Chapter 1 Abby

Abby froze in front of her apartment door, unable to believe what she was hearing. Inside, her deadbeat dad had just promised her to his loan shark to cover a debt.

“S-she’ll be back soon, I swear. An hour, tops.” Her father’s voice shook as he spoke.

Abby backed away from the door as icy fingers of dread filled her chest. Somehow, she wasn’t surprised her father had stooped so low.

“Y-you’ve seen her,” he continued. “She’s young. Pretty. Totally worth the credits.”

Abby shook her head, more in dismay than in disbelief. Numb, she turned and marched down the stairs and out of the building. The colony transport she’d taken home was still there, thank goodness. Grabbing her comm unit, she hired it again, and the door opened when she held her comm to the sensor. She didn’t allow herself to stop and think too much until she was safely inside and hidden behind the darkened windows.

Where the hell should she go now? She didn’t want to be there when they came looking for her. She directed the transport to drive around the block. Reka 5 was decked out in festive Christmas decorations, and if she ignored the Talleans and the Tallean glyphs on every sign, she could almost pretend this was a foreign city on Earth gearing up for the holidays.

A mixed human-Tallean colony made up of mostly escaped Dominion slaves, Reka 5 celebrated something that was a mashup of Christmas and the Tallean winter solstice festival. Together with the clearly recognizable signs of Christmas—lights and decorated trees—there were also baskets of white azak flowers on every street corner and garlands of winter berries hanging around the doors and windows.

She considered calling her best friend Jenny. The two women had become fast friends when, as a volunteer on the colony welcoming committee, Abby had been sent to meet with Jenny after Ckarus found and rescued the human woman from New Rhea. But Abby knew her friend would insist she stay with her and her mate, and she didn’t want to be a third wheel in their home during the holidays, especially given that the Tallean winter solstice festival focused on inviting fertility for the coming season. Talleans weren’t exactly secretive about their sex lives, and she might see or hear too much.

After circling the block twice, she ordered the transport to head back to her workplace.

Today was the last business day before the repair shop she worked for closed for the winter solstice, so she could probably stay there without anyone knowing. Her boss, Grogen, was probably on his way to his cabin in the woods already. He’d let everyone leave early today so he could get home, grab his supplies, and head out before the forecasted storm hit.

It was a trip Grogen took every winter solstice to get away from all the celebrations. It wasn’t that he was a Grinch per se , but he did get a bit grumpier during the annual mid-winter festivities. Right now, Abby didn’t blame him. The holidays were supposed to be a time of family and celebration, and she didn’t have any family to celebrate with—unless you counted her deadbeat dad. To be honest, she currently regretted letting him back into her life.

Abby sighed as she climbed out of the transport. The front door of the repair shop might set off the alarm after hours, so she went around to the back, but not before grabbing a white azak bloom from the basket she’d set out a few days ago by the front door.

For three days straight, the two younger Tallean mechanics had been keeping their eyes on her hair, hoping to see her come into the shop with one or two of the fragrant blooms in it. They’d been sorely disappointed. Now that the shop was empty, she could safely wear one without accidentally giving them the false hope that she’d gift the blooms to one or both of them, indicating that she’d like to spend the winter solstice in their beds.

There was nothing against hooking up with co-workers in the Tallean culture. It had been weird at first, but she was used to it now.

The only person in the shop who had never hit on her was Grogen. And unfortunately, he was the one that piqued her interest.

But she knew that her boss wasn’t interested in her in “that way.” He was never unkind, but he didn’t speak with her any more than was necessary for the job. If Abby hadn’t been working here for years and become accustomed to his resting grump face, she would’ve thought he only put up with her because she was a damned good receptionist, and it would be too much hassle to find and train someone else.

She did most of the front-facing work for the transport repair shop, communicating with clients and vendors. She also did most of the business filings. The pay was decent—good enough that she could afford her own apartment without need of a roommate. So she didn’t mind the grumpy boss so much.

