Intergalactic Agent Bride: Paethian Warrior Mates, #2

By Loretta Johns

Mavis

Being promoted to detective in the New Hope Protectorate Bureau was an achievement I was proud of. It had taken a lot of hard work and dealing with a lot of sexism, even in this day and age. I loved my assignment to Illegal Imports and Exports Control at Huachuca Landing Field, a small spaceport terminal on the grounds of the former military post from the pre-Drowned World days. A fair bit of the old post was now underwater and had been among the first of the cleanup efforts our alien friends helped us accomplish. This meant I got to enjoy scuba diving and sailing the pristine waters of Huachuca Bay while not busy checking imports of and exports for contraband.

Imagine my surprise when I'm assigned to help track down the missing District Commissioner and the group of underground bunker folks that made it off-world after the killing that shocked the world. No one had even known that this bunker had existed until recently, and they were the first people to be still living in them for over a hundred years, which had been sensational enough, to begin with. The pressure is on, as the case has caught the public imagination. Not enough pressure? The Paethian Royal family is now involved, and the Paethians have been given the lead on the case. I find myself heading out into deep space to work with some cotton candy-colored vampire whose markings begin to deepen, apparently from just meeting me. He makes my arm itch, too, and what's with him licking his hand before shaking mine?

 

Kolren

The royal wedding is in seven days. Seven! I've been asked to retrieve the mother of the humans marrying our King and his brother in the double wedding and bring her back in time to attend the said ceremony. That wouldn't be too demanding, except for one tiny detail. No one knows where she is, seeing as she was kidnapped by the Bunker Killers, as the tabloid press has dubbed them. I have a lead, though, but it's one that presents its own set of problems. Sa'Shawna Station is in the Neorjokno Commonwealth's sector of space, not ours. Oh, and to reach there, I have to cross disputed space rife with all kinds of travelers, including Freebooters. 

Not complicated enough? My bosses in the SCIS have decided we should give the humans a role in the investigation and retrieval, in the spirit of co-operation. I don't mind that one bit as it's a good idea. The detective they select is well trained enough, albeit not experienced in this type of crime. Did I mention the Freebooters and having to cross contested space and going to a space station in another government's region? Well, now I have the added pressure of discovering my mate and taking her into this danger while my biological clock starts ticking like a veritable time bomb. I need to claim her, keep us from being eaten by space cannibals, captured by slavers, or blown into smithereens by heavier armed smugglers, find the King's mother-in-law, catch the murdering criminals who kidnapped her, and do it all before the seven days are up. No pressure at all, right?

 

This is an alien warrior, fated mates romance with a HEA.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jon Saunders
• Release date: Jul 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393370505

Book preview

Chapter 1

Mavis

Itook a sip of my coffee as I walked through the automatic door that led to the group of offices I worked from.

I hope you got me some of that! Nadine said as she came out of the women’s bathroom.

You know it, right here, I replied, holding up my other hand. Hazelnut mocha latte made with coconut milk and two sugars.

Nadine took the cup from me Thank you! I put your cronut in your desk drawer. I put your datapad on top of the Tupperware box so those greedy wotsits in here don’t see it if they go rummaging.

You know the price of a coffee is a small price to pay for one of your homemade cronuts, Nadine.

Nadine smiled over the top of her cup. Yeah, yeah. I revel in how you’ll get fat from the carbs the same as me from eating them. We both laughed and began to walk the short distance to our offices.

As if we won’t run these off, I teased.

Nadine groaned. Don’t remind me. My calves are still aching from that beach run on Sunday.

I grimaced. Yeah, that was brutal. I’d planned to scuba Monday since I was off but I ended up just soaking in my complex’s hot tub instead.

We paused in front of the door and I opened the door to allow the older woman to go in first. We both headed straight to our desks, Nadine sitting down to begin work on paperwork while I looked around. Something felt off. For starters, unlike every other morning in this place, no one said hello as I came in. No big, but Larry, who had the desk butting up against mine so we faced each other? He was studiously avoiding even looking in my general direction.

Okay, Larry, what’s up? You guys planning a prank again? Or am I going to open my drawer and find out someone saw Nadine put my cronut in there and they have stolen it?

Larry’s head jerked up. No, nothing like that! Just…there’s a special assignment, he said, his eyes darting away.

