Maliuth: The Reborn Read online

  Maliuth burst out laughing at her boast. Before Alea could go into details about what she planned, Maliuth was pulling her into him and kissing her again. This time with passionate intent. Whenever Maliuth kissed her like this, she forgot what she was thinking. With abandon, she responded to the urgency in the lips against hers. There would be time to talk about it later. She would have to go before the Council. She also needed Ori’s help and a number of women to volunteer so she could experiment on them. Flaura putting her energy here on Abondiel was the best thing that could have happened for her. It was only fair that she returned the favor.

  “Hmmm.” Alea jumped at someone clearing their throat. “I hate to break this up but we could use your help.”

  Looking up she was horrified to see Ori was covered in scratches and bloodied. “Ori! What happened to you?” Running to place her hands on his arms, she willed the wounds to heal.

  “It wasn’t Emily’s fault.” Ori reassured her. “She is very scared and it seems hurt by a male before being Reborn. Galan has been greatly weakened and is currently unconscious.” He fidgeted with his robes and continued, “We are hoping that Emily might respond to a former Earth female.”

  She had been right that Emily was from Earth. Wondering what she was going to find in the temple, Alea stiffened her resolve and rushed inside. She would help with Emily in whatever way she could. Then she would start on unraveling the mystery of the lack of female offspring.

  In the Universal Nether three days earlier

  Flaura stamped the paperwork to send Emily Williams back to Earth for her three days as a spirit. With a flash, the Terran female was gone. This one was going to be tricky. There was so much anger in the tiny female that she wondered, not for the first time, if this wasn’t a mistake. She almost missed the snotty, purple tears of normal Terran females. The icy coldness Emily radiated was definitely a different experience.

  With a sigh, she snapped her fingers and filed the forms away. It was too late to turn back now. She would just have to see how it played out. If Emily missed her window, she would retrieve her immediately for another cycle on Earth. She wouldn’t let her become a lost particle. She had gained too much ground on that pompous Florian to lose it now. As if thinking of the annoying male caused him to appear, he materialized at her work desk.

  “How many Earth females are you going to send to Prion?” Florian pushed his square glasses higher onto his nose. This action just made it look as if he was looking down at her. Which is the effect he was going for. The only thing that dulled his snobbish appearance was the black lock of hair that fell over his forehead. “You know that Emily’s energy won’t have the same reaction as the one you sent before.”

  Flaura looked at Florian and smiled, “You are just jealous that I found a perfect use for Earth energy. Even if it works one in a hundred times, that is still good results.” She knew that her assessment was accurate when Florian stood taller and straightened his sweater vest. He always did that when he was flustered.

  “I am not jealous.” He denied heatedly, “I just don’t want you to waste good energy on your little experiment.” He looked around nervously, “What if you get…her…attention?”

  Flaura swallowed nervously, “I am not doing anything against regulations.” To make herself feel even better she added, “She has far better things to do than watch over the placement of a few Earth energies.”

  Florian didn’t look convinced, “Don’t be so sure about that.” He looked around, “Just be careful. I don’t want to see you get into trouble.”

  “Why Florian…” Flaura looked at him astonished, “I didn’t know you cared?”

  Florian backed away a few steps, “I don’t care…” He stammered, “I just don’t want to have to pick up the slack if you are taken off of placement duties.”

  They both jumped when a new voice spoke out. “What in the Universe are you talking about Florian? Has Flaura done something that would require me to take her off placement duties?”

  Turning in her seat, Flaura saw that the new arrival had taken one of her favorite guises. That of a Terran grandmother. Complete with the round body, silver hair, bespectacled face, overly large flowing dress and sandals. The image didn’t put her at ease. This was not just a boss…she was the boss. In this guise, they called her Tara.

  “Of course not.” Florian was quick to try to cover his earlier statement.

  “I am just working on the creative placement of some Earth energy.” Flaura insisted.

  “I have been watching the results of your last placement. There are some very interesting possibilities for Alea on Prion. Are you sure it is wise to add another Earth energy to the mix so soon?” Tara looked at her intently.

  It was like a splash of cold water on her confidence. Biting her lip in uncertainty, Flaura persisted. “I think that Emily is the right mate for Galan.”

  After a long pause Tara finally said, “I agree. Emily is going to be an…interesting addition to Prion.” Without another word, she disappeared her voice left floating in the void. “I will be watching how things evolve with your experiment.”

  Flaura couldn’t believe her good luck. She had made it through an inspection by Tara and hadn’t been relieved of duty…or worse.

  “I can’t believe that.” Florian was looking at her with a shocked expression on his face, “You just passed an inspection…without any corrective action recommended. It is unheard of…it is incomprehensible…it is—”

  “Back to work.” Tara’s voice thundered over them.

  Without a word of good-bye, Florian was gone. To Flaura’s thinking, this might be for the best. She needed to concentrate on getting Emily to Galan now that she had set the wheels in motion. She had a feeling that female was going to need all the prodding she could provide. With Tara watching, there was no way she could fail now. If she did, Emily might not be the only lost particle.

  With a course of action firmly in mind, Flaura disappeared out of her cubicle. She had work to do.

  Other Titles available:

  Terraneu Series

  Kniam: A Terraneu Novel (Book One)

  Knollig: A Terraneu Novel (Book Two)

  Knaleg: A Terraneu Novel (Book Three)

  Kneus: A Terraneu Novel (Book Four)

  Marcael: A Terraneu Novel (Book Five)

  Knadyn: A Terraneu Novel (Book Six)

  Aquadomina Series

  Raife: An Aquadomina Novel (Book One)

  About the Author

  What haven’t I talked about yet? I have gabbed about my two daughters. One has her Associates degree and is going for her BA. One is working toward her Associates degree, and then will decide on her BA. My husband and I celebrated our 23rd year of wedded bliss. (LOL…anyone who tells you it isn’t daily work is a liar!) Our four dogs are still terrorizing the house and I struggle daily to write around the canine fur ball in my lap. That pretty much summarizes my life here in the Wild West!

  As always, my thanks go out to everyone whose support and kindness gives me the push to make every day matter, and to write, edit, and publish my stories.

  I wish all my readers the best in 2015 and can’t believe how fast this year is going by! It is already the last few months of 2015 and since it’s my favorite time of year, I am very excited!

  There is a link on my webpage at http://www.stormymcknight.com/ if you want to send me your thoughts, or sign up to be on the mailing list for release updates and events. Also new covers, story ideas, book trailers and the latest news are posted on my website first.

  Stormy

 

 

 
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