Lost Star

by Rebecca Royce

  “Wade’s checking in. I’ll shoot him a message when I’m sure it’s safe.” He spoke low. “That’s right. I’m from Earth.”

  “It’s you,” someone shouted from the distance, and we all turned. “You’re from the temple.”

  A woman rushed toward me, her husband in tow. I blinked. It had been a long time since I’d seen them. They’d moved off world a long time ago. Almost no one did, so it had caused something of a stir at the time.

  “Hello.” I stiffened my back. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember your names.” I rarely did. Just their struggles. I still had Anders’ pain running around inside of me. I’d gotten used to it, but it was there. These two had been anxious about the future and…

  She opened her arms wide. Oh. She wanted a hug.

  Trenton put his arm around me. “I’m sorry. She’s not doing that right now. Sienna’s not feeling well. Mostly because Evander tried to hurt her. It’s been an ordeal. You wouldn’t want to hurt her, right? I mean…you’re so excited to see her. So you must care. Right?”

  His words were a challenge, but those two couldn’t feel how tense he was next to me. If they made a move for the hug I didn’t want to give right then, he might physically hurt them. Robert cleared his throat. He knew how Trenton could react to things.

  “You know her?” he asked between them. “I found them in the shed. They’re hiding from Evander.”

  The crowd that was slowly forming behind us started to whisper to each other. Finally, someone shouted. “Evander is here?”

  I nodded. “Unfortunately, they are. We have…friends who were on our ship with us. Haven’t seen them in a while, but they’re trying to take care of the Evander problem.”

  “We spent the night in a shed, and Sienna’s not feeling well. Is there someplace we can pay to stay?” Trenton asked, but no one was paying attention to him.

  Instead, the woman whose name I still couldn’t remember leaned forward. “This woman has powers to make others feel better. She lived in a temple, sort of like a priestess.” I wouldn’t have put it like that, but no one was asking me as they turned toward the storyteller. “We need to protect her. She’s very important. Hide her until it’s safe.”

  “Um…” I wasn’t sure what to say to this. “I’m not interested in getting anyone hurt on my behalf. I’m just a person like any other person.”

  “I insist.” She grabbed my arm. “Come along. And no more talk about paying anything. This is our pleasure to do this. People have to know what’s happening. They have to protect you. Evander can’t be allowed to just take what they like.”

  We were rushed into a building, then out the back door of it and eventually into another house that was further into the woods. Food was put out in front of us, and I was separated from Trenton when they insisted I had to have a shower. I took advantage of the time. What were the chances that I’d run into someone here? Or maybe the chances were quite high. My planet’s people were scattered. They were probably everywhere.

  Trenton stood outside the door, waiting for me when I’d come out. He was changed, too. I walked up to him, breathing in his clean scent. “Do you think this is okay? I don’t want Evander to hurt them.”

  “Doubtful they’ll hurt them if they don’t get in the way. I messaged Wade back. He’s on his way. If it’s safe. He’s had no contact either.” Trenton had a good poker face, but something about the way he twisted his bottom lip told me he was concerned about that fact.

  I nodded. “This is off protocol, right? All of it? Them not making any contact. No sign of any of them, and Wade leaving Artemis?”

  “It is. I’m concerned. But if these people can help us—starting by getting you fed—then maybe they can help me fix Artemis. Then I’m getting you off this planet while I figure out what to do for the others. That’s what’s happening.”

  I shook my head. “We’re not leaving them here.”

  “Yes we are. That’s what’s happening. Your safety, Evander not getting you, it comes first. They would agree. They would insist on it.”

  I put my arms around his neck. “Trenton, I can’t stop caring that people are getting hurt for me.”

  “They’re not. They’re getting hurt because Evander has an agenda that includes using you. Think about it this way, and if no one has told you this or if they have and you just can’t roll around with it, try again. If Evander takes you, they will figure out a way to hurt a lot of people using you. Or using your abilities. I don’t know how or why yet, but that’s what’s going to happen.”

  The truth of that settled on my shoulders like lead bricks. It was a lot to carry. “Trenton…”

  “Your father thought it was important to keep you safe. He was right. We think that, too. These strangers here think it as well. It’s time for you to decide it’s true. Do you understand?” He kissed the end of my nose. “If we want to keep you safe, that’s what we’re doing. And you need to stop feeling badly about it. Do you understand? Just do your best to help us do that. Someday, you can try really hard to keep me alive or something.”

  My nose tingled where he’d kissed me. “Okay.”

  “Let’s get you fed.”

  I nodded. I wanted to agree with everything that he’d said to me. The trouble was that I’d looked at the number on my arm when I’d been in the shower. I was up to seven. There were some things they couldn’t protect me from.

  20 Ship Pieces

  They were incredibly gracious with us, feeding us and not letting Trenton pay, even though he kept trying to do that. We sat at a table, listening to the others talk about the terrible time they’d had with Evander. They’d really been raided.

  “I hate to tell you that you guys were lucky.” Trenton cleared his throat. “Most of the time, when Evander takes on a planet, they don’t leave anything. Not even the people.” A knock sounded, and everyone jumped. Trenton held up his hand. “Don’t panic. That’s Wade. He can actually attest to what Evander does to planets.”

