Hello! If you haven't already heard, my next book releases on August 9! That's only a few days away! And today, I thought I'd share the first chapter of VAWN with you. If you enjoy it, go ahead and pre-order, so it's waiting for you on your Kindle on release day. OR, you can order the paperback NOW!
Chapter One
Vawn
Shit, I almost forgot my suppressants! I lunged toward my nightstand and grabbed them out of my top drawer before tossing the package into my travel case. Going into heat was the last thing I needed to do around a bunch of horny space racers. While I was going to the “Family and Friends” weekend event to visit my brothers, I wasn’t going to say no to a hot space racer looking for a good time. It had been forever since I’d had any of that kind of fun.
“Daddy, are you gonna fwy in one of dese?” Enif, my daughter, came racing into my room, flying the toy solo jet my brothers had gifted her the first chance they’d had to see their niece. That was two years ago, for Enif’s first birthday. We hadn’t seen Genj and Ret since then, at least not in person. Only on screen. Therefore, I was excited for this opportunity.
“I don’t think so.” I ruffled her sandy-blonde hair, the same color as mine, before clutching the handle of my case and heading out of my room. “I think your uncles may let me sit in theirs, but they would never let me fly them.”
“What ’bout me?” She stuck her arms out and raced up and down the hallway. “Do you sink de’ll let me fwy?”
“Uncle Ret told you he’d give you lessons as soon as you get your license to fly.” Originally, I’d planned to take Enif with me, but my best friend, Utahn, whom I shared a house with, insisted I needed to get away on my own for once. He said he’d take care of my daughter and already had my parents on standby in case of emergency.
“But dat’s….” She haphazardly counted on her fingers. “Firteen years from now. I wanna fwy now!”
“I’ll help you fly.” Utahn came up behind my daughter and flipped her up until her stomach rested on his shoulder. Then he ran down the hallway.
My daughter giggled and squeed until Utahn put her down and stared at me with his hands on his hips. “You ready to go?”
“I think so.” I scrolled through my mental checklist and hoped I wasn’t forgetting anything. “I’ve got my tickets, my communicator and charging pad, suppressants, and enough clothes for two people. I hope that’s enough.”
“A can of mesodenka?” Utahn wiggled his brows at me. “You need other protection. Suppressants aren’t enough. You never know who else these space racers have been with.”
“Po-tec-shun? Fwom what?” Enif stared up at me with her bottom lip sticking out. “I sought space racers were good guys.”
“They are.” I crouched down in front of her, wishing my best friend had kept his mouth shut. “But don’t worry. If there are any bad racers, your uncles will protect me from them.”
I hugged my daughter while glaring over her shoulder at Utahn. “I love you, Ennie. And I’m going to miss you so much while I’m gone.”
“Don’t wowwie, Daddy.” She squeezed me tight. “I be good for Utahn.”
“I know you will.” I brushed her bangs from her face. “’Cause you’re the best kid ever. Now, give me a kiss and hug before I go.”
After the hug from my daughter, I got one from Utahn before I headed out the door. With a deep breath, I tried to push down the worry about leaving Enif for the first time. I’d lost her father in a mining accident on Dynam only one month after we’d become parents. And that made me extra weary about leaving Enif anywhere I wasn’t. Even when I had to submit my designs to the biggest fashion labels in this part of the universe. My parents, or Utahn when he wasn’t at his bakery, usually kept her occupied in another room while I used holograms to accentuate my digital presentation. Enif was also the reason no label ever revealed any pictures of me. But I could handle one weekend away from her. At least, that’s what I’d been telling myself for the past two weeks.
At the corner of the block, I took the lift up to the sky platform just in time to catch the hoverbus to the spaceport. Yep, I was going to have fun. No matter what my brothers said. That’s how I’d keep myself from worrying too much.
It was only a fifteen-minute ride to the spaceport, and I’d already done my pre-flight check-in before I left, allowing me to head straight to security when I arrived. My baggage and I were both scanned before I was permitted to advance to the waiting room. It literally was a single room, the spaceport on Orez not that big compared to others on nearby planets. As the last descendants of Trid, a planet that had become unlivable a few decades before I was born, our population here wasn’t that big. And our new planet had only one major land mass, the rest occupied by water. Usually only small ships landed and departed from here. The flight I was catching to Eurebly would probably be one of the biggest crafts to arrive here in some time. And it would likely be almost full by the time I boarded, only one more stop between here and the planet where space racers’ headquarters was situated.
I sent a quick message to Utahn, and to both my brothers, to let them know I was waiting for my flight. Utahn replied with a picture of him and Enif waving, while I didn’t hear anything from my brothers. And didn’t really expect to. Between their crazy practice schedule, sleeping at odd times, and the time difference, they usually didn’t reply for a couple of days. Though I hoped they’d be waiting for me when I arrived. Or, at least, one of them.
I caught my flight shortly after, and, as expected, I had to search the cabin for a place to sit.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked a man who had probably boarded on Retem. His skin had a green tinge with darker spots along his forehead and the sides of his face. And his green, straight hair ended crisply just above his shoulders, barely covering the gills in his neck. His home planet was much like Orez, but his species had evolved to live in the water as well as on land.
“No, not at all.” He moved the strap of his bag off the arm of the empty chair. “Go ahead.”
His smile was sweet, and, I had to admit, he was kind of hot. He wore a basic blue T-shirt and slightly darker denim pants that accentuated how muscular he was.
I took the empty seat. “So, do you know one of the space racers, or are you a fan visiting for the weekend?”
Dimples formed in his cheeks as his smile widened. “Well, I am a fan, but I’m going to Eurebly as a guest of my best friend, who is the center for Team Storm. How about you?”
Oh, I’d heard of that team. My brothers cursed their pilots quite often because they were their biggest competition. “I don’t really follow the circuit much, but my brothers are both guards for ORIXA.”
He chuckled. “Ah, the Kaddim Brothers. I imagine they’d be upset to learn we sat together for the flight.”
“Probably, but they don’t have to know.” I lightly touched his arm, waiting to see how he’d react.
Another grin. This flight was going to be fun. “I’m Vawn.”
“Trog.” He shifted in his seat to face me better. “So, have you been there before?”
“No, this is my first time. I always had something else going on during these events.”
We chatted the entire flight, making the time pass remarkably fast. I hadn’t realized we’d landed on Eurebly until other passengers started getting up from their seats. Trog walked with me to the baggage claim, where he saw his friend.
“I’m going to go now, but maybe we can meet up again sometime this weekend. I think there’s a dinner and dance tomorrow night. Will you save me a dance?”
“Definitely.” I rubbed his arm, casually feeling his biceps. “Maybe a couple.”
He nodded with a smile. “I look forward to it.” He kept his gaze on me as he started to walk away. When he finally turned, I searched for my luggage.
This was already turning out to be a great weekend. I had wonderful company during my flight and already had a dance partner lined up for tomorrow night. Now, I needed to locate my travel case and search for my brothers.
Vawn hasn't met Ojokun yet, and the weekend is already starting off well. The two main characters meet in the next chapter. But, I can tell you that this isn't the last you'll hear of Trog, either. Be sure to read VAWN to find out what happens next!!
