Sons of Lyra: Slave Princess by Felicity Heaton Read Free Book Online Page B

he’d
neglected to mention he had a guest with him.

    More than a
guest.

    He smiled at the feel of
her hand in his and how close behind him she was, using him as a
shield from this unfamiliar world. He squeezed her hand and looked
over his shoulder at her. When he saw how worried she looked, he
stopped and frowned at her.

    “ There is
nothing to fear here,” he said and smiled when she nodded but none
of the anxiety in the eyes disappeared. She could nod all she
wanted and pretend that she was alright, but he could see straight
through her. Her eyes told him everything she really
felt.

    She glanced back towards
the ship and the crew that were unloading it, and then past him
towards his brother where he stood at the end of the gangway, a
lone figure in the arched opening of the building.

    “ He will not
harm you... no harm will come to you here. I will not let them
touch you.” He squeezed her hand again to get her attention. The
worry in her eyes melted away enough for him to see that his words
had had the desired effect. “Come.”

    He walked towards his
brother, never relinquishing her hand, not even when he stopped in
front of him. His brother gave a brief glance at their joined hands
and then looked at her.

    “ We did not
expect you to have company,” Sebastian said, giving her a curious
look.

    “ This is Kayla.
She is the reason I have returned early,” he said and looked around
him at the empty port. “Are our parents at home?”

    “ They are
always at home,” Sebastian said with a smile. He nodded in
agreement with his brother. His parents rarely left the
palace.

    His stomach turned with
nerves and he swallowed hard. It was the right thing to do for
Kayla. His parents would put up a fight about his idea, but in the
end they would relent and he would get his way. He always
did.

    “ I must speak
with them.” He noticed his brother’s gaze drift back to Kayla.
There was a glimmer of something in his eyes. It was either deep
curiosity or surprise. Had his brother figured out why he’d brought
her here?

    Sebastian’s eyes shifted
to Kayla’s ear and then his own. “A translator? Where is she
from?”

    He hesitated a moment,
unsure how his brother would react to the news that she was a
Terran.

    Kayla stepped past him,
squaring up to his brother with so much confidence that he was
surprised.

    “ I have no
home... since Lyra destroyed it. I am Terran.” Her head cocked to
one side, her eyes narrowing on his brother. She released his hand,
standing firm and planting her hands on her hips in a show of
confidence and defiance.

    Sebastian’s dark brows
rose and he looked at him.

    Balt nodded in
confirmation. “She is Terran and wears a mark to prove
it.”

    “ Marked?”
Sebastian said with another curious glance at her. “I do not want
to know how it is you came to have her onboard your ship or came to
see this mark.”

    “ It’s on the
back of my neck,” Kayla said and Balt cringed when her look turned
mischievous. “As for how I came to be onboard his ship... he
happened to be given me as a gift from a Sekarian trader on a
backwater space port.”

    Sebastian’s eyes widened
in horror.

    “ She’s joking,”
Balt said and Kayla glared at him. “There’s a little truth...
just... don’t tell our parents.”

    Sebastian shook his head
and started laughing. “Whatever you say, little
brother.”

    Balt grabbed Kayla’s arm
and dragged her along with him as he walked towards the palace. It
towered above him, gleaming white and gold in the strong Lyran sun.
The rich blue sky above was the perfect backdrop to such a
beautiful image as his family’s home. The spires around the domes
reached towards it, higher and higher, as though they could touch
it if they stretched a little more. He walked out of the port
building onto the wide balcony in front of the palace and was
forced to stop when Kayla did. He looked at her. Her emerald eyes
were wide and her mouth was open as she stared