Vega Falling: Tethered Wings

By Sabine Priestley

A female human could be the shifter's one weakness…

Vega grows stronger the more sensari use it as their sanctum from the brutal caste system of Mandori. And leader Damon Forester will stop at nothing to keep it safe from their enemies.

Until Tara Newton, a hacker with a troubled past, stumbles upon some of his measures. No human should have been able to breach his shifter's protective essence and locate the code hidden in Vega's financial systems.

That makes her a dangerous oddity—one his other half demands more of.

As Mandori ups its game, threatening the entire sensari population of Vega, Damon loses his presidency, and possibly the woman his shifter has claimed for his mate.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sabine Priestley
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781944513177

Sabine Priestley

Sabine Priestley is a lifelong fan of science fiction and romance novels. When the characters in the Alien Attachments series started talking to her, she had no choice but to write. They’re still talking and she’s still writing. Sabine lives in Florida with her husband, kids, cats, and a whole mess of characters in her head. For more please visit www.sabinepriestley.com.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Abolt of pleasure shot through Tara’s body, ricocheting inside and sideswiping her focus. Damn it. She slammed her palm down next to her laptop.

It had happened again and it was totally messing with her synesthesia. The smell of chocolate was dissipating, as was the pleasure. And so was the memory of what she’d just seen. Again. It was like waking from a dream. It was all there, crystal clear, until it disintegrated like so much smoke.

She sat up straight and stretched her back. She hadn’t realized she was repeating the process until she found some notes she’d jotted down on a napkin stuffed in her purse. It had rung a bell. She was forgetting something, so she started logging it. Nine attempts that she knew of.

She grabbed her notebook and leaned back on the couch cushions. Her neck muscles screamed from staying hunched over the keyboard for so long. She scanned her latest entry. She’d started two hours and twenty minutes ago. So far, three hours and ten minutes was the longest it had taken her to find the code. But after nine attempts over the weekend, she had no clue what it was she kept finding, or why she damn near orgasmed half the time. Then again, if anyone was going to climax on code, it was her.

Still, this was bullshit. She had to tell Priya. Maybe not everything. Priya didn’t need to know about the hot and bothered. She stood and went for an all body stretch.

It would be good to see Priya, a bright spot in this otherwise whack weekend. Between Priya’s broken wing and tethering to Morgan Steele, she hadn’t seen much of her in the last three weeks. She grabbed her phone to send a text saying she’d stop by tomorrow. The time showed four a.m. Shit. Lunch. She’d swing by Morgan’s office at lunch. Priya ate there every day. She hit send, and headed for her bedroom. She needed a few hours’ sleep before starting another day.

Eight hours later, Tara approached Morgan’s penthouse office at exactly 12:08 p.m. Morgan’s OCD pitbull of an assistant, Lori, would be halfway to the cafeteria by now. Tara had verified the elevator scan just to be sure. She walked across the reception area Morgan and Christopher shared, and knocked on Morgan’s double wooden doors, not waiting for a reply before entering.

Morgan and Priya sat side by side at a table laden with their untouched lunch. He had her in a lip lock and appeared to be sucking the life out of her.

What’s the matter? You two not getting enough at home?

Morgan’s stunning black wings unfurled and blocked her view. A moment later, his voice, deep and husky with desire, responded. I will never get enough of this woman.

Pftt. Tara plopped herself into a chair across from Priya. She selected a bright red cherry about the same shade as her lipstick, and popped it in her mouth. It was sheer perfection, juicy sweet nectar of the gods.

Morgan retracted his wings and leaned back with arms crossed. Where’s Lori?

By now she’s in the cafeteria with a plate of field greens, cottage cheese, an unsweetened iced tea, and one square of chocolate. Napkin and fork on the right. One salt and two pepper packets on the left of her plate. She’ll use half the salt and one and a half pepper packets. She’ll hesitate before throwing away the left-overs, but in the end, she’ll toss them both.

Priya looked at her like she was nuts. Are you serious?

Totally. That woman does and eats the exact same thing day in and day out. How can anyone live like that? Tara snatched another cherry from the bowl. Are these ours?

Yes. Priya grabbed one herself. You should head down to the co-op and get some before they’re gone.

GenRealms owned a large farm producing enough to supply the entire corporation with leftovers. Vega was on precarious political ground with both the humans and sensari, and Morgan was making sure they could survive independently. They all hoped it never came to that. In the meantime, surplus was sold to the public on a sliding scale, and free for the poorest. GenRealms never failed to give back whenever it could.

How’s the wing? she asked Priya.

It sucks. Physical therapy is brutal. Her usual lighthearted tone darkened. If I ever come across Kane Rathburn…

Morgan stroked the back of his hand across her cheek. If we ever come across Kane Rathburn, I will end him.

Priya blew out a breath. No, you won’t. And neither will I. We’re not going to jail over that scum.

A little disfigurement couldn’t hurt, Tara said.

Exactly. Priya’s smile returned, but it wasn’t the same.

After what she’d been through, Tara doubted it ever would be. Since Priya’s tether with Morgan, she’d become the eighteenth sensari-human hybrid and sprouted wings. She’d been abducted and nearly killed on her return. Morgan had been framed for illegally forcing the hybrid transformation, and the whole mess almost started a world war.

Kane Rathburn, responsible for everything, was possibly the most powerful man in Mandori. There was no touching him. Not for Vega.

