Tally flinched out of the way of his touch, actually stepping sideways and dodging him. The train of her skirt swished to one side in a hiss that sounded angry. But she was staring at him, her expression unreadable. Her eyes were huge. “Don’t touch me,” she said. Her voice trembled.
They were in the observation area by the shuttle doors now, and there were people standing at the windows, admiring the view, and others in the shuttle waiting room. It was way too public a place. He had made a mistake, tackling her as soon as she had got back. But he had been so pissed, he hadn’t thought it through beyond fulfilling his need to either tell her the facts of life, or wallop her like a five year old.
He lifted the board again. “Are you really this stupid? This reckless?”
Her face could have been carved from marble, it was so still and white. “How dare you access my personal logs!”
“Tally, for heaven’s sake. I was concerned—”
“You don’t get to be concerned! You gave up any right to tell me what to do twenty years ago!”
Conversations around them faltered at her shout. Christian pushed a hand through his hair, and gathered his composure. Shouting back wouldn’t calm her. He knew from long experience she would be more likely to escalate it to something physical. A hundred years ago, they would have ended up in bed, and resolved their differences that way.
That wasn’t an option now. So he tried for calm. For soothing. “I know why you keep jumping back. I get it, Tally. I understand. But you’ve got to look at it from a pure time basis. You can’t negotiate with stasis poisoning. Once it starts, if you don’t get back to your own time, you’re dead. Do you understand just how fast it can set in when you’ve been timing it too long? You won’t get a chance to jump back. It’ll debilitate you that fast.”
She had her head averted and he saw her swallow. After a moment, she looked back at him. The wounded, haunted look was still there in her big eyes, making him feel like a complete shit. He’d put that there.
“I just want you to be safe,” he ended pathetically.
She simply kept looking at him.
He cast about for something else to say that would take that look away from her eyes. “We could travel together,” he suggested. “We both know the same dates and places. We could…”
Tally’s expression of horror halted him. She drew herself upright and squared her shoulders. “No, thank you,” she said flatly.
The horror, the disdain her straight back and shoulders gave off, stung him. “You’ve got to start looking after yourself!”
Tally almost smiled. “Why should I when you’re doing such an excellent job watching my every move?”
Christian lifted his hand in the universal sign of ‘halt’. He wasn’t surprised to see they were trembling. His symbiot couldn’t compensate for the huge waves of feelings and the physical reactions were breaking through the symbiot’s control.
Tally held out her hand and he stared at it blankly, until he realized she wanted the board he held in his other hand.
“Let me see that,” she asked.
He handed it to her and she turned it around in her hands as if she was going to read it. Then she took a dainty step to her left and swung the board hard, up against the plasteel pillar jutting out from the wall.
The board crunched and fractured into thousands of electronic parts that scattered to the floor in soft musical raindrops.
The observation bay fell into total silence.
Tally brushed her hands, picked up her hem and stepped over the mess. She kept on walking, her head up.
After a while, conversation started up again. Christian stirred himself and walked away, too.
In the opposite direction.
* * * * *
Chronometric Conservation Agency Satellite – near Earth orbit, 2262 AD – eleven years later.
“Tally! Wait!”
Tally turned to see who was hailing her, automatically pushing the trailing hem of her kirtle around behind her.
Lee was jogging toward her, weaving in amongst the busy intersection between the private and public sections of the station. She smiled, for she hadn’t run into him for a very long time and she was absurdly pleased to see him. He was wearing black, as usual.
She waited for him to reach her.
“You look like you’re heading out,” he said. “I haven’t seen you around the station for a while. I just wanted to say hello.”
“I’ve been in Athens. Eight weeks R&R.”
“Contemporary Athens?” he asked.
The good feelings seeing him had generated were enough to smother her tiny spurt of irritation. “Yes, contemporary Athens,” she told him. “Will you never give up scolding me about my schedule?”
“Never,” he told her, and smiled back. Then his smile faded. “I...care about you. You know that’s why I do it, don’t you? You do know that.”
She drew in a deep breath. The air seemed suddenly thick and hard to draw in. “I know,” she admitted.
He studied her and the silence grew.
Abruptly, sadness touched her. It was a sorrow for what might have been. “You’ve been a good friend, Lee,” she said softly. The words were hard to speak, and they didn’t say what she really meant.
“Ah, Tally....” he whispered.
She bit her lip. “This isn’t what you had in mind, when you asked me to join the Agency, is it?” It was a question she had wanted to ask him for years.
His jaw rippled. His green eyes seemed to skewer her. Silently, he shook his head. Then he lifted his hand, only to drop it back to his side. He had aborted the movement.
