Rescuing Red Read online

  Rescuing Red

  Sci-Fi Fairytale Fusions

  Book 1

  Leann Ryans and V.T. Bonds

  Copyright © 2021 Leann Ryans and V.T. Bonds

  All rights reserved.

  Cover by Dazed Designs

  Render Art by Merel Pierce

  No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

  Leann Ryans and V.T. Bonds

  Rescuing Red

  Sci-Fi Fairytale Fusions Book 1

  Chapter 1

  Liz

  Breaking News! ATTACK ON JUN’GALE: IMMINENT

  Liz stared at the headline and fought down panic. Forcing her fingers to drop her favorite tail, she picked up the stack of newspapers and hoisted it onto the library’s intake cart. With heart pumping and mind racing, she met the delivery boy’s smile with a wobbly one of her own.

  “You okay, Miss?”

  She’d never needed to hide anything in her life, but if she caused a scene, the head librarian would no doubt give her extra tasks after closing time, and she needed to get home—as soon as possible.

  Her Nana was on Jun’gale, living the way she’d always wanted to: free and eclectic. Liz needed to get home and tell her mom, so they could warn her. So they could go save her grandmother when she refused to leave, because knowing her Nana, she’d dig in her heels and want to stay where she was happy.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Just ready for the day to be over.”

  White teeth flashed and pale purple arms reached out for the next stack of newspapers. The boy, who probably wasn’t but a year or two younger than her, took her comment as a cue for him to help. She hurried to pick up another heavy pile of paper even though her limbs seemed to weigh more than normal, not wanting to make him lug around more than he had to.

  From the corner of her eye, she checked the male she’d deemed a child and tried to chastise herself but found she couldn’t.

  Since she’d had all the characteristics of an omega—slight stature, delicate features, and a fierce streak when it came to the people she loved—it hadn’t been a shock when she’d presented as one. Now that she’d weathered two heats and felt more in tune with her own needs, the male delivering newspapers seemed so much more juvenile than he did a few months ago.

  Plus, with his slim build and average stature, he would no doubt present as beta, which made it even more difficult for Liz to think of him as mature.

  She hadn’t met many alphas—Numania’s population consisted of mostly betas—but the ones she had made all other males seem puny. Which was ridiculous, because even this boy who hadn’t grown into a man yet was taller than her.

  Once all the library’s allotment of the next morning’s news sat on her rolling cart, she thanked the violet-haired delivery boy and pushed the cart into the towering, ornate building. Luckily the drop off area in the back of the library had no stairs or ramps, because there was no way she could have gotten the heavy cart up them.

  Liz glanced around at the people studying and perusing the shelves as she maneuvered the bulky tray from the rear entrance to the storage room behind the checkout desk. The majority of them were betas, but a few smaller ladies sitting together at a corner table were obviously omega.

  As they stood to collect their things and say goodbye to each other, Liz envied the open friendship between the women, but shrugged it off as the storage room door shut behind her. She flicked on the light and swallowed the wave of angst gnawing at her sternum as the bold letters caught her attention again. Her eyes focused on the headlines, the knot in her stomach growing as her fondest memories ran through her head.

  Her Nana had always been there for her. Liz had spent more hours than she could count sitting with her, listening to the sweetest voice in the universe as her Nana read to her from whichever silly book she’d chosen to embellish that day. After a particularly strong ribbing from her classmates one day, Liz had sought her place of safety—her Nana’s lap—and had listened in awe as her elder had cursed the blindness of youth.

  While snuggling her close, she’d listed every unique characteristic Liz had, from the tips of her ears to her tiny feet and claimed them beautiful and unconditionally loved. The strong words had sparked something inside Liz, and since then, she’d never doubted how she looked again. Being the only red skinned, three tailed girl in the class had made for some uncomfortable situations growing up, but Liz always held her own thanks to the heated words of her Nana.

  Pushing off the door, Liz approached the newspapers and read every word she could without cutting the ties off the stack. She wanted to run home and forget her job but knew she couldn’t afford to if she wanted her own communication device.

  The door opened behind her, making her spine stiffen and her ears swivel. She turned toward the sound and relaxed her shoulders as she met vibrant blue eyes surrounded by pale orange glasses. Flicking her long blonde hair over her shoulder, Staci smoothed her palm down the constantly ruffled feathers of her neck before smiling at Liz.

  “I finished shelving the returned children’s books. All that’s left is kicking out the last few people and setting up the newspapers for the morning.”

  Liz forced herself to return Staci’s smile and nodded her understanding.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Ever intuitive, Liz’s closest colleague picked up on her stress without Liz mentioning it. Or maybe it was because she didn’t say anything that Staci knew something was wrong.

  “Would you be okay closing by yourself tonight? I really need to run home.”

  Staci shrugged before squinting and letting out a groan.

  “Mrs. Burtang is overseeing tonight. Don’t make me deal with her alone.”

  “Oh, come on Staci. She likes you. Besides, if I stay, she’ll give us even more to do. If I’m not here, you’ll probably be home within the hour.”

