Sleeping Beauty

By Beth D. Carter

Ronan Hark and Noah Kabot are deep space salvagers, partners in business as well as in life. While investigating an old ship, they discover a cryo chamber holding the frozen body of a beautiful woman who’s been asleep for thirty-one years. Against Ronan’s better judgment, they take the chamber and wake her up.

Alivia has spent her life living as a sheltered yet unloved princess, until the day she is forced into cryo stasis. It was only supposed to be for a short time, but somehow her ship crashed and she became nothing more than a memory.

But now everything has changed. A hunter is after her and killing anyone who knows she’s alive. As they race across the expanse of space, can Ronan and Noah keep her safe? And what happens when she finally returns home to confront a life that forgot about her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Evernight Publishing
• Release date: May 21, 2019
• ISBN: 9781773399645

Beth D. Carter

I like writing about the very ordinary girl thrust into extrordinary circumstances, so my heroines will probably never be lawyers, doctors or corporate highrollers. I try to write characters who aren't cookie cutters and push myself to write complicated situations that I have no idea how to resolve, forcing me to think outside the box. I love to hear from readers so I’ve made it really easy to find me on Facebook or Twitter. To subscribe to my newsletter, please visit my website: www.writtenbutterfly.com

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Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

www.evernightpublishing.com

Copyright© 2019 Beth D. Carter

ISBN: 978-1-77339-964-5

Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

Editor: CA Clauson

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

My deepest thanks and appreciation to Stacey at Evernight. Thanks to all my readers, I am humbled you want to read the stories floating around in my head.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

Beth D. Carter

Copyright © 2019

Chapter One

I found that faint energy signature, Noah murmured as he searched through the data streaming into his console. It’s coming from that moon.

Ronan squinted as he assessed the small moon through the view window. They’d been following the elusive energy fluctuation for several days, ever since Noah’s bionic ears heard the faint whispers taunting them deeper into the Cold Lands, a section of space devoted to outlaws, murderers, and pirates. It was last place he wanted to be anywhere near.

I don’t like it, he muttered.

Let’s take a quick look, Noah urged. We’ve traveled this far, might as well find out if we can salvage anything.

Ronan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then let’s land on that damn moon and find out what’s gotten your panties in a twist.

Noah smiled at him and for a moment Ronan lost his breath. He loved it each time the younger man looked at him like that, with blue eyes crinkling at the corners as his delectable mouth curled upward, showing a little teeth. He flushed hot all over as he briefly imagined what those lips could be doing on him.

It’s a ship, Noah announced. "Or I should say, it was a ship. Wreckage mostly."

Ronan frowned. With an active energy signature? I don’t like it.

There’s a small patch of smooth terrain just a click away, Noah reported. He fired up the thrusters to bring them closer to the designated landing site. We’ll take a quick look around and if nothing is redeemable, we’ll head out.

Keep the cons scanning for any other ships. I don’t relish running into the cutthroats that inhabit this sector.

Aye, aye, Captain.

Ronan smoothly landed the ship on the surface of the small moon before powering it down. He glanced over and caught Noah looking at him. Immediately, Noah smiled and pushed away from his console, standing and stretching his lithe body. Ronan’s gaze traced the toned muscles straining under Noah’s clothing.

Stop that, Ronan admonished.

Stop what?

Noah batted his baby blues innocently. Ronan’s body tightened, and in a flash, he rose and went to the smaller man, cupping his face as their lips met. Tongues met in a heated duel, twining and dancing, making his blood boil. His cock swelled in his pants and all he wanted to do was strip Noah naked and take the younger man over and over, until both collapsed in satisfaction.

But that fantasy would have to wait. He didn’t want to spend any more time in the Cold Lands than he had to. With a groan of frustration, Ronan ended the kiss and pulled back. Noah looked delightfully flushed, his pale skin rosy with rising desire.

****

Wearing space-walk outfits, they shuffled their way over to the large ship half buried in the moon dirt. From what Ronan could tell, it was an Aphelion-class ship, whose belly was round and tail end ballooned out for the engines. They hadn’t been built in about thirty years, when the sleeker and narrower ships had come into favor. Seeing the decay, it gave him an idea of how long the broken ship before him had been lost.

This ship is dead, Noah stated. Nothing should have been sending out a power signature.

Noah was right. They were in bad territory with a once expensive ship that, for all intents and purposes, would never have been found if Noah’s extra sensitive ears hadn’t picked up the faint beacon. This ship would have remained buried forever.

I don’t like this, Ronan replied. Let’s get out of here.

But Noah shook his head. I’m too curious now.

Noah placed a small computer board over the access code pad on the door, typed in a few commands, then stepped back as the door suddenly slid apart. Dirt and debris rained down from the open pathway for a second and Noah waited until everything had settled before he gave the thumbs up sign and hopped inside.

I’ll download the mother board if I can, Ronan said, following him in. You go check out what goodies this ship still holds. But hurry. I want to get the hell out of here.

Noah saluted and disappeared.

Ronan moved cautiously through the ship. The thick view windows had cracked upon impact, allowing dirt and rocks to tumble inside. Everything was washed out, colorless. Lifeless. He made his way through the broken, silent ship, dreading to see the cockpit and the remains of the captain. But much to his surprise, the control room stood empty.

He moved to the engine console and wiped off the inches-thick dirt, baring the powerless control panels. He sat his computer board on it and activated it. Seconds later the cockpit came to life as the wireless remote downloaded all the information available. It didn’t last long, and as soon as all the data was collected, he disconnected the console, shutting down the power surge. The small area fell silent and lifeless once again.