Okayyyyy, I replied, drawing it out. What is it this time? A huge special shipment of pharmaceuticals that needs every crate inspected and the paperwork carefully gone over?

No, he whispered. Aliens. He licked his lips.

Aliens. Fuck, I hated when we got shipments of exotics in. Those little otherworldly critters often had contraband hidden in their transport crates so we had to take them all out and examine the container, then we had to wait for the xeno-vet specialist to show up and inspect them to make sure they were healthy and weren’t being used for mules. All that and we also had to verify the paperwork, including the provenances, for each and every one of them. Nope, not doing it. I did the aliens the last time, Larry! You guys can find someone else.

He shook his head frantically as our boss came out of his office and into our bullpen. Morning, Agent Bradley, Director Kline said, approaching my desk. I didn’t trust that smile, not one bit. No, no, stay seated. Do you happen to have your passport with you, by any chance?

My eyes darted to the large sealed envelope in his hands.

Um, no. Am I going somewhere? I asked carefully.

Kline gave me an ingratiating look as he said. You’re a very lucky agent! You’ve gotten a special assignment!

I groaned inwardly even as I heard someone behind me snicker. I threw a questioning look Nadine’s way but she merely shrugged. Right, so whatever this was about only came to light while she was in the bathroom. Someone must have been in Kline’s office as the orders came through from Regional. No doubt one of the other ports was short staffed and I drew the short straw. I frowned. And I need a passport to get there? Where is it?

Now he looked like the cat that ate the canary my Granny was always going on about. He held up the envelope as if it were some kind of prize. You know the bunker case? His eyes blazed in excitement.

Yes, it’s all over the news again, what with the royal wedding and all about to happen. The Paethian king and his brother, who was some sort of crown prince and the Grand Admiral of their fleet, yadda yadda yadda, were marrying two of the three siblings that had stumbled out of the underground bunker. But the bunker was within our nation’s borders, so why did I need a passport? Unless they needed a copy to process it for some special clearance or something, maybe?

Good, good. Well, they have a lead on where the Commissioner and the bunker’s council absconded off to. Understanding dawned on me. They had fled our shores and for some reason, I was being tasked to help bring them back. But why? It’s been decided that since the Commissioner in charge of that district was involved in some kind of conspiracy involving the bunker, to have someone from outside act as the human liaison to the Paethians.

That’s right, I remembered, the Paethinas were in charge of handling the matter. Something to do with the Treaty.

And they want me?

He beamed back at me. They chose you. I assured them you had no family at home you needed to be here for, that you were single.

Yeah, Bradley, what if you get one of those pink fuckers all excited because they decide you’re their mate? someone called out. Snickers erupted around the room. I glanced around, glaring. As if that would happen!

Kline turned a withering glare onto the offender. We do not tolerate sexual harassment in this department! he barked. Everyone else suddenly found themselves very busy with something else. He turned to me. Ignore them, Bradley, he said.

I usually do, I said. Besides, shows how much they know. Paethians mate their one perfect match, supposedly in all ways, not just genetically. I’d caught part of an Interstellar Geo documentary about it once in an article in a magazine in my doctor’s office while waiting for my appointment to start. I laughed. As if it would randomly turn out I was the mate to some Paethian I encountered at random! One in a gazillion chance, so no way.

Quite. Anyway, take this morning to wrap up your affairs. You need to be back here at three to catch your ride with the shuttle Captain Jorel is sending to collect you.

Shuttle? I worked at a spaceport but admittedly, I’d never, ever gone up into space. I wasn’t sure if I was terrified or exhilarated. Probably a bit of both, truth be told.

He held out the envelope and I took it from him gingerly. Yes, shuttle. Rather hard to catch a flight from the Fleet out to their outpost otherwise?

Outpost? Goosebumps broke out on my skin. Just how far was I going?

Just where is the Commissioner? I asked, sure the answer was going to knock me for a loop.

Need to know. Too many ears here. I really do envy you your adventure!

I gave him a wan smile.

This afternoon at three, I repeated dutifully.

He shot two finger guns at me. You got it! I knew you’d do us proud. Smart as a whip and doesn’t miss a thing, I told them. He turned and left.

I opened the envelope. Yup, it was definitely for me, travel orders and all. I slid everything back inside the envelope and placed it onto my desk. I needed to call my mom and let her know