by S. E. Smith
I’ve cleared everyone I can out of docking area C. Jack’s mental voice sounded pissed. Not that Cole blamed him. Everything except his ship is locked down, but I won’t take away his only escape route. I can’t risk what he might do to the station.
I understand. I appreciate what you’ve done.
I’m still taking a huge risk, Cole. You owe me.
Yeah, I know.
Ember! Teegan reached out for her bond-mate as she skidded around the corner into the docking area.
He is here, Ember responded.
She was right. There he was, getting ready to board a corvette just like the one she and Cole had flown. Seven years on Black Rock hadn’t done him any favors. But, she’d never forget that face. Once, he might have passed for a business man on any number of worlds. He was handsome, with pale skin that was ageless and smooth. He wore his hair carefully groomed with just a touch of distinguished gray at each temple. Clean shaven and dressed in expensive tailored clothing made from real cotton and silk, treated with nanites to show no smudge of dirt, no wrinkle, he’d seemed every inch the important surgeon going about his business. Except for the hint of something off in the depths of his intelligent eyes.
Now, his hair was untrimmed, and he wore standard synth-cotton clothing. He was leaner, too, not quite as fit as he’d once been. Her eyes might have skipped over him in a crowd if she were anyone else, but her Talent made sure his mind shown like a beacon. She would never mistake him, even if he were to don a disguise, undergo facial sculpting and change his appearance completely.
The hatch of the ship stood open, and he moved to board it.
“Oh no, you don't. Deacon.” She pitched her voice to carry across the empty port. It echoed eerily in a space designed to hold huge ships and lots of people. She dropped Ember’s illusion at the same time, allowing herself to become visible.
He turned and saw her. “You. I knew it was you.” Those intelligent eyes narrowed. “It was a mistake to leave you alive, before.”
“You’re damn right it was.” Teegan’s telekinesis wasn’t her most powerful Talent, but it was enough to shove the hatch closed on the ship. “You’re not going anywhere.”
He smiled, looking calm and pleasant, though she knew he was anything but. “You could still let me go. I imagine you have a family. You may have lost someone to the virus, as I did. A sister, a mother? You may have those who will miss you when you’re gone. A father or brother? A husband or consort? Let me leave.” His voice was gentle and persuasive. “It’s only nulls. They deserve to die. They stole so much from us.”
Pain stabbed at her. “The only one who stole anything from me is you. You killed my brother, my friends. You killed my consort.”
His smile faded. “I see. Well, then.”
It was all the warning she got before he sliced the air with one hand. She felt the telekinesis go off, felt it ripple toward her like a wave, one with sharp edges.
Teegan!
Ember, no!
Her kith flung herself between Teegan and that wave of force. Time seemed to slow. Teegan cast a telekinetic shield, but she knew it was too weak to stop Deacon’s Talent. Then Cole was there. His huge body shielded Teegan and shoved Ember to the side. Her kith hit the ground and slid, a yip of pain escaping her with the force of her landing. Then the wave hit and blood spattered the deck.
Cole fell.
No. It couldn’t be happening again. It couldn’t.
No, no, no! Cole. Teegan dropped to her knees beside him. He was cut diagonally across the chest, from shoulder to hip. It looked precise and deep. Blood welled and flowed freely, soaking his shirt and pooling on the deck. She pressed her hands to the wound, but it was too long and they were too small. She couldn’t put enough pressure to stop the bleeding.
Use telekinesis, idiot. The voice was her own. Of course. Carefully, she used her Talent to place pressure on the length of the wound. Don’t leave me, Cole. Please, please, don’t leave.
She remembered begging Jarus in exactly the same way. It hadn’t stopped him from dying.
Ember crawled over on her belly, ears pressed back flat against her skull, whine low in her throat. Teegan could feel she was bruised, but otherwise fine. Just worried, like Teegan was, about Cole.
A presence brushed against her shields. Familiar enough that she allowed the contact.
I’m sending help. Don’t let him die. This time the voice was Jack’s.
I’m trying.
“Deacon.”
“What?” She stared down at Cole, uncomprehending.
“Deacon. Leaving.”
She looked up and saw that indeed, he had used the moment to board his ship and he was disconnecting from the space station.
“We can still stop him.” Cole’s voice was low. He seemed to be having trouble breathing.
“We’ll find him again. Right now I’m worried about you.”
“No. We can stop him here. Thought about it when I was running after you.”
“How? He’s already leaving.”
“Pull him into a telepathic landscape before he jumps. I know his mind. I can do it.”
She hesitated. It would at least stop him from jumping away. But would using his Talent be too much of an exertion for Cole? And what would happen if he passed out before Jack could get people aboard the vessel?
“No. It’s too risky.”
“Worth it.”
“No—” She didn’t get a chance to complete the sentence.
In the next moment, she was back standing in her house, staring outside at falling snow. “—are clearly an idiot.” She clenched a fist in frustration and found it sticky with blood. The landscape was reflecting the reality of the physical world. That meant he was spending as little energy as possible building it.
