by Tasha Black
And the love he felt for Anna was palpable every time the two of them were in a room together.
But there was no time in Rose’s life for a relationship like that. She had Agro to think about now.
And deep down, she had to admit that part of the reason she was working so hard was the hope that maybe if she could create enough surplus, they would allow her to send some supplies back to Terra-4. She knew in theory that corporations sometimes gave bonuses to their best employees.
Rose was so busy fantasizing about sending containers of supplies back to Terra-4, that she failed to notice where they were going until it was too late.
Two security guards flanked a metal double door.
“Is this… the holding cell?” Rose asked.
“Sure is,” Leo replied. “Thanks, boys.”
The two guards opened the doors for them.
A horrible sensation crawled under Rose’s skin and she felt her stomach contract.
“I didn’t steal anything,” she heard herself say in a hollow voice.
“What?” Leo asked.
“I would n-never steal from this ship,” Rose stammered.
“Of course you wouldn’t,” Leo said. “You’ve done nothing but enrich the Stargazer II since you got here. Oh—oh gods, did you think I was bringing you here to arrest you? That’s not it at all, Rose. I’m so sorry that my actions caused you distress. That was not my intention.”
Blood rushed back to her head and she felt almost faint with relief.
Leo offered her an arm.
She shook her head, mortified.
“I have learned from Juno and Zane that things are not good for your people on Terra-4,” Leo said gently. “But I’m getting the feeling that I don’t fully understand how bad the situation is.”
Rose nodded mutely.
The situation on her homeworld was bad enough that any Terran could be taken into Cerulean custody at any time, for any reason. Or for no reason at all.
And the treatment in those squalid cells was horrific.
She shivered at the memory.
“You’re among friends now,” Leo told her. “And Anna can meet you somewhere else if you prefer. I’m sure she would understand if we need to postpone the meeting.”
“I’m fine,” Rose managed.
He eyed her with concern, but when she didn’t show him any sign of weakness he nodded and moved on. They walked on until they reached a door with a sensor, where Leo placed his hand against it and it slid open.
Inside, Anna sat on the far side of a large, gleaming white table with two raised rings protruding from its surface.
“Thank you so much for coming, Rose,” Anna said with a welcoming smile that actually managed to set Rose at ease a little. “Please, have a seat.”
She patted the chair next to her.
Rose walked over to sit beside her, thinking it was odd to sit beside the boss.
“See you later, ladies,” Leo said, giving a wave. “I’m heading back to check on the engine room guys.”
Anna blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it before he headed out the door again.
“I have a proposal for you, Rose,” Anna said. “I hope you’ll keep an open mind about it.”
“Of course,” Rose told her.
“Juno let me know that it was unlikely you would agree to help, and I understand her reasoning,” Anna said carefully. “But I see the way you look out for this ship and its interests. And I hope you will be willing to assist us in another matter.”
Rose nodded.
“You’ve been an excellent addition to Agro, but your military training makes you eligible for a new position,” Anna explained. “One that comes with a promotion to Lieutenant, and the commensurate pay raise, of course.”
“That sounds amazing,” Rose told her, desperately trying not to calculate how much of that pay raise could go home to Terra-4 to help the neighborhood. That was a full four pay levels over what she made now. “But keep in mind, my military experience was mostly in Agro. I did basic combat training, but primarily it was civilian-level work.”
“That’s why we would give you the promotion,” Anna said. “This job is above civilian-level.”
“What’s the job?” Rose asked.
“There is a prisoner here in holding,” Anna said. “And he doesn’t belong here. I would like to have him remanded into your custody.”
“What’s he in for?” Rose asked, mystified.
Why would Anna think she was suited for this assignment? She didn’t have any experience with guarding prisoners.
“His name is Rex Tylarr. He was our head of security until a few days ago, and he saved Ambassador Scott’s life during the assassination attempt,” Anna said, with feeling. “He’s in here because he’s a Cerulean.”
Rage began to buzz in Rose’s chest.
“Say something, Rose,” Anna said.
“No thank you,” Rose managed.
“That’s all?” Anna replied.
“I’m not interested,” Rose said, through clenched teeth.
“I don’t want to pressure you, Rose,” Anna said carefully. “But this is important. You’ll just be holding him on house arrest with a proximity device. And it’s only until we get to a port that has a trial by jury system.”
