Table of Contents
FLOWER QUEEN
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
FLOWER QUEEN
Flower Readings Book Three
LILLIANA ROSE
SOUL MATE PUBLISHING
New York
FLOWER QUEEN
Copyright©2017
LILLIANA ROSE
Cover Design by Melody A. Pond
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
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Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Published in the United States of America by
Soul Mate Publishing
P.O. Box 24
Macedon, New York, 14502
ISBN: 978-1-68291-576-9
www.SoulMatePublishing.com
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
To Samantha,
for your insightful suggestions.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Samantha, and Natalie. Thanks for the encouragement to keep writing and the belief in my stories and characters.
Thanks to Carla, Maggie, and Leesa for the pep talks over coffee and bubbles, and for making sure that tough diamonds shine together.
Thanks to Erica for her continual support during this crazy writing journey.
Thanks always to my sisters for their unyielding support and reminders that no matter what, writing is one of my big loves and enjoyments in life.
Chapter 1
Triena’s eyes blinked open as her upper body swayed. She placed her hand on the plastic-chip recycled wall of the facilities cupboard. She knew better than to return to her body from the Energy Field so quickly, but she didn’t have time to be careful. Braklen was in trouble. She had to find him, and then they needed to escape from Oberon again.
Take it easy. The rabbit’s metal ears clicked together.
His real ears had been removed by Triena when they first met for her to use to read the Energy. Then she’d seen the error in her ways and turned to flowers to read the Energy, and gave him metal ears to replace his real ones. He shook his large black furred body. Nearly the size of a small cat, he was a big rabbit.
No time. The dust-filled air inside the suffocating room where she’d hidden, smelled of oil and metal, making it heavy to breathe and difficult for her to regain her balance. She’d wandered in the Energy Field too long trying to find Braklen. Her head spun. She shifted her weight, from one foot to the other.
We wouldn’t be in this problem if you’d just listen to me and follow the directions I give you.
Triena felt the rabbit’s frustration filter into her aura and mix with her own. It didn’t help her locate Braklen before the ship left the port.
Your directions got us lost.
You’re a poor listener.
Let me think.
There was a small chance she’d make it to him before the ship left Oberon. Her heart thudded. Tightness gripped her chest. I can do this. She pushed through the fear, eased the door open and slid out of the temporary hiding place. The ship’s engines powered up and the vibration caused her hair to stand on end.
I have to get to him. She moved up the stairs cautiously, then along a corridor.
No, not this way.
Triena ignored the rabbit. She’d seen the way to go in the Energy Field and she wasn’t going to deviate from that path. Not when she was so close to being reunited with Braklen. Her stomach tightened at the thought. Mixed emotions of finally seeing him again tumbled violently inside her.
It’d only been weeks since she last saw him, but it felt like months. He’d left her to fend for herself on a strange planet and that made her want to send him packing. Meeting him in the Energy Field showed she still had feelings for him. Heat rose, warming her face. Strong feelings.
You’ll be the death of me.
You were lucky I only managed to cut off your ears when we first met. I’d intended to kill you and use your life-energy to power me into the Field. She was glad she finally had her rabbit back and could right the wrong she’d done by losing him. Still, his thoughts annoyed her.
Yeah, lucky me. The rabbit clicked his metal ears together, emphasizing his displeasure.
She turned down another corridor and counted the doors. Whatever happened, she knew one thing. She had to get Braklen off this ship and they had to work together if they were to have half a chance of stopping the Queens and the Priests in charge of their society from misusing the Energy. But, there were a few obstacles in the way. Like trying to find him.
What if he didn’t have the strength to get off the ship? She’d seen his injuries when they were in the Field. She was worried. They had come so far, to have been separated again and she just wanted to find him quickly. They’d been apart too long. Not long ago she was settled at her tearoom on the outback moon of Oberon, where she’d used flower buds to read the Energy instead of animal parts, and making a comfortable living predicting people’s futures.
Outcast by the Queens, she’d wanted to return to them showing her skill by finally following their orders and killing Braklen. She’d loved him all those years ago when she first failed to carry out the initiation of taking his life and using his body parts to read the Energy Field.
It turned out she still loved him even now. In a twist of events, she learned the Queens, the Energy Readers, and the Priests had all misused the Energy. She needed to stop the Queens, unite the people, and allow the Energy to be read without taking lives. She wasn’t sure she could do this.
