Fated Webs Read online

  Glossary of words used by the Ba’Tuan

  Da’This is a label akin to lady, given to a

  woman who is considered worthy

  (though may be bestowed on the mate of

  a male given the title of De’)

  De’This is a label akin to lord, given to a

  man who is considered worthy (though

  may be bestowed on the mate of a

  woman given the title of Da’)

  DeandaraA term of endearment - similar to lover

  OsphanA born noble who acts as bodyguard,

  advisor and aide to a Turaa

  TiA generation of youngsters taught rigid

  control over all emotions. (Though not

  all have subscribed to this training)

  TuraaPrince

  TuranaPrincess

  Fated Mates was originally the very short story, False Webs. Time and distance have given me the chance to consider the title and the story. It’s now a short novella and introduces the Ba’Tuan and the Ti generation.

  Valerie’s story with Joruzan is sweet because he understands her fears and commitment issues.

  Above all, he’s willing to give her the time to grow and understand what’s happening.

  Isn’t that what we all want?

  I hope you enjoy this reworked story as much as I do.

  Imogene Nix

  2021

  Copyright © 2021 by Imogene Nix ®

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Character, places and events are from the author's imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  * * *

  Imogene Nix ® is a Registered Trademark

  ISBN 9781922369352

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  The Celtic Cupid Trilogy

  Star of Ishtar

  The Blood Bride by Imogene Nix

  Also by Imogene Nix

  About the Author

  Earth of 2030 supports a colony of Ba’Tuan — the men and women came to Earth in the hopes they’ll learn to overcome the rigid control of the Ti generation.

  Valerie is an ordinary earth woman, living an ordinary life. At thirty—four, her daughter Gia is now a young adult and Valerie’s content with her world. That is, until she meets Joruzan. He’s sexy, smart and makes her feel things she’s sure she’s too old to feel.

  But Joruzan is just as determined to prove her wrong and get the woman he’s fated to love.

  One

  The world stood still. Every television station blared the same story and the same scenes.

  They plastered the internet and print media.

  Aliens from space make contact.

  Valerie Montgomery was caught up in the mix of excitement and fear, just like every other human.

  Her daughter, Gia ignored the news though, as she completed her homework on the mat in front of Valerie’s desk.

  Unlike so many others Valerie couldn’t take the time away from her burgeoning business, so instead, she’d brought the small television into her office.

  “Mum? Why is aliens coming to Earth so important?” Gia was only six and not yet aware of the changes this could potentially bring to humanity. Or the danger.

  She dragged in an unsteady breath. “Because with this, everything changes, Gia. Now finish your homework while I get this website updated. Then we’ll go make dinner.”

  Still, though she should be working, Valerie’s eyes strayed once more to the television.

  Everything will change. Whether for good or bad, no one yet knew.

  Valerie sighed, rubbed her aching feet and scurried down the sidewalk, more than a little aware that she was on a time limit. Get to the bank. Plead the case for an overdraft.

  A tingle at the back of her neck had her stopping. She turned. Gaped.

  There on the corner she spied them. Dressed in the clothing she’d only seen on the television. The Ba’Tuan’s. Striding toward her.

  “Excuse me, ma’am. You need to move.” A man in black, earpiece dangling by a curled cord waved at her.

  “Oh, yes.” Embarrassment scorched her cheeks and she stumbled, nearly fell. A hand reached out to steady her.

  “You are unharmed?”

  The oddness of the query had her glancing up into the most beautiful eyes she’d ever seen. “I… Uh, yeah.” She raised a hand, meaning only to smooth back a curl which dropped over her face and the man in black captured her arm, squeezing hard. “Ouch!”

  “She means no harm, Mr Buetel. You can release her.” The voice smoothed over her mind. Settling the nerves that suddenly warned her of danger.

  “But she…”

  “All is well. She merely dropped her papers.”

  Valerie glanced down and groaned as they flapped in the tiny breeze. She bent to scoop them up and the man beside her, the Ba’Tuan dropped to a knee to assist. “I’m sorry,” she muttered feeling an unfamiliar sense of disconnection.

  “It’s is fine, lady. I will assist.”

  He did exactly that, then handed her the papers once they’d been collected.

  A sound echoed, the bong of a clock in the distance. It cleared the veil settling over her mind. “Oh, no!” She stepped back. “Thank you but I have to go!”

  Now, she turned and scurried up the road, refusing to give in to the urge to glance over her shoulder once again.

  Two

  Twelve Years Later

  * * *

  “Hey mum!” Gia’s voice floated through the office. It wasn’t a big space. Not really. They’d moved into the warehouse some four years ago when it became obvious to Valerie that to expand meant hiring an assistant and investing in more stock.

  The house were they’d live wasn’t big enough to contain the stock she held on hand.

  “What?”

  Gia rounded the corner and not for the first time, Valerie was amazed that the beautiful young woman she’s given birth to was an adult.

