Chapter 1, of "One Wish"...

Prologue

"You know what? I have had it. I've had it with this life, this world, with everything. " She mumbled to herself, as she stormed into the one-third living room, one-third kitchen and one-third dining area of her pocket-sized trash heap of an apartment.

With a huff of indignation, she threw her purse on the old second hand split pea green couch an old friend had found at a yard sale for her. In less than five seconds, she walked from one end of her apartment to the other, while her hair swung around her face in an angry black mass.

She huffed and puffed some more, before throwing herself face down on her tiny twin sized bed, fully dressed. "Ah... What a day!" A harsh groan sank into her pale pink silk pillow, from pent-up emotions and a huge measure of too many frustrations. After a minute of self-pity, she climbed out of bed and changed out of her ugly tan polyester work dress into a comfortable pair of black stretchy denim jeans, with her favorite cotton t-shirt, which had been her favorite for years. The shirt was an old, slightly faded Ozzy Osbourne concert tee. It was black, white and proclaimed 'We sold our soul for Rock & Roll'.

The relief she felt when the offending dress had been cast aside was tremendous. The dress was tight and represented a job she hated. Against her own wishes, she worked as a junior secretary in one of the hundreds of unimportant business in computer sales.

Her boss was a sexist pig and made all the girls wear these horrible dresses to keep them in line or so he said. The dresses were too tight, to short and ugly as old dried up hay. Her boss thought they were tasteful and kept his male customers coming back for more.

With more than a small collection of aggression she pulled on a pair of black lace up combat boots, that her friends always said were only good for one thing, if she were to use them to stomp poop and that was if they wanted to be nice about it. Great friends, hum?

Almost sadly, she wondered through her apartment past a table with peeled plain brown paint around her TV, which had blown up last week. She grabbed her purse from beside the old faded lavender chair that looked as if it might fall apart at any moment and snagged her keys from the unsightly pink plastic key holder by the door, before she let herself out, locking the door behind her more from habit than the thought of actually owning something worth stealing.

Today had been almost the worst day of Melanie's life, hell it had been the worst couple of days. It had been bad, but she had seen worse in her young life. Monday, her boss had yelled at her for being two minutes late. Tuesday, she had left her purse at home and ran out of gas on the way home from work, forcing her to walk two miles to the nearest gas station, in high heels no less. Wednesday, nothing had wanted to go right, from spilling coffee all over her and having to have her work dress dry-cleaned, to breaking the heel off her last pair of high heels. Then last night she had the date from hell.

A guy from work, Bernie had been hounding her to go out with him for a month, so finally she broke down and said she would go. He was a sweet guy and he wasn't bad to look at. He was a great co-worker, easy to work with. Bernie even seemed rather sensitive. But then appearances can be very deceiving. Their date had been an excruciating nightmare.

Bernie picked her up at seven, opened her car door for her and acted like the perfect gentleman all through dinner. Next, they went to the movies and as soon as the lights went down, Melanie felt hands all over her. She was shocked and more than a little upset, but nicely asked Bernie to remove his hands.

Without the least bit of morality, he made it quite clear he had taken her out, bought her dinner and took her to a movie, so it was her responsibility to put out. Then to worsen the situation, he pulled the old "put out" or "get out" and she had walked home, in the pouring rain, with no cab in sight.

"Sorry good for nothing..." Melanie hissed. "Why he believed I was nothing better than a strumpet was, I'll never know. But I'm sure not making that mistake again. The nerve of that man, 'I bought you dinner, now put out.' The audacity of some people, I swear."

Then that very morning, life had taken yet another plunge on the down side. On the way to work a man had ran a red light and plowed into the side of her. Her car was totaled, the insurance company was not paying for damages, because the man's insurance had been canceled two days before and after all that, she was two hours late for work. A very nice and understanding cop dropped her off at work. It was getting close to lunchtime and she was sure her boss would be in a bad mood again. Shaking with tension and nerves already way to jittery, she rushed in to explain what had happened that morning to him.

Being the oh so wonderful man she knew he was, he listened patiently and nodded a few times before saying. "Women drivers. Baby, you should have been watching what you were doing, then the accident would never have happened and you wouldn't have been late for work."

Melanie had held her breath, trying her best to hold back her temper. Then the incredible man had dropped the bomb. The bottom line was that she was late and he believed it was her fault, so she was fired.

"Women drivers my butt." Melanie mumbled, as she stumbled down the street toward the near by bar and grill, now car-less and in need of a strong drink, she caught quite a few strange looks from people on the street around her.

Huffing, puffing and cursing quite a bit under her breath she walked down the street, until she reached the corner and had to stop for the red light at the crosswalk. Traffic didn't seem as bad as it usually was on a Friday night, but she waited patiently anyway. With endless time to spare, now that she had no job to go along with her already developed no life, she glanced up and smiled at the sky. For once she could see all the stars shinning down on her brightly, which was a rarity in the city. A grin slid across her face as she spotted the North Star and for one moment pretended she was a child again and made a wish.

"I wish I could meet a man like the ones I have read about in books, a true southern gentleman, a Lord or a Duke." She laughed, then mumbled, "Maybe a sexy pirate."

Despite the odds and bad luck she just wanted to meet a decent guy, who was sweet and sensitive, yet who was wild and daring. All she wanted was to be able to look at a man who wasn't sex starved and half-crazed. Knowing there sure weren't any men left in the world like that, she shook her head. All the good men must have died along with the pirate era. But wouldn't it be great to actually meet a man like that.

As her mind kept wondering around that, she stepped into the street thinking plenty of time had went by, so the light must have changed by then. Melanie heard someone yell her name and she turned to look and saw the headlights bearing down on her. There wasn't time to think, to act or to even move, so she just closed her eyes.

All she could see was a bright blinding white light, and> then there was nothing.

Chapter One

Melanie regained conciseness to the sound of birds lovingly chirping away and the crisp leaves rustling above her head. With a groan she opened her eyes and looked around, to find herself in a small barren dirt field. Huge green trees surrounded the field. It was no longer night, but day and if the height of the sun meant anything, it was probably around midday.

Melanie heaved herself to her feet and wiped dirt off her back, then picked leaves out of her hair. Checking carefully with a steady gaze down at herself, she couldn't find a scratch or bruise on her body. Cautiously she wondered through the palace of trees and found what appeared to be a deserted dirt road. There wasn't much of a choice, just north or south, so she picked a direction and started trudging on. What ever had happened to her she knew she wasn't in the city any more and saying she was in the country was a major understatement. It was more like she was in the back of beyond.

The only thing she remembered was leaving her apartment, then stopping at the crosswalk and making her silly little wish. After that, everything was a blur. There was no use worrying over it now though, so she kept walking.

On either side of the road were woods, which just gave the impression the forest was getting thicker the longer she walked. She marched on for hours, with the sun beating down on her mercilessly. She was hot, tired and worried. She hadn't seen another living soul since she had woken alone and it was starting to upset her badly. Usually she was a loner, but at the moment seeing another person wouldn't hurt.

Feeling like you were the last person on Earth had a way of doing that to a person. After what felt like an eternity, Melanie heard something coming down the road behind her. Her heart gave a little leap of joy and she turned around, with a huge smile plastered on her face. Her mouth fell open in utter amazement at what she saw before her.

Coming toward her was an old-fashioned horse drawn carriage and a full one at that, with a closed in box for the actual carriage. It was black and red, with gold fixtures and was drawn by four matching black Arabian horses, which were absolutely breathtaking.

Melanie waved franticly trying to get the black driver's attention. The older gentleman flew closer and closer, but didn't seem to pay her the least bit of attention. Not only did it look as if he was of a mind to not stop, but he seemed to gain speed by the second. Leaning toward urgency rather more than good sense, she stood in the middle of the road and waved as they came even closer toward her position.

