by Linda Mooney
Commander Oglet stepped away from the others. “What are you talking about, Captain Tayte?”
She closed the distance between them and placed a hand on Plymon’s chest. “I give to you what you’ve secretly desired ever since you first boarded the ship. I give you the Trinity. Of course, the Regency will have to approve my decision, but it should only be a formality.”
Captain Alamet stepped forward. Wordlessly, the two friends embraced. As they drew apart, Alamet tried to smile, but failed. “Let me guess. You’re dedicating the rest of your life to protecting this Resplendent.”
“Protecting has several meanings at this point, Ambris. Without me, Vall, I mean, Uli, would turn. Correction, he will turn. And an evil Resplendent is a force in the universe that no one can conquer. Not even if you brought every Nion warship into play.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to love him. I’m going to save him from himself whenever I must. And in between those times, we’re going to explore the universe.”
“What if you find one of those evil Resplendents while you’re exploring?” Plymon questioned.
“There are many like me who are keeping watch for them,” Vall responded. “When or if we discover one, the others will join me in defeating them.”
Will returned to his embrace, turning around to face everyone. “Plymon, please say good-bye to my crew for me. Please tell them I have a greater mission I must accomplish. Oh, and tell Killjoy she was right.”
“Right? About what?”
“Just tell her I’m learning how to heal a fatal flaw. She’ll understand.” Reaching down, Will unbuckled the stasis tube, wrapped the straps around it, and held it out for the Sub-captain to take. “I won’t need this.”
“Are you certain you know what you’re doing, Captain?” the Commander asked.
“Yes. And the more I think about it, the more I believe this was meant to be my true purpose in life. Everything I’ve done has led me to this, to be with Uli, and to protect him from himself.”
She waited for Vall to put his arms around her before she erected her own shields. As she suspected, he remained unaffected by them. Giving Commander Oglet a nod, she took one final look around the room, at all the faces of the people she had come to know over the years, finally resting on Plymon’s.
“Good-bye, Braill. I wish you a long and successful career.”
Instead of replying, the new captain of the Trinity raised a hand to wave, but Will would swear she saw the glimmer of tears in his eyes a moment before her own tears blurred her vision.
“The universe is a large place,” Alamet gruffly commented. “Where do you plan to start?”
Will looked over her shoulder and up at the man lovingly watching her. “I don’t know. Where would you like to start, Uli?”
“I get to choose this time?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
And with that, the celestial creature and the woman he loved vanished. But not before those left behind heard Will’s peal of laughter as she exclaimed with delight, “Again?”
Linda loves to write sensuously erotic romance with a fantasy, paranormal, or science fiction flair. Her technique is often described as being as visual as a motion picture or graphic novel. By day she is a Kindergarten teacher, wife, and mother who lives in a small south Texas town near the Gulf coast. But at night she delves into alternate worlds filled with daring exploits, adventure, and intense love.
She has numerous best sellers, including 10 consecutive #1s. In 2009, she was named Whiskey Creek Press Torrid’s Author of the Year, and her book MY STRENGTH, MY POWER, MY LOVE was named the 2009 WCPT Book of the Year. In 2011, her book LORD OF THUNDER was named the Epic Ebook “Eppie” Award Winner for Best Erotic Sci-Fi Romance.
http://www.LindaMooney.com