Publisher:
Changeling Press
Genres: Sci-fi Romance
Themes: Alien Encounter
Series: Intergalactic Brides (#8)
Length: 100 pages
Cover Artist: Karen Fox
BLURB
A desperate mother. A determined alien.
And a romance neither expected.
Zanar has made himself a home on Earth,
where he owns Stardust Bar, popular with both aliens and humans. There’s only
one thing missing from Zanar’s life. Despite his best efforts to impress the
human females he meets, he’s still without a mate. At the age of twenty-six, it
isn’t imperative for him to pair off and start a family just yet, but he’s
lonely and ready to settle down. The last thing he expects is for Celeste to
come into his life and turn it upside down.
After having been abducted by an alien race
five years ago, Celeste is back on Earth. She’s spent those years as a slave on
the planet Vaaden, where she had a precious daughter with her owner, Pynder.
But when Pynder dies suddenly, his parents swoop in and snatch Sophie from
Celeste’s arms before banishing her from their world. Celeste will do anything
to get her daughter back, but falling in love with a bartender -- or anyone
else -- was never part of the plan.
LINKS
EXCERPT
Celeste
paced the small confines of her quarters with her nearly six-month-old
daughter, Sophie, clutched in her arms. The cool blue tones of the walls did
nothing to ease her anxiety. Pynder, the Vaaden warrior who owned her, had
claimed he would return soon with food and some new clothes for the baby. That
had been hours ago, and still there was no sign of him. It wasn’t like Pynder
to break his word.
Sophie
grew restless, and Celeste knew the only way to calm her would be to put her in
the sink and let her splash and play for a few minutes.
Undressing
the little girl, she turned on the sink in the kitchen and allowed Sophie to
splash to her heart’s content. Both Celeste and the counters were completely
soaked by the time she dried Sophie off and put a fresh diaper and outfit on
her. She was still adjusting to the diapers they had on Vaaden, but thankfully
she didn’t have to wash them. All of her laundry was done elsewhere, and then
Pynder brought it back to her. She assumed it went to the cleaners, or whatever
the alien equivalent was to that.
She heard
the door whoosh open and hurried to greet Pynder, a smile on her face. Except
it wasn’t Pynder. Unease skittered down her spine. No one had ever come to her
quarters except Pynder. He’d once told her that only he had access to the
suite, but the couple standing in the doorway proved otherwise, even if the
male did look like an older version of her owner. Were these Pynder’s parents?
And if so, why were they in the slave quarters with such pinched expressions?
She’d
been with Pynder for three years, and not once had his family come to visit.
Something was very wrong, and the unease in her gut intensified until nausea
welled up inside of her.
The woman
came closer and snatched Sophie out of Celeste’s arms. “I’ll take the child.
You take care of this… female.”
Celeste’s
mouth dropped open, and she reached for her baby, but the male intercepted her.
His hands closed on her arms like a vise and he squeezed as he hustled her
through the door and down the corridor.
“Let me
go!” Celeste yelled, struggling to break free and return to her child, her feet
kicking out at anything she could reach. “I want my baby!”
“The
child is Pynder’s, which makes her our granddaughter. She’ll be taken care of
and raised properly.”
Her heart
thudded in her chest. What did he mean she would be raised properly? Wasn’t
Celeste going to raise her? What were they doing with her baby, and where was
Pynder’s father taking her?
“Where’s
Pynder? I want to see Pynder.” Fear clawed at her as they exited the slave
quarters and the triple suns beat down. Celeste closed her eyes as the ground
burned her bare feet.
“Pynder
is gone.”
“Gone?”
She struggled some more. She didn’t understand why Pynder would have left her
behind. He might not love her, but he doted on Sophie and he would never
abandon his daughter.
“Pynder
was killed this afternoon in a fight. A warrior who has been at odds with
Pynder since childhood challenged him for you and Pynder refused to give you
up. They fought, and Pynder lost his life.” The man sneered. “If he hadn’t
tried to hold onto you, he would still be alive.”
Her knees
went out, and she would have collapsed onto the walkway if the male hadn’t been
holding her up. She still didn’t know why Pynder’s mother had left with Sophie,
or where his father was taking her now. Why were they being separated? Just
because Pynder was gone didn’t mean she gave up her rights to Sophie, did it?
There was still a lot she didn’t know about Vaaden.
“My wife
wants to hold onto Pynder in any way that she can, and that means raising
Sophie as her own. Unfortunately, you’re in the way, Celeste. I know Pynder
cared for you, which is why I’m not subjecting you to the harems.”
Oh God.
“A new owner?” she asked, barely recognizing her voice. She’d been with Pynder
for three years and couldn’t stomach the thought of another warrior owning the
right to use her body whenever he wished.
“No. I
think it’s best if you leave Vaaden for good. We’re sending you back to Earth.
There happens to be a shuttle leaving within the hour, and you will be on it.
The Zelthranites have set up stations around Earth, and I’ve made arrangements
for you to be transported to some place called Kentucky. You’ll have to speak
to someone there about a room and clothes. I’m sure they’ll be only too happy
to help, especially if you offer to use the tricks my son taught you to pay for
any services.”
The blood
in her veins froze at his words. Once, she would have loved returning to Earth,
but without Sophie? She had no doubt that her precious baby’s grandparents were
going to take good care of her, but Celeste wanted to hold her at night, watch
her grow up, and help raise her. It wasn’t fair that her baby had been ripped
from her arms and now she was being sent to another world, unable to even see
Sophie from a distance. Yes, as a slave she had no rights, but what about her
baby’s rights? Didn’t Sophie have the right to stay with her mother?
