Mercenaries

Table of Contents

 

 

 

“What an awesome, scintillating, and sexy book!
Jane's Warlord
is intriguing, extremely sensuous, and just plain adventurous. A star is born.”

—
Romantic Times
(Top Pick)

 

 

 

“Chills, thrills, and a super hero and heroine will have readers racing through this sexy tale. Take note, time travel fans, the future belongs to Knight!”

—Bestselling author Emma Holly

 

“[Angela Knight's] world is believable and her plotting fast-paced. Knight's fictional world seems to have a promising future.”

—
Booklist

 

 

“Exhilarating . . . delightful . . . action-packed . . . [a] wonderful tale that showcases a new writing talent heading for the stars.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

 

“Solid writing . . . sexy love scenes, and likable characters. I look forward to [Knight's] next book.”

—
All About Romance

“Her novels are spicy, extremely sexy, and truly fabulous . . . complex and intriguing . . . loads of possibilities for future sensual adventures.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“A terrific paranormal romantic-suspense thriller that never slows down until the final confrontation between good and evil. The action-packed story line moves at a fast clip . . . Angela Knight is a rising star in the paranormal pantheon.”

—
Midwest Book Review

 

 

“Get ready for the adrenaline-rushing read of your life . . . the cream of the crop!”

—
ParaNormal Romance Reviews

 

“Will have readers . . . aroused.”

—
A Romance Review

 

“Fresh . . . hot sex. You are sure to enjoy.”

—
The Best Reviews

 

“Erotic . . . packed with violence [and] action . . . quite a story. The . . . love scenes are steamy and sensuous—some of the best I've read.”

—
SFRA Review

 

“Ms. Knight has combined the erotic with the romantic and made a classic tale.”

—Susan Holly,
Just Erotic Romance Reviews
(Gold Star Rating)

 

 

“[A hero] to make any woman hot with desire.”

—
In the Library Reviews

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
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(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

 

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright © 2005 by Angela Knight.

“Trinity” and “The Thrall” were originally published in another form and have been revised for this edition.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY SENSATION is an imprint of The Berkley Publishing Group.
BERKLEY SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Knight, Angela.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-09844-8

1. Mercenary troops—Fiction. 2. Women soldiers—Fiction. I. Title.

 

PS3611.N557M47 2005

813'.6—dc22 2005050120

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

I grew up reading science fiction—wonderful stories of bold, adventurous men and women confronting strange new worlds, who learn something about themselves in the process. So naturally, I've always wanted to write those stories myself.

I got the chance a few years ago with the e-book versions of the first two stories in this collection. Because both novellas were in electronic format, I felt free to let my imagination run wild, pushing the envelope in every way that I could. As a result, fans of my Berkley novels will find “Trinity” and “The Thrall” a little more hard-edged and erotic than the rest of my work, and “Trinity” was also expanded from the original e-book. But though the heroes and heroines play with dominance and submission in the bedroom, you'll find they remain fiery equals everywhere else.

In the third story, created especially for this volume, I decided to write something a bit more in line with the rest of my Berkley work. I hope you find “Claiming Cassidy” just as deliciously hot and romantic.

 

Happy reading!

Trinity

S
HE had to get off this planet.

Trinity Yeager watched grimly as Sheriff Makerson dragged the woman across the scaffold to the Sinner's Post. Beefy and broad, he towered over poor Mary Stevens, a delicately built woman whose long gray dress suggested something from another age.

Come to think of it, the entire situation seemed like something from another age.

With an ease that spoke of long practice, the sheriff lashed Mary's wrists to a ring driven into the seven-foot wooden stake. She watched him helplessly, eyes wide with a blend of shame and fear.

Trin winced in sympathy. She had an ugly suspicion it wouldn't be long before she ended up tied to that stake herself. Wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, far too many people thought she needed another lesson from the lash.

Most of whom wanted to marry her.

Elder Jones stepped closer to the post, one bony white hand clutching his copy of
The Teachings of the Prophet Orville,
pale eyes burning. Trin wasn't entirely sure whether the fire was born of righteous indignation or sick excitement. Probably both.

Mary's husband walked across the platform to join the trio, smirking at his wife. George Stevens was a plump man who ran one of the shops lining the square. Trinity had learned to count her change carefully whenever she bought anything from him.

The call had gone out that morning for the residents of Rectitude to gather in the town square for Mary's punishment. Trin had planned to harvest the kellum today, but she left the orchard when she'd heard the gathering bells. She'd rather be anywhere else, but she knew better than to court the sheriff's fury.

Now she stood on the edge of the crowd as far from the scaffold as she could get. Everybody in town was present—close to three thousand people, chatting and laughing as they waited for the entertainment to begin.

It was a pretty day for a beating. The sky was a lovely pink, and one of the three moons that orbited Orville's Paradise rode low over the horizon, rendered pale and ghostly by the afternoon sun.

Wooden shops in a cheerful rainbow of colors surrounded the city square. Gleaming picture windows displayed prim dresses, dry goods, and farming implements. Intricate gingerbread fret-work decorated the shops' front porches like swags of lace, giving the town the look of something from a pre-spaceflight trid.

But it was the Temple of Orville that dominated the square. Built of massive gray granite blocks, it seem to crouch, brooding. Twin white spirals thrust from its slate roof like horns, symbolizing the faith's foundations: piety and genetic superiority.

Something hummed past overhead, a flitter on its way to the shuttleport. Trin dared a quick upward glance at the gleaming wedge as it flashed across the cloudless sky. One of the mercenaries, she imagined, picking up supplies. Rectitude was one of the few towns on Orville's Paradise that allowed any contact with outsiders at all. Still, most chose to land at one of the larger settlements, so the town got very few visitors.

She'd rarely seen flying transports of any kind since she and her father had immigrated to Paradise ten years before. Orville taught that high technology corrupted the faithful with infidel values.