Free Catalyst by Viola Grace Page A

what it takes to rattle you, interesting. You know, they say that you can’t be shaken up. I am happy to have proved them wrong.”
    Mae was completely still in his arms. “Obnalik is about to drop on your head.”
    Nothven lunged forward and Mae tumbled to the sand in the final landing that she had seen in her mind.
    The ambassador thudded to a halt in the spot they had recently occupied.
    Nothven pulled Mae to her feet and dusted the sand off her butt. She moved swiftly out of his grasp. “I can do that.”
    She shivered and the sand dropped away from her suit.
    He frowned, and she knew she had insulted him. “I am sorry, but I am not used to being touched.”
    He cocked his head. “From what I have heard, your species is a little on the promiscuous side.”
    “You can’t judge me by my species. I am fairly sure I am one of a kind.” Mae laughed and started to hike her way up the beach. “Are you coming?”
    Nothven shuddered and his wings retracted into his suit. He helped the ambassador to his feet, and she heard them follow her as she made her way to the rocky ledge that hid their presence from the kidnappers.
    It was big business to kidnap an ambassador or law enforcement professional and ransom them back to the Alliance. Enforcers Harring and Mae had been sent to try to nip the coalition in the bud. So far, they had not been successful.
    Nothven crouched near her, and the ambassador watched the men gathered around a fire.
    Mae closed her eyes as an image showed her her own hands on the controls of the shuttle. Blood smeared her knuckles and it was not her colour.
    She gasped as she always did after she saw the flicker of her possible future. She watched Nothven as he gave her hand signals, and when she finally understood what he wanted her to do, her skin turned bright pink. He gave her the thumbs up and she winced.
    With a deep breath, she opened the fastening of her suit and unpinned her hair so that it tumbled around her shoulders in a chestnut wave. She bit her lips and tousled her hair.
    She inhaled, climbed over the stone barrier and broke into uncontrollable sobs. It was time to play damsel in distress.

Chapter Two
    “Please, please help. I woke up on the beach, and I don’t know what happened.” She ran toward them at full tilt, her breasts coming within breaths of breaking free of her suit.
    The Cheevan kidnappers stopped and stared at her as she ran. Not one of them raised a weapon to her.
    An older gentleman stood and wiped his orange lips nervously. “Lady, who are you, and how did you get here?”
    “My name is Maureen Anderson. I am secretary to the Enforcer Commander. I don’t understand. Where am I?”
    She was near them, and she wrapped her arms around her waist, pushing her breasts up and out and nearly dislocating the jaws of the Cheevans who had a clear view of her.
    “A secretary? Why are you dressed in an Enforcer uniform?” The older man shook his head as if to clear it.
    She blushed and pressed a hand to her chest. “I am not strictly a secretary, if you know what I mean. The uniform is the only way he can keep me with him on assignment.”
    The Cheevans began to chitter quickly to themselves, and she shifted from foot to foot once again. One of them shifted close to her and slid his hand up her calf to her thigh.
    A roar got their attention, and Nothven ran toward them in a beast form so huge, it was taller than she was and it was on all fours.
    The Cheevans were scattering, so Mae did what she had seen in her flash, she blocked access to the shuttle and beat the hell out of any Cheevan who came toward her. Ambassador Obnalik made his way across the bank as the fight wound to a close.
    Mae saw her hands covered with blood and the orange-yellow tint was precisely what she had seen in her flash.
    Nothven shifted back to his Oefric form and joined them at the shuttle. “Can you fly this?”
    Mae nodded. “I hope so. Let’s go.”
    They sealed the hatch, and Mae slid behind the