  After scowling for a moment, Staci shrugged again and sighed.

  “You know, you’re right. I don’t know what’s got her snout in a twist, but whatever it is, she sure does have an aversion to you. Clock out before you leave, and I’ll tell her you had a family emergency.”

  Not close enough to call her a friend, Liz thanked Staci and waved as she hurried to the back of the building, curling her tails around in front of her so they didn’t get caught in her hasty retreat through the door.

  ***

  Too impatient to wait on the elevator, Liz hurried up the stairs, banging open the worn door at the top and sprinting down the hall. With outdated wallpaper and faded carpet, the building was at least clean and sturdy, which was more than many could boast on their side of town. Pulling her key out of her pocket, she rushed into her apartment, careful to lock the door behind her before she went searching for her mom.

  A glance at the hall clock showed she’d barely made it home before her mother left for her second job of the day. Her shoes squeaked across the linoleum as she took the turn into the kitchen a little too fast.

  The click of the old phone’s receiver settling into its resting place accompanied a frustrated sigh. Liz’s heart jumped into her throat as she studied her mom. With head hanging and both palms on the countertop, Chelle’s sandy brown hair gleamed in the overhead light. Her defeated posture caused Liz’s stomach to drop, which made her need two tries in order to force out a single word.

  “Mom?”

  Chelle straightened her spine and rolled her shoulders before turning to face Liz. Before her mother could open her mouth to speak, Liz’s anxiety got the better of her.

  “Was that Nana? You h
eard about the attack on Jun’gale? You told her? What did she say? She’s coming here, right?”

  Lifting a hand to stop the flow of questions, Chelle motioned Liz closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. After a squeeze, she held her daughter at arms’ length and sucked in a tired breath.

  “Yes, I heard about the probable attack. That was Nana. She refuses to leave Jun’gale.”

  The floor dropped out from under Liz’s feet, shooting her heart back into her throat while she grabbed her mother’s forearms. Flexing her fingers on the slim muscles, she cleared her throat and managed not to shriek at the woman.

  “So, when are we leaving to get her?”

  Sleek brows furrowed as Chelle’s expression tightened.

  “She’s fully capable of making her own decisions. The news likes to sensationalize things, so it’s perfectly likely the attack will never even happen. I have to go to work, and you have responsibilities. We don’t have the time or money to traipse across the solar system to save someone who doesn’t want to save themselves.”

  “But—”

  “No, Liz. My mother has gotten herself out of worse situations. We’re not going. She’ll be fine.”

  As the last syllable left her mouth, a chime rang through the air, pulling Chelle’s attention to the cracked tablet on the counter.

  “That’s work. I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow morning if I don’t pick up another shift. We’re so close to having enough for the down payment for a nicer place.”

  Liz dropped her hands to her sides and balled them into fists so she wouldn’t seek out her tail and give away the anxiety fluttering in her stomach.

  “Liz, she’ll be fine. Get some sleep tonight, so you can study well tomorrow. There’s no reason to worry yourself over something that’s only a possibility.”

  When the tablet rang again, Chelle pecked her daughter on the forehead before scooping up the device and dropping it into the small black bag slung across her torso. Without a backward glance, she hurried out of the kitchen.

  Liz didn’t move until the door closed behind her mother’s retreating form. The second she knew she was alone, she swept her tails around her leg and smoothed her fingers into the silky fur. Eyeing the ancient phone on the counter, she sighed and wished she knew how to use it. Even if she did, she couldn’t make her mom pay for another off-planet call.

  Ears perking as an idea formed, Liz sprinted down the hall into her tiny room and flung open the bottom drawer of her desk. After pulling out the little ugly box in the back corner, she dumped out the credits she’d saved and counted them.

  She had enough for one round trip ticket to Jun’gale, plus a little more for food and a hotel room. It wouldn’t be enough to bring Nana back with her, but she had more credits in her account. The second she made an electronic transaction her mother would know, so she had to use the credits in her hands until she was too far away for her mother to stop her.

  A wave of heat rushed up from Liz’s toes as she contemplated the dangers of her half thought out plan.

  It didn’t matter. She couldn’t worry over what might happen to her when she knew her Nana was in actual danger. All she needed to do was get face to face with her. The second her omega grandmother saw her, she’d do anything to get her precious Liz to safety.

  And if Nana was busy ushering Liz away from danger, then she’d be safe too.

  Chapter 2

  Blaide

  “You’ve got another message.”

  Blaide’s brow raised as he turned back to the shop keeper. Only a select few people knew where he’d chosen to settle after his time in the military ended, and he’d already received a message on his last trip into town. Getting another was unusual. Assuming it was something else from Armyn about his coronation, Blaide’s surprise increased when he saw an official military seal on the outside of the envelope.

  Grunting his thanks, he gathered the other items he’d come for, turning the thin packet in his fingers as he left the store. Dread grew inside him. There were very few reasons anyone still involved with the military would reach out to him, and he was sick to death of attending the funerals of men too good to have lost their lives to a seemingly fruitless and unending war.

