by Frost Kay
“I know, right?” her friend grumbled as she rubbed her shoulders. “This line was ridiculous. I couldn’t even see the desks when we started.”
“It’s probably because you both are so short.”
Jer’s red brows arched. “Short?”
Sid held his thumb and pointed finger close together. “Small in stature.”
“I’m not short.” Her friend hooked a thumb in Allie’s direction. “She is, though.”
“Hey now. Just remember that dynamite comes in small packages. My grandpa always used to say that.”
Sid waved a hand around them. “You do realize you’re the shortest around?”
Allie took a second to study the surrounding people. There was spotted, scaled, striped, and colored skin everywhere—feathers, scales, horns even, but no short people. He was right, everyone was a good foot taller than her.
“I feel like we’ll get the short end of the stick when it comes to nicknames,” she joked.
Jer’s lips twitched. “Only you, Allie, would make such a bad joke.”
“Next!”
“Woot!” Allie happy danced toward the square desk surrounded by eight feet of clear glass. Wow. They really wanted to keep people out. She smiled at the woman behind the glass. “Hello, how are you this evening?”
The mousy Av glared at her over her spectacles and pushed her hair behind one pointed ear. “Name?”
“Allie Sai and Jer Blake.”
“Family?” the woman asked in a bored tone.
“No, but we’re hoping to room together,” Jer explained.
Allie cast her a surprised look. “You sure?”
“It’s better than being stuck with someone I don’t know, and I happen to like you.”
She smiled. “The feeling’s mutual.” She turned back to the woman. “Can you make that happen, please?”
Another irritated look. “Let me check.” She squinted at something they couldn’t see and then nodded. “It’s changed. You both will room together. Residence 13-C.” She shuffled through something on her desk. “Your job requests were noted and I have your assignments.” She passed the papers through the slot to Allie. “Do either of you have anything to declare?”
“No,” they both replied.
“Well, then, welcome to Sars.” Her tone suggested anything but.
“Thank you,” Allie replied, and moved around the desk, Jer on her heels.
“Rude old bat,” Jer muttered, just loud enough for the woman to spare them one last glare.
“That was mean.”
The redhead shrugged. “She was rude.”
“She’s just doing her job.”
“A job she clearly doesn’t want to be doing.” The redhead paused. “Speaking of jobs, what did they assign us?”
Allie shuffled through the papers and handed Jer hers.
“Go figure. Security.” A snort. “I’m a bouncer.”
She blinked at her own. “Mixologist.”
“A bartender? That’s brilliant.”
“It is, if they don’t expect me to produce the moonshine.” She froze.
Moonshine…
Carefully, she tucked her papers under her arms and opened her bag to stare at the vials clinking softly in the bottom. “Swamp apples.”
“What?”
“I smuggled moonshine onto a new planet.” She looked over her shoulder at the desks. “I need to go back and declare it.”
“You went through all those scans. They know you have it.”
“But what if I was supposed to declare it?” she asked, somewhat panicked. “I broke the law. Holy bananas, I’m in so much trouble!”
Jer smiled, pulled the papers from underneath her arm, and placed them in the bag before closing it. “All I know is … if you did smuggle it in, that makes you a moonshine pirate. How cool is that?”
“Not so cool if I’m thrown into the bottom of a well in an alien prison.”
“Calm down. You’re fine. If it was a problem you would have been flagged. Have you seen the tech they’re rocking? It’s so far above Earth, it makes ours looks like child’s play.”
Allie sucked in a shuddering breath and focused on being reasonable. They knew she had it. She drank it on the dang ship and there were cameras everywhere. Not to mention the Lock had loaded her on the airship without saying a word. Irritation and a little satisfaction rose at the memory of the Lock. Allie tipped her head back and stared at the purple sky in awe. She hoped he was wishing he had never caught her right about now.
“We’re definitely not in Kansas anymore.”
“Good hell, you’re so cheesy.”
Allie flashed Jer a lopsided grin. “You have no idea.”
“Hey, you guys want to grab a meal?” Sid asked, moving in their direction. “I know a great place around the corner that shouldn’t make you sick.”
“How comforting,” Jer said dryly.
“Seriously, it’s delicious. Some of my clan will be there.”
“Still trying to get me to meet your family, Sid?” Allie teased.
Sid held his hands to his heart. “A guy can try, can’t he?”
“Sure thing, sugar.”
Chapter Two
Skin Suits and Death Machines
“My God, Allie. This is utterly ridiculous. Do you see this crap?”
