The Hungry Planet

By Michelle Marquis

Nurse Beth Shaw is having a very bad day. Not only has she been sentenced to the horrible prison planet of Ackron-Nine for the death of her son, she's also had the bad luck to crash land on it. As she tries to help the other passengers and get her bearings, she's rescued by a deadly, and unlikely, hero. Lucky for Beth her life is about to be changed forever, and her heart will never be the same. Magnus Stone is a prisoner turned marshal, whose time on Ackron-Nine has stripped him of every human emotion. That is, until he meets the beautiful and kindly Beth Shaw. Now she has him hot and bothered all the time. Magnus thinks it might be time to rebuild his life with this new and fascinating woman. If only he can keep her alive long enough to do it.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Torrid Books
• Release date: Dec 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781593749460

Book preview

Chapter 1

Beth Shaw scanned the cabin to see how the other prisoners were taking the ride. There were three others—two vicious looking white men and one black woman. The men were both heavily muscled and tattooed. The woman looked to be somewhere close to Beth’s thirty-two years. Her black hair was cut short and she wore the weathered expression of someone who’d seen a lot of misery in her life. Well, lady, here is one more for you. Like the men, the woman was muscular, and Beth felt as if she’d come to a dinner party terribly underdressed.

The force from the shuttle’s descent pinned her to the seat. She was sure they were going to crash. The cabin lights blinked on and off once then went off for almost a full minute before flashing back to life again. She dug her nails into the padding of her armrests, mutely cursing the handcuffs that kept her arms locked down. An unexpected dip sucked her breath away. When they leveled off, she took a few deep, calming breaths trying to slow her heart rate.

The shuttle hit another air pocket and dropped a terrifying four feet. Beth’s mind exploded in panic. Leaning over, she looked out the window to see if they had broken through the clouds. Great puffy blue clouds engulfed them obscuring her view of the planet below. The sight of the atmosphere was so surreal it made her feel as if she was shrouded in a magician’s spell.

A hard right roll shifted her in her seat and she clenched her teeth so hard it made her jaw ache. A shriek from the shuttle’s metal plates filled the air as they protested under each maneuver’s intense pressure. The engines whined as they struggled to remain functional, causing the entire shuttle to vibrate. Beth caught a glimpse of something large moving fast outside her window and gasped. Only a few feet from their wing flew another shuttle, rocking back and forth as it fought to gain altitude. Their shuttle boomed from the close contact as if it had been struck.

One of the men inside the cabin was screaming obscenities, no longer caring how cowardly he sounded. The others, including their armed guards, sat like mannequins, their faces pale with fright.

Their shuttle was obviously out of control, banking to the right and going into a horizontal spin that made her stomach turn. Beth pushed back into the seat cushion as they sped toward the planet’s surface. I’m dead. There is no way the pilot is going to be able to land this thing. As if in response to her thoughts, she felt the force of the engines give off an ear-shattering roar and the shuttle stopped its spin. But it didn’t slow their rate of descent.

The first ground strike was a bone-jarring bounce that sent them ricocheting off the planet’s surface and back into the air. The impact broke the shuttle in two, with the aft section hitting again a moment after break up. The shuttle body filled with an avalanche of sand and flying debris. Beth closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to protect them. When she finally stopped being flung around, she realized they’d landed on their side and she was still attached to her intact chair.

The taste of blood filled her mouth and she ran her tongue along her teeth to make sure they were all in place. After careful inventory, she realized the only injury she’d sustained was biting her lip. Unbelievable.

Twisting her wrists, she managed to break off the seat arm and slide her right arm free of the cuffs. To free her left required more effort, and Beth spent the next twenty minutes hammering at it with a nearby metal rod from the landing gear. Once off, she squirmed out of her seat, dusting off some small bits of debris.

Every muscle in her body ached as she stumbled from her piece of the ship. She looked around for other survivors and saw the other woman from the ship gripping her leg. Beth stumbled over to the woman and crouched by her.

