Silver's Captive (8 page)

I turned to the head of security, “What did he say?”

“They’re being transported back to his home planet, where they’ll be put to death for murder.”

Chapter Nine

Tor’Arr slumped to the floor, unable to hold himself up. The Delarians had worked him over good. He’d been in this form for so long, he’d been unable to shift and heal. All the little injuries they had inflicted on him screamed out, a cacophony of pain.

The captain of the Delarians had been all too pleased to tell him that they had returned Tarnee to her people so they could try her for aiding pirates. Tor’Arr didn’t know how the man had found out she meant something to him and didn’t know whether to believe the man, but he was thankful she’d been returned to her people.

That little bit of knowledge, rather than causing him grief had actually brought him relief. He’d spent a fair amount of time in the last few cycles second guessing himself. Had he made the right decision in surrendering? His men were alive. They’d only lost a few in the initial fighting that had broken out in engineering, and those who had been injured had received medical treatment from the Delarians.

The captain wanted them all hale and hearty so he could watch each and every one of them hang when they reached their home world—something else he’d delighted in telling Tor’Arr.

Booted feet came into his line of sight.

“You can’t keep this up, Tor’Arr,” Kesh’s voice came from above him.

He pushed himself up, every inch of him screaming out in pain, and sat back against the bed. He looked up at Kesh, his friend as well as his Second in Command.

He was right. He couldn’t keep this up indefinitely. He had a limited amount of time left before he’d need to shift, or he’d shift when he wasn’t ready for it. He didn’t want the Delarians knowing what he was. The closely guarded secret allowed them to take people by surprise. It was an advantage in what they did, an advantage he wanted to keep.

He’d had plenty of time to think about what Tarnee had asked him—to help her find her parents. He’d do anything to have her stay with him, and helping her find her parents was inconsequential in the overall scheme of things. His crew might not be happy with his decision, but as long as they continued to make credits and stop in at stations regularly, most of them wouldn’t complain.

Maybe if he found her parents for her, she’d be willing to go with him, to live with him on his ship. Maybe she’d be willing to try and make a relationship with him work. The energy source she spoke of shouldn’t be that hard to track down. His ship had the capabilities to search for it. It might even prove to be a lucrative undertaking, a way to sway his men—they were always out to make credits.

If she refused to go with him, well, he’d just have to kidnap her again. Decisions made, Tor’Arr climbed to his feet.

“Are you ready?” he asked Kesh.

“I’ve been ready since they put us in these wretched boxes. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Then let’s go.” Tor’Arr started to shift. His form turned into liquid silver that would allow him to slip through the vent and out to freedom.

* * * *

“Tarnee would you come down to the security offices, please?” The head of security’s face loomed large in the view screen.

“Sure, I’ll come straight down,” I replied.

Three months had passed since the Delarians had returned me to the station. Three
long
months. Not one day passed that I didn’t think of Tor’Arr. Every day that passed, I wondered if he’d managed to escape. I wondered if he thought of me, if he was coming back for me,
hoped
he was coming back for me. But he didn’t come, and time dragged on.

I immersed myself in my studies, which were almost complete. I had a job lined up with the station’s exploration crew. I’d even received a hesitant
maybe
towards my request to return to the planet my parents had been headed for, to take up my father’s research on the energy source he’d found. It hadn’t been an outright
no,
but it also wasn’t a
yes.
I wasn’t giving up hope that I could sway the head of exploration.

Slipping my shoes on, I grabbed my cardigan off the back of my chair and headed out. It was quite a way to the security offices, since they were on the other side of the station. It took me twenty minutes of winding my way through the wide corridors of the station before I reached them.

The doors slid open and I walked into mayhem. Children filled the room—six of them. One, an older boy was sitting looking sullen in the corner. Two little girls were sitting in the middle of the floor, their long dark hair hanging down their backs in waves. A toddler was bouncing on the sofa, and a pre-schooler and a slightly older boy ran circles around the two little girls yelling at the top of their lungs.

