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    Shattered Destiny Episode Four
    Shattered Destiny Episode Four
    Shattered Destiny Episode Four
    Ebook168 pages1 hour

    Shattered Destiny Episode Four

    By Odette C. Bell

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    About this ebook

    The entire galaxy is after them. The Empress will rip space apart to track them down. Core's minions still bay for their blood. And the Gap will find a way to push through.
    They may have survived Core's attack, but the forces of destiny are now pitted against them.
    Unless they work together, they will be torn apart. Even together, can they weather the storm ahead?
    ....
    A light-romance sci-fi, Shattered Destiny follows a gritty warrior and a cold prince fighting destiny to find each other one more time. If you love your space operas with action, heart, and a splash of romance, grab Shattered Destiny Episode Four today and soar free with an Odette C. Bell series.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOdette C. Bell
    Release dateJul 2, 2016
    ISBN9781311909657
    Shattered Destiny Episode Four

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      Book preview

      Shattered Destiny Episode Four - Odette C. Bell

      Chapter 1

      Prince Xarin

      She wasn’t awake. I wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Though I would have given anything to speak to her, to confirm she was alright, I wasn’t a fool – Shar would hate me.

      I also appreciated that while we’d defeated Core – or at least defeated his current form in the Arterian tracker – this battle was not over. It hadn’t even begun.

      My first and only priority was to get Shar to safety. Where safety would be, however, was another question. Though I was now within my rights to claim my ship, I had to get there. Which could prove to be impossible. As I ran through the tunnels underneath the sacred mountain, my armor could still pick up the relatively few transmissions strong enough to make it down this far. And they all confirmed one fact – practically the entire world was looking for me. From the Empress to the Crown Prince to my own mother – it would be almost impossible to make it off this planet.

      But I had to. In secret. I had to keep Shar from them. I had to keep her safe no matter what.

      A few times she shifted, jerked, her human body spasming as her muscles continued to process her horrendous fight with Core.

      Core….

      That part of me that had connected to my past self recoiled at that name. Couldn’t believe that Core still existed. Illuminate Hart had given up everything to destroy Core, and yet the monster had not been stopped.

      I knew my face was as pale as an ice moon, could appreciate my expression was as crumpled and terrified as any I had ever shown.

      But that expression – everything – changed the second she made a noise.

      I buckled, the remnants of my powerful armor doing what they could to keep me steady as I jolted around, placed Shar tenderly on the ground, and locked a hand over her pale, pale cheek.

      At first she simply thrashed her head from side to side as if she were battling some nightmare. Then, finally, she opened her eyes.

      And she looked into mine. For a second – for half a blessed second – she smiled. Her usually stern expression lit up as if somebody had hidden a sun behind her eyes. Then that sweet warmth was burnt up as she jolted backward.

      I shifted forward, keeping a hand locked on her shoulder. Don’t make any sudden movements, I begged, incapable of keeping the vulnerable edge from my tone. You’ll hurt yourself.

      She parted her lips back and snarled. Though the move was unquestionably strong, unquestionably bitter, some part of me wanted to believe that right at the edge was that same tenderness. That she couldn’t possibly hate me as much as her fiery gaze promised.

      Though my instinct was to push forward and help her up, the hardened, determined edge to her glare did not waver.

      With an agonizing groan that probably caused me more pain than it did her, she finally wrestled her crumpled, half broken body into a seated position.

      I was pressed forward, both hands ready to grab her – wanting to grab her but waiting to see if she would fall.

      Shar, it’s me. Xarin. Your betrothed—

      Don’t say it, she spat, lips jerking hard around the word but not as hard as the fiery, righteous glare she shot me. You lost the right to say that word.

      … A part of me… a part of me crumpled. Withered and died. All that hope, all that jubilation at finding my betrothed after all these years, of rescuing her – none of it could survive the fire of her glare.

      Maybe she registered the total gut-wrenching shock that shuddered through my gaze, maybe it had an effect on her – but it was only for half a second. She tilted her head down and took a solid, almost violent swallow that saw her throat push hard against the collar of her exoskeleton.

      Shar, I tried, my tone so weak it was barely more than a hushed whisper, I admit, I made a mistake. I had no idea who you were. If I could turn back time, if I could go back to that moment, I would have chosen you, not Princess Arteria.

      I was so used to Shar’s expression showing nothing more than controlled anger. Now it cracked. A brief moment of hesitant vulnerability flickered in her eyes, but she shook her head and clenched her teeth so hard I thought the muscles down her neck would snap. I don’t care if you want to turn back time. You can’t. You chose Arteria, married her. Now you live with your decisions. Shar tried to push to her feet. She couldn’t. Despite the fact the exoskeleton should be shoring up her stance, offering her more stability than her fatigued muscles could, it wasn’t enough. She fell backward.

      I was there, one arm around her middle, the other pushing in close against her back.…

      It felt so right. So impossibly right to embrace her. My mind couldn’t even process the sensation. But the sensation didn’t last. With a strange shudder and an even stranger breathless grasp, Shar pulled back. Though she couldn’t stand, she shuffled forward, locking her armored fingers on the smooth carved floor of the mountain tunnels.

      Again I was behind her, reaching a hand out, ready should she fall. But it was becoming crushingly clear that even if she fell, she would accept no assistance from me.

      I was in a precarious situation. I still had to get her out of here, find some means of escaping the homeworld, and then… then….

      I turned my attention back to Shar. I would be an idiot not to acknowledge the longing call that whispered through my heart. It wasn’t just for intimacy. It was the same sense of belonging I’d felt upon channeling my past self, Illuminate Hart. The same sense of belonging he’d had his whole life – the exhilaration and confidence he’d been gifted the day he discovered his true betrothed. It was a glorious sense I was now being denied. Denied, because I’d chosen the wrong woman.

