Page 35 of DaR (Darverius, House of DaR #1)

Chapter Thirty-One

KIRA

I watch DaR become more troubled with every sunrise. He is so focused on finding his father that he’s pushing himself to the point of exhaustion.

He also refuses to let me sleep in my room any longer.

The few nights I’ve fallen asleep before he makes it back home, I find myself in his arms come morning.

I’m not ready for our relationship to become intimate right now, and I know DaR can tell that.

There are times I know he wants more, but thankfully, he never pushes me.

SAGE has even become quiet; it’s like they are all so focused they can’t interact with each other until this problem is solved.

I woke up before DaR this morning and it took me forever to unwind myself from him. I stand next to the bed and look down at his large, beautiful frame. His features are softened in sleep, and he looks peaceful for a change. This man literally has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Ickis starts to huff as he sees me turning to leave the bedroom and I motion for him to be quiet.

I pick him up gently off the headboard and sneak out of the room.

As we walk outside together, Ickis jumps off my shoulder and heads toward his normal sunbathing spot.

I stand here, looking out at a world that should be completely alien and unfamiliar to me.

But it’s amazing the things you can adjust to when faced with impossible obstacles.

“ Mistress Kira , can I ask you a personal question?”

“ You can always ask me anything SAGE , and why are you whispering?”

“ I do not want to wake Master DaR right yet. This is the first time I have ever had to make an emotional decision and I am not sure what path to take. If you had the option and the way to go back to your Earth , would you go and leave us behind?”

“ Damn SAGE , that wasn’t what I was expecting at all. My first response or I should say if you’d asked me that months ago, I would’ve said yes, immediately. I would have taken any chance, big or small to get back home then, but now, no, I don’t believe I’d go.”

“ What has changed your mind, if I may ask?”

“ I’ve got multiple reasons really. I mean, I have nothing to go back to and the world I had and loved has passed.

Then there’s DaR , I can’t imagine … Well , let’s just say I’ve become attached to the big guy.

Plus , I also have your friendship and all the new adventures this world has to offer.

Now , don’t take me wrong, being here definitely hasn’t been a walk in the park, but my life has changed too.

So , to answer your question, even if I had the option, I’d stay here with DaR . ”

I see him walk out of the shadows from a corner of the house as those words leave my lips.

“ You have no idea how happy hearing that makes me because I have been so torn lately, my Kira . I want to find my father, but I knew in doing so, I might lose you in the meantime. The fact that you chose me willingly fills my heart with joy. I have come to love you very much, my little human!”

DaR lifts me up into his arms and presses his forehead to mine.

I can tell he’s worried that he’s pushing me too fast. He feels scared that admitting he loves me will drive me away, but what he doesn’t understand yet is I need his love and attention.

I’ve always been high maintenance when it comes to affection.

I rub my nose against his and cup his cheeks in my hand.

I lightly kiss his lips and whisper, “ I love you too, my big gray alien!” I can tell he’s shocked.

Then I get that beautiful smile that melts my heart every time, but before he can respond, SAGE interrupts us and he slowly lowers me back to my feet.

“ Master DaR , Mistress Kira , I am so happy to hear this because I also have good news.

Now , Master DaR , I know you never gave me permission to explore other planets on my own, but you know I am curious by nature.

You may or may not be aware that every time Tordan or SoL performs an update to Falcor , it automatically gets downloaded to my interface.

I was linked to the ship so that everything there would also be available to you here as well.

Recently , I was having a discussion with Solanar’s largest cloud Reacher .

You know, the tallest one, Scout . He is absolutely perfect in design and his sharp angles catch my attention with every sunrise.

As Mistress Kira would put it, he is dreamy.

Ohhh , so sorry, never mind … I am getting off the subject.

What I am trying to say is with the help of a few others I believe I have found ANDI . ”

“ WHAT ?! How is that even possible? We have been searching for that ship for rotations.”

“ Please , let me finish, Master DaR . I should have worded that differently because what I mean to say is that the beacon Falcor picked up is an actual signal ANDI sent out for you, not the ship itself.

