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Overview
Commander Brongill of Da’Hap heads the expedition to Earth in hopes of finding the survivors of an ancient crash and the key to Terrill’s survival. But Brongill knows first-hand how his race treats its saviors and decides to spare the human hybrids a torturous death by making certain they never reach Terrill. His mind is firmly set on revenge until he meets her…
Alderina Wedgen wants nothing more than to raise her three children in peace. What she gets is kidnapped by aliens, seduced by a secretive commander and nearly blown-up. Facing a common enemy, she has no choice but to form an alliance with a man who once considered killing her--a man who is relentless in pursuing what he wants.
But while the universe is vast, Ally and Brongill soon find that there is no hiding space and to survive the trip they’ll have to risk more than their hearts and lives.
She was in space.
"Damn." Her reflection glared back at her. "Yeah, and what are you going to do, steal a spaceship and make a break for it?"
"Leaving us so soon, Alderina of Rutgers?" His voice was deep and rich, his inflection precise.
Control. Without even seeing his face, she knew this man was about control, specifically manipulating her. She placed her hand to her chest, felt her heartbeat race under her sternum. Instinct screamed in her blood. She couldn't flee and twelve hospital stays, courtesy of the Candalarios, had taught her the foolishness of fighting a superior force.
Slowly, she turned.
Her gaze raked the intruder leaning against the wall across the room. Wavy black hair framed wide cheekbones, a crooked nose, square jaw and full lips. Three evenly spaced gold cuffs wrapped around his left ear. A scar cut across his forehead, jumped over his right eye and ended on his right cheekbone. A black jumpsuit played over the muscles cording his wiry frame. The man before her looked like a Hollywood pirate dressed in a skintight Buck Rogers uniform.
"You... You're human." Her voice sounded fairly calm despite the maelstrom of emotions roiling through her. Her pulse fluttered. It had to be from fear. What else could it be? She could understand John Doe appearing human; after all they'd met on Earth. But why wear a costume of human skin aboard your own ship? Where were the scales? The large black eyes? Dammit, couldn't they at least have antennae?
He shrugged one broad shoulder. "Bilaterally symmetrical species propelled by bipedal locomotion are common in our galaxy."
"So everyone in the Milky Way looks human?"
His green eyes narrowed. "Perhaps humans look like Terrillians or Flaegans or-."
She held up her hand, stopping him from distracting her. "I don't believe you."
"Correct. The Flaegans possess two sets of optic orbs and their dermis is blue, suited for the Ultraviolet radiation of Flaegia."
She didn't care about Flaegia. She wanted to know why he appeared human.
"Is this some sort of trick? I mean this room looks like a cheap motel and you don't have antennae."
"My apologies." The spaceman bowed his head slightly. Amusement lifted the left corner of his mouth but didn't reach his eyes. "Our home worlds are very alike. It is not uncommon, even upon your world, for distinct species to develop identical adaptations. Our appearance is the equivalent because we faced analogous threats as our species evolved."
Her mind tripped over the large words, struggled to reform them into something that made sense. "You're telling me that the similarities are only skin deep?"
He shrugged, pushed off the wall and sauntered into the room. "I am glad that you are merely planning to escape."
Although his gait was loose hipped, it had a predatory edge. Ally backed up until the bench cut across the back of her knees. "Wh-What else should I be thinking?"
"Many of your kind believe we are motivated by world conquest or bizarre experimentation. Some even think we are famished for their flesh." He chuckled then cleared his throat.
Embarrassment singed Ally's cheeks. She reached out steadying herself with a grip on the back of the bench. "There seems to be a predisposition toward Science Fiction movies among your passengers."
"Indeed." A smile full of elusive meaning curled his lips.
Ally dried her sweaty palms on her jeans and held out her hand. "I'm Alder--" She cleared the hated name from her throat. "Ally Rutgers-Wedgen, but you already knew that, didn't you?"
Maybe it was the effects of the molecular transportation but she didn't feel threatened. He stared at her hand. Then again, George's parents had seemed like sane rational people when they'd introduced themselves after the funeral.