Grogen was generally curt and gruff to everyone , especially around the winter solstice, so she knew it wasn’t her. Plus, grumpy disposition aside, her boss was covered in bulging muscles and very easy on the eyes. And his distinctive Tallean cheek creases gave him a sculpted look.

She enjoyed watching him work, particularly when he was moving the larger pieces around. Mmm. Yummy, yummy muscles. And the way he knew his way around every single vehicle and piece of machinery that was brought in was hot as sin too! Grogen was the epitome of capable.

And capable was the ultimate in sexy in her books.

She pushed the thoughts of her grumpy-but-sexy boss out of her head and focused on her current dilemma. Legally, Daddy Dearest couldn’t just trade her like that, not here in Reka 5. But the people he dealt with probably didn’t care if they were breaking the law.

The smell of machine parts and oil greeted her as she stepped into the garage. There were no vehicles here today, and it was strange to see it so empty. She made her way into the tiny staff room and flopped down onto the couch, wondering how the hell she had ended up here.

“Why did I ever think he’d change?” she grumped aloud to the empty room.

She could so easily have pretended not to recognize him. He probably wouldn’t have recognized her . But when she’d first seen her father there with the group that had been rescued from the Dominion mining ship, her heart had broken for him, and she’d had a lapse in judgment. She’d thought that getting abducted by aliens and being forced to work in a mine for a few years would've given him a chance to cut his double whammy of an alcohol and gambling habit.

She’d been wrong. But by the time she’d realized that he hadn’t changed one bit, it had been too late.

But Abby wasn’t the same unsure young woman she’d been when she packed her bags and moved out of her father’s house all those years ago. She was smarter now. Besides, that was her apartment he was currently squatting in.

What did he think would happen after he offered Abby to his loan shark, anyway? That she’d keep paying the rent so that he’d have a place to stay? Yeah, fuck that.

It was time she left that crappy apartment, anyway: it was too far from the shop, the walls were paper-thin, and her neighbors sucked. She’d only rented it because it was all she could afford back then. But she’d been saving up for a better place.

She fished her communicator out of her purse and messaged the housing office for her apartment complex. She immediately got an automated reply that they were closed for the holidays. Duh. Everything was closed.

She probably wouldn’t be able to reach anyone for the next two or three days. Whatever. At least when they finally checked their messages, they’d see hers and know that she was ending her stay there, and not to expect any more rent from her.

With the azak bloom tucked into her hair, she took off her coat, tossed it over the back of the couch, and removed her shoes. Then she got to work, looking for a new place to live. Reka 5 had grown a lot since she first arrived. The repair shop had once been at the edge of the colony, but now the entire sector was built up and thriving. Ooh, maybe she could find a unit in one of the newer fancy buildings.

She was interrupted by an emergency colony-wide broadcast on her comm unit warning that the incoming storm would be hitting early and for everyone to get to shelter, stat. She went to the window. Sure enough, the snow was coming down harder now, and the wind was blowing the wet, heavy flakes sideways.

She was glad Grogen kept the shop heated throughout the holidays to protect the various fluids from freezing. It looked freaking cold outside, but she was toasty warm in here—so warm, in fact, that she felt overdressed.

She pulled off her super comfy sweater dress and leggings and folded them neatly on the table before returning to the couch in just her silky slip. There was a message from her father on her comm which she ignored, deciding she wasn’t going to waste a second more on that ass. Instead, she sent a message to Jenny, explaining what had happened and that she was staying at the repair shop since it was empty and not to worry. Then she continued her search for a new place to live.

She was trying hard not to fall asleep and focus on her screen when a sound had her bolting straight up. Fuck, was there someone in the shop? Suddenly, the door to the staff room swung open, slamming against the wall, and she gasped when she saw her boss there, arms crossed and glaring at her.

“What in the Stars are you doing here, Abby?”