Quit Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  When Minny’s life changes, a career as a recruiter isn’t half as tempting as the new ambassador to Earth.

  Minerva has been acting as Recruiter Norz for years. Her mind can split into eight different directions and propel the bot bodies in areas where the alien might be in danger.

  When her daughter was taken from her too soon, she had to split her off time between taking care of herself and monitoring her child growing in the tank. In the battle between her and her child, she was losing herself.

  Imbolt has been on his way to Terra for some time. His genetic match had produced a daughter, and five months from now, she would be out in the world. Unfortunately, the woman he had been matched with would not make it if he didn’t take matters into his hands and out of hers.

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  Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  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.

  Quit

  Copyright © 2016 Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-4874-0800-8

  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 Inc or

  Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

  Look for us online at:

  www.eXtasybooks.com or www.devinedestinies.com

  Quit

  Terran Times Second Wave

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  Minerva stretched and resettled herself, reading from the fairy tales and slowly turning the digital pages. The chair that the medical staff had put next to Alyla’s gestation tube had small rockers, so she moved herself to the time of the story.

  She read until her voice was hoarse and her lids were drooping.

  Medic Carhill came to her and shook her shoulder. “Minerva, you need to get some rest. I will watch over her. I promise.”

  Minny looked at the familiar face with tired eyes. “How much longer?”

  “Five months. You are halfway there.” The medic smiled. “Do you need help?”

  “No. No. I am fine.” She set the tablet down and got to her feet. She swayed and kissed her fingers before pressing them against the tank where her daughter floated at twice the size she had been when Minerva had given birth to her. Her father’s species—whatever it was—aged slower and had a much longer gestation period. Alyla wasn’t the size of a human baby yet, but she was nearly there. Soon, she would be heading toward the growth spurt that would take her up to the projected fourteen pounds, and from there, it would be a matter of weeks before Minerva could hold her in her arms.

  There was nothing like the hollow feeling of not having her baby with her when she returned home every night.

  With a heavy heart, Minny headed for her quarters, but her soul was still with her child, floating quietly in the liquid that was letting her grow and be healthy. It was a consolation that didn’t give her much comfort. She wanted her child in her arms.

  * * * *

  Leema Marx checked her com unit and keyed in the pass code to the call. The face was scary but a relief to see. “Emissary. I take it that you are in our space?”

  The head inclined. “I am. How are they doing?”

  “The baby is developing well. All of the growth schedules are on point.”

  “And the recruiter? How is she doing?”

  “I am very happy that you have come to our system, Emissary Imbolt Kei Zanicon.” Leema smiled tightly.

  He nodded. “I will be there within twelve hours. Regulations demanded that we slow earlier in this system.”

  “Excellent. She is resting now and will be on shift then. If possible, I will have her meet you at the arrivals bay.”

  “She will meet me there.”

  Leema nodded nervously. “Yes. Of course.”

  “See you in twelve hours, Commander Marx.” He disconnected the call.

  Leema exhaled long and low. She had never seen someone who could radiate that much power via the coms. It was amazing that Alyla was his daughter. The baby shared some of the grey-mahogany skin tone, but it had its mother’s features. It certainly didn’t have the tattoos that were writhing over his face and neck.

  If Minny’s medical stats hadn’t dropped to barely functional, Leema would never have called in the baby’s father, but if he couldn’t shake Minny out of it, that baby was going to need her other parent.

  Hopefully, he would be enough.

  * * * *

  Minny finished her day as Recruiter Norz in eight different locations and set her next session for four hours in the future. She didn’t need to see them all to the shuttles, but it satisfied something in her to take them completely through the process.

  She sat up and rubbed her face. Her timer told her that a meal should be consumed. She didn’t feel hungry. She never felt hungry anymore. She just wanted to get to her baby.

  Her suit com chimed.

  “Yes?”

  “Minny, this is Leema. I need you to head to the arrivals bay. We have a dignitary coming in, and he is curious about your work.”

  “It is time for me to eat.”

  “This isn’t a request. Head to the arrivals bay. You will know him when you see him.”

  The com clicked off, and Minny scowled as she got up and stretched. Leema never gave her orders. She had been helpful and concerned during the entire process of waiting for Alyla.

  It seemed that Minny’s time for being coddled was up.

  She walked through the halls and finger-combed her hair. She had cropped it after Alyla was taken from her. If she didn’t have to fuss with her locks, she would have more time with her daughter. Even the minutes counted.

  The arrivals bay had one shuttle. She paused when she identified the weaponry mounted to the exterior. That was one serious vehicle.

