by Bianca D'Arc
Allie stepped forward and held out her hands to Maggie. “We want to welcome you and the boys to our community, Maggie. We hope you like our gift.”
“We didn’t think you’d mind the tree there,” Rafe said as he came up behind Allie, placing one hand on her shoulder. “We can move it later if it’s not exactly where you want it, but we figured this position would look nice from inside and outside.”
“It looks good.” Rocky leaned forward to shake Rafe’s hand and then Tim’s. “Thanks for doing it. I think Maggie can’t be in any doubt now as to how welcome she is here.” Rocky settled his arm around her shoulders.
“It’s beautiful,” she said with a tear in her eye and a slight hitch in her voice, clearly moved by the shifter community’s gesture.
A small party followed that mostly took place outside in the snow. Maggie got into a frolicking snowball fight, though nobody was aiming to really hit anything. If Maggie was the only person bundled up tight in layer upon layer of winter clothes, nobody seemed to mind.
Marissa and Joe came outside with the babies—now wide awake and laughing at all the commotion—in their carrier, and thermal flasks full of hot mulled cider and the ingredients for s’mores. The sugary snacks were soon being toasted over an impromptu campfire in the barbeque pit at the side of the house, and Rocky knew Maggie was enjoying herself.
She settled in his embrace as they sat in front of the fire, facing the new tree somewhat distant in their front yard. Marissa and Joe kept watch over the babies, who had shifted into little bear cubs and wriggled out of their carrier. They were sniffing around the new tree and gumming some of the popcorn hanging off low branches, but Marissa’s sharp eye kept them out of any real trouble.
Rocky marveled at his family—new and old—and the woman who had made this happy scene possible. Maggie was the center of his universe and he’d keep her warm and safe for as long as she’d let him. The rest of their lives… And he prayed they would live a long, long time.
“Rocky,” she whispered, clutching his arm. “Do you see him?”
He followed her line of sight to the new tree with its magically glowing star on top and his heart nearly stopped. “I do, honey,” he whispered.
There was no need to say more. They both saw the ghostly outline of Tony, bending to touch each of his sons, as if giving them a benediction from beyond. Marissa and Joe didn’t seem to see anything amiss, but it looked like the babies were very aware of their ghostly visitor as they moved into Tony’s phantom touch, trying to lick his hands with their tiny grizzly bear tongues.
He spent a long time admiring his boys before standing once again and facing the fire. Rocky was frozen in place, afraid if he moved he’d shatter the moment.
He could see through his old friend, and the magic of the glowing star atop the tree seemed to illuminate Tony’s outline as he smiled and nodded in Rocky and Maggie’s direction. Did he approve of their new relationship? Rocky wasn’t sure.
Then Tony took all doubt away, sending them both two thumbs up—a gesture he’d often used to convey happiness and approval while they were growing up. That gesture and the broad smile on his face left Rocky in no doubt. This was Tony and he was giving them his blessing.
“Thanks, brother,” Rocky whispered, tightening his arms around Maggie as she began to weep. “We really miss you.”
Tony acknowledged his words with a smiling nod as he faded from view.
Maggie turned in Rocky’s arms and buried her face against his chest, crying, when he noticed a gentle presence come up beside them and sit.
“Don’t worry, Margaret,” Betina said softly. “Your first love sees what happens here and approves. You will see him again, both here and in the next world.”
The words and Betina’s comforting, magical presence made Maggie stop crying, thank goodness. She wiped her eyes as she sat up again and faced the older woman who had revealed beyond a shadow of doubt tonight that she was fey. Rocky didn’t quite know what to make of her now. Fey were among the most magical of creatures, rarely seen and seldom involved in earthly affairs. That she was here now, with the Lords in this time of increased danger, seemed ominous. And yet hopeful at the same time.
When she saw she had Maggie’s attention, Betina went on. “I’ve heard Antonio was a gifted shaman. I have seen the truth of it myself here tonight. He left a part of his soul in this realm, probably to look after his boys. He will watch them from afar as they grow, and occasionally—at very special times—he may be able to communicate with them. This is something only the most powerful of magics can accomplish, which should give all were hope for the future. Twins born of such a sire will be strong leaders for the new generation.”
“But I’m with Rocky now. I love Tony. But I love Rocky too. I love them both. I think I always have.” Maggie’s voice shook with emotion and Betina reached out to touch her shoulder.
This was the sticking point. Rocky knew Maggie would never really be his until she’d come to terms with the conflict within her heart.
“He knows, dear. He’s always known that you love Rocky as much as you love him.” Betina smiled and it felt like the whole world was filled with a magical sparkle, even in the pale moonlight of a cold winter’s night. “The heart knows no limits when love is true.”
Betina got up and walked away, her words ringing in their ears.
Rocky held Maggie as a light dusting of snow began to fall.
