Honey Barrow serves the Alliance as an Encoded Courier, putting biologicals into her own body to keep them viable during transport. This job has kept her flying for years, but that is about to come to a screeching halt when she accepts an assignment to transport the semen of an Alpha multi-shifter to the High Prefect of Shoshan. Honey has to prepare for her job by intaking a series of hormones, throwing her into a simulated heat, a heat strong enough to gain the attention of the Alpha she needs to gain the co-operation from. Raddik pursues her with single minded intensity, guaranteeing her return to him via devious methodologies with no twinges of conscience. When her life hangs in the balance, a ripple of events takes her life and her job beyond her control and leaves her at the mercy of the Alpha.

Excerpt:

Honey Andrea Borrow blinked and asked her client, “You want me to transport what?”

“The sperm of the Oefric alpha. Raddik Norfim. He has agreed to father my child, but I can’t leave Shoshan right now and he is at a summit for the Alliance near the Nyal border. You are my only hope, Courier Barrow.”

The elegant High Prefect of Shoshan smiled. “Come now. You have certainly had harder assignments?”

“Yes. But none so…personal.” She was having trouble keeping a straight face. “You need an Encoded Courier for this?”

“You have passes through space that no other couriers have, as well as the experimental jump engines created by the Sector Guard.”

The High Prefect poured Honey a cup of tea and herself a cup of wine. “You have to obtain a fresh sample, place it inside storage and get back here before it is inert.”

“Is he aware of what is required?”

The High Prefect blushed lightly. Her yellowish skin turning orange across her throat. “Yes. We have had some frank discussions and he has agreed to anything that you ask of him.”

“What kind of container will you provide?” Honey had a suspicion.

The High Prefect cleared her throat. “I was given to understand that you had a special container for this sort of transport.”

“Ah. That explains asking for me by name.” Honey rubbed her forehead. “Yes, I have a means to transport it in a safe biological environment, but that will cost a great deal extra.”

“The money is already on its way to your account. I ovulate in five days. Please be here by then.”

A servant cleared the tea tray and Honey took the hint. She got the data pad with the coordinates on it and headed out to her shuttle.

Launch clearance came and she flipped the toggles and set the halo to control her ship. Time to go to work.

She grinned as she confirmed her accounts, transferred the money to a secured account and lifted off. She was being paid as sperm transport, she had better get ready. This was going to require some medical intervention, which she would hopefully have time for before the jump and before she made contact.

The skies of Shoshan were clear weather-wise but full of transports. She lifted directly through the open channel she had been given and still almost got pegged by traffic. Muttering to herself about tech-savvy planets and morons behind the steering situations, she headed for open space.