  “You have a request. From the Ba’Tuan High Commission.”

  Valerie sat upright. Startled. “Who?”

  Gia grinned. “The Ba’Tuan High Commission. They want to talk to you about the line of art pieces you’d commissioned from Francisco’s Co-op.”

  Valerie blinked. “The paper craft images?”

  “Yep. They want to meet with you next week. I spoke with Sandra to ensure we can supply them.”

  Amazement didn’t come even close to explaining her reaction to the request. Francisco’s work was dramatic and lifelike. Created from recycled papers. Beautiful… But was it enough to attract the notoriously straight-laced Ba’Tuan’s?

  Sandra popped her head around the door. “They want to talk to you about importing the line… We’d have to discuss this with Francisco. See if his people can commit to the numbers their talking about. This could be good news though, for Montgomery Industries. You could grow the business. Take on more staff.”

  Glancing at Sandra, Valerie knew the woman was only stating the truth. Montgomery had to grow and soon, otherwise it would stagnate. Her assistant had been raising the concerns for the last year. Even worse, Valerie knew everything she said was correct and had been looking for ways to make the necessary changes and take an educated chance.

  With a sigh, she laid down the report she’d been checking when Gia en
tered the room. “Yes, we should make an appointment. Sandra? Talk to Francisco, see what his people can manage. Gia? We need a proposal. Costings and overheads for us. Fees for exporting so we can look at a possible cost structure. We need to make enough that we can pay for another staff member.”

  Gia grinned. “Well, I’d love to be paid.”

  Valerie rolled her eyes. “You would be better getting a degree and working outside the business Gia. Gain some experience so when you do come back to Montgomery you’ll have a well rounded experience of the business world.”

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want her daughter working for her. She was clever, bright and had an eye for detail, but truthfully, Valerie still feared that one day the business would fail. She wanted Gia to have something to fall back on.

  Gia growled. “I’d rather work for you.”

  “I know, my love. One day.”

  Three

  One week later

  * * *

  Valerie Montgomery looked at the pile of papers that littered her desk. “Some days I don’t know if this business is worth it.”

  Sandra, her assistant snickered. “I’m glad you get to deal with that, and not me.”

  Of course, Sandra didn’t know the half of it. The Ba’Tua Turaa, Cedun, was due to meet with her and she desperately needed to clear her desk, before he arrived. The problem was, where the hell was she supposed to even put it all?

  Montgomery Industries was in trouble, and unless he allowed her to export to their homeworld, she’d be bust before the year was out. A truth she’d only come to realise in the last few days. Their stock was limited, the bank wanted a surety she couldn’t give and the accounts were near to empty.

  The need to look at least semi-successful rode her hard.

  “Sandra, help me move them all to the break room. I don’t want him to think we’re incapable of dealing with…” She waved her arms over the scattered papers.

  “Sure. I’ll do this. You get the rest of the stuff in place.”

  Stuff being the drinks and choice canapés she’d organised. Her research had pointed to that being an integral part of the bargaining process.

  As she laid them out, the hammering came at the door. She bit her lip hard, her tooth slicing through the soft flesh of her lip. “Ouch! Sandra?” Her attention splintered. She gripped the knife and the edge slid through her skin. “Damn!”

  “Yeah, I’ll get it!”

  Thudding steps and the sound of the door opening wide had her senses jittering.

  “Oh! Umm, it’s Gia, Valerie. Do you want…?”

  “What?” The word slipped out before she could contain it, and her daughter, sauntered in.

  “Valerie? What’s up? Hey, you’ve hurt yourself.” Gia rushed in and grabbed her hand. “How the hell did you do that?” The ripping sound of tissues being dragged from their box filled the air. “Here, press that in place. I came over hoping there was some way I could help.”

  Valerie and Gia looked so similar, that many times they’d been taken for sisters. Valerie dabbed at the blood as she watched her adult daughter right the mess on her desk. Born when Valerie was only sixteen, she’d been the constant that held her together over the long years. Now, here she was as an adult, helping her out. Tears pricked her eyes burning her.

  “Don’t cry. It’ll all be okay.” Gia pressed a quick hard hug to her and dug out the proposal’s she’d printed for Valerie. “I can stay if you need me?”

  Valerie thought for a moment then shook her head. “No, I’ll be fine once I’ve finally met the Ba’Tua.”

  Gia nodded. “Okay. But only if you’re sure?”

  Valerie smiled, hoping she was hiding the hornets nest of nerves that flew in her stomach. “It’s fine. You go on home.”

  Gia left and Valerie slumped into her seat. “I only hope I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew.”

  Joruzan wasn’t totally sure why Cedun had demanded his presence at the meeting with himself and the owner of Montgomery Industries.

  “Come. This is the appointed time.” Cedun indicated the door and Joruzan followed him inside.

