Shifting Tides

Book 4: A Shift in Space

by Danielle Forrest

Genres: Science Fiction Romance; LGBT & Pride; Shifters; alien romance; transgender romance

Synopsis

Sometimes, running's not an option.

 

Jessie is just plain tired of her sister's romantic antics. And envious. After spending most of her teenaged years on a pirate spaceship trying to avoid her sister's revolving door of beaus, she's ready to spread her wings, find her place in the world, and maybe even find that special someone she hopes is out there somewhere.

 

But her first steps toward independence don't exactly go to plan. She's starting to get noticed as an artist, but her love life is nothing but a long string of first dates... and a stalker who just got violent. Then, when she spots him outside her apartment, she knows it's time to do something desperate...

 

Shifting Tides is Book 4 in the A Shift in Space series, but can be read as a standalone. This Sci-Fi romance featuring a trans woman and alien man both struggling to find their place in society, kidnappings, and a government secret that will change the world. Unearth the conspiracy today!

 

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Release date: June 30, 2022

Publisher: Eternal Scribe Publishing.

Print pages: 363

Sample

Prologue

Jessie smiled at the finished painting on the easel. It was a commission, and it was finally dry enough to deliver. This was always a bittersweet moment, that moment when she gave her art over to someone else. It felt like a part of her was leaving, and while she’d never had the abandonment issues her sister had, it was still a hard thing to do.

“Just think of the look on their faces when you hand it over it,” she told herself. “This is joy delivered.” She smiled and picked it up. The rough texture of the canvas brushed against her fingertips as she placed it in a bag for transport.

Hefting it over her shoulder, she made for the door and pushed out into the early morning sunlight. It was dimmer than on other worlds she’d been to, and the city cast shadows against the mostly empty walkways. Most people hadn’t left work yet, but that was convenient, allowing her to smoothly make her way across the city.

The air had a slight bite to it, just cool enough to send goosebumps prickling across her skin. That, too, was a welcomed experience. It made the morning feel fresh and new, like it was somehow cleaner, clearer, more open to possibilities.

She passed by curved green roofs and brown walls, some with obvious windows, others with windows that blended in, given away only by a shine from the early morning light. As she left the residential area around her apartment, more and more people spilled out onto the walkways between buildings. Soon, it was quite crowded, with voices calling out to each other in a chaotic din that was impossible to understand. English was her first language, Uso her second. Kou had taught her the language of the Ateles, but she would never say she was fluent and picking up words in this crowd would need skills far greater than her own.

Jessie didn’t mind, though. She liked just experiencing the sound. It made her feel like she was part of a greater canvas of reality, like she was in the middle of something bigger than herself.

But as much as she liked to revel in the canvas of life, that would have to wait. She spotted the street she was looking for. The street’s name was etched onto the side of a building in Usan script. Not the easiest to read, but at least it wasn’t in the Ateles language. She hadn’t gotten around to learning their writing yet. Uso, on the other hand, was a universal language. It came from some goodie-two-shoes species that had served as ambassador between planets for far longer than humans had been in space.

Having a universal language certainly made things easier for her and other spacefaring individuals.

Jessie turned, slipping onto a far less crowded residential street. She counted off the doors until she spotted the one she was looking for. With a bounce in her step, she knocked.

Someone called out from inside, their voice muffled by the material separating them. Moments later, the door opened to a short Ateles woman with vibrant hair dyed red and a matching dress that flowed around her knees. “Oh, is it here?” she said, clasping her hands together in excitement. Behind her, her tail flicked back and forth, causing her skirt to shift.

“Right here,” Jessie said, lifting the bag off her shoulder.

“Oh, come in, come in.”

She entered and was hit by a wave of floral scent, both powerful and hard to identify. She couldn’t decide if she liked it or not, but she took in a deep breath as she crossed to a table against the right wall, laying the bag out. Opening it, she slid the painting carefully out, laying it overtop the bag.

“Oh my, it’s beautiful.” The woman looked over at Jessie. “You’re so talented. I can’t even imagine doing something like this. I think the blank canvas would simply overwhelm me. I just can’t see things like this in my head.”

“Thank you. And we all have talents. This is just mine.” She looked back down at the painting, that hesitancy to leave it behind hitting her once again. “I hope you love it. It’s really hard to part with.”

