Pets in Space® 4

by S. E. Smith

  Unable to restrain himself any longer, Volcair descended to meet her, holding out his hands. She took them, and fire flared along his qal. Its light, more intense than ever, bathed Kiara and set the markings on her skin aglow.

  His heated blood rushed to his loins, and he clenched his teeth at a sudden, powerful surge of arousal. He’d only known her touch—her true, intimate touch—for the handful of days she’d spent with him on Janus Six. It had not been nearly enough. He needed to have her now.

  “What do you think?” she whispered.

  Volcair released one of her hands to brush his fingertips over the qal on her cheek. “I think you outshine the stars.”

  Her eyes softened, and an instant later, she pressed her lips against his. He slid his hand into her hair and deepened the kiss, hungry for a taste of her, hungry for so much more. He barely held in the groan that threatened to rise from his chest. Only the presence of the crowd kept him from laying her upon the dais and having her then and there—and only because she was for his eyes alone.

  She slowly drew away, catching her lower lip between her teeth. “I know we’re supposed to kiss after, but I just couldn’t wait.”

  The officiant cleared his throat.

  Both Volcair and Kiara turned their heads toward him. The human was grinning despite his obvious effort to contain his mirth.

  “It is joyous to see two people in love,” he said before gesturing to the top of the dais. “Shall we proceed?”

  Volcair led Kiara to stand before the officiant. They stopped and faced one another, joining hands in the space between their bodies. She trembled lightly, but there was only love and anticipation in her eyes. His heart quickened.

  For years he’d thought he’d lost her, for years he’d been consumed by bitterness and loneliness, until his Kiara, his shining star, reappeared in his life. She stood before him now, a dazzling manifestation of all his dreams and desires in the flesh. She was his everything.

  She was his fate.

  About Tiffany Roberts

  Tiffany Roberts is the pseudonym for Tiffany and Robert Freund, a husband and wife writing duo. Tiffany was born and bred in Idaho, and Robert was a native of New York City before moving across the country to be with her. The two have always shared a passion for reading and writing, and it was their dream to combine their mighty powers to create the sorts of books they want to read. They write character driven sci-fi and fantasy romance, creating happily-ever-afters for the alien and unknown.

  Also by Tiffany Roberts

  Silent Lucidity (The Infinite City #1)

  Shielded Heart (The Infinite City #2)

  Treasure of the Abyss (The Kraken #1)

  Dustwalker

  Claimed by the Alien Warrior

  Veronica Scott -STAR CRUISE: Idol’s Curse

  The Sectors SF Romance Series

  An unusual bequest….

  Juli Shaeffer, the Nebula Zephyr’s cruise director, receives a mysterious bequest from the estate of a longtime passenger – a lump of rock taken from a reef on the planet Tahumaroa. Legend states anyone who steals from the ocean gods will be cursed. The passenger’s will requests the rock be returned to the beach so his heirs won’t be affected by the bad luck he believed he’d incurred. Juli doesn’t believe in superstitions and she agrees to carry out this small favor on the ship’s next stop at the planet in question.

  Until the rock disappears from her office…

  When the rock disappears and reappears in various locations around the ship, and seems connected to a steadily escalating series of mishaps, Juli turns to Third Officer Steve Aureli as the only one she feels she can trust. Along with Steve and his elderly Aunt Dian – a passenger aboard the Nebula Zephyr for this cruise - she investigates the strange series of malfunctions plaguing the interstellar luxury liner. Steve and Juli enlist his Aunt Dian’s dog, Charrli, a retired Sectors Z Corps canine, to help them track the missing rock as it moves about the ship.

  Juli and Steve must find the rock, hang onto it and transport it to the planet’s surface, before the alien idol’s curse turns deadly. The attraction between the two of them grows as the threat to Juli becomes more and more focused. Can she carry out her task while he keeps her safe from the alien curse? Will the capricious alien idol bring them good fortune…or disaster?

  To my daughters Valerie and Elizabeth, my brother David, and my best friend Pauline for all the encouragement and support!

