Page 45 of Scars & Starlight
“Kairen?”
I blink and look at my match. “Huh?”
“What are you discussing with your nanites?” she asks with a raised eyebrow.
I feel the tips of my ears warm. “Nothing relevant to our search for clues.”
“Uh-huh,” she answers mistrustingly. She sighs, then asks me: “Want to see my room?”
“Definitely,” I reply, glad she changed the subject. We do not need to be talking about her reproductive health and hygiene right now.
Tara’s room has pastel yellow walls, now damaged by the moisture from the holes in the roof. Faded illustrations cover some areas.
“What are those?” They seem to be featuring handsome white- and black-haired males with sharp features.
“Oh. Nothing,” she mumbles, blushing and avoiding eye contact. “I was into anime a lot when I was younger.”
I decide against inquiring with my nanites and instead take in her desk, covered with dismantled gadgets. “Your parents kept your room intact even though you lived so far away?”
She takes in her room with me, perhaps trying to see it through my eyes. “I visited every chance I got, to be honest. I’m… Iwasvery close to my family.”
The way her voice gets small makes my hearts ache. I close the distance between us and take her into my arms. I so wish I could reunite her with her family, erase this sadness.
She sniffles into my chest before pulling back and looking up at me. That determined look is back on her face. “Let’s go see if anyone still lives around here. Maybe they saw something or know something.”
I smile at her assertiveness. “Yes, Princess.”
23
TARA
Trash and debris from the buildings’ destruction line the streets I rollerbladed down as a kid. A part of me hoped I’d find something more today, but an equally large part dreaded finding corpses. So I feel both let down and relieved, the conflicting emotions making me dizzy.
I kick a corroded can, the noise too loud in the silence of the day – not even birds can be heard, and the normally ever-present sound of frogs from the pond is glaringly absent.
“It’s too quiet,” I murmur, looking around suspiciously.
Kai doesn’t respond with words, though his eyes narrow and a muscle at the side of his jaw twitches. I gasp when our exoskeleton suits shimmer, the nanites altering the look of the armor, now mimicking our surroundings like a mirror camouflage.
I glance down at my legs and see a distorted view of the road instead. “Whoa. Freaky.”
My prince smirks at my reaction. “As much as I adore impressing you, I need you to keep your guard up and your weapon out.”
“Yes, Commander,” I whisper and bite my lower lip.
A quiet growl emanates from his direction, making my ovariesplay jump rope. I had him all to myself, above me and inside me, all night long, and yet I still need more.
“You will call me that later, when I’m taking you from behind as you’re bent over the cockpit consoles. That’s an enduring fantasy of mine.”
His dark promise makes me shiver as I picture it vividly.
“You’re not helping me concentrate on my surroundings,” I complain halfheartedly. Truthfully, I don’t mind this distraction one bit. It’s certainly better than thinking of the burned-down houses of people I’ve known all my life.
A loud crash interrupts whatever Kai was about to say, and we both freeze. My hand clenches over the gun I’m holding, the small white one that can microwave brains from a distance. One I’ve been too afraid to use because I don’t want to accidentally hurt someone who’s not a hulking alien invader. However, when three Ghorvek appear at the doorway of the house at the end of the cul-de-sac, I don’t hesitate.
I aim the neural interference gun at the head of the alien standing in the middle and press down on the trigger. There’s hardly any kickback when the nearly invisible force leaves the weapon, hurtling through the air at my target. Unfortunately, the bastard dodges at the last moment, and the aliens scatter.
“Take cover!” Kairen shouts and, trusting me to obey, rounds on the largest of the enemies.