The driver began to yell at the top of his lungs and pumped his fists in the air. "Move woman, get out of the road or I'm gonna run ya down. I can't be stoppin now. There some folks ah chasin us."

Melanie leaped out of the road to plop on her butt in a batch of dusty weeds at the side. A woman's blond, golden head popped out of the little square window and she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," silently as the carriage flew by.

The carriage was quickly out of sight, yet Melanie continued to stare in the direction motionless, where it had disappeared. She sighed in aspiration, knowing her only form of help had refused to even stop. A loud groan whooshed from her chest as she once again pulled herself from the ground and wiped her clothing off. Then slowly she restarted her journey in the same direction that the carriage had taken.

Yet now she was filled with hope of finding a town and real people in it. The road looked endless to Melanie and she thought of just giving up and just falling down somewhere to sleep off her misery and disappointment. Her legs ached and her stomach was growling, while at the same time she wondered when she had eaten last. On her way home from that awful job she had been fired from she had eating lunch and she hadn't found the time to eat again since then. So, how long ago was that? Maybe twenty-four hours?

Through sheer determination she forced herself to keep going, picking up one leg after the other. No matter how bad things got she wasn't a quitter and she refused to let the situation get the better of her. But wouldn't a lot of people want to give up in this situation. Not only not knowing where she was, but also having to push themselves through a walk that might be never ending.

Then she heard the unmistakable sound of approaching horses' hooves as they pounded on the hard packed dirt ground. With a wide grateful smile on her face, she turned around, then wished she hadn't of wasted her time. Two big men where riding toward her and they didn't look very friendly. She glanced at the woods behind her but knew she would never make it, so she stood her ground, looking confident, yet trembling in her combat boots.

The two men jerked their horses to a stop in front of her> and glared down at her. In an instant she easily pegged them as sailors, disgusting ones that hadn't seen neither bath nor a hairbrush in their lives. The scent of their bodies pounded down on her in nauseating waves, which sent her stomach rebelling.

They had tattoos from shoulder to ankle from what she could> tell. They looked like they had slept in their clothes for a month and they both reeked of dried up fish. One of the men smiled down at her, showing off the hole where he was missing his two front teeth, before he spit chewing tobacco on the ground a few inches from Melanie's feet. "Looky here Georgey. We done found> us a stray woman."

The man who must have been Georgey, grinned wickedly at Melanie, while looking her over provocatively, making her stomach roll even more. "This gives me the perfect idea Bo. The blond lady is probably a long way ahead of us by now. Why don't we take Cap'n this one instead?"

"Cap'n said he wanted the other one. I don't think he will like this much and I don't wanta get on the Devil Lorgan's bad side if you know what I mean."

The first man said. "If we go back empty handed he ain't goin be happy either. If we bring him her, then at least we got him a woman. One woman is as good as another." as he watched her closely and she knew if she tried to run he would be on her in a second.

"Well if Cap'n ain't happy, then I'm goin to say this was all your idea and I didn't like it none." Bo mumbled pitifully and Melanie almost felt sorry for him, except the fact remained that, they were sitting there discussing kidnapping her.

Georgey reached down and grabbed Melanie. Running on pure instinct, she kicked him and scratched her nails down his arm, making him howl in outrage. Refusing to let her win their struggle, he reached back and slapped her as hard as he could, knocking her backwards. Next, he pulled her up in front of him on his saddle and turned the horse around. Then, he tied her hands to his saddle horn and took off, with a complaining Bo right on his heels.

The half-wild horse reared up and joggled them both in the saddle, before settling back down enough for them to move. Georgey aimed them in the opposite direction, where she had been walking from all day, drawing a groan from Melanie. Between the smell of the two men, the horses and the rocking> motion as they road on, Melanie's stomach gave in and she hurled up what little bit was left in the deepest pits of her stomach.

"Dang girl, give a man some warnin. If you need to do that again, let me know and I'll stop for Christ sake." Georgey growled at her.

After and hour and a half of hard traveling, plus having to stop twice so Melanie could empty out her now hollow stomach, they arrived in a small seaside town. The smell of salt and fish combined in the air making it thick, almost choking her.

It was pitch dark by then and she was beyond exhausted. Through half opened eyes she could barely make out tiny, strange lights in passing windows. The clump, clump of the horses' hooves changed to a heaver sound as if they were walking across huge flat stones.

They stopped in front of an old brick building, that might have been grey, but with the lateness of the hour looked coal black. The building had a wooden sign over the tall front door that proclaimed itself, 'White St. Inn.'

Georgey climbed off his horse, beside his friend Bo and carried her inside the long building. Just barely through her clouded mind, Melanie heard low mumbled voices, and then felt the blissfulness of a soft bed underneath her aching body.

With an arm that felt more like lead, than flesh and bone, she reached out, with her eyes still tightly closed and simply said, "Food."

Georgey pulled her hand away and said, "Don't worry missy. I'll send a servant into feed and change ya. But don't ya go gettin no ideas; I'm goin leave one ah my men guardin ya door. So don't even think about tryin to get outta here."

A small hand on her shoulder and a tiny voice woke her some time later. "Ma'am, I've brought you some food." Melanie blinked and looked up at the very young woman standing in front of her. The girl couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen for goodness sake. There were laws against this sort of thing. Melanie thought weakly. "Do you work here or do your parents own this place?"

As Melanie sat up, the girl handed her a tray filled with strange pasty looking food, but Melanie didn't care, she felt like she was starving. "My master and mistress own the Inn. I work for them."

Throat closed and eyes watering, Melanie chocked on a piece of hard crunchy bread. "Master? Mistress? How old are you?"

The girl rung her hands, and then lit an extra candle. "I'm fifteen Ma'am."

She smiled sweetly, "I'm a bonded servant. My father sold me, as a worker to the Inn for three years to help out our family."

Bonded servant, a slave? What in the world? Melanie thought, then seeing the candle she asked, "Power out?"

By the tiny candle's light Melanie could just catch the girl's expression as she flushed pink in confusion, "Power out, what ever do you mean?"

Melanie laid her tray on a near by table, picked up a candle of her own and started a total search of the walls for a light switch. After searching every inch of the room, she found not one anywhere and started muttering to herself further confusing the poor girl who stood by watching her.

Melanie climbed back in the small bed and took her tray from the table. Her mind wondered over all the possibilities that could explain her circumstances as she absentmindedly started back eating, while the girl walked around the room, checking everything to make sure of Melanie's comfort.

"I hear you are planning on marrying our local Captain Lorgan."

Melanie chuckled sarcastically, "Yeah that is what I keep hearing too. Oh... what is the name of this town?"

The girl handed a huge white night gown, made in a strange design, which would easily cover her from her chin to well past her toes and answered, while her hands busily moved.

"You can wear this for tonight. Captain Lorgan left word that he would send clothes for your wedding tomorrow. The name of the town is New Bedford and.... ah... If you don't mind me asking Ma'am, what is your name? No one seems to want to say."

Melanie grinned back at the shy girl and said, "I'm Melanie Wilson. What about you, what is your name?"

Once again as if it were more habit than conscious thought, the girl blushed, "I'm Lilly, Lilly Parker."

"Lilly, that is a very pretty name. So Lilly, do you mind telling me everything you know about this Captain Lorgan?"

Melanie patted the side of the bed next to her, but the other girl would not sit until Melanie pulled her down beside her. "You haven't met Captain Lorgan yet?"

Melanie shook her head and the girl nodded in understanding, "So this is an arranged marriage then. I didn't think a man like that would have to go through an arranged marriage. I'm sure tons of women throw themselves at his feet where ever he goes."

Melanie shrugged. "I have no clue. What is he like? I know he is a sea captain and some of the men that work for him could use a very good bath with lots of soap, but that is as far as my Captain Lorgan knowledge stretches."