  Stuffing the envelope into his pocket, he arranged the goods in his pack and slung it onto his back. He wasn’t in the mood for bad news. Whatever the message said could wait until he’d returned to his den.

  If he didn’t get moving, he wouldn’t make it home before nightfall, and while considered a settled world, most of Jun’gale was still wild. With only one large city that accepted traffic from off-world, most of the planet consisted of small, scattered villages, and people like him who preferred their space. Besides a couple cabins, the town he visited for supplies and mail was the closest settlement to his den, and it was still a good half-day trip in one direction.

  Securing his water pouch to the strap of his pack where it was in easy reach, Blaide headed for the gates, giving the guard a nod as he passed through into the clearing beyond. As he put more space between himself and the town, he breathed a sigh of relief. His tail fluffed and waved lazily as he moved deeper into the trees, more comfortable on his own.

  There were few large predators in the jungle, and most stayed clear of the settlements, but Blaide kept an eye out anyway, the habit drilled into him from years of patrols. He made good time, following the map in his head back to the territory he’d claimed as his own, using a different path than the one he’d taken early that morning. Spending a few minutes checking his borders, the sun was setting by the time he approached the door hidden in the side of a small hill.

  Some people would call him crazy for living out in the middle of a jungle. More would believe without a doubt he was abnormal based on the extremes he took to make sure his den was safe and defensible, and that no one knew exactly where he was. He found the idea of people calling him paranoid amusing, considering he was the least messed up of the men he’d served with, yet a small part of him wondered if he was only a breath away from snapping.

  That was the real reason he was out there alone. Seeing what the war did to others, his apparent normalcy seemed more like the calm before a storm, and he was still waiting for something to go wrong. He had trouble believing he’d escaped with nothing more than a few scars, and he didn’t want anyone to witness the moment he finally lost his cool.

  Huffing a laugh at his thoughts, he put his things away and started dinner. It was easy to find himself with too much time to think, so he tried to keep to a schedule that occupied him enough not to dwell for too long. Only the crinkle of the paper in his pocket as he crouched before the fireplace reminded him that sometimes the past still tried to control him.

  He ignored the urge to take it out, checking on his steak and adding more seasoning before flipping it to cook the other side. Meat and vegetables he could provide for himself, but luxuries like salt and fruits had to be bartered for in town every few weeks, and he was looking forward to having an indulgent meal. He wasn’t going to let the message ruin it.

  By the time he’d sat down and finished his food it was well past dark outside. He could hear the Vrolls howling, the sound similar to the wolves he’d heard on Earth, though he resembled a wolf more than the Vrolls did. With smaller bodies, short, speckled fur, and no tail, their oversized ears made them look cute until you caught sight of the serrated teeth. He let a pack of them share part of his territory since they kept some of the nastier denizens of Jun’gale away, and he enjoyed their nightly symphony.

  Sighing since he couldn’t put it off any longer, Blaide pulled out the bottle of alcohol he’d bought and poured a glass before sitting down at his small table and digging out the envelope. The dim light from the fireplace burning behind him left the seal in shadows, but his fingers traced the shape, wondering which friend it was this time, and praying it wasn’t one of the three he considered his brothers.

  Taking a swig of the burn
ing liquid, he ripped off the end of the packet and pulled out the paper inside. To his surprise, it didn’t have the official letterhead at the top, and his eyes moved to the greeting to see what it was about.

  Blaide,

  Enemy warships have been spotted on the way to Jun’gale. Commander will not move until attack is confirmed despite intelligence stating its imminence. Other planets are aware but no warning is being passed to locals to evacuate under his orders. I thought you’d like to know.

  ETA: 20 standard hours

  An old friend.

  A growl ripped from Blaide’s chest, filling the small space of his front room. The Commander had always been slow to move on intelligence, causing the death of many who should have still been alive, and it was obvious the man hadn’t changed. How he still held his position was a mystery, but it was no longer Blaide’s problem.

  Except now the man’s incompetence was threatening his new home.

  He’d taken a risk moving to the fringes of the solar system, knowing the Krantor warships could move on the planets in this sector, but hoping there wasn’t anything of value to draw them to the area. Apparently, his luck was out.

  Cursing under his breath, he fought with what he should do. While he could likely withstand an attack and even planetary enemy occupation in his den, the locals would have little to no chance without warning. Many of the people who’d settled in Jun’gale were not only loners, but they also tended to be older, and would need more time to evacuate than they would likely have if they had to wait for word from the military. He hadn’t encountered a single fighter, most who moved to the planet sought to avoid conflict. Knowing the Commander, the attack would be well under way before he offered help to civilians.

  Blaide surged to his feet, pacing across the small space as more curses fell from his lips. The smart thing to do would be to hunker down and wait it out but leaving others defenseless left a vile taste in his mouth. His need to protect wouldn’t allow him to stay.