Authors: Jodi Redford

Taking Liberty (20 page)

“Okay, you got this one,” she muttered and he was certain there was a curse mixed in under her breath. “But after I get youâ¦” her head turned and bright green eyes speared him, “â¦and I will, then the one who beats the other into submission is the winner. Agreed?”

“Agreed,” Tyler murmured. “Now I take my reward.”

Trust will either destroy themâ¦or save them both.

The Promise of Kierna'Rhoan

Kira Farseaker led a sheltered, privileged lifeâuntil her discovery of a cruel secret plunged her into an underworld of danger. Now she vows to use her money and position to save an alien species, the Shifters, from government-sanctioned extermination.

A secret planet, a Farseaker legacy known as Kierna'Rhoan, could offer at least some of the evolving Shifters the sanctuary they need to survive. To get them there safely will be the most dangerous mission Kira has ever attemptedâa task that isn't made any easier by her attraction to the dark, hungry eyes of a suspected spy.

Officer David Cario's assignment to a Shifter extermination squadron is just the break he needs to learn why his sister was executed. Earning the trust of his commander's ex-wife, suspected terrorist Kira Farseaker, is easier said than done, especially when crossing into her world brings him face to face with truths he isn't prepared to discover.

Swept up in a growing whirlpool of corruption and treachery, Kira and David find themselves locked in a struggle between duty and a growing passion that could destroy everything they've worked for. Or save both their lives.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
The Promise of Kierna'Rhoan:

Kira stood staring at the door that led to David, trying to settle herself for another confrontation. The fights and accusations were wearing on her. The exhaustion that had swept her in the lift sat heavily on her shoulders. And dread mixed with a tingling of anticipation at seeing the Guard. Just the thought of his kiss made her lips burn. Knowing she'd remember the feel of his touch all too vividly in his presence, Kira wasn't sure she'd be able to manage this meeting. But it had to be done.

Pushing her hair behind her ears, she left Command. Raf stopped her in the corridor just outside the air-sealed entrance to the fan rooms.

“Kira,” he began, then fell silent and stared at the floor for a few minutes, his brow deeply creased with unspoken thoughts. After a time, his brow softened and he grinned. “You're something else, Farseaker. And for what it's worth, I think liars are the best kinds of people.”

A laugh burst from Kira so suddenly it surprised her and made her laugh harder. “Glad to know it,” she said when she could talk again. “Thanks.” She tapped his arm gently. “Now, get off your ass and make sure you're ready to pilot us off this rock.”

He smiled, winked and squeezed her shoulder before walking away. Kira shook her head, baffled by the scene but thankful for the release of tension. When she stepped through the air seal into the smoking rooms, she was grinning.

David leaned against a wall, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. He'd seen Kira and Raf's brief exchangeâthe air seal was transparentâbut he hadn't been able to hear them. It didn't matter. Seeing was enough to make his blood boil. Her grin didn't help his state of mind any.

He took another deep pull on the cigarette, waiting for her to notice him. When she did, her step faltered. She slowed, moving toward him with a wary gaze.

“I think there are a few things you'd better explain to me,” she said.

Her hard tone made him bristle. “I was going to say the same thing.” He puffed at the cigarette again, the glowing tip almost to his fingers. He dropped it to the floor, smashed it beneath his boot heel and lit another.

“Me first,” Kira said, ignoring his glare. “What was all that about Ennoren killing Raf if he thought he was my lover?”

“A fact,” David answered with a shrug. “The commander would kill him for the simple fact that he was having an affair with you.”

Her brow creased. “I doubt that. He might kill Raf, but not because I was having an affair with him.” She stopped, her gaze unfocused and turned inward, then quietly said, “Unless he thought it would hurt me. Then he might kill him.”

“Would it?”

“What?”

She snapped her gaze back to his face, and David felt the strength of her golden eyes in his every cell. “Would it hurt you if Raf were killed?”

She dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. “It always hurts me when someone I know gets killed.”

“But would Tygran's death hurt you especially?”

She puffed out an impatient breath and paced away. David could see the conversation wasn't going the way she wanted it to. He didn't care. He needed these answers.

