Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2)

by Rebecca Lorino Pond

  It was pitch black under the porch, so she had to feel her way around. She prayed she didn’t come across any strange animal or rodent. She stopped when she felt a solid mass with her outstretched hand. For the time being, she would hide in the darkness and wait. Maybe, with some luck, Kharis would find her or Parath send out a mind call to her if she were close enough. At the moment, she was just happy to be away from Number one and two. She pulled the blanket tightly around her, leaned back against the wall, and closed her eyes. The pull of sleep was too much to resist so she gave in as a willing participant. It didn’t take long for her to fall into a deep dream filled sleep where Kharis held her in his arms as he slowly made love to her tired body.

  Chapter 17

  Kharis had spent a sleepless night pacing back and forth on the bridge. No new news had reached him or his brothers, which he had been in constant contact with. Etor had immediately dispatched a fleet of ships to search the closest planets and moons to Qetera. Vulmar had sent a dozen of his own ships to the opposite side of Epsilon where they thought the traders were headed, but nothing had been uncovered yet. Kelly could be anywhere by now and it made him sick.

  Parath had been doing her part by consistently calling out to Kelly through their mind link. Unfortunately, everything still remained quiet. The young dragon was growing impatient and was making it known to everyone on the ship. Gods forbid if you got in her way when you saw her coming! Even he was smart enough to avoid the enraged dragon.

  “Commander? Your brother is hailing us.”

  “Put him on the screen,” he replied.

  The black display screen came to life when Etor’s image appeared on it. “Have you found out anything?”

  “No, nothing. Not even Parath. Do you think these traders folded space and jumped to another part of the universe?” That would be worse case scenario. If the traders folded space, any and all hopes of finding Kelly would be lost.

  “I doubt that. There isn’t any residual residue anywhere in the galaxy indicating a space fold. It takes a lot of energy to fold space.”

  Kharis inhaled deeply. That was a good sign. Kelly was still somewhere in Epsilon, but where? He needed to find her. He wasn’t about to let his true mate slip through his fingers this easily after he promised to take care of her. He had to admit Kelly was a stubborn, head-strong female, but she was his mate and he had waited a long time to find her.

  “We’ll keep searching. Don’t give up, Kharis. She’s out there somewhere.” Etor commented when Kharis didn’t respond to his previous statement.

  Kharis looked up at his older brother and nodded. He felt hopeless but knew he wasn’t about to give up his hope of finding Kelly yet. It was too soon to do that. He would search every inch of the blasted universe if he had to! Kelly was his heart and soul and he would never stop searching for her.

  “Kharis?” Etor called out to him.

  “What?” he replied to sharply.

  “Do not fear, brother. We will find her.” The sincerity in Etor’s voice tore at Kharis’ heart.

  “I hope so, brother. I pray to the gods that we do.”

  Each brother nodded at the other then the screen went blank once again. Kharis let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding the entire time he was speaking with his brother. Etor and Vulmar were doing their best to find his mate, but he felt as if it wasn’t good enough. He needed to be the one to find and rescue Kelly. He needed to be the one bring her safely home and back into his arms.

  “I’ll be in my quarters,” he announced to the bridge.

  He left the bridge in a rush. He needed to be alone and anyway from prying eyes. For being a Qeteran leader and warrior, he was near to tears. Only the anger he felt inside kept the tears from spilling. The anger raged inside him, filling him with nothing else. Even the fear he had felt earlier was now replaced with the dominant emotion he was struggling to contain.

  Alone in his quarters, he stretched out on the sofa that took up a massive amount of space. He blocked the offending light out with his arm thrown haphazardly across his face. He could think of nothing but Kelly. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she hurt? Was she hungry? Anything and everything crossed his mind. Had her kidnappers raped her? Sold her? Any sane trader would want to get rid of their prize very quickly in order to avoid ties that could be traced back to them.

  He must have dozed off when suddenly he felt a heavy pressure on his chest. He cracked open an eye to find Parath sitting on him in her miniature state. The expression on the dragon’s face alerted him to the fact that she was holding something back.

  “What is it, Parath?” It was hard to say the words since the crazy dragon was sitting directly on his chest.

  Have you discovered anything yet? Parath asked.

  Get off of him, Parath, Serelath growled from nearby.

  Parath turned her head in the older dragon’s direction, Shut up, you big ninny.

  Serelath let loose a low, deep growl that caused Parath to let out a puff of smoke. Kharis choked on the smoke as it invaded his nostrils. He used his hand to gently nudge the angry dragon of his chest so that he could sit up.

  “I haven’t heard anything yet. Not even Etor or Vulmar have discovered anything.” He rested his head in his hands. A whopper of a headache had developed during his short nap.

