The Artistry of Love Read online

  Table of Contents

  The Artistry of Love

  Ice Planet BarBEARians (Book 1)

  Ice Planet BarBEARians (Book 2)

  Spark (Prequel)

  Tekkin (Book 1)

  Flames (Book 2)

  (Untitled)

  C.J. Scarlett

  ***

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  Chapter 1

  ~Jives~

  ~Tracey~

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Bonus Series 1

  Epilogue

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Flames of Freedom (Prequel)

  (Flames of Freedom Series Book I)

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  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Flames of Freedom (Book 2)

  Copyright © 2017 by C.J. Scarlett.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Published in the United States of America

  Other Books by C.J. Scarlett

  Fire Princess (Prequel)

  Celestial Mates Complete Box Set (Books 1-5)

  Maruvian Bride (Book 6)

  Queen Maker’s Bride (Book 7)

  Hero’s Bride (Book 8)

  Want a free book? C.J. Scarlett is giving away a free copy of Fire Princess, the prequel to Ambassador’s Bride (no strings attached). This book is exclusive to her VIP Reading Team.

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  The Artistry of Love

  Bonus Series 1

  Ice Planet BarBEARians (Book 1)

  Ice Planet BarBEARians (Book 2)

  Bonus Series 2 – Flames of Freedom

  Spark (Prequel)

  Tekkin (Book 1)

  Flames (Book 2)

  The Artistry of Love

  C.J. Scarlett

  ***

  Like me on Facebook!

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  Chapter 1

  ~Jives~

  Seeing Remi leave like that made me both excited and a bit worried. He was young, a bit stupid, and honestly I felt as if things might not go well for him if he didn’t have the protection he desires. But the girl was a good one. I trust that she’ll keep him on a tight leash. She seemed to be a decent person, but I guess the results would show later on.

  I had to get back to my own life. Now that Remi was gone, I was left leading the men here, helping them work with the people of Earth to rebuild everything after our invasion. I have to admit, I did feel bad about it. Remi is kind of a fool for what he did. He was childish, but the only thing I could do right now was clean up the mess so that it didn’t happen again.

  I left the chapel after they left the ceremony, feeling almost free in a sense. I’d always been Remi’s guardian, but now that we’re on two different planets, working to better the relationship in two different worlds, it feels almost… liberating. I didn’t want to deal with anything else beside the affairs here, and I knew that it’ll keep me busy.

  I walked over to the small hovercraft I had sitting in the parking lot. While I was there, I noticed some girl looking at me. She seemed different, way different from Remi’s wife. His wife seemed determined and in control, but this woman looked lost, like she was missing something. A part of me wanted to ask her what was wrong.

  She was quite a cute human girl. But I was not getting involved. I had work to do. I had a group of people to help out, and I must rebuild. The city looked drab, and I must work to save it. Plus, I was in command of a group of soldiers that will be here to protect the people. I didn’t have time for women. Humans are quite a lot of work, as I saw from Remi’s little fling. I thought it’s best that I kept to myself for now, that I kept to my lane, and work on improving my life.

  But, she was quite pretty. She had long, black hair, blue eyes that seemed to beg to be explored, and a lithe frame. I mean, I didn’t want to deal with human girls, but if I had a type, I felt she would be it. I shrugged though. I was too busy with work and with fixing this place up to get involved in the mess of humans. That’s been my rule, and that’s always been my rule.

  I never wanted a partner. I know this might seem bizarre, but it’s just never been my goal. Sure, I did lead Remi to finding one but, for me, I’m fine with just being alone. I’d always been alone, ever since I was younger. I never cared to show vulnerability, emotions, any of that crap to anyone, and that’s the way I was keeping it. I was not worrying about that, but rather, I was working for the greater good of the planet.

  I walked over to the craft, turning it on and heading over to the office the president left for me. When I got there, I already saw the pile of paperwork there, causing me to sigh.

  “Great. More to do,” I said to myself. Paperwork was my middle name. Even with Remi here, that’s pretty much all I did in life. I never bothered with anything else really, and that’s the way I would keep it. I buckled down, working through it, signing various documents, and crossing out and amending other ones that would need to be sent back to the respective terminals.

  I finally got to the demands the president had left for me. I read them, sighing in frustration. These were already troublesome. He was asking for everything, and we would have to give it to them since Remi did screw up most of this. He was a good ruler, just immature, but I thought Audrey will help with that. I signed off on it, finishing up the chunk that I had on the table, before finally taking a break.

  There were a few calls that came in, mostly from a few people on Klanden that wanted to ensure everything was running smoothly. I sent the papers that needed fixing via the telefaxer, a fax machine that could exchange documents from one planet to another, and then, I sighed again. It was only nine pm. I was done with everything for the day. So, what did I do now?

