Embrace the Romance

by S. E. Smith

  “Let me come in?” Marco asked.

  “No.” She traced his lips with her pinky. She was probably going to regret this tomorrow. But not tonight. Tonight, she would no doubt fall into exhausted sleep. She lowered her voice, going for sultry. “Proper girls like me don’t invite boys in on the first date.”

  They both laughed. “There was nothing proper about tonight, sweetheart.”

  “We both need to get some sleep,” she said.

  She didn’t want to think about tomorrow, about Ru, about any of it.

  The AV made another arrival announcement.

  “I’ll see you.” She stepped out onto her fifth-floor balcony and closed the door before she could change her mind.

  Zara woke the next morning to a mild hangover. Thank god for the nanites. She replayed the previous night. Gods, that had been good. A true taste of what it would be like to find one’s psi-mate. But only a taste. Time to get moving.

  Marco was waiting for her in the lobby. They went to the lab, but she knew what was waiting. There had been no change in Ru.

  As she stared down at the still creature, the enormity of the situation hit her hard. Failure simply hadn’t occurred to her. He should be doing something by now. Brainwave activity at the very least. Tears trailed down her face as she turned to Marco.

  He held her tight and let her cry, stroking her back.

  She finally stilled, with her forehead pressed against him. She had her palms flat on his chest and he lowered his head to whisper in her ear.

  “It’s going to be ok. We’ll take it out and start over if we need to. You can do that, right?”

  “In theory. But in theory, he should be back by now. It’s been almost eight hours. I’m afraid.”

  He looked shocked at her confession.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’ve lost my objectivity here. I care too much.”

  “Don’t ever apologize for caring.” He tilted her chin up to look at him. “I mean that. Whatever happens here, I hope you still care.”

  There it was again. That look. This wasn’t like him. “What are you doing, Marco?”

  “There’s something I want to show you. Come with me for a while?”

  She nodded, and he led her out of the lab.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see. We’ll be back in less than an hour.”

  They took a transport to the planet-side arrivals center for this region, and boarded his shuttle.

  “Are we going to your ship?”

  “Yes and no.”

  She wanted to ask him what the point was, but honestly, this was better than hovering over Ru’s still form.

  The ascent was short, and he approached his ship from an odd angle, directly in alignment with the burners in back.

  “Close your eyes.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him before shutting them.

  “Open,” he said a minute later.

  She didn’t know what she was looking for. Everything seemed normal, but then she found it. Her heart raced. “You changed the name.”

  He leaned closer and took her hands in his. “You changed me.”

  Zara couldn’t believe his words. Couldn’t believe the meaning that was so clear it was written on the side of his ship. The Commitment. She leaned in for a kiss, when her com blared the medical alert. She stared at the screen in shock. “Get us back there.”

  Marco broke a few dozen laws bypassing the entry center and going straight to Zero Sum. Both he and her company would pay a hefty fine for that, but she didn’t care. She alerted security, explained there was an emergency, and told them to let them land and deal with the officials later. Authority had its perks.

  They ran to the lab. Marco hadn’t said a word the entire time back, and she was grateful. She didn’t know what the readings meant.

  Flinging open the door, they stopped cold. Standing on the floor not three feet in front of them was the tiny owl. Its wide eyes blinked at them.

  Marco dropped to his knees, then lay prone on the floor facing the little bird.

  She held her breath.

  “Dude?” Marco said.

  The bird blinked again, then said. “Yes.”

  Zara let out a whoop that had security banging on the door. She flung it open. “It’s ok. That was a celebratory cry.” Something she had never done before. “We’re fine. Really.”

  She turned back to her boys. Marco grinned up at her, looking for all the world like a child with a new puppy. He gently scooped up the bird and stood.

  Zara approached and stared into the yellow avian eyes. “How are you, Ru?”

  “I am...I am...alive.” The voice was filled with awe.

  Zara stroked her fingers from the owl’s head down its back. “Can you feel that?”

  “I can. I do not have the words to describe what I am experiencing. I am...overwhelmed.” The wide eyes blinked at Zara, then Marco. “Thank you.”

  Zara clutched a hand to her chest. This was no cyborg, no human she had been commissioned to enhance. This was a friend. No. Ru was family.

  Marco turned to her with such joy on his face it melted her heart. “You did it.” He gave her a mental nudge with his psi.

  She ignored the gesture. She wasn’t sure she’d ever experienced tears of joy, but she was close now. “I was so worried. We, were worried,” she corrected. “I thought maybe I’d lost you.”

  “I was aware of your distress, but unable to communicate.”

  “What happened after the implant?” Zara asked. “Your neural activity nearly flat-lined. It was as though you’d gone away.”

  “There was a time during which I was...again I am at a loss for words...I was elsewhere. I have read of humans discussing a phenomenon called an out of body experience. I believe that is an accurate description. I saw the table where the implant took place. I watched as you closed the insertion seam. I do not know how that is possible, as my eyes were not yet functioning, but it was as though I was hovering overhead.”

  “Sounds like an out of body experience to me,” Marco said.

  “The theory is that a person’s soul is responsible for the phenomenon,” Zara said in the whisper. “I’ve always believed that our soul is nothing more than the energy from which everything is created. You are a sentient being.”

