Angel in the Badlands: space opera sci fi romance (Sons of Amber Book 1) Read online

  Angel in the Badlands

  by

  Bianca D’Arc

  A Jit’Suku Chronicles Novella

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Copyright © 2015 Bianca D’Arc

  Cover Art by Valerie Tibbs

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Other Books by Bianca D’Arc

  About the Author

  Author’s Note

  With this story, I have done something I’ve never done before. I revised the heck out of an old story, tore out huge swaths of it, started from scratch in several sections adding a lot of new material, and gave it a new title. I want that clear from the outset.

  The original version of this story was originally published by a small press that wanted certain things in it, which I added specifically to meet their requirements. The original version, which was called Sons of Amber: Ezekiel, was highly erotic in nature with several very explicit scenes.

  While I usually don’t shy away from writing love scenes, I have since regretted taking this series in that direction. In fact, I put out only two of the Sons of Amber stories with that publisher before deciding to just stop and wait out the contracts so I could get the stories back and do this. It’s been a long time coming.

  Next up, Sons of Amber: Michael is going to get a rewrite and will be released with a new title later in 2015. After that, there are a lot more Sons to talk about, and the possibility of a novel that might just bring a lasting peace between the remnants of humanity and the Jit’suku Empire.

  And now, without further ado, here’s what happened to Ezekiel…

  Chapter One

  Zeke looked about the crash site and grimaced. His ship was in bad shape. It wouldn’t be flying again anytime soon without major repairs. But at least the pirates hadn’t gotten him. They were probably still looking for his trail, though, so he had to get moving.

  Unfortunately, the uncharted dustball he had landed on was not what anyone would call hospitable. And he was hurt. His leg was bleeding and he had whacked his head on the console when he’d crashed. The world—such as it was—was blurry and too damn hot as he climbed out of his crippled ship and began walking.

  The dark, sandy ground beckoned, but he couldn’t drop yet. He had to find shelter before the second sun rose any higher, or he would burn to a cinder on this godforsaken rock.

  Zeke had more than his fair share of stamina. It was a gift of his altered genetics. Designed and raised in a special program headed by the famous Dr. Amber Waithe and her team of geneticists, he knew he had a mission in life: to spread his seed far and wide, bringing his fertile offerings to any woman who wanted to have a child. By the Maker, he enjoyed his job.

  But even his enormous strength was taxed by the huge binary stars that were just a little too close to this dry, arid planet. He was a risk-taker by nature—what they termed a Wildcard in the program. The propensity to play the odds had been designed into his genes. Usually, his superior brain was able to calculate the odds of success and play his hand accordingly. This time though, the pirates had whittled down his available options.

  Crashing here wasn’t the best move he could’ve made, but it was the most unexpected. It would buy him some time at least, to evaluate his options. Given the opportunity to change the odds, he always took his best chance.

  This time, however, he might just die before he could turn the tables. The suns were rising all too quickly, and he was caught out in the open with a sore head and a bum leg. He took one last, long, weary look at that second, damning sun and kept on trekking. He had to find shelter soon.

  Minutes, or maybe hours later, he felt himself fading under the onslaught of oppressive heat and strong solar radiation. He saw the dusty ground rush up at him as if from a distance, then he knew no more.

  Zeke woke hours later, feeling a pleasant coolness on his face. He had to be hallucinating, but he didn’t feel the merciless suns pounding down on him anymore. No, instead he felt the welcome chill of rock, and the faint scent of dirt and dampness in his nostrils, as if he were in a cavern. Cautiously, he cracked one eyelid open just enough to see.

  There was a woman at his side, mopping his brow with a damp cloth and the cruel suns were blessedly absent. He had to be somewhere underground. He had no idea how long he’d been out or who had saved him. Somehow, they had transported him to his present location—wherever that was. He searched his memory, but didn’t remember anything after passing out in the heat of the twin suns.

  “Sister, he wakes.”

  The high, treble voice came from somewhere off to his left as the wet cloth abruptly lifted away from his brow. He wanted that gentle touch back. Badly.

  “Are you well, brother traveler?”

  The soft, melodic voice caressed his senses. He opened his eyes to behold the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. His savior was an angel, he was sure, her face heart-shaped and lovely, even devoid of the usual cosmetic alterations women of the upper classes habitually made to their appearance. No, her face was pure and natural, one hundred percent human female. She was soft, slightly rounded, and perfect.

  Her delicate eyebrows drew together in concern as she studied him. Her hand touched his face once more with the cool cloth and it was bliss.

  “Are you well, brother?” She repeated her question.

  “Just keep doing that.” His voice was a hoarse rumble in his chest. “Your touch is comforting.”