I started thinking about what I would have done if I had survived in a primitive environment.

Especially if the world I had been abandoned on had no interplanetary travel available.

So , I started scanning anything not of their world.

I was originally looking for an object that could possibly be made from odd materials.

And no one was more shocked than I was, but I found it.

At first, I thought it was a misreading since the signal was weak and seemed to be floating through space with no particular trajectory.

I was able to latch onto its coordinates, and even though it took me several rotations to get into its mainframe, it started sending me images instead of a language.

I saw pictures of other planets and meteors, and what looked like other machines of its kind, seemed to be strung all over the place near its location.

Once I was able to sort through the viewings, I found ANDI’s message, and I believe the last coordinate is your father’s last known location.

The machine is called a satellite and it was sent on a mission to float aimlessly through space. It was built to send pictures back to Kira’s Earth but is now out of range.

ANDI was brilliant with this idea as he knew that one day it would leave their galaxy and float into open space. Once it did, we would have a better chance of receiving its signal. Let me show you what he has sent.”

An image appears on the screen, and I watch DaR fall to his knees, his arms reaching out for the father he had lost.

“ DaR , my beloved son… We … cra… Been here for years… Have a good life… Mate …”

“ I am sorry, the signal is so broken up Master DaR , but I thought you would like to see what I could pull from the machine. I have located the exact location of Kira’s planet.

But at this time, I do not know how to communicate directly with ANDI , because he has been moved to another location on the surface of their world. ”

I rub my hand down DaR’s hair and rest it on his shoulder. He seems so lost. I almost wonder if it would’ve been better not to show him until they had more information.

“ DaR , honey, at least you know he’s alive, or at least was for a long time.”

DaR stands up and pulls me to him. I can feel his heart beating out of his chest. He takes a step back and kisses me on the forehead; this is becoming our thing.

“ I have to go, because we need more information and I cannot get that from here.” He starts to walk away then turns back to me. “ Do you want to go to Falcor with me?”

“ Heck yeah! Give me two minutes.” I run into my room and throw on the first thing I see and run back out. I hear the shuttle powering up as I get closer. DaR is waiting for me next to its door.

He doesn’t say a word on the way there, and as we break through Darverius ’ atmosphere, I feel like I’m in a sci-fi movie. But the most amazing sight is the stars. Without anything in our way, it looks like we’re driving through a snowstorm.

DaR heads toward a large bullet-shaped ship and we float into its hangar.

The largest man I’ve ever seen starts walking toward us, his skin changing colors with every step he takes.

The shuttle top opens and as the man comes alongside, Dar lifts me over the side and into an unfamiliar man’s arms before I know what he’s doing.

The man immediately sets me on the floor and backs away, as if he can sense that I’m leary of him. DaR jumps to the ground. “ Kira , meet SoL , my third son, and the next commander of the Falcor fleet.”

I can see SoL is concerned that he’s upset me. “ Damn , DaR , what did you feed that boy to make him so big?”

He smiles down at me. “ Smaller aliens of course, but do not let his size fool you. He is just a bighearted male on the inside, unless you anger him, of course.”

DaR turns and starts walking away. I stumble after him, almost falling, when a large hand grabs me by my elbow.

“ Thank you, I can be so clumsy sometimes. It’s nice to meet you SoL , even under these circumstances.”

“ My pleasure, Mistress Kira . I have heard nothing but good things about you.”

I turn back toward DaR and the first thing that crosses my mind is I would love to say the same thing, but damn these boys are intense at first glance.

DaR walks straight into a room off a Star Trek movie. Monitors , computers, and people, well maybe not people, but definitely beings of some sort are everywhere.

“ Tordan , I assume you have an update from SAGE ? I cannot believe my intelligent AI dwelling found out more information on the whereabouts of my father than we could. If I was not so happy over it, there would have been severe repercussions. Nothing should get past this ship, is that understood?”

I hear, “ Yes , Commander , come from all over the place.”

“ Now , no one leaves their post until this Earth is found, is that understood?”