Excerpt for Ice and Peace
“Sir,”
a soft voice, feminine and sweet, beckoned his attention. He knew the voice,
like he knew himself. His heart skipped a beat.
Rising
slowly from his chair, Keegan cleared his throat and straightened his uniform.
Suddenly, the room seemed unbearably long as he walked the three feet or so to
be near her.
As
he took in every detail of her, he was stunned silent. She wore a Marine Corps
uniform with Navy insignia, with her hair neatly pinned off her neck and
shoulders. Her clothes were pressed with a crease that could cut a major artery
and her demeanor was impeccable. Something was not right.
Still,
Caitlin was a sight for sore eyes. She was beautiful. Her petite frame was
perfectly accented by the curves of her figure. And her brown eyes and
coffee-brown skin was smooth, creamy.
Standing
at attention, she did not meet his gaze. Though it was customary not to do as a
sign of military courtesy, he could tell she was not doing it for that reason.
Her gaze was different. Circling her, he tried to see if he could catch her
watching him out of the corner of her eye.
In fact, she appeared to be staring blankly ahead.
Peering
directly at her, he spoke in a soft tone. “At ease.”
She
relaxed.
“Cate.
Can you hear me?”
“Yes,
sir,” she responded mechanically.
Pain
pierced his insides. She was definitely not there. Keegan placed his hands on
his hips and hung his head in defeat. The one thing that was supposed to go
right did not. For whatever reason, they had placed her in a deeper state of
mental control than she’d ever been in. He controlled the hostile emotions
brewing with him. Touching her face gently, he felt her icy skin.
This
is unacceptable! Not here. I will not let this happen here. Not under my
command.
“Chief,
listen up,” he said in an authoritative tone. He knew in this state, it was the
only way he could speak to her and still have her respond.
“Yes,
sir.” Her gaze became even more distant.
Her
response fueled his anger. “You are going to hightail it down to the doc and
receive a full examination. Tell him it is based on my orders. He will know
what to do. Is that clear?”
“Yes,
sir.”
Knowing
that she was under the influence of cryo neurotransmitters, Keegan figured the
only way to combat it was to get someone to reverse it. They usually wore off
once she was away from the stimulus triggers for a long period of time. But
considering her stimulus triggers were high-ranking officers in uniform and
combat situations, being around here meant she was going to be in a drone zone
for a very long time. The last thing he needed was a zombie on board,
especially one in charge of the lives others.
Only
the jerks in psyche warfare thought doing this to someone would be a good idea.
As long as he was running the ship, none of that would be allowed. There
weren’t going to be any super zombies soldiers on board his ship. And he’d
rollover in his grave before he let them do it to his wife.
“After
you come back from the doc, you will report to me, understood?”
“Yes,
sir.”
“Are
there any questions?”
“No,
sir.”
“Dismissed.”
She
did an about face before leaving the room. Keegan clasped his hands behind his
back. In the blink of an eye, his joy had turned to sorrow. Now faced with the
responsibility of looking after his wife, he wondered how could he handle the
burden of command and still protect the woman he loved.
To purchase you can buy it at Barnes and Noble or at
Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/Peace-Cold-Warriors-Universe-Book-ebook/dp/B00DZV25QS/ref=la_B005CREN68_1_3/190-5643811-8364225?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404345298&sr=1-3
Bio
Clare Dargin is an author of Science Fiction and Romance
and has been writing stories all of her life before being published in 2007.
She’s a great fan of the two genres and loves promoting them.
An educator by profession, she possesses a Bachelor’s
Degree in English from a major mid-western university. She presently resides in
the Midwest and she hopes to expand her writings to include non-fiction,
historical romance, and contemporary novels.
You can find her on the web at-
Her Blog- claresblog2thehaven.blogspot.com
Twitter-
https://twitter.com/Clare_Dargin
Facebook-
https://www.facebook.com/clare.dargin
Goodreads- www.goodreads.com/author/show/2750164.Clare_Dargin
