Page 25 of Scars & Starlight
“If I do go home, I would appreciate it if you joined me,” Kairen says, gently massaging the palm of my hand. “My people would, of course, be fascinated by your presence.”
My head snaps up at his words, and I watch him with wide eyes. “Me? Go to Avaris?” I ask in a squeak.
His answering smirk makes my panties quiver. “Only if you wanted to, naturally,” he drawls.
“W–what would I even do there?” My fingers clench around his, stopping their movements.
Kairen shrugs and looks out the window. “There are plenty of things I can think of. And what I can’t think of, I’m sure my sister, Elara, will.”
My breathing stops with an audible gasp, and his eyes cut to mine, concern shining in them.
“What is it, Tara?” he asks, swiveling to face me fully. He takes my other hand in his, rubbing his thumbs over my pulse points.
I release a shaky exhale. “My family… my sisters. Could we try to find them when we’re in Europe?”
His eyes are assessing. “You don’t know where they are?”
I shake my head in dismay. “Last I know, they were living in the capital of Slovenia. But… if they survived… they could have gone to my mother’s family in the mountains of Austria.”
His hands squeeze mine, drawing my gaze to his purple one. “We’ll go there. Both locations. And if you want, we can take them to Avaris, where they would always be safe.”
“You would do that for me?” I breathe.
The look in his eyes is like a steamy bath by a roaring fireplace. “There’s not a lot I wouldn’t do for you, Tara.”
I open my mouth to ask him why, but the beeping consoles interrupt me.
“We have arrived,” Kiko translates enthusiastically.
I feel like my time with Kairen is a series of interrupted conversations andmoments.
Curious, I look outside to see what the apocalypse home of mogul Jethro Besson looks like. On a hill, overlooking the ruins of the city, lies a veritable fortress. Tall walls encircle it, making it all but invisible from the ground, though as we’re still in the air, I can take a rare peek at the building. The rooftops are covered in solar arrays, satellite dishes, and drone perches. The grounds are dotted with patrolling soldiers, now no longer working for the government, but mercenaries, one and all. I see jeeps and even a few helicopters. I think what’s left of the fuel stores on the continent is here.
How did he do it? Sure, he was the richest person on the planet when the invasion happened, but money would have become obsolete within hours, traded for things that could fill your belly and keep your children warm at night. I guess the answer is something he’s willing to die for to protect, lest he findhimself supplanted.
“Are they going to shoot us down?” I ask Kairen nervously when I see the people below start to stir at the sight of our approach.
The alien beside me chuckles quietly. “We’re perfectly safe in the Talon, Princess, but you will tell them to stand down now.”
I lift my eyebrows at him. “And why would they listen to me?”
His grin is savage, and I’m surprised by how much I like it. Unless he’s talking about our invaders, his face is normally set in kindness. “If they don’t, we’ll place someone else at the head of your military. Did you ever see yourself as a general? Or perhaps your Sergeant Potts does?”
I snort. “The only thing I know how to lead is a power surge test. As for Potts… He was thoroughly disappointed at the military’s post-apocalypse tactics. Maybe he would like to show them how it’s done.” My lip curls as I think about the men in power. “How they shouldn’t be protecting men who hoard teenage girls as their sex slaves.”
Kairen’s expression changes to something downright vicious. “Oh, don’t worry about that, love,” he says lowly, making my heart skip a beat. “We’ll be relieving these people of their slaves in the coming cycles.”
I shake my head at his words, ignoring the inexplicable new endearment. “It’s not that black and white, sadly. We tried to rescue a few over the years. A lot of these girls feel safer with the men they attached themselves to. They have a roof over their heads, food. Not all of them are taken by force.”
The prince’s mouth is tight as he nods with one sharp gesture. “I’ll follow your lead with the humans. Always.”
As we come to an agreement, still holding hands, the Talon gently touches down on one of Besson’s empty helipads. Within moments, we’re surrounded.
When Kairen gives me the go-ahead, I take a deep breath and speak to the soldiers outside. “The prince of Avaris has come to talk with Mr. Besson about driving the invading aliens off our planet,” I say succinctly.
We don’t speak as we wait for a reply, but we hold each other’s gazes. I count the stars twinkling in Kairen’s majestic eyes, an endless task as they seem to come into existence and wink out just as fast before I’m done with a cluster. I feel like I’m sitting in a field in a pre-invasion August, somewhere away from light pollution, waiting for the Perseids meteor shower. For a while, the only sound is the gentle whirring of Kiko’s lenses adjusting. Then a cultured voice sounds, showing generations of selective breeding and Ivy League education.
“Welcome, prince of Avaris. We’ve been waiting for you.”
