Forbidden (A Serian Novel) (5 page)

She studied the white fluff in the sky and couldn't stop her smile. Arms lifted toward the warm sun, she spun around as her laughter joined the forest music.

Everything was right. There would be no more sneaking around or worrying about getting caught and forced into slavery. She couldn't believe she’d actually got away from Seria.

Anara shook her head. Getting her hopes up wasn't something she needed to do. They'd come after her and she needed to plan on how she'd stay a few steps ahead of them until she found her family.

Before she knew it, the sky darkened and forced her to search for shelter. She came across a large tree with a hollow opening and settled in for the night. She laid her head on her bag and closed her eyes.

Sleep came welcomed until she awoke with sweat beaded on her forehead. Her much-needed sleep would have to wait, because she sensed the Jatron had found her. And she had a dreadful feeling he wasn't going to stay a few steps behind her. There was more to this Serian and she just couldn't quite figure out what.

Chapter Seven

Ryder gripped the armrest as the safety strap around his waist and over his shoulders tightened, and nearly took his breath. The ship shuttered uncontrollably as they broke through the Earth's atmosphere. A hint of a coppery taste hit his taste buds after
biting down on his tongue. He always managed to do it; he needed to wear a mouth guard when he traveled.

Once they neared the Earth's surface, the ship stea
died. Ryder still couldn't stop the vibration that ran down his body. He seriously hated to fly.

"The ship she took is a half-mile away," his pilot said.

Ryder nodded. "Let's go and you can take the others back in the hijacked ship, if they're still alive. I'll go back on my own after I capture her."

Not that he really knew what he was going to do with her. With their strange connection he was sure he wouldn't be able to take her back to his father. Ryder departed the ship, taking in the fresh air of Earth, and then trudged through the forest as the pilot lagged behind.

At the other landing sight, two pilots groaned with hands on their heads as they sat on the ground. Wow. The female had taken down four Antikas, and two pilots. He still couldn't believe the footage he saw, but there he stood in front of the groggy pilots. He'd even seen first hand the night she was attacked at her home. Of course he didn't know she was a half-breed at that time.

"That half-breed almost got us killed."

Ryder listened to the older pilot, who he couldn't stand. "What happened on Cryok?"

"She shot us with maccas, so all I know is that we woke up here with two Cryoks standing in front of us. They're gone now." The younger pilot spoke as the older one just grunted.

"Which way did they go?" Ryder needed to find the girl but he didn't know what kind of weapons the Cryoks would have.

"They went poof. Just disappeared into thin air," the older pilot said with wide eyes.

Poof? "And the girl?"

They both looked at each other, before the older pilot spoke.
"I don't know, we woke up alone. Maybe she's still on Cryok."

"Shit. They played us." Ryder never checked for her on the ship, not after the crazy reaction he had the first time. He took a deep breath and went for it anyways.

He found her and as soon as their energies collided, he jerked away. After he caught his breath and hid his erection, Ryder spoke to the three pilots. "She's across the world."

They had followed the ship to Australia as she made her way to America. Ryder shoved his hand through his hair. How did he feel her at that distance? "I will take the other ship. Go ahead and take them back to Seria on this one."

"What about backup? The Cryoks aren't going to go down without a fight," his pilot said as he helped the others to their feet.

Ryder knew better. "They aren't with her. The Cr
yoks don't want a war with us, just as much as we don't want one with them. I'll go after the girl and bring her back."

"Yes, sir."
The pilots boarded the stolen ship and departed.

Ryder headed back to his ship, so he could find the half-breed who caused him grief and the erection that
just didn't want to disappear.

****

Jacrar slammed his fist into one of the twins and then the other. After leaving the other two close to death, his rage had not subsided. They let one tiny half-breed outsmart them and now one of his ships was gone and his son followed her to Earth. If there was any chance they could keep from being detected by Jatrons, Ryder could escape him too and all plans would be ruined.

No one would fear him if his son got away. He knew that Ryder was clueless about who he was after but there was no way his son would be able to resist his Lamira. Now Jacrar had to send others after them right away before the chance was lost.

If the Elders knew he was using so many of his men just to track down one worthless female, then he'd for sure lose his position. That would not happen and that was why the four who let her escape were being punished accordingly.

"A…sir?"

Jacrar spun to glare at the young guard who jumped back about a foot. "What?"

"They look like they're about to die and you seemed lost in thought."

Jacrar looked down to see his bloodied fists and that both males were unconscious. "Get the healer in here to heal them only enough to survive. I want them to suffer for a while. And then get me the strongest and most experienced Antikas. I have a job for them."

Pathetic that he even had to get his best to chase down the girl and Ryder.
He needed to be careful how he did it, because his son had to reach the girl first and end up trying to save her. That was the only way Jacrar would get his chance to punish Ryder.

To see t
he life drain out of those brown eyes he inherited from his mother would be a most exhilarating experience, maybe even more than killing his no good mother. Jacrar stomped from the room and laughed when the healer made herself so small against the wall when he passed by.

The one good thing that came out of this mess was a new healer. She wasn't bad to look at either and some of his men got a little rowdy without release. Hopefully she would last longer than the last one.

As if his thoughts made them come, two young Antikas shoved through the door, their breaths heavy and eyes dilated. Both better be off duty considering how out of it they were. "What gives you two the right to come waltzing in here uninvited and intoxicated?”

Both took a step back, but didn't leave. "We went to see the new healer, but Slade refused to let us into the room."

