Living among the Stars (Sky Riders #2) (2 page)

Chapter 2

              She woke up the next morning feeling a bit out of sorts. It was one of those days when she didn’t want to get out of bed and face the day. Reluctantly, she got out of bed, dressed, then went to find some to eat. Walking through the corridors, she heard voices coming from around the corner she was about to turn. It sounded like Kharis and Vulmar, but it couldn’t be. She watched him leave yesterday.

              Paddling her way around the corner she stopped dead when she saw him. Kharis stood there in a crisp, clean uniform and looked absolutely magnificent. She tried to turn back around before he saw her, but she was too late.

              “Kelly, may I have a word with you?” He moved to stand in front of her while Vulmar stood to his back.

              “Umm…sure,” she said and tried to swallow down her erratically beating heart. He had stared down at her before he said a word, making her feel a bit uncomfortable. She licked her lips out of nervous habit and wished he would just say what he needed to say and let her go about her way.

              “We have received reports that a Lephus prisoner escaped yesterday.” He shifted from foot to foot.

              “Okay. What does that have to do with me?” She had a bad feeling he was about to tell her something she didn’t want to hear.

              “We have decided to take precautions and move you, Hunter, and Lexie to other quarters.”

              She was confused. “Why? Aren’t we safe here? And what about Maggie? Is she being moved too?”

              “No. Maggie will stay here with Etor. You, on the other hand, are coming with me,” he stated matter of fact.

              She wasn’t sure she heard him right. Maybe he meant all three of them were going with him. “All three of us right?”

              He shook his head. “No, just you are coming with me.”

              “Oh, hell no!” she shouted into his face. “I go where ever Hunter and Lexie go. I prefer to stay right here with Maggie though. I’m not going anywhere!”

              “You will come with me even if I had to throw you over my shoulder and carry you to my ship. Etor has too much to worry about and doesn’t need the added worry of three extra females on his hands right now. You will come with me and Hunter and Lexie will go with Vulmar.”

              She had enough of him trying to tell her what she was going to do. She stepped forward until she was toe to toe with the big Qeteran and looked him straight in the eye. “Listen buddy, I’ve been able to take care of myself for a longtime now and I don’t need some alien man telling me I need his protection! Nope, no way, no how! I am staying put!” She dared him to tell her anything else!

             
I didn’t think so,
she thought to herself and smiled inwardly. She was just about to turn away from him when she was suddenly jerked up against his hard chest as his face came down to meet her shocked one.

              “You are coming with me,” he said calmly right before he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

              “Put me down!” She pounded on his back with her fists. She kicked her legs in an attempt to land a hit anywhere she could. Behind her, she heard Vulmar roaring with laughter at her predicament. “I said, Put. Me. Down.”

              Kharis no sooner listened to her then the man in the mood. He strode down the corridor with her on his shoulder screaming bloody murder. He took care to pin her legs down to his chest after she heard him mutter an “Ow.” At least she got one good kick in.

              “That’s what you get! Now put me down, you big goon!”

              They passed numerous people in the corridors as they headed in the direction of where she knew the landing pad was. At one point, she got a quick glimpse of Hunter and Lexie as they passed them in the corridor. “Guys! Guys help me! He’s kidnapping me!”

              She saw Hunter start after they but as soon as she heard Vulmar call her name, she took off running. Lexie stood there dumbfounded not knowing what to do.

              “You’re an ass, you know that? You have to right to do this! I can take care of myself! Where’s Maggie? Maggie!” she shouted.

              “It won’t do you any good, so you might as well be quiet,” Kharis said then slapped her on her rear end.

              The sound of the crack on her butt startled her for a moment. “Ow! That hurt, you ass!”

              She felt Kharis’ shoulder move up and down as he laughed at her. How dare he? She would get even with him as soon as he put her down and she caught him off guard. Outside the house, the day was bright as they walked to his ship.

              “I don’t want to go with you, Kharis! Please put me down,” she said nicely hoping it would sway him if she asked calmly.

              “I will put you down as soon as we are on my ship,” he said in return.

              “I’m going to kick your ass when you put me down,” she shouted.

              Kharis ignored her the rest of the way to his ship. He was evidently prepared for her refusal to go with him willing because he didn’t put her down until they were in his ship with the ship’s door closed and locked. Then he unceremoniously dumped her on the nearest seat and went to get in the pilot’s chair.

              “You can’t do this!”

