“Go!” Nina says. Somehow, she has a gun pointed at Lola. “If you care about her like you claim to, she needs to go back to Aralyyn and reunite with her family. This op’s been compromised. She isn’t safe.”
“What about you, Nina?” Raya asks, her eyes big with worry. The world around her is spinning and life as she knows it is changing completely in the blink of an eye.
“This bitch is going to burn, that’s what,” Lola says with a snarl.
Nina shoots Lola in the kneecap, causing her to scream out in pain. Raya flinches. Nina doesn’t bat an eye. Hers are fixed on Isaac. “Go,” she says. “I’ll try and find out what the Rebels know and I’ll come as soon as I can.”
“But” - Raya says but Nina pushes her and Isaac out the door with her free hand.
“Go,” she says. “Go! I’ll come for you!”
And with that, she slams the door shut.
Elise
It’s easy to find the hangar. The pilot is waiting outside, leaning against the side. She’s not the sort of pilot Elise expects, but the look on her face causes any sort of analytics to vanish temporarily.
“Good,” she says when she see Elise. “You brought the princess. Come.” She heads through the ship’s opening, waving at the two to follow her inside. “We must leave. Now. We’ve been compromised. All of us. Teryyn isn’t safe anymore.”
Reed doesn’t hesitate to usher Elise inside even though she would have preferred to ask a few questions first.
Elise doesn’t feel comfortable on this ship. It’s a hangar, one hundred yards, armed to the tee. Clearly, the handler is prepared – if Salem is a handler at all. Elise doesn’t like to admit it, but there’s a territorial feeling that shoots through her body the instant she sees Salem – long legs, luxurious black hair, violet eyes, pale skin – but she brushes it aside and clears her throat in hopes to rid herself of the negative emotion. She doesn’t like the whole jealousy thing on either end of the spectrum and she doesn’t want to fall into the trap of being a jealous girlfriend.
If she is a girlfriend.
She and Reed have yet to discuss what type of relationship they have – if they have a relationship at all.
Especially considering the fact that Salem bows to her upon their initial meeting. Literally, bowed. How can Elise justify being jealous of someone who feels compelled to bow to her?
“It’s such an honor to meet you at last, princess,” she says, and then flits her violet eyes over to Reed. “I don’t know how anyone can tolerate this guy for long. You must have extreme patience.”
Salem’s older than Elise is as well, closer to Reed’s age. Elise doesn’t like the feeling deep in the pit of her stomach – how it wretches her gut open and twists them all up together. She doesn’t like feeling threatened, like maybe Salem and Reed should be together. It would be way less complicated than being with Elise.
“I’ve known him my whole life,” Elise says. “I know him better than probably anyone.” Elise shrugs and hopes the gesture is as graceful as Salem’s is.
“I would say so,” Salem says. She slides into the pilot’s seat of the hangar and proceeds to turn on the engine, flipping multiple switches in a variety of colors that aren’t labeled.
Elise blinks. She has no idea how people have the capacity to learn how to be a pilot. It’s definitely not something she would want to be. Ever.
“What’s going on?” Elise asks. With the whirring of the machines, she has to shout.
“I don’t know!” Salem calls back. “All I know is that you and Reed are in danger if you continue to stay here. I was dispatched to retrieve you both. Now, Your Highness, I must ask you to sit down and buckle up. It’ll take a few days to get to Aralyyn but lift offs were never my forte and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Elise isn’t sure what to say. She knows she gets uncomfortable by being addressed as Your Highness but she can’t really scold someone for treating her with respect. Unless it’s Reed, of course. He knows better than that. She has no choice but to take a seat behind Salem when Reed comes over and helps her buckle up.
“You’ve done this before?” Elise asks with a smile, raising her brow.
He gives her a mysterious smirk but says nothing. Reed takes a seat next to Elise, buckling himself up without any qualms. She takes his hand; he doesn’t pull away from her.
“I’ve flown before,” he says. “I was with you when we were sent to Teryyn.” He swallows and looks sickly once Salem lifts the ship.
“You don’t like flying,” Elise says with a smirk.
He doesn’t respond. He doesn’t need to. Perhaps he can’t.
The silence leaves Elise with her thoughts. They’re going home now, without warning, without any preparation. She doesn’t remember her father’s eyes or the sound of her mother’s voice. She doesn’t remember any pets or the room she grew up in. She doesn’t remember anything and she doesn’t like that she doesn’t remember anything. How can she call this place home if she’s never been there before?
And what of Reed? When they return, will she be forced to give him up? Would they have to sneak around? Would he even want to be with her, knowing she’s that heavily guarded? Would she be worth the risk?
The little speech she gave him an hour or so before seems weak and ineffectual. Child’s play. She does like Reed and she wants to be with him, but certainly, things must change now that their plans have.
And what of Salem? What of Reed and Salem? Do they have a history, or is she just imagining it? Would Reed be happier with someone like Salem, someone free and strong and talented and intelligent? Elise dances and wears sundresses. She’s never had to fight a day in her life. Salem’s hands look rough and her eyes look warm. Despite everything she’s gone through, she’s still open. Elise is just naïve. She’s been sheltered, even on Teryyn.
She clenches her teeth together and stares straight ahead. It doesn’t matter if Salem would be better for Reed logistically; Reed is hers and she doesn’t plan on giving him up. Not for Salem or her parents or for the entire galaxy of Aralyyn.
