Warrior Rogue (The Drift Lords Series) (40 page)

“What?” He disengaged himself, leaned up on an elbow, and regarded her with a tender expression.

“Live without me. If…if you want, I’ll come with you.”

“You would do that for me, give up your work here, and travel the stars?” He spoke in a husky tone, his gaze sweeping her face.

She traced her finger along his biceps. “I don’t want to live without you either. You make me whole. When I’m with you, I can be myself and not worry about what people think. You were right when you said we’re meant to be together. I love you.”

His eyes sparked. “You are mine,
leera
. I love you, too. But there is something you should know. I haven’t told you the truth about my work.”

“No kidding. Nira said you’re a communications system design engineer. So why do you have a job as a field tech?” Was he about to finally open up to her? She hoped so. That would bring down the last remaining barrier between them.

He frowned. “I’ve lain low for two reasons. One, it pleased me to annoy my father by being a lowly technician.”

“Why is that?”

“The old man didn’t approve of me, ever since my genetic ability to sniff cors particles manifested itself. He called me a freak for my differences from other kids.”

“That’s horrible.”

“He’d had such high hopes for me, you see, and then I had to go for Drift Lords training.”

“I gather this was mandatory?”

“The trait is rare. Those who possess it have a duty to defend our worlds.”

“Your father should have been proud.”

Paz snorted. “My father had a great deal of pride in his bloodlines, and he regarded mine as tainted. Plus he ruled our household with an iron hand, if that’s the proper expression. He expected us to live up to his standards. My goals weren’t the same.”

“What did he do for a living?”

Paz’s lips curled in a cynical smile. “He owns a merchant space fleet. It’s been in our family for generations.”

Whoa, they owned a shipping fleet? No wonder Paz acted at home in her family’s moneyed presence.

“Oh, so that’s what you meant about having experience on various ships. I suppose your dad put you to work to learn the business?”

Paz nodded. “He had posts ready for me and my elder brother, Renslow. Renslow was always the perfect son, conservative and yet ambitious. My brother had a good head for leadership, while I wanted to travel and see the stars. Father meant for me to take a financial position in the company, but I didn’t want any part of his plans.

“During the Great Purge, he paid big credits to stay off the Royal radar. Father should have utilized me in the company then in a way that benefited us both, but he couldn’t get past his disappointment in me.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Paz rolled on his back and folded his arms under his head. “I had a gift for different languages. Whenever we had guests for dinner at home, I’d listen to their dialects and practice them in private. I wanted to learn how to better communicate with people from other worlds.”

“I’d think that would be useful even in the merchant fleet.”

“Yes, but it wasn’t the role Father wanted for me. When he wouldn’t agree to pay for my advanced education, I left home and never looked back.” He stared at the ceiling. “After I completed Drift Lord training at the Academy, I joined SattCom Networks. The job allowed me to travel and paid well. I saved my money and used it to study engineering.”

“Didn’t you keep in touch with your mother or brother?” A surge of sympathy washed over her. It must have hurt to have been rejected by his father that way.

“Mother was afraid to defy my father, so she never answered my messages. As for Renslow, he considers me nothing more than a construction worker. He thinks I go off with my buddies on mysterious trips just to risk my life for no reason. There is little affection between us.”

“I’m glad you’re telling me these things, Paz.” She gave him a misty smile. “You know, my hangup has always been that I’ve wanted to be accepted for who I am, and not remade into the image my mother wanted for me. And yet, I internalized her values and then tried to change you the same way.”

His lips pressed together. “That’s why I didn’t want to reveal my background. I wanted you to like me for myself, especially because you represent the very wealth I’d turned my back on. And inside, I doubted you’d care once you got to know the real me.”

“I’m not your father.” She leaned over and kissed him. “You have my heart and my love, no matter who or what you are.”

“You, too.”

They spent the next several minutes cuddling and kissing, then she broke away, unanswered questions still hovering on her tongue.

“So you trained as an engineer with the money you saved as a technician, but you didn’t let your employer know about your step up in qualifications?”

Leaning on an elbow, he shook his head. “We build comm platforms throughout the Star Empire. But the relays are slow, especially between star systems when there’s a delay between transmissions. I’ve been working on a new system. It will create artificial wormholes to allow for real-time communication. There wouldn’t be any lags like we have now.”

