Embrace the Romance
S. E. Smith
Embrace the Romance
Pets in Space 2
S.E. Smith
M.K. Eidem
Susan Grant
Michelle Howard
Cara Bristol
Veronica Scott
Pauline Baird Jones
Laurie A. Green
Sabine Priestley
Jessica E. Subject
Carol Van Natta
Alexis Glynn Latner
Copyright © 2017 by Cats, Dogs and Other Worldly Creatures
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
PEARL’S DRAGON: DRAGON LORDS OF VALDIER STORY, Copyright © 2017 by S.E. Smith. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the author.
A GRIM PET, Copyright © 2017 by M.K. Eidem. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
THE PRINCE, THE PILOT, AND THE PUPPY, Copyright © 2017 by Susan Grant. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
WIRED FOR LOVE, Copyright © 2017 by Michelle Howard. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
RESCUED BY THE CYBORG, Copyright © 2017 by Cara Bristol. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
STAR CRUISE: SONGBIRD, Copyright © 2017 Jean D. Walker. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
TIME TRAP, Copyright © 2017 Pauline Baird Jones. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
COURTING DISASTER: STARDOG2, Copyright © 2017 by Laurie A. Green. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
SENSATE, Copyright © 2017 by Sabine Priestley. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
GIB AND THE TIBBAR, Copyright © 2017 by Jessica E. Subject. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
PET TRADE, Copyright © 2017 Carol Van Natta. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
MASCOT, Copyright © 2017 by Alexis Glynn Latner. All rights reserved. Used with permission of author.
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Contents
About Embrace the Romance
Pearl’s Dragon
Acknowledgments
About Pearl’s Dragon
Pearl's Rules for Living:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Epilogue
Also by S.E. Smith
About the Author
A Grim Pet
About A Grim Pet
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by M.K. Eidem
About the Author
The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy
ABOUT The Prince, the Pilot, and the Puppy
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Epilogue
Why Susan Grant Wrote Star Puppy
Acknowledgments
Also by Susan Grant
About the Author
Wired For Love
About Wired for Love
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Also by Michelle Howard
About the Author
Rescued by the Cyborg
About Rescued by the Cyborg
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Note to readers
Acknowledgments
Also by Cara Bristol
About the Author
Star Cruise: Songbird
About Star Cruise: Songbird
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Also by Veronica Scott
About the Author
Time Trap
About Time Trap
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
History of Women in Gymnastics
Also by Pauline Baird Jones
About the Author
Courting Disaster: StarDog 2
About Courting Disaster: StarDog 2
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Also by Laurie A. Green
About the Author
Sensate
About Sensate
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Also by Sabine Priestly
About the Author
Gib and the Tibbar
About Gib and the Tibbar
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Why Jessica wrote GIB AND THE TIBBAR:
Also by Jessica E. Subject
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Pet Trade
About Pet Trade
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Also by Carol Van Natta
About the Author
Mascot
About Mascot
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Also by Alexis Glynn Latner
About the Author
Thank You
About Embrace the Romance
The pets are back! Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2, featuring twelve of today’s leading Science Fiction Romance authors brings you a dozen original stories written just for you! Join in the fun, from the Dragon Lo
rds of Valdier to a trip aboard award-winning author, Veronica Scott’s Nebula Zephyr to journeying back to Luda where Grim is King, for stories that will take you out of this world! Join New York Times, USA TODAY, and Award-winning authors S.E. Smith, M.K. Eidem, Susan Grant, Michelle Howard, Cara Bristol, Veronica Scott, Pauline Baird Jones, Laurie A. Green, Sabine Priestley, Jessica E. Subject, Carol Van Natta, and Alexis Glynn Latner as they share stories and help out Hero-Dogs.org, a charity that supports our veterans!
10% of the first month’s profits go to Hero-Dogs.org. Hero Dogs raises and trains service dogs and places them free of charge with US Veterans to improve quality of life and restore independence.
Pearl’s Dragon
Dragon Lords of Valdier Story
By
S.E. Smith
The single greatest gift for me is to be able to give to others. I am honored to share my talents to bring joy and offer support through the Embrace the Romance: Pets in Space 2
Project. ~ Susan
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Debbie, Christel, Sally, Jolanda, Lisa, Laurelle, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!
—S.E. Smith
About Pearl’s Dragon
Asim Kemark has lived a long, lonely life. It is his pledge to his former king and to Mandra Reykill that keeps him, his dragon, and his symbiot from going mad. He has given up on finding his true mate and devotes himself to caring for the wide assortment of creatures on Mandra and Ariel’s mountain retreat. The last thing he expects to happen when he visits the palace is to lose control of his dragon and his symbiot after they sense their true mate. Before he knows it, he has kidnapped her!