  Julia—I’d finally remembered the name of the woman who was helping us—looked around. “Who is Wade?”

  “He’s with us.” Trenton went to the door and opened it. Sure enough, Wade stood there. He looked worse for wear. He had a night’s worth of hair growth on his face. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was still in the same clothes he’d been in before, except that he’d clearly sweated through them.

  “Hey, everyone.” Wade smiled, and after a visible breath, stepped inside. “I didn’t realize there were so many people.”

  I rose and strode toward him. “I’m glad that you’re here.” I took his hand. “And not happy that the guys have all vanished.”

  Wade ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t love it either, but I trust that they know what they’re doing. I promise you, they’re not dead or taken. There would be an explosion or something before that happened. If they’re all silent, and they’re not contacting us, then all I can say is that we just have to trust they know what they’re doing.” He motioned toward the table. “Would it be okay if I poured myself some water?”

  Everyone jumped to their feet and scrambled to make Wade a plate. He sat down quietly. I could really see the tired in his eyes. I’d dozed on Trenton, who seemed okay, but Wade had been all on his own. I sat down next to him, Trenton taking my other side.

  “Did you do okay in the ship?”

  He gave me a small smile. “It was very, very hot.”

  “Drink more water.”

  He lifted the cup to his mouth. “On it. Gladly. I was glad to get Trenton’s message and directions to get here from the tablet. Not protocol, but I wasn’t spending another night on that ship. I’d never have made it. Not with the water down.”

  “The water was down?” Trenton shouted, and then grimaced. “Sorry. That’s a change.”

  “It went out halfway through the night.”

  I winced. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”

  Trenton leaned back in his chair. “We have to abandon Artemis. We have
to buy a ship and get off this planet before we hurt these people by being here, and we have to get Sienna away.”

  Wade nodded. “Agreed.”

  One of the men at the end of the table, whose name escaped me, leaned forward. “We can keep her safe for you until you get back, if that’s what you want.”

  My heart sank into my stomach. “Shouldn’t we wait for Blaze? I mean…wouldn’t this be a discussion he would want to be a part of.”

  Julia smiled at me. “Are you in one of those plural marriages so popular on Earth? The ones with multiple men?”

  I hadn’t expected that question, and suddenly, sitting in this place with its yellow walls and bright fixtures was exposing. I didn’t really know what we were doing, and marriage had certainly never been discussed, not even a topic of conversation. Things were just getting started.

  “We’re very serious about her,” Wade answered. “But we haven’t had those conversations yet. Ultimately, it’s what Sienna wants. It will be what we want. Is there a place I can shower? I hate to keep having to rely on all of you.”

  Trenton answered my question I’d asked earlier. “We’ll wait till tomorrow morning to make any decisions. By then, I think we’ll have heard from them. And if we haven’t, that is its own answer. I need you to trust Wade and me on this. We’ve been with these guys a long time. If we haven’t had some contact by tomorrow, then we have to get out of here.”

  I did trust him. I just hated this.

  “Shower is through there,” Julia indicated.

  “I got a message out to reinforcements before we landed. But who knows if they got it and how long it’ll take them to get here if they did.” Trenton rubbed his eyes. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” He got to his feet. “I’ll show you where the bathroom is, Wade. Don’t want you getting lost.”

  They were tired. Maybe that was why Trenton wanted to show Wade, even though it had been shown to him before. I could see the exhaustion in every move they both made, and if I was worried, they had to be doubly so. They actually understood how weird this was that they’d been so out of touch. I walked into the kitchen to help clean up, and after a while, it was just Julia and me there.

  She stopped the water and turned to me. “Is it weird to be here? To be out of the temple?”

  A fair question. “This place is more like the temple than where I was on the ship. I couldn’t even make the lights work.”

  Julia crossed her arms. “You sound like that bothers you, like you’re embarrassed. That’s what I hear in your voice.”

  I swallowed. All the women from our planet had some abilities with emotions, even if none of them were me. The right word for it might be empathic. There was always a certain amount of empaths in any population. Or at least, that was what I’d learned. Our planet had something unique with the female line.

  I had to answer her, as uncomfortable as it was to do so. “It does. I felt like a baby, and there have been parts of me every day that continue to feel that way. Like I never know exactly what to do in any situation. How am I supposed to help if I’m constantly lost?”

  “Sienna, you’ve helped people your whole life. It isn’t too much to have to ask others help you for a while as you find your feet. And as for the technology, I was a little lost with it too. Once you settle someplace safe, you’ll learn your own tech, and eventually, it won’t feel so weird.”

  I supposed that made sense. “Feels ridiculous to worry about any of it when there are five guys out there in potential harm for me.”

  “I doubt their fight with Evander started or ends with you. I think you’ve just found yourself in the middle of the story. Take a breath, healer. You’re allowed time to adjust. You’re not lost in the universe. If anything, you needed help, and I was here. What are the chances of that? Someone who knows who you are? Maybe you’re right where you’re supposed to be.”

