Hey Everyone!!

I thought it might be fun to start the weekend off with a little question/answer session. Enjoy! 😉

Excerpt from Rainbow Dreams:
Sadaka stared at Petri and asked, "Do ya eat people?"

Grimacing, Petri turned her attention to the child and reached out to tickle her, "Yes. Especially silly, little girls!"

Giggling, Sadaka asked, "Then what do you eat?"

Gesturing at the remains of their meal, Petri answered, "Food."

"Truly?" asked Daji. "You have no other nutritional requirements beyond the same type of foods other species consume."

Slumping, Petri put her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes. "I also can absorb energy from strong emotions."

"Other people's emotions?"

She nodded.

"What kind of emotions?"

"All kinds, as long as they're strong."

"Do you kill when you feed this way?"

Raising her head from her hands, she glared at him. "Not usually."

"There is something you're not telling me. What is it?"

"Nothing of importance."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Flicking her eyes toward where Sadaka sat watching them with fascination, Petri answered, "There's nothing else that's important enough that I need to tell you right now."

Following Petri's eyes, Daji's tense posture relaxed when he realized the child was still listening to their conversation. Turning to Chessie, he said, "Would you mind escorting your young friend to the entertainment area at the back of the ship. She may find some items there that will amuse her." He nodded toward the hall where the lavatory was located. "Just follow the hallway to the end."

Nodding, Chessie rose and held out her hand toward Sadaka, smiling. The girl looked momentarily disappointed, but then she smiled and took Chessie's hand. The two of them walked out of the room giggling over a whispered joke.

Turning back to Petri, Daji said, "You were saying?"

Petri sighed and shook her head. "I can feed from any emotion, but I can't keep from absorbing the feeling along with the energy."

"So?"

"So, it's dangerous for me to feed from things like anger, fear, hate, and other dark moods. I can't control the way they make me feel, and I can do things while under the influence of those emotions that cause problems later."

"Such as?"

She glared at him. "Such as murder."

"So you do kill when you feed?"

"No! I mean, not usually. I can, but what I mean is that if I feed from negative emotions, I might kill someone in a normal way before the feeling from the emotion wears off."

"Normal way?"

"With my hands or a weapon. Why are you doing this?"

"I'm trying to understand. You are an unknown quantity, and so a threat. I need to learn all I can about you."

"Why?"

"So I can decide if you need to be eliminated."

Her eyes narrowed. "You think I'll let you kill me?"

He raised his brows. "You've seen me fight. Do you think you could stop me?"

She bit her lip and looked away.

"That's not an answer."

Her eyes flicked to his face and away. She mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?"

Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "I don't know."

"Explain."

Shaking her head, she looked at him calmly. "No. I'm done talking."

He leaned back, considering her. "No. I need to know more."

She shrugged. "Too bad."

"Unacceptable."

"Why? We'll leave, and you won't have to worry about us. Why not leave it at that?"

It was Daji's turn to look away.

The answer clicked in her mind, and she gave him an evaluating look. "You want something from us, that's why you brought us back here. What do you want?"

He looked back at her. "You chose to return with me to my ship, rather than run the moment we escaped from the mad humans. Why? I don't believe it is just because you gave your word."

Petri blinked. "You first."

Sighing, Daji looked away and grimaced. "If we are to be of use to each other, we must trust each other."

Smiling, Petri nodded. "You first."

"There is nothing you have told me so far that could not have been said in front of the child. In fact, given the general conduct of the humans in this city, I believe it likely she has heard much worse."

Blinking at the change in topic, Petri nodded. "True, but I haven't told you how I feed since I have to be careful about which emotions I feed from. Even still, I'm sure she's heard worse, but I don't want to add to it." She looked down at her hands and back up. "She's tough, but she shouldn't have to be."

Daji seemed to weigh her with his eyes. "All children deserve to be protected. Your concern for her does you credit, especially since she shares no blood connection with you. How did you find her?"

"Why does that matter to you?"

The Paka growled and bared his teeth. "Very well, Arcanum, I will bargain with you."

"I'm not an Arcanum!"

"I'm not yet certain what you are, but I will bargain with you, nonetheless."

"What do you mean?"

"You may ask a question, and I will answer honestly, for every question of mine that you answer."

Petri considered his offer. They were getting nowhere, and she needed his help to get off world, so it seemed like the best compromise. Nodding, she said, "You first."

"Agreed. But I warn you, I will know if you lie."

"What do you want from us?"

"I have a problem that I believe your friend Chessie can assist me with."

"What problem?"

"You had your question, now it is my turn. Why do you believe you might be able to best me in a fight?"

"Something happened recently that I don't really understand."

"What?"

She shook her head. "What problem and why do you think Chessie can help you?"

"That's two questions."

She shrugged.

Taking a deep breath, Daji answered, "The thrice-damned authorities of this pestilential world are detaining my ship. I believe Chessie may be able to assist me because she bears the marks of one who tampers with computer systems."

Blinking, Petri asked, "You mean you can see the marks from her taps?"

"That is another question, and you already owe me two. What happened that you don't understand and how did you meet the child?"

