Star's Storm: Lords of Kassis Book 2 (19 page)

Madas chuckled. “I was a mere forty-five
when he captured me. That was one reason my mother and the clan was
so upset about his claiming. As far as they were concerned, I was
still a child. But I wasn’t,” she added. “I knew the moment I saw
him that he was my mate.”

“I thought you said he was the ugliest male
you had ever seen when you first saw him,” Star said confused.

“I did and he was. That does not mean that I
did not realize he was my mate,” Madas said primly. “Why do you
think I fought him so hard?”

All three women burst into laughter as they
shared their first impressions, frustrations, and funniest times
with their chosen mates. That was how the men found them later that
evening. Gril was the first to snatch Madas up and whisk her away
despite her weak protests. Torak was next. He pulled River into his
arms ignoring her protests that she was getting too big for him to
carry her around everywhere. Finally, it was just Jazin and Star.
He sat down next to her for a few minutes, not saying anything but
enjoying the peace and quiet as he held her closely to his
heart.

“What of Tai Tek?” Star finally asked
breaking the silence.

“We go after him. He escaped through a new
tunnel that was not on the original map of the fortress,” Jazin
said quietly.

“When?” She asked with a shiver.

“Jarmen, Dakar and Armet are running
calculations on where they think he might go next. It is time we
were on the offensive,” He responded carefully.

“Where do we even start?” She asked looking
up into Jazin’s eyes. There was something he wasn’t telling
her.

Jazin sighed heavily before he scooped Star
up into his arms. “We start on Elpidios.”

Elpidios: Two weeks later

Commander Mena Rue stood at attention. It was
not that hard to do really. She was frozen with fear. The Grand
Ruler sat in the seat on the other side of the desk from her but he
could just have as easily been holding a blade to her throat. She
swallowed again as bile rose threatening to choke her. She had not
only returned to Elpidios with no crystals but she had returned
with a tale so huge, so ludicrous she would be surprised if the
officers she left outside the room were not ordered in to remove
what was left of her body. The Grand Ruler was not someone you
wanted angry at you. He was not only angry at Mena, he was beyond
furious as he looked back down at her report.

“Do you really expect me to believe this,”
he growled out in a low, dangerous tone.

Inwardly, Mena cringed. Outwardly, she
remained completely at attention with a blank mask on her face. She
swallowed and nodded once, unable to force the words out that would
condemn her to instant death.

“Do you?” He snapped as he threw down the
report and stood up to glare at her.

“Yes sir,” Mena choked out.

“Why?” He asked turning to look out over his
dying world.

“My parents studied the ancient archives.
They are known for their research,” Mena began.

“I am well aware of everything about you,
Commander Rue. Including who your parents are and what they do,”
the Grand Ruler snapped out without turning around. “I want to know
why you think this female is a messenger for an ancient prophesy
that was written over two thousand years ago.”

“The ancient tablets my parents found when I
was younger spoke of the first sign that would tell of the coming
of the great Empress. It spoke of a strange pale skinned female
with eyes the color of the Elpidios oceans. The female is said to
be one of three great warriors who will save the House of Kassis
and bring forth the future Empress of Elpidios. Through the bond of
these great females will come the lifesaving blood stones that will
save Elpidios, its people and its world,” Mena said passionately as
she retold the tale told to her over and over by her parents as
they struggled to find a way to save their dying planet.

“We already know what we need to save our
world,” the Grand Ruler stated coldly turning to look at Mena with
a relentlessness that had her taking a step backwards. “Do you
truly believe in this myth that was written thousands of years
ago?”

“She is the first sign,” Mena insisted in an
unsteady voice. “It is said she will bring your bride.”

And that,
thought Ristéard Roald,
was the problem
.

He was not looking for a bride and when he
did, it would not be to some alien female from an obscure prophesy.
Rage built inside him as the strange feeling of helplessness swept
through him. His father and his father before him for countless
generations had searched for a solution to the radiation slowly
killing their world. It was caused by the thinning of their
atmosphere. It was a phenomenon that had happened once before
almost causing the extinction of his race. His ancestors had no
choice before but to live in the great underground cities beneath
their soil.

Over time, their world had returned to
normal. It was said that a deadly species had come to attack their
world only to die themselves in massive numbers due to the
radiation. It was their blood that had spilled into the soil,
giving the life giving crystals that had kept their world safe for
almost two thousand years. The crystals had kept their planet alive
but several generations of illegal gathers had depleted the source
of the crystals until none remained. His grandfather had discovered
what was happening and had tried to stop the sale of the crystals
but he had been murdered by the very council ordained to protect
his ruling and their planet. His father had executed the traitors
and became the first Grand Ruler. He had spent his life and energy
devoted to the research to find a way to save their world. Elpidios
scientists worked tirelessly on solutions, both through the study
of their history and through extensive research. It had finally
been determined that there was another source of the crystals. A
small amount of Kassisan crystal had been purchased and it matched
the crystals from their world. His world needed the crystals to
power the shield generators that would create a protective grid
around their planet. The problem was they needed a huge quantity of
it until they could grow the crystals on their own. His scientist
had successfully been able to do so but they could not grow them
fast enough at this point to save his people. Ristéard would have
to approach Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon. If the Kassis ruling family
denied his request he would have to weigh whether to attack or just
steal the necessary crystals. Either way did not bode well for his
people.

The com on his desk sounded. Ristéard gave
the command to open communications.

“Grand Ruler, a Kassisan warship is hailing
the planet. Lord Ajaska Ja Kel Coradon is asking for permission to
meet with you,” the voice on the other end stated.

“Patch me through to him,” Ristéard ordered
without turning around. “Get out,” he added to Mena.

