Catalyst Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Mae can shape her own future, but will she have the patience to wait for the shapeshifting lover of her dreams?

  Maeryn Lassiter is an Agent of the Enforcers. She has a special skill set that allows her to change her future, and if she is involved with others she can take them along for the ride as well.

  She meets Nothven Harring on an assignment, but he isn’t the man for her, not yet. She has seen him in detail in her dreams, but not as the man fighting to help free her. She needs him slightly older and battle scarred before she wraps her legs around him.

  Going their separate ways hurts them both, but nothing in her life is ever out of reach for the catalyst.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Catalyst

  Copyright © 2012 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-77111-386-1

  Cover art by Martine Jardin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by eXtasy Books

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  Catalyst

  A Terran Times Tale

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Maeryn Lassiter stared at the stone wall across from her as she sat up on the cold, damp floor. “Damn it. I hate this part.”

  “What the hell is your skill, Agent Lassiter? It certainly isn’t avoiding this kind of situation.” The deep growl from behind her was distinct.

  She rolled up and knelt while staring at her superior officer. “No, sir. I know how to get us out of this situation if that is any consolation.”

  Mae watched Nothven Harring of Creyar sit up and rub his head. They made up two out of the three beings in the pit. Ambassador Obnalik was the third kidnap victim, and he was still lying under the influence of the sedating bomb that had gone off in their faces.

  Nothven winced and straightened against the wall of the pit.

  Mae quickly distracted herself by looking up at the forty feet of slick stone above them and the laser web halfway up. Light was visible at the top, so day had arrived while they were out.

  She quickly looked back at Nothven, but the black leather wasn’t any less attractive as it pulled over his thighs, abs and crotch. She winced and looked away again. “We will be here for a few more hours.”

  “How can you know that?” He groaned again.

  She blinked as he got to his feet and stretched. Suddenly, kneeling wasn’t the best idea for her peace of mind. She scrambled upright and leaned back against the wall, trying to be casual in her own black leathers.

  “That is my talent. I can’t see the whole future, just flickers of it and my place in it. On Earth, we call it déjà vu, the feeling of being somewhere before or seeing something before it happens and recognizing it when it does. As the event comes closer, I see more and more of it and what I need to make sure that it happens.”

  Nothven blinked, “You are serious.”

  Mae shrugged. “I am. I even know how we are going to get out of here, and I was working on our escape plan all night.”

  “You knew we would be captured and you didn’t say anything?” His outrage was palpable.

  This was the hard part. “I can see cause and effect of any of my actions. It flickers through my thoughts, and I know what happens next until my actions run their course, but only in the course of the events I am…oh never mind.”

  She sighed and turned her head skyward, two more hours at least.

  Mae held her hand over her face as Obnalik pissed high against the north wall in the red light of the fading sunset. The acid in his urine burned through the soft rock with ease.

  Nothven was looking at her with astonishment in his gaze, but his hand over his mouth masked her triumph.

  Obnalik had been at it for five minutes, and he showed no signs of stopping.

  It was the most disgusting escape she had ever engaged in, but the moment that light showed through the wall in the ambassador’s path a grudging respect lit in Nothven’s eyes.

  As the ambassador cut them free and finally emptied his bladder, the fresh air did wonders for Mae’s stomach.

  Obnalik grinned, his yellow skin gleaming in the reddish light coming through the hole in the wall. “I can climb down. How will you manage?”

  Nothven shifted his shoulders eagerly. “I can fly.”

  Mae smiled and shooed them along. “I will manage. Off you go. Meet you on the beach.”

  The ambassador scrambled through the opening he had created, and he began to climb down. His skin issued acid that allowed him to dig hand and foot holes in the rock.

  She looked at Nothven. “Well, off you go.”

  He shook his head. “How are you getting down?”

  She crossed her arms. “None of your business.”

  “I beg to differ, you are my subordinate. I am responsible for you. Come on.” Without another word, he bent forward and two huge, black-feathered wings burst from his back. He scooped her up and jumped off the cliff, gliding to a soft landing in the sand.

  She was blushing nineteen shades of pink when he landed. “Put me down please, Enforcer Harring.”

  He snickered. “So, this is what it takes to rattle you, interesting. You know, they say that you can’t be shaken up. I am happy to have proved them wrong.”

  Mae was completely still in his arms. “Obnalik is about to drop on your head.”

  Nothven lunged forward and Mae tumbled to the sand in the final landing that she had seen in her mind.

  The ambassador thudded to a halt in the spot they had recently occupied.

  Nothven pulled Mae to her feet and dusted the sand off her butt. She moved swiftly out of his grasp. “I can do that.”

  She shivered and the sand dropped away from her suit.

  He frowned, and she knew she had insulted him. “I am sorry, but I am not used to being touched.”