  There was a long pause as they processed the thought.

  “How long did that last?” Marco finally asked.

  “Approximately four minutes, at which point my consciousness lowered and sank into this body. There was time afterward that I have no memory of, but then my systems started coming back online. I regained my processing abilities, but there was a marked difference. I believe the neural lace is functioning as planned, Zara. I feel as though I have an expanded consciousness, and the sensory input is most extraordinary. I feel.” The tiny owl breathed in deeply. “I breathe, and my lungs fill with air. Your touch is most pleasant.”

  Zara and Marco both reached up to stroke the owl. They stopped, fingers nearly touching.

  Another mental knock from his psi.

  She smiled, but held herself in check.

  They each stroked the small body. The feathers were silky soft, and Ru shuddered with a small chirping sound of pleasure.

  “Do you have control of your limbs?” Zara asked.

  Wings spread wide and the owl nodded. “I do not yet know how to fly.”

  “We’ll work on that later,” Zara said. “For now, just enjoy the ride.”

  “I am truly happy,” Ru said. “I feel it in my body. It is extraordinary.”

  Happy. That was a good word.

  “I started receiving auditory input and Marco’s telemetrics approximately two hours after implant. My vision did not come on-line for another four hours.”

  “I wonder why my monitors didn’t pick up any of that,” Zara said.

  “My theory is that it’s because I was functioning solely on my internal circuitry at the time. Expanded integration with
the biological brain was among the last processes to occur.”

  “Fascinating,” Zara said.

  “Yes, as were the biometric readings I was receiving from Marco last night.”

  Zara felt the blush spread across her cheeks and down her neck.

  “We were—”

  “Consoling each other.” Zara finished for Marco.

  He gave her a full body caress with his psi. “Yeah, that.” Marco set Ru down on the ground. “You have a whole world to explore, dude.”

  The owl hopped around, experimenting with its wings.

  “Don’t do too much,” Zara cautioned. “You’ll need to build up your muscles before you can fly.”

  “What will I eat?” Ru blinked up at Zara. He was so stinking cute.

  “Are you hungry?” Zara asked.

  “I do not think so. I am not sure.”

  “We’ll start with liquids and build up from there.”

  “In a while,” Marco said. “Zara and I need to talk.”

  “Like you did last night?” Ru asked over his shoulder as he hopped about on the floor.

  “Depends,” Marco’s brown eyes poured into hers as he took her hand. “I changed the name of my ship for a reason.”

  “You changed the name of No Commitments?” Ru bounced off Marco’s leg and toppled over onto his side in a peel of laughter. “This is so much fun!”

  They all laughed.

  “Its name is now The Commitment,” Marco said. “I meant it when I said you changed me, Zara. I don’t want this to be over. I don’t want to leave here without you. Never again.”

  The words washed over her in a surreal wave accompanied by his psi’s erotic caress. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “Took me a while to believe it myself. When I was on Sigma Vector 9, I thought I was done for, and the only thing I could think of was not seeing you again.”

  Zara pushed a stray lock of hair from his face. “That was about the time I started experiencing your psi so...intimately.”

  He grinned at her. “Me too.”

  “So, what exactly are you saying?”

  “I’m saying I love you, but you already knew that.”

  She did. Knew it in her heart and soul. Their psi wrapped around each other in a dance that needed to be completed. “I love you too, Marco Dar.”

  A wild hooting erupted from Ru and he jumped up and down. “This is happy-making.”

  “Very.” Marco kissed her. A sweet, gentle touch that held a world of promise.

  “Psi-mate.” He spoke through their nascent bond.

  She wrapped her arms around him. It was a promise she was ready for.

  You can find Sabine’s other works here.

  If you’d like to find out what the deal is with Armond and Vin sign up for Sabine’s news letter at www.sabinepriestley.com They’ll be making they’re debut November 2017!

  Also by Sabine Priestly

  Alien Attachments, the first book in the Alien Attachments Series.

  Alien Bond, Short Story Sequel for the Alien Attachments Series. FREE!

  Twice Tethered, the first in the Tethered Wings Series

  Find out about sales and new releases by signing up for Sabine’s Newsletter here: www.sabinepriestley.com

  About the Author

  Multi published author of Sci-Fi Rom and Urban Fantasy.

  Sabine grew up consuming Science Fiction, Fantasy and Romance novels (there was a brief bodice ripper period, but we won’t go into that).

  She wanted to be an astronaut and travel the stars. She ended up an Electrical Engineer and Cultural Anthropologist. She's a geek with heart.

  Seriously disappointed we’ve yet to establish so much as a moon base, she’s encouraged by the recent developments by superstars such as Elon Musk, Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, among others.

  She’s a travel addict, beach-loving, stargazing disruptor. Her heroines are kickass and her stories action packed.

  www.sabinepriestley.com

  Gib and the Tibbar

  A Galactic Defenders story

  By

  Jessica E. Subject

  About Gib and the Tibbar

  A dedicated Defender to the core, Gib is willing to go to any planet the Galactic Alliance sends him. That is, until he’s sent with his squad to Hemera for their Alorama ceremony, far from any threat of Erebus invasion and with no chance for promotion.

