Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2)

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  “Yes, it is. Now it’s your room,” he responded as if she wouldn’t have a problem with his answer.

  “And where will you be staying?” She knew she wasn’t going to like his answer.

  “In here of course! Where else would I stay?”

  That’s it! She was out of here. She stormed to the only other door in the room and flung it open. She had no idea where she was going but just took a right when she exited the room. Her shoes clicked on the floor as she walked as fast as she could down the long hallway. Behind her, she heard her ever present shadow closing in on her. She was just about to bolt when he suddenly gripped her arm and spun her around.

  “Where do you think you are going?”

  She could see the anger in his eyes as he stared down at her. Two could play at this game. “I refuse to stay in the same room with you! I will find a room of my own!” She jerked her arm to get him to release but failed. “Let me go!”

  His violet eyes had turned to a dark blue as his anger grew. At least she thought it was anger. She was nervous with him looking at her like that, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. No man, alien or not, was going to intimidate her and get away with it.

  Defiantly she raised up on her tiptoes so that she could more level with him, which was actually pointless since he towered over her. “Well?” she said and looked down at her arm then back up to him. What happened next she never expected.

  Kharis’ eyes darkened to they were almost black right before he lifted her up and pinned her to the wall with his body. She was so stunned that she didn’t even have time to cry out before his mouth covered hers.

  His kiss was rough and demanding. His tongue forced its way into her mouth when she dared to try and speak. The taste of him filled her senses and made her blood boil. She whimpered into his mouth when she felt his hand move up to caress the side of her breast through her shirt. She was virtually powerless to pull away. Did she even want to pull away?

  As suddenly as the kiss began, it ended. He still held her up against the wall as his eyes roamed over her. Her heart hammered in her chest as he stared at her as if he could see directly into her soul. His eyes had lightened again and were almost back to their normal color. When he licked his lips, she automatically did the same thing.

  “You drive me insane with need, little one.” His voice was deep and husky.

  She could tell he wanted her. Wanted her right there in the hallway, but she couldn’t let that happen. The best thing for her to do was to get away from him. As far away as she possibly could.

  “Put me down…please,” she asked.

  He granted her request and stood her back on the floor. She side-stepped him to get out of his arms and put some distance between them. Hell, what was she supposed to do now? She had no idea where anything was in the house and didn’t want to scare any of the people that might live there and have them thinking she was an intruder. The best she could do at the moment was wait and see what Kharis planned on doing.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked finally.

  She nodded her head. “I’m starved.”

  “Come this way.” He didn’t try to touch her when he walked past her. She breathed a sigh of relief then turned to follow him.

  As she followed close behind Kharis, she took in as much of the house as she could. It was a lovely home that anyone would be proud to live. From what she could tell, the house was made out of all natural materials. Stones, cut to size, were cemented together to form the walls, as well as the floor. Overhead, she saw wooden beams crisscrossing every which way to hold up the roof. A pleasing breeze could be felt moving through the hallway as they walked. She wondered where it came from but didn’t want to strike up a conversation with him.

  More art hung on the stone walls while scattered pieces of furniture popped up here and there until they reached a set of curving stairs. The hallway opened up into a broad expanse of open air. Below her, she could see a fountain that bubbled away in the middle of the center point of the house. Light from a huge sky light above filtered down into the room, making the small crystals in the stone wall glitter.

  “Wow!” She couldn’t help herself as she gawked at the spectacle. Kharis was half way down the stairs before she noticed he had left her standing at the top. She gripped the wooden railing and let her hand slide over it as she descended the stairs. Reaching the bottom, she looked back up to take in the view from below. It really was a breath taking sight.

  She followed quietly behind Kharis as he led her through the bottom portion of the house. They passed quickly through what had to be another living room but much, much big and decorated in the same manner as the one in his room. She was so consumed in her surrounding that she didn’t notice when he stopped, causing her to blow into the back of him.

  “Oops! Sorry,” she mumbled. Was that anger in his eyes now? His mouth was set in firm frown when he turned around.

  “The food room is in here. Marta can fix you something to eat. I have some business I need to take care. I will be back to retrieve you in a short while.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before he turned and left the room.

  Yep, he was angry with her. Now he knows how she feels.

  ******

  “How are things so far, brother?” Etor asked.

  “Did you really have to ask?”

  Etor couldn’t contain the laughter that spilled out of his mouth as his took in his brother’s face. “That bad?”

  “She is going to be the death of me, but there is no way I can resist her. She is my true life mate, only she doesn’t agree.” He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He left her in the food room so that he could inform his brother that they arrived safely in Ashme. With all the recent danger, none of them wanted to take the chance of not knowing where the other was. “How did Maggie take it when she found out her friends were gone?”

