End of the Line (6 page)

Dragon Knights

The Dragon Healer

Available in ebook – Summer
2013

Dragon Knights

Master at Arms

Available in ebook – Summer
2013

Brotherhood of Blood:

Wolf Quest

Available in ebook – Fall
2013

We hope you’ll enjoy this
excerpt from the first story in the
Arcana
series, which is also set in
the world of Bianca D’Arc’s
Jit’Suku
Chronicles…

King of Swords

by

Bianca D’Arc

© 2012 Bianca D’Arc. All Rights
Reserved.

Prologue

The Rabbit Hole was well known on the civilian
space station for its private booths and intimate atmosphere. The
new owner of the small tavern was still, to some extent, an unknown
quantity, but seemed a solid enough man according to local gossip.
Ex-soldier, went the rumor. David knew Alex would be amused by what
the grapevine had to say about him, though they didn’t know the
half of it.

Scoping the area out of habit, Dave noted the
wide hall in front of the tavern was very near the mechanical parts
of the station, which were off-limits to everyone but specialized
workers. Alex must get a lot of traffic when the shifts changed,
being on the edges of the civ area and right near the mech section.
Good placement for a business like his.

Dave entered The Rabbit Hole and was
immediately assailed by dim light and the not-unpleasant scent of
premium alcohol. It was the perfect atmosphere for a relaxing drink
with friends. The bar was cozy and welcoming.

As his eyes quickly adjusted—a gift of his
genetic Enhancement—Dave saw the man behind the bar. Alex had
spotted him and waved him over using the hand signals all soldiers
knew. Several heads turned and Dave recognized the look of the men
sitting around the bar, if not their individual faces. Soldiers.
Like him.

For the first time in weeks, Dave felt at
home.

Chapter One

Adele Senna re-read the address on the
comm from her Aunt Della. The message had come from a small tavern
near the mech section of the station, called The Rabbit Hole. Adele
was new to Madhatter Station and had reserved living space on the
other side of one of the giant rings. She hadn’t ventured too close
to the core yet, but was learning her way around as she sought out
her beloved aunt.

The Rabbit Hole looked nice from the
outside. Not upscale, but not a dive either, which was a relief.
Aunt Della wasn’t known for her judgment. A brilliant woman, gifted
with a strong ability to see the future, her aunt sometimes didn’t
display much common sense. Or, at least, it seemed that way.
Ultimately, her odd actions always had some purpose, but only in
retrospect.

Adele wondered what Aunt Della was up
to, setting up shop as a dealer and reader of cards for patrons of
this working class tavern. She must have some reason, but Adele was
hard-pressed to understand it, even though she had—at times—seen
glimpses of the future, just like her aunt.

The psychic gift ran in the family. As
far back as they could trace, the women of her family had been
blessed—or perhaps cursed, depending on your outlook—with varying
degrees of foresight. Aunt Della was truly gifted, but she insisted
Adele hadn’t yet grown fully into her power. Adele wasn’t sure she
wanted to. The few flashes of the future she’d received to date had
scared the bejeezus out of her. She didn’t know how her aunt dealt
with it day to day.

Adele pushed through the portal and
waited a moment for her eyes to get used to the gloom inside. What
she could see of the place was clean and well kept. The atmosphere
was dark, quiet, and relaxing rather than sinister, as she’d half
expected. She saw a couple of big men at the bar as her eyes
adjusted slowly, scanning the room for her aunt. The place was set
up with small private booths and one long bar area where the men
were clustered. Soldiers, they had to be, though they were all in
civ clothing. On leave, or perhaps retirees, she guessed. The
bartender was built on the same grand scale. Soldiers were bigger
than regular human males. It had something to do with their diet
and training, she knew, but other than that, she hadn’t paid much
attention.

Unlike many civilians, Adele had no
real opinion about soldiers. Oh, she appreciated the sacrifices
they made trying to keep the Milky Way Galaxy safe from the
jit’suku threat, but she’d never really had any dealings with them
on a personal basis. She knew many civ men discriminated against
them—probably because they felt small by comparison.

She’d seen soldiers here and there
throughout her travels, and they were all huge and rather
intimidating. She supposed a civilian male would feel a little
threatened by their towering height and imposing brawn, but she
felt somehow comforted by their large, protective presence. Surely,
if men such as these were fighting the jit’suku out on the galactic
rim, the rest of humanity would always be safe. They inspired that
kind of confidence with their silent, somewhat menacing
ways.

Adele swept the room once again but
didn’t see her aunt, so she decided to brave the quiet crowd at the
bar to ask. She walked to an open space, feeling enclosed by the
heat of the big men sitting on either side of her, but she refused
to acknowledge the sort of tingly reaction that skittered through
her body. It wasn’t fear exactly, but it was definitely something
that surprised her.

“
Pardon me,” she said in a
voice that carried to the bartender. All eyes turned to her and she
found herself the unexpected center of attention. “Can you tell me
if Della Senna is here? I understand she’s dealing here
now.”

The bartender slung a towel over his
shoulder and walked toward her with a rolling gait that oozed sex
appeal. She’d never been this close to a soldier, much less half a
dozen of them, and each and every one was solidly built, and
handsome as sin. This bartender was perhaps the prettiest of the
bunch, with perfectly chiseled features and a confident, friendly
expression.

When he smiled, she felt the bottom
fall out of her stomach. He was definitely what her old friend Mary
would label DDG—Drop Dead Gorgeous.

“
Della’s on break, but
she’ll be back in about ten minutes if you want to
wait.”

