Page 17 of Touch the Stars (Ghara Empire #1)

Kaitlyn.

F irst, the three-armed stone emperor, and now a giant talking rat who was leading the way through the stark, beautiful corridors of an alien imperial palace.

Did I fall through a magic fucking wardrobe, or something?

Only this wasn’t a fantasy world. It was real, and full of weird-ass creatures.

Who lived in a very minimalist and somewhat monotone palace.

Sure, the white marble floor and ceiling would make any stone mason drool, but dang, this place was duller than space travel.

Even with the pale-yellow columns supporting the archways, which looked like they’d each been cut from single topaz gemstones. Good lord.

She tilted her head toward Baatar. “This place must’ve taken a long time to build.”

Nak made an excited chittering noise as he turned around to walk backward. “All simulated, it is, for the comfort of the current grand one. Changes, it does, with each new imperial leader.”

“Oh.” Good to know. If it had been real, her first act as empress would be to sell it all off to feed and educate poor people. If there were any poor people in the empire. “Well, someone sure likes his stonework.”

“He is Ragatian.” Baatar gave her a pointed look.

Right. The whole rock-like life-form thing. Guess living in houses made of marble and oversized gemstones was perfectly normal on Ragat.

Nak faced forward again as he led them through a set of open doors that were at least fifteen feet high. “The corridor to the grand emperor’s audience chambers, this is. Come, come.”

Good thing she still had her tennis shoes on, because the next set of doors looked like they were a mile away.

They covered the distance in a few minutes.

As they approached, a soft, eerie gong echoed through the hallway.

A shiver cascaded down her spine as the doors swung soundlessly inward.

This was it. She caught her lip between her teeth and glanced at Baatar.

Damn. That expressionless mask was back. No last look of reassurance from him.

She stepped through the doorway and moved to the center of the spacious—and also starkly opulent—room. Her gaze was drawn from one tall marble table to another topped with geodes or cut stones. Ragatian fine art, maybe?

The floor vibrated under her feet in a creepy, T-rex-approaching kind of way, and her heart sped up to hummingbird fast. A gigantic, and familiar, figure dressed in white appeared in the right-hand archway. It was him—Rocky the Grand Fucking Asshole, or Emperor, depending on one’s point of view.

He seemed a hell of a lot larger in real life than he had as a hologram. If only she could scoot behind Baatar and pretend she didn’t exist. But, it was too late for that now.

“My liege.” Nak fell onto his back again. “Warrior Baatar has returned.”

And he would leave again soon. Then she’d be on her own with only her memories to keep her company.

She moved her fingers over her shirt pocket, and the vague outline of the shadak she’d used to feed Baatar.

A crazy keepsake thing that she’d shoved in there when she’d changed into the stupid outfit.

Kind of pathetic now, but what was done was done.

Baatar stepped forward. “Grand Emperor, I present to you Kaitlyn Bergh of Earth. The chosen heir of the Gharan Empire.”

“Why have you brought this outsider into my presence, Warrior?” Each word was spoken louder than the last, rumbling like an approaching landslide. “She is not of the empire.”

Um, huh?

“She is the heir. The one you—”

“You seek to replace me ?” All three of the emperor’s hands curled into fists.

Okay, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

“Sentries, arrest Warrior Baatar for treason against the Gharan Empire.”

What the fuck, Chuck?

This was one scenario they hadn’t discussed.

A pair of Ragatians appeared in the archway behind the emperor. They wore thick, brown…was that leather armor? It had to be, because every other guard or attendant they’d passed on the way here had been dressed in those lame, orange-trimmed white uniforms.

“Go, Kaitlyn.” Baatar closed his hand around her left biceps then pushed her in the direction of the doors. “I am behind you.”

If they could get out of here. She turned and ran…smack into a tall, unmoving body. Wearing white and orange. Shit, somehow another attendant had snuck up behind them. The stranger spun her back around and pinned her arms to her sides with its thin, knubby-skinned arms.

“ Baatar —" Where was he?

All she could see was the archway in front of her, and Rocky to her left.

“Shall I kill her, my liege?” The voice squawked and chirped the words from behind her.

What the hell kind of alien was it? She arched her neck back for a better view.

Almost as tall as Baatar, but without his muscle mass.

Kind of humanoid, with feathery, turquoise plumage floating around its head, and a beak-like nose that resembled a peacock’s in the same way the grand emperor resembled a boulder.

