Page 19 of Touch the Stars (Ghara Empire #1)

Kaitlyn.

S he rounded a corner of the garden path, pumping her legs as fast as she could make them go. Still, Rocky’s booming footfalls were gaining on her. She could swear she’d felt his hot breath on her neck at least a couple of times, but that must have been her imagination being a bitch.

If I slow down, I’m dead.

A small lake came into view, and a picturesque stone bridge that looked like it’d come straight from a provincial countryside. Too bad the rest of the garden wasn’t as pretty. She followed the path along the lake toward the bridge.

Well, shoot her now, but was that an island in the middle of the lake?

It was! And, halleluiah, it was covered with trees and bushes.

Hiding places. She could use them for cover as she made her way to the other side of the island, then try to make a swim for it without Rocky seeing.

No idea where’d she swim to, but it beat her alternate plan… which was nothing.

She veered onto the bridge, the steady slap, slap, slap of her shoes loudly screaming, “Hey! Look at us over here!”

The emperor appeared around the bend where the path came closest to the edge of the lake, his red-eyed gaze locked on her.

Yep, shitting bricks here!

She pushed herself harder, blocking out the burning in her lungs and leg muscles. If she could just stay far enough ahead of Rocky, she might get away.

Her foot hit the path on the island side of the bridge, but she didn’t slow her pace as it narrowed, cutting through the lush woodland.

And, wow, it didn’t stink as bad on this side.

Bonus. Now to find a place to go off-trail.

It had to be subtle enough Rocky couldn’t tell she’d changed course, and it had to be soon.

She rounded a gentle curve, and the trail opened into a wide, circular clearing.

Whoa…what is this?

A white marble pillar stood at the center of the open space, supporting a translucent, faceted stone about the size of her head. A crystal of some sort, with a bunch of tiny, sparkly lights floating around inside. How weird. And beautiful, in a magical, fairytale sort of way.

She slowed to a halt a few steps from the crystal.

The fairy lights moved toward her in a group, like they sensed her presence.

If that wasn’t the coolest thing she’d ever seen…

next to the stars in space, of course. She reached out, pressing her finger to the crystal.

It was warm, not cool as she’d expected.

The lights floated closer to her point of contact, and a sense of relief and welcome washed over her, as if all those little sparks of light were glad to see her.

A breath later, they went berserk, darting in all directions, pinging off the inside of the crystal.

She lowered her hand and gave them a puzzled frown. What had set them off?

Something large and hard closed around the back of her neck, then jerked her upward until she hung midair. A strangled eep escaped her.

“I will bathe the Empire’s Heart with your blood, my heir .” Rocky snarled the words next to her ear.

Oh, fuck.

She’d let herself get distracted and now he’d caught up with her.

His blunt fingers dug into her neck muscles harder, sending spikes of pain into her head, shoulders, and back.

Then he turned her far enough to see him sidelong from her left eye.

His borehole-like nostrils were inches from her cheek.

“Living blood is so much sweeter than dead, anyway.” He grinned, and snapped his sharp teeth together with a clack.

A small whimper slipped out of her. This was it. She was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening. A dark gray fluttering in her peripheral vision drew her gaze to the emperor’s armpit. Baatar wasn’t kidding. Ragatians did have their hearts under their arms.

How unfair that the gross-looking organ would go on beating after he killed her. Like she’d never mattered. Thrown away and forgotten, the way she and Kris had been by anyone who had ever tossed them back into the system.

What? Am I giving up, too?

Determination grounded her in the moment as the hiss of each of her breaths through her teeth filled the clearing. As long as she was breathing, there was a chance.

“Go. To. Fucking. Hell.”

A growl rumbled from his chest, and his red eyes glowed with what looked like lust. Had to be bloodlust, because there was no way he’d be into her like that .

What was he focusing on now? Her neck? Rocky wiped his black tongue over his lips, then bared his teeth. Shit, was he going to rip her throat open from her birthmark?

She slipped her right hand into her pocket and closed her fingers around the slim shadak.

It was now or never. She raised her left hand, gripped Rocky’s upper arm for leverage, then swung the shadak upward into his armpit with all the force she could muster.

The utensil sank into the emperor’s underarm.

Squelch!

Fuck, that sounded gross.

A roar of anguish and fury filled the air, then she was falling. The impact of her ass on the ground jarred her spine. That worked ? How ? She ran her tongue over her teeth. All of them seemed to still be in their sockets.

