Etheric Adventures Boxed Set: Books 1-3

by S. R. Russell

  However, understanding something and being happy about it were two completely different things. Sheila had never been happy about leaving Las Vegas.

  The stupid chunk of rock she now lived in didn’t have a country club, didn’t have any nightlife, and didn’t have cruises to Alaska and Hawaii.

  When she saw one of those animals, the kind that dug holes in the yard and left hair all over the place, try to get into her apartment, she screamed. “No, you don’t!” and lashed out with her foot, kicking Jinx in the ribs and knocking her backward.

  Anne was standing behind her mother, almost in a daze. She knew Ashur, and he was at her door, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the puppy. She knelt down with her arms wide when the puppy started toward her, and could almost feel the pain in her side when her mother kicked it in the ribs.

  “No!” Anne cried as she darted past her mother and squeezed between the now-growling Ashur and Bellatrix to get to the pup, who was just getting back to her feet.

  Anne flopped down beside the pup and reached out slowly. “Are you okay?” She asked the pup, slowly running her hand down its side and carefully watching for any sign of pain.

  “Bethany Anne, it appears we have a problem. Video feed on your screen now.” Meredith’s voice interrupted Bethany Anne as she sat scanning reports of the continued unrest on the planet Yoll.

  “Is this live?” Bethany Anne asked as she saw Ashur and Bellatrix in a doorway. It looked like they were threatening a woman who was inside, and there was a young lady outside the door who was on her knees running her hand over one of the puppies.

  “Yes, apparently there is some issue between the dogs and Sheila Jayden. I noticed it from the video camera on the hover cart I sent to guide Ashur and his family to the Jayden residence. I don’t have audio at this time so I don’t know the details of what is occurring, but the video shows that the woman kicked the puppy for some reason.”

  Bethany Anne thought Meredith almost sounded offended. “Can you pan out so I can see more of the area, please? I need a bigger picture of the area to port there.”

  “Switching cameras,” Meredith informed her, and Bethany Anne now had a view from one of the security cams that lined some of the public hallways. It didn’t give her the view into the apartment the way the camera on the hover cart did, but it provided a clear view of several feet of the hall outside the apartment door.

  “That’s great, thanks.” Bethany Anne replied. She laid down her tablet and rose from her seat, then took one step and disappeared.

  Bethany Anne arrived in time to stop Ashur or Bellatrix from taking a piece out of Anne’s mother. She grabbed the two growling dogs by their scruffs, one in each hand, and dragged them both from the apartment.

  She gave them both a shake as she released them. “Enough, you two! What’s going on here?” While no fangs were showing, the tinge of red in her eyes would have alerted everyone who knew her to the fact that Bethany Anne wasn’t very happy right now.

  “That woman kicked our daughter!” Ashur told his alpha. He’d seen the red eyes often enough that he wasn’t overly concerned.

  Feeling braver now that someone had the dogs under control, and still not understanding that the dogs were actually talking, Sheila darted out, planning to grab Anne and drag her back into the apartment.

  Jinx, seeing the older woman heading for her person, jumped between Anne and her mother. “If you touch my person, I’ll bite you!” Jinx warned the woman.

  Sheila only heard more barks and growls. Not yet realizing the identity of the woman who had shown up and taken care of the two big dogs, she snapped, “Get that filthy mutt away from my daughter!”

  “Jinx is not filthy, nor is she a mutt, and I believe she has chosen your daughter as her person, so you’d best heed her warning. It was given clearly enough,” Bethany Anne informed Sheila.

  “Growling at a person isn’t a warning, it’s a threat!” Sheila cried. “Those animals shouldn’t be able to threaten people! And what’s this ‘she’s chosen her’ nonsense?”

  Bethany Anne was speechless for a moment, trying to understand what Sheila was saying.

  >>A check of their health records indicates that the Jaydens do not have the latest implant.<<

  How did we miss them?

  >>We didn’t. The wife has repeatedly refused the implant for herself and her daughter. In fact, if the husband didn’t require one for work, I suspect he would not have one either.<<

  She just hears barks and growls?

  >>Correct.<<

  Thanks, ADAM.

