Sci-Fi Romance, Romantic Intrique
Date Published: February 20, 2026
Tarik watched the young woman pacing the cargo bay of his ship. Tall and
willowy, she stalked the width of the cell with angry strides of long, slim
legs. A short, fitted tunic did little to hide her shapely figure, and he felt
a spark of heat ignite in his gut despite his mistrust of her kind. Wisps of
wavy, chestnut hair escaped from the single braid that hung to her waist, and
her green eyes sparkled with rage.
He felt the corner of his mouth tilt
upward as she aimed a kick at the wall. He'd bet if he could hear what she was
muttering, it wouldn't be very ladylike. Of course, she wasn't really a lady.
Krystal de Mylar was a Stargazer, one of the few who hadn't yet sold her
talents to the Intergalactic Council. Probably holding out for a better deal,
he thought cynically.
The lack of military security surrounding her had
made her an ideal target when he realized he needed to acquire one of the
accursed witches in order to rescue his brother. Tarik's renegade status made
it impossible to post a job proposal with the Stargazers' Guild, so he'd
simply used his resources to plan and execute the perfect kidnapping.
Unfortunately, none of his cybernetic enhancements would help him explain to
the infuriated redhead why he'd spirited her away from her home without her
consent.
The woman stopped pacing and pivoted to face the hovering droid,
her eyes narrowed so that the green irises sparkled like gems. She'd obviously
realized someone was monitoring her. A flicker of heat ran up his spine as she
stood still, legs spread and hands on hips. Her mouth moved, and his attention
dropped to her full, luscious lips as they moved slowly in exaggerated
speech.
You are going to regret this.
It wasn't hard to read her
lips. Or the threat in her eyes. He sure hoped she didn't know how to wrap the
interplanetary energy lines around his neck.
"Not exactly what I'd
expected." He turned to address his second-in-command. "I pictured someone
older, and tougher."
Ryan grinned. "And a little less mouthwateringly
attractive? Might have made it easier to deal with her. Do you want me to go
in first and soften her up a bit? Your reputation with the ladies doesn't bode
well for gaining her co-operation."
Tarik sighed. They'd managed to
spirit Krystal out from under the noses of her parents and her bodyguards
without a problem, but they needed her to co-operate if they hoped to
accomplish their mission.
Stargazers could sense the energy lines that
connected the stars and planets. They had the ability to grasp those lines and
harness the energy for their own use. If she agreed to help them rescue his
brother Cynn, all they'd need to do was narrow down his location and the witch
could use the energy lines to get them in and out of Intergalactic space
undetected by the patrolling warships. He didn't understand how the Stargazers
accomplished it, but the results were irrefutable, which explained why the
unscrupulous bastards running the Intergalactic Council made a point of hiring
as many of the witches as possible.
Before his parents were murdered by
the Council, they'd likened the Stargazers' abilities to the witches of Old
Earth, who used the planet's ley lines to feed their magic. They'd been
baffled though, by the Stargazers' tendency to accept employment with the
restrictive Intergalactic Council. He sighed, running his fingers through his
short hair. The longer he put this off, the angrier the witch would get.
"Get
her into a set of restraints and bring her up to the interrogation chamber."
He turned to leave, pausing when Ryan grabbed his arm. He looked pointedly at
the offending hand, raising one eyebrow questioningly.
Ryan let go of his
arm. "Restraints? Are you serious? She's already pissed. You need to convince
her to help us, and treating her like a criminal isn't going to win you any
brownie points."
That might be true, but he wanted her under control
until she agreed to help. "Just the wrist restraints, then." He ignored Ryan's
glare of disapproval. "If I understand the theory, she can't hook into the
power of the energy lines without lifting her arms, so we should be safe
enough."
Ryan's disbelieving snort told him what his second-in-command
thought about that.
"Get her up there. Now." He issued the command in
what he hoped was a stern tone, pivoting to stalk out of the room. The damn
witch hadn't been on his ship for a full solar cycle and already she was
causing trouble.
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