by Cara Wylde
ACCIDENTAL SLAVE TO THE KRALIANS
COMPLETE EDITION
Starr Huntress
http://starrhuntress.com
Copyright © 2018 by Cara Wylde
Cover by Emma Griffin
Edited by Cassie Hess-Dean
All rights are reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in book reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
BOOK ONE
BOOK TWO
BOOK THREE
BOOK FOUR
BOOK FIVE
BOOK SIX
Are you a Starr Huntress?
More books by Cara Wylde
About the Author
BOOK ONE
CHAPTER ONE
Fresh out of a hot shower and wrapped in her favorite fluffy bathrobe, Avery sat down in front of the TV with a cup of lemongrass tea and her smartphone within reach. The news was on mute. She watched the moving pictures on the screen for a while, then sighed and grabbed the stack of papers she had left on the couch earlier. As she threaded her long, thin fingers through her wet blonde hair, Avery stared at the title written in huge letters on the first page.
Star-Crossed
Written by
Alex Walsh and Meadow Summer
Based on the novel by
Alex Walsh
As she leafed through the screenplay she already knew by heart, Avery chuckled at the watermark printed on every page: Poppy Tonks. That was her. Poppy Tonks, the rising Hollywood star who had managed to make a name for herself in only two years but was still nervous about the audition she had given three weeks before. Did she want to play Daisy Clearwater, clumsy mail-order bride who was destined to find true love on an alien planet? No, thank you very much. Avery hated the character. “Star-Crossed” was just another science-fiction romance with cheesy lines, predictable tropes, and an underwhelming happily-ever-after in a sea of sci-fi romances that followed the same pattern. Over the past eight years or so, these silly romances had taken over the world. Literature, theater, cinematography, short movies, TV shows… They were everywhere! And Avery knew exactly why. No, she didn’t want to play Daisy Clearwater, although she was pretty sure the role would probably get her at least an Oscar nomination, but she had to. She needed the job, so she could finally start making real progress on her real job.
She threw the screenplay on the armchair next to the couch, drank half of her tea, then stood up and went into one of the bedrooms of her ridiculously large and luxurious apartment. She lived alone, and if she were to have her way, Avery would rent a one-room apartment in one of the less privileged neighborhoods of LA, and eat takeout for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Unfortunately, to be in the spotlight, she had to play and dress the part. She had finished the School of Drama in Syracuse for what felt like ages ago, then she had been an average theater actress for three or so years. There wasn’t much money to be made on small stages, so there came a time when Avery had to make a choice: stay a starving actress who could barely make ends meet, or change careers. After a couple of months of intense soul-searching, Avery decided that burying Poppy Tonks and her dreams of becoming a star was the best move. Half a year later, she was in a different place, among different people, and working on a different salary. Did she miss her acting days? Not at all. After all, her new job did entail enough acting to satisfy her inner child.
“Who would’ve thought?” Avery whispered as she looked at herself in the tall mirror. “Who would’ve thought Poppy Tonks could ever make herself useful again?”
Even after two years of reclaiming her initial career and taking Hollywood by storm, Avery still couldn’t believe what was happening. She had moments, especially when invited on some show, when she could truly step into character and enjoy the fame. She’d feel sexy and powerful. She would smile at the cameras and give flirty, witty answers to the host’s prying questions. Once she was back in her apartment, however, she would inevitably remember she wasn’t where she was because of her talent. And that was when Avery would pour herself a big glass of whiskey, come down from the clouds of fame and lies, and get some real work done, the kind of work that required studying the evidence for the thousandth time, drawing new connections, and thinking outside of the box to catch the bad guy. Or, in this case, the bad guys.
Slowly, deliberately, she brushed her long blonde hair, then used the blow dryer to create the beautiful waves that were Poppy’s signature. She intended to spend the evening inside, so she ignored the five makeup kits on her boudoir table and grabbed a pair of comfy pajamas. She stretched, cursed herself for not having lifted weights in a while, then went into the other bedroom, which had been turned into an office.
Compared to the rest of the house, this room was messy as hell, which was why it felt like home to her. Sticky notes all over her desk, two laptops constantly running, one on the floor and the other on the bed, scattered papers all over the floor, and pictures of various people on the walls, all connected through red threads held in place by yellow pins.
Avery studied the wall above her desk for a while. For now, there was nothing she could add to her research and the story she had managed to piece together, and it was driving her insane. She needed the lead role in “Star-Crossed”. Poppy Tonks needed to be Daisy Clearwater.
The sound of “Roar” by Katy Perry made her heart jump. As much as she wanted to run into the living room and throw herself at her phone, Avery did her best to calm down and do everything methodically. She kept her composure even when she saw the name of her agent on the screen.