  There were two guards that barred her way.

  “I am here to meet someone?”

  The men had a grey-mahogany cast to their skin. They looked at each other and nodded. One spoke in a soft voice into his wrist unit. A voice answered, and the shuttle disgorged a man who bore only a passing resemblance to his guards.

  It was only her fatigue that kept her from stepping back as the man approached her.

  He was a solid six inches taller than his guards, had a darker cast to his skin, and marks similar to tattoos moved under his skin.

  His clothing screamed wealth, good taste and power. A dark tunic made of silk, tightly woven black pants, highly polished boots and an embroidered vest with a high collar, and a hem that brushed his ankles flowing around him in a glitter and gleam of embroidery.

  All the skin she could see had the same moving designs, but it was the flat black headpiece wi
th woven strands of metal and a central glowing stone that caught her attention. He was definitely in charge of something.

  “Recruiter?” He looked her up and down.

  She suddenly was wishing that she had grabbed her formal robes and good bodysuit for this meeting.

  “Yes. Minerva Twill, at your service.” She smiled tightly and bowed as she had been trained to do.

  “Emissary Imbolt Kei Zanicon. I am honoured to have been invited to this system. I was told that you would take me to the commander.”

  She blinked. “Oh. Of course. Please, come this way, Emissary.”

  She turned, swayed and straightened. He caught her by the elbow.

  “You are exhausted.”

  She smiled tightly. “I have a raucous life. Rarely a dull moment.”

  He nodded and searched her features.

  She stared at him, hypnotized by the movement of the tattoos that alternately highlighted and obscured his eyes. His nose appeared to be a wide blade, and his lips clear cut, but as she stared she swayed again, darkness crept over her and took her under.

  * * * *

  Imbolt looked at the woman in his arms. He had his doubts that she could have managed to have his child, but Zanicon told him that she had been stronger. She was grieving for what was taken and what wasn’t yet hers again. The feeling of loss had taken over, and she had no one to share her concerns with.

  He sighed and carried her through the base. His guards were for show. Only a fool would attack him.

  He followed her scent to her quarters but was surprised to end up in medical. The medic on duty got to her feet, but he shook his head. “She is fine, just tired.”

  He looked around. “Where is she?”

  “She? Oh, you mean... oh wow. This way, sir.” The medic walked him through the main chamber and into an alcove in the back. There was a chair with weird blades on the bottom, a data pad and the tank with his daughter floating in it.

  He turned with the small Terran in his arms and settled carefully into the chair. He arranged her so that she was leaning against his shoulder, and he picked up the data pad.

  With a few touches, he brought up the last story and began to read the words. It was a morality tale about doing what your parents told you or a beast would wreck your day. He enjoyed it, and with the woman whose genes were percolating within his daughter, he sat and read tale after tale.

  * * * *

  “... and she put the slipper on her foot, and it fit--oh, I can see where this is going. Who knew that footwear was part of Terran courtship?—the prince declared her his true love and he would have no other. They were wed in a lovely ceremony and lived happily ever after.”

  The low, rumbling voice reading the fairy tales was strangely familiar. Minny shifted and felt the heat of the body under hers.

  She didn’t want to open her eyes, but he was starting another story.

  “Once upon a time... oh you are awake.”

  She looked up at him, and at close range, she could see that his black eyes were actually a purple so dark it was hard to tell the difference.

  “Emissary.”

  “Yes?”

  “Why am I on your lap?”

  He smiled. “There was only one chair. What did you name her?”

  She sat straighter and turned, looking at the canister where her daughter floated. She reached out and touched the tube. “Alyla.”

  He made a small noise that she couldn’t decipher. “It is a good name. Do you know what she is?”

  “She is my daughter. Nothing else matters.”

  “Well, as she is also my daughter, I would have to disagree.”

  Minny turned her head and stared at the enormous man who had her ensconced in his lap as if she weighed nothing. “Your daughter?”

  He nodded slowly. “When I took this position on, I was promised a child when a suitable genetic match had been made. You were selected, confirmed, and now, the blend of our genes is in that gestation tube. How long did you carry her?”

  She could tell he already knew, but she answered him. “They took her at ten months, but she was so tiny. They set her up here.”

  “She was killing you.”

  Minny wanted to argue, but she remembered the pain, the feeling of ice in her body and the panic of the medics. “The pregnancy was killing me. She was just the by-product.”

  He chuckled. “I am glad you think of it that way.”

  A sudden uncertainty hit her. “Are you here for her?”

