Here's the story:
An attempted assassination left Princess Shalira blind as a child and, now that she’s of marriageable age, her prospects are not good because of her disability. She’s resigned herself to an arranged marriage rather than face life under the thumb of her cold stepmother. But then she meets Mike Varone, a Sectors Special Forces officer sent to Mahjundar by the intergalactic government to retrieve a ship lost in her planet’s mountains. After Mike saves Shalira from another assassination attempt, she arranges for him to escort her across the planet to her future husband. She’s already falling hard for the deadly offworlder and knows she should deny herself the temptation he represents, but taking Mike along to protect her is the only way she’ll live long enough to escape her ruthless stepmother.
But what should have been an easy trek through Mahjundar’s peaceful lands swiftly turns into an ambush with danger around every turn. Shalira’s marriage begins to seem less like an arranged union and more like yet another planned assassination. The more they work together to survive, the harder it becomes to stop themselves from falling in love. Caught in a race against time, can they escape the hostile forces hunting them and make it off the planet?
And the excerpt, as Mike - newly arrived on the planet - becomes caught up in a terrorist attack and meets Princess Shalira:
...suddenly there was a massive explosion farther
to the east, toward the palace, followed by another, smaller blast.
The shock wave knocked Mike to his knees,
hands going automatically to his ears, which ached from the concussion.
The crowd went berserk, screaming,
pushing, running in all directions.
Instinctively, Mike reached for the
blaster customarily at his hip. Damn, not
this trip.
The neat column of the procession had
fallen to chaos on the roadway. The horses bolted, one plowing through the
crowd right behind Mike, knocking people over like straws. Caught in a knot of Mahjundans,
forced away from his companions by the unruly mob, Mike’s attention was riveted
on the black stallion, rearing and lashing out. The guard in green was nowhere
to be seen.
Mike pushed against the packed, sweating
bodies surrounding him, yelling above the din for people to get out of his way.
His attention was focused on the beautiful girl who’d seemed such a reluctant
horsewoman. The stallion was circling, bucking, gathering itself to bolt while
she did her best to control the terrified animal. Lips compressed, eyes
unaccountably closed, the woman he’d become fascinated by before the explosion
was holding the reins tight. Mike ran across the green tile border and into the
street, which offered easier going. Most people were trying to escape from the
square altogether, putting as much distance as possible between themselves and
the potential danger of another explosion. Sprinting to the horse, Mike made a
wild grab at the reins.
Seeing her at closer range, he revised his
estimate of her age upward by about ten years–not a girl in the late bloom of
youth after all, but a stunning woman. “Hang on, lady, I’ll help you dismount.
Once you’re safe, I can try to get him calmed down for you,” Mike said,
pitching his voice at a level he hoped would cut through the incredible din in
the square. “You’re doing fine, just don’t let go of the reins, ok?”
She opened her eyes, turning in his
direction. “Oh, please—”
The stallion bucked harder, breaking the rider’s
hold on the saddle. She slid off like a rag doll. Cursing, Mike let go of the
horse, which promptly bolted. He managed to break the girl's fall, going to one
knee as he caught her. To prevent her from being trampled by the crowd, which
surged into the space the distressed horse had kept clear with its lashing
hooves, Mike carried her in the direction the panick-stricken people were
flowing. "Come on, we've got to get away from this mob!"
It was like swimming in a riptide. Going
with the flow initially, Mike angled toward the far curb and got himself and
his trembling companion across the roadway.
“I can walk,” she said, voice faint. Making
no effort to leave the security of his arms, however, she had her eyes closed
again.
Rather than waste time arguing, he carried
her as he clambered over fallen people and maneuvered around debris until they
fetched up in the doorway of a bakery. The sweet smell of fresh breads mingled
incongruously with the stench of smoke from the bomb blast. With a muttered
apology, Mike set the woman on her feet behind him, so he could defend them
both if necessary.
Drawing his belt knife, which was the only
weapon he’d been allowed to carry through the city gates, he felt better. Now prepared
to deal with whatever might happen next, he crouched in the doorway, trying to
keep the woman out of sight behind him as much as possible. Mike surveyed the
plaza, identifying no immediate
threats. No one paying us any attention
right now, too much confusion and panic. He had no way of knowing if the
empress had just been the target of an assassination attempt or whether the
bombers had hoped some members of the royal household would be unlucky enough
to be caught in the blast so close to the parade. If it was the latter case,
his job was to keep the terrorists from stumbling over his companion. Time to reassure the woman I rescued.
Half-turning to check how she was doing,
he said, “Sorry for the rough handling, miss. Someone apparently has it in for
the royal family today.”
One hand was clenched around a small red
purse tied to her belt. She was staring slightly over his shoulder with
beautiful caramel-brown eyes, golden highlights sparkling in their depths. Reaching
to touch his shoulder with her free hand, she let her manicured nails drift
ever so slowly to his face.
She’s blind?
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