Freedom (Delroi Prophecy) by Loribelle Hunt Read Free Book Online Page A

was while she rarely let anyone get close to her, she was an extrovert. She liked people. She enjoyed company. And she’d never admit it to Roarr, but she’d been craving interaction with some of the people she’d soon be living with. Besides, it was time she got some answers.
    He led her to a section of the ship that had been barred from her on her explorations. “The ship’s bridge and senior officer quarters are here,” he told her as if he knew she’d wondered why. Hell, he probably did. She thought she’d rebuilt her shields, but when he looked her she wasn’t so sure.
    They entered a comfortable dining room. There was a table that sat eight, but the other two couples lingered at the expanse of glass overlooking space. It wasn’t the vast expanse of black emptiness she’d grown accustomed to. A star was visible in the distance and a blue planet was much closer. It looked huge and swollen.
    “We’re in your solar system,” she guessed.
    “ Yes,” he said, setting his palm on her lower back and steering her forward.
    The waiting group turned to greet them. She’d met the commander and his first lieutenant, both tall severe Delroi warriors. She was surprised at the tender, almost reverent look that came over the captain’s face when he turned to his mate, however. The woman said hello softly, stilted, and Kareena read her reserve as shyness not timidity. She smiled back at the younger woman, hoping to put her at ease. The other woman she’d met when she arrived, the healer who’d treated Janice. She assessed Kareena with a bold, friendly gaze before offering her hand. Kareena liked her instantly. They all sat at the table and Roarr handed her a glass of blue wine. She savored it a minute before Erika, the healer, spoke.
    “So Kareena, what do you do on Earth?”
    She froze until Roarr’s mind surround her with warmth and reassurance, then a slight pressure. A request for entrance. She let her own open to him.
    “They know you were a prisoner we liberated. Nothing more.”
    “ And no one objects to my being here? I could be an axe murderer for all y’all know.”
    His reply was heavy with sensual amusement. “Are you, baby? Perhaps I should keep you tied up in bed then. For my own safety, of course.”
    “ I’m not amused.”
    “ Hmm, maybe not. But you are turned on.”
    “ I’m a self defense instructor. Well, I was,” she spoke aloud, desperate to banish his voice, the images he shared with her mentally.
    For a moment, disapproval swamped her and again Roarr’s warmth surrounded her, rescued her. “Perhaps you will be again, Kareena.” His voice was clear and concise, almost a rebuke against the other men at the table.
    The commander’s eyes registered surprise then understanding. “I forget you’re from the Keep,” he said.
    “ The Keep?” she asked.
    “ You would call it the capital city of my clan. I have a few things to settle in Saber City, but we’ll journey to the Keep as soon as possible.”
    That surprised her and he brushed a finger over her scowl. “What?”
    “ I assumed you would take us to Laney Bradford.”
    “ Why would you think that?”
    “ You know I have no intention of giving you up,” he admonished mentally.
    She knew he didn’t want to, but she had expected others to have more say in what happened once they arrived. If she wasn’t so surprised, she would have given him a non-response. She didn’t know any of these people. She had no idea who to trust.
    “As far as political prisoners go, I’m pretty valuable. There are a lot of people on Earth who’d pay a fortune for me.” Sadly, that wasn’t an exaggeration.
    “ What, angel? You don’t trust me to protect you?” He looked amused more than insulted though. “You aren’t our prisoner.”
    She hadn’t believed that before. Not really. She wasn’t sure if she believed it now. She’d figured asylum would just be another form of captivity, kinder perhaps, but the same thing in the