              “I can and I did. Now, shut up and buckle up,” he shouted back at her as he prepared the ship to lift off.

              What should she do? Should she refuse to buckle up and not bend to his demands or stay unbuckled and take a chance on getting seriously hurt when the ship left the landing pad?

              The engines of the ship roared to life and she reluctantly went to sit in the seat next to him and buckled herself in. She heard him chuckle at her, but she ignored him and that’s exactly what she would do from now on, ignore him.

******

              Gods! The smell of her was killing him! His cock was painfully hard just from the feel of her squirming while she was on his shoulder. He had been so tempted to run his hand over her little rounded ass after he gave her that slap, but he thought she wouldn’t appreciate it too much. It was bad enough she landed one good kick with her heel directly in his right eye. He was positive he would have a black eye by the time the morning came.

              He was glad he was finally getting her right where he wanted her, in his home! He couldn’t wait to find out how she was going to react when he told her she would be sharing his room and his bed with him! She was a feisty one, so the chances were she was going to put up a good fight.

              “I hope you’re buckled in,” he said as he lifted the ship up into the air. The ship hovered a few feet off the ground as he turned it in the direction he wanted to go then started their journey back to Ashme.

              The ride to his city wouldn’t take more than an hour. He wanted to use this time he had her completely isolated and at his mercy to find out more about her. He was positive without a doubt she was his true life mate and he wanted to know what her life had been like on Earth.

              “I hope you’re not too pissed with me,” he dared to say. Out the corner of his eye, he saw her turn her head to look at him.

              “Are you serious?” she asked. “What do you think, Einstein?”

              “My name isn’t Ein…Einstern…Einstore. It’s Kharis.”

              She rolled her eyes. “No shit, Sherlock!”

              He had to look at her now. Why was she calling him by these odd names? “My name is Kharis. I don’t know who this Sherlock is.” He kept his gaze on her as he waited for her response and when she responded it wasn’t what he had been expecting. She burst out laughing and couldn’t stop herself.

              “I don’t know what you find so funny!” He was getting annoyed now. She laughed even harder and had tears coming out of her eyes!

              “You…that’s what is so funny! Can’t you take a joke?”

              “Of course I can! I just don’t know these names you are calling me.” He looked away.

              “I was sarcastic. It’s just words we say on Earth when we are being flip with someone. Calling someone Einstein means you think someone is smart and you call someone Sherlock when they figure something out, you know like discovering something.” She tried to explain.

              “I don’t understand.”

              Shaking her head, she said, “Jut forget about it.” She turned her attention back out the window.

              He chanced another glance at her while she wasn’t looking at him. Gods, how he wished he could her to open up to him. Maybe she just needed some time to come to the realization that she was the one for him.

              “Did you have a mate back on Earth,” he blurted out without thinking. He cringed when she jerked around and gave him a look that would have killed.

              “Why would you ask me that?” she replied.

              “I want to make sure that you are not spoken for.”

              “No, I am not spoken for and I plan on keeping it that way!” She studied him as she watched for his reaction.

              He sighed then let the subject rest. If he kept questioning her, he would only end up pissing her off again and that was something he wanted. The rest of the flight to his home was spent in silence.

              As they neared his home, the activity around Ashme picked up. Several other larger ships were docked on the landing pad area and were being unloaded. He didn’t have the pleasure of having his own landing pad on his property since he chose to live in a different style of home than Etor.

              “This is the city you watch over?” Kelly asked when he shut the ship down.

              “Yes, my father assigned me to Ashme when he became ill and decided to allow all three of his sons rule a city. Etor has the ultimate say though since he is the eldest son.” He spoke as he stood up and waited for her to follow him out the ship. When he stepped out the ship, he looked around in confusion. “I don’t see our ride.”

              She walked up beside him and searched for whatever was going to be their ride. “Someone was supposed to be here to pick us up?”

              “Serelath was supposed to be here when we arrived.”

              “Who is Serelath?” she asked.

              Before he could answer a loud roar came from overhead. Kelly shrieked and ducked when Serelath’s shadow crossed over them. The air around them began to pick up as his dragon came in for a landing directly in front of them.

             
Sorry, I am late
, Serelath said to him through their mind link.
Who is the female?

             
This is Kelly, my true life mate
, he told the dragon.

             
Ah, yes! I thought as much! But, why she is looking so scared? Hasn’t she ever seen a dragon before?
Serelath lowered his head until he was close enough to Kelly to sniff her.
She smells wonderful! What is she?