*****
Outside the cockpit window, Eris could see only clear, starry space. My first space battle, she thought, collapsing back in her chair. That wasn’t so bad.
Eris heard a deep chuckle behind her and spun around in her chair. A tall, lithe young man was leaning against the door frame, an amused smirk playing across his lips. He had a defined, clean-shaven jaw and bronze skin. As Eris stared at him, he looked from her disheveled hair down to her scruffy jeans and back up to her smudged face. She promptly blushed a bright shade of pink.
He brings tall, dark, and handsome to a whole new level, she thought incredulously. Then she spotted the black body armor and the striker holstered on his belt. “You’re the raider?”
The young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, crossed his arms against his chest and bowed. Shaggy dark hair fell with casual elegance over his gray eyes, which were twinkling in the dim light of the cockpit. “At your service.” Glancing out the window, he added, “I take it we escaped from the socially awkward reptiles?”
Eris was in shock. The cool and deadly raider who had abducted them from the Ssrisk was now playing the charming, friendly host. And, she realized, his voice seemed to be doing something odd to her body. Her heart was beating rapidly, her breath hitched, and she felt her insides turning to jelly. He’s got to be the most gorgeous man I’ve ever laid eyes on. He’s absolutely … wow. Just wow. Eris had never had such an extreme reaction to anyone before and had no idea what to make of it. “I … um … what?”
The raider turned his gaze back to her, his expression one of amused interest.
Why does he keep looking at me like that? Guys never look at me like that. Is he even human? He looks human. Eris could not for the life of her remember the question he had posed. “That is … uh …”
He laughed. “You’re concerned about my empennage, right? Don’t worry, I fixed it. And I know I’m devastatingly attractive, but you’re staring a bit more than even I’m accustomed to.”
Something prodded her side sharply. Eris glanced down to see Miguri glaring at the raider. “She thinks you are human,” the Claktill snapped. “But I know what you are, Rakorsian.”
Eris woke from her stupor and shot the Claktill a shocked look. “Miguri! What happened to not pissing off the person with the striker?”
“I would hardly call a Rakorsian a person,” Miguri muttered.
“Wait, he actually is Rakorsian?” She peered up at their abductor. “But he looks so … human.”
“Human?” the raider asked Eris casually. “Is that what your species is called?”
Miguri’s tail twitched in agitation. “Yes, Rakorsian, this girl is a human. And as a terrestrial, she belongs on her home planet. She did not belong on the Ssrisk ship, and she certainly does not belong here on yours.”
Eris nodded, although she was starting to quite like the idea of being on the raider’s ship. Better him than the Ssrisk, she reasoned, even if he is Rakorsian. The Ssrisk definitely weren’t as much fun to look at.
Miguri continued speaking. “Eris, our captor is Rakorsian. We cannot trust him. The only goal Rakorsians have is to crush all other sentient life and bring the galaxy under their sole control.”
“Hey now, we’re not all like that,” the raider protested mildly.
But judging by the twinkle in his eye, Eris gathered that the description did not really disturb him. And try as she might, she couldn’t stop staring at him. He’s incredibly good-looking, obviously, she thought, but there’s something else … She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. But whatever it was, it fascinated her.
Miguri’s hair shot into little spikes at the raider’s words. “And I suppose you are a good Rakorsian, one who does not enjoy splattering Claktilli brains against the wall simply to see how interesting a pattern the blood can make.”
“As a matter of fact—”
“No, do not tell me,” Miguri interrupted. “As a child you saw the mindless violence of your fellow Rakorsians and realized all you want is universal peace. So you now roam the galaxy alone, a rebel and traitor to your species, desperately seeking to counteract all the senseless cruelty by helping creatures like us who are in need.”
“I could shoot you,” the raider offered.
*****
Summary of
Imminent Danger And How to Fly Straight into It
by Michelle Proulx
High school junior Eris Miller thinks she’s having a bad day when her roommate’s boyfriend catches her stepping out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel. Then she gets abducted by scaly six-armed aliens with a strange fondness for the color blue, and her day suddenly gets a whole lot worse.
Trapped on a spaceship bound for the slave markets of Sirius B, Eris fears she’ll never see her home again. But then fate whisks her away from her reptilian captors and into the arms of Varrin, a fast-talking space pirate who promises to deliver her safely back to Earth. He claims to have her best interests at heart, but Eris soon discovers that her charming rescuer has a hidden agenda.
As they race across the galaxy, outrunning a villainous figure from Varrin’s past, Eris begins to realize that their relationship is putting her planet, her life, and her heart in imminent danger. She knows that trusting Varrin could prove deadly … but what other choice does she have?
*****
Discover other titles by Michelle Proulx at michelleproulx.com
The Coin Collector Page 2