  Chapter One

  Juli Shaeffer smoothed the lapel of her CSC Line uniform jacket and tried not to fidget in the expensive leather chair because the material of the seat made an annoying scrunching noise every time she moved. She stared out the window of this high priced interstellar law firm’s office and wondered how much longer they’d keep her waiting. She had things to do aboard the Nebula Zephyr, since the ship had just gone into orbit yesterday and was getting ready to take on new passengers for the next leg of the cruise.

  As Cruise Director, Juli had a To Do list as long as her arm. Yet here she sat, on Ship’s business no less.

  Captain Fleming had assigned her the task, obviously happy not to burden himself with the chore. Fleming was a spacer all the way and hated administrative work. “The Line needs one of my command crew to attend a meeting with a firm of legal eagles on the planet, so I want you to represent us.”

  Of course she’d never say no to the captain although the nature of the request had been surprising. “Do we know what the issue is? I mean, I’m hardly the right person to handle a lawsuit or anything.”

  “Seeing as how I don’t waste a berth keeping a lawyer on staff and also since the Line doesn’t seem alarmed about this request, I’m not worried. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders—if this turns out to be something deep, don’t sign anything without reading it, don’t promise anything you’re not entirely comfortable with and get out of there. We’ll regroup if necessary.” He leaned back in his chair. “But the message came from the president of CLC herself and all she said was the subject is a passenger request.”

  The whole thing was odd but Juli figured part of why she’d gone into space in the first place was for the adventure. Maybe this meeting with a representative of the Alexim Bardoom and Macqlly firm wasn’t going to be an action packed, exciting moment in her career, but it would be different. And the captain had finished the conversation by saying he owed her one for taking this duty on.

  A favor from Captain Fleming was a good thing to have banked. Juli couldn’t help but smile. The captain always kept his word and delivered on a promise of this nature. Maybe she’d ask for an extra day of leave at their next port. Tahumaroa Two was a true garden spot of the Sectors.

  The human secretary reappeared from his lengthy trek to the inner sanctum of the warren of offices, breaking her train of thought. “She’ll see you now.”

  Juli followed the expensively attired and extremely well groomed man down a corridor chockfull of expensive art. Eventually they left the museum-like halls and proceeded into an office lined with ancient books, more art, and a beautiful Zulairian mahogany desk, the top of which was bare aside from an elaborate paperweight, ironically holding no paper captive. An older woman sat behind the desk, elegantly attired in the most conservative but stylish business wear. Her hands were folded although as Juli walked closer, she observed the lawyer’s white knuckles.

  Why would a person of her stature and experience feel anxiety over a meeting with a ship’s cruise director? The way the attorney’s lips were tightly compressed as well as her clenched hands in their deceptively peaceful position betrayed agitation.

  “Miss Shaeffer to see you,” Juli’s escort said.

  “Thank goodness. I’m Cilla Macqlly, senior partner.” Extending her hand across the gleaming desk Ms. Macqlly’s smile was stiff, as if pasted on and there was a subtle tremor in her fingers.

  Juli shook hands politely, the secretary departed, and Juli sat in yet another of the too well cushioned chairs.

  “
Thank you for coming today,” said the lawyer. “We’re quite anxious to wrap this matter up and hand it off to the proper authorities.”

  “I’m afraid the CLC Line didn’t tell us much of anything, other than it was a passenger-related request,” Juli said, hoping for a few more details. She couldn’t agree to anything until she heard the parameters of the service or favor being requested and of course reviewed the written agreement for hidden ‘gotchas’.

  “Bequest, not request.” The attorney’s voice was clipped as she made the correction.

  “I’m sorry?”