  He cocked his head. “From what I have heard, your species is a little on the promiscuous side.”

  “You can’t judge me by my species. I am fairly sure I am one of a kind.” Mae laughed and started to hike her way up the beach. “Are you coming?”

  Nothven shuddered and his wings retracted into his suit. He helped the ambassador to his feet, and she heard them follow her as she made her way to the rocky ledge that hid their presence from the kidnappers.

  It was big business to kidnap an ambassador or law enforcement professional and ransom them back to the Alliance. Enforcers Harring and Mae had been sent to try to nip the coalition in the bud. So far, they had not been successful.

  No
thven crouched near her, and the ambassador watched the men gathered around a fire.

  Mae closed her eyes as an image showed her her own hands on the controls of the shuttle. Blood smeared her knuckles and it was not her colour.

  She gasped as she always did after she saw the flicker of her possible future. She watched Nothven as he gave her hand signals, and when she finally understood what he wanted her to do, her skin turned bright pink. He gave her the thumbs up and she winced.

  With a deep breath, she opened the fastening of her suit and unpinned her hair so that it tumbled around her shoulders in a chestnut wave. She bit her lips and tousled her hair.

  She inhaled, climbed over the stone barrier and broke into uncontrollable sobs. It was time to play damsel in distress.

  Chapter Two

  “Please, please help. I woke up on the beach, and I don’t know what happened.” She ran toward them at full tilt, her breasts coming within breaths of breaking free of her suit.

  The Cheevan kidnappers stopped and stared at her as she ran. Not one of them raised a weapon to her.

  An older gentleman stood and wiped his orange lips nervously. “Lady, who are you, and how did you get here?”

  “My name is Maureen Anderson. I am secretary to the Enforcer Commander. I don’t understand. Where am I?”

  She was near them, and she wrapped her arms around her waist, pushing her breasts up and out and nearly dislocating the jaws of the Cheevans who had a clear view of her.

  “A secretary? Why are you dressed in an Enforcer uniform?” The older man shook his head as if to clear it.

  She blushed and pressed a hand to her chest. “I am not strictly a secretary, if you know what I mean. The uniform is the only way he can keep me with him on assignment.”

  The Cheevans began to chitter quickly to themselves, and she shifted from foot to foot once again. One of them shifted close to her and slid his hand up her calf to her thigh.

  A roar got their attention, and Nothven ran toward them in a beast form so huge, it was taller than she was and it was on all fours.

  The Cheevans were scattering, so Mae did what she had seen in her flash, she blocked access to the shuttle and beat the hell out of any Cheevan who came toward her. Ambassador Obnalik made his way across the bank as the fight wound to a close.

  Mae saw her hands covered with blood and the orange-yellow tint was precisely what she had seen in her flash.

  Nothven shifted back to his Oefric form and joined them at the shuttle. “Can you fly this?”

  Mae nodded. “I hope so. Let’s go.”

  They sealed the hatch, and Mae slid behind the controls. She leaned on her flash for directions and with a few movements they were up and flying back toward the capitol.

  “Well done, Agent Lassiter.” Obnalik clapped her on the shoulder and the ship dipped. He quickly withdrew his hand.

  Nothven looked at her. She could see the tilt of his head and the crystal grey of his eyes in the periphery of her vision. “Indeed, Agent Lassiter. Well done.”

  His gaze was on her too long, and she cursed when she realized that her suit was still gaping open, showing a lot of pale skin.

  “I will fix my suit when we land. This Cheevan system is taking all of my concentration.” The ship wobbled again to prove her point.

  She held tight and brought the shuttle to a skidding halt in the gardens next to the embassy. Mae shuddered and rested her head on the controls as she powered the ship down. “Well, that was fun.”

  They got out of their seats and opened the hatch, stepping out into the light of six Enforcer gunners, Dinray news reporters and the embassy staff.

  The cool air reminded Mae that her suit was open and she looked down to help her seal it, stumbling over the joint of the ship to the gangplank.

  Nothven caught her and held her tightly. “Be careful, Agent Lassiter. One might think you enjoy my embrace.”

  She stared up at him, eyes wide and lips parted. When a murmur came from the observers, he helped her straighten and blocked the view of the news crews while she closed her suit.

  “This is going to come back and bite me in the ass. I just know it.” She muttered it as she tried to straighten her hair before Nothven exposed her to the crowd.

  “I promise that it won’t as long as I am nearby. Now, come on, time to file our report and make sure that no one paid the ransoms.” He turned and preceded her down the plank, leaving her to walk on her own.

  Recorders were pointed at her as her image was taken for sending around Dinray and to all of their associate planets. Rescuing an ambassador from the Cheevan kidnappers was big news. Mae just wanted to get their blood off her hands and out from under her nails.

