Page 3 of Alokar
I felt the warmth of my parents flanking me, their presence as always loving and supportive, my baby sister cooing in my mother’s arms.
“Hello, Duke Ako.” My voice had deepened considerably, carrying a new resonance that seemed to vibrate through the great hall. I genuinely respected the Duke. His fairness and kindness were legendary, and his devotion to his human mate mirrored the love I witnessed daily between my parents.
He blinked rapidly, his stunned gaze darting between my towering form and my parents as if seeking confirmation of an impossible truth. “How... when....”
“It is the kuyaruka,” George announced, his clinical tone cutting through the tension as he moved through the crowd. He took his place at my side with quiet confidence. “Like many apex predator species, Kerzak experience accelerated puberty—a biological metamorphosis that is swift and painful. However, I was able to regulate the chemical changes coursing through my brother’s system, preventing the hormonal overload that can transform Kerzak males into creatures of violence and unpredictable rage.”
“Thankfully,” my mother breathed the word like a prayer, her relief palpable.
“Ewok.” Duke Ako shook his head slowly, a laugh of amazement bubbling up from his chest. “Ewok.” He descended from the dais with measured steps, his movements deliberate and respectful. When he took my hand in both of his, I felt the tremor of awe that ran through him. He had to crane his neck back to meet my gaze—a gesture that still felt surreal to me.
His deep sapphire eyes studied me with the intensity of someone trying to reconcile memory with reality. Finally, he nodded. “And you claim the sacred right of vengeance for Ambassador Yaard.”
“He murdered my birth parents.” The words carried weight. Duke Ako knew the blood-soaked tale well. How my birth parents, the Kerzak king and queen, Ardika Vey and Paluma Oy, traveled to a crucial meeting with the Alliance Council when disaster struck. Ambassador Yaard orchestrated their murder, depositing my sister on a desolate world to mature in isolation to the point he could claim her as mate and seize the throne through our bloodline. While I had been too youngto retain memories of that night, I was apparently old enough for Yaard to cast me into the depths of a Gilese mining moon, where I would have rotted away if not for the intervention of my adoptive parents.
“I remember,” Ako murmured, his eyes flashing with righteous fury. As if sensing the storm of emotion building within him, Duchess Helene glided to his side, her delicate hand laying upon his arm in a gesture of comfort.
“Are you certain you are ready?” Duke Ako pressed, his grip on my hand tightening substantially—a test of strength, perhaps? I returned the grip, and a faint grimace flashed over his features, quickly replaced by a smile. “The last time I saw you—merely months ago—you were still a youngling barely reaching my shoulder. You have not worn this new form for long.”
“No,” I admitted. “But I am fully grown now, possessing the strength that flows through every Kerzak of my stature. More importantly, I have been training for months under War Chief Daicon himself. I am confident in my abilities as a warrior.”
“As am I,” my father added, his massive hand settling on my shoulder. When I glanced at him, the gold swimming in the cerulean depths of his eyes blazed with unmistakable pride.
It was my mother’s expression that suggested she might cheerfully throttle us both.
“It is imperative that we learn of Yaard’s fate.” The Alliance Prime, leader of the known universe, descended the dais. The golden gaze that marked her as a Vaktaire, like my father, swept over me, weighing and measuring every inch of my transformed frame. “We cannot leave this to chance.”
“I understand, my lady,” I replied, offering her a curt, respectful nod. “I will bring back Yaard’s head. Whether his death was accomplished as the Duke described, or by my own hand, he will be dead and I will return with proof,” I vowed with utter conviction.
The Prime’s gaze slithered to my father. “You are confident of his skill?”
“Trained by my own hand, Lady Prime.” My father’s voice resonated with authority and pride. “He holds a blade as well as I—perhaps better.”
I glanced between my parents, reading the storm brewing in the space between them. While my father radiated pride, my mother seethed, her anger crackling through the air like lightning seeking a target. The murderous glare she kept shooting my father could have melted durasteel. It made me wonder if she would banish him to sleep on the sofa, as she sometimes threatened to do. I never understood the threat. The sofa in our quarters aboard theBardagawas wickedly comfortable. I had napped there often.
“Ewok is newly grown,” my brother interjected, and a fracture of worry shot through me at his words. I knew George loved me, but I also knew he was a healer and scientist first—nothing that passed his lips would ever betray that truth. I shouldn’t have worried.
“The hormones still surge through his blood,” George continued, his face a mask of professionalism, though warmth flickered in his eyes. “Unlike most Kerzak who welcome the influx of savagery, when the kuyaruka is managed properly, the hormones create an influx of strength, not wildness. For sometime to come, Ewok will possess a physical strength greater than most Kerzak.”
From the withering glare my mother shot him, I wondered if she might make George join my father on the sofa.
“And you can pilot a shuttle?” Duke Ako’s question carried the weight of assumption, but I nodded with confidence. “You will need to take the same cloaked vessel I used to reach Earth’s surface.”
“Yes, Duke Ako.” Between recent journeys from theBardagato my birth world of Kerzak, I had become more than competent at the controls.
The Duke pursed his lips thoughtfully, his gaze swinging to the Alliance Prime and holding, until she granted him a slow, deliberate nod. Excitement bubbled up within me so violently that I nearly released a triumphant roar.
“Earth is a different realm entirely,” Ako warned, turning back to me. “To move among them without detection or causing fear, you will need to wear a cuddwisg device and be knowledgeable of their customs and social intricacies.”
“I have long treasured stories of Earth told by my mother,” I replied, warmth flooding my voice. Her stories of Christmas and Thanksgiving were my favorites.
“Maddie can craft you some Earth-style clothing,” Ako continued, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes. “The jeans and hiking boots are surprisingly comfortable.”
I had no idea what he meant byjeansorhiking boots, but from the way his mate’s laughter rippled through the air, I suspected they were at least amusing in some way.
“Yes, Duke.” I would wear whatever garments he deemed necessary, though if given the choice, I would remain clad in the supple leather pants and vest favored by Vaktaire warriors—clothing that moved like a second skin and bore the proud marks of my training.
“No!”
