Here's the blurb:
Miriell, a powerful empathic priestess, has been kidnapped from her own primitive planet along with a number of her people, and sold to the evil Amarotu Combine, largest organized crime syndicate in the Sectors. When she and her handler are sent to use her power to commit an assassination, she must leave behind her own sister as hostage to ensure her compliance. Miriell cannot ask for aid without endangering herself and others.
Despite his best efforts, Combine enforcer Conor Stewart is entranced by Miriell, and helps her evade the worst of brutal treatment from the rest of the mob. But Conor must keep his distance, before the lovely empath learns that he has secrets of his own–secrets that could get them both killed.
The situation becomes dire when Conor and Miriell come to the attention of both the Combine overlords and the deadly Mawreg, aliens who threaten the Sectors. Can she save herself and the Mawreg’s next victims? And will Conor help her, or remain loyal to his evil bosses?
And the excerpt - through a fluke, Miriell, the captive empath, has a fleeting chance to escape the interstellar crime mob but things don;t go as she hopes:
When she reached the lower floors of the hotel, other people
were in the tube, apparently prevented somehow from ascending to the penthouse
but able to use the gravlift unhindered below a certain level. For the most
part, the other guests ignored her, although excitement and terror made her
clumsy, and she bumped into several. She exited at the lobby along with a group
of excitedly chattering tourists, human and nonhuman sentients, all babbling
about the temple ruins on their itinerary for the day’s trip. Scurrying in
their wake through the crowded entrance hall, she hoped a casual observer would
think her part of the group.
The outer doors opened at her approach, and a burst of adrenaline
propelled her onto the sidewalk in a rush, jostling a couple who’d paused to
check their AI’s. Murmuring an apology, she stepped away. Which way? What now? Frantic, she set off to the left toward what
appeared to be a main street with heavy groundcar traffic. The necklace bobbed around her neck as she
ran. No one had ever told her what the range of the controller was but the more
distance she put between herself and Jareck, the more hopeful she felt. And the
police the Amarotu were always talking about with loathing would be able to
remove it, wouldn’t they?
Reaching the thoroughfare, Miriell stopped in confusion.
There were so many people and so many vehicles. How did one find these police?
“Excuse me—” She tried to stop one of the hurrying citizens,
but he shrugged her off and shouldered past, as did the next person.
Changing tactics, Miriell approached a woman waiting with
two small children to cross the street. “How do I find the police?”
“Now, darling, no need for involving the cops. The
authorities have better things to do.” The deep voice swirled around her as Conor
hauled her in, not ungently, and held her close in a parody of affectionate
care. His arms were like steel around
her, his muscles unyielding. “I told you, the hotel will be able to take care
of the problem.”
Pushing against him in frustration, Miriell swore at Conor
in her own language. To be so close to
escaping…
Mouth open, the woman was staring at them. As her children
tugged at her hands, she said directly to Miriell, “Are you all right?”
“My wife’s fine,” Conor answered smoothly. “Aren’t you,
honey? We just arrived today. She gets disoriented a bit by cryo sleep. Waking dreams for the first day or so. You know
how it is, I’m sure. I’ll get her back to the hotel, get some nice hot tea into
her, and she’ll be herself again, good as ever. Thanks for your concern.”
Conor’s grip was now crushing her elbow. Miriell nodded,
fighting back tears. “I’m sorry to have bothered you. I hope I didn’t frighten
the children.”
Uncertain, hesitant, the woman scooped up her smaller child,
tightened her grip on the other and sprinted across the street as the traffic
paused in obedience to signals Miriell didn’t see.
“Not your smartest move,” Conor said in a low voice as he
pulled Miriell away, retreating toward the hotel. “We have to get you back to
the room before Opherra learns you escaped. Her punishments tend to be swift
and harsh. Fortunately, she’s addicted to long baths, so we have a window of opportunity.”
“Please—” She knew there was no mercy to be had from an
Amarotu soldier, but it was heartbreaking to come so close to escaping the
nightmare her life had become. She sagged in his hold as her knees weakened. “I’m
nothing to you. Let me go, I beg you.”
He shook his head, gripping her arm more tightly as he
pulled her along. “You’re part of my boss’s operation. It’s my job to secure
her assets and watch her back. Can’t have you picked up by the police. When I realized
you were in the lobby by yourself, I called the room and told Jareck to let me
handle it. He won’t trigger the necklace, don’t worry. But if you aren’t under
his control by the time Opherra becomes aware of the breach, she’ll order your
death, likely as not.” He glanced at
her. “Haven’t you ever heard where there’s life, there’s hope? My advice is live
to fight another day.”
“Not for such as me. Hope fled a long time ago.” She shook
her head, angrily brushing at her tears with her free hand. Belatedly, she
tried to summon her power, to break free of this man and run, but she was too
upset to find the necessary inner calm, and only flickers answered her call.
Conor marched her through the lobby and into the gravlift, intimidating an
elderly couple who tried to enter when he did. He took her aloft so rapidly
that Miriell had a hard time breathing.
“By the way, for future reference, many of the local police
are on the Amarotu payroll.” As they entered the hall and headed toward the
room, he added in a low voice, “I’ll swear you didn’t talk to anyone. Otherwise,
you’re on your own.”
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This book is one of several standalone titles in my alien empath series (but the only one on sale).
