Page 11 of DaR (Darverius, House of DaR #1)

Chapter Eleven

DAR

I hear SAGE talking to the female as my shuttle touches down.

Before I am even all the way on the ground, the alarms in the structure start blaring.

I grab the axe off my back and jump the rest of the way to the clearing pad.

I charge into the house expecting intruders, not the sound of the slamming of the front entrance.

“ SAGE ,” I roar. “ Report !”

“ Oh , Master DaR , please forgive me for not securing the building properly. I am programmed to keep things out, not in, and did not foresee the new housemate’s escape. And I thought I was doing so well with her too, we were speaking cordially, and she even asked me my name!”

I am through the house and down the front walkway before she can finish her sentence.

The only way she could have run is toward the market because of the towering walls built around the edge of the dwelling.

I slow down several times searching for her between the other structures on the property.

I heard the door slam behind her as she fled the house.

She cannot be that far ahead of me. If she manages to find a way through the main wall, she is running straight toward the cliffs, which she will not spot until it’s too late.

If she finds the small path entering the darkness that separates my personal dwelling from the market, she may not survive if the animals get a whiff of her odd, off-world scent.

I touch the comm unit located inside my ear.

“ Tordan , I need you to do a scan of the area; we have a runaway on the loose and I am not sure what direction to head in!” I can hear his fingers hitting the console as we speak.

“ I see a small heat signature moving away from you and through the edge of the forest area, Commander .”

“ Acknowledged .”

I take off running toward the market. I have not been back to the house in several days now. I may not even recognize her. Her size is also a disadvantage to me because she is so much shorter than everyone else around here. If she tries to hide herself in the crowd up ahead, I may never spot her.

I hear my comms beep and SAGE’s voice comes through. “ I am a little busy right now, SAGE ! ”

“ Master DaR , I know you are trying to locate her as we speak, but I think we forgot to do something extremely important before she awakened. She is not marked, My Lord . You had her scanning marks removed, and anyone who finds her can claim her as their own. I have notified some of the vendors in the market area and sent them a recent download of her image. They will contact me immediately if she is spotted, but I fear time is of the essence here, Master . And please, do not be too hard on her when you do find her. You need to remember she is scared and in a strange place. She had no way of knowing she is safe.”

My hands grip the axe tightly. “ Well , that is all the more reason she should have stayed where she belonged. Her foolishness will likely get her killed before I can find her in this frackin’ mess.”

The crowd in the market seems to be extremely thick today.

I slow my steps down, trying not to draw attention to myself even though I just want to shove everyone out of the way.

Many walk by me and do not even notice the scowl on my face, but the ones that do almost fall over their feet trying to get out of my path.

I know the Rage is making my eyes red, and the runes on my chest pulse underneath my skin.

I am almost to the middle of the market when I hear it.

It is the sound of pure terror and I know who it is coming from immediately.

The roar that leaves my throat has others screaming as they run away from the monster I have become; storming through the crowd trying to find her.

In my determination to get to her, anyone and anything that steps before me is either thrown into the air or to the ground!

I hear SAGE trying to connect with me through my communication module, but all I can think of is finding her.

“ SIR , this is Tordan ! There is a confrontation going on in the market with what appears to be your small female and three Phogx males! Advise ?”

The sound leaving me does not even sound like my voice. “ They are going to regret ever laying a hand on what is MINE !”

“ Sir , I will send backup.”

“ No need, but you better send a cleanup crew. I will not need help.”