Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters Read online

  Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters

  Shelley Munro

  Book 1 in the Talking Dog series.

  Janaya is a bodyguard on a mission. She must protect her Aunt Hinekiri from mercenaries and then return to Dalcon in time to take her captain's exam. A simple assignment for an officer of her caliber—except nothing goes as planned. Their spaceship crash lands on Earth. No spare parts available. Big problem

  Janaya is stuck on a tiny outpost called New Zealand. She's going to stuff up her promotion chances. And because she neglected to have her travel inoculations in her urgent hurry to protect her aunt, Janaya has bonded with an Earthman.

  Police officer Luke Morgan seeks a quiet life. No press. No nosy reporters. No women. Just lots of fishing and fresh country air.

  Luke doesn't count on meeting a pair of aliens and a talking dog and participating in a shootout with purple-suited aliens. Nor does he expect the surge of lust he feels for Janaya. Suddenly a routine callout turns into a big problem that Luke suspects might only be the tip of the iceberg.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters

  ISBN 9781843609674

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters Copyright © 2004 Shelley Munro

  Edited by Mary Moran

  Cover design by Syneca

  Photos: fotolia.com

  Electronic book publication June 2004

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

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  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

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  Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters

  Shelley Munro

  Chapter One

  “We’re gonna crash. Buckle up.”

  “What?” Janaya spun around to gape at her aunt, Hinekiri. One look told her the truth. Hinekiri wasn’t teasing.

  Janaya gulped and scowled out a porthole at the rapidly approaching blue planet and muttered a succinct curse, trying to halt her escalating panic. Tendrils of icy fear curled around her insides. Her worst fear come to life. “I thought you said this…this antique had plenty of life yet.” She fumbled with the harness straps and another weak curse slipped out when the ship plunged into white, fluffy clouds, sending her stomach swooping toward her toes.

  “Ah, good.” Her aunt’s voice held satisfaction, despite their impending doom. “You worked your way through the Earth-speak tapes.”

  Janaya stared at her aunt, speechless for an instant, before her gaze slid past the porthole once more. She swallowed and imagined shaking Hinekiri until her teeth rattled and good sense reigned. The image didn’t ease her panic any.

  “We’re gonna bloody crash!” Janaya shrieked. “Pay attention. What do I do? I don’t know anything about flying this bucket of bolts. I’m a bodyguard.”

  “Yes, dear, and I’m very proud of you.”

  “Hinekiri!” The only reason she’d boarded this ship was because fear for her aunt’s life was greater than her dislike of flying. She was beginning to regret her impulse big time.

  “I said we were crashing,” her aunt said. “I don’t believe I mentioned death.”

  “You… When we land, I’m going to damage you,” Janaya gritted out.

  “Tsk-tsk.” Her aunt waggled her forefinger while she nonchalantly maneuvered the manual steering controls. The ship groaned in loud protest and if anything, they picked up in speed. “I thought you stowed away to protect me from the bad guys.” A teasing grin flashed, lighting up her lined face. “Not do their dirty work for them.”

  “Tell. Me. What. To. Do.” They were gonna die. Janaya was sure of it. She’d never live to set foot on Dalcon again. She’d never get the captain’s promotion she was aiming for, the promotion she’d earned by sheer hard work. And Santana would find someone else.

  “Harness up and let me concentrate.”

  Tension seeped through Janaya’s body, finding an outlet in her white-knuckled grip, as she watched her aunt calmly prepare to crash.

  “I thought you said most of the Earth’s surface is water,” she blurted, her gaze darting from the porthole on her right to her aunt and back.

  “That’s right, dear.”

  “Are we going to land in water?”

  Her aunt looked up from the panel of controls and frowned. “Can’t you swim?”

  Janaya bit her bottom lip to keep the curse that trembled on her tongue contained. “Yes, I can swim.” The quirk of Hinekiri’s top lip gave her away, and Janaya’s shallow breaths eased out with a relieved hiss. Chances were good that her aunt was…ah yes…pulling her leg. When she stood with both feet firmly on the ground again, she’d feel more in charge. After an aggrieved glare at her aunt, she amended the thought. Maybe not.

  “Assume crash position.”

  Janaya stared at her aunt. Then with morbid fascination, her gaze drifted to the bridge view port. Instead of the water she’d expected, she saw land. Flashes of green, trees then a sea of gold.

  The initial impact jolted her body and clacked her teeth together. Behind her, something crashed to the floor—probably one of the stupid Earth-speak tapes her aunt had insisted she view and assimilate. The ship hurtled off the ground then hit again.

  “Hee-haw!” her aunt shouted, one hand raised in the air, her wiry body riding the impact despite the constraints of her harness.

  Janaya lacked the same exhilaration as they bounced across the ground barely missing a large tree. The sturdy branches gouged the protective outer shell of their ship as they zipped past.

