AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He gave a slight bow subconsciously and then stood up straight, which confirmed his royal lineage even more than a crown.
“We haven’t had any ransom demands, which makes me fear for the worst. If they’re using her as a bargaining chip to extort the royal family of Lorr, that’s the best-case scenario.” The Lorr’s voice grew shaky and louder, and his violet face flushed. “If she’s a vehicle for revenge, it seems like yet another provocation for an all-out war. But right now, all that matters is getting her back safely.”
“Understandably so.” Tinsley debated whether she was ready to offer her help yet because once she said it, there was no taking it back. “It’s a terrifying feeling when someone you love is in danger. Are you close?”
“I come from a large family. Close is relative. Maraliza holds a special place, though. In a line with many brothers, she’s the only sister we have. We’ve always been protective of her.”
“Maraliza. Reminds me of Lara’s name. And what’s yours? What do I call you?” she asked, looking up into the Lorr’s eyes. “Not Your Royal Highness, surely.”
He smiled a little. “Just plain Dante Lorrz,” he answered. “And you?”
“Tinsley Adams,” she said with a smile as she lowered her head and looked up. Each of them held out their hands, fingers splayed and palms pressed together in greeting.
His soft, warm skin sent a small jolt of electricity rushing through her as their hands touched. The feeling lingered even after they each pulled their hands away, and it left her feeling more sure than ever that she wanted to help him. Not just for his sister, and not because something about him drew her in to want to come even closer. But in honor of Lara, who she wasn’t able to save.
“How old is your sister?” Tinsley asked, hoping she was old enough to have a shot at holding her own against creatures as vicious as the Jorvlens.
“She’s only twenty-one.”
Tinsley’s heart froze again. That was the age her sister had been when she was killed. She no longer had any doubt about it. She was going to help find Maraliza.
It was the right thing to do, and besides, it beat delivering mail any day.
Chapter 4
“You want to come with me?” Dante spoke the words slowly, as if he couldn’t understand her words.
“I want to help,” Tinsley replied. “We can take my ship.”
“I would prefer to take mine.”
“That may be so, but mine is ready to go now. I was just going to leave anyway.”
Dante looked her over. She was staring at him intently. Her copper eyes were beautiful, he realized, but it was more than that. The way they pierced him made him feel she could see him for who he really was, and not just an empty vessel whose sole purpose was to bear a coat of arms. Or as the middle child in a crowded line that got lost in the mass of his family.
“Think about it,” she said. “It’s kind of fate. I mean, you could have gotten on any wrong ship, but you got on mine. We were meant to go on this mission together.”
He didn’t mention how he’d had fate on his mind earlier with his storming out of the hall putting him in a position to find his sister. It also didn’t escape his attention that bringing her home safely could be an opportunity to earn the approval he so craved from his family.
Now, though, he had fate on his mind for another reason. Something about her from the start had affected him in a way that he’d felt with no one else before, but the possible significance clicked into place when he heard the word in Tinsley’s voice. When she just said the word “fate,” he did a double take because he heard “fated mates” at first, and he couldn’t shake the thought.
“Okay,” he said. “Get us in the queue for liftoff.”
She connected with launch control to share information about the ship.
“Great!” Tinsley said. “We’re thirty-seventh. Not bad.”
Dante groaned.
“Well, at least that gives us some time to do other things. Like shower—I’m filthy. Where are your water facilities?” he said.
“Down the hall on the right,” she replied. “Hey, where are we going anyway? We’ll need to share with launch control before they give us clearance to leave.”
“To be determined.”
On his way to the shower, he punched in the code for the secure channel, and he asked launch control to move the ship up in the queue.
“Put us fifth,” he said.