The creature squeezed her tighter, forcing her to face forward just to breathe. How could anyone so bony be so strong?

The sounds of a struggle punctuated by grunts came from behind her, and Bony, and Rocky moved toward it, out of her line of sight.

“Submit, Warrior Baatar, or her life will be forfeit.”

The sound of hand-to-hand combat died. Fucking Rocky knew just what to say to control her warrior.

We can’t escape if we’re dead.

A smack of flesh against flesh, followed by a crack, and Baatar’s grunt broke the quiet pause. They’d hit him after he’d stopped fighting. A spark of fury burned in her heart.

Chicken shits.

She tried to twist around to see what was going on, but Bony’s grip held her in place.

“That’s better.” There was a smug tone in the emperor’s voice. “Your brother did not react well to his charges either. I wonder if you will also die in the dirt, begging for mercy?”

Treason. Just like his brother. Bile surged up to sting the back of her throat. Would they execute him right here?

“Attendant Tisna, leave the human female and show the sentries to the detention wing with the prisoner.”

Relief replaced fear. Baatar wasn’t going to die, yet.

Bony, aka Tisna, shoved her forward with force enough to make her stumble. She flailed her arms to catch her balance, but still landed on her hands and knees next to a wide-eyed Nak. He seemed surprised by the situation, but he was the grand asshole’s man. Or rodent, to be exact.

“I live to serve.” Bitterness tinged Tisna’s words, then the bird-alien turned and sauntered toward the now-closed main doors with an exaggerated hip-sway.

Okay, probably a she, not an it.

The creepy gong sounded again as Tisna approached the doors, and they swung open.

The two Ragatian sentries bent and lifted Baatar to his feet between them.

He swayed, blinked, then met her gaze, his eyes full of apology and concern.

Blood oozed from one nostril, and a mottled red and blue spot marred his jaw.

Then the sentries yanked him forward toward the doorway.

Bastards .

There had to be a way to stop them. She placed her palms on the floor—

“If you try anything, human female, he will die with a knife in his heart.”

Shit, okay. Threating Baatar’s life worked on her, too. She sat back on her heels as Baatar and the sentries exited, then shot a narrow-eyed glare at Rocky. He might have the upper hand right now, but all she needed was one little opening.

“My liege?” Nak squeaked, shifting his weight from foot to foot next to her.

The emperor turned his obsidian gaze on the furry attendant. “The mysterious disappearance of Attendant Daarga prompted me to increase my personal protection. Is there a problem, Attendant Nak?”

Nak’s whiskers trembled. “They are… Ragatian sentries , Great One.”

Red flared in the emperor’s eyes, and he raised his dominant fist. A squeak came from Nak and he scampered away, leaving her to face Rocky’s rage.

“ Shit .” She rolled in the opposite direction just as Rocky’s fist slammed into the floor right where Nak had been standing.

Boom!

Fine cracks radiated through the marble from the point of impact, like something out of a superhero movie.

Fuck, that was too close. She jerked her gaze up, but the emperor’s attention was on Nak, who dodged and skittered toward the closing doors.

Why was he staying just ahead of Rocky’s reach?

He must be able to run faster than that.

He couldn’t be doing it on purpose, could he?

The furry little attendant peeked over his shoulder, his gaze locking with hers. Well, shit, he was risking his life to keep Rocky busy and give her the opening she’d wanted.

Time to get the fuck out of here.

She clambered to her feet and let her gaze dart around the room. There, through the archway. Bushes, boulders…a garden that should have plenty of places to hide until she came up with a better plan. Or till Rocky caught up with her. Whichever came first.

She sprinted through the archway, the short room beyond, and into the garden. Muggy air coated her skin like someone else’s nasty sweat. So gross. She inhaled, and a toxic stink invaded her nostrils. Her throat tightened and she nearly stumbled as a strangled noise slipped out.

“Mother fuc…” What the hell was that smell ? Industrial waste?

A roar came from the audience chamber behind her. A seriously pissed-off roar. Either Nak had escaped or Rocky had realized she wasn’t there anymore.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The thudding footfalls coming closer suggested that the grand gross one was coming after her now. Fuck the stink, it was time to run or die. She darted forward, the slap of her shoes against the stone path marking each step.

It’ll really suck if I die here.