Camille's Capture Read Online Free Page A

expression warred with his patently insincere tone. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing more I can do. I’m afraid we’ve run out of time. I’m due in the council meeting.”
    Camille nodded numbly.
    He snapped his fingers at his attendants. “You will escort the Earth woman to her embassy.”
    “I don’t need guards.” She backed away from the men, hating the flash of pity she saw on their stern faces. When even hardened warriors felt sorry for her, she was in serious trouble.
    “It is not safe for a female to wander around unescorted.” The elder dismissed her objection, using enough force to make his words a command.
    Caged between the two fierce males, she focused on her feet.
    The newly matched couples buzzed again. Their whispered speculation carried to her ears on notes of shock and pity.
    A wide swath cleared as though disgrace were contagious.
    If not for the heavy costume, ridiculous headdress, and fragile shoes, she would’ve run. Her face heated, and she refused to look at either of her escorts. They signaled for a skimmer, a much smaller, sparser model than the ambassador’s. By the time she sank into a seat, she panted for breath, pretending her hot cheeks were from wrestling with her elaborate costume rather than from rejection.
    She almost snorted to think she’d worried about being unfair to the males selected for her. Obviously her concern for their tender feelings was a nonissue. If her matches had shown…
    Though her face still burned from the public humiliation, she shivered. She’d come frighteningly close to losing herself in this strange and violent world where women were property, men killers, and an endless war their daily reality.
    Abruptly she made up her mind to leave this Goddess-forsaken planet on the next ship bound for Earth.
    The warriors pulled the skimmer next to the embassy’s back gate, and Camille clambered out with a murmured, “Thank you.”
    With curt nods in her general direction, they zoomed off. She trudged into the compound, dreading the round of explanations and pity parties waiting for the only female ever rejected in the whole history of New Eden.
    No sympathy, please. Thanks anyway . She was already full of self-pity. To give herself time to regain some composure, she took the path between the lush grounds and the outer wall. There no gain in sharing her disgrace with everyone in the embassy. Better for her to keep to the shadows and wait for the next transport back to the space station, where she could board the first ship returning for Earth.
    On her second loop around the grounds, one of the sisterhood’s shuttle crafts touched down and idled on the landing pad. The Goddess was watching over her. She picked up her cumbersome skirts and dashed for the waiting transport.

Chapter Two
     
    New Eden Space Sector H
    Same day, 4402 SG
     
    Jaxon snapped on the battle harness, dropped the stern shields, and pulled the trigger before the system even registered his possession of the controls. “Come on, baby. We ain’t got all day,” he muttered, coaxing the fighter to respond.
    A weapon indicator blinked green. Jaxon had a lock. The blaster spit death at the ship angling for a kill shot. In the instant after firing, he thumbed to activate the forward shields. The force field snapped into place a fraction of a second before the enemy’s blast hit.
    He whooped with triumph as his shot rammed home before the other pilot raised his defenses.
    The Baldorean craft exploded into debris.
    “ Well done,” Aegis, his copilot, yelled from the tail chair.
    Two more enemy fighters dove into range. Jaxon engaged top thrusters to drop below the incoming vessels. Aiming straight up, he fired belly shots. The first ship took a direct hit and flamed out. The second angled to ninety degrees, evading his blast. The survivor fired twice before phasing out of range.
    “Damn! I missed. Got him?” Jaxon yanked his duranium -powered weapon back to level, already sighting in on the