  Parath shot up into the air a few inches from the top of his head. She did a full circle in the air then zipped back into his face. Well then, I guess you will be happy to know that I got a response from Kelly’s mind link with me!

  Kharis launched his large frame up off the sofa nearly hitting Parath. “Why didn’t you say something,” he yelled at the hovering figure.

  I wanted to find out if you knew anything first. I told you, didn’t I? Parath soared through his quarters in such a happy mood, it was hard for either Kharis or Serelath to not join in.

  “Do you know where she is? What did she say? Tell me,” he demanded.

  Her voice was very faint, so she is still a great distance away. She said something about a moon, but I wasn’t quite able to understand everything she said. Parath finally landed on the arm of the sofa.

  “Is she hurt?” His heart raced at the thought of his love being injured in some way. As soon as he found her, he was taking her back to Qetera. Once back home, he would make sure she never left the surface again. It was too much of a risk, as far as he was concerned, to let her roam around the universe with or without him. She would be angry with him, but she would eventually come to accept his demands. He was not about to chance losing her again.

  That I am unsure of. She is too far away for me to clearly hear her.

  “Ok, but at least you’ve made contact with her. Keep talking to her. Let me know if the link gets stronger or weaker as we stay on this course. I want to know when there is the slightest change.”

  Sure thing! Parath said as she pushed off the sofa handle to zip around the room again.

  Kharis, in turn, raced out of his quarters and to the bridge. As soon as he reached the bridge, he rushed out of the elevator and to the crew member sitting at the comlink desk. “Get my brothers on the vid-screen.”

  “Yes, sir Commander!”

  AS he waited for his brothers’ images to appear on the screen, he bounced up and down on his heels. A new wave of hope was coursing through him as he felt the adrenaline running through his veins. Moments after giving his order, Etor’s face appeared on the screen followed by Vulmar, who looked as if he had been sleeping.

  “Have you found Kelly?” Etor asked. Vulmar sat quietly in his chair wiping the sleep out of his eyes.

  “No not yet, but Parath has made contact with her!”

  That immediately got Vulmar’s attention. “What did she say? Is she okay?”

  Kharis stood facing his brothers with a renewed strength. He was wide awake and eager to search everything habitable planet or moon in the vicinity. “The link was poor and Parath wasn’t able to make a full assessment.”

&nbs
p; “But, she did hear Kelly, correct?” Etor asked again.

  “Yes, so she isn’t that far away. Parath is going to keep talking to her and hopefully find out Kelly’s exact location. At least now we know she isn’t on the other side of the damn universe.”

  Etor smiled at his younger brother. “This is an excellent start. I will have my ships start back in your direction. Keep me informed of Parath’s progressed. What about Serelath? Has he been able to make contact with Kelly?”

  “Not that I know of. He should be able to hear her once we get close enough to her, but for now, Parath’s link is the main one we are going one. I’m not exactly sure how the double link works since it’s been a very long time since a female made a link with a dragon. The link between Parath and Kelly will be the stronger of the two links.”

  “I have got to say, Kelly having a dragon still amazes me!” Vulmar commented.

  “Have you told Hunter and Lexie about Kelly?” Kharis asked.

  “No, I don’t want to upset them anymore than they already are. Hunter is already pissed and won’t come near me. Lexie, she’s an entirely different story. Stays in her room and won’t talk to anyone besides Hunter. Having two females in my house has become very stressing.”

  “How do think I felt when I had all four? Human females are a demanding lot, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. If we hadn’t run across their ship, my Maggie wouldn’t be with me or having my child. I thank the gods every time I look at her,” Etor said.

  “I feel the same way, especially now that Kelly and I are mated. The gods blessed us with the care of these human females and I plan on doing everything I can to bring her home again.”

  “We all will, brother. Kelly is our sister and our search for her will never end until we find her,” Vulmar said.

  Kharis nodded at his brothers. He could tell by the look in Etor’s eyes how much his eldest brother love his mate. At the same time, he could see the hurt in Vulmar’s face when he spoke about the trouble he was having with Hunter. He felt the same way not that long ago concerning Kelly. It took some convincing, but Kelly finally came around and stopped denying the feelings she had for him. Now, he was searching for her and unsure if he would ever lay his eyes on his mate again. He found her once, he would find her again.

  *******

  Kelly thought the voice she was hearing was coming from a dream. A dream where she was safely on board Kharis’ ship and flying through the darkness of space. She could ever smell Kharis as he held her in his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. But, the insistent voice kept calling out to her, so much so that her eyes popped open. It took her several long seconds to remember where she was and why. She had been kidnapped and was hiding underneath the building where she had been scheduled to be sold that morning. She listened intently for the familiar voice again, but everything was silent, at least in her head it was. Outside her hiding spot, the noise of the crowd drifted to her through the small cracks in the wood that held up the porch.

