Govern

By Viola Grace

Leo runs her ship with precision and an attitude shaped by pain. Gathering an ambassador in stasis, she is surprised to find his ability to match her innermost desires, and he is surprised to find that she wants him in his own form and not the one she craves.

Ambassador Wikkio is a Beholder. Born to a race that can change to match any other species right down to venom or scales, he is an ideal representative for races who are skittish around strangers. Meeting Govern surprises him. He had not thought to meet the woman of his dreams when he woke from cold sleep and never had he imaged that he would enjoy his woman sharpening her wit on his hide.

The Gold Fairy brought them together, and now, she is determined to keep them that way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eXtasy Books Inc
• Release date: Nov 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9781771116541

Viola Grace

Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

Book preview

A woman, with a foul temper and her own spaceship, ends up an escort for a stunned ambassador. Her perfect mate.

Leo runs her ship with precision and an attitude shaped by pain. Gathering an ambassador in stasis, she is surprised to find his ability to match her innermost desires, and he is surprised to find that she wants him in his own form and not the one she craves.

Ambassador Wikkio is a Beholder. Born to a race that can change to match any other species right down to venom or scales, he is an ideal representative for races who are skittish around strangers. Meeting Govern surprises him. He had not thought to meet the woman of his dreams when he woke from cold sleep and never had he imaged that he would enjoy his woman sharpening her wit on his hide.

The Gold Fairy brought them together, and now, she is determined to keep them that way.

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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.

Govern

Copyright © 2013 Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-77111-654-1

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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Smashwords Edition

Govern

A Terran Times Tale

By

Viola Grace

Chapter One

Leo was exhausted. With the last bit of energy, she recalled the final wave of bots and closed the ship. The Gold Fairy had a rendezvous with one of her sisters and it was going to take a bit of enthusiasm to get there on time. Unfortunately, Leo had always been short on enthusiasm.

Once she was sure that the decontamination protocols had kicked in and her little beasties were all clear, she encouraged the Fairy to take off. "Come on, Goldie. Let’s go out to play with Blue."

They gunned the engines together and lifted off the world that was being considered as a super-being penal colony. The planet didn’t have a name yet, but she sent in her report anyway—enough water, green space and atmosphere to maintain a large population with plenty of unoccupied space around it to reduce the chance of unexpected visitors or escape attempts.

The rendezvous with the Blue Fairy was their next stop, so Leo sent them to the jump site and pulled them through. It was six hours until the next jump, and Leo needed a nap.

I am going to crash for a while, pardon the phrasing.

A delicate chime rang with encouragement.

Smiling briefly, Leo opened the supports that kept her upright in her station and staggered free. Thanks for that. Wake me at the next jump site. I will be grouchy, but I will be here.

A medium to low tone chimed, and Leo laughed.

I know. I am always grouchy, but I will be worse than usual. How long has it been since I slept?

A set point of chimes in different tones rang out. Thirty-nine hours. Huh. That is a record even for me.

Leo was glad that it was only a few steps to her room. She was completely flattened when she hit the sheets. She felt the stroke of the fabric against her cheek before darkness swamped her. Damn, she was always so tired.

The heavy bong woke her. The weight of the noise ran through her joints, and she staggered up with a groan. Sounds worked on her all too well. Her only pleasure when she was growing up had become her ship’s way of bossing her around. Music called her to eat, told her when to sleep and even spanked her when her behaviour was a little too surly.

Everyone thought she could govern bots and mechanicals, but the Gold Fairy was both her charge and her boss.

A quick solar shower, a check of the suit’s systems and a baseline for her pain rating and she was ready to eat and get back to work.

Music filled the ship as she ate, and the Dhemon music soothed her. They really had excellent composers away from earth. Even the Enjel music was agreeable, though the Azon stuff was a little bit too passionate for her. The Nyal composers were hit and miss. After her meal, she stretched, twisted and worked her body into something resembling supple before she stepped into her control station.

"Two more jumps