Isaac
Isaac still can’t believe he’s sitting next to the long-lost princess on an urban bus heading back to Base. Hell, he can’t believe he’s going to help her escape. All his life, he’s been immersed in a life that completely contradicted everything the Royals stood for. His family was part of the Rebellion; he was raised with those values – independence and freedom being at the forefront of every action, every choice his parents made.
Now, his entire life is in question. Not because he suddenly disagrees with the Rebels but because Raya is not like any of the Royals he’s ever met. She’s down to earth and kind and beautiful and he feels there’s a good possibility he’s on the brink of falling in love with her. She’s also the rightful heir to the throne, and if the Rebels find out he has her…
They’d use her to get to the Royals. He knows they won’t harm her – they’d treat her like any other important guest, just with restrictions on her freedom. Which, now that he thinks about it, completely contradicts the values of the Rebellion.
“Where are we going?” Raya whispers.
He looks at her from the corner of his eye. She’s gone pale, her entire body both numb and tense. Her waves seem to have gone flat, her eyes look tired. He can’t really blame her, can he? Her life as she knows it is in complete disarray. She’s a fucking princess. Her guardian was a Rebellion spy before she double-crossed her agency and went rogue.
It’s the type of thing you’d find in a book, not real life.
“The base,” he says. “It’s the only way to get you out of here. We’ll get to the Rey. We’ll go.”
“I,” she says, and looks away. She’s cocked her head in a way that causes her hair to fall in her face so he can’t see her face. She’s hiding her emotions. “I don’t think I can let you do that. Why would you do that?” She snaps her head in his direction and her eyes narrow with discernable suspicion. “We barely
know each other. I’m the long-lost princess. You have me in your hands. Why not turn me in and rank up within your ecosystem?”
Isaac grits his teeth to keep from reacting to her defensiveness. He’s trying to remain patient but there’s a part of him that wants to be a smartass, even though she’s done nothing to deserve it.
“I get that you don’t trust me,” he tells her, “but do us all a favor and trust me.”
“How can I trust you when your girlfriend might have already sent a comm to your base?” Raya asks. “They probably know something happened. They’re going to find out about me.”
“We’ll be gone by the time they do, I promise,” Isaac says. “And for the record, Lola was never my girlfriend.”
“She seems to disagree,” Raya says.
Isaac smiles despite himself. Clearly, she has no reservations about being a smartass. It’s probably one of the reasons he likes her so much.
They arrive at Base a half an hour later under the coat of black night. Not even the stars are out, giving the couple a way to mask themselves in plain sight. Isaac swipes his id card through the locked door and it springs open without hesitation. Both are quiet, both lost in their own thoughts. Isaac’s head is consumed with questions being quieted by pragmatism: they need to get out of here now. That’s the first priority.
No one is out, which is good. He doesn’t know what he’d do. Hell, he isn’t even armed. He should always be armed…
They get into the garage without a problem. There’s still no one around. It’s just before curfew; people would be washing up, digesting some late-night snacks before the cafeteria closed. It hits him like a ton of bricks; once he leaves, he’s not coming back. Life as he knows it is going to change. He doesn’t know if he’ll be accepted in Aralyyn. Even though he found their daughter, the Royals may kill him – or worse – due to his affiliation with the Rebels.
It doesn’t matter.
If it means saving Raya, he’ll do it. He’ll do anything for her.
He’s a sucker for damsels in distress, except Raya is the least distressed damsel he knows.
They climb up to his X-Rey and hop in, sitting the way they had before. It’s going to be a long, uncomfortable trip. X-Reys aren’t meant to transport people or cargo; they’re supposed to be used for immediate battle. Temporary and quick. But it’s the fastest ship in the galaxy – they’ll get there in twelve hours at the most. As long as they don’t encounter trouble on the way.
“Isaac!”
Both Raya and Isaac stop. Raya looks to Isaac for guidance.
“Go on,” he assures her, placing his hand on the small of her back and ushering her in the cockpit. “I’ll handle this.” He turns his attention back to Daniel. “I have to go.”
Daniel opens his mouth. Isaac knows he wants to ask what’s going on, why Raya is here, why they’re sneaking off. Daniel raises his finger and points at Isaac. His lips shake like he’s speaking but won’t let the words come out. Then, he nods. “You be safe.”
Daniel shouldn’t be here; Isaac wonders why he is. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe fate is letting him say goodbye to his best friend.
“You be safe,” Isaac says.
Daniel nods again and disappears, leaving Isaac alone. Isaac doesn’t waste any more time. He slides into his seat, forcing Raya to squeeze on top of him, her legs over his knees, her hands forced awkwardly into her lap.
“You ready?” he asks.
Daniel leaves the garage door open so Isaac can fly out without issue. He owes his friend so much and he regrets that he’ll be leaving Daniel behind.
Isaac doesn’t wait for Raya’s response before he takes off. He flies up into the black sky without looking back.
Surrendering Starlight
Surrendering Starlight: Book 3 of The Starlight Trilogy will be released Summer, 2018.
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Acknowledgments
To my husband Frank, my daughter Kylee, and my stepsons Jacob and Joshua – thank you for your undying love and support. I couldn’t do this without you
To my mom and my brother – for always believing me
To Suzanna Lynn of Funky Book Designs – amazing, beautiful cover, as usual
This was definitely a different book to write but I loved it. I love the di`q1fferent relationships and the present tense.
Thanks to my readers for taking a chance on something new.
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