Free The Melier (Women of Dor Nye Book 1) by Poppy Rhys Page B

late afternoon sun beat down on the large market terrace and she rounded a corner, stepping into a small shop. The bell rang out and the owner stepped in from the back. Beautiful, various works of art were strategically placed about; everything from sculptures to collectible figurines, chimes and jewelry.
    “Lucia!” the shop owner crooned and smiled. Her scaled skin was red, with pretty white markings slithering up her bared arms and across her neck. She was Voushan, a lizard-like species from a very small planet. “I’m so happy to see you!” Her four fingered hand waved in greeting.
    “Eroya, it’s good to see you too,” Lu accepted the hug when the Voushan approached her. They loved being touched by warm blooded beings. “I have news.”
    The minutes passed quickly as Lucia conducted her business and then said her goodbyes. Once they were heading toward the airbus rental, Soren spoke up.
    “You were on the Trepnil ship to retrieve stolen property?”
    Lu looked up and over at him, as he was now walking beside her. She nodded, curls bouncing. Her hair was a frightful mess of wild proportions with the dry heat. “That was the reason my friends and I were there. I didn’t get the shipment that was originally stolen from her, due to the unexpected explosions, but the crate of quan crystal in the craft I ended up taking will make up for it. Annnd ,” she sung with a grin. “The credits she’ll get from selling that barrel of ular fruit will reimburse her plenty.” Soren’s lopsided grin made Lucia smile wider. “What?”
    “You are kind, Loo-Sha.” Soren said this softly, in that velvety, lyrical language of his.
    Don’t blush. Don’t you dare!
    “Ehh,” she shrugged it off. “Only sometimes.”
    Once they got to the airbus rental, Soren waited with Lu as she punched in her identification number on the small screen next to an empty lane for payment of the rental. Soren was back to being fascinated with everything ; asking questions, pointing out things that he wanted explanations for and openly staring at other travelers bustling about the outdoor platform. It was alright though, since they openly stared back at him. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who’d never seen Soren’s species before, and that was saying something.
    The medium sized, bullet shaped airbus floated down the lane and stopped in front of them. It was glossed to a pale gold sheen, and Soren stared at his reflection oddly. The front top half of the airbus was one way glass from the inside with the ability to cloud say, if a person wanted to catch some shut eye without the sun beaming in their face. She swiped her fingertips against the side and the shaved door pushed in and slid aside. She ushered Soren inside, and laughed as he had to bend over to even fit in the craft. Maybe she should write a letter about height discrimination to the company.
    He set their basket of items on the floor against the other side of the airbus. It was roughly ten feet in width and length, with a cushioned front bench and control panel. The back had a bench of the same material, but it was capable of folding down into a large cot. Lu motioned for Soren to sit as the door slid shut. Lucia plopped down beside him and stretched her legs before typing in her home coordinates.
    “Departing for territory Curra,” the smooth feminine voice announced, startling Soren. “Arrival in four hours and fifteen minutes.” The airbus smoothly shifted forward along the lane until they were on the outskirts of the capital, where it continually climbed higher and higher. Airbuses were regulated to fly low, to lessen possible collisions with spacecraft’s descending from the cloud line.
    “You live far from here,” Soren stated, looking all around at their view.
    “Mhmm,” Lu agreed. “It would be double the time if we drove a transport. But don’t worry, it’ll fly by.”
    I’ll have to teach him the beauty of puns next.

Chapter 7
    As the airbus reached