  “Mother, she said if you touch me she’ll bite you, and you should remember or at least recognize our Empress, Bethany Anne.” Anne waved a hand at Bethany Anne as she sat beside Jinx. “Ashur! Hiya, buddy. Who’s this lovely lady?” Anne asked, her gaze focused on Bellatrix.

  “That’s my mom, Bellatrix, and my name is Jinx and I choose you as my person,” Jinx finished with a joyous yip.

  “Hello, Bellatrix.” Anne held out a hand for the big black dog to sniff.

  “If I’m your person, does that mean you’re my dog?” Anne asked Jinx.

  “Yes, yes,” Jinx was wagging her tail so hard she repeatedly hit Anne in the back with it. “I’m Jinx. You, me, together!” Jinx told her.

  “Wait a minute,” Bethany Anne interrupted, holding up one hand. “You understand what Jinx is saying?” She recalled what ADAM had just told her about implants.

  Anne nodded as Ashur interjected, “She’s always been able to understand me, even before that last treatment in the Pod thingy.”

  “Shit, you’re right. I had forgotten about that,” Bethany Anne muttered.

  “I don’t know what kind of crazy stunt this is, but Anne is grounded, and she is not allowed to have a pet! I don’t care if you are a queen or empress, I won’t have one of those shedding fuzzballs in my house,” Sheila virtually spat, anger replacing the fear she had felt just moments ago when faced with growling dogs.

  Bethany Anne had heard just about enough. “Cluck like a chicken,” she ordered, looking directly into Sheila Jayden’s eyes.

  Sheila thought she saw a flash of red in Bethany Anne’s eyes. What the hell are you talking about? came out as a rather angry-sounding “cluck cluck cluck,” as did What is going on? Regardless of what Sheila thought, when she tried to say the words out loud the only sound she could produce was cluck.

  “Enough.” Bethany Anne waved a hand almost negligently. “You can stop clucking now. But you might want to think about who you are talking to before you start making claims you can’t back up.”

  Although she didn’t like doing it, Bethany Anne did a quick scan of Sheila’s thoughts and sighed internally at what she found there.

  ADAM, next time I’m talking to Cheryl Lynn remind me to bring up psychological counseling for those of our people who need it.

  >>I’ve made note of your request. May I ask what is wrong?<<

  All my life, I’ve always been extremely focused on my goals. So focused that other things going on around me don’t affect me the same way something similar would bother a less driven person.

  Mrs. Jayden here is still suffering from being kidnapped and then displaced from her home and friends. It’s not something she chose, but it’s something that she’s had to accept to ensure the safety of her and her family. And by travelling to Yollin space, we’ve left everything she’s ever known behind.

  If she’s experiencing this level of discontent and uncertainty, I’m sure there must be others who are experiencing those same feelings.

  I need to talk with Cheryl Lynn about getting counseling for them, or forming support groups or something. For people feeling anxious about their futures to have a place to go and talk things out. It’s not something I had considered previously.

  >>Thank you for the explanation. Should I send her an email on the topic?<<

  No, thanks. Just remind me. I have a feeling this will be solved more easily if we’re face to face and able to bo
unce ideas off each other.

  “You’re going to make me give up Jinx, aren’t you?” Anne whispered, wiping a tear from her eye as she talked.

  “What? No!” Replied Bethany Anne. “These pups are special. They all decided that it was their right and in their best interests to pick their own people. Jinx has been waiting a long time to find the right person, and she has chosen you. Unless you do something to make her change her mind, you’re stuck with her.” Bethany Anne tried to school her face to reassure Anne that she was serious.

  Jinx gave a questioning little yip.

  Anne hugged Jinx tightly while she answered, “No, I don’t want to give you up. I’m happy you chose me! This is the best day ever. Well, at least since Bethany Anne and Ashur rescued me from the bad guys who were blackmailing my dad.”

  “Unless you do that chicken thing again,” Sheila had been standing just inside the doorway, listening to the meeting being held in front of her quarters, “I’m not having …”

  A wave of Bethany Anne’s hand cut Sheila off mid-diatribe, not because of a mystical vampiric superpower but by causing Sheila herself to have second thoughts about what could happen if she seriously pissed this woman off.

