Runaway Heart (3 page)

The king’s voice lacked any genuine sincerity, sounding to Jaren like he was forcing himself to speak the pleasantries. The king turned toward the doorway again, and Jaren watched as a woman in a white harem costume was led onto the stage. A veil made it impossible to see her features, but Jaren could sense by her hesitant steps that she did not want to be there. She approached the king, falling to her knees at his feet. Without any additional fanfare, the king reached for a silver crown resting on a red silk pillow being held by a guard and, without a word, placed it atop his daughter’s head. The crowd clapped politely. The newly crowned princess was helped to her feet by one of the guards as the king motioned for the crowd to quiet.

“This is a doubly joyous occasion, as it is my pleasure to also announce that Princess Karinna will be given to Earl Bores tonight as his wife.” Jaren could sense smugness in the way King Myrrn made this announcement.

There was no clapping from the audience this time, only murmurs. He watched as a short, stocky nobleman came to stand behind the princess and placed both hands on her slender shoulders. Jaren could almost taste the evil intent of the man. He also did not miss the way the princess cringed at his touch or the way the man’s fingers dug harshly into her flesh.

Jaren had seen enough. He would not find his heart-mate among these people, and he had no desire to continue watching this spectacle. “We’re leaving.” Jaren turned to his brother. “I want the ship ready to depart within the hour.”

Jaxson nodded once and spoke into a small device on his wrist as the brothers turned and made their way out of the hall.

* * * *

Kari was standing behind one of the columns in the hall, dressed in the red costume her mother had brought her. She just could not bring herself to leave without knowing if her mother had been successful. She watched as her father placed the crown on her mother’s head, knowing he thought it was Karinna kneeling before him. She paled as she saw Earl Bores place his hands on her mother’s shoulders. But the ruse had worked. Just as she was about to turn and make her way to the docking port to look for a ship that might get her off planet, she caught the words coming from two men standing in front of the column.

“We’re leaving. I want the ship ready to depart within the hour.” Kari froze as she watched them stalk by, unaware that she was hidden in the shadows.

This was it! Her refusal to leave without seeing the ceremony had put her in the position to learn of a ship that would be leaving immediately. Most of the attendees would be staying and enjoying the festivities, so Kari had known it might not be easy to get off planet quickly. She glanced back at her mother, who at that very moment was making her excuse of being ill and leaving the platform. Kari knew her mother would be safely back in her own quarters within minutes. With silent thanks sent to her mother, she ran to catch up to the two men who held her freedom. Now all she had to do was find a way to convince them to take a runaway with them.

Kari followed the two men to the docking bay and watched as they walked swiftly toward a sleek vessel in one of the prime docking spaces. Whoever they were, she knew they must be fairly important to secure such a space. She just hoped they weren’t friends of her father. They were both dressed as ancient pirates. Kari thought that was appropriate considering her covert escape.

As they approached the ship, one of them reached up and ripped the mask off his face before slamming the material into the chest of his companion, almost like the mask was offensive to him. Kari heard the other man’s rumbled laughter. She had to act now or she would miss her opportunity. Not knowing what else to do, she decided to do the only thing she could think of. Kari hurled herself toward the two big men, taking off her headpiece and veil as she ran.

“Sirs! Help me, please! I need to get off the planet, quickly!” She put as much desperation as she could into her voice.

Both men stopped and turned toward her. Her eyes went immediately to the man who had taken his mask off, and she instantly forgot whatever it was she had meant to say next.

He was huge. He stood two heads above her, with the top of her head coming midway up his chest. And oh, what a chest it was! The silky material of his shirt molded to his incredibly broad shoulders and muscular chest. She could see the outline of his rippled flesh under the thin material. Kari had a sudden urge to place her hand on his chest to see if it felt as hard as it looked. Her eyes roved up his torso to his full lips, which were open slightly as if he was surprised. Kari wondered what they tasted like. She had never tasted a man’s lips before, but she could imagine her tongue brushing over his. She continued looking up until she found his eyes. When she did, she almost stopped breathing. They were the most piercing blue she had ever seen, and she felt like her soul was bared to their intense focus. Her breathing became shallow and everything around her faded away, until there was nothing left but his eyes. Then she felt herself falling, and the world went black.

* * * *

Jaren stood frozen for what felt like an eternity, staring into eyes that he thought he would never find. The world disappeared, and all he could see were two startlingly green eyes. They were wide with desperation that he could not imagine the cause of, but they reached into his heart, into his very soul, and staked claim on him. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. All he could do was stare into the eyes of the one he knew he would never let go. He had heard stories of what it felt like to look into the eyes of a
sha-lia
for the first time, but he could never truly understand the depth of it. Everything in him shifted in the span of a heartbeat. Everything he was, everything he cared about, shifted to make room for her, placing her in the center of his existence with a permanence that could never be dislodged.

Jaren’s beast stirred, sensing the one who would release it. Jaren felt it raise its great head and sniff the air, taking in the distinct scent that would forever be recognized as belonging to its mate. Excitement coursed through Jaren’s body, and both man and beast trembled at the intensity of the moment. They had finally found her.

Suddenly, her body went limp and she began to fall. Without thought, Jaren instinctively swept her into his arms before she could hit the docking-bay deck and cradled her against his chest. He stormed up the docking plank into the ship, issuing orders as he went.

“I want off this planet. Now!” He barked at his stunned brother and crew. “Get us off this rock immediately!”

He did not know what caused her desperation, but he was not about to wait around for it to catch up with her. He knew she was running from something. He had seen the same look many times in the eyes of his own prey. He didn’t slow down or wait to ensure that his orders were followed. He knew they would be.

