Betra bargains for a chance to see Shalia.
* * * *
Anger heated Betra’s gut. Careful, he cautioned himself. An argument would keep him from what he wanted.
“We always do something special for the children. You enjoy spending time with them.”
“I do. They’re a delight to be around. Their mother, not so much.”
“Ancestors,” Betra snarled, his anger matching his clanmate’s dislike. “Why is this still an issue? You and Shalia do a wonderful job of ignoring each other.”
“It’s a problem because you don’t ignore her.”
“How can I? We have a history!”
“Which is where the trouble lies. You don’t always seem to recognize she’s your past.” Resan flung his cleaning cloth to the floor. “We’ll take the children hunting. No one else.”
“Evelyn begged to go last time. She’ll be devasted if she’s left out again, and her parents will insist she’s too young to go without them.” Shalia’s youngest daughter was a precocious four-year-old who found it easy to break her Uncle Betra’s heart when she cried.
Her Uncle Resan wasn’t immune to the tot’s entreaties either. The Dramok was a hardass who wanted no offspring of his own, but he melted around Clan Seot’s children.
He groaned at the thought of being on the receiving end of Evelyn’s tears. “Damn it. We can’t leave her at home.”
“Five kids under the age of ten would be a lot for the three of us and your grandmother to handle in any case,” Betra noted. “Anrel and Nayun handle themselves pretty well, but Jordan, Ejia, and Evelyn run everywhere according to…according to their mother.”
“Fine. Invite Clan Seot along. But Betra,” the warning tone was obvious, “don’t expect me to go out of my way to be her friend. We don’t like each other, and we never will.”
Even though she once saved your life. Betra knew reminding Resan of the fact would result in a major fight, however. It irritated the Dramok to no end that he wouldn’t be standing there now if it hadn’t been for Shalia Monroe’s heroics.
Besides, Resan had agreed to the arrangement. It was as much of a victory as Betra could hope for. Maybe, after so many years, the enmity between his Dramok and former lover would finally disappear.
* * * *
All-out war has begun, with innocents caught in the
crossfire.
Former nun Cheryl Taupin and her husband Nobek Besral, in charge of the remaining orphans of Earth’s Armageddon, watch the terrible events unfolding in the Dark-overrun Galactic Council of Planets. Kalquorians in Galactic Council space are being rounded up to suffer an unknown fate and martial law is declared on many of the system’s worlds. A desperate plea to the Kalquorian Empire sends Admiral Piras and Captain Kila to the orphanage…but how can a lone spyship protect hundreds of children against the full might of the Galactic Council’s warships bent on destruction?
Charity Nath has been brought to Alpha Space Station to hide from those determined to exact vengeance against her father. Young and irrepressible, she’s determined to claim a measure of freedom from stifling restrictions placed on her. When her identity and location are revealed, her Kalquorian protectors must thwart those who’d harm her while contending with her stubborn refusal to be kept in check.
Imdiko Betra has done his best to put the past behind him. He knows letting go of the only woman he could ever love was the best course of action. But when he encounters Shalia Monroe again, his heart speaks louder than his conscience. Will unquenchable desire destroy the life she’s built, or will Betra’s clanmates Oses and Resan stop him from doing the unthinkable?
Against the backdrop of pandemic and plague, Kalquor and Earth II fight for their very survival against an enemy they’re only beginning to learn the strength of. As the All tightens its fearsome grip on the galaxy, humans and Kalquorians alike tremble on the verge of annihilation.
Releasing Friday, July 26
Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, print
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