Jacrar didn't realize Slade was on guard duty for the healer. There shouldn't have been any watching her door. "Why was he there?"

"I think he took food to her and maybe he was ha
ving fun with her too."

The only Antika that spoke was the youngest and apparently he hadn't learned his lesson so far. "And what was his reason for not letting you in?"

He had a feeling Slade was with a rebel group that plotted against him and the Elders, which was why Jacrar kept the Serian close. Of course, the excuse he gave Slade was that he couldn't fight with his damaged leg. Too bad he didn't know Jacrar made that injury possible.

"He said we wouldn't be able to control ourselves because we've been drinking and either she would end up dead or pregnant if we went in there with her," the young Antika whined.

Irritated, Jacrar slammed his fist into the drunken man—or child, since the grown man was groveling like a baby. Pathetic.

The Antika cried out as his friend dragged him back out the door. He would have to deal with Slade later. At least the Serian had given them a good excuse, but Jacrar had a feeling that wasn't the real reason.

Now the time had come to gather his men and head out. It would be best to find Ryder himself. There was no way Ryder could hide from him.

Chapter Eight

Anara walked on a deserted path for hours, until a noise snagged her attention. The noise came from a vehicle that moved swiftly past, before it came to a screeching halt. She moved her hand to the macca and tightened her grip around the handle. She’d heard about Earth's cars, but didn't realize they didn't hover above the ground like the Travelers on Seria.

An older woman stepped out, with make-up in globs on her face. She wore a short black skirt and a white food-stained shirt. She smacked her lips, chewing something in her mouth, before she smiled at Anara.

"Come on, sweetie, if you want a ride. I'm already late." She slipped back in the car without another word.

Anara hesitated before realizing the human female couldn’t possibly hurt her after Anara managed to take out six Serians. She hustled to the car to hop in. "Thank you."

"No problem, sweetie. I'll use you as an excuse for showin' up late. Again. My name's Linda." When Anara didn't answer, Linda turned and started to drive. "It's okay, I understand completely. Ran away from my husband three years ago."

The woman talked a lot and smacked whatever she kept in her mouth.

Anara nodded along, though she didn't understand half the things Linda talked about. She looked over and noticed the dark brown coloring of Linda's skin, then looked at her own blue-tinted skin. She tugged at her shirt, trying to cover as much of her skin as she could. At least her skin didn't look as blue as a full-blooded Serian.

Anara opened her mind to find the Jatron and r
egretted it. The warmth she felt the first time she connected to him turned into a raging fire, forcing her to pull away hard and fast. She gripped her pounding head.

"Are you all right?" Linda asked.

Overwhelmed with buzzing in her ears, she barely heard Linda's voice. Anara closed her eyes as her vision blurred. She let her body relax, before she combusted into flames.

She didn't realize she fell asleep until she was shaken awake. Her fist barely missed the innocent woman as Anara jumped out the open door and started to swing. Composing herself, she looked into Linda's worried and slightly frightened expression.

Linda took a step back. "Oh! Thank God! I just knew you were dead."

Shaky legs barely held Anara once her rush of fear disappeared. She kept quiet at first, while trying to slow her heart rate and breathing.

Linda tilted her head as she stared at Anara's skin.

"I'm sorry to have scared you. I haven't slept enough, but I'm better now." At least not the fully rested sleep she needed. Anara just needed to get Linda's attention on something else other than her skin.

She glanced around her at the cars and the people here and there. Signs flashed, but the lights looked dimmed in the sunlight. Anara followed Linda toward a brick building with a rickety sign on the front that said J.R.'s Bar and Grill.

"Your skin is an odd tone."

Anara froze and said the only thing she could think of. "It's a skin disease."

After a moment, Linda nodded and smiled. "Okay, I've got to get to work. Why don’t you come in for something to eat?" Linda said as she moved away and into the building.

Only four humans occupied the smoky room, counting Linda.

A shaggy-haired man sat at the bar with a large glass in his hand. Liquid splashed onto the counter as he slammed the glass down onto the bar with a bark of laughter at something a chunky, gray-haired man said beside him.

Linda stood behind the bar arguing with another man. His face was red as he threw his arms around in the air. Seeing the smaller woman standing toe to toe and her finger digging into the chest of the man three times her size made Anara smile.

Moving to sit in the shadows gave her a clear view of everything in the room and hopefully kept anyone else from seeing her skin coloring. Linda came over with a tray of food in her hand.

"Here." She laid down the plate and drink in front of Anara. "I hope you like hamburgers. It's the only tolerable food we make here."

Anara didn't know what to do. She knew food would cost on Earth, but she didn't have any money, or even a clue what it looked like. "I can't."

"It's okay, sweetie. It's on the house today." She patted Anara's arm before she sauntered over to another table.

Hesitating, Anara looked around the room and saw a man eating the same food. She mimicked him and picked the hamburger up with both hands. She took a bite and her cheeks heated when she moaned loud enough for some of the patrons to turn her way. She finished the hamburger and the crispy, golden sticks spread out over the plate without difficulty.

Aware of the danger, she contemplated using her ability again to find the Jatron's location. Curiosity clawed at her. She was unable to resist and took a deep breath before opening herself up.

She tried not to go in too deep to keep from ending
up like before when their energies touched. Her body shivered in excitement and she pulled away quickly once she found his location. The Jatron would be upon her before she could find some kind of transportation out of there.

In her head, she made her plans. Running from him would only get her so far. She needed to incapacitate him until she could get away. Far enough to where he couldn't track her anymore.