Free BloodandPassion by Emma Abbiss Page A

making the evening atmosphere bleed shades of
orange and pink. Xyla sat back in the bucket seat and relaxed. Minutes later,
an AllStore came into sight, levitating in puffy peach clouds high up in the
atmosphere. Ship docked upside down next to a brand-new Mustang StarRunner.
Xyla gave an impressed three-note whistle.
    Damn bliss ride.
    While Ship fueled up, she released her buckle and pulled
herself through the porthole located on the top of the vessel. Gravity shifted
and she dropped into the store, landing on the sticky floor next to a news
screen that announced another bomb scare on Uranus.
    Has to be the fifth one this month , she thought as
she averted her face from the nearby see-cam. Her left leg throbbed.
    A bottle of wine suddenly sounded like her best idea ever.
Maybe two bottles.
    After grabbing a couple of bottles of cheap red wine, Xyla
limped around a tall stand of fresh lublub grubs and jerked to a stop. Down the
aisle stood a man she hadn’t seen since they’d attended peacemaking school on
Mars together, a man who set her heart pounding.
    He looked the same. Not a day older, but then he was of Ivec
descent—a wealthy but secretive race from a distant system who lived damn near
forever and owned almost everything in the Milky Way.
    Mikal Fabom.
    Mouth gone dry, she just stood and stared. Tall and
well-muscled, he had a body that inspired sculptors to labor over blocks of
stone to reproduce his physique.
    Years ago he’d had long, dark-brown hair that he’d worn in a
braid that had reached an ass made for cupping. Now his head was shaved,
leaving just the tiniest bit of dark stubble. But his eyes hadn’t changed. They
were still quicksilver and saw everything except her, just as he’d never really
seen her in school. At least not as more than a friend. He only had eyes for
that hottie, Rish Limaeve. And who could blame him? The only other male Ivec
student in peacemaker school, Rish had a long, lean swimmer’s body, golden,
shoulder-length hair, deep blue eyes and a lush mouth that tended to get him in
trouble.
    She licked her lips.
    Oh, the sexual fantasies she’d had about Mikal and Rish…
Xyla shuddered. They’d been the closest thing to friends she’d had. Too bad the
two men had achieved adult rank and she’d remained underage while attending
school. She rolled her eyes at herself.
    Yeah, as if my jailbait status was the reason the two
most bliss guys in school didn’t want me.
    What they’d lacked in knowledge of human culture and law,
they more than made up with sheer physical strength and sharp, nearly
genius-level intelligence. Hot, strong, smart, rich— Yeah, Xyla had just been
one in a very long line of women who’d wanted them.
    Move , she admonished herself, before he sees you
staring at him.
    She turned to go down the adjacent aisle, wincing at the
stab of pain from her knife wound. The alcohol will take care of it.
    She ran smack into Rish. Wine bottles in both hands, she
stepped on his booted feet and couldn’t find her balance. He grabbed her
shoulders to steady her. A pleased smile showed off the tips of his Ivec-sharp
canine teeth and brightened his wide-set eyes.
    “Xyla Devi.” He didn’t release her. The heat from his hands
soaked through her uniform into her tense shoulders, warming her. “Mikal, look
who fate found for us.”
    She felt a hot blush paint her neck and cheeks. She stepped
out of Rish’s arms. And backed right into Mikal’s hard body. Where was a black
hole when she needed one?
    Towering over her, Mikal lifted her chin to look down into
her upturned face. His quicksilver eyes cut into her, sharper than the shank
that had sliced open her flesh.
    “H-hi.” She winced. Damn all things bright and shining.
Stammering? She was a peace guard for nebulous’ sake. Pull yourself
together!
    “Long time,” Mikal said, his warm voice sliding through her,
making her wet and breathless. His gaze swept over her cheeks, which had to be
hot pink, to meet her eyes.