Page 2 of Archlord of Exile

Rylec’s chest wrenched, threatening to tear his heart in two. Soriya was a child in a cradle when he last laid eyes on her. His own crystal-specked horns flared with a spark of light as his magic rose within him. The box at his feet rumbled. None of the other archlords reacted to the tiny tremor. With the cuff on his wrist, his magic was a fraction of its true might and not a threat.

If he hadn’t been chained… Rylec clenched his fist. Eliaz wouldn’t even have the chance to control his mind before he would crush the male into little pieces. And he wouldn’t stop there. Not until the streets of the empire flowed with blood.

But all Rylec could do was stare.

Eliaz settled at his side and leaned closer to whisper. “Your choice, Rylec. Which one will suffer: your wife or your child?”

Chapter 2

“Welcome toParadise, where all your greatest dreams will come true among the stars. On our fifty-day cruise, all the luxuries ofParadisewill be at your fingertips, from our indoor rainforest spa to forty-five dining halls…”

Inez gently nudged Hannah’s shoulder, the first of her charges gaping at theParadisecruise ship’s bright atrium. The flashing lights, the dancing holograms, the blast of music… It was a lot to take in, but today was day twenty-six of the cruise. All the guests of theParadisehad long gotten used to the abundance of their accommodations.

Hannah snapped her jaw shut, but her dark eyes remained wide. “It’s like Las Vegas on a spaceship. My family drove through it once on a trip to the Grand Canyon.” Her face shuttered. “It was the last trip I went on before my abduction.”

“Maybe someday you can see it again.” Inez matched her pace to the young star-maid’s. Behind the two of them, Rana and Astro followed, both a thousand times more successful at keeping their emotions off their faces. Neither were Earthlings—Rana a feathered Guroverian and Astro a blue-scaled Herkleian—so theParadise’s Vegas theme probably didn’t trigger anything more than a headache.

With her three charges accounted for, Inez continued her scan of their surroundings. In twenty-four hours, they would be out of Sollirian space, but until then, she kept a watchful eye. In her two years of smuggling star-maidens out of the Sollir Empire, no hunter had ever caught her or one of her charges. There had been a close call a year back, but thanks to an airlock and some minor hacking, no one had gotten hurt.

Besides the Sollirian hunter that is.

As they crossed the atrium, the sleek check-in desk staffed by a dozen humans in tacky red uniforms came into view. A few of the receptionists dealt with customers, but most of theParadise’s guests were too busy drinking and partying and gambling at this hour to require assistance.

Hannah stumbled mid-step. “What are you doing? If they scan us, they’ll know we’re stowaways.”

Inez stopped. Rana and Astro halted before they could run into the two women. Inez put a hand on Hannah’s shoulder, twisting her so she spoke with all three of her charges. “Hannah, I know you don’t know me, but the Star Network vouched for me, did they not? I was once like you, fleeing for my life. I was terrified. I didn’t trust anyone. I get that. But I’ve done this a hundred times. Since I escaped, I have dedicated my life to rescuing my brothers and sisters. I won’t let you down.”

“But—”

Astro put a scaled hand on Hannah’s shoulder and said in his deep, rumbling voice, “Everyone on this ship thinks we’re flying through uninhabited space, sister. They will believe whatever lie Sister Inez tells them. To them, there is no alternative.”

Hannah nodded, but her eyes flickered anxiously between the receptionists, the roaming guests, and the patrolling security droids.

At this rate, Hannah wouldn’t last another ten minutes. Inez worried about Rana too. The last of her charges hadn’t said much in the twenty-four hours they had known each other. When they had switched from their violet star-maid robes to the clothes Inez had stashed for this mission, Inez hadn’t missed the crisscross of scars cutting through the Guroverian’s feathered back. All star-maids were slaves and property in the Sollir Empire, but some masters were crueler than others.

Inez needed to get her charges out of the public eye, stat.

She faced Astro. “Stay here. Don’t let either of them wander away from you.”

Astro nodded solemnly.

Inez spun on her boots and strutted for the concierge desk. But she didn’t walk in a straight line—she stumbled, listing slightly to the left with a sloppy smile on her face. When she reached the desk, she bumped straight into it and flung her arms across the top, linking them to the edge where the holo-screen floated. She wrapped her hands around the edges and held on, like if she loosened her grip she might fall smack-dab on her face.

“Uh, hi, hi.” She waved messily at the nearest receptionist, who approached with a cheery grin. “Hi-yas. Can you help me? I—” she thrust one arm out, the one with a holo-wristlet in the place of a watch, and nearly flopped to that side “—I think my door code isn’t working. It won’t let me into my room.”

The receptionist flicked at the holo-screen. “Let me help you with that, Ms.—?”

Inez ignored the question. “Like what am I going to do if I can’t get into my room? Roam the hallways forever?” She let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I have to pee sooooo badly.”

The receptionist’s smile didn’t twitch in the slightest. He was good. “If you give me your name, Ms—”

“Abigail Jones. That’s A-b…” I squinted at my hands, counting off the letters. “I…”

“That won’t be necessary, Ms. Jones. I see you in our files.” The receptionist moved from screen to screen. Inez had fought back nerves the first time she played out this con, but the Star Network’s hackers hadn’t failed yet. “I apologize for the inconvenience. I can reset your door code. Your three companions will also receive the new code.”

“Oh, good. That’s so good.” Inez blinked around the atrium blearily. Astro, Rana, and Hannah hadn’t moved from the spot she left them. She made her eyes pass them. “That’s so good. I should go find them.”

“Can I help you with anything else, Ms. Jones?”

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