  The woman sitting at the desk flashed them both a welcoming smile. “Turaa. We are honoured…”

  “It is our honour. This is Joruzan, my…assistant, but please, call me Cedun.”

  Joruzan contained the mild irritation at Cedun’s strange title for him. He was really more than an assistant, but humans seemed to struggle with the concept of Turaa’s Osphan, the exact title he owned.

  Joruzan was a noble in his own right, he also acted as Aide, Chief Bodyguard and even Advisor to the Turaa, or prince, when they were far from home. Like now.

  “Of course, please come this way.” The woman waved them to a small office and opened the door. “Uh, Valerie Montgomery.”

  His mind blanked settling on the woman. His body instantly reacted to her, hardening with the force of instant desire. Just as it had all those years ago on the roadside. He remembered the blush staining her cheeks, the scent of her body. He had to supress the emotions churning inside him. “De’ Valerie.” He extended his hand, as did Cedun and only dimly noted that she reciprocated with himself and Cedun.

  His body was still absorbing the knowledge of the shock that rippled through his system. My mate.

  “Uh, as you would be aware, we’ve made representations to export to your homeworld but…”

  Cedun leaned back in his seat as Joruzan watched the play of concern on De’Valerie’s face.

  “You have prepared a proposal, you stated.” Cedun’s voice cut through the fog and Joruzan sat upright. I’m here to advise Cedun, not wallow in the knowledge that I’ve finally found my other half.

  “Uh. Yes, I have.” Two small folders were pushed over the desk and Joruzan scooped one up and started flicking through, hoping to hide the sense of urgency that built within him.

  De’Valerie’s gaze settled on his and he detected a surge of pink. She’s embarrassed? Why?

  The meeting progressed slowly while Joruzan fought to keep his mind on the discussion. The canapés were delicious, he was sure, but he didn’t really taste them.

  He glanced at a photo behind her, of herself and a younger woman. “Your sister?” He pointed and De’ Valerie blushed deeper.

  “My daughter.”

  Hope plummeted. Daughter. Partner. Not for him.

  “You are…” The word mated stuck in his throat but she shook her head.

  “No, it’s just me and Gia.”

  Valerie heaved a sigh of relief when the Ba’Tua left. “Well, that’s it. I hope the proposal is enough to sway them."

  “Me too. Mind you, they’re both really good looking, aren’t they?” Sandra chirped and Valerie smiled.

  You go on home and I’ll clear away and close up. Thanks for everything.”

  But once Sandra had left, she dropped back down into her seat. Oh, they’d been good looking all right, but they were Ba’Tuan’s of the Ti generation. Sent here to learn to loosen their control.

  Cedun was lovely, friendly and helpful but Joruzan… Now he fired her blood as no one else ever had.

  Her body had reacted in a totally unfamiliar way, warming through and she’d felt this odd kind of emptiness deep down in her abdomen.

  “You’re too old for that kind of nonsense.”

  The door to her office swung open. “Everything is right, De’Valerie?”

  There he stood, Joruzan. The sexiest man, to her mind, in the entire galaxy.

  He was tall and muscular with black hair and golden eyes, that reminded her of pools of molten caramel. Her insides melted a little further.

  “What kind of nonsense, De’ Valerie?” His eyes gazed deep and she was nearly lost.

  “I… Uh…” He flowed around the desk to stand before her. “I… Did you forget something?” The words came out like a throaty whisper and she blushed. Deeply.

  Oh great work, Valerie. He probably thinks your some sex crazy middle-aged cougar wanna-be!r />
  “I left my transmitter behind.” But his gaze wasn’t on her desk. No, it had settled on her face, or more specifically her lips.

  She licked them, as they’d become dry then was aware of her actions. The blush deepened.

  “Beautiful De’ Valerie.” Somehow, she missed that he’d moved even closer, so that with a single sway she could touch her body to his. He reached out and cupped her shoulder and she gulped.

  “Uh…”

  “Deandara.” The word caressed her mind and she sucked in an unsteady breath as he inched closer and pressed his lips against hers.

  Joruzan entered the office, with a jaunty step. He felt good, in fact, he felt even better than that. He’d met his life partner and kissed her. For a Ti, that was a huge step in the right direction.

  Even better, she hadn’t shied away from him because he was Ba’Tuan.

  Thinking back to Valerie, a vision of her rose. Her pale green eyes, and raven coloured hair with lush curves and ivory skin.

  “You are happy? What happened?” Cedun waited by the window, his eyes narrowed.

  “I’ve found my partner. De’ Valerie.”

  Cedun staggered a little, then pushed away from the desk. “Then I congratulate you.” There was an air of something wrong about Cedun and Joruzan stepped toward his friend.

  “But all is not well for you?”

  Cedun waved away his concern, but there was a distance opening between them, confusing Joruzan. “Cedun? Turaa?”

  “It is nothing. Come, let us discuss this proposal. Does it have merit? You inspected it from cover to cover while in the meeting.”