Page 16 of Written in the Stars

But I knew, deep down, that once we left Talbrek Station behind, I’d never set foot on it again.

Before I could get too maudlin about leaving, the door chimed. I looked up in surprise—I’d sealed and locked the door and lowered the shutters. It couldn’t open.

The universe loved to prove me wrong. The doordidopen, and before I could react, a half dozen aliens wearing the insignia of the Black Hole poured in. One carried an override kit, explaining how they’d bypassed the door lock. The rest held blades or clubs.

“I need better locks,” I said, turning to face them and trying on a confident smile. “Sorry folks, we’re closed for stock taking today.”

One, a man with red and black striped skin and eyes that shone green like emeralds lit from behind, kicked the nearest book display over. Dozens of copies of The Year of Five Empresses, last year’s bestselling historical fiction, scattered across the floor.

I swallowed nervously and backed away. This was bad news, very bad. On my own, I didn’t stand a chance against even one of these gang members. And Drask was half a station away.

“Zohar, hold.” The words carried a snap of command, enough to make the red-and-black warrior pause and look back. The one with the bypass kit stood tall, with impossibly long limbs making him the tallest alien I’d ever seen.

He strode towards me, long legs eating up the distance before I could react. It changed nothing—there was nowhere to run and no way to fight. I looked up at him, his white skin so pale it was nearly translucent, his eyes like shards of ice, and shivered. Silver hair cascaded past his shoulders, and he wore a practical jacket covered in pockets, one of which he slid the override kit into.

His smile held no humor at all, just a smug certainty that the world would conform to his will.

“You are the human who has been making life difficult for me. Megan? Do I have your name right?”

I nodded, not trusting my voice. His eyes gleamed, and there was nothing friendly in his smile at all. “Well then, Megan, I am pleased to meet you. My name is A’Lun, and I’m sorry we have to inconvenience you.”

Nothing about him looked sorry. His arrogant grin, his relaxed body language, his calm approach—he was amused rather than upset by this turn of events.

And I wasn’t in the mood for verbal sparring with a gang boss. Folding my arms in front of me, I took the direct approach.

“Can you not just fuck off and leave me in peace? I don’t want any part of this.”

A’Lun laughed, a disconcertingly merry sound. “Then you should have paid up when we asked. That’s all it would have taken. Instead, you and your mercenary have injured my men and conspired against me. Why?”

Wordlessly, I shook my head. I didn’t like where this was going, and I could only hope that Drask heard this. Maybe he was already on his way to rescue me.

A’Lun moved with blinding speed, one long-fingered hand catching my chin and forcing me to look at him. His touch was ice cold, his predatory grin even more so.

“I asked you a question, Megan. Don’t be rude.”

My mouth dry as a desert, I tried to think of a response that would satisfy him. Or at least keep him talking and buy time for Drask to get back.

Before I came up with an answer, though, Nebula announced her presence by swooping onto his arm, scratching and flapping wildly.

“Mine. Megan My Human,” she said as A’Lun dropped me with a curse and stepped back. Nebula didn’t need another invitation to disengage, flying back to her perch.

“Ah, yes, your winged cat. Charming creature. I don’t expect it’ll outlive you for long.” A’Lun spoke through gritted teeth, wiping his hand on his jacket and glaring daggers at Nebula, who hissed down at him in reply. There was clearly no love lost between them.

“But it’s neither you nor Nebula that I’m interested in today. It’s Captain Drask, who is currently on his way to murder me.” He waved off my protestation on innocence. “Don’t bother lying. I planned for this war. Do you really think I don’t have a spy in my enemy’s midst?”

I gritted my teeth. “He’s not here. I guess you’ll have to wait for him to find you.”

“That’s a sad tale,” A’Lun said, a superior smirk on his lips. “What good is an assassin who can’t find his target? And he will never catch up with me. But since I’m a generous man, I’ll give him an easier target to hunt instead. The Stellar Kings are annoyingly persistent, but with their boss gone, they will fold.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. “And how the hell are you planning to get him to change sides in the middle of a fight? You can’t think you can bribe him, not without bankrupting yourself. You can’t even find him to offer him the bribe.”

“Oh no, that won’t be a problem.” A’Lun flicked his wrist, and a vibroblade appeared in his hand as though by magic. “I know you have a comm bead, and I don’t intend to bribe him with money. No, I have a far more valuable currency in mind—if he wants to get you back in one piece, he’ll cooperate.”

11

DRASK

To kill for nothing is madness. To kill for money is vile. To kill for a cause is honorable, but oh! To kill for Love is a warrior’s calling.

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