GALLANT (The Innerworld Affairs Series, Book 3) Read Free Page A

everything would be fine. "In another month the worst will be over."
    Aster laughed. "Ha! That shows how little you know about babies. But then I don't have much more experience than you. Being an only child didn't exactly prepare me for this role. Thank heavens we'll have Cherry to help. She never talks much about her childhood but she had nine brothers and sisters, so she had to have picked up some practical knowledge about babies."
    Rom blocked his next thoughts from Aster. He liked Cherry and was glad Aster had been with her best friend when they arrived in Innerworld but Cherry's high energy level and unleashed spontaneity always made him feel like he was caught up in a tornado. The expression opposites attract was certainly true in the case of Cherry and Aster. Imagining the little dervish under his roof for extended periods of time did not fill him with the same sense of gratitude Aster felt.
    Just before Aster fell asleep, she reminded Rom that Cherry promised to come by for lunch tomorrow. As always, she looked forward to hearing what her friend had done for excitement this week. He was her soulmate but Cherry held an equally important position in her life.
    Long before the disaster landed them in Innerworld, Cherry had appointed herself Aster's savior from workaholism. Cherry was her alter ego, surrogate sister and the closest friend she'd ever had. Cherry had not only shared the most traumatic events in Aster's life, she always forced Aster to see the bright side of everything.
    If anything, her bond with Cherry had strengthened over the years because of their being removed from the world they once called home. Despite the fact that Aster and Rom shared thoughts, Cherry was the only person in Innerworld who could truly understand her feeling of alienation that never went away.
    And the fears she harbored for her unborn child's future in a society where prejudice against Terrans still fermented.
    Thankfully, Cherry was around to keep her fears from overriding the joy.
    * * *
    Cherry felt the softness beneath her and tried to orient herself before opening her eyes. A sense of danger swept through her, instantly followed by the memory of a wicked-looking stranger. At least she hadn't been incinerated like the Weebort.
    Cautiously, she opened her eyes and surveyed her dimly lit surroundings. She was in a gray-walled room on a large bunk that took up most of the limited space. That devil must have brought her here... wherever here was. After a moment, she recalled his insisting she accompany him to his ship.
    Panic assailed her as she leapt off the bed and pressed her palm to a square metal panel on the wall beside the door. The door slid open with a soft whoosh and relief that she had not been locked in quickly replaced the momentary fear. Years of improvising on stage had conditioned her to instantly adjust to whatever situation she found herself in. She usually relished an unexpected turn of events but this one made her furious.
    Stepping into a narrow corridor, she noted it ended a few feet to her right at one door and two more doors were across from her. About fifteen feet to her left, light streamed into the corridor. She headed toward that light fully prepared for a heated confrontation.
    The angry words on the tip of her tongue were suspended by shock as Cherry reached the doorway and her worst suspicions were confirmed. Although she had never traveled out of Innerworld, she had no doubt she was on a ship. Her gaze quickly scanned what had to be a bridge, with no visible walls, ceiling, or floor. She would have examined the unusually clear glass beneath her feet but the darkness beyond, accented by distant dots of light, brought the panic back in a surge.
    She was in space!
    Two people were in the center of the bridge behind a control panel. Long black hair with two white stripes identified the man seated in the only chair. At his side, a tall female stood facing Cherry, wearing a body-hugging, olive green