  “I’ll try for up in those hills.” Her aunt jabbed at the controls, and the ship responded sluggishly before hurtling to the ground again. Trees and hills passed in front of Janaya’s horrified eyes.

  What felt like hours later but was probably only a matter of minutes, they settled feet short of a dilapidated building up on the hill. The stench of metal fatigue lay heavy in the air.

  “I need to stand on the ground,” Janaya muttered. “Now. Is it safe?” Nausea worked up her throat. In a panic, clumsy fingers clawed at the restraining harness. In the end, her aunt leaned over to release the lever.

  “No problems with the atmosphere here,” her aunt said. “New Zealand, according to my charts. Clean and green.”

&nbs
p; Janaya needed no further urging. She stumbled out the door, dragging in huge breaths of fresh air until her lungs ached. Gradually, the panic attack subsided leaving her shaky and embarrassed. Make that mortified. Thank the Gods her aunt had been the only witness.

  Hinekiri strode down the narrow exit steps from the ship and stopped beside her. She patted Janaya on the shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort. “Janaya, we need to camouflage the ship so the Earth people don’t stumble across it.”

  “All right. I—” The small hairs at the back of her neck prickled to life. Janaya stilled, her eyes narrowing as her gaze swiveled to survey the area around the ship. Her hand slid toward her hip.

  “Back on the ship,” she snapped to her aunt as she pulled her weapon free. “Now.”

  To her right, the leaves of a fern shuddered. Janaya scented the air. Sweat. Torgon sweat.

  “Come on out with your fingers poked inside your ears,” she ordered, aiming her neutralizing weapon at the dark green bushes that had moved.

  “That would be, hands in the air,” her aunt said.

  Janaya shrugged, not taking her eyes off the leafy plant. “Whatever. I have a weapon. Come out.”

  The fern leaves shook, dried leaves crackled underfoot. Janaya’s outstretched hand never wavered, the heavy weapon still pointing at the bushes.

  “Don’t shoot.” A black nose thrust past a lacy fern leaf.

  Janaya’s eyes widened.

  A black face with black eyes poked into view. “Are ya gonna shoot?”

  “Janaya put the weapon down. It’s a dog. Nothing to get trigger-happy about.”

  “Yeah,” the little dog said. It stepped into full view. The dog stood below knee height and had white fur peppered liberally with black spots. It trotted closer, tail wagging. “Do ya have any food?”

  Janaya reholstered her neutralizer and rolled her eyes. “Talking animals?”

  “I never met a human who talked back,” the little dog said. “Food? Do ya have any?”

  Janaya glared. “The sooner we leave this blue planet the better. How long will it take for the ship to be repaired?”

  “Two, maybe three—”

  “Days? Cool.”

  “Months.”

  “Months!” Janaya saw her promotion chances slipping away. After five Earth days, she’d be missed. Especially with the big mission coming up. They’d declare her AWOL. Janaya swallowed her regrets. The protector would become the hunted.

  “Parts are hard to get. Besides, I intend to sightsee while I’m here. I’m not slaving over a smoking spaceship without a little fun. And I’m not leaving Earth until I see what I came for.”

  “Yeah.” Janaya sighed, having heard the refrain all the way to Earth. No matter how logical her arguments were Hinekiri never wavered from her goal. “The migration of the wildebeest.”

  “I didn’t ask you to come. It was your idea to stow away.”

  “The Torgon want your galaxy exploration charts and your journals. And once they get them, they won’t care if you’re dead or alive. They’ve put a mercenary contract out on you.”

  “Contract, somtract. They’ve got to catch me first.”

  “Someone’s coming,” the little dog said. “Perhaps they’ll have food.”

  Janaya scented in the direction the dog had lifted its nose. She felt a curious swooping pull that zapped all the way to her clit. Excitement sparked within. Her heart thudded and she shifted, uneasy with the sensation and the way her new Earth clothes clung to her breasts.

  A steady, buzzing drone sounded. Janaya frowned, every instinct hyperaware of the new threat of danger. A clean scent drifted to her on the breeze, one that reminded her of the mountains and spruce forests of home. Then her eyes focused on a small dot on the horizon at the bottom of the hill. The dark blue dot grew steadily larger, her apprehension growing in direct proportion.

  * * * * *

  Hunger ate at Luke Morgan’s insides. He pictured the medium-done steak he’d left on the kitchen table. One bite less in size than when he’d taken if off the grill. Luke squinted through the late afternoon light, wishing he was back in his kitchen raising the second bite to his mouth.

  Flying saucers.

  Mrs. Bates had been at the vicar’s homemade wine again. He knew it. His second-in-charge knew it. But he still had to check it out. Sometimes it plain sucked being a cop. The grumbling protest of his stomach provided a great punctuation mark for the thought.

  His radio blasted into sudden life. “Have you sighted the UFO yet?” Eager anticipation colored his receptionist’s voice.