“Lee,” she began, as the impulse struck her. “Do you think...perhaps...we could start again, maybe?”
“Do it all over again?” he asked, puzzled. But there was a light in his eyes that she recognized. It was hope.
“God, no. I mean, we start fresh and try to do it differently. We don’t have to hide beneath human lives now. We can just be ourselves. The world is so different...perhaps we can be.”
Lee pushed his hand through his hair. “How would we start?”
She pressed her lips together, thinking. Then, “Why don’t we start with a date? A human-style date. You take me out to...well, dinner won’t work. We could crack a bottle of champagne and not drink it. But we meet somewhere neutral and we get to know each other.”
Lee grinned. “You think I don’t know you already?”
She rolled her eyes. “Then we’ll sit down and figure out how to get along, instead. That’s what couples who have known each other a long time do. They compromise on their differences.”
He considered her. “We never really did get that right, did we?” he asked softly.
“That’s because we both were trained to live with humans and hide who we were. Every relationship we’ve had with humans has been one long lie. One long compromise, where we conceded everything, including our real identities, in order to live with them. We don’t know how to keep a relationship going when both of us are vampires. We’ve never had to do it before.”
“You didn’t lie to every human you knew,” Lee reminded her.
“That’s what made me think of this. Kyle knew who I was, and he and David made adjustments to keep me in their lives, anyway.” She gave a small shrug. “I think we both snapped back in the opposite direction, away from compromise, when we no longer had to accommodate a human in our lives.”
Lee pushed his hand through his hair again. “We’re both stubborn as hell, I guess.” It was an admission. He was conceding, just a little.
Hope flared in her chest, hot and bright. “Then say we’ll meet, when I get back. Two days from now. We’ll meet right here and you can do the old fashioned thing and take me on a date.”
Lee smiled. “Very well, then.”
“Good.” She realized she was smiling like a jack-o-lantern herself. Giddy happiness bubbled up inside her.
Lee leaned toward her and she knew he was going to ki
ss her, so she stepped back, just barely getting her kirtle out of the way. “Not yet,” she said, shaking her head. “We haven’t even had our first date yet. Behave yourself and I might let you kiss me when you drop me at my apartment door.”
Lee’s eyes took on the heated, narrowed look that told her he was already planning her seduction. “Alright then,” he said heavily, his voice thick with promise. “Two days’ time.” He indicated her clothes. “Where are you off to, by the way?”
“Bannockburn. It’s just a day trip. My client wants to see Sterling Castle and the siege.”
Lee nodded. “It’s always interesting back there. I’m glad you shared that time marker with me. I like ancient Scotland.” He stepped further away from her. “Go and play travel host.” He was smiling.
“You’ll be here?” she asked, picking up the hem of her dress. “In two days’ time?”
“I’ll wait,” he promised.
More erotic paranormal romance by Tracy Cooper-Posey
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Byzantine Heartbreak – Book 2 of the Beloved Bloody Time series
Can they love again? Is it too late?
Nayara Ybarra and Ryan Deasmhumhain are the most powerful vampires known to humans in the 23rd century. They lead the Chronometric Preservation Agency, welded together yet divided by grief that won’t heal, their lives on hold. Vampires have lived apart from humans in the two hundred years since Nayara and Ryan jumped back in time and killed their lover, Salathiel, to halt the time wave that was destroying humanity and vampires.
Now, Càel Stelios, Worlds Assembly member, intends to make humans like vampires any way he can. He knows the vampires must become allies. Their unique strengths and abilities will help humans in the coming battle against the raging psi and their psychotic leader, Gabriel.
While he wages his political and social campaign he hides his true ambitions: to win Nayara and Ryan for himself. But despite being politically powerful, rich, smart and sexually potent, Stelios has a overwhelming disadvantage: He’s human. “No” is not a word he accepts without a fight, however. The psi-filers and Gabriel have plans, though, that will make fighting very real and bloody indeed…
WARNING: This book contains two hot, sexy alpha heroes, frequent, explicit and frank sex scenes and sexual language. It includes heart-stopping sexual scenes between the aforementioned sexy heroes, menage scenes, and anal sex. Do not proceed beyond this point if hot love scenes offend you. No vampires were harmed in the making of this novel.
Byzantine Heartbreak is part of the Beloved Bloody Time series
Book 1: Bannockburn Binding
Book 1.1: Wait*
Book 2: Byzantine Heartbreak
Book 3: Romani Armada
(With more to come!)