  “Let’s just say she wasn’t too happy at first. I managed to change her mind.” Etor had a wicked gleam in his eye as he spoke.

  Kharis knew exactly how his brother changed his mate’s mind. It was something he wanted to do so badly. His cock was painfully right at the current moment and he had no way to relieve himself. Sure he could use his hand, as he did numerous times before, but it wouldn’t satisfy his need. He needed to be able to sink his cock in her pussy and feel her muscles wrap around him as he pounded into her.

  “I’ll keep in contact. Report any suspicious activity you or anyone else might see. At this point, we cannot let our guards down.” Etor’s face turned serious.

  “I will. I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.” Kharis nodded at his brother then cut the transmission.

  What was he going to do now? He wasn’t quite ready to go back and escort Kelly to their room. He needed more time to process his thoughts while he was away from her. A drink, that’s what he needed at the moment.

  The cabinet containing his collection of liquor was nestled in the corner of his office in a tall wooden piece of furniture made by his grandfather. He didn’t bother to keep it locked since trusted his staff not to steal from him. They all knew the consequences would be harsh if anyone were caught. Opening the glass door, he pulled out an amber colored bottle that contained his favorite drink. The aroma of the clear liquid filled his nostrils as it sloshed into the glass. He quickly tossed the fiery drink to the back of his throat and swallowed. The burn felt good going down then hit his stomach. He sucked in air through his clenched teeth as the burn slowly subsided.

  “Just one more,” he told himself and poured another glassful. Repeating the process again, he put the bottle back in its place and closed the door. Now, he should be able to handle the little spitfire waiting for him in the food room.

  Leaving his office feeling more confident than when he entered, he walked into the food room only to find it empty. Where the hell was everyone?

  “Kelly? Marta?” he called out. No answer. “Marta!” This time he shouted louder. He heard running footsteps comi
ng up the stairs that lead down to the storage room beneath the food room.

  “I am here, Commander!” Marta came through the door huffing and puffing as she carried an arm full of fresh vegetables.

  “Where is Kelly?” He looked around Marta to see if Kelly was coming up the stairs behind his cook.

  Marta looked around the food room the same as he did. “I do not know. She was here when I went to the vegetables.” She dumped her bundle on the center counter where the food was prepared.

  He growled loudly, startling Marta, then left in search of his mate. Why couldn’t she just do as he asked? Did she really feel the need to be so headstrong? As he passed through the hallways of his home, several of his staff and guards greeted him with smiling faces which he returned with only a grunt. He shouldn’t take his anger out on his people but until he found Kelly he no one else to vent on.

  “Where the hell is she?” He stopped in the middle of a hallway unsure which way to go. He had searched everywhere he could think of and still no Kelly.

  What if Zol’tsa managed to sneak back onto Qetera and kidnap Kelly, his mind shouted out to him. This made his body go into the Rage.

  The Rage was a protective instinct in a Qeteran male when he found his true life mate. It was part of the bond he would form once he fully mated with her and her his. If a male were unable to protect his mate, the Rage would take over and all thoughts and actions would become highly dangerous for anyone in close proximity. It was hard to control the Rage as it forced its way to the surface and took over. He had seen other males have similar reactions when they could not locate their mates or they were taken from them.

  He could hear his blood rushing through his veins as his anger and worry grew. His eyes narrowed to slits as he focused on finding Kelly. His sense of smell sharpened as he drew in the air around him to find any trace of her scent. Nothing!

  Now he was beginning to panic. He trotted through the hallway looking back and forth. He nearly ran over one of the housekeepers in his haste to find Kelly and had to catch her before she hit the ground.

  “Forgive me, Commander! I didn’t….” the housekeeper froze when she saw the look in her employer’s eyes. She knew that look and the reason why he had it.

  “Have you seen my mate?” He held her by her upper arms and squeezed to make his question clear.

  “If you are talking about the female with the light colored hair, she went out the door that leads to the cliffs.”

  That’s all he needed to hear. He took off at a dead run and didn’t stop until burst through door. This area outside his home was not the safest place to be mainly because of the dangerous drop-offs. This area was only generally used if the house was under attack or some kind of repairs needed to be done on the part of the house that dangled over the valley. One of his guards had been killed a few years before when he foolishly came out here after having too much to drink and slipped on the loose gravel, sending him over the edge.

  Thoughts of Kelly’s broken body filled his head as he worked his way carefully down the incline. He was just about to call out her name when he got a glimpse of that strange colored hair blowing in the wind.