  “I am here for you. She will need her mother, and you have done a horrible job taking care of yourself. We will work to shore you up, I will do what I need to on Terra, and when Alyla is ready to come out, you will be ready to be her mother.”

  “What are you doing on Terra?”

  He quirked his lips. “If all goes well, I will be the Alliance and Nyal Imperium ambassador on your world. Once you are stable, I will select a site for an embassy and construction will begin.”

  Hope spiralled in her. “Alyla will be able to walk on Terra?”

  He chuckled. “One thing at a time. First, you need a meal. I can hear your hunger from here.”

  She blushed and tried to get out of his lap. He had an arm curled around her, his hand under her breasts. The pressure against her increased for a moment, and then, he let her go.

  Minny climbed off his lap and stood. “Uh...”

  “I will join you for dinner. If you will allow me?” He set the data pad down, rose to his considerable height and offered her his arm. She slipped her fingers around the crook of his elbow, and she pressed a kiss on her fingers onto the canister before they left Alyla.

  Minny glanced at him, and the final size of the baby finally made a bit of sense. There was never going to be a chance that she could bring Alyla to term if this was her father. Minny was completely convinced.

  Chapter Two

  She staggered back to her quarters after her second shift, and Imbolt was waiting.

  “How did you get in here?” It was more of a grunt than a question. She was exhausted.

  “By virtue of our relationship, I have been given access to your life. Moreover, your care and maintenance has been given over to me. You seem incapable of taking care of yourself.”

  Minny really wanted to give him a verbal lashing, but she was too tired. She yawned and nodded. “Whatever. I am going to head to bed.”

  “Yes, but not here. I have business to engage in, and you will need to be near me so that I can keep an eye on you. We are going to my quarters. The staff here will move you while you sleep.”

  What he was saying finally sank in. “What?”

  “You are moving in with me so that I can monitor you.” Imbolt smiled grimly. “Get an overnight bag and come with me.”

  She blinked and slowly turned toward her bedroom. Her shuffling pace didn’t give away what she was thinking, but the moment she was inside, she locked her door.

  Smiling grimly, she stripped her clothing off and fell onto the bed for a dreamless sleep.

  * * * *

  Imbolt looked up from the memorabilia on her desk. She had been one of four siblings, all female. Her smile with them around her was bright and inviting.

  The sound of the lock engaging let him know what she thought of his solution.

  Imbolt grinned and walked to the door, overloading the lock and forcing it open from a few feet away. His soon-to-be mate was passed out on the bed and snoring gently. Her complexion had a grey cast that exposed her fatigue, and her arms were blotched and marked with bruises and scratches. Something was hurting her.

  Imbolt wrapped her in the bedcover and lifted her, leaving her quarters to the bots and staff that would bring her personal items and clothing to his chambers.

  She was half dead and worn out, but she still maintained her spirit. They hadn’t been wrong about that. She had been recommended by the dead star that he was bonded to, as well as another source that Zanicon hadn’t disclosed.

  Minerva ha
d been chosen for him, as a good genetic blend as well as a future life partner. Holding her slight weight in his arms, he wished that the commander had contacted him sooner. Her body had wasted away with grief and worry. He was not sure that she believed Alyla would be all right.

  His daughter was growing well. Her mind was strong, and soon, her feathers would come in. His own mother had said that he had been born with a full head of down; he expected the same from his child.

  The Friat genes were developing at this stage, and their daughter was about to get very large, very quickly. The canister was the only safe place for her, so there she would remain until she was ready.

  The final five months would speed by; he would make sure of it.

  While a few of the base members saw them, no one stopped him. He walked to his quarters and settled her on his bed.

  He had to admit to masculine satisfaction to see the mother of his child in his bed. He smoothed her coverlet away from her, pulled back the sheets and tucked her in.

  She snuffled and resumed her snoring.

  Imbolt went to the com in the other room and requested supplement injections from medical. If she wouldn’t take care of herself, he would have to.

  She needed to be strong for what was coming.

  * * * *

  Her arms were sore, but she felt rested. Minny sat up and stared as she looked around. She wasn’t in her room. Sure, her clothing was laid out for the day on the chair, but this wasn’t her room.

  The pillow on the bed next to hers had a sizable dent on it, and the ruffled bedding indicated that she hadn’t slept alone. What the hell?

  Minny got up and grabbed her suit, heading for the lav for the toilet and a shower. She paused for a moment, taking in the luxury of the room she was standing in. She quickly got back to the matters at hand. After she had showered, she got dressed, heading back into the bedroom where the bots were tidying the bed. It was strange. She was still on Lunar Base, but she had no idea where she had slept.