Lilly giggled, then blushed from what little Melanie could see in the candlelight, "Some people believe that Captain Lorgan is a pirate and from what I have overheard from conversations, people call him the Devil Lorgan. I could see him being a pirate and a feared one, one that little girls would dream of growing up and marrying. He is dark and dangerous, with a temper I've heard no one wants to stoke."

"And," Melanie asked, intrigued now, "I hear an and coming Lilly."

Lilly grinned, "And he is absolutely the most beautiful man I have ever seen. He has long hair, as bright and as shinny as the sun and gorgeous blue-green eyes with gold flecks in them. He is a superb piece of male flesh."

Lilly turned bright red and looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking in such a way. You must think me the worst form of life, talking about> your betrothed in such a way."

Melanie patted her arm. "No Lilly, I don't think that. In fact, you have helped me out a lot. At least I know what to expect now, that's something I guess."

Lilly stood up and made her way to the door. "I'll leave you now. You'll need your rest for your meeting with Captain Lorgan tomorrow morning."

Melanie waved to her retreating back, "Night Lilly."

"Good night Melanie,"

As she walked out of the room, probably thinking what an odd creature Melanie was.

* * * *

Across town in a small brick house, Captain Nero Lorgan sat> behind his desk in his comfy study. With fire bursting forth from his eyes he looked from Georgey to Bo, who had just arrived to tell of their success.

"You are back so you must have captured Miss Grant and dropped her at the Inn for the night as you were ordered to do."

Bo looked at Georgey pointedly and Georgey tried to explain. "Her driver was to smart and to fast. We couldn't keep up with them. So no we didn't get ahold of Miss Grant."

Nero sat up in his chair and slightly leaned over the desk to glare at the two men. "Let me get this straight, you let her driver whisk her away, without continuing the chase? Then instead you come back here empty handed?"

Georgey shifted uncomfortably in his chair and Bo shot him an evil look, making him sputter, "No Cap'n, we didn't continue the chase, but we didn't come back empty handed either."

Bo shrunk down in his chair, as the captain was sure hatred> was sure to have written across his face. "It was his fault Cap'n. He said it would be okay, but I didn't> like it none and I told him so."

Nero held up a hand to silence Bo. "What do you mean> you didn't come back empty handed?"

Georgey squeaked as Nero's hand shot out swiftly and> grabbed the front of his shirt in a tight grasp. "Well you see Cap'n, we was chasen after Miss Grant, until we almost ran over this woman in the middle of the road. I figured there won't no way we could catch Miss Grant and you said you needed a wife. Then here was this little purdy thing looking lost and frightened. I just thought one woman is as good as another."

Nero groaned and released Georgey, "Ok so where is this woman now?"

Georgey sat up in his chair, with a grin. "We done went and left her at the Inn like you told us. We got her a room and fed her."

Georgey looked down at his hands for a moment, not being able to take more of Nero's angry stare. "She looked like she could use a little meat on her bones. We told the Innkeeper everything you told us too and made sure they knew the girl was to stay put for the time being."

Nero ran a hand over his rough stubbly chin. "Ok, you two messed up quite badly. So I'll have to see what I can do. I'll go see the girl you found tomorrow and see if I can fix this mess, the two of you have gotten me into. You will both go with me to apologize to this woman, and then you see that you get out of there as soon as humanly possible. You aren't known for making mistakes Georgey, so I'll fix this one. However, there had better not, ever, be any more mistakes again. Do you both understand?"

"Yes Cap'n," They said together in respect.

"Good... Now do either of you think I can pay her off? Or is there something else you think I could do to keep her from going to the authorities, other than kill her? I really don't need murder hanging over my head as well as kidnapping."

Georgey folded a leg over his knee and tapped it thoughtfully. "Well Cap'n, them little dressy things you were gonna give Miss Grant might help. This woman was wearin some of the strangest men's britches I ever saw and this little top, which couldn't be more than a corset without strings. Even her boots looked like small men's farm boots. God awful things too."

Obviously, Georgey had never seen a t-shirt before nor was he used to seeing a woman walk around with out loads of clothes covering their bodies.

Nero nodded, "Anything else?"

Georgey looked at Bo and shrugged, before looking back to Nero. "Well Cap'n if you want my honest opinion, I think you might want to take a good look at that little bird. If I won't married, I might go chasen after her myself. She sure is somethin nice to look at."

Nero faked a smile, "I'll keep that in mind. If that is it, I'll see you 'gentlemen' in the> morning."

Moreover, he made sure his meaning was known and they couldn't mistake themselves for anything close to gentlemen.


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Excerpt from "One Wish," by Debra Soles

Nero stood utterly still and listened.

He could hear at least two men walking down the hall on the other side of the door. From the sound of their boots, they were probably as big as the two men he and Melanie had taken out in what had been their prison. There were two men talking back and forth between themselves, so he listened intently, hoping to overhear something that might be of an advantage to them.

“Yeah, we have the four prisoners down in the hold. We have the pirate and his bitch in the back end of the ship. His first mate and one of his cabin boys are in the front of the hold.”

They laughed together as Nero's temper flared and he would have liked to punch both of their lights out, but he refrained and listened.

“It sure will be funny when we get to Jamaica and get to watch those men hang.”

There was silence for a moment as the men moved further down the hallway, then Nero heard the second man ask, “What is the Captain planning on doing with the Devil Lorgan's wife?”

Nero held his breath for a second, but already knew what they would say.

“Oh her. Captain says she isn’t worth much to him, so he will just sell her to one of the other plantation owners. He thinks she might make someone a nice slave. She probably hasn’t worked a day in her life, but he figures that she looks good, so maybe she might make a good love slave.”

Nero was trembling now, with suppressed rage and the only thing that stopped him from jerking open the door and going after the two foul-mouthed men, was Melanie’s soft hand, which had slipped into his.

“Please tell me you aren’t going to do what I think you are going to do.”

Melanie mumbled, but already knowing the answer. “I have to. All of my crew promised to give their lives to protect yours and I’m not going to stand back and let it happen if I have any power to do something about it.”

Nero barely breathed out, hoping she would understand. With no hesitation she gave him a nod and squeezed his hand again, “Ok, I’m with you. Lead the way.”

With a grin, he jerked her against him and gave her a spontaneous kiss. “That’s my girl.”

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The SPOTLIGHT is on Debra Soles!

About DEBRA-

Since the age of 12 when I discovered romance novels I've been hooked. By the time I was 15 I knew I had to be a writer and share my love of Happily Ever After. Now I'm a writer of sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal and romance with an imagination outside the box. I have two Futuristic Romance (sci-fi) novels out from my Zogone series, with more to come. I also have a time-travel romance called One Wish coming out in January of 2010. If you are looking for vampires, witches, weres, aliens and new worlds with unforgettable characters my books were made for you.



Excerpt for- ONE WISH
Without a doubt she must be dreaming, this just couldn’t be real. From past experience she figured a few people would be dressed in costume like her, but the rest would be tourists dressed in shorts, sandals and tank tops. All the men were wearing funny suits like Nero. All the women were dressed just like her. Some in home spun dresses and some in silk.

The cobblestone streets she remembered from a vacation here, were covered in horses, carriages and wagons. People walked, chatted and went about their work, as if it were a perfectly normal day. Like it was actually normal to be stuffed up like turkeys and there not being one normal twenty-first century thing in sight.

There were no cell phones ringing, no beepers beeping, no laptops peeking out bags. Not even a normal pocket book or a pair of jeans in sight. There were no camcorders and happy families on vacation. No portable radios, no compact disc players. There weren’t any high heels or short mini skirts in sight. There was no blue or neon green hair spiked into the air or Mohawks.

Melanie’s hands got clammy. Her head started spinning out of control and her simple thought slipped out without her even knowing it.