  Up until now I played babysitter for Remi when I finished my duties. But now that it’s not my job anymore I felt like I’m missing something. What is it though? I didn’t know. I felt like there was something there, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Maybe I’m just overthinking as usual. I decided to take a walk, heading out towards the downtown area. I observed a few humans there, and when I saw them, they did pique my interest, but nothing more than mild curiosity.

  I didn’t want to get involved. Humans were far too much work, and frankly, I didn’t have the time for that. I had a planet to watch over, duties that were important to my life, other plans that are more important in the grand scheme of things. I felt like humans were far too much work, too much maintenance, and way too much for me.

  I went over to one of the bars, sitting there and sighing. I did what I felt was right in life, working towards the position that I was in today, and maintaining it. So why did I feel unhappy? Why did I feel so
bothered by these feelings, this annoyance that ate away at me? I couldn’t say for sure, but maybe, just maybe, an answer will come soon.

  ~Tracey~

  I watched as my best friend left with her new alien husband. I wanted to be happy for them, and in truth, I was, but at the same time, the loneliness of the situation finally hit me.

  She’s gone. I was left here, all alone. Sure, she did say that she’d contact me as much as she could, but who was I kidding? She would probably forget about me sooner or later. I hated to think this, but there’s just something off about the whole thing. I mean, I was happy for her. She was doing what she wanted, but I feared that maybe she was running into this far too fast.

  I did love Audrey. Not in any sort of romantic way, but she was there for me when I needed her most. However, I still had my own battles to fight now that she was gone. One of them being Brad.

  Brad and I had had a rough time these last couple of months. While Audrey had her own debacle to deal with, I was stuck with Brad, who apparently wanted nothing more than to make this relationship as hard as possible. I mean, we were together, but I just didn’t really feel the spark anymore. Was it because of Audrey’s words and her obsession with aliens? I didn’t know. I felt as if I was living the life of a lie every time I’m around him.

  I sighed. I wanted something worth living for, a person that I actually was proud of seeing. Brad didn’t even bother coming to the ceremony. He doesn’t really care about much besides his art, and I guess me. But even that’s debatable.

  Gosh, what do I do? I felt empty. I felt like I was just roaming through life, trying my hardest to get the answers I seek, but they’re not there. As I pondered this, walking over to my car, I noticed a man there.

  He looked familiar. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he seemed to be related to Remi. Oh wait, it was the guy that’s always hanging around Remi. He’s like his babysitter or something. Or was. I immediately flushed; he did look pretty nice and kind of cute. But, I couldn’t get involved. I was still stuck with the Brad mess and, not only that, I didn’t even know if I wanted an alien. I felt like I was trying to push forward something that wasn’t right.

  I sighed, feeling nothing but confusion. I almost ran over to talk to him, but then, he was gone, heading to his hovercraft and taking off. Great, I totally missed him.

  I sighed. This wasn’t getting anywhere. I mean, I guess I’ll just head on back, maybe paint or something. I did need to make some cash.

  Oh, yeah. I do that for a living. I love to paint. It’s one of my favorite hobbies, and its honestly how Brad and I initially met up. The mutual love for art was what spurred us forward, but nowadays, he only cared about his art and very little else, which is frustrating to say the least, and fucking annoying to say at most. I tried to talk to him about it, but more often than not, he tended to ignore my words, just brushing me off and not saying much. I don’t know, my life was a total goddamn mess.

  I got to the car and drive off to the small, humble abode that I had. We didn’t even live together, but our studios were next to one another, so it almost felt like it. I mean, I’d been seeing him for about a year then, but even this was becoming stifling. I walked inside, and that’s when I heard it.

  “Oh, now you finally show up,” I hear a voice mutter.

  I turn, and there he is. He’s at his easel, painting as usual.

  “Yeah. The ceremony was nice. Wish you came along with me,” I muttered.

  “You kidding? I hate ceremonies like that! They’re all a bunch of bullshit. Besides, who wants to celebrate marriage, anyway? It’s not like it’s going to be anything good for her. Bet she’ll get a divorce sooner rather than later,” he said.

  I stiffened. Why was he always like this? So goddamn pessimistic about everything?

  “Maybe they won’t. You don’t know their lives, and you don’t know their stories,” I told him.

  “Hah, nice little quip there, Tracey. Take that from a romance novel?”

  “No, I’m just saying that maybe if you gave a flying fuck about someone else other than yourself, you’d understand why she did. I mean, I’ll miss her. She was my best friend, but she’ll contact me. I’m sure of it,” I told him.

  “Right. Whatever you say,” he said to me.

  “You need to stop being so pessimistic! Seriously, it’s getting old. Not only that, I wish maybe you’d take me out for a date or something,” I said to him.