“Look, I didn’t come halfway around the universe just to babysit a Cerulean to save him from lock-up,” Rose said, her temper getting the best of her as she’d been afraid it would. “They certainly don’t mind locking up Terrans back home.”
“Rose, he’s a good man,” Anna said softly.
“Oh, poor him, getting locked up and judged because of his race,” Rose said. “That’s what Ceruleans do to my people every day.”
“He’ll stay with you for a few days, and then it will be over,” Anna said. “But you’ll keep the pay raise for as long as you serve on my ship.”
“There’s not enough room in my quarters,” Rose said automatically.
“We’ve already moved your things to a suite on the upper levels,” Anna admitted.
“You assumed you could buy me?” Rose asked, feeling stung.
“I didn’t want to pressure you with this,” Anna said. “But Ambassador Scott asked for you personally.”
Ambassador Scott.
She was the politician who was trying to end Cerulean occupation of Terran planets.
She was the person Rose had met, with stars in her eyes, grateful that someone in power wanted to help a Terran like her.
Rose had thanked Ambassador Scott, and offered to be at her service anytime, in any way that the ambassador wanted.
She hadn’t expected anything like this.
Rose opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. What was she supposed to say?
A sensor beeped, jarring her out of her thoughts, and the door to the room slid open.
A huge Cerulean staggered in. He wore nothing but a pair of torn leather breeches. A black tattoo curled around one side of his massive blue chest.
His dark hair hung lank around his shoulders. His beard didn’t cover the swelling and bruising on one side of his jaw. On the other side his eye was nearly swollen shut, and dried blood ran in rusty rivulets into the beard.
He looked up at her with his good eye.
A lightning flash of recognition went through Rose.
She had seen him before on the ship, before his imprisonment, at Juno’s wedding. But it was his expression she recognized more than his face.
He was furious. As much as she was.
For an instant, she felt a burning kinship.
“Sit down, please,” the guard behind him said quietly.
The big Cerulean looked away and the strange connection between them was broken, to Rose’s relief.
“Rose, this is Rex,” Anna said. “He was our head of security until recently. I think you may have seen him on duty at Princess Juno and Crown Prince Zane’s wedding.”
Rex looked pointedly down at his hands, wh
ich were now chained to the two rings in the table.
Fresh blood was beginning to seep from his injured eye.
“Did you not give him medical treatment before jailing him?” Rose heard herself ask.
“He wasn’t injured in the attack,” Anna said softly.
Rose studied his injuries again, taking it in.
“So these were inflicted while he was in custody?” she asked.
“He won’t confirm it,” Anna said, as if Rex weren’t sitting right there. “But you can imagine that the others might view him as a traitor since he squelched their assassination attempt and saved Ambassador Scott.”
“What the fuck are you doing back there?” Rose yelled at the guard as she jumped out of her chair before she knew what she was doing. “It’s your job to safeguard those prisoners, not let them kill each other like animals.”
The guard blinked at her with frightened eyes.
“No,” Rex said, breaking his silence at last.
Everyone turned to him.
“This is a luxury cruiser, not a prison,” Rex continued in a deep, calm voice. “The biggest job the security staff here should have is to deal with a guest who’s had a few too many cocktails and might need to dry out for a night. We’re not set up to hold a military coup as prisoners. Security is doing the best they can.”
Rose blinked at him, opened her mouth, closed it again, and sat down, at a loss for words once more.
She she had to admit to herself that she had some grudging respect for the Cerulean, even if she would never come out and say it to anyone else.
“Rose, if you agree to this, we will all be so grateful,” Anna said softly. “Please, help us do the right thing.”
In spite of her best efforts, Rose felt her resolve crack.
But she couldn’t trust herself to say it out loud.
Instead, she gazed directly into Anna’s eyes and nodded once in surrender.
Thank you, Lieutenant Mendez,” Anna replied.
Thanks for reading the sample of Conquered Mate!
Want to see what happens when these two sworn enemies get a whole lot closer than either of them ever imagined?
Are you ready for for Rose and Rex to be forced to work together to solve a mystery full of stolen goods, intergalactic smugglers, a mysterious creature lurking in the forest, and more romantic tension than you can fit in a luxury space cruiser?
Then grab your copy of Conquered Mate: Stargazer Alien Space Cruise Brides #3!
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About the Author
Tasha Black lives in a big old Victorian in a tiny college town. She loves reading anything she can get her hands on, writing paranormal romance, and sipping pumpkin spice lattes.
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