Domestic Duet: Domestic Alliance & Asset

by Cora Blu

  DOMESTIC ALLIANCE

  ©2015 Cora Blu

  Prequel to Domestic Asset

  Romantic Sci-fi

  Published 2015 by Cora Blu Books LLC

  Acknowledgment

  Editor: Deadra Krieger

  Cover Illustrator: Cora Blu Books LLC

  Proofreader: Arianne Cruz

  Beta readers: Special ladies

  Dedication

  Janice McGhee

  Grandma Cora McGhee

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright and Trademark acknowledgment

  DOMESTIC DUET

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Domestic Asset © 2014 Cora Blu

  Copyright 2014 Cora Blu

  1961

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Epilogue

  (To read about this underwater world, read Brothers of Element Series, by Cora Blu)

  Copyright and Trademark acknowledgment

  Etta James: 1960 Rhythm and Blues release, At Last.

  Bromo Seltzer

  Formica

  Old Spice Cologne

  Copyright 2015 Cora Blu

  This is a work of fiction. Names characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  DOMESTIC DUET

  Domestic Alliance & Asset

  Sadie Ochi Alexander, maid and trained nurse, grew up like every other woman in the 1960’s, with aspirations and dreams. Sharing a brownstone with her sister in Georgia and working for one of the wealthiest families in Beacon Heights, she had few qualms. Perhaps one, the day she buried her parents. After a horrific accident on I-75 takes both of her parents, an alien abducts her from her backyard. Yet, what this seven-foot tall mammoth of muscle and brutish charm wants from her keeps her from turning her back on him. Of course, if more women knew the differences between him and men from Earth, the space station would be flooded with women looking to share their weekends with a karuntee.

  However, now she’s fallen in love with him. One of the things he’s offering isn’t love, but friendship—an alliance. An alliance to benefit the Treaty between humankind and the karuntee. Can they be friends after everything that’s happened?

  In 1958, Captain Aroc Farkus, of the Karuntee clan of moon dwellers, has lost everything in the matter of a heartbeat. Faced with a dilemma only a human female could assist him with, he sets his attention on one particular female on Earth. She had one role in his life, yet he had no idea that position would affect every aspect of his world. Not able to keep his promise to return her to Earth, he makes her an offer that will change both of their lives forever.

  A secret sect of domestics on Earth is not what they seem. Sadie Ochi Alexander will become his weapon of choice to bring down those dealing in black-market fuel trade. If he can move past an old pain every time he sees her with her new partner, he’ll gain back the family he lost three years ago. Her one request will test the love he had for his deceased mate and a promising future with Sadie.

  Chapter 1

  Space Station Hospital…1958

  In the sterile room, he pressed his mouth to hers for a final kiss. The warmth of her once pink lips faded fast, leaving them dull and cool to the touch. Inhaling her delicate scent for the last time deep into his lungs, he could taste the memory of her kiss on his breath.

  Sweet fire.

  Aroc’s knuckles bleached out under his tight grip on the hem of the sheet as he draped it over her lifeless body. He’d loved the curve of her shoulders, the dip at the base of her slender throat. Her narrow chin, near white skin, and hair red as a flame made up the shell that contained his world. The pain brought him to his knees beside the gurney where his grip on the sheet tightened. They were gone and nothing he did could have saved his family. Not even the wet streaks trailing down his face would reverse this tragedy.

  In the space station's hospital lobby, he sat surrounded by sad yellow chairs and sterile gray walls. Around him, a vicious pulse emanated from the humans and karuntee on the brink of war with so much emotion saturating the room. A pain so great he wanted to die. Without his life mate, Katherine, and their child, Aroc had no fight.

  Captain Aroc Farkus of the Karuntian Clan of Moon Dwellers threw his head back and bellowed. The crushing pain of loss tore at his heart.

  In a bloody moment, he’d lost two of his loves. The biggest crush of all was never seeing his daughter’s eyes, never touching her face, or holding her hands in his.

  Consumed by grief, Aroc laced his fingers together setting them on top of his smooth head, the image of Katherine’s cheek resting on his chest as they watched her belly move at night swam through his mind. He loved feeling his daughter wiggle when Katherine pressed her belly against his stomach in bed. How would he ever sleep again without Katherine in his arms?

  Now he waited to hold their lifeless bodies one last time, before sending them off into the atmosphere.

  It took effort to open his eyes. Aroc blinked to gain focus. Humans and karuntee, halted mid-motion, silently observing him mourn his wife and child.

  With a quick nod, he set his partially focused vision to watch them moving slowly around the space. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, and shuffled the empty cups of coffee around on the white table.

  The nurse’s station had cleared down to one cowering body, eyes wide, staring over the Formica laminated counter. She stayed shielded behind a bowl of yellow Karuntian daises filling a fish bowl the size of a bowling ball. Under the glow of the bright lights, the flowers appeared gaudy in the somber atmosphere.