  “I will, Tracey. I swear, after this painting, we can go celebrate. I swear, I’m going to make it big. You should be working too. Maybe you’ll end up getting some alien or some rich fuck to help support you. I know those aliens are coming to help out the place eventually, so I guess you’ll be getting new clients too,” he said.

  “I mean, I guess. I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said to him.

  He turned to me, immediately stroking my face. He looked into my eyes, almost pleading.

  “I’m serious Tracey. I’ll take care of us,” he said to me.

  “Right. I’ll believe it when I see it,” I said.

  He turned away, scoffing in annoyance.

  “Right. Well, I’ll be seeing you around,” he told me.

  I nodded, walking over to my own studio. I tried to paint but there was nothing. I felt so out of place here, like being with Brad was wrong. I mean, in truth he was actually one of the more successful Earth men. There weren’t a ton of men and, usually, if you managed to get an Earthen man, you tended to be someone who had money. I honestly didn’t. I came from a rough childhood, a life that was filled with nothing but sadness. I mean, I worked for what I got, and it was a stroke of good luck that Brad came to my life. He did take care of me. He helped pay for stuff, and he lived a comfortable life. So why was I so unhappy? Why did I feel the need to change my lot? It wasn’t just because of the pessimism either. That was normal. It was something else.

  I worked hard for most of the night, trying to paint but really only getting a small amount of work done. I mean, maybe I should go out. Maybe it would help clear my mind. I decided to do so, perhaps hitting up one of the bars. I look at the communicator that Audrey gave me, expecting her to answer, but that didn’t happen. She was probably still traveling. I wanted to believe that this would all work out, but who the hell knew. I felt lost, confused, and in truth, I felt the urge to drink. Perhaps then I’d be able to figure out my feelings.

  I walked over to the bar nearby, expecting the usual crowd. However, there was a mysterious, yet super-familiar man sitting at the bar, drinking a fruity cocktail that I saw in his hand. Why did he look so familiar? Why did he seem to be almost calling out to me, making me want to talk to him? I marched over there, and that’s when I realized it.

  It was the man from the wedding, Remi’s best man. I forgot his name, but he seemed almost upset about something. I could see the sadness in his eyes, and I felt for the guy. In a strange way, I almost felt a connection start to grow already. I wanted to sit near him. Perhaps he could help me get my mind off the whole situation with Audrey leaving. I wondered if he felt the same way about Remi. I guess the only way to know was to go find out.

  I walked over and sat at the stool next to him. He turned to me, his eyes widening, and it was right then that he realized who I was. He immediately stiffened, and I flashed him a smile, trying to convey to him that everything would be okay.

  Chapter 2

  ~Jives~

  What the hell was she doing there?

  I didn’t remember her name, but this was Audrey’s best friend. Did she live around here? Did she follow me? Just who was she? She slid her chest against the bar and, I had to admit, I eyed it for a second. She did have some very pretty breasts, if I do say so myself. Not like I’d get involved, but I definitely did appreciate the female form whenever it was bestowed to me.

  “Hey there,” she said.

  “Hello. What’s your name?” I asked.

  She seemed slightly affronted by the way I addressed her. I mean
, I knew her because of her best friend, not because of anything more. She then turned to me, blushing madly.

  “I’m Tracey,” she said.

  “Well, hello there. Nice to finally officially meet,” I said with a smirk.

  She shrugged. “I guess. I remember seeing you around at the wedding. You seemed like you wanted to come talk to me. What, did you not have the balls to?” she said with a snap.

  I was appalled at her words, but I kept my composure. “Probably. It was a bit of a shocking situation, seeing the man that I helped take care of for so long finally leave the nest,” I said to her.

  “What, were you his father or something?” she inquired.

  “That’s one way to put it. I’m not related to Remi by any means, but I did take care of him. I did help raise him for a long time, and I was part of the reason he finally found someone to love. It’s been a rough situation, that’s for sure,” I told her.

  “Yeah, I guess. Must be nice, being in love with someone that you can go home to every night. Someone who isn’t a totally pessimistic fuck,” she told me.

  I immediately looked at her, and while she seemed very rude and crass, she also looked vulnerable, as if the words she uttered to me were a mere projection of herself.

  “I mean, I don’t personally hope for that right now. My job is to take care of the alien people that are coming here, and nothing more. Getting involved with humans is far too troublesome,” I told her.

  “I see. Seems ironic since you were part of the reason humans are now involved with your people,” she muttered.

  “Yeah, I guess. But I don’t deal with the emotions related to it. It’s too messy, and it’s not my job,” I told her.

  I was serious about that. I didn’t want to dirty my hands dealing with humans, since they’re far too much to handle. I never wanted anything more than a business partnership with humans, and that’s really the extent of my relations with them. However, this woman didn’t seem to like my answer.