Chapter One
The private spacecraft touched down in the ship yard with a familiar groan. Hannah swung her booted feet off the oversized chair in front of her, and pressed her palms against the window. A few people outside had turned to stare.
Her dad just had to travel in style! Yeah, the small craft moved faster and smoother than most, but just the sight of it would tell everyone that someone uncommonly wealthy and powerful travelled inside.
Which was exactly the opposite of what she wanted.
At least mother hadn’t come. The woman had been a sobbing mess. The academy was already like a ghost, its memories haunting her mother with every step. Seeing her daughter there… Hannah couldn’t even imagine how badly that would’ve ended.
But how to deal with her father?
She leaned back in her chair and regarded him. Here goes nothing!
“It might be better if you waited in the ship,” she suggested in her least argumentative voice.
Her father lowered his computer interface, one brow raised in annoyance. “Do you think I travelled with you all the way here simply to-- how did you put it? Wait in the ship?”
Disappointment flared. A true parent would’ve understood that an adult child deserved independence. Even on one of the most important days of her life, it was ‘the commander’ escorting her to the academy, not her father. She should’ve known the moment he’d donned his deep blue uniform, perfectly starched and pressed as always.
You did know, her brain insisted, but the ache in her heart said she’d hoped she was wrong.
“Please?” she forced a smile.
He raised his interface once more, so only his neatly trimmed, steel-gray hair peeked over the top of it. “I pulled more strings than you can possibly imagine to allow you to attend The Starflight Academy under your mother’s maiden name. Even though I consider it an insult to my family. I will not act as your chauffeur, too.”
Hannah took a deep breath, fighting the urge to explode. “There isn’t much point in all of that if we enter the school together- now, is there?” she challenged.
He glared over the top of his computer. “If I had it my way, you’d either be attending the academy with guards at your side, around the clock, or I’d simply assign you a position on my ship. And before you interrupt me, yes, I do admire your desire to follow in my footsteps. After all your training already, I think it requires a certain kind of person to be willing to attend this challenging of a program, simply because your drive to never settle for less.” He paused. “That’s a Stowe family trait I might add.”
His praise, even wrapped in anger, stunned her. Perhaps he was starting to think of how much he was going to miss her when she was gone. Regardless about how much he mumbled about his ‘rebellious’ child.
“BUT,” he added, squashing her hopes with one word. “I also think your ego is outweighing your intelligence. Being my child is dangerous. The fact that you want to pretend otherwise doesn’t make the truth of your situation any different. By going here, you are putting yourself and me at risk.”
It took her a second to answer. And when she did, her words came out dangerously calm. “One day I’m going to be the captain of a class ten ship, and there is nothing in the world anyone can do to stop me.”
Her father didn’t respond. His gaze was already back on his screen.
Frustrated, she tapped her fingers on her leg, feeling precious seconds ticking away. She needed to change his mind before it was too late. She was twenty-one god-damn years old, she didn’t need her daddy to drop her off, and she certainly didn’t need the Fleet Admiral ruining any chance she had at a normal academy experience.
“We both know why I don’t want to be connected to you here.” The idea of living in her father’s shadow forever made her feel as if the walls were closing in around her. “But you’ve got to admit, the less people who know I’m your daughter, the safer I’ll be.”
There was a moment of silence. “This topic is closed.” Then, after a moment, he added. “We both know how gravely you want to be free of me, but remember, your people still need you. Whenever I call, your service to us will come above all else.”
Like he would ever let her forget.
She touched the small scar just below her hairline. “I remember.”
Looking back out her window, she stared at the crowded dock. Spaceships of all shapes and sizes had come from many worlds to drop the next class of students at the prestigious academy. She wanted to be anonymous among them. To create a new life, a new reputation for herself based upon her own merit.
At the same time, it wasn’t smart to push her father. She’d learned a long time ago that if she did, he would simply say no, and there wasn’t enough begging, pleading, or threatening in the world that would change his mind. But that left her few options in a situation like this.
A lot of people said his decisiveness was one of the many reasons he made such a great commander of the Earth fleet. But it made a lousy quality in a father. He simply didn’t bend. Ever.
“I hope William is here.” Her best friend was the one person who understood her complicated relationship with her father, and she’d missed him fiercely over the past few weeks.
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
She stiffened at her father’s response, not realizing she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.
“It’d take a miracle for him to reach Turonga. Without a private ship, he’d need a great deal of money and a whole lot of luck to find someone able to fly him this far,” he stated, not looking up from whatever he was reading on his computer. “The Academy strives to accept its recruits from families of good-standing. A gardener’s son is hardly—“
“You mean families with money.” Heat rushed over her as anger built.
