Free The Melier: Home World (Women of Dor Nye Book 2) by Poppy Rhys

to destroy another home. That happened hundreds of years ago, sweetling,” Grams said softly. “It is time for both our peoples to move on.”
    “You’re right,” Lu sighed, mulling over the information. “I can’t let them run me off. I’d only be doing exactly what they want, and expect.”
    “That’s my girl,” Grams smiled.
    “Wait,” she quirked a brow in confusion. “I thought you didn’t know who the Melier were?” Lu thought back to when she first introduced Soren those months ago. Everyone had been thoroughly surprised by him; everything about him, as if they had never seen a Melier before, like her.
    Grams gave one of her classic mischievous smiles. “I’m old. Maybe my memory isn’t so good.”
    Lu narrowed her eyes, knowing full well that was her overused excuse when she conveniently omitted information.
    They chatted a while longer and the comm was passed around so she could say hi to everyone and tell them she missed them.
    When she ended the call, she sat there in silence.
    It was at that point how much she realized her family really was important to her. Not just because she loved them, but because they were a network of support. She noticed since her time away from them, being in an unwelcoming atmosphere, her self-confidence was slowly ebbing away. Her sense of adventure, fearlessness, and the spark that was distinctly her was no longer what it once was.
    How did that happen?
    Lu wasn’t weak . She didn’t run from a challenge when it got difficult; she stood her ground and faced it. Soren believed in her. Val’Zun believed in her. Gi’Ren believed in her. All of the Herana’s believed in her and she had to do this.
    No, she wanted to do this.
    I can do this.
    Lucia inhaled through her nose and exhaled through her mouth, expelling all the negative energy of the past two weeks and vowing to start fresh.
    No more avoidance, no more silence. She had a royal family to convince , a planet to explore, and an entire species to sway into throwing away centuries of prejudice that was only wasted energy and potential.
    When something moved out of the corner of her eye, Lu’s concentration was interrupted. She turned her gaze and shot to her feet, face contorted in horror at what she saw across the room. Perched on a cushion was a giant , glossy black beetle. It was half the size of Dezzy, her family’s pet Ro’Catta, with three beady, black eyes that watched her. Its jagged pincers were large enough to literally rip off limbs or saw through her ankles with little effort.
    Lucia tried not to trip while searching for something to kill the fiendishly large bug with.
    She tried to keep the bug in her peripheral vision, and rummage about as quietly as possible. Her eyes lit up as she wrapped her fingers around a glossy, long piece of wood sticking out from under a couch. She examined it loosely and figured it was part of a table.
    Oooooh! This will work.
    Definitely.
    The servants must’ve missed this piece from Soren’s raging episode the night of the party.
    Lucky us.
    Weapon in hand, Lucia stalked the gigantic insect like a child after an ant; small steps, quiet as possible, and ready to lunge. She imagined she looked ridiculous. Luckily, no one was around to witness her tomfoolery.
    I really am ridiculous, stalking a bug.
    How did you go from taking on space pirates to having a baby, and now you’re hunting creepy crawlies.
    Well, it all started with a meddling Sanruki healer, and a freaky aphrodisiac…
    I was being sarcastic.
    When her silent stalking brought her just feet away from the beetle that had its back to her, she silently raised her makeshift weapon and swung.
    Unfortunately, her aim was terrible, and she missed the beetle entirely, instead connecting with a small statue. She watched as it busted into multiple shards, creating a hackling sound that seemed to shriek throughout the suite.
    “ Shit! ”
    It was ugly anyway.
    Lucia sighed as she watched the beetle scurry to the far