“Good, then there will be enough to share. Father and Zen love those things and this will make the second one. They are rare, you know.”
“I didn’t.”
But Zol turned to tease the Alphas and didn’t see as the color bled from Star’s face.
Truly, there was a Klicka melon in the box. But it was odd.
Star reached in and shifted it around, noting that it didn’t roll as easily as the first one had.
Then she noted the deep red liquid pooling in the bottom of the box.
Her sense of unease grew as she began to turn the melon.
“Scab!” she hissed as she dropped the box, watching as its contents splattered over the stone floor and her feet.
“Oh, you dropped it,” Zol complained, before rushing over to start the clean up. “You don’t look so good,” he added. “I think you should lie down.”
Almost as he finished speaking, both Father and Zen were beside her, lifting her up and wiping her legs free of the pink and red guts of the fruit.
“You must be overly tired,” Zen murmured, lifting her closer to his chest. „I felt a shaft of…fear? It’s okay, Star. We can get other melons.”
“I…” she sighed, closing her eyes and for the first time actively seeking to manipulate their bond. She breathed deeply until the cold shock of fear filling her eased into concern and exhaustion. Neither were false feelings, she just pushed the fear and anger down until they were hardly noticeable. “Maybe you are right.”
“Off to sleep,” Kyo said, bending down to help his bonded with the clean up. “When you awaken, we can open the rest of these presents.”
“Yes,” Star agreed, smiling from Zen’s arms.
“Rest well,” Zol rose on his toes to brush a soft kiss against her lips. “I fear I will be joining you soon.”
“Sleep,” Father intoned, walking over to her and nuzzling her cheek softly before taking her lips in a gentle kiss. “Zen and I will see to it that you rest undisturbed.”
In no time, her mate placed her down in the middle of their sleeping pillows, pulling a warm fur covering over her suddenly chilled naked body.
“Rest, Star. All will be well. I love you, my bonded mate.” A gentle kiss he placed across each eye, her nose, and then finally her bottom then upper lip. “You are my shining Star, my hope for the future, my heart and my life.”
Then he, too, withdrew to aid in the clean up, his love and desire for her humming through their bond.
Star closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing and keep her fears at bay. They had not seen what she had, and she refused to send them into a panic. The killer had been in her home, her sanctuary from the world that had so hurt her, and it made her afraid.
That melon, the last one she had…It had been split down the middle, its guts intentionally pulled out to resemble the garish and grisly remains of a child rolling around in its own blood.
Star forced her body not to shiver and thanked every Ghod she could think of that the grotesque fruit carving had exploded upon contact with the ground. Her mates would never know, and she wanted it that way. If that bastard thought that she would go screaming to the Alpha’s he had better learn to think again!
She was raised human, tough, strong, and fighting.
Her fear turned to anger as she began to make fierce plans.
She had her home and no one or no thing would tear her sanctuary apart. She had been challenged, and she would meet that challenge with more force and anger than her would-be killer had ever imagined.
There was one thing that he managed to overlook.
She had been reared human, true, but it was the human who managed to eek out a way of life in the harsh planes below with stubbornness, adaptability, and the sheer will to live and succeed, traits that Star held in abundance.
He didn’t know what he had started. He threatened her child, now he must die.
So it was war, and as a fierce smile spread across Star’s lips, she knew it was a war that in the end, she would be declaring victory.
To Be Concluded….
www.theflashcat.net
Author Bio:
Stephanie was born and reared in Baltimore, MD. At the age of six she wrote her first poem and has yet to stop. Since the age of six she has won several speech writing competitions and written several plays and skits for the local NAACP youth group. While she was attending college at Seton Hill a teacher suggested she put her talents to good work and write a book. This came after a disastrous semester in Engineering Math, definitely not one of Steph’s strong suits. After six years of marriage and motherhood Stephanie finally got up the courage to show someone her work.
Since then her biggest supporters have been her husband and sister. Stephanie, writes contemporary, paranormal, futuristic, and erotic romances, often with interracial and alien characters. Her biggest asset is her huge imagination. In addition to writing Stephanie is an amateur artist and a voracious reader.
The following books are available by Stephanie Burke:
Red Rose Publishing
Her Dragon Series
Dragon Star Available Now in ebook and print
Dragon Ware
Dragon Clutch
Cherry Crush
Elloras Cave
Reaver Of Souls
More Than Skin Deep
Things That Go Bump In The Night III
Hidden Passions Volume 1
Hidden Passion Volume 2
Seascape
Merlins Kiss
The Slayer
The Slayer 2 (Coming Soon)
Lucavarious
Lucavarion (Coming Soon)
Wicked Wishes
Keeper Of The Flame
Dangerous Heat
Cold Burn (Coming Soon)
Omnubius (Coming Soon)
Blood Redemption (Coming Soon)
Blue Balls (Coming Soon)
Sword Play (Coming Soon)
This Dragon’s Heart (Coming Soon)
Changeling Press
The Luminaries: A Man Called Lust
Shelby’s Angels: When Irish Eyes Are Dying
Shelby’s Angels 2: Sometimes I’m Not
Shelby’s Angels 3: Savage-The Cult Of Delsin
Sleeping Dragon
Agency Of Extraordinary Mates-Taboo
Three The Hard Way
Pink Award Winning Release!
Rookery Cove: The Darkness
Desire Island
The 13th Floor Still Waters
Space Opera
Loose Id
Liger
Tigon
Shadow Dancer-3rd In The Liger Series.
The Perfect Soldier (Coming Soon)
The Temple Of Bassette (Coming Soon)
Wild Wishes-A Happy Effin Valentine
The Coven
Love You Divine
Till It Bleeds (Coming Soon)