*Time Twist Tales are short stories and novellas featuring characters and situations from the Beloved Bloody Time series.
___
Best Romantic SF-Futuristic Book of the Year 2012 -- The Romance Reviews
Amazon Best Seller – Top 100 Romance Time Travel Best Sellers
REVIEWER’S TOP PICK -- The Romance Reviews
Byzantine Heartbreak is hot damn awesome! Holy swear-word, is this an awesome book! The sci-fi world is fascinating, the romance utterly compelling and the secondary characters amazing. Oh please, Ms. Cooper-Posey, write faster! The Romance Reviews
This is another outstanding novel by Tracy Cooper-Posey! She is the epitome of a truly talented author who uses her wonderful writing skills and vivid imagination to bring us a world that is unique, bold, passionate, and fresh to the erotic world. This powerfully passionate and emotional tale will rock you to the core and have you on your knees pleading for more stories by this amazing author. Coffeetime Romance Reviews
I was rewarded with one of the best stories I’ve read this year. The emotional draw to the characters is amazing and it’s impossible to not wonder/worry about them even after you’re finished reading. Vampire Romance Books
This author is on auto-buy for me and she did not disappoint with this book. Byzantine Heartbreak is sexy, intense, and keeps you in suspense until the end of the book. I could not put it down and read it in one day. Amazon Reader
Ms. Cooper-Posey is a talented writer and created a world that sucks you in very quickly. This is the second book I have read from her and find it difficult to believe more people have not discovered this treasure. If you are tired of the cliched paranormal novels, then this book is for you. Goodreads
The author takes us on a journey with her beautifully drawn characters to the twenty third century. The vivid description of this world set in the future is a major plus side to this book. Top 50 Amazon UK Reviewer/Top 500 Amazon Reviewer
Click here to buy Byzantine Heartbreak now: http://amzn.to/14yw66D
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About the Author
Tracy Cooper-Posey is an Amazon #1 Best Selling Author. She writes erotic vampire romances, hot romantic suspense, paranormal and urban fantasy romances. She has published over 70 novels since 1999, been nominated for five CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award.
She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated four times for Book Of The Year and Byzantine Heartbreak was a 2012 winner. She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at MacEwan University.
She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together. In her spare time she enjoys history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a former professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line.
Her website can be found at http://TracyCooperPosey.com. Tracy appreciates hearing from readers and can be reached at Tracy@TracyCooperPosey.com.
Other books by Tracy Cooper-Posey
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Blood Knot Series (Urban Fantasy Paranormal Series)
Blood Knot
Southampton Swindle
Broken Promise
Blood Stone
Blood Unleashed
Blood Drive (Boxed Set)
Blood Revealed
Beloved Bloody Time Series (Paranormal Futuristic Time Travel)
Bannockburn Binding
Wait
Byzantine Heartbreak
Romani Armada
Kiss Across Time Series (Paranormal Time Travel)
Kiss Across Time
Kiss Across Swords
Missing
Kiss Across Chains
Guardian Bonds (Gargoyle Paranormal Series)
Carson’s Night
Beauty’s Beasts
Sabrina’s Clan (Upcoming)
Destiny’s Trinities (Urban Fantasy Romance Series)
Beth’s Acceptance
Mia’s Return
Sera’s Gift
The First Trinity (Anthology)
Solstice Surrender
Eva’s Last Dance
Guns ‘n’ Lovers Series (Romantic Suspense)
Red Leopard
Black Heart
Blu
e Knight
White Dawn (Upcoming)
Silver Noon (Upcoming)
Golden Day (Upcoming)
Go-get-‘em Women (Short Romantic Suspense Series)
The Royal Talisman
Delly’s Last Night
Vivian’s Return
Ningaloo Nights
Sian’s Run
Jewells of the Morrow series (Historical Romantic Suspense)
Diana By The Moon
Heart of Vengeance
The Perilous Maiden (Upcoming)
To Soothe a Savage Heart (Upcoming)
The Heart of the Enemy (Upcoming)
The Cherlebury Rose (Upcoming)
The Duchess of Winter (Upcoming)
Despite The Sands Of Time (Upcoming)
Scandalous Sirens (Historical Romance Series)
Forbidden
Dangerous Beauty
Rhys Davies’ untitled story (Upcoming)
Romantic Thrillers Series
Fatal Wild Child
Dead Again
Dead Double
Terror Stash
Thrilling Affair (Compilation)
Contemporary Romances
Lucifer’s Lover
An Inconvenient Lover
The Sherlock Holmes Series
Chronicles of the Lost Years
The Case of the Reluctant Agent