  The Enforcers fell in around them and escorted their trio into the embassy. The moment they were behind closed doors, the ribbing began.

  “Well, Agent Lassiter, who knew that you had a thing for Oefric. I have some shifter in me if you are interested in having some shifter in you.” Enforcer Kenfi started with that salvo, and Mae winced as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

  “What are you inferring, Kenfi?” Nothven’s voice came to them across the marble foyer.

  Kenfi jerked away from Mae as if scalded. “Nothing, Commander. I was just congratulating Agent Lassiter on your escape.”

  The other Enforcers backed a few steps away, and Mae felt that she was finally able to breathe again.

  She looked at Enforcer Harring, and he nodded. Mae left the interviews and the gathering to find her actual assignment. Representative Ranith was on the second floor with one of his daughters.

  She knocked and when a voice told her to enter, she did. “Hello again, Ambassador Ranith.” She bowed formally.

  He smiled, his feline eyes showing his amusement. “So, you survived. Excellent. Can you freshen up and then take Alsa for her walk? She has been very fidgety since you left.”

  “Of course, Ambassador.” She bowed again and headed for her quarters.

  A quick shower and a fixing of her hair into its customary braids later, and she was in a new enforcer-style uniform and walking in the garden with the small heir to the first Terran Champion. It was quite the honour.

  “Where did you go, Mae?”

  “Some bad men took me away, but I came back as fast as I could.”

  “Because I needed a walk?”

  Mae smiled down at the miniature Azon female. She was adorable and the ideal result of a Terran crossbreeding with an Alliance species. “Something like that.”

  “Did you have to fight the men?”

  “I did.”

  “My mommy is a fighter.”

  “I know that, Alsa. She is an excellent fighter.”

  “That’s why my daddy loves her. That and she makes pretty babies.”

  Mae had a hard time keeping her face straight. Tiergar vi Ranith would make pretty babies with a rock. His species held the most fascination for most Terran females. There was nothing like a man who could purr.

  Mae knew the man she was destined to end up with, but she didn’t know how. The flashes that she used were a warning sign for her talent. Eventually—or so the experts told her—her skill would develop to the point where she could not only see events before they happened, but she could become the catalyst that started them on their way.

  One day, she would find herself in her lovers arms and not have to distract him to make her getaway, but finding that moment was going to be difficult when Nothven and his cadre of Enforcers were on their way off Dinray back to their stronghold, and she was heading in the opposite direction.

  “Daddy says we are leaving tomorrow. Are you coming with us?” Alsa squeezed Mae’s hand.

  “No. I have to go to my next assignment, and you will go home to your mommy and brothers.”

  “I will miss you. You are fun.”

  “I will miss you too, short stuff.” Mae reached out and ruffled her hair.

  “Will you carry me one last time?” The wistful quality in her ton
e was impossible to ignore.

  “Of course. Up you get.” Mae knelt and let Alsa climb on her back. The small arms around her neck were warm. She hitched Alsa’s knees over her elbows and walked their path around the garden.

  Alsa rested her chin on Mae’s shoulder. “You always smell good, Mae.”

  “Thank you, Alsa. I am not as keen with scent as the Azon are, but I would say that you smell good too.”

  Alsa giggled. “You don’t have to say that, but thank you.”

  They continued on their path, but when Mae turned back to the embassy, there was an obstruction, and though it was not unwelcome, it was unexpected.

  “This is why you wanted to leave so quickly?” Nothven raised his brows and smiled.

  “It was time for her walk.”

  “Ah, yes. I can see she is getting quite the workout.”

  Mae grinned. “She had her workout and now I am getting mine. Alsa, this is Enforcer Commander Harring. He helped me get away from the bad men today.”

  Alsa’s small hand reached over Mae’s shoulder with an imperious gesture.

  Bemused, Nothven took it and pressed a small kiss to her fingers. “Pleased to meet you, little lady.”

  “Thank you for your service to my agent, Commander Harring. She was sorely missed.” Alsa’s young voice took on a clipped, mature tone as she spoke.

  Mae was amazed. It seemed that the classes in deportment had not been lost on Alsa after all. Mae asked, “Are you done with your ride, Alsa?”

  “Yes, thank you. It was a lot of fun.”

  Mae let her slip to the ground and resumed her grip on the little girl’s hand.

  Nothven scowled, “You are her nanny?”

  “No, I am her bodyguard. Her nanny was unavailable, so I filled in where I could.”

  They walked together back to the embassy.

  “They return to Azon tomorrow, and I will be off to my next assignment.”

  He frowned. “You won’t return to the stronghold with us?”

  She shook her head. “I am an agent for the Enforcers when there is no other option. That is a position few and far between. Usually, I am simply an agent of the Alliance, I go where they tell me.”