  He looked up in time to see the compassion in her expression as well as the slight blush on her cheeks, but she continued stroking his brow with the wet cloth. A smile curved her lips.

  He felt terrible. Every muscle ached and an unaccustomed weakness gripped him. He had never felt so feeble before in his life.

  “What happened?” he asked, needing more data to assess his present situation.

  His angel spoke as she tended to him. “I found you on the surface at midday. I don’t know where you came from or how you came to be on the surface at such a dangerous time.”

  “Ship crashed.” His strength was waning and he damned the weakness that stole over him. His eyes drooped with weariness.

  “You came from the stars?” He heard the hesitation in her voice, and his eyes reopened. He read fear in her gaze, and he didn’t like it. “Are you human?” She whispered the question as if dreading his answer. She seemed to steel herself as he opened his mouth to reply.

  “Relax. I’m as human as you. I’m one of the Sons.”

  Usually al
l he had to do was mention his affiliation with the illustrious geneticist, Dr. Amber Waithe, and group of men known as the Sons of Amber, and all doors were opened to him. But this woman didn’t seem to grasp what he was talking about.

  Since the jit’suku virus, human males were rare in the galaxy. Breeder males even more so. Billions of men across the galaxy had been infected, and died. The few that survived had been left sterile. Many of the women too, had become infertile due to contact with the virus and its many mutations.

  Such was the design of the jit’suku weapon. Its sole purpose was to destroy humanity by killing the men outright, and making it nearly impossible for the women to reproduce. From all accounts, the jits had strict rules when it came to warfare, and one of them was that they didn’t kill women. Dr. Amber had voiced her glee over that little quirk because if not for that rule, their insidious virus could easily have been altered to kill everyone.

  As it was, humanity could be rebuilt—one baby at a time—as long as there were women to have them. And, of course, a few males who were impervious to the virus. Which was where Zeke and his brothers came in.

  “You’re not jit’suku,” the angelic woman said, bringing Zeke out of his drifting thoughts. “That’s good. That’s really good.” She seemed to want to reassure herself. “It’s just that we haven’t seen anyone from the stars in many, many years. Our Order selected this inhospitable planet as a retreat when the war came too close to our home on Espia. Our elders eventually cut off all communication with the outside so that we might hide from the jit’suku.”

  “Then you don’t know what happened?” Zeke could hardly believe what he thought she was saying.

  His angel shook her head, and he noticed the other women in the small cavern drawing near to listen in. He had to tell them, but he was so damned tired. Still, he could give them the bare bones at least, before his strength gave out completely.

  “We defeated the jit’suku armada at Markesh, but they released a viral weapon. It killed billions of men all across the galaxy. The jits are gone except for a few pirates that continue raiding and fighting. One of those made me crash here.” He paused to take a breath. “I’m one of the men known as the Sons of Amber. I was genetically engineered to help repopulate the species. I’m immune, and more importantly, I cannot carry the virus, so your people are safe from contamination.”

  “The jit’suku really went that far? They used a bioweapon?” she breathed, seeming to grasp the severity of the situation.

  “Their armada was almost completely destroyed. It was a desperate act of a defeated enemy, vile and unconscionable,” he whispered as his strength ebbed.

  The angel sat back, looking stunned.

  “Did you hear, Sister Angela?” The other little nun was back, moving closer on his other side. She was younger than his angel, but cute as a button.

  For the first time in his life, he realized he was looking upon a human female without any trace of lust. That thought had him rocking back on his heels, figuratively at least. Perhaps it had something to do with his illness, but no, he wanted his angel as much as he ever wanted any woman. Actually, more so. He didn’t think he had ever wanted a particular woman this much. But her little friend didn’t stir any interest in him at all.

  The realization confused him, but he was too weak to sort through it now. He decided to concentrate his energies on getting well first, then he would figure out what had changed inside him. Because surely, something fundamental had indeed, changed.

  He had been feeling different for a while, but he hadn’t been able to figure out what was wrong. It looked like he was going to have to deal with it now. There was little more he could do while confined to a sick bed. Maybe it was time to take stock of what was going on inside him and plot a course for the future.

  “I heard, sister,” the woman called Angela replied to her friend, her soft voice drawing Zeke’s wavering attention. “We must tell Mother Rachel.”

  “I know already, children. Be at ease.” A new, more mature female voice floated through the chamber to him, coming closer. With it came a fragrance of flowers and earth, and a beautiful, slightly older woman stepped into his line of view. “Your arrival was foreseen. Be welcome, Son of Amber. Can you tell us your name?”

  He didn’t know why, but he wanted to tell this lovely older woman whatever she wanted to know. He would reveal all his secret plans, if she just asked, but she only wanted his name. That he could give her before his strength failed.

