Star's Storm(21)

Dakar groaned and shook his head. “You know if Lord Jazin is alive he is going to kill me for letting you go, don’t you? Gril is going to be right next to him helping,” he muttered under his breath.

Both women chuckled at the look of resignation on the large Kassisan warrior’s face.

Dakar better just make sure he isn’t in the way when, not if, they found Jazin alive because I’m going to take out anyone who tries to stand in my way of bringing him home, Star thought as hope welled up inside her.





Chapter 7


Star dropped down onto the ground outside the South House, pausing to make sure she hadn’t been seen. She had used a different method than her and River did when they snuck out. This way was a little more challenging but she had been less likely to be seen or caught. She felt bad about not telling Armet what she was doing. She reminded herself that she said she would try to tell him when she decided to go somewhere first, not that she would.

Besides, she thought trying to consoled her guilty conscious, I did leave a note explaining that I couldn’t tell him about it beforehand but for him not to worry about me. That I wasn’t alone and I knew what I was doing – sort of.

She stood up and jogged to the end of the building where Dakar said he would have a transport waiting. She breathed out a sigh of relief when she saw it just where he had promised it would be. Star quickly ran over to the waiting vehicle and slid into the back. She turned breathlessly to thank Dakar again for not trying to insist on going without her. The words died on her lips when she saw he was not alone.

“Uh, hi Armet,” Star squeaked out, looking into the dark, glowering eyes of Jazin’s Captain of the Guard. “Fancy meeting you here,” she added with a guilty expression.

“Yes, fancy that,” Armet growled out. “You were supposed to let me know if you needed to go somewhere.”

Star wiggled uncomfortably in her seat at his accusing glare. Pushing a strand of hair back that had come loose from her braid, she bit her lower lip and snuck a peek at Dakar who was busy maneuvering through traffic. She glanced back at Armet’s furious face.

“I did – sort of,” she said with a soft plea for understanding in her eyes. “I left you a note.”

Armet’s face didn’t relax. “I do not read your language,” he reminded her before turning around and facing forward. “Do you know how to shoot a laser pistol or wield a laser sword?” He asked gruffly.

It took a minute for Star to understand he wasn’t going to return her to the palace. “I know how to shoot a gun and use a regular sword back on my planet. I’m assuming it isn’t much different,” she responded hopefully.

Armet glanced back at her sternly for a moment before he turned back around again. “Never assume anything. Your life and the lives of your comrades rest on your ability to use both. I will work with you on the way to wherever in the God’s name we are going,” Armet stated coolly.

Armet was startled into silence when he felt a pair of small, delicate arms wrap around his neck from behind. Soft lips caressed his cheek before Star rested her soft one against his in a fierce hug. Armet felt his heart jerked in response to the unexpected embrace.

“Thank you, Armet,” Star whispered in his ear before giving him another kiss. “You have no idea how much this means to me. Jazin is my life.”

Armet breathed out deeply when the little warrior released him and sat back in her seat. He stared out the window with sightless eyes. It had been so long since he had felt his heart beat in warmth that he was startled to know that it still could. Not since the woman he loved chose another male from his clan. There was something about these female warriors from another world that got under a male’s skin and drew unwanted feelings from him. Perhaps it was their spirit, their grace, or just their joy in the simple things. All that mattered to him was he would live up to his promise to protect her or die trying.

*.*.*

Dakar pulled the transport through the gates of a nondescript port. Older shuttles and transports were arriving and departing in a maze of organized confusion. Men yelled to one another as they moved huge shipping containers from one loading dock to another. Dakar pulled down the narrow road between the shuttles, slowing down at times to let men and equipment cross before he sped up again. He continued down the long narrow corridor between the marked pads, traveling towards the very end of the row.

Star sat forward watching everything with wide eyes. There was so much of this world that she didn’t know about. In some ways, it wasn’t much different from Earth and in others she had a hard time wrapping her head around it. Especially when she saw a shuttle lifting up into the air before disappearing in a burst of light.