“Holy crap!” Nero’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head, “What did you say?” Melanie was frantic now as she turned around and grabbed his arm, digging her nails into it.

“What is today’s date?” Confusion written on his face, he answered. “It’s June first.”

Melanie shook her head and tried to suppress the tears she could feel forming in her eyes.

“No, what year is it?” Soothingly he put an arm around her waist, “It’s 1845, Hon.”

He grabbed her quickly, before she hit the ground.

The SPOTLIGHT is on "One Wish," by Debra Soles!

With one, half-joking wish, Melanie Wilson is transported back in time to become the unwilling bride of pirate captain, Nero Lorgan.

Nero isn’t exactly thrilled to discover his men abducted the wrong woman … but Melanie intrigues him. With reluctance, she accepts his offer of marriage—in name only!—but Nero has other ideas.

Rating-

Sensual:some violence, adult language and suggestive adult scenes

ISBN 973-1-60394-369-2to find it online- http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/onewish.htm

Visit Debra on the web- http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/debraasoles.htm.
or follow her on TWITTER- http://twitter.com/debdebss

Chapter 1 of, "Past Regrets"

PAST REGRETS
BY: DEBRA A. SOLES

Prologue

Their mission was over and they had returned to the space station that was the Galactic Security’s main headquarters. General Ginmatager Hardigan, better known as Ginger, let out a sigh of relief as she watched her brother, Josh, leave the ship. The ship was headed back to the main offices to report in with the Warrior Delegates on the success of their mission.

Since she was old enough to go into training at age eight, Ginger had been part of the Zogone Military. First, at the Academy, then as part of the Warrior Delegates, before becoming part of the Zogone’s main forces of the Galactic Security, and then reaching the rank of Security General.

Her main goal had been to be trained well enough to be able to go on missions, like the one she had just returned from. Her crew had just come back from a rescue mission on Earth, or rather a retrieval of a human with a secondary mission to annihilate one of the Zogone’s top ten dangerous criminals. It had been a dangerous mission that had required patience, brain and all her years of experience to pull off. Over five hundred years ago, her great, great, great grandmother had been brutally killed. Her killer was a minister-turned-vampire, better known as the Puritan Vampire, who believed Ginger’s grandmother had cursed him—and he swore to stop at nothing to kill her grandmother again. Somehow the monster knew she had been reincarnated, as if her smell or very essence could be felt in the air the moment she was reborn.

At the death of his young wife, Brian, her great, great, great grandfather had been cryogenically frozen and was re-awakened at the time his wife’s life signature was recognized in a present-day teenager. After being reincarnated, Colleen was renamed Arlene, and when she started college, Ginger and the Zogones had maneuvered her life. The first day in her new college town, she had met Brian and the memories started to pour in until Arlene remembered everything from her past life.

After bringing Arlene back into their lives, the Zogones’ last goal was to destroy the Puritan Vampire. Their mission was to stop the monster, so that he could never harm anyone again, though his victim’s list was disturbingly long.

Now with their mission complete, they had returned home to the space station. Brian and Arlene slipped by Ginger and headed back to the Science Department along with Arlene’s present day parents, Harold and Marsha Garnet.

Then there was Sam, another of the Puritan Vampire’s victims. His mother had been attacked, raped, beaten and left for dead, carrying a viral blood disease that killed her six years later, but not before she had born a child from the attack, Sam himself. He was half-vampire/half-human, thanks to the Puritan Vampire. Nevertheless, Sam had found his revenge, being the one to place a silver, holy-water-forged bullet in his father’s brains, killing him and ending the cycle of evil.

Like Arlene, Sam was a human, an Earthling and now a friend to them all. For Ginger, Sam was not just a friend or like a brother. No, Sam made Ginger feel things she had never felt before. Like an Adonis of Greek legend, he had long dirty blond hair and smoky blue gray eyes. An aura of mystery surrounded him. But unlike a Greek god, Sam was tall and almost gangly in his young man’s body, not quite fully grown at twenty years old.

Ginger had spent so long and worked so hard on training that she had never taken the time for a life of her own, never wanted a relationship with anyone, until now. Not until Sam had slipped into her life, with shared dreams and fears, forcing her to see there was more to life than just work.

It was terrifying and agonizing, but it gave her hope. Her grandparents had a love that had spanned the ages, undying and true to each other. Ginger could sense the same things could develop with Sam one day if she could find the courage to tell him how she felt, but being a novice in love she wasn’t sure how. Now that Brian and Arlene planned to renew their wedding vows, it just seemed to bolster Ginger’s courage and help her decide to try.

Giving him a small smile, she took his hand in hers and led him through the station toward the Galactic Security center’s dorms where her private quarters were located. Standing up straight, using her position of authority to bolster her confidence, she took both his hands in hers and let their gazes lock.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

His eyes flickered down to their clasped hands, then back up to her face. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, too.”

“Good, so we are agreed this talk has been put on hold long enough. I’m not sure how you feel, but I would like you to stay with the Zogone people instead of going back to Earth.”

Lifting a hand, he brushed his strong fingers across her earlobe and twining them through her short red hair. “Why do you want me to stay?”

Twitching nervously under his gaze, she licked her lips before she could mumble around the lump in her throat. “I care about you and … well, I think you would be happier here.”

He watched her closely and for some reason she could tell both her actions and her words affected him as his breath grew shallow. “I have every intention of staying with your people. I don’t belong on Earth around normal people. I belong here where I can do some good.”

Her heart leapt, “I’m glad you are going to stay. I would like for us to … I mean, we could try and …”

Her words faltered along with the trembling confusion of her feelings. Each movement of his body, each tiny breath riveted her. Licking her suddenly dry lips again, she gasped as he moved closer.

Taking her agreement for granted, he pulled her tightly into his arms and slowly his head lowered until their lips touched. Unlike the morning at the campground where they had first kissed, he didn’t just touch her lips gently before pulling away. This time he advanced further, racking a hand through her hair, angling her head back and then took full possession of her mouth.

Last time had been comforting, sweet and a gentle caress. This kiss was wild, hot, stimulating and the desire that rocketed through her made her knees weak. Her stomach quivered and her hands trembled as they wound around his neck.

Her shyness vanished as her emotions took over. She let herself go on instinct, letting her body find the best position against him, snug in his embrace. Her hands slid over his shoulders, feeling all the hard muscles of his chest.

Their first kiss left her wondering, because it had been her first kiss ever.

However, this kiss made a world of promises that left her expectant.

Her skin felt hot like it was on fire, yet at the same time shivers raced down her spine as if her feelings were forming a mutiny to take control of her body, until she could no longer think.

There was a hard rap on the door and before Ginger and Sam could pull back. Her brother Josh let himself in the door. Josh loved to barge into Ginger’s room uninvited, because no one else could confuse the door locks. His genetic coding matched Ginger’s and confused the locking mechanism.

Pulling back beyond embarrassed, Ginger’s eyes met the confused emerald green ones of her older brother. “I don’t know what is going on here and I don’t want to know, either. I just came to deliver a message.”

Her voice cracked as she asked, “What message?”
“It isn’t for you.” Turning toward Sam he said, “Major Sharball is on a transmission line in one of the offices and he wants to talk to you. I saw you leave the dock with Ginger and figured I would find you where ever Ginger was.”

Turning to Ginger he shrugged, “Your assistant said you had headed this way.”

Not wanting to believe her own ears, she turned to Sam, “Major Sharball, the Major Sharball of the Warrior Delegates, Josh’s commanding officer? What does he want with you?”

Sam looked at Josh, “Give me ten minutes and I’ll catch up with you.”

Nodding gravely, Josh left the room, as Sam turned to Ginger. “I was planning to tell you. We just got a little sidetracked.”

Ginger stepped back shaking her head, “No, you said you were staying here.”

“I said I was staying with your people. I never said I was staying right here on this space station.”