Closing her eyes, Petri shook her head. "I'm not sure how to describe it. I killed a man and almost killed another one by feeding on them, but I wasn't in control of my power. I met Sadaka when she was running from some doll collectors. I kept them from taking her."

"Why?"

"That's another question. How do you know Chessie is a diddler?"

"The electrodes she uses to access the Rainbow leave a lasting impression on the skin when they are used often. Generally, only those who make a habit of tampering with computer systems spend enough time connected to their electrodes to acquire such marks. Why did you save the girl?"

"Because I know what happens to kids who are taken by the houses, and I didn't want that to happen to her. Why is the government holding your ship?"

"Because I am carrying a cargo they wish to acquire, but they do not wish to pay the price I ask for it. Why did you care about the girl's probable fate?"

Sighing, Petri rubbed her eyes. "I don't know. I just saw a way to help her, so I did. If the government wants your cargo, why don't they just take it?"

"They would never be able to defeat the security on my ship without destroying it. Why is the girl still with you?"

"She's helping Chessie and me find our way around Western sector. Besides, if we left her, the doll collectors would pick her up. If the government wants what you have so badly, why didn't they arrest you when you left your ship?"

"Had they arrested me, they would have created an interstellar incident with the government of my homeworld. Why do you need help finding your way around this sector? Are you from elsewhere?"

"Chessie and I are from Southern sector. Why would your government care if you were arrested? Are you a celebrity, or something?"

"I am Shujaa and one of the last of my kind who has received the full Askari training. My government would not be pleased if I were to be detained. Why did you leave your home sector?"

"I didn't understand your answer. What do Shujaa and Askari mean?"

"Your comprehension is not my problem, answer my question."

She glared at him, but it had no effect. "Because it was dangerous for us there. Define the Paka words you used."

He gave her a smile of grudging respect and nodded. "The Shujaa is a specific genetic line among the Paka that has almost died out. We are quite rare now, but those who carry the lineage often are stronger, faster, and in possession of sharper senses than other Paka. The Askari training is an intense training regimen that lasts years. It teaches Paka to make the most of both their physical and mental potential. It is quite rare for anyone to successfully complete the training. Why was it dangerous for you to remain in the Southern sector?"

"Some people found out what I am. Is this Shujaa thing how you knew I wasn't a human/Paka hybrid?"

"Yes. You do not smell like a Paka. How did those in the Southern sector find out what you are?"

"I nearly killed a man by feeding on him. What's the cargo that the government wants so badly?"

"Kufikiri manufactured ship components. Why did you nearly kill the man?"

"It was an accident! I was starving and I fed too deeply. I didn't mean to hurt him. Why would the government go to so much trouble for Kufikiri technology when they can just buy it from the Kufikiri themselves?"

"These components are state-of-the-art technology. The Kufikiri are not yet selling many of them off their homeworld. How do you feed that you could make such an error?"

"I feed during sex. I'm a dolly, and I feed from my clients. None of them have ever gotten hurt before. It just feels good to them." Petri didn't know why she felt the need to justify herself to this alien, but she couldn't stand the thought of him thinking badly of her. "If the components are so hard to come by, how did you get them?"

"I have friends among the Kufikiri. Did you also accidentally over-feed on the man you killed?"

Rodney's smirking face swam before Petri's eyes, and she forced it back down into her subconscious. Her jaw hardening, she spat, "No! He raped me, and he was going to kill me. I'm not sure how, but my power took over and drained him until he was just a husk." She glared at the male in front of her, daring him to judge her.

Daji's expression softened when he heard her confession, and he nodded. His voice gentle, he asked, "How long ago was this?"

Covering her eyes with her hands so she wouldn't have to see the compassion on his face, Petri said, "I'm not sure, it's been a bit crazy. Yesterday, I think."

"So, it is likely no one has realized it yet?"

She shrugged.

"Is the man you killed likely to be missed?"

A hard, bitter laugh grated from her lips. "Oh, yeah. I fucked up big time with that one."

"But if it has not been that long since it happened, he may not have been missed yet. We may still have a little time."

"We?"

"I assume you need to leave this planet, if not for the death of the man, then because Arcanum are not widely appreciated."

She glared at him. "And you'd be willing to have a Mgeni aboard your ship?

He smiled, "Do you know where the word 'Mgeni' comes from?"

She blinked at the non sequitur but shook her head.

"It is a Paka word. It means 'alien.' Nearly all of the people on this world are mgeni to me."

Her expression hardened. "You didn't answer the question."

Smiling, he shrugged. "You do not seem overly dangerous to me. From what little I know of you, you are as honorable as your circumstances allow you to be. Do I trust you? No. But I need your friend's aid, and I do not believe she will give it to me unless I assist the three of you."

"What are you offering and what are you asking in return?"

"I will take you, Chessie, and the child away from this world and leave you on another world of your choosing."

"And you want?"

"I want my ship released."

"And that's it?"

"That is it."

"If making you a prisoner would cause problems with your government, how can they detain your ship?"

"Ah, but it is only my ship that is held captive. I am free to leave whenever I wish."

She grimaced. "Politics."

He nodded. "As you say. Can your friend help me?"

Petri shrugged. "I don't know; we'll have to ask her."

Want to find out if Chessie can help? Grab your copy at the link below. Happy reading!! 😊