“Yes, Lydia.”
“Oh my God, Poppy! Sit down. Are you sitting down?”
Avery smiled at the woman’s enthusiasm. Lydia Carmichael was one of the best agents in LA. She would have never worked with her if it hadn’t been for her other job and the people behind it.
“Yes, I am.”
She wasn’t, but Lydia didn’t need to know that.
“Poppy darling, you got it! You got the lead role in ‘Star-Crossed’! Congratulations!”
Avery took a deep breath and released it slowly. She counted to five, enjoyed the feeling of finally having made a breakthrough, then reminded herself she needed to act like Poppy for a couple of seconds. What would Poppy say?
“Oh my God, Lydia! Oh my God, oh my God! I can’t… I can’t breathe.” She started jumping up and down to get the appropriate effect. “I don’t know what to say… This is… I can’t believe this is really happening!”
“Darling, you worked so hard for it. You deserve it.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“I did nothing, lovely. It was all you.”
“This is huge!”
“It sure is, sweetie. Oh, and that’s not all. The Walsh brothers have invited you to a special dinner party at their house. They finished casting the roles, so you’ll get to meet everyone. You’re going, right? I need to send the confirmation.”
“Of course! Of course I’m going, are you crazy? Oh my God, I need a dress.”
“You’ll break hearts whatever you wear. Can I be honest with you? Sweetie, you’re the best choice they could’ve made. None of the girls who auditioned even come close to your beauty.”
“Haha… Lydia, I thought you’d praise my talent, not my looks.”
“And your talent. They don’t come close to your talent, either. Now, go get that dress and I’ll let their assistant know you’ll be there tomorrow night.”
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
“No, you.”
“You.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Good night, Lydia.”
“Good night, darling.”
Once the connection was cut, Avery threw her phone on the table and did a backflip, almost knocking over an empty vase.
“Fuck yes! I’m in!”
She danced her way to the bedroom-turned-office and grabbed her second phone. Just as she was getting ready to dial the number, it started vibrating in her hand. Cocking a perfectly arched eyebrow, she swiped right and pressed it to her ear.
“Agent Tonkin?”
“Yes.”
“1834 Pandora Ave. Be there in half an hour.”
“I’m in,” she blurted out.
“Good. You have the address.”
“Yes.”
She wanted to ask “What? Why? What’s at 1834 Pandora Ave?”, but the man at the end of the line didn’t give her the chance. He hung up in the blink of an eye, leaving Avery confused.
“Why do you have to be so goddamn cryptic, boss?”
Mumbling under her breath, she went to get dressed. Right before leaving the apartment, she made a snap decision and placed the black leather collar she kept in a locked drawer in her office around her neck, but didn’t activate it. It was rimmed with two rows of small, silver studs, and the centerpiece was a delicate silver ring that dangled right above the spot where her clavicle bones met. While the accessory didn’t quite define Poppy, it did define Avery. And that was the whole point. Also, it wasn’t an accessory.
CHAPTER TWO
Thirty minutes later, Avery was knocking on a light brown door that looked like all the other doors on Pandora Ave. As she waited, she glanced around, taking in the house, the street, and the people walking their dogs before turning in for the night. There was nothing special about this place. Just a normal neighborhood with cute, cozy houses. The streets where well-lit at night, and she could guess most of the people living there were happily boring families with at least two kids, a cat or two, and a dog for good measure. She shuddered at the thought. Avery grew up in such a family, and even though her childhood had been perfectly proper and bland, her parents’ relationship hadn’t made her want the same life for herself. Even today, the only activity they did together was to watch the news. If they also talked about it, it would’ve been something, but they watched in silence, never exchanging ideas or opinions. Avery had always known: her parents respected each other, but true love was out of the question. They had a house and two children together. Also, two cats and a dog. For good measure. Those were the only reasons why they were still enduring their marriage.
“Agent Tonkin.”
The woman who answered the door was someone Avery had never seen before. If she hadn’t addressed her by her name, Avery would’ve been willing to entertain the idea she might have gotten the wrong address.
“Who are you?” That wasn’t very polite. Avery couldn’t care less, though. She’d never been too crazy about social rules. “Never mind. Let’s go inside, this neighborhood is freaking me out.”
The rather short, brown-haired woman pushed her round, nerdy glasses up the bridge of her nose, and made room for Avery to pass.
“I’m Lisa. Lisa Jenkins. We’ll be working together…” She closed the door and followed Avery down the hall. “What do you mean? This is one of the nicest neighborhoods in LA.”
“Exactly. I don’t like nice. Nice always hides something dark, or just plain boring underneath it. Know what I mean?”
“N-no.”