Sam reached toward her, but she jerked her arm back. “You know damn well I thought you meant you would stay here … with me.”

Dropping his hands by his sides, Sam sighed. “I’m sorry, Ginger; this is just something I have to do. I would like to stay here, with you, but I just can’t.”

Balling up her fists tightly she gulped holding her anger in, but could hardly keep herself from yelling, “Why? Why can’t you just tell them you’ve changed your mind and stay with me?”

Sam’s eyes met hers again and she could see the desperation written on his face.

“Because I don’t deserve you. I’m a monster like my father and I have to make up for all the bad things before I have a right to call my life my own.”

Understanding his feelings, though knowing he was wrong she asked, “Isn’t there some way I can change your mind?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“When are you leaving?” she asked through tight lips and barely hidden tears.

Turning his back on her, he mumbled, “In two days I’ll be leaving for Adrivar with Josh.”

As he walked out the door, she yelled back, “Fine go then, be a macho jerk and see if I care.”

It was the last thing she said to him, because he didn’t come back and she didn’t go after him. She did not see him again, before he left two days later, except from far off as he boarded the space ship with the other Warrior Delegates headed for their home planet of Adrivar.

That night she cried herself to sleep and promised herself never again would she let stupid little girl emotions rule her.

From that day, she amended to become the best General alive and forget about any relationship that was not linked by blood.

Chapter One

Every day and every night was spent on Galactic Security business, to the point where Ginger had no life except for the Zogone military. Over the last few years, she hadn’t even taken a real vacation, only taking a few days at a time to visit her grandparents on the science space station, called Swanson, two galaxies over.

Her excuse was that the war between the Zogones and the Baygers kept her busy, between training programs, delegations and actually going into battles. This war had become Ginger’s new personal vendetta to replace her grandmother

Four years had passed and through hard work, Ginger had gotten to the point of being ready to be promoted to Major. She wasn’t supposed to know about it, but the office gossip had a rumor that said her own superior officer was going to be approaching her soon. Ginger wasn’t cocky or arrogant; she just knew above everyone else she deserved this promotion.

Every day and every night was spent on Galactic Security business, to the point where Ginger had no life except for the Zogonrescue obsession.


The expected summons came from Colonel Daimlar during one of Ginger’s unusually slow days, making it easy for her to leave her office and make it in time for her meeting. With a professional and not over-eager smile planted on her face, Ginger was shown into Daimlar’s office.

Wearing the long blueberry blue-and-white robes of the Galactic Security Academy, Diamlar looked very sophisticated, very colonel-ish with his short light-brown hair and age-carved skin. He was tall and willowy, stooping slightly and looking like a giant humpback.

Saluting each other smartly, middle finger and index finger held together then tapped to the forehead, Daimlar motioned for her to take a seat. “I’m sure you’re curious why you’ve been summoned here today.”

Nodding politely she answered, “Yes, I was sir, but I’m sure you’ll alleviate that curiosity.”

“All of your commanding officers have noticed your hard work since the restart of this war with the Baygers and we would like to reward you for everything you have done.”

Trying to act surprised Ginger replied, “Why thank you, but no reward is needed. I work hard for our people, for their protection and happiness.”

Reciting part of the Galactic Security mandate.Linking his fingers on the desk in front of him, Daimlar nodding. “But of course no reward comes without judgment. The colonels all agree that in order to get your promotion you need to prove you are completely ready to be a major.”

With a smile, she nodded sweetly, though she was fuming inside, “Of course sir, whatever the colonels think is best.”

Grinning widely he answered, “I knew we could count on you, General Hardigan. We have a very important mission for you. The youngest son of Colonel Qualtose was aboard the luxury ship Lasondra when it was attacked by one of the Baygers’ squadron last week.”

He held out a small rectangular handheld computer system. “Here is all the information we were able to receive on his kidnapping. Your mission is to go to the Baygers’ main military headquarters on their home planet and rescue young Mr. Qualtose.”

Scanning the first page of information Ginger automatically went into general mode.

“How many men will I be taking for back-up?”

There was a pause, one Ginger was used to preceding unwanted information, so looking up she watched Daimlar as he tapped his desktop nervously. “Just one man. The Warrior Delegates have a newly promoted captain who they believe needs a chance to prove himself, so they are giving him that chance by sending him with you.”

Shocked beyond belief, Ginger dropped the computer device in her lap and stared across the desk at Colonel Daimlar. “You expect me to sneak into the Baygers’ main headquarters, rescue some rich, pampered, whiney kid and make it back here alive? But I’m supposed to do that with one hot-shot rookie warrior who has a thirst for adventure, but not enough sense to keep himself alive much less cover my backside?”

Holding up both hands, he waved them at Ginger. “Now just wait a minute, there is no need to jump to conclusions. Do not judge the situation yet. We would not be sending you if we did not think the two of you could successfully complete this mission. Now the warrior captain will be here soon and the two of you can work everything out.”

For the next few minutes, Ginger went over each minor and major issue of the case. Diamlar showed her maps of the planet where Qualtoes was being kept. Ginger started a list of the equipment that would be needed for the rescue mission.

There was a knock on the door and one of Diamlar’s secretaries stuck her head in, “The Warrior Delegates’ captain is here to see you, Colonel.”

Ginger kept entering figures into her handheld, while the door was shut and reopened, then she looked up as Diamlar said, “Good afternoon Captain, so good of you to come all this way.”

Ginger was half way out of her chair before she realized what she was doing, then instantly sat back down. There wasn’t going to be any warm welcome from her.

Diamlar waved the captain into a chair before making the introductions. “General Ginmatager Hardigan, Galactic Security. Captain Samuel Paddington of the Warrior Delegates.”

Ginger barely nodded, refusing to show familiarity at all. “Captain.”

Sam on the other hand spoke up with, “Yeah, I know Ginger. If you look at my file you’ll see I work under her brother General Jomafash Hardigan and all three of us worked together on a mission before I joined the Delegates.”

Scratching his head Colonel Diamlar shuffled through a folder in front of him. “Ah, yes I see that here. General Hardigan even left a note in here saying the two of you worked great together. I hadn’t realized, but someone must have seen this and taken it into consideration when partnering you two for this mission.”

Nodding, Ginger cut in, “If that is all, Colonel, I need to get back to work.”

Handing her the file folder in his hands he nodded, “Yes that will be all. I expect a detailed list of your requirements in the morning. I would like you to leave in two days max.”

“Understood Colonel.” Nodding at the two men she mumbled, “Captain.” Then she walked out the door.

Ginger fumed all the way back to her office. No one had ever busted their butt harder for the Galactic Security Academy, yet she had to prove herself in order to get a promotion she had more than earned years ago. Then to be sent on some rescue mission to save some useless rich punk was a complete slap in the face!

But the worst offense of all was being sent on some suicide mission and being stuck alone with Sam for goodness only knew how long. Sitting behind her desk, she spent the next twenty minutes cursing him.

Damn him for coming back! Damn him for walking back into her neat organized life. Moreover, may the ceiling fall down around his head for looking like some blond Adonis god of her deepest-most-secret desire.

Burying her head in work and war hadn’t removed the hurt and humiliation of having handed him her heart and having him stomp on it, before walking out on her. She was not the same weak-kneed girl she had been four years ago. People had even gotten to the point of whispering behind her back. The usual was that she was a relentless hard ass who only cared for the military.

Ginger was definitely not the sweetie pie college girl Sam had met on Earth. She had become General Hardigan, heart and soul. As long as he was around that was the side she promised to show him, there would be no more love-sick stupid little girl in front of him ever again.

Taking a deep breath, she told herself to let it go and not let it bother her. Carefully she filled out a list of equipment she would need for the mission.