  She was turning out to be a lot nicer than I’d have thought she would. Maybe I had overreacted to the hug she’d wanted. It was just so…invasive.

  “Thanks. That does help me look at it slightly differently. I’ve been a fish out of water for a long time.”

  Trenton rushed into the room, followed by Wade, whose shoes were untied. He must have been getting ready to sleep. His hair was wet. What was happening?

  “Got to go. Julia, can we use your shuttle?”

  Her eyes widened. “Of course. What’s wrong?”

  Rather than answer her, Trenton passed his tablet to me. It had one word on it from Blaze. I stared down at it as though I’d never read words before.

  Blaze had texted the word Run.

  Trenton pulled me up against him. “We’ll pay you for your shuttle. More than it’s worth. Thank you for helping us. Come on.”

  Wade nodded. “No time to lose.”

  Yes, but where were we going to run to? “Guys, where will we go?”

  Trenton pointed up at the sky. That was right. The other Super Soldiers could maybe hear us if they were getting close. We couldn’t talk. I swallowed. We were going to space. This time, without Artemis and any Super Soldiers to guide our way.

  I nodded. I might never find my feet in this war, in this world, in this madness. But I’d be damned if I let Evander make me scared for even one second more. I could control nothing but my reactions, and it was time for me to be angry, not scared.

  I had a feeling I’d much prefer that emotion.

  Afterword

  Dear Reader,

  Please don’t worry. You can grab Pointed Arrow (Wings of Artemis 12) the last book in Wings of Artemis here: https://amzn.to/2K69SpB . I hope you liked reading Sienna’s first book as much as I did writing it and don’t worry, their adventure and love story continues right where this one left off.

  Please turn the page for the complete list of my books and to see where to find me online.

  Regards

  Rebecca Royce

  About the Author

  As a teenager, I would hide in my room to read my favorite romance novels when I was supposed to be doing my homework.

  I am the mother of three adorable boys and I am fortunate to be married to my best friend. I live in Austin Texas where I am determined to eat all the barbecue in town.

  I am in love with science fiction, fantasy, and the paranormal and try to use all of these elements in my writing. I've been told I'm a little bloodthirsty so I hope that when you read my work you'll enjoy the action packed ride that always ends in romance. I love to write series because I love to see characters develop over time and it always makes me happy to see my favorite characters make guest appearances in other books.

  In my world anything is possible, anything can happen, and you should suspect that it will.

  I'd love to hear from you! Please visit my website at www.rebeccaroyce.com to sign up for my newsletter and learn about my books!

  Here’s where you can find me online:

  Rebecca’s Randomness Reading Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/RebeccasRandomness/

  https://www.rebeccaroyce.com

  https://www.facebook.com/authorrebeccaroyce/

  www.twitter.com/rebeccaroyce

  Instagram: rebeccaroyce79

  Cheers!!

  Rebecca

  Other books by Rebecca Royce…

  Wings of Artemis

  Kidnapped By Her Husbands https://amzn.to/2BQdUxy

  Rescued by Their Wife https://amzn.to/2Rr9as4

  Crashing Into Destiny https://amzn.to/2VkyXRL

  Meeting Them https://amzn.to/2BLPaXm

  Reclaiming Their Love https://amzn.to/2GKAw8E

  Loving Them https://amzn.to/2BKDmEK

  Ship Called Malice https://amzn.to/2BNputj

  Saving Them https://amzn.to/2SsrBtH

  Dark Demise https://amzn.to/2VidXv3

  Light Unfolding https://amzn.to/2GO6Yqr

  Still Waters https://amzn.to/2CFePT8

  Rising Tides https://amzn.to/2MCdTlM

  Lost Star https://amzn.to/2X8hcZA
>
  Pointed Arrow https://amzn.to/2K69SpB

  Last Hope (completed series)

  Tradition Be Damned

  Past Be Damned

  Destiny Be Damned

  Compassion Be Damned

  Future Be Damned

  Dragon Wars (completed series)

  Forever

  Eternal

  Always

  Evermore

  Endless

  Wards and Wands (completed series)

  Hexed and Vexed

  Curse Reversed

  Meow, Baby (novella, co-written with Ripley Proserpina)

  Tragic Magic

  Safe Haven

  Everywhere and Nowhere

  Dimension X (coming soon)

  More coming soon….

  Soul Bound

  Prisoner of the Dragons

  More coming soon….

  Shadow Promised

  Strange Days

  Weird Nights

  Bizarre Years

  More coming soon…

  The Warrior (completed series)

  Initiation

  Driven

  Subversive

  Redemption

  Justice

  Warrior World (spin off of The Warrior, completed series)

  Deacon

  Micah

  Jason

  The Westervelt Wolves (completed series)

  Her Wolf

  Summer’s Wolf

  Wolf Reborn

  Wolf’s Valentine

  Wolf’s Magic

  Alpha Wolf

  Angel’s Wolf

  Darkest Wolf

  Lone Wolf

  Fallen Alpha

  Alpha Rising

  Alpha’s Strength

  Alpha’s Sacrifice