eBookOriginal (Original)
Related collections and offers
Overview
Fitted with a series of technological "enhancements" entwined with her central nervous system, Sola is not fully human. Her father is the undisputed leader of Earth, and Sola is driven to put an end to his genocidal rule—before he can follow through with his plans to consolidate power over the universe into the hands of the aristocracy.
Despite Javan's fears for her safety, and coping with a difficult pregnancy, Sola's quest has become an obsession she cannot control. Compelled to choose, duty must come before her love for Javan. And when Sola joins forces with Destin Grady—her father's sworn enemy—in a plot to execute the dictator and seize power, she soon uncovers secrets from the past that have her facing a future she never could have imagined...
32,000 words
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781426894411 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Carina Press |
| Publication date: | 09/24/2012 |
| Sold by: | HARLEQUIN |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 380 KB |
Read an Excerpt
Sola lay in the arms of the man she loved, enjoying his hand cupped over the slight bump of her abdomen. She waited for the final seconds of the download of the Kypris' complete systems into her internal memory bank. Download complete, she withdrew her node from the ship's access port and, with a slight whir, the top of her forefinger closed. She buried her face in Javan's chest, inhaling his scent. His gentle snore became a slight moan and he pulled her closer, sighing into her hair.
Sola checked her internal stats, smiling as the readout told her something strange was happening to her body; there was an intruder, another life form within her. She touched her belly, feeling a strange rush of emotion—one she didn't recognize. She analyzed it: fierce, primal, illogical, overwhelming. She'd known many emotions, had studied them, but this one scared her. It controlled her—and Sola preferred to be completely in control of herself. Javan snuggled closer, running his hand over her hip. She studied her emotions: love, desire, tenderness. Powerful and primal, but less intense than the desire that her child would live, thrive and survive. Something else emerged: an older emotion of great power, buried deep within her. Sola touched it with a mental finger. It faded, but it was still there. She could feel it. The slight touch had given her a brief surge of anger that had overwhelmed all her other emotions. Not anger. Rage. At my father. For what he's doing to Earth. Hand in hand with that anger was the desire for revenge, the absolute necessity of destroying him. Only I can do this. I can't let anything get in the way of this.
Things had become complicated. She should've killed Javan once he'd served his purpose, but she'd been unable to harm him. She hadn't even been able to abandon him somewhere. Lying here, in the double bunk of Javan's cabin, everything seemed easy, so simple. He'd forgiven her the worst of her deceptions; had accepted the fact that she needed to save the galaxy from her depraved father. He loved her; she loved him too. No matter the chips and electronics she carried in her body, it seemed she was a flesh-and-blood woman after all. Love. Yes, things had gotten complicated.
Safe in their tin can, floating in the deep dark, Sola curled her arms around her lover and crushed him to her, emotions again overriding her circuits. He awoke with laughter. His hands curled around her bottom and pulled her closer, as the now-familiar feelings pulsed through her. She gave herself to the maelstrom, the loss of control, the pounding of their hearts drowning out the buzz of her circuits. She did it with joy and without regret. She did it for a long time and then slept again. Her body needed so much sleep, giving her unborn child what it needed. That, also, she did with joy. Her last thought as she drifted into sleep was of her father, and her craving to make the universe safe for those she loved. She needed to get to her father. She had to get to him soon.