He activated the neural com link with Noah. Where are you?

I’m next to a large clump of twisted metal.

Ronan rolled his eyes. Well, that narrows it down.

Wait, Noah’s distracted voice told him. I think I found what was causing the power signature.

Ronan hesitated, but when Noah didn’t contact him after a minute he went after him, making his way carefully through the rubble into the back of the ship.

Noah?

Ronan, you won’t believe this.

Believe what?

He pushed into the back of the ship, which was actually in much better shape than the front, and saw him standing next to a large steel box. Through his visor Ronan could see the surprise covering the younger man’s face.

What is it?

Noah shook his head. It’s a cryo chamber. And it’s occupied.

What?

Ronan hurried over. The metal box, also known as a cold coffin, held a sleeping woman inside. He couldn’t see much of her because of all the tubes obscuring much of her face, but he could tell she was young, with flaming red hair—a glaring contrast to the paleness of her features. A life box covered her mouth, which provided the bio-nano respiratory functions that kept her alive. Small tubes came out of her belly button and out her nose, tubes that flushed the freezing fluid through her blood and organs, putting them in suspended animation without the negative side effects. Without the fluids, every cell in her body would break down from dehydration and oxidation. It was a catch twenty-two to freeze someone. On one hand, oxygen was needed for their systems to stay alive, but, on the other hand, air would give her freezer burn. Ronan would be the first to admit he didn’t know exactly how the freezing process worked, but he did know that it cost a helluva lot of money.

Whoever she is, she’s someone important, he muttered.

So important that she was forgotten in the Cold Lands?

It’s possible she was presumed dead, destroyed when this ship went off the grid, Ronan stated and then frowned. Wait.

What?

There’s no one else on this ship. He looked at his computer pad. And all lifepods are still intact. He looked at Noah, whose eyes were wide. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be found.

Then why keep her alive?

Ronan shook his head, clearly perplexed. His mind raced with possibilities, all of which he didn’t like. Let’s go. I don’t like this.

Ronan, we can’t leave her like this. One day the power on this coffin will fail and she’ll die.

She’s trouble, Noah.

Noah narrowed his eyes. She’s alive, Ronan.

Ronan ran a hand through his hair and sighed. All right. So how do we wake her up?

I haven’t a clue. We need to take her to Valin. There’s too much medically I don’t know anything about.

Ronan looked from him to the coffin and then back again, one eyebrow raised questioningly. You’re suggesting we take the coffin with us? And how do you propose to get it out of this ship and onto ours?

It had to get in here, right? Bring up the schematics on this ship to see how the cargo bay is modeled.

Ronan’s mouth flattened as he did what Noah asked, not liking Noah’s interest in this girl at all. He got a bad vibe off her, off the circumstances surrounding why she was frozen and forgotten. Usually, he ran far and fast from those vibes. It’s what kept him alive.

Okay, right over there it’s showing the cargo bay doors, Noah said as he pointed to a large area strewn with debris. We need to clear it.

Of course we do. Ronan frowned as he surveyed the area. Damn it. They weren’t getting out there any time soon.

No, it’ll take forever, he said.

But—

Ronan held up a hand. Let’s just cut a hole here, on this wall. It’ll save us hours and sore backs.

Noah thought for a moment and then nodded. I’ll move our ship into position.

As he made his way out, Ronan went back to looking at the woman. He wished he could see her properly. He had this sneaking suspicion that she was going to be a lot of trouble.

As he waited for Noah to contact him through the link, he brought up his console and researched the ship’s identification code. Couldn’t be too many Aphelion Class starships this far out. But other than the basic knowledge of the craft, he didn’t find out who the ship belonged to, and that could only mean one thing. Whoever had owned this ship didn’t want it to be traced back to anyone. More unease erupted in his belly.

Okay, I’m here, Noah chimed at him over the intercom system. Stand back.

Ronan moved as far from the door as he could. A second later he saw the metal melting as his ship’s laser pulse cut out a large rectangle. He’d spent a lot of money on the damn tool so he was glad to see it working. Once the metal door had been cut, he pushed on it and the heavy metal fell with a bang on the moon’s surface.

Surprisingly, it didn’t take too long to move the sleeping girl’s coffin from one ship to another. They plugged her into a backup generator, just in case, then used an antigravity lift to maneuver the large chamber. They had to move things around in their own ship to make room for her, but she settled in without too much fuss and muss.

She’s beautiful, Noah murmured.

Ronan shot him a surprised look. Noah was staring at the sleeping girl with something akin to fascination, and his stomach clenched tightly.

You can’t even see her properly, he muttered.

I don’t have to, Noah replied. I just know she’s beautiful.

Don’t get too attached to her.

What? Noah asked, looking at him with surprise. Wait, are you jealous?

No. Maybe. Hell, it’s nothing, Noah. Ronan took a deep breath. I’m going to check on sensors.

He was conscious of Noah watching him as he walked away, but he didn’t turn around. His ship was small, sleek, like a bullet. They had plenty of cargo space for small items, but relied on a tractor beam when they hauled in abandoned ships. Growing up like he did, chances of him succeeding at something in life had been small, so his ship was a symbol of him rising above the life he’d been born into. As he slid into the pilot’s seat, he flipped on long range sensors.

Shit, he whispered. He hit open communications. Get up here, Noah, we got company coming.

In a flash Noah was next to him, sliding into navigation, his blue eyes watching his screens.

Whoever it is, they’ve blanketed their engine signature, he muttered. Let’s get out of here.

That was more than enough encouragement for Ronan. With a flick of his wrist, the engines rumbled to life. A second later, they soared from the moon, heading