EXCERPT: (Jess, has revealed her purpose and enlisted the aid of the Destiny’s crew. She and and Kerry have at last confessed their feelings for each other.)
After a while, he drew her attention to the scanner, the distinctive timbre of his voice breaking into her reverie.
“We’ll be there in just forty-seven hours.â€
“I know.â€
“You don’t sound too happy about it. It is what you wanted, is it not? What you were considering hijacking the Destiny for?â€
“Kerry, don’t.â€Â She sat up and looked at him in concern, not sure if he was teasing her.
“You know I would never have done anything to endanger the ship, even though it’s so vital I bring help to Phidia.â€
“So what’s wrong, Jess?â€
She shook her head in confusion. “I…I don’t know. That is…oh, I’m probably being irrational–â€
He studied her solicitously for a moment. “You’ve not been sleeping well these last few nights, have you?â€
She lowered her head quickly. “I’ve been having strange dreams–â€
“Dreams…you mean nightmares?â€
“No, not exactly. More like premonitions. I’m afraid–â€
His face did not alter expression although his eyes narrowed a little in surprise. “It is understandable. You can’t have had much experience of violence. You don’t have to come with us, you can stay on the ship. No one will think any the less of you.â€
“No, you misunderstand. She shook her head, with a little half-smile. “You have a very old-fashioned idea of my profession, my love. I’ve seen plenty of violence. I don’t hide from it because of my calling and I’ve had to learn to fight and defend myself in times of danger. There’s no way I’d let you fight Ayandos without me. I’m not unprepared for death, nor do I fear it. I’m not afraid for myself.â€
“Who, then?â€
“You, of course, Kerry. If anything were to happen to you–â€
“I am quite capable of handling an adversary like Ayandos, however nefarious.â€
She shuddered. “You don’t know Ayandos. He’s treacherous, and although you may not understand the concept, he is evil. And he has others with him.â€
“Not too many from what you’ve told me. We will take him completely by surprise. From what you’ve said, it seems unlikely he is expecting you to return, with or without reinforcements.â€
“I know. Common sense tells me there’s no reason why we shouldn’t overcome Ayandos and his men. That everything will be all right. But in my dreams–I can never quite remember what happens–but I wake up feeling scared and alone. Terribly alone.â€
He held her in his arms, kissing her face and her hair. “I will never leave you Jess…and nothing’s going to happen to me. Nothing. I’ll never leave you,†he repeated.
Her heart lurched as she looked into the eyes she had once thought cold, unable to hide the longing, or the anxiety in her own. “Do you mean that? Are you sure this is what you want?†she asked, torn between her desperate need for reassurance of his feelings toward her and a genuine desire to say nothing that would make him feel trapped into giving up the freedom she knew he valued so highly.
He drew her close to him again. “How sure do you think I have to be? I love you, Jess.â€Â He kissed the top of her head, her forehead, her lips. “You are the only woman I could ever contemplate spending the rest of my life with.â€Â He smiled once more and she caught the irony in his voice. “The only one I could ever really trust.â€
You can see a trailer, here at Blazing Trailers: http://www.blazingtrailers.com/show.php?title=309
0 COMMENTS
Sherry S.
14 years agoI really enjoyed the excerpt for this book it was very good and I think this will be a wonderful read.
HywelaLyn
14 years ago AUTHORThank you so much Sherry, I’m glad you enjoyed the
excerpt. This book is very special to me although it gav e me a few surprises – but that was part of the joy of writing it.