Nathalie Gray - The Hussies - Gladius.pdf - Nathalie Gray - widez2

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Gladius

ISBN 9781419919343

Edited by Mary Moran.

Cover art by Syneca.

Electronic book Publication November 2008

The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in

part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing,

Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of

this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or

print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement

without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and

a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print

editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your

support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales

is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

G LADIUS

Nathalie Gray

Prologue

Myth, magic or legend? There have been Hussies since before time was measured in

days and minutes. Women who fought bravely alongside their mates with sword and

axe, warriors whose courage changed the world around them. Led by the first Hussy,

Danu, these fierce fighters discovered their inner strengths, summoned reserves they

didn’t know they possessed and passed into the fabric of legend with their daring

exploits.

Since that time, myths have been spun around the Hussy Warriors—tales told by

firelight, whispered from mother to daughter—eventually to take their place amongst

the mystical fables that shape our souls.

But the essence of a Hussy remains strong in the hearts of so many women.

Heroines who don’t realize that within them lies the power to make a difference, to

effect change, to use their passion every bit as skillfully as Danu wielded her sword so

long ago. Warriors in different times and different places, who love as deeply and

desire as desperately as any woman ever has, seldom knowing that their desire will

impact not just one man, but so much more.

Therein lies the magic of a Hussy. To right a wrong, turn a frown to a smile—to

positively change those around her. To love a man with every fiber of her body, to learn

from that love and to grow stronger because of it.

Whether in the past, the future, or the here-and-now, there are Hussies around each

corner. They may not even be aware of their Hussy destiny. But one thing is certain—

when passion knocks on their door, lives will change for the better. And when it comes

to their one special hero? Well, he’s in for the ride of his life.

Which leaves one unanswered question…are you a Hussy?

Gladius

Chapter One

The quartet of Vespasian guards stepped off the shuttle with the synchronized steps

of veterans but the hard, eager eyes of fresh recruits. At their belts, kinetic guns flashed

like molten silver. Hiding more weapons and menace, long blood-red capes fretted in

the dusty wind of Hadi’s spaceport—a patch of compacted dirt, just like the rest of the

planet. One of the guards spotted that for which they’d been dispatched, all the way

from Vespas some two point four light-years away. A subtle nudge in his companion’s

rib. A nod for reply. Maybe they thought no one had noticed.

Dar Skara had.

As he unloaded the freighter and singlehandedly moved crates heavy enough to

make four men sweat, he watched through his bangs the Vespasians’ every move.

Those sons of bitches. Contrary to them, he wasn’t a bigoted, ethnocentric racist—he

hated everybody with the same fire. It was just that he hated Vespasians more .

“You,” called the last in file. His helmet bore the red eagle insignia of a commander.

“Come here.”

All of Dar’s crewmates, sweaty and panting under the hammer-hard midday sun,

stopped unloading the freighter to stand in an obedient if grumbling line by the old

ship’s tailgate. He hated them too. Sheep.

Dar didn’t stop his work. That ship was rented and if it wasn’t empty in half an

hour, whatever was left in its cargo hold became part of the owner’s manifest.

Draconian measures. One of many in this God-forsaken system. Hadisians couldn’t

afford to lose a single water ration. Already summer was turning into fall and winter

would come howling not far behind to turn the small planet into a veritable ice tomb.

Underground habitats were a must on Hadi. Still, it was his home and he liked it the

way it was. If only it could’ve been farther away from Vespas, their giant neighbor.

“I said,” the man pulled his kinetic gun from his belt, the flash not lost in Dar’s

peripheral vision. “Come. Here .”

“ What ?” Dar snapped, dropping the heavy crate, which landed in a cloud of dust

and a muffled thud. “What the fuck do you want?”

Silence fell like a wet blanket.

To his credit, the commander looked nonplussed. “It should be obvious, Hadisian,

even to a beast like you.”

The old insult. To Vespasians, who revered themselves above everything else in

their stupid belief systems—who the hell believed in sacrifices and the power of virgin

blood—only animals populated Hadi and other neighboring planets. Even if they were

all humans from the one source galaxies away. But Earth had abandoned all its colonies

Nathalie Gray - The Hussies - Gladius.pdf

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: