by Eve Langlais
The sharp scent of fear lingered. And not just on the floor where puddles of urine left their mark. The very atmosphere hung heavy with it.
But he saw no signs of it in the female before him. She regarded him with defiance. Her head held high. Her bright gaze meeting his.
He tilted her chin, angling her face left and right. “She appears underfed.”
“An easy enough thing to rectify with the proper diet,” claimed the merchant.
“Where is she from?”
“A small planet with not much to recommend it. She was taken to pay her caretaker’s debt.”
“She’s not exactly mammarily gifted.”
“Excuse me for having two tits,” the female snapped.
He arched a brow. “Mouthy, too. Might require muting.”
“I’ll mute you, asshole.”
“Silence!” The merchant raised a paw to slap her, but he caught it.
“Don’t harm her.”
“She is my property.”
“I belong to no one,” the woman snarled.
Wrong. “I’ll take her. She’ll make an interesting addition to my harem.”
If she didn’t kill him first.
The End
Stayed tuned for
The Gypsy and the Galactic Sheik
And this little snippet is just for my Space Gypsy Chronicle junkies.
Far, far away in the universe, a lone citadel ghosted, commanded only by the spirit of a king, his body and that of his companions asleep until the time came for their resurrection. A resurrection delayed because of betrayal.
You robbed me, Annabelle.
Robbed him of his righteous return. But fate was on his side. He now had a second chance.
Rafe, his body shaped by the ship because his flesh had long ago faded, stood on the bridge flanked by his companions, Emma and Mikhail. They no longer possessed bodies, either. They were here in spirit only, their minds bound to the ship. A triumvirate now as they’d never managed in the past.
“I can’t believe you let them go,” Emma remarked, her voice a steady monotone.
“They are of no use to us yet and may lead us to the ones we need.” The reason why Rafe had set them free.
“Their fleshy bodies are so vulnerable, though,” Mikhail observed. “Are you sure it’s wise?”
“When the time is right, we’ll find them again.” Because, when you had eternity, time was meaningless. “In the meantime, we must right a wrong.”
And Rafe didn’t mean retaliating against the Rhomanii. That had already begun. He spoke of another who deserved their attention.
For a moment there was silence as they recalled the fourth of their group. The one who proved disloyal to the plan.
The one who claimed they betrayed her.
And perhaps they had because once Rafe and the others took emotion and jealousy out of the equation, once they all became a part of the citadel, things became so clear.
Love was not only eternal it could be shared. It should have never come down to a choice all those centuries ago. Perhaps had they not let jealousy divide they would have prevailed against the darkness. A lesson learned, and a mistake they would not make again.
Rafe slid an arm around Emma’s ghost shape while, on the other side, Mikhail did the same. “Together we are the shield against the darkness.”
“The hope of the people.”
“The kings who will return.”
In a galaxy far, far away, a figure in a cloak raised a head and eyes shone as lips moved in whispered reply. “The three might be one in their purpose, but the dead cannot rule.” The true hope lay in the hidden heirs, the only ones who might be able to save them all.
***Author’s note: As you noticed, this story kind of dipped into the Space Gypsy world because, lo and behold, the story was far from done when they escaped in King. What happened after they left? Not just to the planet but Emma, Mikhail, and Rafe. How did Annabelle end up betraying them? Or did she come to her senses? We might just have to find out.
Also by Eve Langlais
More books and information at: EveLanglais.com