lake where he
had concealed it. He needed to reach the safety of the outer
quadrant and the allies of the Core. The coordinates were entered
into the ship’s navigation system and it sped off through the
darkness at a speed that rendered it invisible to the naked
eye.
He turned back to the small cabin where she
slept on, his dark eyes traveling the length of her sweetly curved
body. If the Aldacyians were to obtain Wren Marlow they would kill
her. It would be a death sentence for them both.
Chapter Two
Wren awoke slowly. Her head was pounding and
her stomach rebelled. She squinted into the blue tinted light.
Though it was dim, it still seared her sensitive eyes and the
contents of her stomach threatened to reappear. She swallowed
convulsively, inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling through
her mouth. Cautiously, she rose to a sitting position and surveyed
her surroundings. “Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore,” she
whispered.
The room was stark white, with strips of
recessed light that glowed faintly blue. She was resting on a
narrow bench, again white. It was upholstered in something that
reminded her of leather but wasn’t quite. It was much softer and
remained cool to the touch. Everything in the room was streamlined
and functional, but appeared totally alien to her. It was also
frigidly cold. There was a strange, shimmering blanket folded
across her legs, providing some warmth. In spite of that, she could
see her breath. Beneath the thin fabric of her work shirt, her
nipples had pebbled in response to the chilly temperature. She was
reaching for the blanket, to pull it completely over her, when she
became aware of movement. She looked up into the startlingly
masculine and strangely beautiful face of her captor.
His tall, imposing frame filled the doorway.
He wore the same dark pants that he had before, though the simple
white shirt was now topped with a leather jacket that fitted his
broad shoulders and chest to perfection. There was an unfamiliar
insignia on the right side of his chest, and silver stripes at his
shoulder. The pants were tight, molding to his lean hips and
powerful thighs. A leather belt was slung low over his hips,
containing a holster and a strange looking gun. Another weapon was
strapped to his right thigh. The pants were tucked into tall, suede
like boots with soft soles. They were silent as he crossed the
metal grates that composed the floor. He retrieved a small bottle
from a cabinet concealed in the wall, and extended it to her.
“It will help,” he said.
“Who are you and why am I here?” she
demanded, making no move to accept the offered beverage.
“I am Kyr Nivarre, Rank 4, Core Sentinel. My
mission was to retrieve you from Earth and prevent you from falling
into Aldacyian hands.” It was technically the truth. There were
details that he was leaving out. If he told her that she was
destined to be with him, that she had been genetically engineered
to be his perfect mate, he didn’t imagine that she would respond
well.
“The Aldacyians… those were the creatures
that came to the café?” At his nod, she continued, “What kind of
ship is this?”
“It is an Ursa shuttle, a small craft that
has been modified to allow for longer journeys through space.”
“ Space, as in outer? As in aliens?” she
asked, her voice rising with slight hysteria. Had she truly lost
her mind, she wondered? All those years of premonitions and visions
with no one believing her had left its mark. Her greatest fear was
that all that people who said she was crazy were right. Alien
abduction and space travel seemed to be a decent harbinger of a
psychotic break.
“ I come from Region DF 745 in the
Artynian Galaxy. It has been a member of the Core 7 Alliance since
its formation nearly two hundred years ago, following the
Intergalactic War.”
She swallowed. “Intergalactic war. You are
from another planet.” She was having hot, dirty fantasies
had concealed it. He needed to reach the safety of the outer
quadrant and the allies of the Core. The coordinates were entered
into the ship’s navigation system and it sped off through the
darkness at a speed that rendered it invisible to the naked
eye.
He turned back to the small cabin where she
slept on, his dark eyes traveling the length of her sweetly curved
body. If the Aldacyians were to obtain Wren Marlow they would kill
her. It would be a death sentence for them both.
Chapter Two
Wren awoke slowly. Her head was pounding and
her stomach rebelled. She squinted into the blue tinted light.
Though it was dim, it still seared her sensitive eyes and the
contents of her stomach threatened to reappear. She swallowed
convulsively, inhaling deeply through her nose and exhaling through
her mouth. Cautiously, she rose to a sitting position and surveyed
her surroundings. “Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore,” she
whispered.
The room was stark white, with strips of
recessed light that glowed faintly blue. She was resting on a
narrow bench, again white. It was upholstered in something that
reminded her of leather but wasn’t quite. It was much softer and
remained cool to the touch. Everything in the room was streamlined
and functional, but appeared totally alien to her. It was also
frigidly cold. There was a strange, shimmering blanket folded
across her legs, providing some warmth. In spite of that, she could
see her breath. Beneath the thin fabric of her work shirt, her
nipples had pebbled in response to the chilly temperature. She was
reaching for the blanket, to pull it completely over her, when she
became aware of movement. She looked up into the startlingly
masculine and strangely beautiful face of her captor.
His tall, imposing frame filled the doorway.
He wore the same dark pants that he had before, though the simple
white shirt was now topped with a leather jacket that fitted his
broad shoulders and chest to perfection. There was an unfamiliar
insignia on the right side of his chest, and silver stripes at his
shoulder. The pants were tight, molding to his lean hips and
powerful thighs. A leather belt was slung low over his hips,
containing a holster and a strange looking gun. Another weapon was
strapped to his right thigh. The pants were tucked into tall, suede
like boots with soft soles. They were silent as he crossed the
metal grates that composed the floor. He retrieved a small bottle
from a cabinet concealed in the wall, and extended it to her.
“It will help,” he said.
“Who are you and why am I here?” she
demanded, making no move to accept the offered beverage.
“I am Kyr Nivarre, Rank 4, Core Sentinel. My
mission was to retrieve you from Earth and prevent you from falling
into Aldacyian hands.” It was technically the truth. There were
details that he was leaving out. If he told her that she was
destined to be with him, that she had been genetically engineered
to be his perfect mate, he didn’t imagine that she would respond
well.
“The Aldacyians… those were the creatures
that came to the café?” At his nod, she continued, “What kind of
ship is this?”
“It is an Ursa shuttle, a small craft that
has been modified to allow for longer journeys through space.”
“ Space, as in outer? As in aliens?” she
asked, her voice rising with slight hysteria. Had she truly lost
her mind, she wondered? All those years of premonitions and visions
with no one believing her had left its mark. Her greatest fear was
that all that people who said she was crazy were right. Alien
abduction and space travel seemed to be a decent harbinger of a
psychotic break.
“ I come from Region DF 745 in the
Artynian Galaxy. It has been a member of the Core 7 Alliance since
its formation nearly two hundred years ago, following the
Intergalactic War.”
She swallowed. “Intergalactic war. You are
from another planet.” She was having hot, dirty fantasies
Similar Books
