Roark (Women Of Earth Book 1) (29 page)
Read Roark (Women Of Earth Book 1) Online
Authors: Jacqueline Rhoades
“I wasn’t responsible for the testing.”
“Neither was I. Sector Two finally sent me the information and I added the preventative to the troops’ inoculation schedule. I was going to tell Roark, but you didn’t stick to the agenda.”
Mira felt the warm air of Roark’s chuckle right above hernose. “Really, Mirasha, eavesdropping? My mother would have had us punished severely for such an offense.” He followed it with a soft kiss, then drew back, smiling.
The others kept arguing, but Mira wasn’t listening. She was staring up into a remarkable and alien face. It was a warrior’s face, focused and hard, with high cheekbones and a firm, but full lipped mouth. The brows above his eyes flared like the wings of a bird. His forehead was ridged, not deeply or unattractively, but not human either. His eyes were a vivid green that matched the emerald held in the mouth of the silver dragon that rose up from the lobe and curled over the tip of his ear. His skin was golden, the deep burnished gold of an ancient god and blood marked with dark symbols. Her first thought was that the face and body were frighteningly beautiful. Her second was that Roark wouldn’t be teasing her if she was dying.
“Hello, my Viking,” she whispered. “I think I fainted. I’ve never done that before.”
“Mason says it has to do with your heart rate and blood pressure. He says it’s not uncommon during pregnancy.”
“What?” She mustn’t have heard him right.
“You’re pregnant, Mirasha.”
She’d heard right. Mira sat up so fast, Roark had to jump back to avoid a head collision. She pointed her finger at Mason. “This is your fault!”
All talking stopped. All eyes turned to Mason. Mason raised his hands. “You’re not pinning this one on me.”
“You told me it couldn’t happen.” She looked up at Roark and her head began to swim. “He said it couldn’t happen,” she said as Roark eased her back down.
“I said the odds were against it based on the information I had at the time,” Mason protested, looking down at his diminutive partner. “That was ten percent. Apparently that estimation was way off base. It’s closer to ninety-five percent.”
“So you’re blaming me, too, now!”
“I didn’t say that, Sweetcheeks.”
“You don’t want my child, Mira miku?” There was uncertainty in Roark’s voice and wariness in his eyes. The monster reared its ugly head as it still did from time to time.
Mira’s hand went to her abdomen where a new life was growing. “It has nothing to do with your secret cyborg and everything to do with the unexpected. That isn’t the same as unwanted. I needed a moment to adjust to the thought of a child growing inside me.
“Your child,” she whispered and found the idea suddenly appealing. She smiled, “My child.”
“Our child.” He bent to kiss her.
She was beginning to enjoy the idea when other thoughts intervened.
“Oh, Roark, you argued with your father. You made your mother cry. They think I’m unsuitable. I heard it through the door.”
Roark shook his head. “A bad habit, Mirasha.”
“Would you like me to start listing yours, starting with your habit of keeping secrets?”
He was grinning. “My father and I have been arguing since I was old enough to speak. He’ll be happy I’m finally doing as he wants and providing his House with an heir. My mother was crying with happiness, because she’ll finally have a daughter. She cries over everything. She will cry again when you tell her the news.”
“Me? She’s your mother. You should tell her.”
“No,” Roark laughed. “I would rather go to war than listen to my mother’s plans for our wedding. That is your job as my future wife. It’s written in the contract and if it isn’t, I’ll see that it’s added before I sign.”
“Are you asking me to marry you?”
“No, I’m telling you that once my mother hears the news, we’ll have no choice. It is a good thing I find you sufficiently suitable for the job.”
She was about to give him a hard time about calling her sufficiently suitable when he took her hand in his.
“The Vikings of our world sailed the skies in dragon ships to find new worlds, beautiful and fertile wives, and wealth. I have found all three in this Earth, my Mirasha, and her love, and they are more pleasing to me than all my victories in war.”
That tarnished tongue was beginning to grow on her, too.
Roark’s kiss was as warm and wonderful as always, but this time it was filled with promise for the future and Mira knew she’d found it all, too.
“My Viking,” Mira whispered, leaning against him. “Bold, silver tongued warrior, conquering new lands, finding new riches, and performing daring feats of honor. That’s you. The legend.”
Roark gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Following the myth of a race of women who would save the Godan nation and this grumpy bastard warrior, too. That’s you, Mirasha, the myth made real.”
“Building a whole new world together, yours and mine.”
“That’s the dream, Mira miku, and you and I are living it.”
The myth, the legend, and the dream.
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The tale continues as Wynne sets off on the voyage of a lifetime, discovering her own new worlds and new love. I hope you’ll join her on her journey along with those of the other Women of Earth.
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For my readers,
Thanks for reading
Roark
from my new
Women of Earth
series. I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like an advanced announcement of dates for coming books I’ll be happy to add you to our Newsletter list. Just email me at
[email protected]
or sign up at my website
http://www.jacquelinerhoades.com
.
On a more personal note, if you have read and enjoyed one (or all) of my books, and would be so kind, please leave a short review saying so on the site where you purchased it. Multiple good reviews and word-of-mouth are the lifeblood of Indie authors like me.
Thanks in advance and, as always, Bless you,
Jackie
Jacqueline, known as Jackie to her friends, lives in rural southern Ohio with one lovable husband and one spoiled dog. She believes coffee is a food group and always has a pot brewing. When not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in someone else's book or working in her garden. She also spends a great deal of time chasing deer and rabbits who apparently also like gardening.
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Other Books by Jacqueline Rhoades
Available at
Amazon.com
Paranormal Romances
The Guardians Of The Race
The Wolvers
Contemporary Romances by the author
Hidden Mountain Series