Priya wadded up the paper cover of a straw and bounced it off Tara’s head, bringing her back to the present. You said you wanted to talk.

Yeah. Tara toyed with a napkin. Its dimpled surface was playing a high wispy note in her left ear. I’ve been keeping an eye on the media outlets ever since the DNA marker story broke. It’s obvious that someone is stirring the pot. Tomorrow’s headlines are full of more stories about Damon going after human tech and GenRealms working on a hybrid trigger.

GenRealms was, in fact, researching the phenomenon of human-sensari hybrids. Priya’s boss, Tag, thought she may have already found it, but short of testing it on someone, which would be morally dubious at best, proof was some ways off.

Morgan shook his head. Chris and I talk with Damon nearly every day. I know him. He’s not doing it. It would be suicide for him, and Vega itself, to go behind the humans’ backs.

Damon Forester had been the president of Vega for the past six years, and was close to both Morgan and Christopher.

And Damon isn’t the only one under pressure, Morgan continued. Because of Priya’s kidnapping, he’s spoken to Corporate Commander Booker a great deal. The human council is pressuring Booker to pull their support.

They can’t do that, Tara said. Without their backing, there’s no telling what the sensari will do.

We know, Morgan said. So do Damon and Booker. If Booker pulls Anarican support, it’s going to cost them. They’re heavily invested in all Vega enterprises.

Priya shook her head. Humans won’t stand by and let the sensari murder our citizens, but they might let them institute a takeover. Wash their hands of the whole affair. She folded the corners of the napkin. There’s one more thing. I’ve been watching our stock market fluctuations. There was something odd about the behavior, so I did some digging.

Morgan leaned forward on the table. I take it by ‘digging’ you mean something to the left of legal?

Tara grinned. Legal is a subjective term, don’t you think? Morgan knew that when Christopher discovered her, she was hacking into the Mandorian Internet.

Be careful, Tara, Priya said.

Always. Here’s the thing. She drew rapid circles on the napkin, causing the tone in her left ear to pulsate. They were going to think she was nuts.

Go ahead, Morgan said.

She slapped her palm on the napkin, quieting the sound. Ok. I keep finding…something. Deep in the code, embedded. I don’t think it’s supposed to be there, but I can’t tell.

Tara, you’re the best hacker Chris has ever seen, Morgan said. That’s why he hired you. What do you mean you can’t tell?

She pulled her notebook out of her bag. I’ve rediscovered it nine times. That I know of. Every time I get there, it just goes poof.

Poof? Priya said.

Yeah, and not the code either. Me. My brain. I literally can’t explain it. Smells like chocolate.

Code is affecting your synesthesia? Priya asked.

It’s weird. Tara flicked the crumpled straw cover back across the table.

Your synesthesia is weird, Morgan said.

Fine, this is weirder. I mean it, something really strange is going on here.

Morgan leaned in. You have to take this to Damon. Now.

That escalated quickly. Morgan was close with Vega’s president, but telling her to go straight to him? You want me to go to the president of Vega? With something I can’t even describe?

Yes. He set his cup down with more force than necessary. You’re just going to have to trust me on this.

She’d bet her new shoes he wasn’t telling her something.

I can’t go into details, Morgan said, but this could be important. I’ll call him.

Tara was wearing her usual mini skirt and four inch heels. She liked towering over nearly everyone. Probably not what she would have selected for a meeting with Vega’s president. Then again, she didn’t need to impress anyone. Okay. Tell him I can be there in twenty, and let me know when.

Tara wiped her palms on her skirt. Her stomach was in knots. Someone with her background had no business talking to a president.

Socially, their paths didn’t cross. At all. It didn’t help that at six foot six he was taller than her, even in her heels. She liked that. Liked how…solid he was. And he smelled of smoky red wine. Get a grip, woman. Go in, tell him what little you know, and get out.

She approached the reception desk and slid her ID over before signing in.

He’s expecting you, the plump matronly woman seated behind the counter said. Thomas will escort you up. She wore an ancient-looking cardigan and thick glasses. Interestingly, she also had a smoky undertone, but hers was infused with citrus.

Thank you. She fell in behind a short, elderly man. She didn't know why she was so nervous. They’d met before. She’d come here with Morgan and Christopher when Priya was abducted. Hell, she’d had a drink with him and Morgan the next night. But they’d never been alone together, and she'd bet her left nipple her attraction to him was mutual. Why couldn’t he be old, fat, and tethered?

They passed through another security point, and headed up the stairs to the second floor. Corner office on the right. The door was ajar, but she couldn’t see him until she stood at the threshold.

Thomas bowed and left her without announcing her presence. She wasn’t sure what to do.

Damon sat at his desk, listening intently on his phone. It was an imposing piece of furniture, but a man his size needed a grand scale, and he wore it well. The white shock of hair, the only color in the jet black of his mane, fell over his right eye. Swirls of green and blue superimposed themselves in her vision. Great time for her fucking synesthesia to kick into overdrive.

She tapped on the door, ignoring the freaky aura surrounding him.

He looked up with a lopsided grin and brushed the hair away from his face. His was a powerful spotlight to be standing in. She gripped the doorframe.

He motioned for her to come in and have a seat by the fireplace. It’s where she’d sat the day they came to see him about Priya. The furniture was pretty. Pretty uncomfortable. Not meant for long stays.

She entered the room. The entertainment section of Vega Times lay open on the