherri a trim briefcase with the necessary notes. The traditional headscarf of the woman’s faith was in a soft dove color as it left her exquisite, bronze features open. Her floor-length black skirt flowed under a long-sleeved blouse in a light shade of gray.
“How are the natives today?” Sherri forced herself to concentrate on the job and not on her ongoing depression. “Anything new on the horizon I need to worry about?” She looped the strap of the leather portfolio over her shoulder as they walked through the busy outer office.
Basimah shrugged her elegant shoulders. “Oh, you know—nothing new. The never-ending death threats coupled with the growing petition from the majority of the men on this planet to remove women from power.”
Sherri smiled at a passing male colleague who returned her gesture with a shy one of his own. She took another much-needed sip of her beverage. “Thank God not all men are complete morons. Most of them realize it’s their own fault Earth needed a change in leadership that would hopefully make things better for the human race.”
She nodded a greeting toward the Zerin guard in front of the double doors leading into the conference room.
He stood at attention and focused his dual-emerald eyes on them as they approached.
“Plus, they’re smart enough to realize they aren’t the big kahunas on the planet anymore.”
When the guard acknowledged her, he reached over and opened the doors. Like most Zerin males, he was well over six feet and built of solid muscle.
Sherri swore every human female on Earth was in lust with every Zerin male on the planet.
Not that she blamed them. They were without a doubt the sexiest things walking on two legs. Too bad the sexy Zerin she wanted most of all was out of reach. With a shake of her head, she refused to relive the hurtful way they’d parted. Her breath came out in a quick rush. Time to focus. She stiffened and pushed her shoulders back and entered the most important room on the planet.
Making sure she had a smile plastered on her face, she greeted the assembly of the Leadership Seven seated at the oval table. “Good morning, ladies.” Basimah left her side to take a seat against the wall while Sherri made her way to the leather chair at the other end. Holographic images of the other six world leaders “sat” in the chairs around the table. In reality, each leader was on her respective continent handling the same volatile situations Sherri coped with.
Sherri thought the Federation’s idea to replace the executed world leaders with women was a sound one, because of the historical evidence of women being enslaved and brutalized for thousands of millennia, The Federation Consortium “encouraged” Earth to let women lead for the next hundred years. With that contingency met, the Imperial Forces agreed to be at their disposal while the humans prepared to join the civilized galaxy. Humph. It served the men of Earth right, having to change their patriarchal society and replace it with something more balanced.
While it was rewarding work, not for the first time Sherri wished the North American continent was someone else’s problem. Sitting in her executive chair, she pulled the leather portfolio off her shoulder. With a wave, she opened the computer monitor in the table's middle and populated the screen with the reports scheduled to be voted on.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle the tough assignment, especially since the Special Triad from Zerin was there to guide her through the complicated business of Earth joining the galactic civilization. She had just lost the will to do so. Every day was harder than the day before. Only with the promise of getting away and letting Cheithe fly did Sherri’s heart settle and allow her to concentrate on the meeting.
After several grueling hours, the session came to a satisfactory close. It was a juggling act, dealing with the people of Earth who reacted to most of the changes in a violent manner. Good thing the Imperial Forces were stationed throughout the planet. They helped to maintain stability and keep the humans from committing genocide in a frenzy of xenophobic fear and religious fervor.
After relaying her best wishes to the other women leaders, she left as their images vanished.
Basimah joined her as they walked d
own the crowded corridor.
“I have to get away tonight.” Sherri kept her tone low, not wanting others to overhear her plans.
The other woman frowned. “So, you’re planning on disappearing again?”
Sherri barked a short laugh.
People and aliens around them stopped and stared as she chortled.
“Ha! I’m never that lucky.” Wiping a tear from her eye, they continued walking. “As if you’d let me get away from my communication implant.”
“Yeah, but you don’t always keep it on.” Basimah grumbled as they went into the Oval Office.
It gave Sherri a nervous twitch whenever she entered the room. She hadn’t wanted to be anywhere near there for her base of operations, but Councilman Aine from the Special Triad insisted she should use this room as a show of leadership and strength.
God save her from politicians—they were all the same. No matter what planet they came from.
Sherri settled on one of the facing couches in the room; her assistant sat on the one across. After putting the leather portfolio on the walnut tabletop between them, Sherri kicked off her shoes and tucked her bare feet to the side. She rested her head back and closed her eyes as her system tightened and screamed for Ki. Crap…that just pissed her off. Once again, she started a cycle of fighting with herself…
No wonder she was tired all the time. What she wouldn’t give for a few moments of peace. Not only from external problems but also from the internal struggle to try to soothe the two-ton dragon nestled in her psyche.
“Are you all right?” Basimah asked in a quiet tone.
“No.” She wasn’t all right. “I mean, yeah, I’m okay. Just tired.” She pushed the weariness down before it became apparent in front of the other woman. “Please cancel my appointments for the rest of the day and ready my plane to take me back to the Canadian Boreal Forest cabin.” The remote mountainous area was the perfect place to let Cheithe out to fly to her heart’s content.
“You’re not going to ditch your Imperial guards again, are you?”