by Tasha Black
“The special agents were very glad to have it,” Kypha said. “They’ve been trying to catch Tyvarr with his pants down for decades, but he normally keeps his hands clean. Anyway, it’s good news for Offalt.”
“Good news for Offalt?” Orion echoed, his brow furrowed.
“Oh yes,” Kypha said. “Of course, the Tyvarr crime syndicate is going to be furious with him for that video feed, there’s definitely a target on his head. But the special agents are putting him in the witness protection program in the one place the Tyvarrs won’t expect to find him.”
“Where?” Hailey asked.
“Lower Arkadia,” Kypha said with a wide smile.
“How did you possibly find that out?” Orion demanded.
“I have my network,” Kypha shrugged. “It’s important to have lots of friends when you have a job like mine.”
“Incredible,” Orion said, shaking his head.
Hailey smiled at her intrepid friend.
“But now it’s time for the real news,” Kypha said, a serious expression on her face. “The election results. Should I assume you haven’t had an eye on the feeds?”
“Look, Kypha, you’re the best in the business,” Orion said gently. “It’s not your fault that I threw the election. I’ll provide a public testimonial to help you land your next gig.”
“Oh really?” Kypha said. “And what will you be doing?”
“I haven’t decided yet,” Orion said, frowning.
Hailey felt a pang of pain. He was a gifted public servant. She might have won him for herself, but she had lost him for both halves of Arkadia. They were all the losers here, whether they knew it or not.
“Well, you lost your lead among men in Upper Arkadia,” Kypha said. “Which was the one place you were leading.”
“It’s fine,” Orion said, nodding. “Like I said, we expected this. I’ll find something else to do. The universe is a big place.”
Hailey looked down at Opal, who was playing with one of the slides on her blouse. She hated to be staring at Orion when he had just had bad news.
“Well, don’t go booking any career counseling just yet,” Kypha said.
Hailey’s head snapped up to find Kypha’s eyes dancing with merriment.
“Turns out your press nemesis actually did you a favor this time,” Kypha told them. “Bragg Zigon broadcast the footage of Lars with Hailey, and you punching him in the face.”
Orion glanced over at Hailey.
She shrugged, uncertain how that could be seen as a favor.
“For once, no one saw you as unapproachable and cold,” Kypha said. “People sympathized with you wanting to protect your family. And they liked that you couldn’t be bought.”
“What are you saying?” Orion asked, his voice soft with wonder.
“You won among women and Lower Arkadians in a landslide,” Kypha said. “And that was enough to take the whole election.”
“Orion,” Hailey breathed.
“Congratulations, Ambassador VynFleet,” Kypha cried, wrapping an arm around each of them.
She gave Hailey a quick peck on the cheek and then headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Orion demanded.
“Are you kidding me?” she asked as she paused in the doorway. “I’m the head of publicity for an intergalactic ambassador. I have a staff to hire. And I’ll probably be billing you for a complete makeover and new wardrobe. Enjoy your breakfast, because you’ve got work to do when you’re done.”
The door closed behind her, and for a moment there was nothing but stunned silence.
“You won,” Hailey said softly after a moment, taking it in.
She hadn’t lost him his dream after all. It didn’t even feel real.
He moved to kneel before her, taking her hand, as she held Opal to her chest with the other.
“Are you disappointed?” he asked her gently.
“Disappointed?” she echoed stupidly.
“The life of an intergalactic ambassador’s family isn’t easy,” he told her. “We’ll be traveling a lot, and the press will be all over us. You’ll have responsibilities too, traditionally at least. It’s a lot to take on, especially with a new baby.”
“This is why you wanted a bride,” she said, not understanding. “This is why you brought me here in the first place.”
“That was before I knew you, Hailey,” he said. “Before I loved you.”
Happy tears prickled her eyes.
“If you prefer a quiet life, I’ll resign,” he told her. “We can walk away and do whatever you want. We have plenty of credits.”
“Orion VynFleet,” Hailey said sternly, her heart soaring. “There is nothing in the universe I would rather do than help you with this. I want to travel. I want to help people. And as much as I want you to myself, I also want to share you. Arkadia needs you.”
He pulled her in for a hug, with little Opal sandwiched snugly between them.
“And I need you, Hailey,” he murmured.
“You have me,” she assured him. “To the stars and back.”
“You’re going to blow their minds, Mrs. VynFleet,” he told her as he pulled back to gaze at her, his own eyes glowing blue with unrestrained love, the masculine planes of his face softened with need and wonder. “You’ve already blown mine.”
***
Thanks for reading Orion!
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About the next book - Atlas:
Do you want to see what happens when Valerie heads up from the agency for her match with the spoiled rich kid, Atlas Baldwyn?
It’s supposed to be a simple deal - he gets his inheritance if he gets married, and she gets a cut of the money to open her dream tea shop. Nobody falls in love, and nobody gets hurt. But when a rival family member shows up and starts questioning their relationship, Val and Atlas suddenly find themselves a whole lot closer than they planned.