I hung back against the door, unsure what to do. I didn’t know why Peter had asked me to come down. He had plenty of people on the station who were better qualified to deal with children than I was. Sure, I had experience dealing with my little cousin, but he was one kid, not six.

The harried receptionist of the security offices spied me over the two children running and said, “I’ll let Peter know you’re here.”

I nodded at her and waited.

The door to Peter’s office slid open a moment later, and a woman and a man walked out.

I stared. I couldn’t help it.

Ten years I’d waited to see those faces again. Ten years I’d looked at the image on my bedside table hoping that one day I’d see them again.

“Mum?”

“Tarnee.”

Tears stung my eyes as I raced across the room dodging little bodies and flew into my mother’s arms. They were here. I couldn’t believe that they were actually here.

Strong arms wrapped around us and I breathed in my father’s familiar scent. He smelled like home. He smelled of safety and security. He smelled of long afternoons sitting together watching holo movies, he smelled of my father. And my mother’s arms felt the same as they had ten years ago.

“How? When did you—How did you—” I couldn’t finish my thoughts, let alone finish my sentences.

“We’ve only just got back. Peter contacted you as soon as he realised it was us and not a bunch of savages,” my father replied to at least one of my questions.

At that moment, my aunt burst in through the door and stopped dead. Just like me, tears filled her eyes before she rushed forward. I stepped aside so she could hug my mother.

A suspicion started to form and I looked at the children closer. A distinct family resemblance started to become obvious. One of the little girls held a startling resemblance to what I’d looked like as a child. We were the spitting image of each other.

“Dad, are these kids all yours?”

A large, warm hand landed on my shoulder, “Yes, Tarnee. Ten years is a long time to be stuck on a planet with no access to sophisticated medicine.”

I spent the rest of my day in a whirlwind of introductions to my brothers and sisters, who all knew of me. Each time I tried to ask my parents how they’d found their way back, they told me they’d tell me later, when all the kids were in bed. Unfortunately, I had to leave for work, the quiet a welcome respite after the millions of questions and the chatter of little girls. Chatter that had suspicions starting to form in my mind as to how my family had found their way back to the station.

News had spread like wildfire around the station and every person I passed on my way to work had something to say to me.

“You must be thrilled,” Angela said as I walked up to the waitress station.

All I could do was nod my head and smile at her.

“Well, there’s not much happening tonight. The couple at table six is almost done. There’s a man at table ten who hasn’t ordered yet, but should be ready to any minute, and the party at table Twelve are waiting on their mains.” She handed me the data pad for our section and started to unwind her apron.

“I heard you got a few brothers and sisters?”

“Yeah, six of them,” I told her.

Her eyes bugged out, “Six?” She gasped.

I nodded, turning towards table ten and the man sitting alone. Long dark hair hung down his back, pushed back from a high-ridged forehead, his white skin shining in the soft lights of the restaurant.

“Are you ready to order?” I asked him when I reached his table.

Swirling silver eyes met mine.

“Hello, little bird.”

Author Note

I hope you enjoyed reading
Silver’s Captive
as much as I enjoyed writing it. I’d love you to leave me a review wherever you purchased a copy or Goodreads.

I’d also love to hear from you. You can connect with me on my blog:
www.leeannwallace.wordpress.com
on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/LeeAnnWallaceAuthor
or you can email me directly at
[email protected]

—Lee-Ann

About the Author

Lee-Ann Wallace started writing stories as a way to give voice to the characters in her head that turned up every time she sat down to read a book. Discovering a passion for writing love stories, she now spends her time listening to the voices instead of trying to ignore them.

Based in Brisbane, Australia, from an early age Lee-Ann knew she wanted to do something creative. She tried her hand at cooking, fashion design and a multitude of handcrafts, before turning to writing.

Her mother’s response of
Read a book
to her complaint of being bored at the age of ten led her to the shelf and her mother’s romances. Her mother’s frustration led her to a passion for love stories that’s yet to abate.

Now the question is should she read or should she write. Throw in some chocolate and a cup of coffee and either option suits her just fine.