Ember was beside her. And lying on the floor at her feet, still bleeding everywhere, was Cole. Tears filled her eyes as she looked down at him. “Damn you. If you die, I will never forgive you.”
“Then I guess you better hurry.”
Deacon was standing outside in the snow, looking around with a perplexed expression. It gave her a moment of disconnect, seeing that man standing in her garden. She marched out the door that stood open, heedless of the falling snow.
He saw her and his eyes widened. He made another of those motions toward her with his hand, slicing the air. This time, no wave of telekinesis followed.
She smiled.
“Talent doesn’t work here, Deacon.” She stopped a few feet away. “Well, most Talent.”
Ember had followed her out, padding along beside her. Now, the kith stopped and crouched at her feet, baring her teeth.
What do you think? Teegan was surprised at how calm she sounded, with Cole dying behind her.
Ember growled, low and fierce. We protect our own. She leapt, a silver and copper blur through the air. Deacon threw his hands up as though to ward her away. She landed, all four paws striking his chest, jaws clamping onto his throat. Teegan could feel the pressure of telekinesis in the bite, a crushing weight.
Deacon fell, went still. Ember gave him a final shake, whipping her head to make certain he was finished. When she let go and backed away, his throat was a ravaged mess. Blood covered her muzzle, and dotted red against the snow. His eyes stared unseeing up at the sky.
Teegan felt nothing. A surprising emptiness, quickly filled with fear as the snowfall faded, and her house blurred back into the space station.
People were moving into the room. Someone pushed her aside and began looking over Cole and his wound with clinical efficiency. She stared until she saw his chest rise and fall and knew he was still breathing.
Don’t die, damn you. Don’t leave me now.
Silence answered her. She wished suddenly that she hadn’t been so stubborn. That she’d allowed herself to see him years ago, to let go of the past. Instead, she’d wasted all of that time afraid to love again. Afraid to lose.
The imprint is gone. It hit her suddenly that she cou
ld no longer feel Deacon’s mind. Nothing tugged at her to follow him.
Of course it is, Ember said matter-of-factly. He is dead. She sat with her tail curled around her, watching as they applied a sealant to Cole’s wound.
Teegan scrubbed a hand at her cheeks as Jack came to stand beside her, rubbing away her tears.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “He’s too damn stubborn to die.” He paused. “I’ve got people towing that ship back into dock. It’s unresponsive to hails.”
“He’s dead.” Her eyes didn’t leave Cole. They were lifting him onto a stretcher.
“You’re welcome to stay with him while they treat him.” Jack studied her face. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is.” She folded her arms around herself. “He’s my consort. Or he will be, when he wakes up.”
Epilogue
High summer on Tarssis Prime was uncomfortably hot. Unless you happened to have a soaking pool with the water set to the perfect cooling temperature.
Teegan’s was situated in her garden, beneath the swaying branches of redbark trees providing perfect shade. It was fed by a waterfall that spilled over stone steps and down the dorite slab she used as a centerpiece. The gold and blue flash of the stone seemed to glow from within. The water circulated constantly, filtering out any debris that fell into the pool. Nanites cleansed foreign material too small for the filters to manage, as well as regulating the temperature. The pool remained clean and cool throughout the long, hot days. Perfect for relaxing.
“You know,” Teegan said, her voice drowsy as they floated on the water. “We have to get out sometime.”
“Says who?” Cole loved the water. The underground springs and lakes at Black Rock were some of his favorite features, though many were unsuitable for swimming.
Teegan laughed, the sound so happy it was infectious. He smiled, cracking one eye open to look over at her. She was gorgeous. Her hair was braided back from her face. She’d put some weight back on, no longer looking so gaunt. A white swimming skirt floated around her thighs in the water, a matching top cupping her breasts and setting off the dark smoothness of her skin. He lost himself for a few moments admiring her curves.
Until water suddenly splashed into his eyes, disrupting both his admiration and his lazy floating.
“Hey.”
That’s what you get.
If you want water wars, honey, I’m happy to oblige. He was tall enough to stand easily, the water coming up to his chest. Teegan would have to stand on her toes to touch the bottom.
A wave of his arm sent a small tsunami crashing toward her. She tried to move, but wasn’t fast enough and came up sputtering seconds later.
He was too busy laughing to notice the huge swathe of water floating above his head until it splashed down over him. Then it was on. Between telekinesis, hands and feet, the pool turned into a frenzy of moving water. They might have kept it up all afternoon, if he hadn’t stretched too far to escape another dunking and pulled at the wound across his chest. He winced involuntarily, and instantly the water in the pool quieted.
“What’s wrong? Did the wound reopen?”
“No. Just pulled it a little. Nothing to worry about.”
“Let me see.” She swam over to him and wouldn’t leave it alone until she’d examined the puckering scar carefully. Not that Teegan putting her hands on him was a bad thing. He could just think of several things he’d rather have her doing with them.
“It looks all right.”
“I told you.” He was smiling down at her when she looked up.