They’re convinced they’re putting on a show to fool everyone else, but it seems more and more like the only people they are fooling are themselves.
Keep reading for a sample of Atlas!
Or grab your copy now!
Atlas: Arkadian Alien Mail Order Brides #2
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Atlas - SAMPLE
1
Valerie
Valerie stood outside on the platform in an elegant dress, breathing in the fragrant air, and hoping the white-knuckled grip on her suitcase was her only outward sign of fear.
She willed herself to loosen her fingers on the wooden handle, but couldn’t do it.
The scent of the flowering ground cover floated up to her, so beautiful it almost seemed fake. But the vibrant greens and purples practically pulsed in her vision. Had any place ever been so lush as the parking strip of this transport lift?
After riding the transport, which shot straight upward from the shade of Lower Arkadia, through Upper Arkadia, she had emerged on shaking legs to a sky so wide and blue it felt like she was drowning in it.
On Lower Arkadia, anyone looking up was met with the unchanging view of the dark soil and gnarled tree roots that clung to the underside of Upper Arkadia, forever hovering above.
Valerie had lived her life in that shadow, longing for the freedom and opportunity that floated above her, just out of reach of the hard-scrabble existence of the underworld she called home.
But now that she was finally on the upper level, she felt unmoored and exposed, as if the slightest breeze might sweep her off the planet entirely.
I don’t belong here…
A hovercraft in shimmering silver pulled up smoothly in front of her and the door slid open.
She held her breath.
A man in a dark suit emerged. He was of medium height for a genetic Arkdian, which meant he was still much taller than Valerie. His form was neat and trim and his blonde hair was so bright that she could o
nly see the silver in it because of the direct light.
“Miss Valerie?” he asked, smiling at her with kind eyes.
The puzzle pieces in her head slid together. This must be Atlas, the man she had come here to marry. He was probably old enough to be her father, but he was attractive, in a clean, unthreatening way.
Though they had an advance arrangement that he would not touch her, she was relieved to see that if he changed his mind and decided he wanted to avail himself of his conjugal rights after all, at least it wouldn’t be frightening or gross.
“Atlas,” she said, with what she hoped was a warm smile, crossing her arms over her chest and preparing to bow.
“Oh dear,” the man said with a horrified expression. “I’m afraid I haven’t introduced myself properly. I am Mr. Atlas’s butler, Jonx. Mr. Atlas himself will be waiting for you at the manor. He asked me to tell you that he is tied up with something important this morning, or he would have accompanied you himself.”
“Oh, of course,” Valerie stammered, feeling very stupid.
“Please, allow me,” Jonx said kindly, holding his hand out for her case.
She managed to release her iron grip and allow him to take the luggage from her.
He opened the rear door of the craft with a flourish.
“Thank you,” she remembered to say as she climbed in.
“With pleasure,” he told her, placing her belongings in the stowaway before heading back to the driver’s seat.
She felt much more like herself as soon as she was in the craft with a roof over her head. Taking a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, and letting it out again slowly, she managed to convince her heart to slow to a less frantic pace.
She had the rest of her life to accustom herself to her new home.
And once she was settled in, married for the agreed upon time period, and then divorced as planned, she could use her share of Atlas’s trust fund to open the tea shop she had dreamed of running since she was a little girl.
And then she could send for her little sisters.
She smiled at the thought, even as the craft lurched to life and began to slide, too fast, down the strip toward the roadway.
“I trust you had a pleasant journey,” Jonx said politely.
Valerie had no idea how to answer that. Her journey had been terrifying from start to finish, but it would be very bad manners to say so.
“My apologies, miss,” Jonx said quickly, before she could think up something positive to say. “I seem to remember being told the transport from Lower Arkadia can be… jarring.”
Valerie laughed in spite of herself. “What you were told is a perfect description,” she said. “But I’m happy to be here and so grateful that you are bringing me to Mr. Atlas personally.”
“It is my pleasure, Miss Valerie,” Jonx said solemnly. “I know he will be delighted to see you.”
She longed to ask him if Atlas was a good man, if he was the kind of man who kept his promises.
But the Arkadia Brides Agency was adamant that manners were everything in the overworld. Questions like those would be unspeakably improper. Marion, the stern and elegant head of bride recruitment and training, would be livid if she knew Valerie was even thinking of asking them.
And after six months of immersive studies in Upper Arkadian comportment, fashion, culture and cuisine, Valerie liked to think she had enough discipline to wait a few more minutes to meet Atlas herself and form her own impressions.
The towering structures and delicate copper spires of the city had been flying past so fast that she could hardly see them. But now the view was turning green, and the buildings were mostly stone, and only a few levels tall.