“Wow, that sounds like a revolutionary design.”

“It is, but I’ve never built the prototype.”

“Why not?”

“It’s dangerous. If people learn about my research, they’ll try to steal it. If put into use, this invention would give our military an advantage, so our political opponents might attempt to stop me. So would SattCom, because my architecture isn’t propriety like theirs. They’d lose their monopoly. But the real thing holding me back is that I don’t have the necessary skills to bring the prototype to market.” His eyes glittered. “However, you do.”

“Is that right?” So the man needed her talents to complete his work. A warm glow filled her. Together, they could accomplish anything they set out to do.

“Your actions with the Norns taught me that some risks are worth taking.” Paz stroked her arm, making sensual circles on her skin. “If you join me, I’ll quit my job at SattCom and move my laboratory here. There’s no need for you to uproot yourself.”

What? He only wanted her as a business partner? Her heart sank. Had she misinterpreted his intent?

“Y-you want me to work for you?”

He tapped her nose. “No,
leera
, I want you as my mate. I’ve made good income at my job, enough so that we won’t have to worry about money. And if I sell my Morata estate, it’ll bring in more. We can have a grand wedding that will make your parents proud.”

Jen’s eyes widened as hope swelled within her. “You space rogue. Are you asking me to marry you? You’d really settle on Earth?”

His mouth curved in a sexy, dimpled grin. “If you’re willing to take a chance on me, Jennifer Dyhr, the answer is yes. Together, we’ll bring progress to the stars.”

She arched her eyebrows. “You already make me see stars when I’m with you. I’ll go anywhere you want to take me.” To demonstrate her response, she wrapped her arms around him. “I accept your offer, Paz Hadar, my own warrior.”

GLOSSARY

ACTUATORS: Engine parts.

AESIR: The warrior Gods in Norse mythology.

ALAMIR: A battle during the border dispute with the Morano Confederation.

ANRIAT: A planet with an unsavory underworld of criminals and desperadoes.

ASGARD: The celestial abode of the Aesir Gods.

BERMUDA TRIANGLE: Also called the Devil’s Triangle, this area in the Atlantic Ocean ranges from Bermuda to Puerto Rico to Miami. It is the site of anomalies where ships and planes disappear and radios and compasses stop working.

BOGGER: Derogatory Trollek term for a female.

BORATUS WORMS: A creature that bores into nerve ganglia.

CARONA: Karrellian term of endearment.

CAVENDII TWO: A military base of the Star Empire under command of Colonel Yaloom.

CORS PARTICLES: Matter produced at the event horizon of a dimensional rift.

DAZLITE: A thumb-sized pushbutton light.

DISRUPTOR: A hand weapon with two settings: stun and kill. Disrupts neural pathways. Used by planetary patrols and local military units for crowd control. Class One military use restricted armament.

DOKTER: Trollek word for doctor.

DONIK: Curse word equivalent to bastard.

DONJON: Tower.

DRAGON’S TRIANGLE: Also called the Devil’s Sea, this is an area in the Pacific basin southeast of Japan between Iwo Jima and Marcus Island that is the site of anomalies where ships and planes disappear and radios and compasses stop working.

DRIFT LORD: A warrior who has the special ability to sniff cors particles and who is trained to fight Trollek incursions.

DRIFT WORLD: An adult role-playing theme park in Orlando, FL. “A place where your fantasy job becomes reality. Whatever part you want to play, it’s yours for a day.”

DROTT: Trollek military form of address for superior officer.

DWARFS: Short-statured men who live underground. They have pale faces and long beards. Skilled metalworkers and goldsmiths who craft magical items for the gods. Greedy fellows, they can make themselves invisible. Weakness: Their power is woven into their hair.

DYTHIUM CHARGES: Explosive compound.

EDDA: An epic of Germanic origins.

ELVES: Nocturnal beings who live in the water, woods, or mountains. They enjoy dancing and gambling, but men who dance with them must be wary.

EVENT HORIZON: Rift caused when dimensional plates grind against each other.

FAFNIR: A giant disguised as a dragon to guard his treasure.

FARARRA: A pleasure planet with resorts, emporiums, eateries, and entertainment complexes.

FENRIR: A son of Loki and a fire giant disguised as a wolf. He killed Odin at Ragnarok.

FOUNTAIN OF WISDOM: A source of water under the roots of the giant World Tree. Guarded by the god, Mimir.

