by Tracy Lauren
“That’s funny. I sort of had the feeling that you led me,” she replies.
“You really want to do this?” I ask. “Are you ready to be a hero?”
She scoffs at me. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be a hero, but I know now that I’m no coward. If there are people out there who need us, we’ve got to do something about it. I’m done with running away in life. I’m ready to run toward something.”
“Then I will be by your side for every minute of it.”
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
“I ask for only one thing in return.”
“What’s that?” she asks.
“Give me another week—no, a month of having you here in my bed,” I demand.
“How about we save the heroics until after Christmas?” she offers with a smile.
“What is Christmas?”
Epilogue
Narron
“Is it all done?” my master asks me.
“It is.”
“The Vendari?”
“Was well enough when I let him out. They both left Quar shortly after.”
“And did my V do her job before she left us?”
“Someone did. Vigere is dead and so are his men,” I inform him.
“His men too?” he questions, brows raised and tone surprised.
“All of them. Seems she used the poison…” I trail off, my jaw tightening reflexively.
“I knew that woman would surprise me,” The Oscillion laughs. “Oh, come now, Narron! Don’t tell me that she got to you!”
“Did she not get to you?” I ask, knowing full well the answer. He would not have invested so much into this game had he not been more than just intrigued by her.
“I must admit that she did. But I am the romantic, Narron!” he says, throwing himself into his chair. “You are supposed to be the muscle,” he chides me.
“If she got to you so much, why did you not just leave her as she was?” I ask.
“I saw more there, Narron, and I still see more to come. That is why I gifted her with the TASE—”
I snort at his choice of words…a gift.
“Now, Narron, I know that you do not agree with such extreme weaponry, but mark me. It will serve her well. No one will ever be able to harm our V.”
“She is not our V.”
“No. I suppose she isn’t anymore,” he says, opening the view screen on the wall. Our visibility of space is blocked by a massive slave ship.
“Perhaps it is time to find a new project. What do you think, my old friend?”
Author’s Note
Well, here we are again, friends. The end of another book but the beginning of a new world of possibilities.
I’m wondering how you all felt about our heroine. The whole time I wrote her I was sure everyone would hate her. I mean, most heroines are heroic. And this time around I sort of wanted to write a lead character that wasn’t, because honestly, not all of us would be gung-ho heroes if we found ourselves in such a position.
Hopefully there were aspects of V that you could relate to, or at least feel a little empathy for. Once I start writing these characters they really take on a life of their own in my head. They don’t necessarily behave in ways that I would, but they do behave in ways I believe they would. Please don’t judge her too harshly, guys, she was honestly trying her best. If you found yourself yelling at your Kindle, remember, as much as she needed the advice, she didn’t have anyone there to guide her.
I wanted V to really go on a journey of self-discovery, to take her into the depths of something hellish and to bring her back, stronger for it. But the longer the book got, I was left with the sense that she wasn’t done growing, that all this trauma upon trauma upon trauma would take real time to heal from. So, even though we are here at the end of her book, I don’t know if I’m done with V just yet.
Maybe we’ll hear more from her in the future. We all know that she and Dax have a happily ever after, but maybe V needs another adventure to help bring her to the end of her journey of self-discovery. If so, that’s a story we’ll have to wait a bit for.
Next up is Gorrard, whose story will be a shorter novella out in December. Of course, I’ve never written a novella before and I do like longer stories, so his novella might end up a 200 pager. We’ll have to see!
Beyond Gorrard I would like to explore a reverse harem situation in Beacon, starring his buddies Gile and Mire and one of the new humans. Their story will in turn set up Reagan’s adventure with Kellen. Though, I’m not so sure when I plan to release those.
There are so many exciting ideas going on in my head. I have stories for all our original characters waiting to get down on paper. Not to mention the Vendari Kings, an entire fantasy series, and a contemporary series… Maybe even a book for The Oscillion and one for Narron too, because I just really like those guys.
Unfortunately, I only write in the middle of the night after my family has all gone to bed. So, my writing hours are limited to say the least, as well as time to do the fun stuff like staying connected to you all on Facebook. But I try my best and truly love hearing from you all!
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who help contribute to my books: my wonderful artist, Maria Sapata. My editor, Aquila Editing. My alpha readers, Lyda Eagle and Kate Botting, who endure all my terrible and ridiculous spelling errors, not to mention the poorer aspects of my writing that they weed out for you lovely folks. Lastly, I’d like to thank the romance community as a whole, authors and readers alike. Thank you all so much for your welcoming attitudes and voracious need to read.
Please take the time to leave an honest review. Loved it or hated it, I want to hear your thoughts. Find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tracy.lauren.148, I’m fairly good about staying up to date and I do post information on upcoming books.
Thanks again and I hope to see you next time.
