Click on image to enlarge.

	Regular				Club
You Pay:	$4.99				$4.24

eBook Category: Erotica/Romance
eBook Description: Temis Freya constantly works to be taken seriously in a man's world, battling her beauty and a stubborn male mindset. Now a peacemaker close to promotion, she finds herself unfortunately assigned to an undercover mission with a man known only as Gren, an infamous mercenary with a reputation as a murderer and thief. Gren, a secret protector of the Thesha, wants nothing more than his first vacation in years, but he's unable to let the plight of kidnapped young women go unanswered. Drafted into helping the peacemakers, he is further drawn into the game by the magnificent though stubborn woman fighting herself and him at every turn. The sparks fly when Gren and Temis discover a passion sizzling all too close to the surface. And soon they realize that only by working together can they accomplish their mission, and reach the wonders of true love. Rating: Contains explicit sex, graphic language, and some situations which could be offensive to sensitive readers.

eBook Publisher: New Concepts Publishing, Published: 2005
Fictionwise Release Date: October 2005

242 Reader Ratings: Great Good OK Poor

Available eBook Formats [MultiFormat - What's this?]: Adobe Acrobat (PDF) [1.0 MB], eReader (PDB) [192 KB], Palm Doc (PDB) [182 KB], Rocket/REB1100 (RB) [162 KB], Microsoft Reader (LIT) [161 KB] - PocketPC 1.0+ Compatible, Franklin eBookMan (FUB) [212 KB], hiebook (KML) [456 KB], Sony Reader (LRF) [230 KB], iSilo (PDB) [151 KB], Mobipocket (PRC) [188 KB], Kindle Compatible (MOBI) [220 KB], OEBFF Format (IMP) [239 KB]
Words: 54531
Reading time: 155-218 min.
Microsoft Reader (LIT) Format: Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
Adobe Acrobat (PDF) Format:  Printing DISABLED, Read-Aloud ENABLED
All Other formats: Printing DISABLED, Read-aloud DISABLED
ISBN: 1-58608-575-1

"No."

"But Gren, you haven't heard--"

"No." Gren shook his head. "Not yes, not maybe, but no." Stretched out on a lounge chair by the side of the pool, the stubborn man sighed and closed his eyes, shutting out the rest of the world.

Sernal of Mardu clenched his jaw. Why had he expected the damned mercenary to hear him out? He glanced around at the tropical paradise surrounding them and grudgingly acknowledged Gren's refusal. What could Sernal offer to compare with a few weeks in paradise?

The resort overlooked Aflera's largest ocean, blushing under the noon sun. Not a cloud marred the sky, creating a scene of almost unreal perfection. Large, green leafed palms surrounded the resort, framing the ocean's beauty. From Sernal's vantage, he overlooked the lavender pool in front of him. Beyond the pool lay white sand so soft the grains felt like silk under one's feet, and the pale rose-colored ocean water teamed with finwhales, mraun fish, and a myriad of delectable marine food available on the resort's high-priced, gourmet menu.

Sernal sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Can I at least buy you a drink?"

Gren eyed him suspiciously before nodding. They sat in silence for a moment before an extremely attractive woman joined them. Gren leaned back in the lounger, sighing under the ministrations of his personal thraia, one of the resort's legendary massage therapists.

As her many hands crept over Gren's neck, shoulders and arms, Sernal repressed a wave of envy to have those gifted hands over his body. Native to the planet, the thraia had an innate skill for pleasure. With six hands and eight digits on each hand, they made a simple massage orgasmic. And the sex, he paused and stared at the thraia's sensual eyes half-closed in concentration, the sex was rumored to be indescribably erotic.

"I'll take the drink, Sernal, but nothing else." Gren murmured something unintelligible to the thraia that had her giggling before she left. "Talk about wainu," he said with a groan as he rolled his shoulders. "I've found utter peace without sex. I wouldn't have believed it possible before now."

Sernal waved down a server and ordered them two Aflera Ambrosias. As he watched the server leave, he wondered how best to reintroduce his needs to the wary mercenary.