  “The passenger, Mr. Rodrimueller, is deceased.” Cilla Macqlly raised one elegantly shaped eyebrow. “Nothing to do with you or the CLC Line. He died of a particularly aggressive form of cancer resistant to all the normal treatment.” She drummed her fingers on the desk. “Ten years ago he and his late wife took a cruise to Tahumaroa Two on a CLC Line ship, and enjoyed their trip immensely, or so I’m told. His wife brought home a sentimental souvenir to which he took a great dislike since his diagnosis and in fact—” Here the lawyer laughed although Juli wasn’t convinced she was genuinely amused—“Toward the end he blamed it for all kinds of personal setbacks and problems, and wished to be rid of it. He expressed his sentiments on the subject to me personally more than once. Mr. Rodrimueller was a bit eccentric, shall we say.” She nervously smoothed her eyebrow and seemed to have developed a twitch in her eyelid. “He was too ill to see to the matter personally and as his health declined, he was unable to accomplish the task but in his will he bequeathed the souvenir to an employee of the CLC Line, to be named by the shipping line. Specifically, the item must be promptly returned to its point of origin on the planet. As a contiguous bequest, the selected employee was to receive 50,000 credits upon successful completion of the task, as documented by a trideo and two witness signatures.” She stared into space as if lost in thought and then added, “In his will he calls it an attempt to make amends. He also mentioned to me a desire to ensure his children were untouched by the rash decision he and his wife made in taking the souvenir in the first place.”

  “What is this item?” Juli’s head whirled at the vision of so many credits in her account on New Switzerland, which would add to her retirement fund nicely, if CLC allowed her to keep it. But the amount made her suspicious. “It’s not alive is it? There are strict Interstellar Commerce Commission rules about transporting undocumented flora or fauna.”

  Cilla opened a drawer, having to exert unusual strength to do so as the drawer appeared stuck. After accomplishing the task, she was red faced with the effort and sat breathing hard. She brushed her immaculately coiffed hair with one hand in a nervous gesture, bit her lip and reached into the drawer as if it contained snakes.

  Juli stared as the lawyer brought out a gaudy package—a cheap, woven straw box approximately 6” by 6” by 6” high, tied shut with a pink and green scarf, whose frayed ends had been chopped off—set it on the polished desk and gave it a shove in Juli’s direction. The item had no place in this sophisticated, high end attorney’s office. Instinctively she reached out to catch the box as it slid across the highly polished wood, finding it heavier than she expected.

  “Don’t open it here,” Cilla said in a rush as Juli toyed with the knot.

  “I should make sure it’s okay to take onto the Nebula Zephyr,” she said, working at the tight wrapping. “And have you verify the item is as it should be.”

  She had the impression the woman was pushing her chair as far away from the desk as she could go without being obvious. But when Juli removed the scarf and opened the box, she did a double take. “It’s a rock.”

  “Yes, from Tahumaroa Two, from the Beach of the Two Goddesses to be exact. He wanted it placed there.” The lawyer swallowed hard. “Anywhere on the beach is fine.”

  “Is this one of those cases where the gullible tourists fall for the tour guide spiel about how removing the rocks brings bad luck?” Juli laughed and replaced the lid, her mood more lighthearted. “There were several places like that on old Terra, from what I’ve read, and on a number of other planets as well.”

  Eyes narrowed, Cilla leaned forward and seemed almost eager. “You’re not superstitious, Ms. Shaeffer?”

  “Not in the least.” From childhood Juli had been a practical person, not given to enjoying fairy tales or ghost stories, much less legends about luck, good or bad. She believed a person made their own luck and worked hard to pursue her own goals.

  As she opened another drawer and pulled out the legal document covering the services to be rendered, the lawyer muttered to herself. Juli thought it sounded as if she said, “Maybe that will help.”

  Taking the contract, Juli asked, “Was Mr. Rodrimueller a superstitious man then?”

  Tearing her gaze away from the now closed straw box, Cilla swallowed hard. “Yes, he was. He made his fortune in the free trade business and apparently saw or experienced any number of uncanny events on various worlds. He liked to tell tales over dinner. I never believed them.”

  Until now was the crystal clear unspoken end to the sentence. Goosebumps rose on Juli’s arms, much to her annoyance. This is too ridiculous, she told herself sternly. “I’ll be happy to return this for his family on behalf of the CLC Line.” And I’ll take the credits too. Accepting so much for such a minor favor seemed out of line but the reward was part of the terms. “Was there anything else?”