Alderina Wedgen wants nothing more than to raise her three children in peace. What she gets is kidnapped by aliens, seduced by a secretive commander and nearly blown-up. Facing a common enemy, she has no choice but to form an alliance with a man who once considered killing her--a man who is relentless in pursuing what he wants.
But while the universe is vast, Ally and Brongill soon find that there is no hiding space and to survive the trip they’ll have to risk more than their hearts and lives.
She was in space.
"Damn." Her reflection glared back at her. "Yeah, and what are you going to do, steal a spaceship and make a break for it?"
"Leaving us so soon, Alderina of Rutgers?" His voice was deep and rich, his inflection precise.
Control. Without even seeing his face, she knew this man was about control, specifically manipulating her. She placed her hand to her chest, felt her heartbeat race under her sternum. Instinct screamed in her blood. She couldn't flee and twelve hospital stays, courtesy of the Candalarios, had taught her the foolishness of fighting a superior force.
Slowly, she turned.
Her gaze raked the intruder leaning against the wall across the room. Wavy black hair framed wide cheekbones, a crooked nose, square jaw and full lips. Three evenly spaced gold cuffs wrapped around his left ear. A scar cut across his forehead, jumped over his right eye and ended on his right cheekbone. A black jumpsuit played over the muscles cording his wiry frame. The man before her looked like a Hollywood pirate dressed in a skintight Buck Rogers uniform.
"You... You're human." Her voice sounded fairly calm despite the maelstrom of emotions roiling through her. Her pulse fluttered. It had to be from fear. What else could it be? She could understand John Doe appearing human; after all they'd met on Earth. But why wear a costume of human skin aboard your own ship? Where were the scales? The large black eyes? Dammit, couldn't they at least have antennae?
He shrugged one broad shoulder. "Bilaterally symmetrical species propelled by bipedal locomotion are common in our galaxy."
"So everyone in the Milky Way looks human?"
His green eyes narrowed. "Perhaps humans look like Terrillians or Flaegans or-."
She held up her hand, stopping him from distracting her. "I don't believe you."
"Correct. The Flaegans possess two sets of optic orbs and their dermis is blue, suited for the Ultraviolet radiation of Flaegia."
She didn't care about Flaegia. She wanted to know why he appeared human.
"Is this some sort of trick? I mean this room looks like a cheap motel and you don't have antennae."
"My apologies." The spaceman bowed his head slightly. Amusement lifted the left corner of his mouth but didn't reach his eyes. "Our home worlds are very alike. It is not uncommon, even upon your world, for distinct species to develop identical adaptations. Our appearance is the equivalent because we faced analogous threats as our species evolved."
Her mind tripped over the large words, struggled to reform them into something that made sense. "You're telling me that the similarities are only skin deep?"
He shrugged, pushed off the wall and sauntered into the room. "I am glad that you are merely planning to escape."
Although his gait was loose hipped, it had a predatory edge. Ally backed up until the bench cut across the back of her knees. "Wh-What else should I be thinking?"
"Many of your kind believe we are motivated by world conquest or bizarre experimentation. Some even think we are famished for their flesh." He chuckled then cleared his throat.
Embarrassment singed Ally's cheeks. She reached out steadying herself with a grip on the back of the bench. "There seems to be a predisposition toward Science Fiction movies among your passengers."
"Indeed." A smile full of elusive meaning curled his lips.
Ally dried her sweaty palms on her jeans and held out her hand. "I'm Alder--" She cleared the hated name from her throat. "Ally Rutgers-Wedgen, but you already knew that, didn't you?"
Maybe it was the effects of the molecular transportation but she didn't feel threatened. He stared at her hand. Then again, George's parents had seemed like sane rational people when they'd introduced themselves after the funeral.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940012428431 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Under The Moon |
| Publication date: | 06/01/2010 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 274 |
| File size: | 7 MB |
About the Author
Linda Andrews lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband, three children and a menagerie of domesticated animals. While she started writing a decade ago, she always used her stories to escape the redundancy of her day job as a scientist and never thought to actually combine her love of fiction and science. DOH! After that Homer Simpson moment, she allowed the two halves of her brain to talk to each other. The journeys she’s embarked on since then are dark, twisted and occasionally violent, but never predictable.
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