Because of her unique skill of reading the Energy with the help of flowers, she had to try and right the evil workings of the Queens and the equally power-hungry Priests. Everything she thought she’d known about the Energy changed in the past few weeks.
When Queen Pernally charged into her tea-room, threatening to murder her, Triena defended herself with a flower reading. Every action had consequences and Pernally’s death meant Triena was thrown together with Braklen, now a Peacemaker, and on the run with him when he arrested her.
He’d injected a prisoner’s chip i
nto her arm and they were forced to travel across the universe to find illegal help to have it removed, the Queens chasing them all the way.
Then Braklen left her, and she’d been separated from the beloved rabbit that helped her learn about the Energy Field. Now, she’d rescued her rabbit. She still needed to find Braklen. The Energy’s messages were clear. They had to work together. That wasn’t going to be easy. They had so much to put behind them.
Five, six, seven . . . Triena stepped to the next door and rushed inside, expecting to see Braklen looking back at her. She stopped short. The room was empty.
Told you.
Triena let out a deep breath. This is where the Energy told me he was.
You’re rushing too much and making mistakes. You’re reading his imprint. He was here days ago and only briefly.
Triena turned around. The short skirt of her dress billowed outwards from her quick movement. She was so sure he’d be there. I don’t want to lose Braklen again.
So, listen to me then.
The force of the rabbit’s thought was like a punch in her mind. Triena rubbed her temples. Fine then. Where to now?
Out of here, to the right, and hurry. We’re about to get company.
She didn’t need to be told again. She followed his instructions. She felt blind having to rely on the rabbit like this. The time away from the creature meant she’d learned to be more self-reliant.
We should’ve done more trust exercises together.
It wouldn’t have worked since you don’t trust me.
Not true, the rabbit thought. Slow down a little. It’s one of these doors.
What about your ears? Triena looked at the plain doors, getting ready to open one when the rabbit told her. She was moving too fast to use the Energy to feel if Braklen was inside. You’ll never get over my mistake. At least I gave you metal ears.
You know I don’t like to talk about them.
Which door? Triena found it harder to breathe. Lactic acid built up in her body causing her legs to ache. Her lungs began to burn. She used the last of her strength to keep concentrating on moving, when she should’ve be resting.
Keep going.
I can’t go much further. Her knees nearly buckled.
There, quick, down those stairs on the left.
Triena nearly missed them, and had to turn back. She grabbed onto the railing to steady herself as she went down. She heard crew members talking above the stairs. She moved around the corner to keep out of sight.
Just up ahead, the next door on the right.
Triena pressed on the door but it wouldn’t open. “Fuck the Queens.” She closed her eyes and reached into the Energy Field and into the flow of wisdom she needed to guide her with the lock. Exhausted from running through the ship, dizziness threatened to stop her from seeing if this was a lock she could break.
She reached through the Energy, ignoring the temptation to scan the inside and learn if Braklen was actually in this room or not. Triena searched for the nearby pattern of the lock to gain knowledge on how to get through the door.
Hurry up. There’s someone coming.
Triena lost her mind-grip on the lock and thudded back into her body with a gasp. “You’re not helping.”
Then she remembered something she’d picked up leaving the meeting Salene had set up for her and the people who planned to turn her over to the Queens. Triena reached into the pack. “I haven’t got time to muck about unlocking doors.”
No, don’t.
Triena ignored the rabbit’s warning and picked up the particle gun. She aimed the gun at the door. “I thought you said to hurry.”
You’re too close.
Triena felt the rabbit’s heart fluttering at a rapid speed. “I’ve got this under control.”
She fired the gun, aiming at the handle. The momentum forced her to take a step backwards. She only heard ringing in her ears.
That will bring them to us. Now we really don’t have time to waste.
“We’ll be gone by then.” Triena pushed the door off its hinges and stepped inside. “Braklen?”
She screamed as something or someone knocked her down, rugby tackling her to the floor. The bundle fell from her shoulder, tumbling until it hit the wall.
Fuck the Queens. The rabbit struggled to sit upright in the makeshift pack of Salene’s shawl.
Triena punched her hands into the person who sat on her. His weight squeezed air from her lungs. “Get off me!”
“Triena?”
She gasped as the weight eased from her chest. She looked up at him. He was scruffy, a few days of dark beard edging out his jawline. His hair was a little longer, messy. She enjoyed seeing his familiar features, broad shoulders, just a little taller than herself, and he radiated strength from his toned body. This wasn’t the sort of reunion she’d hoped to have. “You idiot.”
