by S. E. Smith
Pets in Space® 4
S.E. Smith
Anna Hackett
Tiffany Roberts
Veronica Scott
Pauline Baird Jones
Laurie A. Green
Donna McDonald
Regine Abel
Alexis Glynn Latner
JC Hay
E.D. Walker
Kyndra Hatch
Cassandra Chandler
About the Anthology
For a limited time only! Pets in Space® 4 is proud to present 13 amazing, original new stories! Join the adventures as today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors take you on a journey to another world. Pets in Space® proudly supports Hero-Dogs.org, a non-profit charity that provides service animals to veterans and first responders in need. Join New York Times, USA TODAY and Award-winning Bestselling authors S.E. Smith, Anna Hackett, Tiffany Roberts, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Donna McDonald, Regine Abel, Alexis Glynn Latner, JC Hay, E.D. Walker, Kyndra Hatch, and Cassandra Chandler for another exciting Pets in Space® anthology. Get the stories before they are gone!
Proud supporters of Hero-Dogs.org, Pets in Space® authors have donated over $7,100 in the past two years to help place specially trained dogs with veterans and first responders. Open your hearts and grab your limited release copy of Pets in Space® 4 today!
Copyright © 2019 by Cats, Dogs and Other Worldly Creatures; Veronica Scott and Pauline Baird Jones, owners.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the authors, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
ISBN: 978-1-942583-70-7
MADAS' FALLING STAR: Lords of Kassis Series; Copyright by S.E. Smith. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
DARK GUARD: House of Rone Series; Copyright by Anna Hackett. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
ENTWINED FATES; Copyright by Tiffany Roberts. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
STAR CRUISE: IDOL’S CURSE: Star Cruise Series; Copyright by Jean D Walker. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
CYBORG'S REVENGE: Project Enterprise Series; Copyright by Pauline Baird Jones. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
SPYDOG; Copyright by Laurie A. Green. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
NOTHING REMOTELY FAMILIAR: A Topper Witch Story; Copyright by Donna McDonald. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
DOOM: Xian Warriors Series; Copyright by Regine Abel. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
WINTER'S PRINCE: Starways Series; Copyright by Alexis Glynn Latner. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
HEART OF THE SPIDER'S WEB; Copyright by JC Hay. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
THE PRINCESS AND HER BODYGUARD; Copyright by E D Walker. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
INTERRUPTING STARLIGHT; Copyright by Kyndra Hatch. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
IMPORT QUARANTINE; Copyright by Cassandra Chandler. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
Cover art by Fiona Jayde
Pet Illustrations by Adrian
Created with Vellum
Contents
S.E. Smith - Madas’s Falling Star
Acknowledgments
Cast of Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
About S.E. Smith
Also By S.E. Smith
Anna Hackett - Dark Guard
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Afterword
About Anna Hackett
Also by Anna Hackett
Tiffany Roberts - Entwined Fates
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
About Tiffany Roberts
Also by Tiffany Roberts
Veronica Scott -STAR CRUISE: Idol’s Curse
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Epilogue
About Veronica Scott
Also by Veronica Scott
Pauline Baird Jones - Cyborg’s Revenge
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
About Pauline Baird Jones
Also by Pauline Baird Jones
Laurie A. Green - SpyDog
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
About Laurie A. Green
Also by Laurie A. Green
Donna McDonald - Nothing Remotely Familiar
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
A Note from Donna McDonald
About Donna McDonald
Also By Donna McDonald
Regine Abel - Doom
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
About Regine Abel
Also by Regine Abel
Alexis Glynn Latner - Winter’s Prince
1. The Door to Winter
2. Time Out
3. Fairmarket
4. Team Grail
5. One Grail Too Many
6. Door and Window
7. The Standing Stones
About Alexis Glynn Latner
Also by Alexis Glynn Latner
JC Hay- Heart of the Spider’s Web
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
About JC Hay
Also by JC Hay
E.D. Walker - The Princess and Her Bodyguard
The Princess and Her Bodyguard
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
About E. D. Walker
Also by E. D. Walker
Kyndra Hatch - Interrupting Starlight
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Afterword
About Kyndra Hatch
Also by Kyndra Hatch
Cassandra Chandler - Import Quarantine
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
About Cassandra Chandler
Also by Cassandra Chandler
Thank you!
About Cats, Dogs & Other Worldly Creatures
S.E. Smith - Madas’s Falling Star
Prince Gril Tal Mod is destined to be the next Supreme Leader of the Tearnats—if he survives long enough to ascend to the throne.