“I loved Tony and that will never change,” Maggie said after long moments.
“I know,” Rocky replied solemnly. “I don’t want that to change. I loved him too. He will always be my brother. But there’s room in our hearts for more, honey, just like Betina said.”
Maggie turned and kissed him, and he had his answer. Her mind was settled and her heart open wide. Rocky could feel the last little barrier between them fall and his heart filled with joy at the love they both felt.
Wrapped up in each other, only Betina saw the tall, glowing shadow of a man smiling down on them from just out of reach.
# # #
About the Author
Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.
Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Facebook, her Yahoo group or through the various links on her website.
Website
WWW.BIANCADARC.COM
Other Titles by Bianca D’Arc
Now Available:
Jit’Suku Chronicles: Arcana
King of Swords
King of Cups
King of Clubs
Jit’Suku Chronicles: Sons of Amber
Ezekiel
Michael
Brotherhood of Blood
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Sweeter Than Wine
Forever Valentine
Wolf Hills
Tales of the Were
Lords of the Were
Inferno
The Purrfect Stranger
Rocky
Dragon Knights
Maiden Flight
Border Lair
The Ice Dragon
Prince of Spies
Wings of Change
FireDrake
Dragon Storm
Resonance Mates
Hara’s Legacy
Davin’s Quest
Jaci’s Experiment
Grady’s Awakening
Gifts of the Ancients
Warrior’s Heart
String of Fate
Cat’s Cradle
StarLords
Hidden Talent
Ladies of the Lair
I Dream of Dragons Vol. 1
Brotherhood of Blood
Caught by Cupid
Guardians of the Dark
Half Past Dead
Once Bitten, Twice Dead
A Darker Shade of Dead
The Beast Within
Dead Alert
Coming Soon:
Jit’Suku Chronicles
End of the Line
Available in ebook – January 2013
Dragon Knights
Keeper of the Flame
Available in ebook – February 2013
Jit’Suku Chronicles: Arcana
King of Stars
Available in ebook – Spring 2013
Dragon Knights
The Dragon Healer
Available in ebook – Summer 2013
Dragon Knights
Master at Arms
Available in ebook – Summer 2013
Brotherhood of Blood:
Wolf Quest
Available in ebook – Fall 2013
We hope you’ll enjoy this excerpt from an upcoming short story set in the world of Bianca D’Arc’s Jit’Suku Chronicles…
End of the Line
by
Bianca D’Arc
© 2012 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter One
She saw the incoming fire too late to save her ship. The one-man fighter was going down, and if she didn’t pop her canopy in the next five milliseconds, she was going with it.
Lisbet realized she had no choice. Hitting the CATASTROPHIC FAILURE button, she checked herself out of her ride split seconds before it blew into a million little weightless bits. Out in the nothingness of space near the galactic Rim, she was in no man’s land where rescue was hard to come by. She had either a long wait or a slow death to look forward to in the next few hours.
The enemy jits had won this battle, though hopefully not the war. Skirmishes on the Rim had escalated in recent years as the jit’suku empire looked for ways to gain a foothold in the Milky Way galaxy. The expansion from their home galaxy was fueled by the comparative ease of travel via an inconvenient wormhole and several jumpoints that had been created before humans had realized how the jit’suku truly viewed the human race.
Inferior. That’s what the jits thought of humans. Inferior in every way to their war-mongering race. Though they looked very human in appearance – if built on a bit larger scale than most humans – jit’suku society was one that most humans had a hard time understanding.
They prized warriors and seemed to scoff at diplomats or anyone who wanted to negotiate peaceful coexistence. The only thing the jits understood was conquest, it seemed.
Which was why they’d been fighting so long and so hard out here, on the Rim of the Milky Way galaxy. Lisbet was just the latest in a nearly endless rotation of human fighter pilots who had drawn the dreaded, but vital, duty of patrolling the Rim.
Vast reaches of emptiness between nearly lawless stations, dangerous jumpoints, and the occasional star system, Rim duty was enough to drive anyone crazy. But she welcomed the emptiness of space and the loneliness of her own thoughts after this humiliation.
She’d been on this patrol for over a week with nothing to report. Then this.
A jit’suku battle cruiser had appeared as if from out of nowhere, and blasted her before she could even get a message out. He’d been lying in wait behind an asteroid. Lisbet had known to be cautious, but honestly, her thoughts had been elsewhere. As soon as she spotted the giant ship lumbering out from behind cover of the asteroid, it had already been too late. Her signals bounced back – jammed. A moment later, a blanket of weapons fire appeared on her screens – sent the distance between the two ships in all her possible trajectories. She was blown already, and she knew it.