She pulled her eyes from her own monstrosity of an outfit to stare at Jer’s. The redhead wore a shiny silver suit that clung to her from ankle to wrist. Miles of silver skin. “It’s not that bad,” she said, trying to find something to compliment. “It makes your hair more vibrant, and it highlights your beautiful shape.”
Jer lifted her crimson curls off her chest revealing the problem.
Allie blinked. Nipples. “They’re staring at me. How is that possible? You’re wearing clothes,” she blurted, holding her hands up. “Put those things away.”
Her friend dropped her hair to cover her chest. “That’s not even the worst of it. Look at this!” Jer spun, peeking over her shoulder. “It’s so tight my underwear resembles pterodactyl wings!”
“What? Like the dinosaur?” she said, fighting her smile. “Those disappeared millions of years ago. You’re not that old.”
Jer snatched a pillow off the bed and lobbed it at her head.
Allie ducked, grinning. She loved staying with Jer. It was like living with one of her sisters.
“How do they expect me to protect anyone? Dressed in this getup, I’ll need protecting. It’s like a mermaid and the Tin Man made a baby.”
A snigger escaped her. “It’s not that bad.”
Her friend’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Allie held up her hands. “Okay, it is that bad.” An evil glint entered Jer’s blue eyes that had her straightening.
“It’s your turn,” her friend purred.
“Um … I need to use the bathroom and—”
“Fat chance, Allie. Stop being a scaredy-cat and put on the outfit. Sid will be here to take us to work soon.”
“But—”
“No buts. You refused to take the transport because it flies and has an open carriage. You have five minutes until he picks us up. Hurry up, missy.”
Allie snatched the black fabric off her bed and skipped to the bathroom. “Wench,” she called.
“Harpy,” Jer yelled back.
She pressed the button to close the door and glared as it closed with a soft hiss. It would have been much more satisfying if she could have slammed the door. She laid the dress thing on the counter. The longer she stared, the harder she scowled. How did they expect her to work in that? Would it even stretch over her thighs? Her palms started to sweat. Was it even a dress?
“I’m not getting any younger out here!” Jer shouted from the other side of the door.
“You don’t have to yell. I’m right here.”
“Where’s the fun in that? Now, stop stalling and start dressing. I still have to braid your hair.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and counted to ten. She cou
ld do this. It was only a dress. She opened her eyes and snatched the dress off the counter, whirling away from the mirror. If she had to wear the ridiculous dress, she wouldn’t even peek at it.
She stripped off her clothes and gritted her teeth as she slipped into the clingy material. Tying the straps, she peeked at the back of the dress and whipped around to stare at the wall. There was no back to the darn thing. She risked a glance down and grimaced. It hugged the slope of her belly and hips, then fell to the floor.
“I don’t know how they expect me to work in a floor-length gown,” she complained.
“Let me see it!” Jer called with glee.
“Okay…” She stepped to the side, and paused, gawking. When did those slits appear? The bottom of the dress was cut into strips. When she held still, it looked like one elegant dress, but when she moved her legs peeked out. “Stars above,” she groaned.
“Two minutes!”
Allie slammed her hand against the button and the door whooshed open. She closed her eyes and held her hands out to the sides. “So…?”
Silence.
She cracked one eye open. “That bad?”
Jer just stared. “Wow.”
Allie’s brows wrinkled. “Huh?”
Her friend shook her head. “Allie, that dress is stunning!”
“Are you kidding me?” Allie pointed to her tummy. “It’s clingy, and I don’t like it.”
“It doesn’t look tight. It’s fitted—there’s a difference, and the only one who will even notice your belly is you. You’re beautiful.”
“I look cheap.”
“No.” Jer paused. “Do you think I’m honest?”
Allie sighed dramatically. “To a fault.”
“Then believe me when I say you look anything but cheap. Now spin.”
“It’s missing half the back,” she warned as she spun, the strips flaring out just a little at the bottom. “I feel so exposed.”
“Well, it’s modest. There’s no cleavage. It does cup your butt a little, but not enough to be gross, and the slits barely show any leg. Plus, you have a great back and shoulders. Your body type was made to wear halter-tops.”
“Un huh,” she answered, unconvinced.
“Now stop fretting. I have to braid your hair.”
Jer’s deft fingers slipped into her hair and began to expertly weave her golden hair into a plait. Allie’s eyes slowly closed. There was something so comforting about having someone play with her hair.
“My mama and sister used to play with my hair. I love it.”
