Dark Empire Book Three: Secret War - Chapter Three Scene Two

 

Spy Nobek Selt is getting too emotionally invested in his subject Blythe Nelson.

* * * *

Nobek Selt caughthimself clenching his fists. He forced them open, spreading them wide andchoking off the growl rising in his throat.

The head speaker ofEarth II’s General Assembly had one of those faces. Haughty, made for sneering.His muddy eyes had a bulging aspect. No amount of whatever Cal Mitchell wore tokeep his graying hair from budging from its perfect coif or his expensive tailoredsuits or his luxurious office could hide the fact he was a self-satisfiedasshole of an Earthtique.

Or maybe it was justSelt who saw him as such. Presumably, Mitchell had some good qualities. Hisoffice, boasting pricey artwork on its walls and fine furnishings, attested tohis success. He was leading his opponents in the polls. He had a wife and six kids,so his lifemate must have found something redeeming about him.

Ancestors,someone had sex with this guy. On multiple occasions. Since he was phased and no one couldwitness him do so, Selt shuddered.

The human’s grufftone was condescending as he rocked slowly in his hover chair behind hisbehemoth of a desk. “Of course you find doing your job difficult, Miss Nelson.You’re only, what, twenty-two? Twenty-three?”

The object of hisderision, standing on the other side of the desk, spoke in a clipped voice.“Twenty-eight, Speaker Mitchell.”

Which he knew, ifhe’d deemed Blythe Nelson important enough to research. Mitchell was thoroughwhen it came to such things. Then again, he might have determined due to herage and the fact she was female, Blythe wasn’t worth investigating beyond ablatant assessment of her trim figure.

Blythe was no doubtaware of how she was regarded by the man Selt believed to be the worst of theEarthtiques, aside from terrorist-hiring Ken Bryant. To Mitchell, she was nomore than a young, pretty woman. Therefore, she was a creature to simultaneouslydesire and revile.

Don’t defendyourself to him, Selt silently urged her. Don’t do him the honor of making hisopinion important.

Her temper…orsomething else…had been woken, however. “The records of original Earth, for themost part, are lost. No amount of digging can uncover what no longer exists,Mr. Speaker. What I have managed to find is pass-protected and—”

“What you’ve managedto find is very little. I’m sure you did your best. Still, I can hardly pay youfor a few sentences of guesswork. I’ll contact a couple of your colleagues, askwhat experienced men can discover. Thank you and good day, Miss Nelson.” Mitchellwaved her out of his office, his gesture negligent.

Blythe’s pixie facereddened. She turned on her low, pointed heel and marched through the door.

Selt scowled atMitchell and hurried in her wake. He would have loved to hang around to keep aneye on the speaker and catch him doing something underhanded, but as far as thespy division knew, Mitchell was clean. An unmitigated asshole of an Earthtique,but he’d done nothing to warrant them watching him beyond his contacts withBryant.

Yet.

Selt’s long stridekept up easily with the petite news reporter who had a penchant for digginginto the histories of government officials. It was her uncanny ability to finddirt on the currently powerful which had brought her to the attention ofAdmiral Piras and his chief agent on Earth, Head Operative Kuran. They wereinterested in the information she’d uncovered, rather than Blythe herself.

She wove among theaides and representatives of the General Assembly. Traffic was heavy, thanks toeveryone trying to escape for a lunch hour of peace. Despite the crowd andBlythe’s tiny stature, she was noted. Scowls erupted on faces.

Selt gave hercredit. Blythe asked the legislators the most pointed questions of thejournalists. She wasn’t afraid to chase after her quarry while shoutingquestions at the top of her lungs, a vid drone flying ahead to grab footage ofwhomever had attracted her well-honed sense for a story. It amused Selt to notehow many powerful men and women hunched their shoulders and hurried past Blytheto avoid her.

The lovely reporterignored them for a change. Her goal seemed to consist of escaping the GeneralAssembly building as fast as possible. Her impish, heart-shaped face was set,her gaze pointed toward the exit.

She reached theoutdoors and fairly ran down the steps. Barely two minutes later, she was atthe visitors’ stretch of shuttle pads. She was soon boarding her small vessel,and Selt entered it behind her.

No sooner had thehatch closed, lending her what she believed to be utter privacy, when she burstinto tears.

“Ah, fuck. Pleasedon’t,” Selt groaned.

“Sorryshithead-asshole-motherfucker!” she screamed at no one. “Lousy fuckwad!”

At least she wascrying from anger and not because her feelings had been hurt. It made it lesspainful to watch. Selt settled in a seat behind the pilot’s chair and gazed ather as she bawled and vented an impressive array of curse words.

He wondered if itwas too late to beg Admiral Piras to allow him to return to the spyship dutyhe’d left to take the job on Earth.

It wasn’t that hiscurrent work was overwhelmingly personal. He had opportunities he’d enjoyedlittle of on board a fleet craft. On Earth, he could see his opponents upclose. Could confront them. Interrogate them. Hurt them, if they deserved it,as the bastards who’d attempted to kill the governor and bomb the orbitingspace station had. His enemies were no longer faceless foes he was forced toattack from a safe distance, like a pathetic coward.

His clanmates Deramand Hadlez still served on the spyship Selt had been transferred from. They’drecently been in danger, which had him second-guessing his decision to accepthis current assignment without debate. He belonged at their sides, guarding themno matter how worthless he’d begun feeling his previous duty had been. If hecouldn’t keep them safe, then he was fine dying trying to.

His current taskwasn’t helping matters. Watching his subject be treated like shit on a regularbasis, often merely because she was a woman, drained his soul. Seeing her cry,even only as a release from the terrific fury he’d learned she was capable of, strainedhim to the breaking point.

Blythe was anassignment, nothing more. Nonetheless, a throb of protectiveness tempted Seltto storm to Mitchell’s office and slap some decency in him. Standing by whileshe was insulted to the point of tears had him feeling useless again.

“Sometimes I hatethis job,” Blythe snarled as she stopped crying. She took out her handheld andhad it bring up a holo-mirror to check her makeup.

“Me too,” Selt said.

* * * *

Releases in five days! Pre-order now: Amazon, Amazon UK, Nook, Smashwords, Kobo, Apple, print

Timeis running out to halt the Darks’ march to the Kalquorian Empire’sannihilation.

Finallyhome on Kalquor, Dramok Ilid is haunted by his encounter with the Darks, whichhe barely survived. His struggle far from over, Ilid’s sanity and the empire’sexistence hang on a quickly unraveling thread. When he learns the Darks havearrived on Kalquor, even his family’s love may not be able to keep him from anunthinkable end.

OnEarth II, head of planetary security Nobek Kuran’s hands are full: meeting hispotential in-laws, training his replacement, and keeping tabs on a roguelieutenant governor with a secret agenda. His troubles are only beginning whena deadly attack on those he loves drives him to the brink of murder. Meanwhile,spy Nobek Selt finds himself growing far too close to his subject, reporterBlythe Nelson. Does his clan dare to romance a woman devoted to uncovering thetruth, including their secret activities on her world?

Havingwiped out the entire Bi’is civilization, the Darks have seized control of theGalactic Council of Planets and attempt to bring the Kalquorian Empire to itsknees. Clans Tranis and Piras are desperate to stop the enemy from destroyingKalquor and its allies. Can Hope Nath and Chief Engineer Lokmi capture a lethalenemy capable of passing through all known barriers?

Releasing January 26