The woman hissed through her teeth, while holding her injury. Beth hoped it wasn’t broken. Try not to move, she said.

Beth looked out over the barren landscape. Well, she said thoughtfully. I don’t think they’re going to send anyone to help us, so we’re going to have to try and make it to the station on our own. Placing an arm around the other woman, Beth helped her to her feet and led her over to a section of the ship’s intact hull. The woman leaned against it.

Wait here while I check around. Beth walked over to other sections of the ship, scattered around the desert. A few still housed some seats. The two male prisoners were dead, one still chained to his seat and the other torn into three gory pieces. Little was left of him but a carcass of bloody meat. She wondered if maybe they were luckier than she was.

Next, Beth made her way over to the cockpit, which lay torn in two only a few yards from the rest of the debris. Both pilots were dead in their seats, peppered by sand and wreckage when the cockpit was breached. She lifted the pilot’s sidearm and checked to make sure it was loaded. Opening a storage box nearby, she grabbed as much ammunition as she could fit in her pockets.

As she made her way back over to the other woman, she noticed a man approaching from about half a mile away. Even from this distance she could see how tall he was. He moved with the lethal beauty of a seasoned predator, his pace was an easy loping stride. His dark hair was loose, running a little past his shoulders, and he was dressed completely in black leather. He was also heavily armed, with guns strapped to his hips and a holster under his left arm. The hem of his trench coat billowed behind him like a villain’s black cape and Beth instinctively held her gun up as he drew closer.

Jesus, the black woman murmured, squinting as she watched him. Beth couldn’t tell if she was referring to their visitor or praying. He doesn’t look very welcoming.

Beth double checked the ammunition in her revolver and estimated his distance. No, she said. I think you’re right. I don’t think he’s here to help.

Beth watched as the man advanced. He walked with a steady relentless stride and pulled his trench coat back from his guns as he neared shooting range.

The woman closed her eyes and leaned her head back, holding her wounded leg as if it would make the pain go away. I thought weapons were forbidden here, she said, distracted.

I don’t think anyone pays attention to that rule, Beth said, fixing her sight on the man’s head. Stop right there! She shouted when he’d come within range. You take one more step, I’ll kill you.

The man held his hands out in a patronizing show of surrender. Then he reached slowly into his jacket and pulled out a copper badge. He held it up for them to see. He was still too far to clearly make out what it said but it looked official.

Come forward slowly, Beth directed him. And keep the badge in the air so we can see it.

The man advanced until he was about three feet from them. I’m here for Beth Shaw. You know her?

It’s a marshal’s badge, the black woman said. Her tone indicated she was still holding on to some hope for salvation.

Beth kept her weapon trained on him. What do you want with her?

You Beth Shaw? he said with a toss of his head. His voice was a thick baritone, a dangerous, commanding voice. I’ve been sent by Doctor Jason Masters to escort you back to the Space Station. His dark glasses showed nothing of his eyes.

Beth hesitated then lowered her weapon. I’ll need some help with her, she said, gesturing to the woman. She looked up at him and he was pointing his gun at the woman.

I don’t need her, he said, only you.

Beth’s mind scrambled to find the words to stop him. If you kill her, I won’t go with you. He paused and she thought about raising her gun and pointing it at him, but decided that would be a mistake.

He walked a few steps closer, and pulled his sunglasses off. Beth had never seen eyes so grey. They were ghostly eyes, filled with the cold detachment of death. In that moment, she knew he didn’t care about killing or dying. Each one was the same to him. She felt a chill roll down her spine and decided to exercise extreme care in dealing with him.

Beth turned her attention to the woman still holding her leg on the ground. She tried to get the woman on her feet but she was too wounded to stand. Help me, she said to him as he watched her.

He hesitated for a moment, then holstered his weapon and came over to help her. It’ll be faster if I carry her, he said. Beth stepped back.

Crouching down, he wrapped one arm around the woman’s legs and lifted her over his right shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Beth