1. Transmitter equipment
2. Portable tracker equipment
3. Four laser rifles
4. Two bedrolls, weather watch ones to control nighttime unknown temperatures
5. Two lightweight backpacks
6. Military rations for two including water cantinas: about three days worth
7. Two fire resistant uniforms with built in invisibility busters and utility belts
8. Security detectors with inferred and heat sensors
9. Miniature explosives ranging in different special abilities
10. Detailed maps and floor plans (if they managed to get them in time)

Nodding, Ginger stood up, thinking the list would do. Leaving everything on her long silver metal desk, except for her list, she walked out of her office. Catching a messenger, she had them run the list back up to Colonel Diamlar’s office with a note saying she would be ready when the supplies were ready, as well as the Warrior Delegate’s captain.

She stopped off at her secretary’s office long enough to let the young blond girl know to send all messages to her private quarters. Putting everything out of her mind, she headed toward the dorms, knowing she needed to rest up for the mission ahead. It sure was not going to be easy physically or mentally for that matter.

“Maybe I’ll send a transmission to Gran and Pop tonight. I’m sure they’ll be worried when they find about this mission.”

But she wouldn’t be surprised if her dear brother Josh had already told them.Thinking it was probably a good idea, she nodded to herself as she flipped a lock of fire red hair absentmindedly behind her ear.

Yeah, she could do that, and then have some dinner before bed. Anything else could be put off till tomorrow.

Saying and actually doing were two things, though. Her mind automatically went over her list and the new information she had covered that afternoon. War tactics and training programs swirled around her brain in a confusion of techniques she could use on her rescue mission.

Distractedly she stopped in front of her door and placed her thumb on the DNA coding lock, to let herself in. Pulling the military required flat-blue hat from her head she dropped it on a near by metal end table along with the tiny silver General wings pen from her left shoulder.

Kicking off her shoes, she headed to her bedroom, then down the hall to her private bathroom. After a quick shower, Ginger slid into a long black silky nightgown, then pulled on a matching robe.

Sam!

Why of all the Warrior Delegate’s captains, did they have to pick Sam for this mission?

Not to get her wrong, she knew Sam probably made a fabulous captain and would easily advance in the ranks with the Warrior Delegates. After all, Ginger had worked side by side with Sam on her mission to Earth four years prior and had watched as he overcame all odds to defeat the monster that had ruined so many lives like his and shaped others like her own.

As a partner in war, he was great, but any other captain would have been ten times more welcome. Any anonymous rooky would have been easier to deal with than Sam.

Though she hadn’t wanted to admit it even to herself, every tiny change in Sam had drawn her in, making her notice each insignificant tiny thing. The last time she had seen Sam his dirty blond hair had been brushing the tops of his shoulder blades in an almost shaggy wave. Since joining the Delegates, he had cut it an inch or so above his shoulder, taking off a good half foot, leaving a smooth even line.

The hunched, stressed look of maltreatment had melted from his body to be replaced by a strong confidence. The angry wariness had been replaced by a sickeningly sunny disposition. In the old days, Sam had been dark and threatening, now he just seemed human. Maybe loving and losing made her romanticize him into a man who had never really existed. His dark mysterious prowess was now just a blond god or rather just a man, another soldier like any other.

Unimagined by her, he still edged up to almost six feet tall. His eyes were still that heated blue gray from her memories and, if possible, his body was even more muscular and lean than her dreams. The sexy, rough stubble that seemed to persistently rein on his hard-sculpted chin was now gone—he had a clean-shaven look. The change wasn’t really that bad, though she could still feel the bristles racking across her sensitive face as if he had only kissed her moments before.

Straightening her shoulders and glaring with all the authority she possessed, Ginger growled.

“Oh well, it really doesn’t matter. It was his choice to leave. His own fears were more powerful than anything he felt for me, so it’s his loss.”

However, Ginger knew it wasn’t true; it was her own loss, as well. Sam’s fears had cost them both so much, time, experience and true love. In her own way, Ginger did understand. Sam had never felt like he deserved Ginger and everything she was offering him.

Ginger hoped that when their enemy was destroyed, Sam might come to her and share his love, but she had been wrong once again. Sam destroyed the monster known as the Puritan Vampire, but didn’t think he had done enough to deserve her. He felt as if he had to pay back the galaxy for all his sins, as well the sins of the monster he had destroyed.

The thing was, the Puritan Vampire had been his father and he himself was half vampire/half human. In leaving Ginger and joining the Warrior Delegates, he thought he could do enough good to deserve Ginger. But honestly, when would it be enough? When would he stop paying for the sins of his father, a man who had raped and beaten his own mother?

Ginger had given up hope waiting for Sam. Now that he was back it would be pure hell to be around him and even worse to be alone with him for so long. She promised herself that she would not let him see how deeply he had hurt her and how much she still cared about him. Pride might be a dull companion for the rest of her life, but it was all she had left. She wasn’t about to let Sam trample her heart again.

From this point on, she would act like the uptight general and be all business. For Sam there would be no more Ginger, just his commanding officer General Ginmatager Hardigan. Using all of her abilities, she would quickly complete their mission.

Then, they could return to base and she would never have to see him again. Her soul might bleed a little more each day without him, but she was strong and knew from the last four years that she would survive.

Trying to force Sam from her mind, she remembered her idea of contacting her grandparents. Ginger smiled just thinking about them. Her mission with Sam four years ago had also included her older brother Josh, better known as General Jomafash Hardigan of the Warrior Delegates. Also on their trip was her grandfather Brian, a scientist specializing in alien communication.

Brian was technically her five-hundred-and-twenty-six-year-old great, great, great grandfather, although he now lived in the body of a twenty-six-year old. After the brutal murder of his wife Colleen, Brian had chosen to be cryogenically frozen until the day their computers could spot his wife’s life signs again after she had been reincarnated.

Six years before, the computers had located her on Earth. Ginger’s mission was to go to Earth help the girl known as Arlene Garnet regain Colleen’s memories and destroy the Puritan Vampire who had not only killed Colleen, but promised to destroy Arlene, as well.

It sounded strange that her grandparents were each actually over five hundred years old, but lived in bodies of twenty-something’s. Arlene and Brian had been remarried and transferred back to his science department on Space Station Swanson just out of orbit of the Zogone’s home planet Adrivar. On Earth, Arlene had become more than family to Ginger; she had become her very best friend, her first true friend.

Ginger sat down in a big squishy chair in front of a bare wall in her living room. Then waving a hand in front of the blank wall, a large screen appeared.

“Communication to Space Station Swanson to Dr. Brianeth Hardigan’s private quarters.”

The screen blinked, beeped twice, and then suddenly it was zooming in on a purple silk-covered hip. Ginger grinned as Arlene slid into the chair opposite her own screen.

A happy flush covered Arlene’s face as she grinned back, comforting Ginger with the simple gesture.

Arlene was only twenty-two and still held the bright look of youth, an ecstatically happy one at that. Being head-over-heels in love with the man of your dreams looked great on her, but seeing how much he loved her in return was even better. Some times Ginger thought Arlene was the luckiest woman in any galaxy.

Arlene’s long reddish-brown hair was a touch darker than Ginger’s own red mane. Ginger thought that Arlene must be growing her hair. In her previous life, Colleen’s hair had grown down to the back of her waist. Arlene must have remembered that fact and regretted the loss of the glorious locks.

Like Ginger, Arlene had pale skin, enhanced with bright emerald green eyes. Though Arlene was a respectable five-foot-six inches, Ginger still won that race by a few inches, climbing almost to five-nine. It was amazing how much alike they were. Both lean, though Ginger was more muscular from being in the military so long. And because of Colleen, Ginger was one-sixteenth Earthling, but Arlene was a full-blooded human.

“Oh, Ginger, I’m so glad this was you.”

“Hi, Gran! How are you and Brian doing these days?”

Grinning like an impish fool Arlene answered, “We are absolutely fabulous as you can imagine. Life with Brian just gets better and better.”

