Seducing the Reluctant Heiress by KS Augustin

Author:KS Augustin [Augustin, KS]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SF Romance, Pygmalion, Rich-Girl, Pirates, Future Historical, Gestalt SF, Republic, Multicultural
Publisher: Challis Tower
Published: 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Tera was struck dumb.

“You’re Gil’s...” she finally spluttered.

“Mother? That’s right. I’m not surprised you didn’t pick up the family resemblance. Gil’s the image of his father.”

But now that Wonn mentioned it, Tera had noted some faint similarities. Those dark, mysterious eyes for one. The high cheekbones for another.

“Hardly anybody knows,” the pirate said, picking at various dishes on the table. “Kotase, of course. And Lendar, commander of the Bank Teh. But we think it makes for a safer working environment if we keep the information to ourselves.”

“You upset him by questioning him like that.” The words were out of Tera’s mouth before she knew it, startling her. Since when was she interested in a pirate’s feelings?

“He’ll get over it.” Wonn looked up and her eyes were bright. “I may not be what you consider to be a perfect parent, Ms. d’Olzon, but I try to make sure that Gil is as prepared for every situation as possible. The last thing I want is for him to be imprisoned by the Republic because he angered some spoilt gentry fop.”

Tera’s fingers fluttered helplessly but she said nothing. She couldn’t think of anything to say.

Wonn sighed. “In a way, this is our fault. Jaksen, Gil’s father, was a great man, but he was a pirate in the old mould—passionate, quick to anger, and always thinking of ways to throw the Republic off-balance. He considered every member of his crew to be part of an exclusive club, and treated them well, even to the detriment of the ships. In the lean times, when the Republic would spawn campaign after campaign on cartels like us, we’d bleed money keeping our crews safe, or funding them through semi-retirement, until the situation got better. Unfortunately, because Jaksen had a personal abhorrence towards kidnapping, the lean times outweighed the happy ones. I should have been paying more attention, but I was preoccupied with other matters when he took out those loans with the ventures.”

“What happened to Gil’s father?” Tera asked.

“He was killed five years ago in a Republic raid on one of our stopovers.” She shook her head, and her voice softened. “It was completely random,” she said. “Just one of those raids that the government uses so it can splash some little boasts across the vids. If Jaksen hadn’t left the ship to go stationside...”

Pain filled the woman’s voice, choking her so hard she faltered to a stop. The grief that Wonn still held, tight against her chest, was painful to see, and Tera blinked back the beginnings of bitter tears that formed at the back of her eyes. Even though she herself had a less-than-stellar relationship with her parents, she knew that the thought of either of them dying suddenly would be hard to take, especially if she couldn’t be at their sides sometime before the end.

Without thinking, Tera extended a hand, resting it on the other woman’s. Wonn looked up sharply.

“I’m sorry,” Tera said.

Wonn’s face gentled and she patted Tera’s hand. “Some decisions in life are easier to live with than others.

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