  He found her sitting on top of a small boulder away from the edge of the cliff. She hadn’t noticed him yet and he was glad for it. He needed to get himself under control before he approached her.

  His movement must have alerted her to his presence. She turned her head to find him staring her down. Her eyes widened in surprise and she drew in her bottom lip to clamp it between her pearly white teeth. She watched him as he approached her then stood up on a boulder.

  “Why did you leave the food room? I told you I would be back.” Okay, his anger wasn’t so much under control.

  “I was finished eating, so I left. What’s the big deal?” She put her hands on her hips.

  “The big deal is, you will do as I say.”

  “I will not! I don’t belong to you!” she shouted at him.

  “You are mine and will do as I say or else.” He could smell her anger as well as his own as they squared off with each other.

  “Or else what? You’ll take me back to Yhadell?” She was baiting him to see how far she could push him. “That’s what I want anyway!”

  He couldn’t let her think his threat was empty. “Or else I will lock you in the room and only let you out when I am with you!” It was a bit extreme, but he needed to make sure she was safe at all times and with her wandering off alone in a place she wasn’t familiar with didn’t sit right with him.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” she fired back.

  She left him no choice. As quick as lightening, he reached out and jerked her forward. He threw her over his shoulder then made his way back inside.

  “Oh my God! Put me down! This is ridiculous! I am a grown woman and can take care of myself! I don’t need you or anyone else looking out for me.” She pounded on his back with her small fists. Her feet kicked furiously as she tried to get herself free, but it was no use. She was no match for his strength.

  He strode through the hallways and up the stairs with her screaming and shouting at him the entire way. Guards stepped to the side as they walked past but said nothing. Two housekeepers back into an open room giggling and whispering.

  He kicked open the door to their room then kicked it closed again and locked it. The room was darker since the day was coming to an end but still enough light to see by. He dumped her unceremoniously on the sofa then stood over her as she scrambled to right herself. For as small as she was compared to him, he was surprised by how quickly she could move. Before he knew it, she was standing up on the couch and in his face.

  “How dare you! That’s twice in one day you’ve treated me like a sack of potatoes!” She jabbed him in the chest with each word she spit out.

  He was going to let her vent out her anger then he would set her straight. He would make her realize that she belonged to him and that she needed to be protected until the threat of an escaped prisoner was resolved.

  “You got that, big guy?”

  Her face was flushed and she was breathing heavy causing her breasts to rise and fall. He glanced down at the globes he so wanted to see and touch. A wave of pure lust engulfed him as he stared at the delicate skin. Her lips were puffy from her biting and licking them in a way that was a total turn on for him. If he didn’t get out of there soon, he would do something he would come to regret.

  He straightened up until he was at his full height. Kelly seemed to back down a little as he towered over her but not enough to make him want to stay in the room with her.

  “You will remain in this room unless I come to escort you.”

  “I will not! I am a police officer and can take care of myself. You have no right to keep me locked in this room.”

  For the time being, he gave up the fight. He didn’t want to argue with her or continue to make her upset. He was only doing what he thought was best for her safety. Those deep brown eyes never left his face as she balanced herself on the cushions of the sofa.

  “I will be back later,” he stated then turned to leave the room. As he strode to the door, he could hear her mumbling quietly behind him.

  “Don’t bother on my account!”

  He shut the door quietly behind him. He needed someplace quiet to think and where he wouldn’t be disturbed. Outside the sky was almost completely dark as he stood scanning the sky.

  Serelath? He used his mind to call his dragon.

  Yes? The dragon answered.

  Can you come to me? I need to have some peace.

  The sound of flapping wings overhead made him tilt his head back. Serelath had been close by when he called out for him and was there within seconds of his request. Serelath landed hard, sending small tremors running under the ground.

  Thank you for coming, my old friend. He pulled his body up on Serelath’s back then gave him the sign he was ready. In one swift and graceful movement they were soaring high up into the night air passing over the pea
ks of his mountains.

  Chapter 4

  When he arrived back on Lephus, there weren’t very many people to greet him. Those that remained of the Lephusans were few and weak. How in the hell was he ever going to be able to build up enough soldiers to continue with his dead leader’s work?

  Zol’tsa looked around at the upturned faces of the women and old people watching him. After being away for several weeks, it felt wonderful to return to his home planet. He had a lot of work to do and needed to find able bodied men who would be willing to follow and work for his cause. He had a long road ahead, but he was determined to succeed.

  His first objective was to search Ruehar’s belongings and see what he could find out about the world his former ruler had purchases females from. There had to be males on that distant planet who would be willing to join his cause for the right price. Luckily he knew where Ruehar stored the gold he gathered as he took over a planet or ran across a stray ship.