Rocky staggered back a few steps and tucked his secondary hand under his top right arm. Gray, chalky fluid dribbled in a thin ribbon down his side. His blood, maybe?

He yanked the shadak free, then flung it into the bushes. “I will rip your throat open.”

Well, fuck. As if this day didn’t suck enough, now the asshole was refusing to die. She scrabbled backward but he followed her, lurching like Frankenstein’s monster. Then he stumbled to his knees and grabbed her ankle.

She raised her other foot and slammed it into his face—once, twice, three times. His grip slipped just enough for her to scramble to her feet.

Fuck this shit.

She grasped the crystal between her hands, hefted it over her head, then swung it down onto his head with all her strength.

BOOM!

The stone splintered into a cloud of glittering shards and dust. Firefly-bright lights swirled free, then buzzed like angry bees around the emperor’s head.

“ Kaitlyn !” Baatar burst into the clearing, looking every bit the crazy alien barbarian she knew and loved.

Another man followed right behind him—tall, like Baatar, but blond with golden skin. Then both of them froze, their expressions horrorstricken.

“No.” The blond man whispered the word as he fell to his knees.

Some of the fairy lights zoomed into Rocky’s mouth, nose and ears, while the others left little black subcutaneous burn marks over his face and skull.

“Kill…her.” The emperor reached for her ankle again, apparently still determined to end her.

She danced back a few steps. “Oh no you don’t.”

Baatar sprinted forward, something flashing in his fist before he jabbed it into Rocky’s armpit and gave it a sharp twist. The boulder-like body stiffened, then released a gust of air from its open mouth as it slumped to the ground with a shudder of finality.

Blood pooled beneath it, creeping out like fingers grasping for prey.

Please let him be dead.

It was time for this shit to be over.

Baatar stood up, breathing heavily as he straddled the unmoving body. Ragatian blood dripped from his hand. He looked as sexy as fucking sin.

Great. She’d just stabbed a guy, escaped, nearly been killed again, and her first rational thought was to jump Baatar’s bones? She was such a nympho for him.

A shiver shook her from head to toe. “I think…I’m going to yack.”

Baatar was at her side, wrapping her in his arms and holding her tight against his body faster than she could blink. Ah, warmth. And she didn’t even care about the blood.

“I feared you had been killed,” he murmured against her hair.

“You and me, both.” She relaxed against his chest and inhaled his spicy scent. “Thank you for stopping him.”

Others had arrived in the clearing, but no one moved. They all seemed to be focused on the lights hovering over the dead emperor’s head.

Were they going to attack her and Baatar next? She ran her tongue over her lips. “Umm, what are they doing?”

“Departing.” A deep undercurrent of grief laced the strange blond guy’s reply, then he stretched his hands toward the apricot-color sky.

The lights raced across the clearing to dance around his hands and swirl up and down his body. Then, one by one, they flickered out of existence. When the last one disappeared, he lowered his arms, then rose to his feet.

“It is done, as was foreseen.” There was so much sorrow in his words.

Baatar stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“ Kait !” A familiar and loved voice rang out from the growing crowd of imperial attendants.

“Kris?” But where was she? “ Kris ?”

“Outta my way, Conan.” A woman stepped around the blond alien.

It was Kris…with no hair, but fuck that. A shriek escaped her. Then she was suddenly across the clearing, holding her sister in a mutually rib-cracking hug.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t fucking believe it.”

“Believe it, sis,” Kris murmured. “We’re both here.”

She pulled back and swiped the backs of her hands over her cheeks. “How’d you get here?”

“That story must wait.” Conan had not moved. “The matter of succession needs to be resolved.”

Nak, the mouse-on-steroids, scurried toward her. “The grand empress, all hail!”

He flopped onto his back, his beady eyes full of worship.

“All hail the grand empress!” several voices responded, and more attendants prostrated themselves.

Oh, shit, not this again. It’d be nice if everyone just forgot about her and picked someone else for the job.

“Hold!” Conan boomed.

Nak popped up off the ground like a corn kernel exploding. He folded his furry arms over his chest. “To know first who you are, and what became of Daarga, is what must be resolved.”

Good idea. Talking about anything but the empress thing worked for her. Kris nudged her hand, then slipped her fingers between her own. Baatar’s hand on her lower back radiated warmth and strength through her.

Conan inclined his head. “My true name is unpronounceable in any of your languages. Therefore you may call me by my host’s name, Daarga of Undet. I am the Ancient One of Ghara.”