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(Previously titled Quantum)
On the run and no one to trust... not even each other. Captain Admiral Zander Graydon has seen a lot of action, but almost getting killed three times in one day is pushing it. Only the company of his new assistant, Lieutenant Marshal Mae Petros, makes things a little easier to swallow. Except the delectable Lieutenant Marshal Petros is hiding a number of secrets, and her presence might have something to do with the continued attempts on his life. It’s no accident Lieutenant Marshal Mae Petros finds herself in the firing line alongside the charming but very off-limits Captain Admiral Graydon. She’s taken the job as the admiral’s assistant to determine if a shape-shifting alien has killed the CO and assumed his form. Whether the admiral is human or not, Mae finds herself getting way too close to him as they run for their lives. Military to the core, Mae and Zander will have to overcome their suspicions of each other to work together, when they realize the fate of the entire universe is at stake. |
"Whilst clearly in the sci fi genre, there is enough "real life" in this to keep you grounded. The friendships and family vibes between the crew are superb." Nikki Brooks via Amazon
"Thus far, I’ve been thrown for a few loops, laughed at the dry but engaging banter, been taken on an action-packed ride through some twists and turns I never saw coming and pretty much went down the long slide to a place no reader wants to go because it reeks of desperation: stalking the author for updates and news on the next book." Disir via Goodreads
"Superb characters and a sensational plot kept me up late in the night, anxious to know what would happen next. Zander and Mae's story was stuffed with suspense, intrigue, action, and romance of course!" Julie via Goodreads
"From the very start this is an action packed adventure, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader flipping pages as fast as possible, while trying to slow down enough to appreciate the world building and the care that has gone into creating the universe as it stands." Maria Rose via All About Romance
"Thus far, I’ve been thrown for a few loops, laughed at the dry but engaging banter, been taken on an action-packed ride through some twists and turns I never saw coming and pretty much went down the long slide to a place no reader wants to go because it reeks of desperation: stalking the author for updates and news on the next book." Disir via Goodreads
"Superb characters and a sensational plot kept me up late in the night, anxious to know what would happen next. Zander and Mae's story was stuffed with suspense, intrigue, action, and romance of course!" Julie via Goodreads
"From the very start this is an action packed adventure, with enough twists and turns to keep the reader flipping pages as fast as possible, while trying to slow down enough to appreciate the world building and the care that has gone into creating the universe as it stands." Maria Rose via All About Romance
Chapter One
Tocarra spaceport
In Captain Admiral Zander Graydon’s opinion, it was damned impolite to try to kill a man while he was taking a piss.
The flash of a flare knife reflecting in the flawlessly shiny chrome of the urinal jacked his heart rate into orbit and forced him into a duck, even as he reached up to grab the arm swinging at him. The metium-reinforced, superheated blade could cut through armor plating. If it went into his flesh, it’d be like slicing water.
With a bone-crushing grip on the man’s wrist, Zander came up, twisting to face his attacker.
Mask. Of course.
He yanked the man off balance and grabbed a handful of the black material covering the guy’s face. Before he could jerk the disguise off, the man got his other arm up between them and slammed the heel of his palm into Zander’s nose.
Zander stumbled back, the burning blaze of pain exploding through his face making his eyes water, but he didn’t release his grip on the hand still holding the knife. Taking the wrist in both hands, he smashed the guy’s arm into the rounded edge of the urinal. A wet crack sounded. The man swore as his hand went limp, and the blade flickered out when the weapon dropped to the floor.
With an imminent knifing no longer a threat, Zander released the man’s now-broken wrist and shoved him away. Hauling his arm back, Zander put all of his weight behind ramming his fist square in the guy’s face. The momentum sent him crashing into the stall behind him and then crumpling to the floor.
“Frecking christ.” He gulped in a long breath and then wiped at the trickle coming from his nose. Blood smeared across the back of his hand, and he grimaced while his heart stuttered back into a normal rhythm. Hell. He was getting too old to take on random knife-wielding bad guys in bathrooms. Damned if next time he didn’t have a heart attack.
He moved over to the basin and ripped some toweling out of the dispenser, cleaning his hand and then shoving the cloth up against his nose as he approached the prone man.
Bending down, he tugged the mask off, but the guy’s face gave him no answers as to what might have motivated this little scene. An opportunist robbing the poor, defenseless captain admiral when he least expected it? Too bad for this moron—Zander hadn’t earned his admiralty behind a desk like some of his contemporaries had.
He dropped the cloth and got busy unbuckling the man’s belt, sliding it free and securing it around the man’s wrists, then attaching him to the bracket holding the stall partition to the floor. After that, he took out his commpad and snapped a couple of quick pics to upload later for facial recognition.
He straightened and winced at the ache radiating down his back, into his upper thighs. “Jezus, I really am getting too old for this shite.”
Tocarra spaceport
In Captain Admiral Zander Graydon’s opinion, it was damned impolite to try to kill a man while he was taking a piss.
The flash of a flare knife reflecting in the flawlessly shiny chrome of the urinal jacked his heart rate into orbit and forced him into a duck, even as he reached up to grab the arm swinging at him. The metium-reinforced, superheated blade could cut through armor plating. If it went into his flesh, it’d be like slicing water.
With a bone-crushing grip on the man’s wrist, Zander came up, twisting to face his attacker.
Mask. Of course.
He yanked the man off balance and grabbed a handful of the black material covering the guy’s face. Before he could jerk the disguise off, the man got his other arm up between them and slammed the heel of his palm into Zander’s nose.
Zander stumbled back, the burning blaze of pain exploding through his face making his eyes water, but he didn’t release his grip on the hand still holding the knife. Taking the wrist in both hands, he smashed the guy’s arm into the rounded edge of the urinal. A wet crack sounded. The man swore as his hand went limp, and the blade flickered out when the weapon dropped to the floor.
With an imminent knifing no longer a threat, Zander released the man’s now-broken wrist and shoved him away. Hauling his arm back, Zander put all of his weight behind ramming his fist square in the guy’s face. The momentum sent him crashing into the stall behind him and then crumpling to the floor.
“Frecking christ.” He gulped in a long breath and then wiped at the trickle coming from his nose. Blood smeared across the back of his hand, and he grimaced while his heart stuttered back into a normal rhythm. Hell. He was getting too old to take on random knife-wielding bad guys in bathrooms. Damned if next time he didn’t have a heart attack.
He moved over to the basin and ripped some toweling out of the dispenser, cleaning his hand and then shoving the cloth up against his nose as he approached the prone man.
Bending down, he tugged the mask off, but the guy’s face gave him no answers as to what might have motivated this little scene. An opportunist robbing the poor, defenseless captain admiral when he least expected it? Too bad for this moron—Zander hadn’t earned his admiralty behind a desk like some of his contemporaries had.
He dropped the cloth and got busy unbuckling the man’s belt, sliding it free and securing it around the man’s wrists, then attaching him to the bracket holding the stall partition to the floor. After that, he took out his commpad and snapped a couple of quick pics to upload later for facial recognition.
He straightened and winced at the ache radiating down his back, into his upper thighs. “Jezus, I really am getting too old for this shite.”