She wondered what kind of buildings they could be. It seemed that it would be more convenient to do business in the heart of the city. But there must be some sort of commerce that was best conducted out here among the leafy trees.
“We are near Mr. Atlas’s home now, Miss Valerie,” Jonx told her. “If you look past the houses on the right you can just see the roofline of the Club behind them, where Mr. Atlas spends much of his time.”
She looked to the right and saw a domed roof behind two large stone buildings.
Houses, not buildings. Houses.
Those massive stone structures are actually people’s homes.
She managed not to gasp, but only barely. The wealth of this place was unfathomable. She had seen pictures of the opulent city as part of her education at the agency, so the towering glass and alloy structures with copper spires had been something her mind could accept.
But these houses, and the idea that individual people could live in such splendor…
“Here we are,” Jonx said with satisfaction.
The craft slid past a massive gate, which opened automatically when it sensed their approach.
A gargantuan, dove-gray marble house with impressive columns stood between two massive trees, the glossy finish of the stone shimmering in the late morning light.
Jonx guided the craft around to the back of the home.
“I’ll drop you here so that you can greet Mr. Atlas,” he told her. “After I deposit the craft I’ll bring your case and show you your rooms whenever you are ready.”
“Thank you, Jonx,” she said as he moved to her door and offered her his hand to help her out.
If Jonx’s exquisite manners were any indication, it was very good that she had spent so much time studying back at the agency.
She stepped back under that wide open sky, focusing on the scene in front of her. The rear of the house was even more impressive than the front. A floating veranda cascaded down from the double doors in tiers, ending at a sparkling, sapphire swimming pool that seemed big enough to hold a year’s worth of irrigation water.
She was about to ask Jonx where she should look for Mr. Atlas, when she spotted movement in the pool.
“Ah, there he is,” Jonx said fondly. “I’ll be back in a flash.”
Valerie stood rooted to the spot as she watched the movement of the man in the pool.
She had been down to the swimming hole in Prefecture 4 a few times, and she knew how to swim. She thought she was actually pretty good at it, until now.
She’d never seen anyone move like this. Atlas was fast and sleek, and… alien.
Though genetic Arkadians shared far more traits with Terrans than not, their differences were on full display here.
Valerie moved toward the pool, mesmerized.
A sleek blond head popped out of the water and pale blue eyes met hers.
Valerie caught her breath.
The blue eyes suddenly flashed a brilliant green, like twin emeralds catching the sunlight.
“Genetic Arkadians’ eyes have chemically activated bioluminescence,” Marion had explained back on campus. “They appear to glow when the Arkadian is emotionally aroused.”
Valerie stepped back, imagining that Atlas’s eyes might be glowing because he was angry that someone had interrupted his solitude.
She opened her mouth, but before she could form any kind of apology, he was emerging from the pool, and everything seemed to slip into slow motion, like something out of a holo-reel.
His big body was positively rippling with muscles. Atlas swept his long, pale hair over his shoulder, sending fresh rivulets of water down the planes of his chest, over his ridged abs, to the threateningly large bulge in his swim trunks.
Valerie just managed to tear her eyes back up to his, but not before he noticed.
A cocky half-smile pulled up one corner of his sensual mouth. His eyes were their regular, pale blue once again.
“I-I’m Valerie,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and bending her knees in the traditional Upper Arkadian show of respect.
“Atlas,” he said, nodding.
His voice was deep and a little raspy, and he moved toward her with his arms out. She certainly hadn’t expected such a warm greeting, and wasn’t sure how she was supposed to react.
&n
bsp; So she waited, breathless, for him to embrace her, imagining what his hard body might feel like against her soft curves.
At the last second, she realized he was only reaching to the rack behind her for a towel.
Valerie stepped aside, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment.
“Sorry I didn’t pick you up myself,” he told her as he ran the towel over his massive form. “But I can’t get through the day if I don’t start with some exercise.”
The butler’s words echoed in her head.
He asked me to tell you that he is tied up with something important this morning.
Important, indeed. And it was nearly midday. What kind of person was just starting their day at this hour?
“I had a pleasant ride with Jonx,” she said politely, trying not to stare at his abs, or judge him for finding a late-morning swim more important that meeting the woman he was planning to marry.
It’s just an arrangement, she reminded herself hurriedly. It’s not a real marriage.
“I look forward to doing business with you,” he told her, the crooked half-smile back on his face as he offered her his hand.
She took it and a shiver of heat moved between them.
Her eyes went to his and they were glowing again, that same startling green as before.
And this time, Valerie didn’t think it was anger behind them.
2
Atlas
Atlas stared down at the little Terran, taking in her long, dark hair, her modest dress, and her serious brown eyes.
She was the opposite of his type. He had always gone for brassy women with a lot of genetic modifications.
In fairness, he might have gone for those women because they went for him. He was generally wrapped up in his own projects and not interested in chasing down romance. And why bother, when women seemed to be willing to put in the work for him?