by Susan Grant
Klark's hunched shoulders and lowered eyes gave the impression of humble repentance. But as he crouched before them, his forearm balanced on one upright knee, Ian saw disdain flicker in his eyes, at odds with his outward compunction.
His hand curled into a fist. "This was not the outcome I'd conceived. But you were the clear victor, Ian." His knuckles turned white. "Perhaps, today, I have learned something about Earth dwellers."
Ian replied, "And I've learned some things about the Vash. Some traditions don't translate well into our changing society—the old treatment of the frontier, the enforced isolation of royal women, this sort of bloodletting," he added, tasting the salty tang in his mouth. "But I don't want to alienate the supporters of the old ways. We can work together on the subject, Klark, you and me, when we feel more like speaking to rather than thrashing each other."
Klark's mouth almost curved. "Yes; when we're ready, my lord." He exhaled. "Now, I await your judgment."
Ian turned and said to the elder Vedla prince, "Your brother committed several very serious crimes. He needs to be punished."
"Agreed," said Che.
"Determine what that punishment will entail. Then brief me on what you decide. We need to all work together in fairness and forgiveness for a better galaxy."
Gratitude and respect flashed in Che's eyes. Ian's spine tingled as he once more glimpsed the future. Not only had he made an ally today, he'd formed a friendship—one he sensed would become indispensable in the years to come.
Tee's hand came to rest on Ian's arm. "You say we're a team. Why, then, have we not fought as hard for us as we have against Klark?"
He ran his hand over her hair. "I don't know," he said wearily. "But I say we start."
Her gaze shifted to Che, the man she was supposed to marry. Ian braced himself. In a quiet, respectful tone, Che said, "Princess Tee'ah, even if we had been officially promised, I would release you."
Ian knew Tee'ah struggled to tamp down on what would be a tactless show of joy and relief. "I thank you," she said in a hushed voice.
Exultation surged through Ian. He grabbed her hands. "We'll bring together the old and the new, the Federation and the frontier. Your blood and mine." He listened to himself in amazement. He was sounding more Vash by the minute.
The crowd didn't seem to mind. Again, they began to chant, "Say yes, say yes!"
In the dead of night, on a harsh desert world, a signal left an ancient palace and began a long, silent journey through the lonely reaches of space. Made possible by paradoxical technology, whose origins were lost in history, the stream of data made its way toward Earth, finding its final target with a little help from Ilana Hamilton and a KCAL-TV news crew. When the slightly larger-than-life-sized, three-dimensional holographic image of the galaxy's king appeared on the LA. rooftop, awe silenced the crowd.
Luminous radiance flickered like St. Elmo's fire over Romlijhian B'kah's projected deep-blue, floor length cape. Stony faced, he stood before them, his arms folded over his chest. His features were rugged, resolute, and when he cast his unflinching gaze around the roof, as if searching for someone, most fought the urge to duck. But not Ian, Tee'ah thought, who clasped her hand in a warm, reassuring grip and led her across the windy helipad to meet the king.
The lights and cameras followed them. Her neck tingled. She knew the events transpiring today would echo through the years, and that her children would want to hear of them again and again.
They stopped in front of the radiant image. Rom's expression remained unchanged.
She'd expected Ian to bring up Earth, or even Klark, but he began with a matter of the heart. If she'd ever doubted she'd come first with this man of honor, her reservations were erased in that glorious and frightening moment.
"You don't approve of my relationship with Tee'ah. Nor does the Great Council."
Nor my father, she thought.
"But whether or not you give us your blessing, I want to marry Tee'ah—if she'll have me."
She squeezed his hand. Why couldn't two people who were in love defy the galaxy?
She forced her chin up a notch. She'd hijacked a starspeeder, cruised through asteroid fields, shot at intruders, yet she was terrified of speaking to the king. "My lord, I love Ian. I want to spend my life with him, whether or not my father approves—though I do regret it if he does not. I love my family and miss them, but if tradition is more important to them than my happiness, I'm prepared to live with the consequences of my actions."
"And you, sir," Ian said, "are going to have to do something about the frontier. Have you read my report on the conditions on Baresh and the worlds like it? The situation is contemptible. How could the Vash not know? It's inexcusable. We ought to be ashamed. The abuse of the frontier must stop."
"You're right," Rom said.
Ian's hand clamped over hers. "My lord?"
"We have not given the frontier the attention it requires," Rom went on, seemingly oblivious to their shock "And so over the years, as we've added many more worlds, things slipped through the cracks. I never would have allowed such suffering to continue had I known about it. That I wasn't aware of the problem tells me that our management of the region must change. I hereby assign Earth as the sovereign administrator of the frontier. This is more power than any planet other than a Vash homeworld has ever held. But the situation requires it. Perhaps you and Tee'ah will opt to live there part of the year, in the tradition of a typical Vash homeworld. How the particulars will work, regarding Earth's reporting to the Trade Federation, you may discuss in your upcoming meetings in Washington. Until then, I offer Earth and the worlds of the frontier my official apology."