  “No,” he muttered. “Mrs. Bates said the North Ridge, right?” Luke figured he’d better follow procedure and do this thing right even if it was all wine-induced and a figment of Mrs. Bates’ fevered imagination.

  The rutted track disappeared, leaving nothing but native totara and karaka and a narrow track leading up to the clearing at the summit. Luke sighed, knowing he was going to have to hoof it. Luke coasted his Land Cruiser to a halt and yanked on the park brake.

  Damned flying saucers.

  * * * * *

  Janaya squinted through the sunlight at the tall figure that climbed from the vehicle and tried to ignore the spark of anticipation. Totally weird. Especially since she couldn’t wait to leave this God-forsaken outpost. Had to be a twenty-four hour bug. Her body ached all over. “What are we going to do? We haven’t had time to hide the ship.”

  “I hope he has food,” the little dog said, cocking its head to survey the approaching man.

  “Is that all you can talk about,” Janaya snapped, eyeing the creature with disfavor. “Aunt?”

  Unbidden, her gaze slipped back to the male. He was tall, and even from this distance she knew he would tower over her medium frame. Dark brown hair, tousled and untamed, touched on his shoulders.

  Janaya sucked in a deep breath. The same clean scent she’d smelled before bubbled through her senses like a sparkling tonic.

  “Rather nice specimen, isn’t he, dear?”

  “Humph,” Janaya muttered, trying to ignore the pounding of her heart and the flip-flop of her stomach, the sudden moist dampness between her legs. She ripped her gaze from the Earthman and tried to quell her aunt’s smart-ass remarks with a frosty glare.

  “I bet he has a nice tush. That would be rear end to you.”

  Heat suffused Janaya’s face. “I have no interest in the man’s front end or his back end. I have an agreement with Santana.”

  “Santana!” Hinekiri’s mouth tightened to a straight line. “That male was a horrible child and he hasn’t improved as an adult.”

  “You’re not the one joining with him,” Janaya snapped.

  “Praise Lord Julian. If I were merging with a male, at least I’d check out the merchandise first.”

  Janaya whirled away from her aunt to stare at the approaching male. Unbeknown to her aunt, she’d already checked out the merchandise. She cringed as she recalled the fiasco. Then her shoulders squared. Next time she’d get the mating procedure right. Santana would have no complaints on that score. It was true that Santana wasn’t as imposing as this male but he had good qualities. And she liked his family. Longing seeped into the region of her heart when she thought of the empty spaces that only family could fill. Once she’d secured her captain’s bars and completed formalities with Santana everything would work out with her father. He’d realize she loved him and would recognize her worth. He’d finally accept her as blood daughter instead of calling her a nuisance.

  “How do we hide the ship?” Janaya asked, changing the subject to avoid the fierce argument building within her aunt. Hinekiri could argue all she liked. Janaya had chosen Santana and her decision was final.

  “Oh, didn’t I say? There’s an emergency camouflage button. The ship will appear invisible for as long as the power source lasts.”

  “Why didn’t you—never mind. Do it. He’s nearly here.”

  The little dog sniffed and sighed loudly. “He doesn�
�t have any food.”

  “You’re right. I don’t smell any.”

  The dog wagged its tail. “You scent better than most humans.”

  Hinekiri pulled a small control box from her low-slung Earth trousers. Jeans, she’d called them when she’d handed a similar pair to Janaya. “Camouflage on.”

  Janaya glanced over her shoulder. The ship was still visible. “The system’s failed,” she whispered in a terse voice. Was nothing going to go right on this mission? Irritation with both herself and her stubborn aunt shot through her body finding vent in gritted teeth. Her right hand slid to the weapon at her hip, ready to defend her aunt.

  “No, wait. Don’t shoot him. Watch.”

  The man she’d seen earlier strode into the clearing where they stood. He didn’t hesitate or even blink on seeing the ship, but continued toward them with a loose-limbed gait that reminded Janaya of a two-toed tigoth—sleek and well-muscled. Confident that he’d catch his prey. Janaya’s skin tingled. The sensation crawled through her body, across her lips, tugging her nipples to tight peaks and finally settling low in her belly in moist feminine heat. She slid her weight from foot to foot in a slow fidget. Janaya froze when she caught the grin on her aunt’s face.

  “Something wrong, dear?”

  “This damned G-thing you gave me to wear is right up my—”

  “Hello there.” The man’s voice slid across her skin like soft, satiny monterey petals drawing her body tight with unexpected sensual need. Fascinated by the Earthman, her gaze drifted down to the column of tanned flesh showing in the V of his blue shirt. An urgent need to slide her tongue across the same path her eyes had taken gripped her mind. She took half a step forward to complete the action before her brain jerked into gear then screeched to an appalled halt. A soft choking noise drew her gaze northward to gleaming dark brown eyes. Hot eyes that simmered with an answering passion.