Page 23 of His to Claim
"You may call me Tarek," he replies.
"Tarek," I repeat. Then I add, "thank you for helping me. You've changed my life forever. For that, I will be eternally grateful to you."
His lips curl into a slight smirk. "Don't mention it. Besides, I owe Dhakar a debt that must be repaid. I intend to pay it one day soon."
We both chuckle and then stop abruptly when a loud alarm goes off over the comm system on the ship.
"Attention, everyone on board! This is Captain Anil’ha. Please prepare for emergency landing immediately."
* * *
The next thing I know,we are flying down to the ground. The whole ride feels like an eternity. When we land safely, I rush to open the door of our spaceship.
"Wait!" shouts Tarek.
"What?" I demand angrily, stopping in my tracks.
He holds up a finger to silence me and steps outside the craft. “We don’t know where we landed. It might be dangerous.”
My heart skips a beat.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"Stay inside until I tell you otherwise."
Reluctantly, I nod and step back inside.
When he comes back ten minutes later, my breath catches in my throat as I watch him walk toward me.
"Come along, Emma. We should get moving quickly. Anil’ha and his soldiers will be here any moment."
I turn to Kallena. “Come on, let’s go.”
She hesitates for a minute and looks around nervously. Her eyes meet mine briefly, and she gives me a quick wave before following us.
As soon as we exit the shuttlecraft, two guards come running toward us. They grab hold of my arms tightly and start dragging me away from Tarek.
"Let her go," he says.
One guard stops dead in his tracks, while the other continues walking. He grabs hold of my arm again and drags me farther away.
"Please, stop! She isn't going anywhere unless I say so. Now release her right now or—"
"Or what?" snarls the second soldier. He turns to look at Tarek. "Do you really want to find out how far I'll take things?"
A chill runs down my spine. I feel myself tense up as fear takes control.
“Let her go,” Tarek growls.
They hesitate.
Then suddenly, they drop my hand and turn tail. Without looking behind them, I sprint to Tarek.
"Are you okay?!" he asks anxiously.
Kallena follows me and hides behind Tarek.
"Yes, thank goodness, I'm fine," I reply, trying not to show my relief. "Thank you for saving me."
