Stolen Fire

Cifer

I spend my life hiding what I look like, what I’m capable of, what I’ve done. I didn’t ask to live my life this way, but sometimes fate has a sense of humor. The one thing I may live to regret is giving myself away after boarding The Treasure uninvited. But rules were made to be broken—including my own—like outing myself to save the beautiful, brilliant engineer from certain death. Everything I have, I’ve created—my career, my reputation, and, most importantly, my freedom. 

I wouldn’t give that up for anyone. Not even her. 

No way.

Blaize

I’ve always been a freak. My pale skin, nearly white eyes, and flame-red hair are like a warning signal to everyone who meets me. Weirdo incoming. Too smart. Too much to say. I can’t help it that my brain is always working. That I see possibilities others don’t. Like my thoughts on the extremely attractive criminal who stowed away on our ship. Why couldn’t he follow the rules and book passage like a regular traveler? He shouldn’t be here. I don’t trust him, but I also don’t want to be responsible for shooting him out the airlock. I’m too tender-hearted, putting my partners—the crew of The Treasure—at risk when I vote to save him.

I’m sure I’ll regret it. 

The only question is how much.

Stolen Fire Tropes

Identity, found family, opposites attract, good girl/bad boy, fated mates

Excerpt from Stolen Fire

1017 A. N., Planet Kolben, at the far edge of the Gliese Solar System.

Furcifer “Cifer” Msuya had made many poor decisions in his life, but accepting the retrieval job from the Hiargus royal family might be his last.

If he had known what a clusterfuck the job would be, he’d have doubled his exorbitant quote. Across the snow-dusted launch deck, he tracked the path of Jarn, the man who’d promised that his captain would get Cifer off this ass-sucking iceberg of a planet. He’d already been stuck there far longer than he’d anticipated. It had been much easier to sneak onto the planet than to escape.

The tips of his fingers burned with pain, and he blew on them to warm them before checking on the package—the reason he’d come to Kolben. He didn’t dare touch it again—he’d already been warned. It was bad enough having it tucked into a pouch against his body.

Jarn carried a large metal box and disappeared behind an enormous transport ship before reappearing—arms empty—running full tilt toward the low administration buildings in the distance. Where was he going? Jarn had said to meet him. His captain would take Cifer wherever he wished to go. Cifer had paid the guy up front.

Barking dogs sprinted from the transport ship, followed by a huge bald man. They raced behind the vehicle that Jarn had come from. Cifer remained hidden in the depression at the edge of the launch deck, waiting to see what new catastrophe sparked.

The dogs and the big bald man reappeared. He carried the metallic case Jarn had left behind. The dogs halted in a pack, but the man kept running. He froze at the edge of the far field. With an athletic twist, he hurled the case, which exploded midair.

Cifer dropped down flat into the gully, no longer feeling the cold. His heart raced. Alarms screamed. He lifted his head. Vehicles raced to the blackened spot and across the platform in the opposite direction. A spaceship went hot, engines flaring. The other ship on the deck, the one on which Jarn had promised Cifer passage, lifted from the ground and disappeared into the sky.

What the f*ck!

No.

That did not happen.