Page 6 of Willow and the Wraith

The thought of being separated from the little girl made her heart ache, but she did her best to push it aside and concentrate on the present.

On the afternoon of the third day she grinned with satisfaction as Malacar gave her latest repair an approving nod. Just as he started to say something, a shrill alarm echoed through the room and he rushed over to a nearby monitor, studying the screen.

“A ship has landed in one of the docking bays,” he said, his voice expressionless.

“Is it the Fleet?”

Now that the moment was here, her fears and doubts came rushing back, but he shook his head.

“Too small. A minor trader, perhaps. I haven’t been able to repair the cameras in that bay yet.”

“N… not the slavers?”

“I don’t think so. At least, they’ve never entered through that part of the station before.” He hummed thoughtfully, then rose to his feet. “It’s probably just one of the traders who used to stop here occasionally. I’ll go and investigate.”

She immediately tried to protest but he gave her a gentle smile.

“I’ve dealt with a number of different beings since we arrived. I’ll be fine. And if it is a trader, we may be able to obtain more supplies.”

Without waiting for a response, he headed for the door. She’d learned over the past few days that despite his kind heart and gentle nature, once he made up his mind very little would change it, and she gave Sooni a helpless look.

The little girl was biting her lip, her small face thoughtful.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Willow said, trying to sound confident.

“I’m going to go and keep watch. Just in case.”

Before Willow could stop her, the little girl darted into the bedroom and scrambled up into the ventilation shaft.

“Sooni, no!” she cried, racing after her. “It’s too dangerous!”

But Sooni was gone, disappearing into the darkness of the shaft. Damn. Now what? Her instincts demanded that she go after the little girl, but unlike Sooni, she couldn’t find her way through the confusing maze of shafts.

She’s smart and she’s resourceful, she told herself. She won’t do anything foolish.

Despite her attempt to reassure herself, she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled in her stomach and she paced the small room restlessly, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios. What if the slavers had returned after all? What if they hurt Malacar or found Sooni?

The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. She had to clench her hands together to stop them from trembling as she kept watch on the dark opening of the shaft.

Please, Sooni, come back safe.

Just as she thought she might scream from the tension, a soft scuffling sound came from the main room and she hurried back out, her heart pounding. The door slid to one side to reveal Sooni, her eyes wide and uncertain. But she wasn’t alone.

A tall, muscular male followed Sooni inside and the room suddenly seemed to shrink. It wasn’t just his size - there was a subtle aura of danger surrounding him. Long, dark purple hair was confined in a tight knot, accentuating his strong, angular bone structure - not human, but attractive nonetheless. His opalescent skin, subtle colors flickering across it, formed a striking contrast to his severe black clothing. He studied her with gleaming purple eyes, his expression unreadable.

Sooni darted to her side, and Willow immediately stepped in front of her.

“Stay back,” she said, doing her best to sound confident. “I won’t let you hurt her.”

He raised an eyebrow, his expression faintly mocking.

“What a brave little female,” he murmured, his voice equally mocking. The strange undertone beneath his words was a low rumble that vibrated pleasantly down her spine, but then he took a step towards her and her mouth went dry. “But if I meant her harm, how exactly would you stop me?”

CHAPTER THREE

Wraith’s soft boots made no sound as he moved quickly along the decrepit corridors of the ancient space station, as silent as one of the phantoms for which he was named. The stench of rust and decay filled the air, a testament to the station’s age and neglect. Much of the lighting had already burnt out and several of the remaining lights flickered, casting eerie shadows that danced along the walls and created a disorienting chiaroscuro effect, but it was of no consequence to him.

He’d been in far too many similar environments to let it distract him and his enhanced vision had no trouble penetrating the darker areas as he scanned for any indication that his quarry was present. Even though the place appeared to be deserted, he knew better than to let his guard down.

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