Braklen quickly got off her, then held out his hand, offering to help her up. “I didn’t know it was you on the other side. You fired a weapon.”
I really wish she hadn’t, thought the rabbit. She can’t aim and now half the ship will be here any minute.
On her feet, Triena brushed down her dress, then turned her gaze on Braklen. She remembered how he left. Alone on Inite. She slapped him. Hard.
“Ow.” Braklen held his face. The stinging noise echoed in the room.
Let’s go, you two, before you get us caught again, thought the rabbit.
“What was that for?” Braklen looked like he’d been in one hell of a fight.
Triena didn’t let that stop her. She slapped him again, using the weight of her body for extra force.
Braklen’s face snapped to the side from the force. He turned back and looked at her with surprise. “I didn’t know you could hit so hard.”
“Well I can, and you’d do well to remember that.” Triena glared at him, hands on her hips. “That’s for leaving me at Inite.”
“I’m sorry.” He looked at her directly. His blue eyes cooled her burning anger. “I should never have left you like that.”
Triena suppressed a sob. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. She blinked furiously as she looked back at him, but the anger slipped away. His apology melted through the pain his action caused. Somehow, he’d gotten into her heart. And she wanted to keep him there.
That’s because you let him in, thought the rabbit. I keep telling you two. You’re meant to be together. Now, let’s get out of here. I don’t want to end up in their stew-pot.
Triena took in Braklen’s features, his real physical appearance and not just the energy imprint which she’d been used to seeing recently. Dark stubble shadowed his jawline, blue eyes held her strong despite the purple hues which extended down his cheeks. His lip was split but there was a softness there that begged to be kissed.
She swallowed hard and leaned forward. His heat burned around her, but he didn’t move to embrace her. His gaze held hers. His apology reflected in his aura. She brushed her lips over his, gently, so as not to hurt him. Warmth connected them for a moment and she nearly allowed herself to forget where they were.
The ship’s engines vibrated as they powered up, breaking her concentration with Braklen. She stepped back from him. “You’re injured.”
The way he stood showed he was protective of his left shoulder and put no weight on his right foot.
“Nothing that won’t heal.” He smiled. The movement reopened the crack in his lip and blood quickly filled the gap.
“Are you strong enough to get out of here?” Right now, she wished she hadn’t used the particle gun to open the door. They were going to need every second to get off this ship.
“I’ll surprise you.” He kept looking at her intensely. “When did you get so . . . so . . .?”
Triena felt a pleasant shiver
extend down her spine. It caught her by surprise and not trusting herself, she started to turn away, but he caught her shoulders and pulled her into him. He wrapped his arms around her.
She trembled as his strong energy enfolded her. She rested her head on his chest, tuning her heart to his.
If only I was a larger animal, a dog perhaps, or even a cat, then I could get out of here myself and not have to worry about being caught. The rabbit struggled to move in the shawl.
The rabbit’s voice in Triena’s head brought her back to reality. “We’ve stayed too long.” She pulled away.
His hands swept down her body, lingering on her hips. “No arguments there,” said Braklen. He scooped up the bundle. He hesitated as if he had something to say, then decided against it and swung it on his shoulder. “It’s a bit heavy. You must have some good food in here.”
“Yeah, the rabbit.”
Braklen let out a sigh. “I thought I’d never see you again, buddy.”
You and me both, answered the rabbit.
“Down here,” called someone near the door.
“Quick,” said Triena. “Can you direct us out of here?”
“Yep.” Braklen walked up to the door. “You know the routine. Keep close to me.” He looked back at her and held out his hand. “Hand it over.”
“And here I thought you were being a gentleman.” Triena reluctantly gave the particle gun to him.
“I am. That’s why I’m taking the gun.” Braklen cocked the weapon and then fired down the corridor in the direction of the voices. “Look out.”
“Fuck the Queens!” yelled the men as they got out of the way of particles firing at them.
Braklen turned and looked at Triena. “Stay behind me. Move quick.”
Triena headed down the corridor as Braklen continued to fire particles. Bits of wood and plastic chipped off the walls and flew into the air. Taken by surprise, the men hadn’t been ready to fire back. Triena glanced over her shoulder to see if Braklen was coming. There wasn’t any point in her running away if he got caught.
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