This was not what Tee'ah had expected. Nor had Ian, judging by the expression of disbelief on his face. She wondered if Rom had been testing them all along. If so, she hoped they'd passed.
Tenderly, she touched her fingertips to Ian's bruised jaw. "Now everything you came here to achieve has come to pass," she whispered.
His smile turned sly. "Not yet." Wait, his eyes told her.
Ian dropped to one knee. Tee'ah knelt beside him.
" 'My loyalty for life,' " Ian told Rom and pressed his fist over his heart.
"A Vash princess deserves no less," Rom said in a quiet voice. "Nor do you, Ian, from your future wife. Yes, of course, you'll marry Tee'ah. I never meant for anything else since you first mentioned her. Show the galaxy that you feel as I do—as your mother and I do. Bring us together; unite us in peace."
Fingers linked, they rose. Then, with billions, perhaps trillions looking on, Ian took Tee'ah's shaking hands in his. "Rom B'kah chose me to carry on his legacy," he said. "Never will I forsake the man who sacrificed so much to bring the galaxy peace. Nor, my love, will I ever forsake you." He squeezed her hands. "I ask for your promise of marriage."
The cry "Say yes" rose once more into a thunderous chant.
Tee'ah wound her arms over his shoulders. "Yes, Earth dweller. Yes."
"Now everything I've wanted has come to pass," he murmured in her ear.
Tears in her eyes, she kissed him enthusiastically on the mouth.
Around the globe cheers erupted. In the United Nations, diplomats applauded, and the Vash chief envoy embraced a thoroughly bemused female Secretary General.
In Sydney, a bedraggled Vash tourist was dragged back into the bar, where he was offered more foaming glasses of beer than he'd be able to drink in a lifetime. But it would be said, much later, that he put forth his best effort for galactic peace.
In the Oval Office, the President of the United States uncorked a bottle of champagne. "Our future and the Federation's is looking better all the time," he said to Senator Randall and the now smiling Vash trade minister. "This calls for a toast." He raised his crystal flute. "To peace."
The minister winked. "To profit, too."
"And to underdogs that become champions," Randall said and tipped his glass in Ian's direction.
Onboard the Sun Devil, Gredda smiled and nodded. "The
captain is a lucky man."
"She is a lucky woman," Quin argued.
And much later, thousands of light years away, in an age-old palace on the B'kah homeworld—Sienna—Jas and Rom smiled with pride as Ian and their niece enchanted a jaded galaxy.
Chapter Twenty-two
Exactly one standard year had passed since Ian had last visited, but nothing much had changed: Dona-van's Blunder was still the sorriest stopover in the frontier.
At old Garjha's bar, Ian sipped his tock and studied the woman next to him. "Just think; two more months of being single, then you'll be shackled to me for life."
"I know," Tee said in lousy imitation of acting glum. She plunked her elbows on the bar. Her almost shoulder-length hair curled in the humid evening air, the color evened out thanks to a bottle of Clairoll’s Desert Sunrise. Affection swelled in his chest, and he stroked his hand over the silky strands.
She smiled and propped her cheek on the knuckles of her clasped hands. "Buy you another tock, bad boy?" she asked in heavily accented English.
"No. I think your last trip to Donavan's Blunder as a single woman calls for something stronger." He pounded his fist on the counter. "Bartender—Madarian whiskey!"
Garjha perked up. Mumbling to himself, the man reached under the bar for a dusty red bottle. Uncorking it with steady hands, he filled two glasses.
Tee'ah waved her hands. "Oh, no. Not that stuff."
Ian smiled innocently. "Why? Have fun. You'll soon be a quiet, compliant wife."
She snorted. "Right."
He took one of the glasses, distracting her widi conversation while he slipped an extra ingredient into the pungent smelling whiskey. "Don't forget, we're taking Lara's cloaker friend Eston out to dinner. We can ply him with food and alcohol and make him tell us what Gann and Lara have been up to."
"Gann and Lara. I can't wait to see if they arrive at the wedding together or separate." She laughed. "Together is my wager, but we'll have plenty of entertainment either way."
Vash weddings lasted six days. There were feasts, parties, and ceremonies, making it clear why couples were required to wait a year after taking the promise vows. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough time to memorize the required passages from Treatise of Trade and the rituals they'd have to perform. Tee'ah had worked closely with her mother through all the arrangements, helping to heal her relationship with her family.
"Entertainment," he said, cradling the glass of whiskey in his hands. "You wouldn't mean Che and my sister, would you?"
"They won't admit it, but they're boozers about each other."
He laughed. "That's bonkers, pixie."
She pursed her lips. "I don't speak English like an Earth dweller, but I'm getting close, yes?"
He leaned closer, his fingers sliding up her thigh. Her eyes darkened and her muscles bunched under his hand. "Drink up, Miss Tee," he said and handed her the glass.