Popping her canopy and stranding herself in the middle of nowhere in the emergency pod had been her only choice. Not a great one, but there’d been no other way to get clear of all the incoming fire. The bastard giving orders on that battle cruiser hadn’t been taking any chances that she’d get clear and report back. He’d thrown everything but the kitchen sink at her and she hadn’t stood a chance.
“Human, this is Captain Fedroval of the battle cruiser Fedroval’s Legacy. Warrior to warrior, I give you the choice. Would you prefer the fast death of missile fire or the slow death of suffocation when your air runs out?”
For a moment, Lisbet thought of ignoring the short-range communication from the cruiser. He was still blocking her long-range transmitter, but he’d allowed her enough bandwidth to broadcast to his ship. Big of him. Damned jit’suku bastard.
“How do you know I’m not the advance scout of a much larger force? Could be my battalion is on my heels and will pick me up after they blow you to kingdom come.” Oh, how she wished that were true. She’d get a lot of satisfaction right now at seeing the jit’suku ship blown into a million pieces.
There was a slight delay in the answer she’d expected would come back right away. He probably knew she was bluffing. If he’d been hiding out behind that asteroid for any length of time, he had to know hers was merely a patrol craft on a regular route.
“Who is this? What is your name, rank and gender?”
He sounded mad now, for some reason she couldn’t imagine. And why would he ask her gender? That seemed odd in the extreme. But she’d play along. She’d be alone out here for a long while – if he let her live after this encounter – and she was going to have a lot of time, alone with her thoughts, before her air ran out. Might as well talk to someone while she had company, even if he was a damned jit.
“Lieutenant Lisbet Duncan of Earth. And I’m female, not that it should matter to you. I’m a qualified pilot who graduated top of my class from pilot training.”
While there had always been a lot more males drawn to military life than females, Lisbet wasn’t too much of an oddity. Many women had the natural skills needed to fly shuttles and other spacecraft. She was unique in that she’d requested fighter duty. She liked shooting at things and would’ve tried for a gunner position on one of the big battleships if she hadn’t qualified as a pilot.
“Prepare for retrieval.” The order was brusque and his harsh voice sounded even angrier.
“Now just wait a damn minute!”
A moment later she saw two small craft launch from the battleship and head straight for her. The bastards were going to pick up her pod. She was going to be a prisoner of war.
Dammit!
Although… it was probably better than dying alone in the vastness of space. At least if they picked her up, she might have a chance to do some damage to them before she died. She didn’t like the idea of being tortured, but she’d trained for it, like all the other pilots, and thought she was mostly prepared. She didn’t know much anyway. She wasn’t privy to any battle strategies or troop deployment information. She only knew her current mission and those she’d been on previously. Not much of value to the jit’suku empire.
Sure enough, the two craft flanked her and deployed sturdy microfilament netting that encompassed her pod. As soon as she was secure, they flew her back toward the cruiser. The ship was even larger than she’d thought. It had the latest in jit technology, from what she could see of its outboard arrays. This was no battered old warhorse. This ship was battle ready and gleaming, though she could see a few spots where repairs had been made after engagements with human forces, no doubt.
The two patrol craft deposited her inside a gleaming hangar bay, bumping her only once as they set her down. The nets retracted and they parked on either side of her ship. She waited patiently inside her pod, gathering what little information she could. Her instruments told her the hangar bay was pressurized with a breathable atmosphere, and she saw big jit’suku men working on various craft parked nearby without breathing gear.
The hangar bay had a giant force field at one end, keeping the air in. Nice. On human battleships,
the hangar bays were kept at zero atmosphere. Pilots loaded into the canopies above and were dropped down and secured to the fuselages below via a small chamber that was sealed and then evacuated of its precious air before opening to the hangar deck below.
The pilots who had caught her pod climbed out of their cockpits and moved closer to investigate. One made a sign for her to pop her lid and she shook her head, refusing. They went on like this for a few minutes, arguing via sign language through the window until suddenly everyone on the flight deck jumped to attention.
At the far end of the long deck, Lisbet could see a giant of a man – even among the very large jit’suku warriors – coming toward her at a fast pace. He looked absolutely furious. And handsome.
Damn. Why did she have to notice how handsome he was? She should be completely immune to men after what she’d been through. But this guy – this angry guy – flipped her switches in all the right ways.
He grabbed a piece of equipment as he went, nearly tearing it out of a tech’s hands. It had to be magnetic because it clamped onto her canopy the moment he touched the device to her hull. He held something on a wire up to his mouth and suddenly his voice boomed through her internal speakers.
“Stop playing games and come out of there now or I’ll have you cut out.”
Lisbet sighed. She’d have to open the hatch sooner or later. She admitted, if only to herself, that she was scared. These jit’suku were all massive and everyone she could see so far was male. She had no idea what they had in mind for her, but she wasn’t looking forward to finding out. Still, she couldn’t hide in here forever. The time had come to take her punishment. Whatever that might entail.