by F. T. Lukens
“Okay. I’m glad.” Asher’s mouth ticked up in a smile. “Sorcha says hi in case you didn’t hear.”
“Did Rowan say anything else? Did she see Liam?”
Asher walked all the way into the room and leaned against the wall. He was casual and well-rested and gorgeous. He’d let his hair grow and he’d taken to going on runs in the early morning hours while Ren stayed under the covers. “Sorcha is still leading all the villages. She has some new official title—I didn’t really hear what it was—and Jakob works at her side. She saw Liam, said he helped unload the cargo. He looked good. Happy.”
“Good.”
When Vos returned to Erden, Sorcha was waiting for him, and he was arrested within minutes of his ship touching down, as was Abiathar. His army was given a choice, and to date, most of them have either left Erden or assimilated into the villages.
“The wedding is still on. We’re expected, you know.”
Ren tensed. “I know.”
“You wouldn’t miss Jakob’s wedding, would you?”
Ren snorted.
“And it would be good for you to see Liam for yourself.”
“I talk to Liam once a week, you know that.” Liam’s ability to visit in Ren’s dreams had come in handy more than once, and Ren cherished the relationship they’ve developed. He hasn’t been this close to his brother since they were small, before Ren’s aspirations to leave the planet drove a wedge between them. “You’re often there.”
“Seeing him in dreams is different from seeing him in person.”
“I know.” Ren had a few hang-ups about going back to Erden: bad memories and bad feelings. Liam had gone home after their week-long stay on the resort drift and tugged Darby along with him. Darby didn’t stay—too much dirt—and soon was back in the stars floating in and out of their lives as she pleased—sometimes assisting Rowan, sometimes helping Ren and Asher, but always looking for her next thrill. After she’d find it, she’d return to the family that had accepted her, either the Star Stream or to the drift and the small room she rented on the same floor as their shop. “I’ll think about it. Let’s see what the new therapist says. It’s not for a few more months, right?”
Asher nodded. “Surprisingly adult of you.”
That startled a laugh out of Ren and Asher’s smile grew into a real one. “You were the one who was arguing with his sister about tomatoes. I don’t want to hear anything about maturity from you.”
Asher chuckled. “Point taken.” He uncrossed his arms and nodded toward the mess on Ren’s work desk. “By the way, you have a few new jobs. A ship that just docked is having trouble with its air recycler, and a restaurant needs something repaired in the kitchen.”
“Is that your subtle way of telling me to get to work?”
Asher rolled his eyes. “That’s my subtle way of reminding you that you’re doing well here. Your business is steady. You have a caring and handsome boyfriend and a family of oddballs who love you. I know how your thoughts get after appointments sometimes, and you need reminders.”
Ren smiled softly. “You have a handsome and caring boyfriend, too, you know. And he is very happy about where he is and how everything turned out.”
“He better be,” Asher said, abandoning all pretense and stalking across the small distance between them. He tilted Ren’s face up and kissed him softly.
Ren pressed his smile to Asher’s lips. Yes, he still had nightmares and panic attacks. Asher’s shoulder ached on bad days. They fought about silly things and serious things, but always made an effort to make up. Their place was cramped, and their shower didn’t always work, and there were days it was difficult for Ren to get out of bed and days when Asher stared at the uniform in the back of their closet.
But this—right here—Asher and him living together on a drift with their family safe and happy on ships and planets—that’s what Ren always wanted.
And he finally had it.
Everything else was stardust.
Acknowledgments
When I wrote The Star Host back in 2015, I didn’t have a plan other than to finish it and hopefully find it a publishing home. Fast forward three years later, and I’ve somehow managed to complete a trilogy. Zenith Dream is the culmination of years of hard work and countless hours of writing, rewriting, procrastinating, and editing. It’s something I didn’t know I could achieve and it’s certainly a journey that I didn’t take alone.
I would like to thank my husband, Keith, for all his support. Without him, I wouldn’t have the ability to travel to conventions or have the time to create stories. He is my rock and the reason I’d survive a zombie apocalypse.
I’d like to thank my brother, Rob, who is my biggest fan. He buys copies of my books to give to friends and to his son’s teachers. He is the first to congratulate me on my writing successes. He and my sister-in-law, Chris, are responsible for at least half of my sales.