  Drained, he moved with lethargy to stand and peer out of the window. He rested his head against the cool surface of the glass and imagined Katherine’s shuttle hovering before the bay doors, awaiting clearance. She’d glance up, giving him a quick tip of her chin. Excellent pilot, commander, wife, and friend—the only human female he could stomach.

  Broken hearted; he’d never mate again.

  ***

  “You did this to her, alien. And I knew this day would come,” the belligerent voice, full of venom, came from behind across the room. Aroc pivoted on the soles of his black boots squeaking now on the tile floor. He knew the voice of Katherine’s work partner from the human space station. A man Aroc despised for his arrogance. The commander cautioned Katherine not to involve herself with an alien.

  “Not today, Commander,” he warned. Aroc’s anger held tethered to a gas line ready to ignite within his heart.

  Olive
r shoved a hand through his short black hair. His nostrils flared. “Stick to your kind. Katherine trusted you.” His voice came out a growl, “against everything I warned her would happen messing with an alien, she trusted you with her life.”

  “Questioning my ability to take care of my wife, Commander?” Aroc’s fists clenched—a sign he needed to step away to avoid a fight. “You disgrace Katherine’s friendship, ranting like a spoiled little boy while she lies dead.”

  “She was the best commander out there to come out of the academy,” Oliver shouted, slapping a hand over his heart in a manic gesture of anger and loss. “She became a sister to me…family.”

  To avoid a fight, and no particular direction in mind, Aroc let his feet take charge moving him away from the temptation to fight.

  He never understood Katherine’s soft spot in her heart for the commander. She helped to integrate him into living on a space station and becoming a pilot while working out his troubled past to get his position. That didn’t give Oliver the right to place blame on Aroc for her death.

  Twenty feet away on the other side of the room, giving himself space to think, Aroc heard the stomping of boots approaching across the floor. Couldn’t he have a moment’s peace? He whirled around, braced for a fight. A fist caught him on the cheek, the angle sending the blow to glance the bottom of his right eye. The skin burned. An immediate swelling sprang up under the skin. Through the ache, he plowed his fist forward to connect with Oliver's nose.

  Oliver’s head snapped back, blood spewing down his face. He staggered a few feet clutching his nose, cursing into his hands, creating a muffled sound of his voice.

  Security swarmed through the room, breaking up fights exploding in every corner.

  A grunting sound whizzed through the air. Aroc shifted to the left, bending back and throwing his arms out for balance. The uncapped end on the leg of the overturned chair caught his forearm, tearing a gash in his upper arm. Blue blood seeped out of the slit. Grinding his teeth against the sting splintering down his arm, he staunched the bleeding; gripping the cut with his hand for a second, then dodged a table coming at him from across the room. Ducking to the floor, he missed the next blow while searching for a clear shot at Oliver. Without a weapon, Aroc exploded across the room, and then rushed him to the ground. They hit the floor with a bone-crushing thud and slammed into the wall. Grunts, guttural moans, and vile curses filled the air. The room pulsed with anger and unarmed men fighting hand to hand.

  A hiss of unhardened bone emerging soft and slick from the backs of karuntee filled the waiting room. He knew that sound and studied the room. Karuntee threw humans like dolls against the walls and chairs. This had to stop. He released the commander, dropping him to the floor where Oliver coughed and choked while getting to his feet. A quick scan of the room revealed his males were on the brink of raw and feral. Spikes emerged on a few, hungry for battle karuntee. Dead bodies would litter the floors and end the treaty. As much as he hated to admit it, they needed the agreement. He reined in his anger.

  Aroc, calling his males to order, focused his attention on his spikes slowly emerging from his spine—a reaction to the adrenaline rush.

  “Captain…” Oliver barked, his bright blue eyes full of hatred.

  “Don’t do it, Commander,” Captain Ryner Holston over Sector Five Space Station, shouted a warning.

  Aroc’s fists were in the air, preparing for the next hit, seconds before deciding to allow Holston to handle matters. His mind was set on revenge and that was not Katherine’s way of dealing with disputes. He had to calm down.

  “Commander, go outside on the patio and cool off. Let me talk to the captain,” he ordered, putting his body between the two men. “Katherine was one of my best commanders and she deserved respect, not this shit. The last thing we need is bloodshed before saying goodbye to a comrade.” He eyed Aroc. “And someone’s wife.”

  Oliver grumbled, stepping back before shoving a finger at Aroc. “You let her die, alien.” Anger and tears thickened his words. “The best…she was the best and your sorry ass didn’t protect her from getting pregnant.” He fought Captain Holston’s hold.

  A violation of the bond between him and his family, that’s when he snapped. This was his time to grieve, feel the loss, and mourn the void about to consume his life without his female. Heart broken, Aroc lunged forward, hands around the commander’s throat, wrenching him from Holston to ram him into the wall.

  Oliver clawed at Aroc’s hands, digging into his flesh. “One more word and I’ll crush your windpipe, throwing your lifeless body off the station into space.”