      Shar kept concentrating on standing, and before I knew it, she found the strength and coordination from somewhere to walk a hand up the wall and pull herself upright.

      I accompanied her, both hands still held out.

      She didn’t need me. And as she turned and flashed me that hardened gaze once more, I realized she’d never need me.

      Just before that thought could crush me completely, another rose up to engulf it. She’d screamed my name when Core had attacked me. She’d come to my aid. Somewhere in there, somewhere was hope.

      Maybe she appreciated what I was thinking, maybe it played through my gaze – because she took another almost violent swallow and yanked her head around so quickly, she hissed in pain.

      I watched her gaze settle on the tunnel around us. Her lips pressed into a distinct frown. Where are we? Are we still on the Arterian homeworld?

      Yes. You only blacked out for 10 minutes or so. But that’s irrelevant. The only thing that matters now is getting off world. Reluctantly I pulled my gaze off her and nodded forward.

      Off world? Why?

      I briefly considered not telling her. I briefly considered protecting her from the truth. The truth that I was only one man, and despite my inheritance, I couldn’t fight every force in the galaxy.

      She growled, the sound of it so distinctive and powerful it charged up my back and sank hard into the center of my chest.

      Tell me, Xarin, she demanded in a strident tone.

      You were kidnapped by the Empress’ own trackers. The only reason I can think of is that the Empress knows who you are – that you’re my betrothed. I couldn’t control my voice. Didn’t want to. Why hide how vulnerable she made me? I’d made an art of hiding my true feelings my entire life, but in front of her, I couldn’t see the point.

      Perhaps a flicker of compassion crossed through her at the sight of my distress, but she yanked her head to the side quickly, hiding it from view.

      She took a few seconds to calm her nerves before continuing. I overheard the trackers talking. They said the Empress wanted me for some kind of ritual. That she intended to kill me in a specific way.

      Though everything Shar had done up until now told me she couldn’t trust me, that changed as she looked at me. Questioningly. Hopefully.

      I considered her, resisting the urge to reach out a hand and brush it tenderly along her cheek.

      Then what she was saying struck me.

      I frowned. This was further confirmation that the Empress already knew who Shar was to me.

      It took barely five seconds until Shar growled once more. I already told you, Xarin, don’t hold anything back from me.

      I nodded slowly. It’s my belief that the Empress knows who you are.

      And why would she want to kill me? Shar’s eyes were so wide I could see how pulled the skin around her cheeks and brow became.

      Because of my inheritance.

      Inheritance?

      Shar, though this is something we need to discuss, we must also get out of here. Allow me to pick you up—

      No, Xarin, she bellowed, you tell me now.

      Fire. Wildfire. That was the only way to describe Shar.

      And yet, though her anger should terrify me, it didn’t.

      I nodded once, slowly. I am set to inherit the most powerful ship in existence.

      It sounded ridiculous – the way I described it made it seem fanciful.

      Shar’s nose crumpled with incredulity. But when I steadily held her gaze, she frowned. What the hell do you mean the most powerful ship in existence?

      It comes from my past self, an Illuminate known as—

      Hart, she filled in. And as she did, I saw it once more, that tenderness. That beautiful light and warmth she’d let shine upon waking up.

      It didn’t last. Couldn’t. Her brow crumpled into a line as she saw me staring at her.

      I cleared my throat. I nodded. Yes, Illuminate Hart. As I am his reincarnated form, upon finding my betrothed, I shall inherit all technology that has been claimed in his name.

      So you cannot claim this ship until you— She stopped speaking abruptly.

      I could have pretended not to know what she was speaking about. I knew. I knew because her gaze suddenly became searching. Exposed, yet curious. It was such a potent mix that my gut clenched with expectation.

      I shifted forward, but stopped,

      I looked down at my hands. Shar—

      You married Princess Arteria. You wanted her to be your betrothed.

      My eyes drew wide. How did you know?

      Her expression crumpled. No, it cracked. Any hint of vulnerability was washed away in gut-pounding anger.

      I suddenly realized what I’d just said. I shook my head so quickly my armor gave me a warning that I could snap my neck. No. That’s not what I meant. I never wanted Arteria to be my betrothed. She has always been manipulating me—

      So why did you marry her? Shar spat.

      To access my inheritance. Slowly, as slowly as I could, I tilted my head up and stared at Shar. I only married her to access my inheritance. I thought it would be the only chance I had of saving you. Princess Arteria means nothing to me. I won’t lie, there was a time when I wanted her to mean something to me. But I was a blind fool. I now know where my priorities lie. Where they should have always lain.

      Perhaps she thought her expression was strong. Perhaps she thought she was giving nothing away. But her eyes were pressed far too wide open. Her breath was stuck, lodged in her chest. And her attention, in all its fiery wonder, was riveted on me.

      Shar, you need to believe me— I began. I suddenly stopped.

      We both jerked around as the unmistakable sound of frantic footfall echoed and shook down the hall.

      Shar reacted first. She twisted around, somehow finding the strength to fight past the fatigue that had rocked her on her feet only moments ago. Before I knew what she was doing – and probably before she knew what she was doing – she jerked a hand out, locked it on my arm, and yanked me forward.

      That touch, and simple promise it held, ignited my own determination. We need to get out of here. We can’t trust anyone on the homeworld.

      I let her pull me along. Though I could have run myself, I wouldn’t have broken her grip for the world – for it was my world. My life, which had once been filled with so many riches and so much privilege, had just been cut down. Now there was only her. And it did not matter.

      "Can’t we

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