  Vilarra has lived on Hemera all her life, working hard in the kitchens of the royal palace until she achieved lead hand. But learning of the universe beyond her world reveals her insignificance and shreds her sense of accomplishment and purpose.

  With the help of a furry, little tibbar, Gib is determined to win the affection of Vilarra, prove to her how significant she is to him and the people who depend on her. But will his personal mission be cut short before he has the chance to win her heart?

  One

  Fire crackled, breaking up the eerie silence surrounding the Defenders on watch. Gib read the sky scan on his wrist com. Nothing. The same as every other reading he’d taken since arriving on Hemera. He snapped a twig then tossed it into the fire pit. “I can’t believe our squad is stationed here. I mean, Alpha, Bravo, Delta, and Echo always get the exciting missions where they actually kill Erebus.”

  “And we’re stuck on Hemera,” his squad mate Zair interrupted, finally talking after Gib had assumed he’d fallen asleep. “On some backward planet for some fornax ceremony so the king can show off how much wealth he has to the lowly commoners. It’s ridiculous!”

  “Yes, but there’s nothing we can do.” Gib said back, stretching out his aching legs. Like every other Mingot, Gib had a thin layer of skin over his bones, leaving them visible on the surface. Though on his hands and head, he had thicker skin over those bones, the parts of him generally not covered by his Defender uniform. Being stuck on a planet that consisted of mostly water with only one land mass reminded him of how much he’d aged compared to when he first joined the Defenders. Every joint ached at some point during the day, and others teamed up to slow him even more. He couldn’t wait to leave Hemera, and hopefully his squad would never be sent there again.

  “Why does the Alliance send us here anyway?” Running his boots through the loose dirt around the pit, Zair stared into the fire they’d started at the watch site to keep warm. “It’s not as if Hemera contributes anything to—”

  A small, furry white creature scampered between the Defenders and the fire. Gib yanked his feet back and gasped. He tried to follow the path the animal took, and when it disappeared into the grassy field, he relaxed a little. Not that he was afraid, only startled by the sudden appearance of the critter.

  But his watch partner reacted differently. The cowardly Defender stood on his bench, reaching for a low branch on the ropral tree as if to lift himself farther off the ground. “What in Gaspra was that? No one told me about any deadly creatures on this planet.”

  Gib laughed and slapped his hand on his lap. “I wouldn’t call the fluffy little thing that raced by us a deadly creature.”

  “Okay, Hemera is infested with vermin, then.” Zair examined the area around him before he dared put a foot on the ground.

  A high-pitched squeak sounded, and Gib’s surveillance partner returned to reaching for the branches. The little creature stood on its hind legs below Zair’s bench, peeping as if telling him off.

  Gib couldn’t hold in his laughter. Not just at the other Defender’s reaction, but also the thoughts running through Zair’s mind, thoughts he’d failed to block in his fear.

  “It’s not going to eat you.” Gib shook his head, wondering how his squad mate could see the creature as dangerous. “Would you please get down from there? Defenders are supposed to be brave and fierce. Right now, you’re neither.”

  “Go to Gaspra, Mingot. And stay out of my head.” He yanked his plazer from his hip holster and aimed it at the critter. “If I don’t destroy it, it will bring death to everyone on this planet.�
�

  Stepping into the line of fire, Gib yanked the weapon from his squad mate, thankful the safety remained on. “You’re being ridiculous. Besides, if you fire your weapon, you’ll cause a panic. The Hemera will think Erebus have arrived.”

  The frightened Defender shook a foot at the creature. “Fine, then. Kick it into the fire. Or you could stomp on it.”

  “Don’t you dare!” A Hemera woman burst from the bushes, storming toward Zair like a mother rehn protecting her young. She shoved him off his bench and shouldered past Gib before scooping the noisy creature into her hand. “This is my tibbar, not some kind of vermin.”

  “Tibbar? Try nasty rodent that tried to eat me.” Zair smoothed out his uniform but kept his distance from the creature now perched on the woman’s shoulder.

  “You’re both on nehbred.” She kicked dirt at them, her pink lips pursed and her dark eyes set in a deadly stare. “You don’t know what you’re talking about when it comes to my pet or my planet.”

  “So, you were eavesdropping.” Gib caught the admission and refused to back down to the angry Hemera. Not when she was so appealing to look at, even if mad. She intrigued him even more with her ability to keep her thoughts to herself. He’d never been mind blocked by anyone except the Yarwin on a first meeting, but he couldn’t catch a hint of what she thought except by observing her body language. Unusual for races who didn’t interact with Mingot on a regular basis.

  “So what if I was.” She slammed her hand on her hips, her nostrils flaring. “I used to admire the Defenders, but now I know you’re all just as arrogant as our king. You know nothing about how the rest of us live.”

  Maybe Gib didn’t, but, from what the woman said, neither did the leaders of the planet. “Then tell me.” Anything to make him understand why the Alliance sent the Defenders to Hemera each Galactic year for the Alorama ceremony. And to keep her in his presence for as long as possible. She intrigued him more than any woman he’d met.