GATEKEEPERS: Allies of the Drift Lords, these shapeshifters help protect humanity during Trollek incursions on Earth.

GIANT: According to Norse mythology, giants were the first living creatures. They have the gift of disguise. Two types: Fire Giants and Frost Giants.

GLITTER BUG: A lightning bug type insect on Paz’s homeworld.

GRAND MARSHAL: Governor of Trollek towns. Addressed as “Your Eminence”.

HAGRET: A bird with outstretched wings.

HAS’PUTE: A Karellian curse word.

HEL: Goddess ruler of Niflheim; Loki’s daughter.

HERIS: Form of address for a Trollek landowner, second in rank to a Grand Marshal.

HYPERSPACE: Faster than speed of light travel via a distortion of the space-time continuum.

IMMOBILIZER: Stun weapon, used by Star Empire military units in covert ops. Class Two restricted armament.

JADLOK: Elvin liege of the lakes region.

JAK’TAR: The Trollek home world.

JAWANI: A standard universal language.

JORG: King of the Trolleks.

JORGONAUTS: Followers of the Trollek King Jorg.

KABAK: Trollek who commands a confounded human.

KAG: Man who likes boys.

KARRELL: Home world of Zohar Thorald and training ground for the Drift Lords.

KASH: A Trollek dice game.

KEWA STONES: Diamonds.

KIMMLEBUSH: A curse word in Dwarf language.

KNESTA: “Beloved” in Lord Magnor’s tongue; term of endearment.

LASER CARBINE: RAD-4 Rifle with enhanced infrared scanner; used by military troops.

LAVA BOMB: Explosive device, like a grenade.

LEERA: A term of endearment in Paz’s native language.

LIEMA: A long-necked animal that moves with grace, native to Paz’s home world.

LEY LINES: An energy grid intersects Earth at twelve distinct geographic points called Vile Vortices. Ley lines are the lines connecting these points of the electromagnetic field.

LEYTNANT: Officer in Trollek military force.

LOKI: Loki is a mischievous trickster and shapeshifter who was banished to an underground prison by the Norse Gods. He is a malevolent being bent on revenge and galactic domination.

LOXOTAN: A painkiller.

LYTHIX SERUM: Truth serum used by the Trolleks.

MALNATIUM: A volatile but powerful energy producing compound.

MAUG: A curse word used as an adjective; a derogatory term.

MENIG: Lowest enlisted rank in Trollek military force.

MIDGARD: The middle land occupied by mankind in Norse mythology.

MIMIR: God who guards the Fountain of Wisdom.

MIMIR’S WELL: The Fountain of Wisdom guarded by the God, Mimir. This water supplies one of the roots of the great World Tree.

MIN DROTT: Trollek form of address for superior officer.

MINGLING: Sexual intimacy.

MJOLLNIR: Thor’s magic hammer, forged by the dwarfs. When thrown, it returns like a boomerang.

MODGUD: Giantess and guardian of the bridge over the river Gjoll in Niflheim.

MORABI NERVE JAB: A hand chop to a sensitive bundle of nerves.

MORANO CONFEDERATION: An alliance bordering the Star Empire.

MORATA: Paz’s home world, a desert planet in the Zood System.

NEUTRINO: A small elementary particle that carries no electric charge. Created by nuclear reactions like the Sun, neutrinos pass through matter almost undisturbed.

NIDHOG: Dragon who gnaws on a root of the World Tree and guards the spring Hvergelmir.

NID RUNE: A curse.

NIFLHEIM: The realm of the dead, ruled by the Goddess, Hel.

NORNS: Three Goddesses of Fate who guard the Urd Well.

ODIN: Ruler of the Norse gods.

ORIGINALS: Early sentient beings who inhabited Earth.

PAMADORE: A type of poultry consumed on Karrell.

PFRELL: Flying creatures with sharp talons and spear-like beaks; a hunter species native to the Trollek world.

PHASE GUN: Type of energy weapon. The Drift Lords carry Monix T-6 laser pistols. This gun has three settings: stun, kill, vaporize. Spare power packs are carried in their utility belt pouches. Older model, T-4, has to be reloaded more often. This model is more commonly used by the general populace. Energy bolts can penetrate body armor.

PHASE RIFLE: Long-range version of above.