If he hadn't needed Gren's particular skills so badly, he would have left the overtaxed man alone. But with so many women gone missing in so little time, he needed the legendary Thesha's gifts, and the sooner the better.

Staring at Gren's form clad in swimming trousers and nothing else, he subtly approved Gren's musculature, earned from years of harsh discipline and training. Sernal's gaze wandered to Gren's only imperfection, a jagged scar that ran from his left hand up his forearm. Gren had never offered the story behind the scar, and Sernal knew it best not to pry.

Though friends with the Thesha, Sernal instinctively sensed the danger surrounding the larger man. Gren had earned his reputation as a fierce warrior and tenacious adversary, one who had never been beaten.

Gren sighed and rolled his eyes at Sernal's intense gaze. "Sernal, you're steadily becoming a royal pain in my ass. The first time in three years I'm finally able to take a break, and I find you blocking my sun just hours after my arrival. What is it with you Mardu?"

"What can I say? It's in our blood to be persistent."

"I think you mean obnoxious," Gren muttered and accepted the drink the server handed him. He took a long swallow and smiled, the action drawing the stares of several nearby women.

Sernal noticed and shook his head. "Can't you turn it off?"

"You're persistent, I'm desirable." Somehow Gren uttered the words without sounding conceited. "What can I say? It's hereditary." He guzzled his Ambrosia and set the empty glass by his side.

Sernal stared at the glass, amazed Gren had imbibed the strong liquor so quickly. "I'd say your metabolism is nothing short of amazing too."

"I'm surprised you didn't know that." Gren lowered his voice. "Alcohol doesn't affect my kind the way it does others. We have a natural tolerance for fermented fruits. Certain drugs, however," he paused, his expression darkening, "can be lethal."

Sernal saw a golden opportunity and charged forward. "You know how it feels to be powerless all too well, don't you?" It might not have been smart, but reminding Gren of his imprisonment years ago would have more of an impact than a simple entreaty for help. "Imagine helpless young women undergoing what you suffered. Except they don't escape. No one rides in to their rescue."

"I wasn't rescued," Gren said between clenched teeth. "I was two seconds from killing that bitch Cari when you entered the scene, running late as usual." Then he cursed under his breath. "I'm just not going to be rid of you until you tell me what's on your mind, am I?"

Sernal drained the rest of his glass, feeling overly warm as he did so. Unlike the Thesha, the Mardu were susceptible to alcohol. "Nope. So you might as well hear me out."

Gren stared at him for a moment before he stood abruptly, flexing his massive arms as he whipped a towel around his neck. "Fine then. Follow me."

Sernal trailed Gren to the most expensive section of the resort. Whistling as he followed Gren into a suite, Sernal stared in appreciation. "Being a mercenary must pay pretty well."

A small water fountain greeted them when they entered, and the room's soothing hues of amber and pale green blended with the tropical environment directly outside.

Through two open doors leading to an outside balcony, Sernal could clearly see a finwhale leaping in the air before it disappeared beneath the water. The wind blew, rustling the silken drapes framing the balcony doors, and the sweet smell of florantes teased his sensitive nose.

He almost felt bad for what he was about to do to Gren.

"Spill it," Gren ordered and wandered outside on the balcony.

"We have a total of fifteen missing women, all grabbed within the past month. All are from affluent families, and all from different provinces in Mardu."

Gren shrugged. "So tap system law. What do you need me for?"

"There's something about these crimes that smacks of peacemaker corruption."

Gren turned to stare at Sernal. "How so?"

Finally, a spark of interest. Sernal prayed to Flor his luck would continue. "The culprits have kidnapped five of the women from their own security. Eyewitness accounts paint our kidnappers as organized, controlled and possibly military.

"They cover all their bases a little too well. Neither Rafe nor myself has detected a trace of evidence at any of the crime scenes."

The picture Sernal drew intrigued Gren on several levels. The idea of women being misused made him itch uncomfortably to rectify the problem. And the idea that peacemakers were involved, lawmen who--with the exception of Sernal and Rafe--went out of their way to make his life miserable, made Gren's mouth water.