It would seem his meeting was going to take
place sooner than he expected. He would see if what Commander Rue
was speculating could be true. And it if was, then he would deal
with the consequences. In the meantime, he needed to convince a
species he knew very little about to give him a large quantity of
their power source.

“Yes sir,” Mena said stiffly with a salute
before turning sharply and exiting the room.

“How did it go?” Her second in command asked
as soon as she closed the door behind her.

Mena leaned back against the closed door and
released the shaky breath that she had been holding. “Better than I
expected,” she responded looking at her friend with a tired smile.
“I’m still alive.”

*.*.*

Jazin looked down on the planet through the
conference room viewport. His father had contacted the Elpidios
Grand Ruler and they were to meet within the next hour. They had
all been surprised when the Grand Ruler asked them to bring the
pale alien female with them. Torak had argued that his mate did not
need to go. They did not know enough about the Elpidios to expose
their mates to such danger, especially with her expecting. Ajaska
was hesitant but the Grand Ruler insisted that if the pale alien
was not part of the landing party they would be denied permission
to land. It had taken Gril, Ajaska and finally River to assure
Torak that everything would be fine. The Grand Ruler gave his word
that all he wanted was to meet her.

What Jazin didn’t like was the fact that
Star would be traveling with them as well. Of course, as soon as
Madas heard the other women were going she informed them she wasn’t
about to be left behind. Jazin decided it was in his best interest
to keep his mouth shut after listening to Torak and Gril.
Especially when Star gave him ‘the look’ and calmly informed him to
‘not even think about it’.

“Everything will be okay,” Star said
quietly.

He had been so lost in thought he had not
even heard the conference room door open. He turned and smiled
reassuringly at his mate. She was so beautiful. She was wearing a
soft, light blue shirt tucked into a pair of form-fitting pants and
the soft brown boots she was so proud of. He made a mental note to
buy her a dozen pairs in every color available. Opening his arms,
he chuckled when she hurried forward and snuggled up to him.

“I love you, my little warrior,” he
murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“You know, this is really exciting,” Star
exclaimed leaning back a little so she could stare out the viewport
window.

Jazin frown. “What is?”

“Seeing other worlds and meeting new
people,” she said with a grin. “That is the thing I missed the most
when Jo and I left the circus. We met new people in Orlando but it
wasn’t the same. When we traveled with the circus, we got to see
new things all the time. Especially once Walter and Nema decided to
take it worldwide,” she sighed as she turned in his arms and leaned
back against his chest. “I wonder how Jo is doing. I miss her so
much.”

A chuckle sounded from behind them. Jazin’s
head turned at the sound and he frowned. That was the second time
in as many seconds that he had been taken by surprise. He shook his
head in disgust. Ever since his capture he had been having trouble
keeping his thoughts on the task at hand.

Correction,
he thought as he breathed
in the heady scent of his mate.
Ever since I met a certain alien
female I’ve had problems keeping my mind on the matters at
hand.

“Your sister is doing well,” Ajaska said
with a grin. “I am not so sure how well my son is doing
though.”

“What do you mean?” Star asked surprised.
“Are Jo and Manota fighting?”

“No, they are not fighting,” Ajaska replied
as he came to stand next to them and stare down at the planet far
below. “It would appear your parents are not the only travelers
returning with your sister and my son.”

“Oh. My. God!” River squealed from the door
as she came rushing into the room. “Star, Walter, Nema, Ricki, and
the whole circus are coming!”

River danced over to Star with a huge grin
on her face. Torak came in shortly behind her with a pained
expression on his. Star’s mouth dropped open before it snapped shut
and she squealed in return, locking hands with River and dancing
around in a circle.

“Do you think this is some type of ritual?”
Jazin asked his father and brother as the two women squealed,
giggled, and talked in broken sentences that only they appeared to
understand.

“I am not sure our planet is ready for
this,” Torak growled out in a low tone. “Do you remember the vids
we watched? What if those clowns get loose? You saw the damage they
could do.”

Ajaska chuckled. He had no idea what would
happen to his world when this ‘circus’ arrived but he would bet
everything he had that life was about to get even more interesting
than it had been. He glanced at the resignation on the faces of his
oldest and youngest sons’ faces. Vivid emotions flickered across
each one. For a brief moment, Ajaska thought about what it would be
like to have a mate like the two females who were talking in rapid,
breathless sentences as they shared stories. Their faces glowed
with an internal beauty and energy making them appear almost
ethereal. He could easily understand what his ancestors must have
thought when they first saw the unusual beauty and strength of the
alien females from long ago.

“Father?” Jazin asked again with a bemused
frown on his face as touching his father’s arm to draw his
attention back to the present.

Ajaska jerked out of his reverie. “Yes?”

“The shuttle is ready. Gril and Madas will
be joining us as well,” Jazin said carefully.

“Of course,” Ajaska said, clearing his
throat as he glanced briefly at River and Star who were still
talking as they trailed Torak out of the conference room before he
followed as well.

Jazin didn’t say anything. He had seen the
look of envy in his father’s eyes. He had never thought about the
fact that his father might be lonely. It had been so long ago that
his mother had passed to the next world that he could barely
remember her at times. She had been given to his father in a bid to
heal a rift between his clan and the clan of a distant cousin. He
knew his father had never loved his mother but he had been good to
her. He knew that from conversations with his father’s man, Je’zi,
who now served Torak and River. His father had poured everything he
had into protecting his people. The war had taken a lot out of his
father and he still bore the mark of it on his face.

Jazin trailed slowly behind the others deep
in thought. His life had changed so much since his capture the
first time. His eyes moved over the slim figure of his mate as she
chatted with River. He almost grimaced at how fast his body reacted
to that simple gaze. His cock swelled with memory of their
lovemaking.