“Oh, I’ll treasure it.” Her client picked up the painting, being careful with what she touched, and held it out at arm's length. “Amazing.”

“Well, I should be going.”

The woman turned around, lowering the painting to her side. “Yes, thank you. Again.”

Jessie nodded and saw herself out.

“Jessie!” an angry voice yelled from down the street.

She flinched. Looking around her for an escape, she found nothing but a mostly empty space with no alleys or crossroads to get lost down. She didn’t see a way to avoid this confrontation. She turned her gaze to where Rae was stomping toward her, an exceptionally dark expression on his face.

“You blew me off!” he yelled as he approached.

“I didn’t want to talk to you.” She shrugged, but somewhere deep, alarm bells were ringing out, screaming at her to get away. There was something crazy going on in his eyes, and she didn’t like it.

“So you just turn tail and run in the middle of the market? You made me look bad.”

No, you made yourself look bad.

She chose not to say anything.

“And what about that second date you promised me?”

She shook her head. “I never promised you a second date.”

“Yes, you did. Don’t lie to me.”

Jessie rolled her eyes, but anger sparked across his face, causing her to tense and still. “I didn’t promise you a second date. I didn’t say anything. You assumed.”

He tensed, like pressure was building within his body and soon he would erupt. Then his gaze lifted up to the door she’d just left. 

He exploded. “And who the fuck is this? You slinking back home in the morning like you don’t belong with me? You think I’m not going to do something about that?”

“What are you talking about? Are you fucking nuts?” She shook her head and waved her hands. “Forget this. I’m out of here. I can’t deal with you right now.” She moved to walk around him, having every intention of taking the long way around so she could lose him, when he grabbed her by the arm. His fingers dug in, the claws at his fingertips pricking through her sleeve. She glared at him. “Let. Go.”

“Don’t think you can just walk away from this, you bitch.”

She pointed a finger in his face, channeling her sister. “I will break every finger in that hand. Let go.”

His grip lessened but didn’t release. Then his demeanor changed, like a curtain dropping over a stage. “Come on now, baby. Don’t be like that.” His thumb rubbed against her throbbing arm.

“Please, let go.” She stared him down, determined to win this contest of wills. She had to.

He released his grip, shifting to rubbing the outsides of her arms. “Come on, Jessie, let’s just go somewhere. We could have a nice dinner, maybe some dancing? What do you say?”

How did she attract this nut job? She stood there dumbfounded as he switched from angry to jealous to dangerous to cajoling. She couldn’t keep up with his mood swings, and she didn’t know what to do. What did you say to a clearly unhinged man who wanted you to follow him to a secondary location?

On the one hand, any woman from Earth knew you never let a guy take you to a secondary location. On the other hand, she was already in a pretty isolated space. She discretely looked around her, but no one had stepped out onto the street since he’d shown up. It was deserted, a perfect place for a kidnapping or murder.

Wonderful.

“Come on,” she said, deciding on a plan of action. “I have a place in mind.”

“That’s my girl.”

She walked with him behind her, trying to keep her shoulders relaxed and her breathing calm. She needed to get somewhere that contained people, somewhere she could lose him like she did at the market the other day.

Unfortunately, it was late in the day for the Ateles, and even the market would be winding down by now. But if she could get there soon, there just might be enough people to disappear among.

Hopefully.

She was short, which worked to her advantage, but she was also another species, so she tended to stick out like a sore thumb.

When they reached the market, she let out a sigh of relief. It was still crowded. There were fewer patrons than at the peak of the day, but still enough to bump elbows with. She slipped into the crowd, using her small size to her advantage. With quick movements, she advanced across the market.

Behind her, Rae spoke up. “Hey, slow down.”

She ignored him, looking for an out.

“Jessie, are you all right?”

She looked up, spotting the produce vendor, who had an alarmed expression on her face. She rushed up to her. “I need to hide.”

The other woman nodded and ushered her behind the table and through a door. “Just stay here. What do I need to look out for?”

“A tall man with a rakish haircut.”

She nodded and closed the door behind her.

Jessie leaned against the wall and sagged to the floor with a sigh.

How did I get into this mess?