  “Ezekiel.”

  “Be welcome, Ezekiel.” She placed her hand on his forehead and he felt a peace he’d never experienced before wash over his senses. “Rest now and recover.”

  That was all he knew until he woke a full day later.

  When he woke again the angel was gone but her cute little friend was at his side, watching him with wide, almost frightened eyes. He tried to sit up, but found himself in too much pain to move very far.

  “Oh please, do not move, brother,” the small woman said in a worried tone.

  “What’s wrong with me?” Zeke felt like shit. Even worse than he had the first time he’d woken up.

  “It is the aftereffects of the herb we gave you to deaden the pain. Your head will clear in a few moments, but you must lie still. It will take much longer to be free of the herb’s effects if you do not.” She moved back as he settled himself back on the bed. A moment later, she got up and went to the doorway, calling for someone before returning to his side. “Sister Angela will come shortly. She’ll want to see how you’re feeling.”

  “Who’s Sister Angela?” he asked, though even as he spoke the words, he remembered the name being spoken before.

  The young girl giggled. “I’m sorry. The other woman who was here when you last woke. That’s Sister Angela. She’s one of our most talented healers. It was Sister Angela who set your leg.”

  “My leg?” He tried to rise again but sat back abruptly as the room began to spin.

  “Your leg was fractured.” A new voice sounded from the doorway. Zeke elevated his gaze to see the angel who had tended him before, standing in the doorway. She moved softly into the room, her strides brisk but feminine in a way that caused his gaze to linger. “But it is knit well now. After the painkiller wears off, you should be ready to sit up for a bit.”

  “You’re Angela?” he asked, just to be sure he hadn’t mixed up his thoughts about her being an angel with her actual name. Hell of a coincidence, but then, Wildcards like him often tapped into the vein of synchronicity running through the universe.

  She nodded, and he liked the expression on her pretty face as she moved closer. She didn’t speak, merely bent near to inspect his leg. He watched her every move.

  “Thanks for patching me up,” he said, trying to get her to look at his face, rather than just his injuries.

  “You’re welcome,” she replied softly, finally meeting his gaze. “But I had help.” Her gaze drifted to the smaller nun standing a few feet away.

  Zeke shifted his gaze to the girl. “Thanks to you too.” He sent a small smile toward her. “Sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

  “I’m Agatha.” The younger girl blushed, clearly shy. She was charming, but she didn’t have half the impact of Angela. For some reason, Zeke felt drawn to the angel as he had never felt drawn to a woman before.

  “Thanks, Agatha,” he said, trying to carry on his conversation, even as his mind spun. “You’ve both been angels of mercy in my hour of need,” he said, only half joking. He had no doubt that they’d saved his sorry hide.

  Angela moved closer. “It’s part of our calling.”

  For a dreadful moment the pit of his stomach fell, as if he were in free fall. “Are you part of a religious community? Are you nuns?”

  Both girls chuckled and it somehow reassured him. “We’re part of a fellowship, but it’s not religious in nature. Our ancestors banded together because of their shared abilities. They left the homeworld as a group.”

  “Then yo
u haven’t taken vows or anything?” His heart nearly stopped, waiting to hear their answer. Why it should matter so much was something he wasn’t prepared to analyze.

  “As healers-in-training, we are bound only by the ancient Oath of Hippocrates,” Angela told him.

  Relief zinging through him at her answer, Zeke waited a moment more, then tentatively tried for a sitting position. Surprise filled him when his head remained clear this time.

  “So there are men in this settlement?” he asked, curious. He’d never met another human male who wasn’t one of his genetically engineered brothers. A few still existed, here and there throughout the galaxy, but he’d never crossed paths with any.

  “Yes, of course,” Agatha replied.

  “Amazing.” Zeke knew he’d have to get word back to Command about these people. To his knowledge there were no other uninfected colonies of any size anywhere in the galaxy. Ease of travel between star systems meant the alien bug had spread far and wide across human-occupied space.

  Angela took a seat beside him, her curvy butt resting near his hip as she faced him. He thought he saw admiration in her eyes as she looked at his bare chest a moment before she shuttered her gaze. She was a nice contradiction of competence and modesty.

  “How do you feel now?” Her voice was low as she busied herself with the items on the tray she had brought with her.

  “Better, thank you.” He wished she would look at him, but he had to get his mind off her and onto business. There was a reason he had crash-landed on this rock, and it had to come first. “Did any of your people have a chance to look at my ship?”

  That got her gaze back to his. “Ship?”

  “I suppose that answers my question.” He pulled the covers down, ignoring the fact that he was naked, and examined his leg. It looked sound enough, but standing would be the real test. He shifted himself to the side of the bed and stood.