They reached the living room, and Avery stopped dead in her tracks, causing the nerdy, confused woman who’d just introduced herself as Lisa to almost bump into her. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest to mask the slight discomfort she was feeling. There were too many people in the room. But that wasn’t the real problem. Avery had always been good with crowds. There were too many people she didn’t know, in a house which she could clearly see had been transformed into some sort of headquarters.
“Boss, what’s going on?”
The fact that the director of the FBI was sitting behind a desk, casually leafing through some papers, did put Avery to ease. Only a tiny bit, though.
“Agent Tonkin, thank you for meeting us here.” He stood up and rounded the desk. “This…” he motioned toward the people in the room, some of them lounging on the sofa, others typing away at their laptops, “is the team you’re going to work with from now on. They will have your back until all of this is over. And this…” he nodded toward a tall, bulky, black man who was standing by the window, “is your boss, Ben Shaw. A couple of hours ago, he was working for the CIA. Now, he’s SPG. Like all of you.”
For a second, Avery was speechless. She blinked, studied the bald man whose name was, apparently, Ben Shaw, then swallowed hard and did her best to keep her composure. She didn’t like when plans and strategies changed just like that. She liked it even less when she was the last to find out.
“I don’t understand,” she said simply. “SPG?”
“Special Provision for Gaia. The FBI, the CIA, and Dreamland have decided to join forces and assemble a new, fully vetted team to take over this case.”
“With all due respect, Sir, we already have a team.”
“Not anymore. We have strong reasons to believe the enemy has infiltrated both the FBI and the CIA. The best we can do at this point is start fresh.” He stopped inches away from Avery. “We’re close, agent. So close. Frankly, you’re the only one on the old team I’ve never doubted. With a new leader and new, highly trained and experienced colleagues to support you, I know you will make better progress from now on. Time is of the essence.”
“Do you think… it was so hard for me to land a role in a Walsh movie because someone from the inside has been tripping us?”
“It’s a possibility. We’re looking into it as we speak.”
Avery bit the inside of her cheek, studied the director’s features, then eventually had to accept that her boss was serious, and he truly believed this was the best course of action. She’d have to get used to the situation and work with what she had. She could do that. Yes. She’d always been good at adapting to new, unpredictable circumstances.
“Alright, I’m in.”
The director smiled subtly. “That was never up for debate.”
“Fair enough.”
Confidently, she walked up to Ben Shaw, her new boss, and shook his hand firmly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you and work with you, Sir. I will not disappoint you.”
“Agent Avery Tonkin, the feeling is mutual. I’ve heard a great deal about you.”
Avery smiled awkwardly. She would’ve liked to say the same, but she’d just heard the name Ben Shaw for the first time in her life just a few minutes before. To cut the silence, she turned to the short, brown-haired woman who’d let her in.
“Lisa, it’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry about earlier.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Lisa chuckled and gratefully shook Avery’s hand.
“Jenkins is with IT,” said Shaw. “She and Bloom are the best in their field.”
“Carter Bloom,” a tall, lanky man introduced himself. Just like Lisa, he was wearing glasses, but Avery could tell he was much more confident than his colleague.
Shaw introduced Avery to the rest of the team.
Simon Chen, a chirpy dark-haired young man with slightly Asian features, was with accounting. He was there to keep track of the budget and make sure Avery and the task force had everything they needed and, more importantly, exactly when they needed it.
Then, there were also Chris Miller and Zadie Childs, who came from Dreamland, bringing all kinds of new, never-before-seen weapons and technology with them. Chris was a tall, athletic guy who loved squeezing in a quick workout every day. His deep blue eyes and soft blond hair did make Avery pause for a moment every time she caught him in her field of vision. Zadie was, probably, the oldest member of the team, if Avery didn’t count Shaw. She had luscious black skin, full lips, and rich black curls she wore with pride.
Everyone was dressed casually and comfortably. They knew they were going to spend a lot of time at the improvised headquarters of the SPG, so they had already started making changes to the house to better fit their tastes.
“Alright, now that everyone knows everyone, I’ll be on my way.”
“So soon?”
The director of the FBI stole a glance at his wrist watch.
“Captain Shaw will fill you in. Good luck, team!” Before heading to the door, he motioned for Avery to follow him.
“Sir?”
She jumped in surprise when he placed his big, warm hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. It was the first time he was acting so friendly, almost fatherly, toward her.
“Agent Tonkin, you’ll do fine. You have the best team I could put together. Trust them. They have your back.”
“Yes, Sir. It will take me some time to get used to them, though.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have that time at your disposal. Our operation has suffered a few setbacks in the past couple of months, but we’re back on track, and things should go smoothly from now on. Stay clear and focused.”