Pearl St. Claire is enjoying a new adventure – learning to live on an alien planet. As a mature woman in her sixties, she thought she had experienced just about everything life could throw at her – only to discover she hasn’t really experienced anything yet! She is both amused and exasperated when one of the dragon-shifting aliens kidnaps her, believing she is his true mate.
Life is no longer boring or lonely as Asim courts the enchanting and spirited, human woman, but he isn’t the only one who has noticed Pearl or the unusual animals under his care. When poachers attack, determined to steal the exotic creatures under his protection – including Pearl and a new clutch of alien eggs from Earth – he will do everything he can to protect them. Can one dragon keep the most precious creatures under his care safe, or will he lose the biggest battle of his life?
Pearl's Rules for Living:
Use your brain - that is why you have one.
Safety is something you take seriously, otherwise you end up dead.
If you have expressive eyes, keep them covered if you are going to bluff.
Give someone enough rope, and they are bound to get tangled and hang themselves.
Always carry a roll of quarters, you can do your laundry and knock out bad guys at the same time.
There are rules and there are rules, pick which ones work for you.
Don't fuck up unless you are willing to make it right.
Mistakes are good, learn from them and move on.
Always stay alert and don't let your guard down.
Ask yourself, ‘Am I ready for this?’ If the answer is yes, go for it. If the answer is no, run like hell.
If you are going to hit someone, make sure they stay down the first time. You might not get a second chance.
Don’t trust a man, especially a good-looking one who starts out with sweet words. Same goes for a woman, she just wants something.
A good book and fresh batteries can make your day tolerable.
Your word is your honor, be careful what you promise.
Humor solves any problem; think in animation.
The only opinion you have to worry about is your own, since you have to live with it.
Be the best possible you that you can be.
Your goal each day is to make it a good one.
Words can be as powerful as a fist; be careful how you use them.
If you or your family/friends’ lives are on the line, ignore all of the above except Rule Number 1.
Unbreakable rule: Family and friends come first. Be loyal, be true, and love them like there is no tomorrow.
Prologue
Present Day:
“The last rule I’m going to share is the Unbreakable Rule,” Pearl St. Claire stated in a firm tone. She released a sigh and raised an eyebrow at the scarred warrior sitting in one of the two chairs in the room. He was staring at the board she was pointing to with a mutinous expression. “What is it now, Brogan?”
“I told you when you started. I don’t follow anyone’s rules but my own,” Brogan stated, folding his arms.
“And look where that got you! All I can say is you’d better learn if you want to get out of this room - alive,” Pearl snapped in a sharper tone than she originally intended before adding the last word under her breath.
“Pearl,” Asim cautioned in a low voice from where he was sitting on a bench by the door.
Pearl slowly counted to thirty. She’d already bypassed ten and twenty. Why she was chosen for this exasperating task was beyond her. The only thing she could think of was that she had survived raising Riley and Tina without any casualties.
Surely, I can manage a few lessons in humility for the two men sitting in front of me, she thought.
Unfortunately, she felt like she was starting all over again – only this time during the toddler stage. Being over sixty, she’d thought she was finished dealing with stubborn, defiant, and downright ornery kids. Back on Earth, she’d been a surrogate grandmother to the kids in the neighborhood. During that time, she had seen and heard a lot. She was well aware that she was the kind of grandmother every kid wanted to have – and the one every parent wished they could hide in the closet.
She didn’t dress like a grandmother – she preferred leather and boots to dresses and pearls. She didn’t go to church; instead, she owned a bar. She never carried a wooden spoon, but hell if she didn’t still have a shotgun loaded with rock salt. Her platinum-white hair was cut short and she stayed in shape by doing Yoga, Zumba, and Weekend Warrior trainings with her newly adopted great-grandson.
Jabir, Mandra and Ariel’s son, had captured her heart as quickly as her own great-grandsons, Roam and Leo, had. Unfortunately, Roam and Leo lived on the Sarafin home world while she lived on Valdier. Living on another planet wasn’t much more of a problem than living across town – well, except for having to use a spaceship to visit. Still, Pearl was able to talk with the two boys regularly and they loved visiting her here.
At the moment, she would rather be with the cuddly little dragonling and his menagerie of unusual pets or her great-grandsons. It sure as hell beat resisting the urge to find a baseball bat and knock some sense into two well-seasoned warriors who had an elephant’s hair up their asses.
As it was, there were currently only the four of them – her, Asim, and the twin dragon warriors– in the barn’s tack room. Her classroom was not much larger than a ten by ten shed back home. There was just enough room for the table and two chairs that Asim had brought in earlier this morning, plus the bench he was sitting on by the door. Harnesses for the Pactors, leashes for the smaller animals, and maintenance tools hung neatly on two of the four walls. The floor was clean and the room smelled of the sweet warm grass that was used as hay for the animals in the outer stalls.