  Rubbing her forehead as if she had a headache, the lawyer shook her head. “As per the agreement in front of you, send us the vid of you replacing the rock, and the statements of the witnesses, and we’ll arrange for the deposit of the funds.”

  Glad to be finished with this strange conversation, Juli signed on behalf of the CLC Line, added her title and then scooped up the box. “You can transmit a copy to the ship—I’m sure Captain Fleming will want one for his records.” She shoved the container clumsily into her purse and rose. “I’ll be on my way then. Thank you.”

  “Thank you.” Cilla left her chair and headed for a cabinet at the side of the room which held feelgoods in elaborately cut crystal decanters. She didn’t offer any to Juli and as the door closed behind her, Juli looked back to see the woman downing a nearly overflowing glass of a dark red feelgood.

  The whole thing is weird. Maybe she was Rodrimueller’s mistress—she seemed so overcome with strong emotion. As Juli walked through the hall away from the office, she couldn’t believe her own good luck, being chosen for this task. She stepped around a cleaning robo removing shards from a broken vase which must have fallen from its pedestal right after Juli and the secretary walked past the first time. With relief she realized she hadn’t passed anywhere near it.

  This office suffered a lot of minor problems and accidents. Makes for a tense place to work, no doubt about it. Everyone is too uptight for my taste.

  She’d never wanted to work in a planet-based office anyway.

  Riding the antigrav lift to the first floor took forever. While walking to the parking area, she discovered the darn rock was heavier than she’d anticipated and her shoulder ached under the taut purse strap by the time she reached her loaner groundcar.

  Chapter Two

  Third Officer Steve Aureli disdained piloting or driving anything less than the most high powered, high performance vehicle available, which is why he’d spent his own credits to rent a hot sports model sedan to pick up his Aunt Dian from her hotel. True, he’d had to get a larger vehicle than he might otherwise have chosen, due to her luggage, but it had the trim lines of a car built for speed and maneuverability. While he relished being the chief pilot for the gigantic Nebula Zephyr, there was nothing like a more personal, hands-on experience at the controls of a high performance machine.

  Dian stopped on the threshold of the hotel lobby as she headed for the driveway, checked out the waiting car and laughed. “Why do I have the feeling transporting me to the spaceport today is a thin excuse for you to race all the other cars on the road?”

  He
grinned. “Okay, guilty as charged and I did rev the engine to the redline coming over here to your hotel, but you know I’m the safest driver—or pilot—you’ll ever travel with.”

  “No argument from me,” she said cheerfully. Her dog Charrli barked as if to agree. Sliding into her seat she added, “This is a lot closer to your military warbird than the big cruise liner, I’m sure. It’s nice to see you in such an upbeat mood.”

  Dian was the only person he’d allow to make personal remarks—no one else was allowed inside his emotional defenses and certainly not close enough to read his mood. He’d formed the self-protective shell in the days after his final mission, when the docs and the shrinks had all wanted to ‘help’ him. Setting the groundcar in motion, he reflected with pride how he’d found his own ways to cope with the memories of combat and came through to find his place in civilian life. Granted the Nebula Zephyr functioned like a military ship on the operational side, where he worked, which helped.

  She was eyeing him with a speculative gleam in her eye. “Any particular reason for this good mood, aside of course from the obvious joy you’re taking in my company?” Fluffing her elaborate hairdo with one lavender gloved hand, she winked.

  Laughing heartily, Steve navigated a tight curve and then leaned over to kiss her cheek. “I think it’s great to have you as a guest on this next leg of the cruise. I’m looking forward to catching up on what you’ve been doing all over the Sectors.”

  She raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips. “Uh huh. And?”

  “And okay, I’m hoping maybe you can help me make a better impression on the cruise director than I did when we first met.” He glanced at her. “I wasn’t in a good place when I was new to the ship and the only time we were ever in a social setting together was…well, unfortunate. She kind of freezes around me and I do the same.”