Then stopping with a frown, she added, “Though we have been worried about you. Josh called us yesterday to tell us about your new mission. Do you think this is such a good idea? I mean you shouldn’t have to prove anything to those people, for goodness sake! You work yourself to death for those ungrateful, little—” she started fuming, cursing under her breath.

Her temper had obviously been inherited from Colleen’s Scottish roots. Just watching Arlene growl furious remarks about her commanding officer made Ginger feel ten times better. She congratulated herself on her decision to contact Arlene, because she always made Ginger feel better about any situation. Then again Arlene wasn’t just her best friend, but also her grandmother so it was a given that she would contact her regularly. It was still a little hard to grasp that her great grandparents were so young, especially Brian who was well over 500 years old now. Odd as it may be she still loved them both dearly.

“It’s okay Gran. I’m sure it is nothing I can’t handle. I will be in and out in a few days with no harm done. I am more than qualified for this type of mission. But you’re right; the Colonels just need a lackey to clean up after them, and I was lucky enough to be picked.” Twirling a finger in the air beside her face she added, “Wow! lucky me.”

Arlene frowned, but Ginger could tell she was trying to cover a grin. “I’ll try not to worry, but don’t bet on it. At least I’ll sleep better knowing Sam will be there with you.”

Stopping, Arlene’s eyes flickered over Ginger’s face obviously looking for a reaction, because Arlene had always known how Ginger felt about Sam.

“How do you feel about having him back here?”

Not meeting her eyes, because she could never lie to Arlene, she answered, “I don’t feel anything. We have a job to do. We will get it done, and then he’ll go back to Josh and the Delegates. No big deal; life goes on.”

A loud clearing of the throat brought Ginger’s attention back to the screen. “Well, I do think it is a big deal. Why don’t you take this assignment as a helping hand from destiny? Talk to Sam and tell him how you feel. I mean, it has been four years, Ging; maybe Sam is ready now, too. Maybe the two of you can work it out now.”

Shaking her head, Ginger leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “No, it’s too late. Sam never felt the way I did and I have more pride than to throw myself at a man who doesn’t want me. Besides it has been four years and maybe I didn’t have the patience to wait for him.”

Nodding sheepishly, Arlene smiled, “Four years is nothing. You are just as stubborn as your grandfather and he waited over five hundred years for me.”

Kissing her hand, she waved it at Ginger. “You think about that, sweetheart. Bye baby, keep me posted on what happens between you two. I‘m sure it is going to get interesting one way or another and I can‘t wait to see what happens.”

Arlene disconnected and the screen went blank before vanishing from in front of Ginger back into the wall. It was true that Brian had chosen to wait for Colleen to be reborn, but he had been frozen all that time. He didn’t have to live each empty lonely day, wishing and wanting something that would never come. Brian had known one day that Colleen would be reborn. Ginger had no reassurance that Sam would ever give up his salvation mission and come back to her.

Shaking her head, she said the words aloud to make sure she got the point across to herself.

“No, if Sam had really wanted me he would have never left. If he wanted me now, he would be here. But he doesn’t, so he isn’t. It’s over, forget about it. Go on with your life, Ginger, you’ll survive!”

Nodding at the blank wall in front of her, she hopped up and headed to bed. Forgetting to eat didn’t seem to matter. Ginger was more interested in sleeping and putting this day behind her and being that much closer to watching Sam leave when the mission was over.

http://www.newconceptspublishing.com/debraasoles.htm.

Our SPOTLIGHT continues with "Past Regrets," by Debra Soles ...

About DEBRA-

Since the age of 12 when I discovered romance novels I've been hooked. By the time I was 15 I knew I had to be a writer and share my love of Happily Ever After. Now I'm a writer of sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal and romance with an imagination outside the box. I have two Futuristic Romance (sci-fi) novels out from my Zogone series, with more to come. I also have a time-travel romance called One Wish coming out in January of 2010. If you are looking for vampires, witches, weres, aliens and new worlds with unforgettable characters my books were made for you.

PRAISE FOR "Past Regrets"

Review for Past Regrets by Elsie Lyn at http://www.ecataromance.com/?p=1264

Debra Soles’ Past Regrets is a tale of loss and a tale of second chances. Four years ago, General Ginmatager Hardigan fell in love with Samuel Paddington only to have her heart trampled. Sam felt his past would not allow him to accept her love. Ginger buried her love and her desires in her work and now she is in line for a promotion. To earn her promotion, she must rescue the son of Colonel Qualtose, who had been captured by the Baygers. The rescue team will consist of only two people and Ginger is paired with a new Warrior delegate Captain - Samuel Paddington. Sam has always regretted leaving Ginger and he feels this mission will give him the chance to plead for a second chance. He did not count on being captured and losing the medication which keeps his vampire half under control. He also did not count on Ginger finding some cryogenically preserved cloned scientists and then rescuing them, With Past Regrets on his mind, Sam realizes lives are injeopardy and must be saved before they can start to even think about a second chance.Past Regrets is an apt title for this tale by Debra Soles. Sam certainly did regret his past actions by leaving Ginger behind but now it may be too late for those Past Regrets. Debra Soles weaves a tale taking us into her world, first created with Old Dreams. She does an excellent job developing her characters whose lives are entwined in the various stories. We can only hope that there are many more to come. Debra Soles teases us with a hint and leaves us something to look forward to.

EXCERPTS from "Past Regrets"

Sam curled up in a borrowed bunk in one of the guest quarters, with his hands crossed under his head and his long legs stretched out to where they crossed at the ankles. For the last hour, since he had plopped down on the bunk his thoughts had led him a merry chase, forcing him to stare at the wall as if lost in space. Not only had Ginger paid him the least bit of recognition when he entered Daimlar’s office, but she had gotten the heck out of Dodge the second she was able to.

Instead of being offended by Ginger’s actions, they had given Sam hope. If Ginger had shaken his hand and acted like an old acquaintance, he would have been worried, but no, not his Ginger! No, Ginger acted as if he didn’t exist, then when she was forced to face up to knowing him, she ignored him.

Then she had excused herself formally without directly communicating with him. Obviously Ginger was totally pissed off to find out he was going to be her partner for this mission. People who didn’t care didn’t get pissed. Girls who still had feelings for a man, definitely did get more than a little upset. That had to mean Ginger still felt something for him. Something was better than nothing.

Four years ago, Sam had blamed himself for all the world’s problems just because of his own violent birth. It took four hard, lonely years for him to realize he had always helped more than he had harmed the world. It also took those same four years for him to realize what a damn fool he had been to walk away from the one woman who had ever looked at him as more than a monster. She had looked at him like a man, one she cared about—and he had lost her, because of stupid pride.

When Josh had told him about this mission, Sam jumped at the chance to be the appointed Warrior Delegate. Josh had even worked it to look like the Delegates had come to him, forcing him to prove himself, when everyone there knew he had nothing to prove. Every Delegate that knew him, knew they could count on him in any situation. Sam had busted his butt to gain the Delegates’ respect and his position among them. Screw the military, Sam had volunteered for this mission for one reason, to use the time alone with Ginger to win her back. No, that wasn’t right. They had never made it to the point of actually being together, but by the time their mission was finished, they would be together if he had anything to say about it.

Over the last four years, Sam had made a life for himself with the Zogones. Not only had he thoroughly became a soldier for the Warrior Delegates, but a well-known one. All four years were spent working under Josh, whom had been the one to find him on Earth and bring him into their group. Josh had become closer to Sam than best friends. It almost seemed like Josh was the brother Sam had never had, but always wanted.

Being stationed on Adrivar with Josh meant that at any free period of time they had, they could spend it together or on Space Station Swanson with Brian and Arlene. Considering they looked so young, it surprised Sam that he felt just like one of their grandchildren, just like Josh. Unsurprisingly though they had always treated Sam like family, like one of their own. Arlene worried about him and Brian was always handy with advice, just like good grandparents should be. Being an Earthling like Arlene made them closer than some of the others, though.