They
neared the transport station, a place Celeste had only seen once when she’d
arrived on Vaaden. At the time, she’d been terrified and wondered what would
happen to her on the new world. It hadn’t taken long for someone to explain
that she was going to be a sex slave, and it had turned her stomach. Then
Pynder had entered the holding cell where she’d been kept until she could be
claimed. He’d been distant and a little cold, at first, but his cerulean eyes
had captured her, and it hadn’t taken long for her to admit that maybe she
could come to care for him. His hard layers had softened over the years, and
he’d become a friend at the very least.
And she
had to admit that the sex between them had been explosive.
She’d had
two miscarriages during their time together, but finally a pregnancy had taken.
Pynder had explained that it was common practice for a warrior to have his
slave get an abortion, but for some reason, he’d wanted a child with her.
They’d tried often, and when Sophie was born, it was the happiest she’d ever
seen Pynder. Her own heart had filled with love for the small bundle, and
they’d begun acting more like a family than a slave and owner, despite the fact
she remained in the slave quarters.
The
shuttle gleamed in the sunlight, and she still struggled to break free. When
Pynder’s father climbed the steps, dragging her along, she renewed her fight,
wanting to stay on Vaaden and be near her child, whatever the cost. He wrestled
her into a seat and then she felt a sharp prick in her neck. Celeste cried out
and grabbed at the area as an iciness spread through her veins and her body
became sluggish.
“You’ve
been sedated,” Pynder’s father said. “It will wear off, but by then, you’ll be
in a sleep stasis until you reach Earth’s atmosphere. Pynder spoke of you
often, and I’m sorry things had to happen this way. His daughter meant
everything to him, and we will treat her accordingly. Be assured, she’ll want
for nothing, and will be given every opportunity a Vaaden female has, despite
the fact she’s half-human.”
His words
eased her worry for Sophie, but only marginally. It didn’t change the fact she
was never going to see her daughter again, something that was completely
unacceptable. Celeste vowed that no matter what it took, however long she had
to fight, she would get Sophie back.
Her body
refused to respond, and only her eyes would move. She watched as Pynder’s
father left the shuttle and the doors slid shut. The shuttle rumbled around
her, the seat vibrating, as they prepared for take-off. As the shuttle rose
into the air, the hiss of the sleep aid filled the compartment, and within
moments, everything went black.
When next
she woke, she could see Earth outside her window and knew that her daughter was
out of her reach, perhaps forever. Her heart was heavy and sobs racked her body
as she wept for the child she loved more than anything. She didn’t know what
was to become of her, and she worried that Sophie would forget her if she
hadn’t already. At only six months old, how likely was it that she would
remember the woman who had given her birth?
Celeste
tried to wipe away her tears as they entered Earth’s atmosphere and the shuttle
rocked around her. As much as her heart ached, and as much as she wanted
nothing more than to sob until all her tears dried up, she knew that it
wouldn’t get her anywhere. She had to be brave now, and resourceful. Earth had
once been her home, but it had been years since she’d been there. For all she
knew, her family was gone or wouldn’t want her anymore. Especially after they
heard what had happened to her.
First,
she needed to speak with the Zelthranites at the station on Earth, and see if
anyone could help her. She didn’t know if they would want to confront the
Vaadens or not, and she still had no idea where she would sleep for the night,
or what she would wear. The slave garment barely covered her slight form and
was diaphanous. Definitely not something she would have chosen to wear, around
strangers or otherwise.
The
shuttle had a bone-jarring landing, and Celeste’s heart began to race. She
didn’t know what to expect when the shuttle doors opened, and she had no idea
how much Earth might have changed. If there were alien stations around the
world, then that told her things were definitely not as she’d left them. Aliens
had been whispered about when she’d last been on Earth nearly five years ago,
but there hadn’t been any definite sightings, no confirmation that life existed
outside of her world. But after being taken first by pirates, then sold to the
Vaadens, she knew that most of the missing women on Earth had been abducted,
which explained why their bodies were never found.
The doors
opened, and her jaw dropped when a lavender-skinned alien stepped on board. His
midnight colored hair hung halfway down his back, and his eyes were the
striking color of pansies. He gave her an easy smile as he approached. Whoever
he was, his height and build were rather impressive. The leather of his vest
and pants creaked as he knelt in front of her.
“My name
is Thrace,” he said. “Welcome back to Earth.”
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author Jessica
Coulter Smith has been in love with the written word since she was a child
writing her first stories in crayon. Today she’s a multi-published author of
over seventy-five novellas and novels. Romance is an integral part of her world
and spills over from her professional life into her personal one. When she went
on that first date with her husband, she never expected to hear the words
“Marry me!” pop out of his mouth - and judging by the shocked look on his face,
he hadn’t meant to say them either. But, being the hopeless romantic that she
is, Jessica said yes and they’ve been married since 2000.
Jessica firmly believes that
love will find you at the right time, even if Mr. Right is literally out of
this world. She’s often gazed at the stars and wondered what, or who, else
might be out there. Who’s to say that hunky model on the hottest romance
bestseller isn’t really from some far off galaxy? Maybe that blue Martian you
saw at Halloween wasn’t really in costume. After all, there’s an awful lot of
space out there for us to be the only ones living in it.