“I’m sorry I’m a little paranoid.”
He lifted a hand and brushed one of her curls back behind her ear. It was wet enough to actually stay temporarily. “I like that you worry about me.”
Her hands looped over his shoulders. “Don’t let it go to your head. Your ego’s big enough.”
“So I hear.” He dipped his head and kissed her, relishing in the feel of her pressed against him, in the heat of her lips and her tongue stroking his. The fact that he could do this whenever he wanted was still a revelation to him. He’d spent so many years thinking Teegan would never be his.
The kiss deepened, and his hands went to her waist, pulling her tighter against him. The sun was warm on their skin, quickly drying the parts of them not in the water.
Which is why it was such a shock when a cold spray suddenly showered them both. They broke apart, Teegan laughing while Cole glared at Ember. The kith was unrepentant as she sat next to the pool, her fur poofed from having just shaken it free of excess water.
That’s what you get for disrupting my bath, she sent to them with great dignity. Honestly, in the heat of battle Cole had forgotten all about Ember paddling around the other end of the pool.
“We should get out anyway. You haven’t eaten yet today, and the body burns a lot of fuel healing.”
He caught her around the waist before she could move away. “Food can wait.”
Cole, you need to eat—
He slipped his hand underneath her suit and cupped one of her breasts, rolling the nipple between his fingers. Her resistance melted as she relaxed against him.
—but food can wait a little longer.
Ember huffed out a yipping laugh as she sauntered away. It amused her how often he and Teegan engaged in what she called human play.
Living here with her was like a beautiful dream. One he never wanted to wake from. His work at Black Rock was important, but he’d done it long enough to earn a respite. He’d already requested the position be filled by someone else, effectively turning in his resignation. What use was there being a pirate if you followed the rules all of the time?
He hadn’t told Teegan yet. She thought this was just an extended vacation, while he recovered from his wounds. He planned to surprise her with the news soon. He’d spent too many years missing her, wishing she was in his life. He wasn’t about to let go now that she’d finally invited him back in.
He lifted her up to wrap her legs around his waist, pulling her suit aside to free her breasts for his mouth. One thought whispered through his mind, the voice he’d never truly silenced in the last seven years. I love you, Teegan Khallin.
He thought he kept it private, something just for him. He would tell her when he was sure she was ready to hear it. But a moment later he heard her voice whisper back.
I know.
Also by Carysa Locke
Pirate Bound
Pirate Nemesis
About Carysa Locke
Carysa Locke is the pseudonym for writing team Carysa Locke and MaLea Holt, two best friends who have been creating imaginary worlds together for more than twenty years. Carysa is a high school English teacher, and MaLea helps support families with special needs children. You might say, they work as super heroes in their day jobs!
Their obsession with pirates and adventure goes back many years, when they started another hobby together - costuming. They regularly attend Ren-faires and Pirate Festivals. They currently reside in the Pacific Northwest with their families, where they still routinely roleplay and costume together, when they aren't too busy working on the next novel.
@carysalocke
carysalocke
www.carysalocke.com
Thank You
Veronica and Pauline would like to thank all the authors who joined this adventure with us, gleefully accepting the challenge of pairing pets with science fiction and romance. We are so grateful for the wonderful stories you wrote for this anthology and hope the readers have had as much fun reading the adventures as we all had in writing them.
Special thanks to Fiona Jayde for our wonderful cover art, Nyssa Juneau for our amazing pets sketches, and Narelle Todd for doing so much to make this anthology happen.
We’d also like to thank Hero-Dogs.org for what they do every day for our veterans and for allowing us to partner with them.
And last, but not least, a special thanks to all our readers and if you enjoyed these stories, we invite
you to check out all the other wonderful books by the authors in this anthology.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the authors.
All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.
A MATE FOR MATRIX, Copyright © 2016 by S.E. SMITH. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
SPARK OF ATTRACTION, Copyright © 2016 CARA BRISTOL. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
STRAY, Copyright © 2016 Susan Grant. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of the author.
STAR CRUISE: STOWAWAY, Copyright © 2016 JEAN D. WALKER. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of the author.
THE LAST DRAGON, Copyright © 2016 PAULINE BAIRD JONES. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of the author.
STARDOG, Copyright © 2016 LAURIE A. GREEN. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of the author.
SPIKE, Copyright © 2016 ALEXIS GLYNN LATNER. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of the author.
SPACE RANGER, Copyright © 2016 Heather Jarecki. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission of the author.
ESCAPE RUN, Copyright © 2016 Caryss Locke. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of the author.
Cover Artwork: © Fiona Jayde. All images licensed and used with permission
Pet Drawings created by artist, Nyssa Juneau.
Dog logo image licensed and used with permission DepositPhotos.
ISBN: 978-1-942583-40-0
Published in the U.S. by Cats, Dogs and Other Worldly Creatures Books
{1. Science Fiction Romance. – Fiction. 2. Science Fiction – Fiction. 3. Paranormal – Fiction. 4. Romance – Fiction.}