  Bethany Anne looked down at Anne. “How old are you?”

  “Sixteen,” was Anne’s prompt reply.

  “Perfect.” Bethany Anne smiled. “ADAM, would you please send a brief definition of emancipation to Anne’s tablet?”

  >>Done.<<

  “Thank you, ADAM,” Bethany Anne replied. “Anne, please get your tablet and read the information ADAM just sent you.”

  “Now wait just a minute!” Sheila Jayden stormed out to stand in front of Bethany Anne. “You’re not taking my child away from me!”

  Anne gave Jinx a kiss on the head and headed inside to get her tablet.

  “You are quite right. I’m not taking her away from you,” Bethany Anne sighed as she faced the upset mother, “but since you’re not giving her any options, I am.”

  Anne had returned to sit beside Jinx as she read. Her voice interrupted the two women. “What exactly does this mean?” Anne asked.

  Bethany Anne responded, “Well, you and Jinx wish to be together, correct?” Bethany Anne waited until pup and girl had confirmed her supposition.

  “Your mother is basically telling you that it’s either her or Jinx, that you can’t have both. By signing a statement of emancipation, you are claiming that you are your own person and not subject to your parents’ authority anymore. It doesn’t mean you don’t love your parents, and it doesn’t mean you can’t see them, unless they choose otherwise. What it does is make you a legal adult at sixteen instead of eighteen. If you wish to go this route, we’ll set you up with your own quarters and arrange for you to eat meals in one of the barracks. That way you’ll just need to go to school, take care of your laundry, clean your quarters, and work with Jinx.”

  Anne got to her feet, faced her mother, and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Mother, but I want Jinx in my life.”

  “Fine!” Sheila Jayden’s face turned a very unflattering blotchy red as she vehemently spat, “Just remember when you beg me to allow you to come back home, that thing will still not be welcome!” With that, she stormed back into the Jayden family quarters, once again wishing the doors were the old-fashioned kind she could slam behind her.

  “ADAM, to make it legal, would you please find the least complicated Emancipation Proclamation and send it to Anne’s tablet? Anne, read it through carefully and sign it, if you still wish to do this.” Bethany Anne couldn’t help but shake her head as she regarded the closed door to Apartment 17.

  “Well,” Anne started to read through the document ADAM had sent to her tablet, “I can’t say I want to do this, but Mother has left me no other choice.”

  >>Bethany Anne?<<

  Yes, ADAM.

  >>Meredith suggests that certain behaviors she has monitored indicate that Tabitha might be currently suffering from depression. Would having Anne live with her until other quarters can be arranged be a good thing for depression or a bad thing?<<

  ADAM, in this case I think it’s a very good idea. Thank you for suggesting it.

  Tabitha?

  The unexpected voice in her head made Tabitha’s hand jerk, and she almost dropped the blade she was sharpening. My Queen?

  There was a quiet chuckle. How many of us do you have on speed-dial in your head, Ranger Two?

  Oh, good point. What can I do for your Most Royal Majesty? Tabitha grinned. She spent a lot of time and effort inventing nicknames for Barnabas, but she didn’t get the chance to tweak Bethany Anne very often.

  My Most Royal Majesty is going to remind you about Saint Payback if you don’t quit with the crap.

  Having seen the results of the Saint on numerous occasions, Tabitha decided this might be a case of discretion over tweaking. What did you need, Bethany Anne?

  Better! Meet me at your quarters in about twenty minutes. I need a service from you.

  Twenty minutes, Majesty. See you then.

  Bethany Anne put an arm around Anne’s shoulder and gave her a side hug. “Is there anything here you absolutely can’t do without right now?”

  Anne tilted her head to look up at Bethany Anne as she pondered the question. “I’m going to need a change of clothes and my school supplies…”

  Bethany Anne indicated the Jayden residence with a quick twitch of her head. “We can scrounge up something for you to sleep in, then get you some new clothes tomorrow. Is there anything else you need that’s important enough to face your mother for?”