“Contrary to what you think of me, it isn’t his lack of money that concerns me as much as his race. Chamyions are gutless weasels. His father was a gardener. His father before him was a gardener, and if I was going to make a bet, I’d say this boy will be a gardener, as well. Working on a ship requires a certain… strength of spirit and will that his genetics simply don’t lend themselves to.”
She clenched the plush handles on her seat and leaned forward. “You don’t know him at all. He’ll be here.” She paused only a second, not long enough to stop her words before they came. “Although we could’ve guaranteed it if we’d only allowed him to use our ship.”
He lowered his computer and met her unwavering gaze. “If he can’t make it here on his own, he’ll never pass the test to get in. It would’ve been a waste of all our time.”
She stood. “You just wait—“
“Sit down,” he commanded, his tone no longer that of a father, but a captain. “This isn’t the time for female hysterics.”
Every muscle begged her to do exactly the opposite. Her heart urged her to shatter his computer console against the window. But her mind knew how all of this would end, which was quite badly. He’d probably march her right up to the front door and announce her identity to the entire academy.
With effort, she forced herself to sit.
Her heart pounded. William had to be here! And he had to pass the test! That would show her father he was wrong.
The door to their ship opened and father set his computer down. Rising to his feet, he smoothed the deep blue fabric of his uniform and strode out the door and down the carpeted steps. “Dean Sufters, Professor Walters, how good of you both to meet me here.”
The dean’s voice was grave as she answered back. “Of course. The new recruits will be amazed to see Fleet Admiral Stowe here to greet them.”
Their voices grew quieter. Glancing back through the window, she saw them walking across the spaceship dock. The dean raised her bony arms in one direction, and then the other, pointing out things around the docking yard.
Now is my chance.
Grabbing her duffel bag, she sprang out of her seat and down the steps. Instantly, the commotion of the dock se
nt her pulse jumping in excitement. Engines roared as spaceships both landed and took off. Airspace Marshal’s in flashing yellow clothes directed traffic. Chattering students walked the path leading into The Academy, causing their own sort of chaos.
It hit her, she’d never felt more at home anywhere in her life.
Darting toward the wide pedestrian path, she effortlessly avoided baggage cars; all while kept her eyes on the skies. Just in case. She didn’t want to be the woman nearly squashed by a spaceship. Not on her first day.
An Airspace Marshal glared at her, blocking her way. “Where’s your escort? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to be running through the dock unaccompanied—“
“Apologies!” she shouted, ignoring his warning.
She didn’t slow until she stepped onto the glowing blue surface of the path. Glancing back at her father, his attention was completely consumed by whatever conversation he was having. Good. But it wasn’t until she was out of his sight that she finally took a deep breath and eased into a walk.
Her father would be angry when he discovered she’d left, but he wouldn’t do anything about it. Because if he did, everyone would know that the great Fleet Admiral Stowe might be able to effortlessly control the skies, but not his daughter. Never her.
She was free for the first time in her life! Or at least as free as she could ever be. Her father would have eyes everywhere, watching her. But this was not like being back at their mansion, or on board her father’s ship the Allure. She’d finally get to interact with people whose jobs and lives didn’t depend on her father.
And there would be lots of other people around her age. What would that even be like?
Stopping, she looked up at the towering school building. Made from a pristine white stone, it was both beautiful and extremely strong. It had endured five attacks over its three hundred years, and although she knew a few sections had been rebuilt, the rest showed no signs of any of it. At twelve stories tall, with glittering windows, it was everything she’d always dreamed of. And more.
This is what she’d been working her entire life for. In one year from today, she’d be graduating from the best flight academy in the universe. After that, she wouldn’t be given a Level Ten ship right off the bat, but eventually, she’d be the third woman in history to every command such a large vessel.
She smiled. That was the plan. All she had to do was stay focused.
A ship flew overhead, but the sound it made was a soft hum, unlike anything she’d heard before. It landed lightly, like a bird settling upon a branch, rather than a giant mechanism touching down. Her jaw dropped. It was a living ship.
Bright green and the size of a small building, twisting vines made up its hull. There were windows and weapons woven into the outside, a seamless combination of technology and nature. Tiny white flowers sprung in intricate patterns, giving it a beauty that lacked in the ships around it.
She took a step towards it. Only Keltairs could fly a living ship. They were given to a child when they reached puberty and grew with the child, if given enough care. She’d studied them extensively, since peace with the Keltairs never seemed to last for long. And her father had taught her- it was important to always know one’s enemy.