  Oliver struggled manically to breathe. Aroc’s nostrils flared as Katherine’s voice filled his mind, telling him she hated seeing them fight. He released the tension in his fingers on Oliver’s neck, letting him drop to the floor coughing and choking, fingers clasped around his throat. Oliver’s skin flushed red.

  “Without Katherine and my child, your life means nothing to me. Stay out of my way, human.”

  Captain Ryner Holston from Sector Five helped Oliver to his feet, ushering him to the exit bay doors of the hospital. Security kept the room from exploding into a full-blown massacre. Aroc drew a hand over his face, fighting the pain in his heart. He listened to Holston’s words to Oliver.

  “Commander Cantrell, you can’t beat the hell out of one another because you’re upset. That shit only works in prison, and you’ve settled your past and moved forward with your life.”

  “If this were prison he’d be dead already.”

  “Or you would,” Ryner said, gripping Oliver’s shoulders. “Listen, your last four missions were challenging assignments. As of today you’re on leave for a month.”

  Oliver jerked his shoulders back, but Holston retained his grip. “I don’t need a break. I need to bash in the head of a karuntian with a pipe.” He held his nose.

  Holston shook the man’s shoulders. “Not in the hospital, Commander or anywhere else I have to respond to.” He glanced around the room. “The lobby’s not the prison yard. Settle your problems outside. Aroc is a captain. Respect the title if not the male.” Ryner leaned back, observing Oliver’s nose. “That’s swelling fast,” Ryner said, shaking his head. “Go down to the emergency bay. I may need this face for an assignment.”

  Aroc regarded the only human he considered his equal. Captain Ryner Holston. Although human, his dark skin gave him an otherworldly fierceness. The strongest human he’d ever met with a disposition to rival any karuntee; Aroc trusted him to handle the matter to his satisfaction.

  “Dishonoring the memory of my wife and child will get you killed, human,” Aroc said, the pain eating away at his soul. The human captain directed his attention on Oliver, huffing and puffing, blood seeping from his hands.

  “This here is exactly why you’re going on leave. This treaty between the karuntee and us is essential for the well-being of the earth.”

  “I’m calm,” Oliver muttered, holding his nose while seething under his breath.

  Ryner snorted, shoving him back. “That’s why you’re posturing like a mongoose in a hen house. Bring it down, Commander.” The captain spoke low. “I know it’s hard, but try and relax. Katherine loved you like a brother. Act like it and respect her husband. Like it or not, I can guarantee Katherine won’t be the last woman to find them attractive. You can’t go around dragging our women back like some rutting caveman. So don’t sever the ties between us getting revenge for an act of nature.”

  Oliver drew back, his fingers balling in tight beside his thigh. “Nature didn’t kill my partner.”

  “Commander Cantrell, you forget Katherine was my wife carrying my child.” Aroc paused. “You made every attempt to blacken me in Katherine’s eyes, hating that she loved a karuntee. One day, at the wrong moment, in the wrong space, you’ll beg for your life.”

  Oliver threw his hands out wide in an aggressive pose. “Whenever you’re ready yard dog, I’ll be waiting. Katherine deserved a man, not some mutation off
the back of the moon.”

  Aroc stiffened. Human’s judged on appearance and not on character, and that’s what kept Aroc from fully opening his space station. The sole reason he detested Oliver.

  Katherine had thought his retractable spine unique. The patch of hair on his shoulder she caressed in her sleep and the things she did with his double penis…he was proud to be a seven-foot tall karuntee. As captain of the karuntee clan, Aroc held pride like any other male for his species. “It burns you that Katherine loved this mutated yard dog.”

  “She’d still be alive if you stuck to your kind. Our women on the Space station aren’t a play toy. She was my partner!”

  “And my mate!” Captain Farkus answered in a commanding tone, making it known Katherine was, above all, his wife. Cantering his neck until the tendons stretched, and the muscles relaxed he added, “Consider this a warning, Cantrell. Today is for mourning my family. Every day after that is protecting their memory.”

  Aroc rolled his shoulders back upon hearing his name called over the murmurs of the room and rotated to see a man waving.

  The Doctor.

  “Captain Farkus, can I speak to you. It’s urgent.”

  The captain hurried after the doctor disappearing around the corner. What now?

  Chapter 2

  Earth

  Georgia 1960

  Human nature dictates, that one day everyone’s parents will die. Sadie knew it was unavoidable, no matter how hard she’d convinced herself through the years that her parents would be there forever. Most children do even into adulthood. It’s a selfish way of hanging on to youth. However, when it happens—rest assured, it will happen—it’s guaranteed to be the worst day of your life.

  Preparing for it was an altogether different animal with sharp teeth. The task seemed near impossible when they’d been an essential part of who Sadie was as a person. There guidance reflected in her choice of friends, lovers, and careers. The way she lived her life or didn’t live it, was shaped by the two people that loved her when she didn’t know who she was.