I’d like to thank Carrie Pack, CB Lee, Michelle Osgood, Taylor Brooke, and Killian Brewer for being a great supportive team. They are the best group to experience a convention with and excellent writers. They’re ready with advice and assistance especially when I need motivation or a brainstorming session.
I’d like to thank the organizers and authors of the Asheville Writer’s Coffeehouse specifically Beth Revis, Jake Bible, Brian Rathbone, and Jamie Mason who are so kind and free with their knowledge and their advice. Also, Malaprop’s bookstore is an amazing local resource and they’ve always been kind to me when scheduling author events.
Before I was a published author, I found a group of friends within the realm of fandom. I’d like to thank those friends who have stuck with me and still follow me on Twitter, specifically Kristinn for the cheerleading, and MJ for the help with naming characters. There are many more and I’d love to list them all, but I’m scared I’d miss someone, but please know, fandom friends, that your encouragement in my early writing days is one of the reasons I’m where I am today. I’d also like to acknowledge the College of William and Mary Science-Fiction & Fantasy club (Skiffy) that was a staple of my undergraduate life and introduced me to many different and wonderful aspects of the genre I love.
Lastly, this trilogy would not exist without Interlude Press and the team there who had faith in my work and the commitment to bring diverse stories to life. I’m asked a lot about why I choose to write stories with LGBTQ+ main characters—on panels, at conventions, by my family and friends—and I always have the same answer. Because I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to see themselves represented in fiction. I remember growing up and reading science-fiction and fantasy novels and reading comic books and loving Douglas Adams, and Robert Aspirin, and Robert Jordan, and Brian Jacques. But it wasn’t until my brother gave me Mercedes Lackey’s Arrows of the Queen that I read a fantasy novel with a female protagonist. I’ll never forget that feeling of realizing that women could and did have a place in sci-fi and fantasy stories. My hope is that my stories can give that same feeling to a teen or young adult who is searching for a representation of themselves in the stories they love.
About the Author
F.T. Lukens is an award-winning author of Young Adult fiction who got her start by placing second out of ten thousand entries in a fan-community writing contest. A sci-fi enthusiast, F.T. is a longtime member of her college’s science-fiction club. She holds degrees in Psychology and English Literature and has a love of cheesy television shows, superhero movies, and writing. F.T. lives in North Carolina with her husband, three kids, and three cats.
Her novel, The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic, won many awards, including the 2017 Foreword INDIES Gold Award for Young Adult Fiction and the 2017 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for Best Teen Fiction.
Zenith Dream is the final installment to her Broken Moon series, which also includes The Star Host (2016) and Ghosts & Ashes (2017).
For a r
eader’s guide to Zenith Dream and book club prompts, please visit duetbooks.com.
@duetbooks
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ALSO BY F.T. LUKENS
The Star Host
Broken Moon, Book 1
Ren grew up listening to his mother tell stories about the Star Hosts—mythical people possessed by the power of the stars. Captured by a nefarious Baron, Ren discovers he may be something out of his mother’s stories. He befriends Asher, a member of the Phoenix Corps. Together, they must master Ren’s growing power and try to save their friends while navigating the growing attraction between them.
ISBN (print) 978-1-941530-72-6 | (eBook) 978-1-941530-73-3
Buy Now: IP Web Store | Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
Ghosts & Ashes
Broken Moon, Book 2
Three months after the events of The Star Host, Ren is living under the watchful eyes of the Phoenix Corps, fearing he’s traded one captor for another. His relationship with Asher fractures, and Ren must return to his home planet if he has any hope of regaining humanity. There, he discovers knowledge that puts everyone’s allegiance to the test.
ISBN (print) 978-1-945053-18-4 | (eBook) 978-1-945053-31-3
Buy Now: IP Web Store | Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
The Rules and Regulations for Mediating Myths & Magic
IPBA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award Winner
When Bridger Whitt learns his eccentric employer is actually an intermediary between the human world and its myths, he finds himself in the center of chaos: The myth realm is growing unstable, and now he’s responsible for helping his boss keep the real world from ever finding out.
ISBN (print) 978-1-945053-24-5 | (eBook) 978-1-945053-38-2
Buy Now: IP Web Store | Amazon | Apple iBookstore | Smashwords | Barnes & Noble
