Rogue Mate, page 21
part #1 of Rogue Star Series
“This is none of your business,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Nope, it isn’t. I don’t want to know about it. I don’t care about it. But you really should find somewhere else to finish your screaming match,” I replied.
“Do you think we’re idiots? We have a howler with us,” the blonde smugly fished a small black device from her pocket.
I hated those damn things. They emitted a high-pitched sound above the threshold of human hearing. It was meant to repel the creatures that stalked the forest, but I always thought it was a scam.
First of all, the people living in the cities and towns hardly knew anything about the creatures that lived out here in the forest. Second, how would anyone know for a fact that a howler was working? No one could hear it.
“Yes, I do think you’re idiots if you think that carrying a howler into the middle of aramirion territory during nesting season is a good idea,” I snapped, fighting the urge to give the blonde a smug smile. “If they can hear that thing, you’re screwed.”
The dark-haired woman paled as she put her hand on the blonde’s shoulder. The blonde stiffened at her touch.
“Leena, is that true?” the dark-haired woman whispered. Her eyes, the same color as the blonde’s, nervously scanned the surrounding forest.
“How the hell would I know, Mariella? You’re the one who moved all the way out to the middle of freaking nowhere!” the blonde, Leena, grumbled.
I turned to leave. Obviously, they had no intention of listening to me. Perhaps the dark-haired one, Mariella, might have seen reason, but Leena had some sort of chip on her shoulder—a chip the size of a damn ravine.
Fine. Whatever. They were adults.
I’d tried my best to warn them. It’s not my fault if they chose not to listen to me.
What would I know, right? I’ve only been living out here for fifteen years. They would come to their senses and leave, or they would keep at it until one beast or another silenced them.
Either way, I got my forest and my silence back.
I could still feel their flurries of emotion as I marched through the undergrowth. If I was going to find another sorvuc to fill my vial, I needed to concentrate, but I couldn’t do that with the feelings of two idiots in my head. I should turn back, try even harder to get them to leave.
A horrible screech unlike anything I had ever heard tore through the air. The sheer force of it drove me to my knees.
I tried to protect my ears with my hands, but it was useless. My vision blurred, stars danced behind my eyelids. I could practically feel my brain thrashing, desperate to escape that terrible sound.
Those idiots either did something to their howler, or the damn thing was malfunctioning. That had to be it.
As soon as I could get back on my feet, I staggered back to the clearing where I’d left the arguing pair. I would tear their stupid howler apart with my bare hands if I had to—anything to stop the noise.
“What the hell did you do?” I yelled.
Again, they didn’t notice me when I entered the clearing, but, this time, they weren’t distracted by an argument.
They stood side by side, looking up at the sky. Their faces were pale and their mouths were open in terror and confusion. I followed their gaze.
A jagged scar of pitch marred the once pristine stretch of endless blue.
The sky, my sky, had been torn open.
There was a beat of silence as if the whole planet had drawn in a collective breath of shock.
Then the forest erupted into chaos.
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About the Author
I love old movies – To Catch a Thief, Notorious, All About Eve — and anything with Katherine Hepburn in it. Clever, elegant people doing clever, elegant things.
I’m a hopeless romantic.
And I love science fiction and the promise of space.
So it makes perfect sense to me to try to merge all of those loves into a new science fiction world, where dashing heroes and lovely ladies have adventures, get into trouble, and find their true love in the stars!
Copyright © 2019 by Elin Wyn
All rights reserved. These books or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.
Elin Wyn, Rogue Mate