So, when Josh had suggested this mission, Sam had talked it over with Arlene first. Arlene had been his confident where Ginger was concerned for quite a while now. Arlene didn’t want to give away too much of Ginger’s personal feelings, but did give Sam hope. She didn’t tell of Ginger’s lost hope or constant love, but she did give Sam hope that he might be able to win Ginger over. She reassured him that it was the right thing to do. With Arlene’s blessing to push her granddaughter as hard as necessary, Sam had boarded the ship to the Galactic Security Headquarters space station. After checking in, he had showered, shaved and dressed in a clean dress uniform before showing up at Colonel Diamlar’s office, all for the sake of catching Ginger’s attention.

He thought he might have done that and more, even angering her by looking too good to her. He could tell he had gotten her attention, even getting under her skin. Now all he had to do was keep her focused on him.

They would do their mission, but they would also spend that time getting to really know each other all over again.With a grin, Sam decided to give Ginger a wide girth until they left for their mission, but once they were on a ship alone, that was a different story.

From that moment on, he promised himself to be relentless in his pursuit of Ginger.

Excerpt #2

With a smile, Ginger knocked on the apartment door. Josh answered with a sigh of relief and pulled her into a tight embrace. “God, when Sam told me what happened it scared the living daylights out of me.” Pulling back, he held her at arm’s length and looked her up and down. “Are you sure you are okay?”

“I’m perfectly fine, worrywart. Besides you know how fast Sam is; you should be worried about him.” Waving her into the small living room, Josh shook his head. “No, I had a look at Sam’s back. It looked nasty for a few minutes, but you know how fast he heals. Well now that I have seen you for myself, I’m going to make myself scarce. You aren’t the only one with a date tonight." An eyebrow came up, “Is that a problem? I mean me and Sam, does it bother you?”

Josh snorted, “No, of course not. I think you are both damned prideful fools, and it’s about time.” Giving her a wink he added, “I’ve always wanted to do this. Sam is in his room. Why don’t you go have a look around?”

Mischievous grin and all, Josh slipped out the door, leaving Ginger curious about what he had wanted to do and why she should look through Sam’s room. Taking his advice, she let herself into Sam’s bedroom. The sound of the shower running echoed from the next room told her Sam’s location.

Feeling a little bad for snooping, Ginger went from table to dresser looking for anything unusual. There were pictures of Sam and Josh together in uniform. There were pictures of both Arlene and Brian both together and with Sam. There were even pictures that were unmistakably taken on Earth. One picture showed Becky’s Kitchen where Ginger and Arlene had worked as waitresses and Brian as a cook. In the picture, Ginger and Arlene were standing together talking in uniform after the place had closed. There were two taken at Sandlend Beach in Raleigh, North Carolina where they had gone one weekend. One was a picture of Sam and Josh with Ginger standing in-between them.The second picture she had never seen before or even knew of its existence. It was a picture of her and Sam standing together, facing each other. They looked like normal Earth teenagers. Ginger in a blue bathing suit and cut-off jean shorts, with her red hair pulled back into a short ponytail. Sam wore a pair of low riding swim trunks and nothing else. His young lean form glistened with water droplets that made her mouth go dry. From the way they were standing, it looked as if Ginger had stumbled and Sam grabbed on to her to straighten her up. Whoever had taken the picture had caught them the moment she had looked up into Sam’s eyes. The picture said more than she had dared say herself. In other words, Josh had to have been the perpetrator who snapped the shot.

With a groan, she sat the frame back on the wooden dresser top and marched across the room to sink down on Sam’s bed, and that was when she found what Josh had undoubtedly been talking about. On the ceiling was a painting. It had to be a good eight feet long and four feet wide. It was placed perfectly so the bed’s occupant would fall asleep with the view of the painting surrounded by the four tall bedposts.

It was a picture of a woman with flowing red hair. A thin battle-hardened body was encased in tight black battle armor, silhouetting each lovely curve of her body. Long peach legs were slightly bent as she took to the air in flight. Black leather army boots came up to mid-thigh silhouetted the tight calf muscles. Two beautifully sculpted translucent wings showed from behind her back, and her arms were outstretched if simply waiting for her lover to come into them. Ginger didn’t know whether to be furious or mortified, because blushing profusely she easily recognized the woman as herself.

Lying there, a million thoughts ran through her mind. How long had the painting been there? Who had painted her so perfectly? Sam himself or someone else with a vivid imagination? And why did he have such a thing? Was this his way of pining for her in secret all this time, while she had sat alone aching for him?

The sound of the shower died and only moments later Sam made his way into his bedroom wearing nothing but a long white towel and a few errant drops of water that had stubbornly clung to his chest.

Ginger crossed her arms over her stomach, and then raised her eyes to meet his. Guiltily his eyes shifted from hers, to the painting, then back to meet hers again.

“Care to explain this, Samuel Paddington?” Ginger asked softly, letting none of her irritation or confusion be heard in her voice.“I would think it was pretty obvious. Most men keep pictures or posters of beautiful women. She just happens to be mine.” Eyes averted, he answered, and then turned his back to pull clothes out of his dresser.

Snorting in aggravation, Ginger sat up and shot back, “Don’t give me that crap. I’m not so stupid I can’t recognize myself. Who painted that and why?”

His shrug drew her eyes to the angry inch-long slashes across his back that had obviously been caused from stepping in front of her during the explosion. The sight of the cuts dissipated her anger a little in sympathy. Taking a sweater and a pair of jeans, he turned toward the bathroom to make his escape.

“Let me get dressed and we can talk about this later.”Ginger grabbed his arm and turned him back to look down at her. “No we will talk about this now. Why Sam? Why would you have such a painting of me drawn over your bed?”

Setting his clothes aside, he shrugged Ginger’s hand away. “Just leave it alone Ginger. I don’t think you are ready for the wormhole you are about to open.

"She could feel her face flaming as her temper rose and she reached out and grabbed his arm again. “Leave it alone. You walked out on me and you have the audacity to have something like that painted? Well, I want to know why right now and I will not be shrugged aside like some child being overly curious.”

Teeth gritted, Sam cursed under his breath, before grabbing Ginger by her forearms and literally pulling her up on tiptoes to glare at her. “Yes, I left you. I thought it was what I had to do, but I could never get you out of my mind. So as penance to you, I spent every night painting that picture so I would never forget the accusing look on your face and damn it … so that I would always have some piece of you with me.”

Shoving her back to her feet, he started to turn away again, but Ginger stopped him halfway with a hand on his back. “But why, Sam? If I really meant so little why do it?”Growling low in his throat, Sam swung around and pulled her against him. “Who ever said you didn’t mean anything to me?”

“Well, I know you cared for me just like for Josh, Arlene or Brian. Friends, but otherwise …” her voice trailed away as she motioned absentmindedly.

“God, you are dense. It almost killed me to leave you. I thought you knew that.”

Shaking her head violently their eyes connected and held as she desperately tried to comprehend his true meaning.

“You are just saying that to make me feel better. Just like you did by kissing me back then.”

“At first I didn’t even want friends, but your family grew on me. Then the more I got to know you, the sweet side, the take-charge side and all that spunky fire got to me.” Slowly he pushed the bangs back from her face and softly slid his lips across hers.

“I was desperately in love with you.”

Ginger let his lips linger over hers as she whispered back, “No, because if that were true you never would have left me.”

“I thought it was something I had to do, but now that I am older and wiser, I regret every second of time I missed with you. It kills me that so much time has been wasted, time we could have been together. Now I think it is about time I stopped regretting and started doing something about it.”

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Check back tomorrow for a sneak peak at CHAPTER 1 of "PAST REGRETS"