His deep voice sent little shivers
down her spine. The man was sexy as hell and dangerous to boot. She
could feel it crackling in the air around him as he stopped right
in front of her on the other side of the bar. She was glad of the
hard metal surface between them. His attention shifted to the man
seated on her right. A slight nod and narrowing of his eyes was all
that was needed to make the other man jump into action. A moment
later, he’d drawn a barstool up behind her and politely assisted
her to sit.

“
Thank you.” She nodded to
the man on her right, surprised by his youth. This soldier was
definitely younger than her and his clothes looked brand new.
Perhaps he was on leave. She smiled at him, and his face seemed to
heat with a flush of embarrassment. She liked the young man
immediately. He was polite and a little shy, which surprised her
even more. Built like a freighter, she wouldn’t have imagined
anything as simple as a smile could fluster him, but apparently it
did.

“
What’ll you have, ma’am?”
The bartender polished a small glass and set it before her,
probably assuming she’d have a typical girly drink suited to the
petite glass. Feeling daring, she looked at him with an air of
challenge.

“
Do you have any Pearson's
Star Ale on tap?”

The bartender straightened and smiled,
taking the little glass away. “Indeed I do. Coming right
up.”

When he turned to fetch her ale, she
was treated to a lovely view of his sculpted ass. The man was pure
muscle, and his formfitting pants showed his assets off to best
advantage. She’d bet he made great tips from the ladies based just
on his butt alone. Sighing, she sat back on the surprisingly
comfortable stool. She didn’t feel as out of place here as she’d
feared. The atmosphere was quiet, but welcoming.

A moment later the handsome bartender
was back, placing a frothy, frosted pint before her. Adele licked
her lips, staring at the perfectly poured portion. She had a taste
for this particular brew and didn’t partake of it often due to its
hefty price, but this occasion seemed to call for it. With relish,
she took a sip of the thick, dark ale and the taste exploded on her
tongue.

“
Mmm,
delicious.”

She moved to get her credit chit, but
a big hand swooped in from the side, pressing a credit chit into
the bartender’s hand.

“
Allow me,
ma’am.”

Startled, she looked over to
acknowledge the huge man sitting to her left. Blond and blue eyed,
this guy was a little older than her. Probably a retiree, and a
recent one, if the newness of his clothing was anything to go by.
Soldiers didn’t usually have a lot of money to spare when they left
the service and this ale was a luxury. She couldn’t let him pay for
it in good conscience, though it was a lovely gesture.

“
That’s very kind of you
but—”

“
It would be my pleasure.
My name is David.” His smile totally disarmed her. It was even more
devastating than the bartender’s.

“
I’m Adele,” she found
herself answering, though she hadn’t intended to give out any
personal information to people she didn’t know on this little
sojourn to the far side of the station. But really, what did it
matter? She had an instinctive trust of soldiers and there was no
doubt about the former occupation of these men.

“
A beautiful name for a
beautiful lady.”

The bartender groaned. “You need to
brush up your lines, Dave. That one’s as old as the core.” The
other men around them laughed and David smiled good-naturedly. He
seemed used to the ribbing from his comrades and paid it no
mind.

“
Doesn’t make it any less
true.” His gaze held hers, and for a moment it felt like only the
two of them existed in the whole universe.

“
Thank you.”

“
So how do you know my
little Della?” the bartender asked, cocking his hip as he leaned
against the bar. The unconsciously sexy pose shook her attention
loose from the blond giant at her side and back to the
darker-haired bartender. The way he spoke of her aunt was just a
little too familiar, and Adele suddenly wondered if maybe Aunt
Della had made a conquest.

Only a few years older than herself,
Della was a beautiful woman, if a bit on the spacey side sometimes.
Still, this bartender would be just her type, though to Adele’s
knowledge Della had never dated a soldier before.

She shrugged. “She’s my
aunt.”

“
Really?” The bartender
looked truly interested. “I didn’t know she had family
on-station.”

“
I only just got here.
This is the first chance I’ve had to look her up. I’m glad to know
she’s still employed here. I was afraid I’d come all this way for
nothing.”

“
Honey,” the bartender
straightened and placed both hands on the bar, his muscles flexing
in mouthwatering ways, “as far as I’m concerned, your Aunt Della
will always have a place in this bar as long as I own it.” The
piercing look in his blue eyes intrigued her. This man knew
something, and she had a sneaking suspicion it was her family’s
secret gift. He nodded just slightly and her breath caught. The
knowledge was in his eyes. It was almost as if…but no…it couldn’t
be.

“
Tell me,” he asked with
an intent gaze, “do you take after your auntie? Even just a
bit?”

Dammit. He definitely knew. And the
smile in his eyes told her Aunt Della had been talking out of turn
about her as well. She tried her best to shrug it off.

“
Only a little.” At that
moment, a wave of precognition broke over her, disorienting
her.

The bartender reached out to steady
her as she momentarily lost her balance. The men on either side of
her put out their hands, too. All three soldiers touched her in
some way as a fierce flash overcame her with dizzying
speed.

It had never been like this before,
though her abilities were getting progressively more powerful. That
was the main reason she’d come all this way out near the rim to see
Aunt Della. She needed advice on how to deal with this.

Ghostly images clouded her mind,
layered on top of each other. It was hard to see any one thing
before it was replaced by another and the men touching her didn’t
help. She started seeing them and flashes of their immediate future
that shook her badly. Then just like that, it was over.

Blinking rapidly, she came back to
herself.

“
Are you okay?” David
spoke from her left side.

She nodded, looking up at his
concerned face. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever laid
eyes on, though the bartender was running a close
second.