Starwoman's Sanctuary: Diaspora Worlds, #3

By Melisse Aires

Book Three in the Diaspora Worlds Series

Kyler, Heir to the Protectorate of New Prague, manages to rescue his brother and Sabralia but is stranded on a spacestation. He hides from Gorvas hunters by taking shelter in a Starwoman's Sanctuary with the forgotten poor. Starwoman Skyleen is unlike any woman he has ever known, and he finds he wants to stick around for a bit. He has responsibilities back home on New Prague, though. Then he receives and advanced warning that an invasion is coming. 

 

Skyleen  suspected the man was trouble. Too young, too healthy and far too attractive. He did not belong in a Sanctuary. But they had the room, and she was interested in learning more about him, if there was time in her busy day. Then he tells her of the invasion. She needs to  get five hundred vulnerable people off the spacestation. Kyler, with unlimited credit, is willing to hire a ship.

It looks like she will get to know him better.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melisse Aires
• Release date: Dec 8, 2013
• ISBN: 9781497786394

Melisse Aires

Take a shy Catholic school bookworm from Montana. Hand her a stack of her much older brother’s sci-fi and fantasy novels, James Bond books and horror comics. Later, introduce Barbara Cartland and the world of romance fiction.Get her a teaching job or two in authentic, one room Montana schools, ala Laura Ingels Wilder.Marry her off to a great guy, move her to a big city in Tornado Alley, then pop three daughters out of her in twenty-two months (one set of identical twins).Then, make her a jinx. Every great genre TV show she loves gets the ax: Beauty and the Beast, Dark Angel—and Buffy and Spike NEVER have a happy ending! She gets upset about no romance in the world and fires up to write her own stories with happy endings.Throw this all together into a small house in Wyoming, along with a small bouncy dog named Baxter and too many cats, shake constantly and pour it out onto a computer keyboard.There! You have me, Melisse Aires.

Book preview

Blurb

KYLER, HEIR TO THE Protectorate of New Prague, manages to rescue his brother and Sabralia but is stranded on a spacestation. He hides from Gorvas hunters by taking shelter in a Starwoman’s Sanctuary with the forgotten poor. Starwoman Skyleen is unlike any woman he has ever known and he finds he wants to stick around for a bit. He has responsibilities back home on New Prague, though. Then he receives and advanced warning that an invasion is coming.

Skyleen  suspected the man was trouble. Too young, too healthy and far too attractive. He did not belong in a Sanctuary. But they had the room, and she was interested in learning more about him, if there was time in her busy day. Then he tells her of the invasion. She needs to  get five hundred vulnerable people off the spacestation. Kyler, with unlimited credit, is willing to hire a ship.

It looks like she will get to know him better.

The books of the Diaspora Worlds Series make up a series, but can be read as stand alone romances. The heroes are brothers from the industrial planet of New Prague.

Her Cyborg Awakes

Alien Blood

Starwoman’s Sanctuary

Escaping Poison

Cyborg Security, short story

These books contain adult content.

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Chapter One

THEY WERE WELL TRAINED, Kyler gave them that. Three times Sirn’s hunters nearly had him. By now they had to know he wasn’t the woman. A few times they got damn close, but they were in a transport and he had on a float vest—he could maneuver into places they couldn’t.

He’d made the right decision to send Kaistril and Sabralia to safety while he took her id chip and cloak. Sirn’s men would have picked up Sabralia, though she was a wily little thing. His brother Kaistril had chosen well. Too bad she had a contract marriage with Emperor Sirn, but that would be dissolved soon enough. It may have already been ended if Sirn's own men had murdered him. They would know soon enough.

Kyler zoomed behind a small floating plaza, then zipped along at the same pace as a group transport, careful to crouch low so he couldn’t be viewed through the windows. He got to a larger plaza, one full of people eating from various vendors. The hunter’s transport flew under a glide path not far away.

His arm com vibrated and he ducked behind a group of people standing near a transport landing.

Safe aboard. We have unlatched from the dock and will soon be in the path to the New Prague jumpstream. Are you all right?

It was his brother Karvar letting him know Kaistril and Sabralia were safe. Soon they’d be home in New Prague, along with valuable Gorvas military data.

Kyler grinned and floated up to the top of a girder, near the base of a plaza and paused to give a quick reply. I’m good. Am down in the center of the sphere where thick traffic and hoards of people are keeping the hunters confused. Will catch commercial transport home tomorrow.

With that Kyler worked the small id chip out of his arm. Once in air, the biochip would lose its power supply to broadcast and the hunters would only have visual.

He pulled Sabralia’s floral cloak off, glad to be wearing just plain black spacer knits. The hunters might have a picture of his face and would be looking for a tall, black haired man, but his black spacer suit was similar to the common wearing apparel here on the hub. He floated up to the plaza floor, looking carefully about for the hunters. He tossed the floral cloak into a recycler and leaped off the plaza for a thick strut, using his float vest to maneuver across the empty space, then climbed down it to a utility area behind an eatery on a mid-sized plaza.