  “Twenty-five credits for this fine specimen,” a squeaky male voice announced. Another reply further off accepted the offer then was countermanded by yet another bid. This continued back and forth until the gavel was slammed on an unseen surface and the winning bid of forty credits announced.

  Kelly shivered in revulsion at the thought of her being sold as if she were part of a herd of cattle. He kidnappers had to long gone by now, probably didn’t want to take the chance of her reporting their activities to the local authorities. Which, actually, wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe the local police, or whatever they might be called, would be willing to help her get in contact with Kharis. Then she would be home free.

  Kelly? Are you there?

  The sound of Parath’s voice in her head caused her to jump. Parath?

  Kelly had to strain her mind in order to hear her dragon’s voice again. It sounded so far away.

  Yes! It’s me, Parath! Where are you?

  I can’t hear you too good. I think I am on a moon, she replied. She didn’t speak out loud for fear of being overheard.

  At least I can hear you now. Are you alright?

  The concern in the dragon’s voice barley registered in her mind since she was concentrating on hearing the voice. I’m fine, a little cold, but otherwise fine. I’m hiding right now under a porch. They were going to sell me, but I managed to escape.

  I will inform Kharis. We are coming for you, I promise.

  Please hurry, she said.

  We will. I will return to you as soon as I speak with Kharis.

  Her mind went silent at that point. The strange feeling of having two people inside her head was a sensation she had not yet gotten used to. She was thankful, though, Parath had succeeded in contacting her. It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off of her. All she had to do now was remain hidden until Kharis arrived to take her away from this nightmare.

  The rest of the day passed in complete boredom. She listened for several hours to the auction going on above her head then dozed on and off until the sound of her empty stomach woke her. Absentmindedly, she rubbed her flat stomach. It was then she realized how hungry and thirsty she was. It was dark in her hideout again, so she figured it was nearing twenty-four hours since she last had anything to eat or drink. She had to give her captors some credit, they saw that she was feed and watered the same as they were.

  There was no telling how long it was going to take Kharis to find her exact location. She feared she would have to scavenge for food in the meantime if she didn’t want to suffer from starvation or dehydration.

  “I’ll wait until later to go look for food,” she spoke quietly to herself. In the meantime, she settled her weary body on the dirt floor and closed her eyes. The sounds from the street slowly faded as the evening progressed. Every so often, someone walked onto the porch then back off again a few minutes later. It wasn’t until much later she heard someone leave the building above her head and lock the door.

  It amazed how much this place resembled the Old West in America. Hardly anything here on this “moon” was sci-fi orientated other than the strange creatures she had seen the day she had arrived. The buildings that lined the street were constructed much in the same manner as the towns in the Old West had been. Everything, as far as she could tell, were completely built out of wood. Maybe, the first settlers of this moon were trying to mimic her thoughts about the place.

  Kelly? Can you hear me?

  Parath! Why did it take so long to come back? She snapped back instantly.

  I apologize for taking so long. Kharis was conferring with his brothers and I had to wait for him to return to his quarters.

  Kelly smiled then asked, how is he?

  He was happy that I made contact with you but is still very upset. He doesn’t sleep too much. He’s thoughts are consumed with you.

  Kelly was stunned. She knew Kharis cared for her, but not this deeply. How could he think so much of her in such a short amount of time? It’s because he loves you, you silly fool, her mind screamed at her.

  “I love him too,” she admitted out loud. Now she understood what Kharis had been talking about. He had spoken of the goddess leading him to her for the purpose of him finding his one true mate and she hadn’t believed him. At one point she figured he was exaggerating just to sleep with her, but now, she knew he had been telling the truth.

  Parath?

  Yes?

  Would you…would tell him I love him? She smothered back the sob that wanted to escape from her chest.

  Of course, I will! His spirits will lift when he hears this! We will be there soon!

  Ok, I am holding you to that. I need to find something to eat.

  No! Do not leave your hiding spot. You will take a big risk on being caught! Hold out. It won’t take much longer for us to find you.

  It’s already been over a day since I last had anything. I don’t want to become weak if I need to make a run for it! I need to go find some food, Kelly stressed. Her stomach was a
lready making enough noise for the entire moon to hear. Never in all of her life had she gone this long without food or water and it wasn’t a good feeling.

  I don’t recommend you leave but if you have to, please be careful! Parath begged of her. Inform me immediately if you run into any trouble. That way I can tell Kharis.

  Don’t worry I will, but I’m going to wait a little while longer before I head out. Kelly took a deep breath to calm her nerves that were already starting to surface at the thought of having to search for food.

  Parath’s voice left her then and she was again faced with the darkness alone. All light had faded away by now and left her secluded area in the all-consuming darkness, something she didn’t care for at all. At least when she was out on patrol on the streets, she still had her flash light or the street lights, if they weren’t knocked out.