Her friend hummed. “All done.”
Allie patted her head and ran a hand along the plait. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Jer smiled as she donned her boots, then she strode into the bathroom and began braiding her own hair in quick jerky movements. “This suit is obscene.”
She leaned a hip against the door. “What if you put a belt around the hips and wore a jacket?”
“That will work,” her friend said, tying off her hair.
She turned and sauntered to their little closet. Flipping through their clothes, her hand paused over a deep-blue high-low jacket. “I have just the thing.” She held it out so Jer could examine the garment. “It will highlight your blue eyes, cover your boobs and butt, yet give off an air of femininity and professionalism.”
“You and all your big words!” Jer grinned. “I love it!”
Allie held the jacket open and helped Jer into it just as their wrist comms buzzed. She leaned to the side and placed her hand on a scan pad. “Grant entrance to Sid. We’re just finishing up.” She snagged a black and silver belt from the closet and held it out to Jer. “Clasp it over the coat. It will cinch the waist to fit you since it’s a little big.”
“Have I mentioned that I love having you as a roommate?”
She grinned. “Maybe once or twice.”
“Well, I might love it even more now.”
Their door slid open and Sid sauntered in, once again dressed all in black, his scales catching the light. He clutched his heart and pretended to stumble into the wall. “My hearts just can’t handle this much beauty at once.”
Jer slapped him on the arm as she moved by him to grab her satchel. “Always the flatterer.”
He shrugged unapologetically, his gaze running over Allie’s dress.
She picked at the fabric and gave him a self-conscious smile. “Does it look okay?”
His smile widened, and she swore his eyes twinkled. “More than okay. You look stunning. All sunshine and darkness.”
She snorted and slipped her feet into her favorite flats she could walk for days in. “Now you’re a poet?”
“I always was. You’re just experiencing the power of my skill today.”
“Sure.” She squished next to Sid and grabbed his arm. “Let’s go, Casanova.”
“Casa-what? My chip isn’t giving me a translation.”
“It was from an old Earth book,” she explained, pulling him from their home. She held her hand against the door until it locked. “It’s a nickname for a womanizer.”
Sid scoffed. “I am not a womanizer. I love women.”
“Exactly.”
He held up a finger tipped with a claw. “Not the same.”
“Let’s agree to disagree,” she teased, as they moved down the hallway.
The door opened, and she blinked at the purple sky. She’d never get used to that. It’d always be alien.
Sid pulled her into the bustling street and paused in front of a contraption. “We’ll visit this later. Now, into my hover.”
He tugged on her, but her feet were rooted to the ground. She glanced at the vehicle that looked suspiciously like a motorhover with a sidecar on each side. Open sidecars. “What in the worlds is that?”
“That, dear Allie, is your ride.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No!”
Jer pulled the goggles off her head and adjusted them over her eyes. “Stop being a sissy. We don’t have time for this. Get in the sidecar.”
“B-b-but we have to fly!” she exclaimed, her telltale panic rising to the surface.
Large obsidian hands clasped each side of her face, forcing her to gaze into Sid’s eyes. “We’re not flying, just hovering. I promise.”
“I can’t,” she whispered. Heat rushed into her cheeks in shame.
A claw smoothed softly along her cheekbone. “It’s okay, I’ll strap you in.”
Sid whisked her off her feet, plopped her into the sidecar, and had her strapped in before she could panic and run away. A pair of goggles were slapped over her head and eyes. Sid slipped onto the motorhover and it roared to life underneath them.
“Why is it so loud?” she yelled.
“Because I like it that way!”
“You’ll be careful?”
Sid’s grin was slow. “Always am.”
Continue EMERALD BANE<3
War. Secrets. Betrayal
Fed up with the neglect and corruption of the crown, swordsmith Sage Blackwell steps forward to spy on the crown. She knows the risks of rebellion - imprisonment or death - and yet, she's still willing to take them to protect her family.
But when plans unravel, Sage finds herself facing the devils themselves, her sworn enemies, the princes of Aermia.
Rebellion always has a price…
Read Now
About the Author
If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage https://www.frostkay.net/, check out my Facebook group Frost Fiends, or follow me on Bookbub to receive news about my new releases.
You’ve just read a book in my MIXOLOGISTS & PIRATES series. Other books in this series include EMERALD BANE and SCARLET VENOM.
If you love FANTASY, GAME OF THRONES, and SARAH J. MAAS, check out my AERMIAN FEUDS series! (More info on the next page!)
Book 1)