Heir Of Violence (#1 Betrayed Destinies) - ONC2024

Chapter 1 - Murphy's Law

If Caeryssa had known what awaited her in the lobby of Cerulean Beach Resort and Spa, she would have stepped right back onto the shuttle and taken the next boost out of Oenone's star system. Instead, she kicked off her sandals and strolled down the tidily clipped verge of pale blue grass to wiggle her toes in the warm, powdery white sand.

"Beautiful, isn't it? This is my third time here. I can't get enough of it."

Caeryssa nodded to the woman who'd been seated beside her on the ride down from the orbital station but kept her eyes fixed on the sparkling waves lapping at the shoreline and the gemstone blue swells that gave the resort its name. This place was everything she'd hoped for when she'd booked it. On the flight down, her gaze had devoured the interconnected web of land and small seas with its diverse, predominately blue-green vegetation. Shades as dark as navy to reds and oranges had her xenobotanist heart beating with excitement to explore.

But that was for later.

She sucked in another moisture-laden breath as the light breeze caressed her pale skin, raising fine white-blond hairs. As she exhaled, her shoulders lowered and the tension she'd held onto for far too long seeped away. She could hardly believe she was finally here. 

It had taken a lot of sneaky maneuvering to escape her well-meaning but overprotective parents and her job at Aura Industries. The company hadn't given her a vacation in three damn star cycles. The pressure to catalogue potentially medicinal or edible plants on new planets and exploit them was big business. Taking a holiday on an established planet like Oenone? Her boss would consider that a waste of Caeryssa's time and expertise.

But not Caeryssa. She exchanged a grin with the woman beside her—Tora? Tara? Roots, she was so damn bad with people's names—and stretched her arms over her head. She was going to get pampered and recapture her joy of discovery without having to worry about fending off unexpected predators. Oenone was a tourist's haven, full of well-catalogued but safe natural wonders.

And for the first time in her memory, she was free to do what she wanted, when she wanted. Caeryssa spun in a circle, arms wide. She'd ditched not just the company protection detail, but also the personal bodyguard her father saddled her with whenever she wasn't away on Aura Industries business. Her boss thought she was with her family, while they thought she was away on a new expedition. She had two full weeks to enjoy herself.

Tara... no, Tora hiked up her flowing pink skirt and ran into the waves, giggling. "Join me?"

"Maybe later," Caeryssa said, laughing at her seatmate's antics. Damn it, why could she remember thousands of plants and their characteristics across the numerous parsecs she'd travelled, but couldn't remember one woman's name? She scrunched her toes for a few seconds, then shook off the sand. "I've got a spa appointment this afternoon I've been eagerly waiting for."

"Ooooh! I'm jealous! I couldn't get into the spa until tomorrow. Have fun!" Tora—yes, surely it was Tora—sent a playful splash of water up the beach.

Still chuckling, Caeryssa brushed her feet through the soft grass and slid back into her sandals. With a tap of her wrist implant, the local planetary time and her schedule appeared in the air, visible only to her ocular implant—an added feature her father had insisted on when she'd reached the age to be allowed the personal communicator. Almost mid-day, she had time to check in, take a nap, and then head to the spa for her massage and herbal body wrap. After dismissing the display with a finger flick over the spiral tattoo, she hoisted her daypack and grasped her suitcase handle.

As she strode the smooth white stone path towards the elegant resort towers, she took in the arching trees with their pale bark, long navy fronds and delicate pink flowers. Small yellow birds flitted from flower to flower, their wings buzzing as they sipped nectar. Fragrant manicured gardens bloomed in an array of white, purple, and red interspersed with deep turquoise leaves and surrounded her walk from the public shuttle pad as she approached the entrance.