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(erotic novella)
Available now from Changeling Press.
Excerpt from Romeo Revealed
Corazon snapped awake, her heart racing and body throbbing in the aftermath of the dream. It had been nearly six months since she’d last been with her lover, Romeo Taurean, the most hunted criminal in the galaxy. Wanted for bootlegging and piracy, among other crimes, Romeo’s life was constantly in danger. At one time, Corazon had believed all the horrible rumors surrounding him. She’d had no way of knowing how wrong she’d been about him.
Her thoughts were broken by someone knocking on her apartment door.
“Corazon Gatto, this is Mediator Benson. We need to speak with you.”
Mediator Benson! The last time she’d talked to him had been just after her story about Romeo Taurean and the plight of the Softspeakers went public.
Determined to get inside information on Taurean, she had gone undercover and joined his crew as a navigator. She should have guessed she couldn’t outsmart the cunning outlaw. He’d known from the beginning she was a reporter, but had wanted to use her so that people could understand what the Softspeakers had gone through since the end of the galaxy-wide war during which their homeworld had been destroyed. She’d learned that he and his crew ran illegal butterscotch whiskey to finance the migration of the few Softspeakers who had survived the war to a place where they could escape oppression. Feared and hated for their telepathic powers, the Softspeakers were mistreated by both Pixie and Ophelia, the two powerful planets that, since the war’s end, ruled the galaxy jointly.
Physically attracted to Romeo from the first, Corazon quickly fell in love with him once she discovered his part in aiding the Softspeakers. Leaving him had been difficult, but necessary. Both had believed that making the public aware of the Softspeakers’ suffering would bring about changes for the better. Though some expressed sympathy, others seemed to despise the peaceful race even more and incited several violent acts against the Softspeakers such as hadn’t been seen since the war.
To further isolate the Softspeakers, over the past few months a plague had broken out among them, claiming the lives of many, particularly children. Though the plague seemed to affect only their race, the barren planet to which they had been banished was quarantined. Since the few government supply ships stopped arriving, the Softspeakers would have already died from starvation, if not for pirates such as Romeo. Fear of the plague spreading because of those illegal runs made the authorities even more desperate to stop piracy.
In spite of her good intentions, Corazon couldn’t help feeling guilt over her part in the backfired plan. She didn’t want to imagine how Romeo felt, since it had been his idea. The Softspeakers were his people, and his connection to them far greater than hers.
Even so, Corazon’s life hadn’t been easy. Marked as a Softspeaker sympathizer, she had nearly lost her job. She had been evicted from her last apartment, which had been vandalized several times with terms like Softspeaker Slut painted across the front of the building.
“If you don’t open the door, we’ll enter by force,” Mediator Benson stated.
“I’m coming,” Corazon shouted, then muttered, “It’s the middle of the damn night. Some people are actually sleeping.”
Benson had been among the government agents who had taken her into custody and grilled her over Romeo’s description and whereabouts almost as soon as her story broke. One minute she’d been sitting at her desk at work, the next she’d been dragged into a gray cell and questioned under the influence of truth drugs. Luckily she had no useful information since Romeo had blindfolded her during trips to his hideout. In spite of all the times they’d made love, she’d never seen his face, since he always wore a steel gray mask with only his eyes and lips visible.
For months those beautiful black Softspeaker eyes haunted her dreams. She would give almost anything just to see them again. Having experienced the hatred and bigotry of her own people, she would gladly give up her law-abiding life and spend the rest of her days as an outlaw by Romeo’s side.
After slipping on a robe, she opened the door and Benson shoved his way past her. “Get dressed, Ms. Gatto. We’re taking a little trip.”
Corazon’s heart skipped a beat. What the hell could they possibly want from her now? “Where to?”
“I’ll explain on the way.”
“Don’t I have any rights left?”
Benson narrowed his small blue eyes in her direction. “You gave up your rights when you allied yourself with Taurean.”
“If this has to do with him, I already told you everything I know. I’m sure you’ve had me watched so you know I’ve had no contact with him --”
“If you don’t stop talking and get dressed, I’ll escort you out of here in your robe.”
Corazon’s lip curled in anger, but she stalked to her bedroom, knowing from experience that Benson would do exactly what he said.
Moments later, she’d washed, dressed, and followed Benson to his government-issue ship where another mediator waited in the cockpit.
Once settled beside Benson, she asked, “Am I allowed to know where you’re taking me?”
“High security prison facility in the capital city.”
Fear gripped her. “Why? What’s the charge?”
A smirk played around Benson’s slender lips. “Don’t panic, Ms. Gatto. You’re not under arrest.”
“Then what’s going on?” she demanded, scarcely repressing her temper. One thing she hated was being jerked around, and Benson was an expert at doing just that. But Romeo had been too. That was one thing about the pirate that irked her, his ability to manipulate just about everyone around him. Funny that same skill also attracted her to him.
“We need you to identify someone,” Benson continued. Corazon glanced at him, her brow furrowed, and he continued with a smile. “Romeo Taurean. We finally caught the bastard.”
