Read Guardian of the Storm for Free Online Page B

from the crown of its head to the tip of its tail stood straight up, making the small animal seem suddenly twice its size.
    Tempest stared at it in amazement. For several moments she wondered if it actually had doubled in size. As it growled threateningly at Kiran, however, and she saw the bunching of its muscles that indicated it was about to leap toward him, she strode briskly toward it and popped it on top of its head. “Stop that!”
    The grat jumped, cringing away from her, its head whipping in her direction. It stared up at her indignantly for several moments and then, to her surprise, trotted off a short distance and flattened itself against the rock, its bushy tail slapping angrily against the rock as it divided its attention between Kiran and Tempest.
    Kiran, she saw when she looked at him once more, was studying her with a mixture of disapproval, surprise, and something else she couldn’t quite identify.
    “Why did you leave?” he asked finally, both anger and confusion in his voice.
    Tempest looked away. “Because I didn’t want to go back and I knew you would make me if I stayed.”
    “You are a stubborn female.”
    Tempest looked at him indignantly. She wasn’t appeased in the least by the faint smile that now played around his mouth, but it made her heart flutter strangely and the muscles in her belly clench. “Because what I want is not the same as what you want? Or because I’m just as determined to do what I want to do as you are?”
    He frowned, the amusement in his eyes dying. “Life is not always a matter of simply deciding what one wants for one’s self,” he said harshly. “I did not dismiss your needs only because I wished it. I have been given a task, which is vital to all of Niah. It is mine by right of birth, and a great honor to be chosen. It is a destiny I wish to fulfill, but not one that I chose. The prophesy unfolds, and I must follow my destiny for the good of all.”
    Tempest was skeptical and made no attempt to hide it. She didn’t doubt for a moment that Kiran believed what he’d told her, or that he was a capable warrior, but he was only one man, after all, no matter how great a warrior he might be. How could one man do anything that would effect the whole world?
    Kiran flushed angrily at her expression. “I know you do not understand. You are a child of the stars. You do not understand our ways or our beliefs.”
    The comment irritated Tempest. “You didn’t seem to think of me as a child the other night. Or was that something else I felt nosing around my backside?”
    Kiran stared at her hard, his color slowly darkening. It was obvious from his expression that he was more than a little tempted to pretend he had no idea what she was talking about. After a moment, however, a hint of amusement gleamed in his eyes. “A serpent has no mind and can not consider its actions. It does not always obey my commands. It acts solely upon instinct, seeking a warm, dark place in which to hide.”
    From what she knew about the male of her own species which, granted, wasn’t much, it was an honest answer—insulting, but true. Apparently, men were men, whatever part of the universe they hailed from.
    There was nothing in his expression to suggest that he’d said it to be nasty. It was still a low blow, whether intentional or not, and one she would’ve liked to dispute. Unfortunately, her experience with the male of the species was virtually nil. There had been a painfully brief period of time when she had attained an age where she had begun to see boys in a new light, when she had made awkward attempts to gain their attention by flirting. With impatience and excitement, she had looked forward to the time when her parents considered her old enough to begin to experiment with her sexuality in her search for a compatible male to share her domicile.
    The sickness that spread through the colony like wildfire had changed all that. It had banished all thoughts from everyone’s minds except