Page 33 of Draevan

She began playing another song, letting her fingers move instinctively over the strings while she hummed softly along with the tune. She became so absorbed in playing that she didn’t realize how much time had passed until she glanced at the clock.

Nearly two hours.

Meela would probably wake up soon. The baby usually just took an hour-long nap in the morning, but she’d stayed up a bit later than usual the night prior, so she probably needed some extra rest.

With a soft sigh, Cora set the guitar on its stand and stood up to stretch her legs. She glanced down at the manuscript paper that was filled with music notes and the notebook that was filled with lyrics. Perhaps once her piano arrived, she would finally be inspired to finish one of her new songs and start recording.

That thought made her smile.

As she moved toward the door, she heard a noise. She froze. It had come from somewhere down the hallway. A creak in the floorboards. A footstep.

Had Draevan returned early?

She glanced at her wrist comm. The security feature usually sent her a notification when someone walked through the door, but she saw no notifications whatsoever. How strange. Not even a news or weather update. Was the wrist comm malfunctioning?

Before she had a chance to investigate further, she heard another noise. Another footstep. She swallowed hard. Apprehension rippled through her, a cold foreboding that told her something was wrong.

It couldn’t be Meela walking down the hallway. The baby was still learning how to walk, and even so, her crib was designed in such a way that she wouldn’t be able to crawl out of it.

Maybe Cora was just being silly. Surely there was no danger. There was a protective shield around New Vaxx, and Starzzia was a safe city.

“Draevan?” She cracked the door open and peered into the hallway. “Draevan?” she called again, but there was no answer.

She stepped into the hallway and walked slowly toward the stairs, listening carefully. Another sound came from around the corner of the hallway behind her, and she spun around, her heart in her throat, her pulse hammering wildly in her ears.

“Draevan?” she whispered.

No one answered, but she heard another creak, another footstep. And then, heavy breathing. She covered her mouth to keep from gasping. Something was definitely wrong. Draevan could be playful at times, but he would never play such a cruel prank on her. He wasn’t the type of male to scare her and laugh about it.

Her insides turned to ice.

Someone else was in the house.

She prayed it was only a neighbor come to borrow something. Maybe they’d rung the doorbell, but she’d been so absorbed in her music that she hadn’t heard it. And maybe they’d come inside to check on her.

But that didn’t explain why they were lurking around the corner, remaining eerily quiet when she called out for Draevan.

Then a familiar human man stepped around the corner.

Her heart stopped.

It was him.

Her stalker. M.

For one terrible moment, she couldn’t breathe.

They stared at one another for a few seconds, neither of them speaking. M’s eyes blazed with excitement, as though he couldn’t believe he’d finally found her.

She couldn’t believe it either.

How the hell had he made it to New Vaxx?

All the fear she’d endured during the years he’d sent her threatening letters returned. She trembled as she recalled the time he’d tased her bodyguards and nearly kidnapped her in Vegas. And the advertisement drones that had flown by her penthouse windows with his creepy message… well, she’d been so afraid of him then that she’d signed up for the VAMOB program so she could get the hell off Earth.

She honestly never thought he could follow her to New Vaxx, and now she regretted keeping this secret from Draevan, a secret she’d kept because she’d worried he might restrict her freedoms if he thought she might be in danger. She’d also worried that Draevan might go to Earth to hunt M down. The alien warrior was rather possessive and protective of her, and he had a dark, violent side that seemed to emerge when he was faced with an enemy.

“No,” she whispered as she stared at her stalker. “No.”