Jaren reached his quarters, and the door opened as the sensors detected his approach. Walking across his room, he laid his precious bundle onto the bed and sat down next to her, his weight propped on one arm as he leaned over her body and gazed at his new reason for living. She was wearing a red harem outfit that reminded him of the poor princess at the ceremony. He couldn’t imagine any father handing his own daughter off like a piece of property to a heinous creature like the earl. It made him sick to think of someone like that getting his hands on his
sha-lia
.

She was small and vulnerable looking, with pleasing curves that called to his body, but the warrior in him also saw strength in her. Anger rose in him as he surveyed newly formed bruises on her cheek and her chin. If he knew who did this to her, he would gladly kill them. Jaren brushed his fingers across her bruised cheek, loving the way her soft skin felt under his fingers despite the ugly marks. He went to his closet and retrieved his portable personal medical kit. Returning to the bed, he removed the small, metallic device he kept for minor injuries and turned it on. One side of the long, round cylinder lit up with blue blinking lights. The lights blinked faster and then turned to green. He held the lights close to the cheek of his
sha-lia
and let the healing beams regenerate the damaged cells. The bruising disappeared across her cheek, and he turned his attention to her chin. Once the device had done its job, he returned the kit to his closet and again sat on the bed, watching her.

Her blonde hair reinforced his memory of the princess, since its glimmering lengths were so similar. It created a beautiful halo as the golden locks spread around her head and flowed over his pillow. Her lips were plump and pink, contrasting so enticingly with her creamy skin. He wanted to feel those lips against his own and taste the sweetness beyond them. His mind registered the vibration of the ship as it left the gravitational pull of the planet, but he was too enraptured by this miracle before him to pay any attention.

“Whatever you are running from,
sha-lia
, it will not touch you now.”

Jaren marveled at the timing of the gods. They had brought him his
sha-lia
at the very moment he was about to enter his ship to leave this world. Another minute and it would have been too late. He shook his head and laughed quietly.

“Nothing like cutting it close.”

Kari heard a voice bringing her back from the blackness she had fallen into. She registered that she was lying down on something soft. She tried to piece together what had happened. She had been at the ceremony, watching her mother being crowned in her place. She had watched as Earl Bores placed his wretched hands on her mother. She remembered running. Chasing a pirate. Then she remembered blue eyes. They were the most amazing and beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They had taken her breath away to the point that she had become dizzy.

As she processed her memories, her eyelids fluttered and she opened her eyes, finding herself captured again by those same blue eyes staring back at her. Her breath caught, but this time she forced herself to keep breathing, lest she be dragged back into the blackness that had consumed her before. With great effort, she tore her gaze away to take in the face surrounding those mesmerizing eyes. The man’s hair was as black as night. It was so dark that there was almost a blue tint to it where the light touched it. It was pulled back behind him. Kari had the urge to untie it so she could run her fingers through it.

His face was tanned and he had a high forehead and strong cheekbones. His nostrils flared, like he was taking in her scent. Her searching gaze settled on his lips and she again felt an irresistible pull toward them. Without thinking about it, she reached her hand up to his face and lightly touched a fingertip to his bottom lip. His eyes instantly closed and he took a shuddering breath, his whole body shivering next to her. His hand reached up to hers, his fingers wrapping around her own as he placed a gentle kiss on her fingertips.

“My
sha-lia
,” he whispered. “You are lovely.” His voice was like velvet to her ears, deep and soft. She felt her skin prickle with tiny bumps, and she struggled to steady her breathing, which was coming in short gasps.

“Who are you? Where am I?” she finally asked, realizing she was lying on a bed next to a man that she didn’t know. And had she really just touched his lips? Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. The man shifted his weight and helped her sit up, scooting her backward to rest her back against the headboard.

“I am Jaren.” He gently brushed a stray lock of hair out her eyes as he spoke. “You are on my ship. You seemed to be in trouble, like you were running from something, so I thought it best to get you away from the planet first and ask questions later.”

Relief flooded Kari as she realized she was no longer on Montore. She had actually gotten away! Defiance and self-satisfaction sparked inside her as she thought about how angry her father would be when he learned she had run away. A part of her hoped he would get so mad that his evil heart would finally give out.

As the elation of her escape settled, she realized that she was now on her own and at the mercy of…well, this huge man hovering over her, for starters. She wondered if she was any safer here. She didn’t know who was on this ship. Where were they taking her? Did they mean her harm? What if they meant to take her for themselves, were slave traders, or worse?

Just because she had never been off planet didn’t mean she was completely unaware of some of the things that went on. She had spent plenty of time spying on her brothers when they talked about their missions and the worlds they visited. What if she had escaped her father and Earl Bores only to find herself in something equally as horrible?

“Where are you taking me?” Kari’s only thoughts had been to get off planet as quickly as possible, not where she would go if she were successful. All she had was a small bag with a change of clothes and enough credits to last a few months. Beyond that, she was on her own.

It dawned on her that she might never see her mother or her brothers again. She hadn’t even been able to say good-bye to her brothers. She didn’t know if her mother would be able to tell them about the deception. She knew they would be frantic with worry and would demand to search for her. Kari was sure her father would want a search conducted as well, but definitely not for the same reasons. If he ever found her…Kari shuddered at the thought of what he might do to her.

* * * *

Jaren watched the emotions play across her beautiful face. “Where would you like to go?”

She appeared startled at the question. Jaren got the impression that she had not thought that far ahead.

“Somewhere far away from Montore.”

“That will not be a problem,” Jaren assured her. He watched the woman’s eyes grow suspicious as she studied him. “I will not harm you,” he assured her, taking a guess at what had her suddenly anxious. “No one on this ship will hurt you. I swear to you on my life that I will protect you from whatever it is that you fear.” He saw confusion register across her face.