The gold spires
dominating the skyline, and even the giant globe covering the sinplex,
disappeared as they debarked from the skimmer and joined the masses. Belz allowed
himself to be swept along by the wild rush of excitement. Everyone around them seemed
to be in hurry as the reality of freedom finally hit.
Too stunned to do
much, he followed the robes. During their march through one of Cafrimal’s busy
transfer points, a heady blend of duranium, stardust—the current hot energy
popper and mood-mellowing Twilight smoke filled his nostrils, softening the
acrid scent from too many bodies in a small area. He shoved the minor
irritation of crowding aside.
Cafrimal, the
exclusive orbiting city, was the playground for the rich and a giant step up
from prison.
An automated
causeway carried them effortlessly forward. With nothing to do, he was soon on
edge. He calmed himself by checking out the scenery.
Just watching
traffic held plenty of entertainment. His urge to rebel against even weak
authority simmered back to manageable. Kiosks clustered around every access
point. Delicious aromas from fresh roasted piglet, and the tang of maya sauce,
reminded him how long it since he’d eaten anything except for institutional
nutri-paste.
He was strong and
fast enough in human form, but if he tried to shift, like as not, he’d sputter
out. Transitioning to scales burned serious calories.
He stared openly at
powerful, bronzed Enyo warriors mingling with equally large, golden-skinned
Baldoreans and the smaller humanoids from a dozen different star systems.
Nothing more aggressive than hard stares ruffled the station’s calm.
The shops and
restaurants became larger, more discreet, and further beyond his pay grade as
they moved closer to the core of the space station.
Harsh clicks and
buzzes signaled Krinegi ahead in time to avert his face and avoid offending the
touchy, long-antennaed males, who literally saw from the back of their heads.
Both genders of the insectoids came well-armed with fierce tempers, strong
bodies, and lethal poisoned probes.
He gaped at a rare
blue-robed Earth woman gliding past. Her guards ushered her smoothly aboard a
moving causeway.
An elite cyborg
squad pulled even with them on the left.
He craned, curious
who rated the higher speed beltway. Might be Cafrimal’s high lord himself,
Suluth the Splendid.
The faster cluster
wore the same silver body armor, helmets, and insignia as their escorts. No
doubt a royal stood at the center of the mechs, King Mathai or a relative.
Belz’s sensitive
nose caught a whiff of something sweet and seductive. The cyborgs blocking his
view shifted, revealing a round little dumpling female swathed from head to toe
in a drab brown cloak.
More than curious,
he gawked at the mysterious servant, who merited a full complement of the king’s
own guards. She shoved against the mech crowding her. The guard behind her
jerked away then stiffened in clear offense.
The corners of his
mouth twitched in amusement. She had to wield a mean elbow to make one of the
armored cyborgs back off.
********************
The above was taken
from Slave Market, Book two in the Demons and Dragons series, free for kindle
unlimited subscribers and only $2.99 to buy
About the Author:
Evanne started writing for publication sometime in 2003(she's not very conscientious about dates).After a few years of fevered creation and summary rejection, Dangerous Surrender was released by New Concepts Publishing in 2007. Since then she's become a sporadic best seller, written a few more books, and moved to http://evannelorraine.com.
When not writing
dangerously sexy stories, she gardens, reads good books, watches movies, and
occasionally cleans.
Hearing from
readers is one of the few things she enjoys more than writing and oxford
commas! Drop her a note anytime at: evannelorraine@hotmail.com
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