She tried to force it back into his hands. Whiskey splashed onto their jeans. He crossed his arms over his stomach and leaned back on his stool.
Her mouth twisted. "I cannot believe you really want me to—" She noticed something glinting on the bottom of the glass and fished it out with two fingers. A small sound of pleasure escaped her. Staring at the dripping diamond ring cupped in her palm, she bit her lower lip. "Ian…"
"An engagement ring. It's time to do this right."
Her nostrils flared with emotion. She gazed down at the ring, her fingertip making tiny loving circles around the radius of the platinum band.
Quietly he explained, "I wanted to do this before we headed back for the wedding, and since this is the one-year anniversary of our first meeting, I thought the timing was right."
Her lips curved in a soft smile. "It is," she whispered.
He took her hands in his. "I always thought, deep inside, that we were meant to be together. But only recently did I find out how true that was."
Her brows drew together.
"My stepfather married my mother the night he left for the battle of Balkanor. It was a rushed ceremony, and painful. They figured they'd never see each other again. A very old woman married them, a seer. Afterward, she told them that they'd have good futures, long lives." He searched Tee'ah's face and smiled. "And many descendants. 'Your progeny will travel to many worlds,' she told them."
He took the ring from Tee's hand. "Naturally my mother didn't believe her. Even if Rom survived, he couldn't father children. But now we know what that old woman meant. Us, Tee. Jas's son, Rom's niece."
Tee's face was luminescent with love. "Our children will be a part of them both."
His back tingled—destiny looking over his shoulder, he thought. Swallowing, he crouched on one knee. "Some things have to be done the old-fashioned Earth way," he explained. Then he took a deep breath. "Tee'ah Dar, will you marry me?"
"Ah, Ian." She leaned forward. "I will."
He slipped the ring on her finger. They kissed and slowly moved apart.
Then he led her away from the bar to where the lights of the town didn't reach. He murmured into her hair, "Once I wondered if I'd ever be up to the task of taking Rom's place."
"We're a team," she said. "We'll go the distance together."
And so they stood before a sea of stars, and a future that was finally theirs.
THE
STAR
KING
SUSAN GRANT
Careening out of control in her fighter jet is only the start of the wildest ride of Jasmine's life; spinning wildly in an airplane is nothing like the loss of equilibrium she feels when she lands. There, in a half-dream, Jas sees a man more powerfully compelling than any she's ever encountered. Though his words are foreign, his touch is familiar, baffling her mind even as he touches her soul. But who is he? Is he, too, a downed pilot? Is that why he lies in the desert sand beneath a starry Arabian sky? The answers burn in his mysterious golden eyes, in his thoughts that become hers as he holds out his hand and requests her aid. This man has crossed many miles to find her, to offer her a heaven that she might otherwise never know, and love is only one of the many gifts of… the Star Kins.
Shamara
Catherine
Spangler
In a universe of darkness and depravity, the Shielders battle to stay one step ahead of the vengeful Controllers, who seek the destruction of their race. Survival depends upon the quest of one man. Jarek san Ranul has bund evidence of a wormhole, a vortex to another galaxy; an escape. But when his search produces the most intriguing woman he's ever met, he finds he wants something more than duty and honor.
On the run from a mighty warlord, Eirene Kane has to protect her identity as an Enhancer, one of a genetic few with a powerful gift. Then her flight hurls her into the arms of Jarek, a man who steals her heart and uncovers her perilous secret—and though she knows she should flee, Eirene finds herself yearning for both the man and me one thing he claims will free them forever.
Catherine Spangler
SHADOWER
Sabin has been in every hellhole in the galaxy. In his line of work, hives of scum and villainy are nothing to fear. But Giza's is different, and the bronze-haired beauty at the bar is something special. Not only can she sweep a man off his feet, she can break his legs-and steal his heart. And though Moriah isn't what Sabin had come for, she is suddenly all he desires.
The man is a menace, what with his dark good looks and overwhelming masculinity. Worse, Sabin is a shadower, a bounty hunter, which means he is only one step removed from the law. He is dangerous to a smuggler like Moriah, to her freedom. Yet he draws her as a moth to a flame, and even as she pledges to stay cool, her senses catch fire. Then, in his arms, Moriah realizes that this bounty hunter is different. His touch is gentle, and his kiss sweet. And his love leads to a fantastic freedom she's never known.
SHIELDER
Catherine Spangler
Unjustly shunned by her people, Nessa dan Ranul knows she is unlovable—so when an opportunity arises for her to save her worl
d, she leaps at the chance. Setting out for the farthest reaches of the galaxy, she has one goal: to elude capture and deliver her race from destruction. But then she finds herself at the questionable mercy of Chase McKnight, a handsome bounty hunter. Suddenly, Nessa finds that escape is the last thing she wants. In Chase's passionate embrace she finds a nirvana of which she never dared dream—with a man she never dared trust. But as her identity remains a secret and her mission incomplete, each passing day brings her nearer to oblivion.
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