Glossary of Characters
I wanted to provide you with a glossary, in case you need a little help keeping it all straight (I know I do!). You’ll find various pieces of hopefully useful information, such as: alien races, important physical attributes, professions, and some miscellaneous stuff. This isn’t a comprehensive list, but it includes primary characters or characters who may come into play in a later novel.
Humans
Kate: Married to Rennek and “Queen” of Beacon. Grew up in a neglectful family and had to care for herself early on. When she and Rennek connect, everything in her life seems to finally fall into place.
Allison: A loner. Fails to connect with the other humans. She builds something of a bond with Da’vi, who trains her in a variety of avenues despite their constant bickering. All Allison wants is to be the best she can be, perhaps in an effort to protect herself. Vulnerability is not something she is willing to accept within herself.
Reagan: The youngest of the group. Crass and harsh on the exterior, but perhaps this is to hide her own sense of fragility. Hooked up with Rad, with the expectation that they would be something more.
April: Was a yoga instructor on Earth and still teaches for the colony on Elysia.
Clark: Water resource analyst on Earth, uses her knowledge to help Tennir plan water distribution for the crops and community of Beacon. Superman fan.
Vivian: Tearful and frightened, struggling more than the others to acclimate to life post-abduction. Went missing along with Dax in book one.
Alessandra Kennedy: Previously an art professor on Earth. Works on Elysia to help make the community self-sustaining through her knowledge of ceramics, pottery, woodworking, and other various artistic endeavors. Skilled as a musician. Married to Kye Amara.
Vendari/Nev’Rhaan
Rennek: Son of a Vendari King. Gargoyle-like in appearance, with wings, horns and a tail. Married to Kate.
Bossan: Grew up with Rennek on Javan.
Kellen: Half-brother to Therad. Humble guy, hinted that he may have been a fighter. Grew up with Rennek on Javan.
Da
x: Wild in spirit, went missing with Vivian shortly after arriving on Elysia. Grew up with Rennek on Javan.
Nh’Rudi
Da’vi: Reptilian alien. Tough and unbending, has agreed to take the human Allison under his wing and teach her how to exist in her new life in space. His father spent many years watching over Madreed after Urrek went missing.
Zair: Pilot who may or may not have a romantic history with Dax. She butts heads significantly with Vivian.
Nev’Rhaan
Madreed: Rennek’s mother, has a key role in The United Planets’ government.
Tennir: Rennek’s half-brother, a scientist.
Therad: AKA, Rad. Half-brother to Kellen. The fact that he’s married and has children doesn’t keep him from seducing Reagan. At one time worked for Madreed, but it was later discovered that he was a double agent, working with the human trafficking ring leaders.
Merkeem: Friend of Dax. Lives on Quar and maintains the hangars near the canyon.
Vendari
Urrek: Rennek’s father, the previous Grey King. Led his people to search for Elysia. There is mystery surrounding his timeline and whereabouts. He and his closest guards/friends somehow ended up forced into mercenary work and invaded Mother Planet in The Invasion. However, they secretly fought to save and protect people. When the invaders were making their escape, Urrek and his men tried to rescue the other slaves, but vanished in the process.
Gorrard: The last surviving member of the scouting team that searched for Elysia and the only full-blooded gray Vendari (seemingly) left in the galaxy. Older, scarred, with a robotic arm. Ran a bar on a space station in dark space for many years before he found Rennek.
The Red King: One of the six Vendari kings. Being full-blooded Vendari makes his features somewhat different from Rennek’s, giving him a more beastly appearance. His flesh is a deep, blood red. He offers his aid to anyone in need and goes berserk when he finds misdeeds on the UPC ship harboring abused slaves.
Four remaining Vendari Kings, as yet to be introduced. Each have claimed and settled their own section of Elysia. They are currently working to rebuild their old ways of life on a new planet.
Sovolian
Mire: The larger of the two. Massive, stocky and muscular alien man. Golden in appearance in everything from their hair to their eyes and flesh. Mire is the more stoic and sterner of the pair. Worked for many years for Gorrard.
Gile: Strikingly similar in appearance to his friend. While he is shorter and stockier than Mire, that makes him no less massive in the eyes of humans. Gile’s personality is characterized by his openness, humor, optimism and eagerness. Worked for many years with Gorrard.
Oscillion
The Oscillion: The last of his kind. A wealthy crime lord who owns the trading post planet of Quar. Aspires to take over the human trafficking ring currently run by the Ju’tup. Takes a curious interest in Vivian, manipulating and molding her into something new.
Miscellaneous
Narron: Lead henchman for The Oscillion. Is charged with training Vivian. Tall and stocky with broad shoulders and massive arms. Is more apt to use his fists instead of a weapon.
Drykn: Attacks Vivian when he discovers her sneaking from his hotel room. He nearly kills her, but he and his crew are hurt in the process.
