Read Sons of Lyra: Stranded for Free Online Page B

he
frowned when there was a commotion behind him.

    Turning, he dropped his
bride’s hand and brought his hand up to shield his eyes as wind
blasted against him. The high tinny whine of forward thrusters made
him instinctively brace himself. The flowers hit the floor, their
vases smashing on contact with the flagstones. The guests screamed
and scattered. His future wife clung to his arm and he shook her
off, his eyes scouring the heavens for a sign of the
ship.

    His heart leapt into his
mouth, hammering in his throat and making him feel sick.

    The fighter descended,
sending another rush of warm wind towards him and causing his bride
to fall to the floor with a squeal. He didn’t move to help her. He
couldn’t take his eyes off the ship.

    The front cargo bay doors
opened and the ramp descended.

    The ship hovered in front
of him, casting a wide shadow over the shrieking guests and filling
half the square.

    The
Nephis-Lyra.

    He couldn’t believe
it.

    Stella appeared on the
ramp, her cheeks flushed and a smile shining in her eyes. There was
something else there too. Fear.

    “ I fixed the
ship,” she shouted over the engines, her voice shaking enough for
him to hear it. “I’ve come to take you away from a future you want
no part of to one I hope you do.”

    He smiled and then ducked
as the guards arrived and started firing on the ship. Stella backed
into the ship for cover. He shouted at the guards to cease fire but
they ignored him. Anger bolted through him at Stella being fired
upon as though she was the enemy. He had to protect her. He’d made
a silent promise to himself that he would. He couldn’t let anything
happen to her. His gaze shot to his family and then to her, and
then back again. He looked at Balt. His brother nodded and smiled.
Had he had something to do with this? Only their parents looked
angry.

    By Iskara’s wings, he
wasn’t going to let a second chance with her slip through his
fingers. He’d said that he’d give up everything just to be with her
and here she was coming to rescue him just as she’d said she
would.

    The guards closed in,
hollering orders to each other.

    He ran, leapt and grabbed
Stella’s hand as she reached out to him.

    She hauled him up and then
ran inside. The guards backed away, evidently not eager to fire on
royalty. He looked down at his family and his bride.

    “ I’m sorry...
but I’ve already found the only woman I want,” he said to his
family.

    His mother stood, pushed
her light brown hair from her face, struggling as the wind from the
thrusters blew it around, and scowled at him. “Get back down here
right now and finish this wedding!”

    His father took hold of
her arm, restraining her. His grey hair danced around in the
wind.

    “ There will be
a wedding within a year,” his father said to his mother and then
looked at him. “I guarantee it.”

    “ But who is
she? Who is her family?”

    Acer turned away, not
needing to hear any more. He would bring his mother a wedding
within the year if his family would accept him back and accept
Stella for who she was. He didn’t care that she wasn’t of royal
blood or from a distinguished family. He loved her.

    He closed the cargo doors
and went up to the bridge to find her.

    Walking onto the bridge
had never felt so exciting. He slid into the co-pilot’s seat beside
her and strapped himself in. She shot him a wide smile that reached
her eyes, turned the ship, and blasted out of the
atmosphere.

    He smiled when dark deep
space greeted him. He’d never felt so free.

    “ Where are we
going?” he said.

    Stella eased the ship past
the defence satellites and out into open space. She leaned back
into her seat and looked over at him. He was smiling broadly. She’d
never seen him look so happy. She grinned at him, happy
too.

    “ I still have
shore leave,” she said. “I was thinking we could swap my
reservation on Lyra Six for Vega Three. It’s a good distance away
and no one will recognise us