Kyler spotted the hunter’s transport on the far side of the plaza. He crouched and saw an open access to the underground of the plaza, a utilitarian oval door, hinges locked to keep it open. He leaped and landed with a hard thud in the utility tunnel, his head spinning with the impact, and he needed to catch his breath. He was pretty sure his jump into the doorway was out of the line of sight of the hunters. He peered out the doorway and could not see the transport. He carefully closed the access panel.

Star Goddess, he was tired. His torso and back ached since he had to work to keep an upright stance with the float vest. Kyler would have been more comfortable in a swimming type position, as the vest was intended, but most of the local used floatboots, boards or scooters and stood upright, so he worked to blend in. He hadn’t had a workout like that since he was an ensign. Kyler grimaced at the sore spots. He’d sat at a com console too long for this type of action.

It was fun, though, eluding Sirn’s top hunters. He was always the commander of the ship, taking reports and barking out information and orders, from a command station with cushioned chairs. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed actual field work.

This utility level ran underneath the plaza. He should be able to travel it and come out in another area undetected.  His plan was to stay out of sight, get some type of wig or cap for his adventures tomorrow, book a trip back to New Prague.

These access tubes weren’t built for comfort, he had to walk hunched over, bumping his head now and then. He was the tallest of his family, taller than most people he met. His bulk was a disadvantage sometimes. As he turned a tight corner a savory smell wafted toward him. Was he below a restaurant? That would be good. He hadn’t eaten since early in the day, upon waking. Kyler could hear voices, so he must be coming to a storage area.

He turned again and came into an opening. Small children sat against the wall, slurping from hot tubes. A Starwoman cloaked in the long white robes of her order filled tubes from a keg and handed them to more children.

Look, Sister Skyleen. A big man! A small child’s voice piped up loud and clear over the chatter, catching the attention of the other children, who hushed.

Sister Skyleen whirled around with a swish of fabric from her loose robes. A sweet aroma, some floral scent he couldn’t quite name, filled his mind.

They stared at each other in open-mouthed shock. Kyler was stunned at the shiny black curls that peeked under her hood, at the large, warm hazel eyes framed in curly black lashes.

Weren’t Starwomen older? Hard and worn from devoting their lives to the Unfortunate? This woman was...delicious. Skin the color of spice cake, deep rose red lips.

He heard the movement behind him too late to counter it. Sharp, stunning pain radiated through his skull and all went black.

I can’t believe you did that Tylerius! Chip Chip Nur, how could you? Violence has no place in the Sanctuary. Kyler woke to a woman’s voice, scolding

We’re in the tubes, not a temple, protested a male adolescent voice.

Sanctuary is where we make it. The woman’s voice was sharp. And you Chip Chip Nur! There was no call for biting. He was already on the floor.

Kyler forced his heavy eyes open. His head and hand throbbed with pain. The lighting was dim, which helped. The woman, Sister Skyleen—odd how he remembered her name—was frowning at two boys.

I thought he was a slaver. The shorter boy, dark skin with chin-length dark hair spoke.

Hmpf. Slavers roost around the docks. They don’t crawl the tubes. They can’t drag people away so easy on the plazas. Sister Skyleen narrowed her eyes at the boy. And you certainly don’t bite! You drew blood. Think of the illnesses he might carry in his blood!

Kyler should have been insulted she seemed more concerned about the boy catching a disease from him than she was concerned about him, the victim, but he found it absurd and amusing. Being deferred to all the time was annoying.

Kyler pressed his hands onto the floor to raise himself to a sitting position. No need to worry about disease, Sister. I am healthy and have genetics that prevents most infections from taking hold.

He examined his wrist. The boy had bitten down hard.

Got a Rejuv? he asked.

Sister Skyleen came closer. I’m sorry. We have none. But these boys will go get one. She gave the boys a narrowed eyed look. I need to go get a credit stick. You two make your apologies.

She swept away to a cupboard on the wall in a rustle of fabric and the lingering sweet scent. The two boys turned to Kyler and he had to keep the shock from his face. The taller boy was Puregen, with wavy blond hair, but his perfect features were marred by a long deep scar down one cheek. The other boy was small, but had a sprinkling of whiskers on his upper lip. Older than he looks, Kyler thought.

The boys walked the few steps toward him. The taller boy moved closer and Kyler saw the boy’s eye, scared like his face, was blind. Something unheard of on a Puregen world, since the boy could have the injuries completely regenerated.

I apologize for biting you. The small boy spoke stiffly. I thought you were a slaver after the little ones.

I apologize, also. We should have questioned you first.

Sister Skyleen returned and handed the boys a credit stick. Off you go. No dawdling.

The boys took off in a flash of floatboots.

Can you stand? I will a take you somewhere more comfortable than this hallway.

He had nowhere to be anytime soon. He just needed to hide out until Sirn’s squad gave up the hunt. I was just going to find a room for the night.

We have an empty bed in the men's quarters. You may stay the night if you like.

Kyler rose as she whirled around and strode away. Her actions puzzled him, but as he followed her down a narrow tube-like hallway, the realization came to him. He was used to women fawning on him, Commander Kyler, Son of Judith, the Protectorate of New Prague. Though it wasn't a given outcome, he would likely be the next ruler after his mother, as long as she continued to get the confidence vote of the people. So he was the Heir Apparent. There were plenty of women who found that made him very attractive, though it had the opposite effect on his view