  Jinx yipped, and Anne started to laugh. “Jinx just said that humans are silly for not having enough fur to keep ourselves warm.”

  Bethany Anne grinned at them both, quietly thankful that Jinx was already helping her person deal with the shock she must be suffering. “Come on, let’s catch the tram. What do you know about my Rangers?”

  “You only have two Rangers right now, yes?” Anne asked Bethany Anne as they arrived at one of the tram stops.

  “Yes,” Bethany Anne confirmed, “and Tabitha came back from her last operation in kind of a funk. So,” she looked at Anne and Jinx conspiratorially, “I’m going to ask her to help you two get settled. This way she’ll have something to feel good about, and it will hopefully keep her mind off whatever is bothering her. Just don’t let her know, okay?” Just then, the tram glided to a silent stop and the two people and the puppy got on.

  “I won’t … Say anything, that is,” Anne agreed once the humans were seated, “but what am I going to tell my dad?”

  While telling Anne about Barnabas and Tabitha on the walk to the tram stop Bethany Anne had pondered the same thing, so she wasn’t totally unprepared when the question was directed at her. “Well, there are some good things that go with being Queen. One is, I don’t have to ask for permission to use video from Meredith’s monitoring systems, so I’ll have her send your father a copy of everything that happened this afternoon. I’ll also enclose a note saying that I think your mother is suffering a lot of emotional turmoil right now, which I believe is probably the largest contributing factor to her current behavior.”

  “Do you really think that’s it?” Anne asked, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

  “I’m going to tell you something, but I want you to promise you will keep it to yourself.” Bethany Anne put a finger to her lips as she spoke.

  At Anne’s nod, she continued, “One of the things I can do if I really have to is read minds. It’s kind of gross and I don’t do it often, but I can do it if I need to. When your mom went ballistic on you, I did a quick read on her. One thing I found out is that she really doesn’t like dogs. The other is that she feels resentful you guys ended up here. She’d much rather be back in Las Vegas, minus the kidnappers, of course. And, because she feels way out of control, she’s been taking it out on you, since …”

  “I’m something she can control.” Anne finished for her.

  Bethany Ann
e pointed a finger at the young woman. “Got it in one. I’m going to see if we, and by we I mean me and the people helping me, can get your mother and others who may be suffering the same issues some sort of professional help.”

  “You mean, like a shrink?” Anne queried.

  “I’m pretty sure they don’t like that term, but yes, like a shrink. Or maybe start something like AA, where they form a group and meet up to support each other.” The tram’s stopping at another station curtailed any further conversation as Bethany Anne led Ashur, Bellatrix, Anne and Jinx down a corridor towards Tabitha’s place.

  Chapter Three

  Tabitha spent fifteen of the twenty minutes picking up around her place. She lived alone, and wasn’t always the neatest person. She had asked Meredith to let her know when Bethany Anne arrived. She was pondering what sort of service her queen could want, and what the hell sort of term “service” was anyway, when Meredith announced Bethany Anne’s arrival.

  Tabitha opened her door, looked at her guests, blinked, and looked again. No, she decided, she wasn’t seeing things. Her friend and Queen was walking up to her place with two adult dogs, a young woman, and a puppy.

  Tabitha stepped out of her doorway and greeted Ashur. “Hey, Fuzzball!” “Everyone, come on in,” she told the group, and led the way into her main sitting area. “Can I get anyone anything?” she asked.

  Ashur came over and pushed his head against Tabitha’s leg to encourage her to scratch behind his ears. Bellatrix flopped on the floor as Bethany Anne and Anne settled into chairs, and the puppy sat on the young woman’s feet. Tabitha studied the girl and guessed she was somewhere in her early to mid-teens. She noted the girl sat forward to pet the pup’s head.

  The puppy looked at Tabitha and asked for some water.

  “Do you have a bowl or something to put it in?” Bethany Anne asked as she facepalmed, realizing that they’d need dishes and food for Jinx. “Meredith, could you inform Yelena that Jinx has found her person, and ask her to load a hover cart with food and dishes, please. We’ll need that stuff here once she’s done. Thanks.”