Gril was supposed to be on a routine training exercise, but his flight goes horribly wrong when engine trouble forces him to land his fighter in a remote mountainous region. Once stranded on the ground, Gril discovers the malfunction was no accident—and he isn’t alone. He can sense someone watching him from the shadows.
Princess Madas Tralang’s curiosity always seems to get her into trouble. When Madas spies an unusual object streaking across the sky before crashing near her location, she believes it is a good omen. After all, she found her pet, L’eon, the last time an object fell from the sky.
Her hopes of finding something valuable are dashed when instead she sees a big, and rather ugly, Tearnat warrior. Though there is something about him…something magnetic, it’s his spaceship that she really wants. It is just what she has been searching for—a means to escape the dreary life expected of her!
The giant warrior pilot of the spaceship isn’t going to give it up easily, however, and Madas soon finds herself locked in a battle of wits and skill with the strange warrior, but they are not the only players on the field. Danger surrounds Madas and Gril—both from Madas’s clan and from the saboteur who is determined to see Gril dead. Can the Prince of the Tearnats and a small, but deadly alien pet, defeat their foes and save Madas before time runs out, or will Gril’s growing love for a curious Princess doom them both?
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Jackie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, Debbie, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!
And a special thanks to Paul Heitsch, David Brenin, Samantha Cook, Suzanne Elise Freeman, and PJ Ochlan—the awesome voices behind my audiobooks!
—S.E. Smith
Cast of Characters
Prince Gril Tal Mod: Future ruler of Tearraid, home world of the Tearnat and member of the Desert/Sand Tearnats
Princess Madas Tralang: Member of the Tearnat Forest Clan, daughter of Queen Tima Tralang
Devac Gru: Gril’s former mate
Goroff Tralang: Madas’s oldest brother
Joren Tralang: Madas’s older brother by a couple of years
Orden Tralang: Madas’s brother
Queen Tima Tralang: Queen and ruler of the Forest Clan
L’eon: Chameleon Lightning Lizard from another world and Madas’s constant companion
Chapter One
“Tactical Command, this is Red Feather. Initiate emergency protocol.”
Gril Tal Mod gritted his teeth as he fought for control of his star fighter. Fire ignited outside of the starboard window. He shut off the fuel to the starboard engine and the flames quickly extinguished without oxygen to fuel them.
“Tactical Command, this is Red Feather. Initiate emergency protocol,” he repeated for the tenth time.
“Critical failures in starboard engine,” the computer responded. “System failure reports from communication, life support, and weapons.”
“Is anything not failing?” Gril sarcastically muttered.
“Structural integrity is intact. Your spacesuit controls have been disabled. Suggested course of action: land,” the computer responded.
“Suggested— List causes of system failure,” Gril demanded.
“Unable to process request,” the computer responded.
“What caused the damage?” Gril demanded, trying again.
“Unable to process request,” the computer repeated.
Gril’s fingers clenched the control lever as it violently shook. Land—that was the only option the computer could suggest. He knew two things for certain, this routine training mission had turned into a disaster and he was going down. He would be thrilled if he could land the fighter without crashing it.
His gaze moved to the holographic instrument panel in front of him. The port engine was beginning to overheat. If he lost that engine, he’d be re-entering the atmosphere on his thrusters alone. If he stayed in space, he would be dead before anyone realized he was missing. Choosing the best of two bad options, he aimed the nose of the fighter toward the planet.
Furiously calculating his trajectory, Gril cut through the planet’s upper atmosphere. He reached over and shut off the emergency fuel, breathing deeply when flames engulfed his fighter. Coming in this fast did not give him the luxury of a controlled descent.
Multiple alarms rang through the cockpit and hurt his ears. He cut the fuel supply to the port engine just as the craft’s temperature reached the critical level. He was in a partially controlled free-fall now.
His grip tightened on the control lever, his biceps bulging as he fought to keep the fighter from rolling. Seconds turned to minutes before he broke through the upper layer of clouds and saw the thick forest and mountain ranges below. A string of curses poured from his lips.
“Hel meiya ta! Forests! The planet is covered in eighty percent desert and I have to find a place to land in the one percent of forests!” he cursed.
“Prepare for crash landing,” the computer calmly instructed.
He couldn’t stand the loud screeching of those damn alarms another second. His fist shot out and connected with the speaker panel, smashing it. He figured if he was going to die, at least he could do it without the ear-splitting noise.