But what was a Keltair doing at the academy?
“Hannah!”
She turned instantly at the familiar voice, all thoughts of the unique ship gone with her excitement. “William!”
He grinned and started to jog towards her down the path. His thin body moved almost awkwardly as he ran. He slowed a bit, raising one hand to push back his dark glasses as they slid down his nose. His pale green skin looked paler beneath the harsh sunlight of Turonga. For an instant, she wondered why he wasn’t wearing his floppy hat over his bald head to help protect his sensitive skin. But as he drew closer, his widening smile pushed away her concerns.
“You’re here! I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.”
She embraced him. “I’m so glad you made it.”
Tears choked her throat as they clung to each other for a long moment, before she pulled back.
His face was flushed. “I told you nothing would stop me.”
“And, you’re officially in?”
He pulled a neatly folded paper from the pocket of his frayed shirt and opened it gently. “I just got the notice.”
She hugged him again, crushing the paper between them. People said the gardener’s son was over-reaching when he became her unofficial training partner in preparation for the academy. But she’d known better.
In her life, she’d come across many different people, and she knew he had it in him to be a great engineer on a spaceship. So, she’d made him her partner whenever she trained at the mansion, teaching him all she learned from her ‘official’ tutors aboard the Allure.
Even knowing that he’d never be recruited for the academy, he’d focused on learning everything he needed to know to become a spaceship engineer. He’d have to join the one percent of people who arrived the week before sign-up to be tested. If he passed, he’d be given a full scholarship to attend. She’d spent the past three weeks wondering if he’d not only made it safely to Turonga, but also if he’d passed the test. The fact that he’d done both was almost miraculous.
“I’m so proud of you.” She squeezed his arms, then released him, shifting her bag. “Do you know what group you’ll be in?”
He avoided her gaze. “The Hawks.”
It took her a second to recover from her surprise. “That’s… that’s amazing!”
The hawks were the most elite group of trainees. She’d been placed in it with ease, but from a young age she’d spent day in and day out on a Level 10 spaceship learning the ropes of her future career firsthand. The Hawks were groomed for such success from the time they were born. The fact that William had gotten into it… well, it was yet another miracle.
“Yeah,” he said. “It was a surprise to me, too.”
“Wow,” she pushed a strand of her long, black hair out of her face. “Has a walk-on ever entered the Hawks before?”
He shrugged. “Not sure.”
“Well, we’ll have to celebrate for sure.” She tried to hide her shock with pleasure. “And now we’ll have at least our core classes together.”
He nodded, staring down at his feet.
A sound from behind made her turn around. The live ship had opened. The most incredible man she’d ever seen stepped out. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his impossibly muscular chest. Even his stomach was covered in hard, tanned muscles.
Something within her clenched. She didn’t know what a human was doing coming out of a Keltair ship, and she didn’t care.
He was big, bigger than any man she’d seen before. His dark hair, left a little shaggy, and his scruff of beard gave him the undeniable look of a man who knew what he wanted and simply took it. She bit her lip. Alpha males were a particular weakness of hers, and this man set off every alarm she had while he simultaneously drew her toward him. Like gravity.
His gaze snapped up to meet hers. The world melted away. Need flashed in his dark eyes. His jaw tensed. She could sense his physical response to her. It was an electric current running between them. He strode towards her purposely.
“Hello?” William stepped in front of her, trying to get her attention.
She almost pushed him out of the way. “Move.”
Anger flashed across his face. “Too busy checking out the eye candy to notice that Fleet Admiral Stowe is heading straight for you?”
It was like a face full of cold water. She looked behind her, and sure enough, her father was heading in her direction. No one else would’ve noticed the flicker of annoyance in his eyes, but she knew, and she had no intention of dealing with it.
“Let’s go.”
They hurried towards the academy building. She allowed herself one last chance to look back at Mr. Muscles. His eyes were locked on her as he stared around a Keltair who’d blocked his path.
Good.
That was dangerous. She’d promised herself no more than a one night stand or two to get herself through the academy. And that man didn’t fit the bill. He was the sort of guy she’d want to spend weeks on, exploring every inch of him. She’d want to know what turned him on. She’d want to bend him to her will and leave him begging for satisfaction.
She felt herself growing wet.
Shit. She was glad she’d brought her trusty vibrator, Turbo. Otherwise, this year was going to be the most frustrating one of her life. But she could manage, with Turbo’s help, just as long as she stayed as far away as possible from Mr. Muscles.
But for some reason, she was sure the real thing looked a hell of a lot better than something she’d have to leave charging by her bed each night.