“I don't know what the hell you're talking about, David,” she said. “And it doesn't matter anyway. I want to know why you didn't want Ennoren to think you were here last night. You tell me I'm keeping you a prisonerâ”

“You are.”

“But you warn me before I go to talk with your commander,” she continued over his interruption, “so that I'll make a specific effort not to mention you.” She stopped and turned to face him. “Why? I could have slipped. I could have given away that I knew where you were. He'd have a warrant to search the mansion within minutes if he thought I was keeping you here. Why would you give me a warning you must have known would put me on guard?”

“Why would I want him to know I'm here?” David countered, throwing his half-finished cigarette to the ground and stalking closer to her. “You said you'd release me within the week. Why would I want Ennoren, of all people, to find me here when I know he'd kill me on sight?”

The statement made her gasp. “Whatâ¦?”

He got in her face. “I told you already. I don't want him to think you've slept with me. He'd kill me for that as easily as he'd kill Raf for it.”

“First, why would he assume I'd sleep with you just because you were here?”

“After our meeting at the blockade, he has every reason to suspect that you wanted more from me than conversation.”

“Oh! You arrogant son of a bitch,” she nearly shouted in indignation.

David grabbed her chin, none too gently, and lifted her face. “Don't dare deny your attraction to me, Kira. There were two of us involved in that kiss in the canteen.”

She jerked her head out of his grip and stalked off. “You're as delusional as Ennoren.”

She stopped abruptly and David, following close behind her, almost knocked her over. He grabbed her shoulders to balance her, but as soon as she steadied herself, she wrenched away from his touch.

“None of this has anything to do with anything,” she spat. “Whether I'm attracted to you or not, whether Raf is my lover or not, has nothing to do with anything. I have less than three days now, and I don't have time for this pettiness. You don't want Ennoren to find you here? Fine! He won't. I've gotâ”

David grabbed her shoulders again and hauled her close. “Is he?”

“What?” she demanded.

“Is Raf Tygran your lover?”

Her mouth dropped open. “I can't believe you're stillâ¦” She expelled a disbelieving breath, shook her head and shoved away from him.

She started to walk off again, but David kept pace with her easily. “Answer the question, Kira.”

“It's none of your goddamned business!”

His arm dropped like a bolt against the steel-plated wall beside her, stopping her retreat. She turned, her golden-eyed gaze sparking like lava. Her breath came in deep, angry heaves that made her chest rise and fall sharply. And David felt his blood reaching critical heat. “I'm making it my goddamned business,” he answered, his voice low and rough. “Are you having an affair with Tygran?”

She lowered her gaze and pushed against the arm that blocked her retreat. “I don't have time for affairs,” she mumbled. “With anyone.”

He gripped the back of her neck, barely maintaining his control against the storming desire riding through him. Forcing her head around, he tilted her face up, bringing her lips only a breath away from his. “Make time,” he whispered hoarsely, then covered her mouth with a hard, desperate kiss.

Taking Liberty

Jodi Redford

From zero to naked at warp speedâ¦

Rini Campell's one shot at keeping her field agent position with the United Galaxies' repo department means bringing in the spaceship Liberty. Piece of cake. Except she didn't count on the pilot still being on board. Or being buck naked.

Lucus Granger doesn't have time to deal with a pain-in-the-ass repo agent. Not when he's minutes away from dropping off a cargo haul for the psychotic alien dictator of Aquatica. Though he figures it's just about the stupidest bargain he's ever made, he allows Rini to tag along for the flight.

Big mistake.

Stranded in enemy territory, they find themselves fighting a battle on two fronts. Against a creepy dictator who'd as soon drown them as look at them. And against a blazing attraction hotter than the godforsaken planet itself. For these two wary hearts, love could bloom in the desertâ¦if it doesn't kill them first.

Warning: A feisty heroine and yummy hero getting sweaty in the desert. Squid aliens who bring new meaning to the word slimy. Oh, and some close encounters of the sexy kind.

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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

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Taking Liberty

ISBN: 978-1-60504-834-5

Edited by Sasha Knight

Cover by Kanaxa

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
electronic publication: November 2009

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