Tearing the Sky Read online

  She left Earth to survive as a labourer, but things changed, and she was swept up in finding a new life that made her old one look like purgatory.

  Getting herself and her sister through the end of the world would have been a lot easier if Lily hadn’t been at her high school reunion. Taking care of over a dozen whining women had grated on her nerves. Getting to the rescue vessels had been a relief.

  Iris breezed through the training and learned as many languages as possible. She made some friends outside her collected group, but none of that meant anything when she was bundled into a sleeping pod and launched into space with the rest.

  She woke up with her sister nearby, and the rest of her arrival day went in a blur. There was a rushed landing, a sandstorm, and then a man, who smelled like summer, rescued her from the new world that was trying to kill her.

  She was given a few scans, and he insisted she gets medical treatment for old injuries. Time went by, and when she was discharged from the med centre, she had an interesting diagnosis for her current status. She was a companion class Terran, and Yavor was a Hmrain in search of a companion. It was like he had this planned all along.

  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Tearing the Sky

  Copyright © 2022 by Viola Grace

  ISBN: 978-1-990635-17-5

  ©Cover art by Angela Waters

  All rights reserved. With the exception of review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the express permission of the publisher.

  Published by Viola Grace

  Look for me online at violagrace.com.

  Tearing the Sky

  Shattered Stars Book 11

  By

  Viola Grace

  Chapter One

  “They told us to stay in the shuttle!” Iris yelled at her teacher over the roar of the wind. The sandstorm was coming up on them quickly. The two-hundred-foot walls of the stronghold loomed ahead of them, but it was over a kilometre away, and they weren’t going to make it before the sand tore them apart.

  “We can make it.” Madame Wellington huffed.

  Iris looked behind her, grabbed Ally around the back, and hauled her toward the gate with her cloak flapping wildly. Ally looked behind them and screamed, locking up.

  Iris cursed and yelled, “Keep going, you idiot! I have a plan.”

  A few of the faster girls had already reached the gate and jumped through a small hole in the tremendous wall.

  Iris listened to the wind getting louder, and when the sand started to sting them, she pulled Ally down and yelled, “Cup your hands over your face to filter the sand. I am going to be on top of you. Don’t let the sand get into your nose and mouth. Use your tunic if you have to.”

  Ally whimpered. Iris tucked her cloak around them and held onto Ally as the wind roared and screamed around them. Based on projections, they were in for twenty minutes of hell. She pulled her tunic up and over her head and focused on breathing. Breathing was everything.

  * * * *

  Yavor looked at the Namu, the head of the city guard. “What do you mean they left their shuttle?”

  “We have most of them inside, but the stragglers are out and facing the storm.”

  “Why did I offer to host these idiots?”

  “They are all female and compatible with us Vor.” Namu smiled.

  “But, they are stupid if they are facing the storms.”

  “Yeah, but from the ones I have seen come in through the hatch, they are a very attractive species.”

  Yavor nodded and flexed his wings, looking back at his flight warriors. They got onto their storm riders, and he powered upward. Time to find the new citizens of Avor.

  * * * *

  Iris sang to Ally to keep her spirits up as well as keep her breathing going. There was a thud that was nearly lost in the roaring and then more, and the wind stopped pushing.

  A hand pulled her upright, and she kept her grip on Ally so they both came out of the sand in one move.

  She heard the alien speech and swallowed when someone pulled her in close and said, “My, my. I have never found this in the sand before.”

  “Thank you for your assistance, sir. Ally is not fast.”

  “Oh, you have sand in your eyes. Let go of your little friend.”

  Ally shrieked and shook her head. “No. I don’t want her to.” Ally had shouted in English.

  Iris dropped her and lightly brushed the sand away before something super-soft and silky took over the job.

  What felt like wide, soft fingers were stroking her features. Soft breath blew over her cheekbones and eyelids, and when the male voice whispered, “There you are. All clear.”

  Iris blinked, slowly opened her eyes, and found herself way too close to a Hmrain. He was still holding her like a kitten at the scruff of her neck.

  Dark blue skin, black mask, and markings on his face were accented by the woven marks that denoted his name in ancient Hmrain script. His torso was covered in leather strapping and two huge black angel-type wings, one of which was caressing her cheek with the feathers of one edge.

  “Lord Yavor, we apologize for the effort you had to engage in to retrieve us.”

  “Oh, you are a quick thing.”

  Iris growled at being called a thing.

  He laughed. “You know who I am?”

  Ally was pulling at her and crying.

  “Uh, yes, my lord. I do.” She tried to brace herself on Ally, but the tugging continued pulling her down.

  “Your young friend is panicked.”

  “She is not my friend, my lord, and panicked is her natural state.” The cloak started to strangle her, and she reached up to grip his wrist to hold herself up.

  When she touched his arm, she heard a gasp, and she looked around to see that they weren’t alone. Women in uniform were standing in front of huge eagles that had their wings outstretched to hold back the storm. Each of the riders had short-cropped hair. The women were all staring at her. They were staring at her hand on his wrist.

  “Don’t worry, little new arrival. We are leaving. You. Crying woman. Go to the woman with the blue lacing on her tunic.”

  Ally clung to Iris and sobbed. Iris finally whispered, “Go, Ally. We aren’t going to get out of here, and I don’t know how long those birds can hold the storm. I am not going to die because of your attachment issues.”

  Ally blinked and straightened. “You’re mean.”

  “And you’re twenty-eight. Go. Get on the bird, so we can get out of here.” When Ally turned, Iris let her grip relax and gave in to being strangled by her cloak. The compression around her neck was insistent.

  Lord Yavor grunted and wrapped an arm around her waist. “You could have mentioned it.”

  Her voice croaked. “And critique the rescue? Never.”

  He pulled her to him in a bridal carry and looked left and right before he launched skyward.

  Her head snapped back at the final insult, and she fainted.

  * * * *

  Yavor looked at his little prize and smiled. The rough takeoff had been on purpose. He didn’t want to shock his guard any more than necessary. He had been promised a Hmrain-compatible mate in the thirty young women, and he was fairly sure he was holding her. Mind you, they had mentioned golden hair, and this female had no hair at all. Her scalp had nearly invisible stubble, but he wanted to know why she had been shorn.

  He flew her over the top of the protective wall and dropped down to the courtyard within.

  The flight of his guard landed behind him, and the weepy one ran
to the older female who was waiting with the other members of the bond imports. The ladies would be given aptitude testing, and their usefulness would be determined.

  He looked at the women who were staring at him, and a smaller creature with familiar features stalked over to him. “Lord Yavor, what are you doing with my sister.”

  “She fainted. Who are you, little one?”

  “I am Lily. She’s Iris. We are sisters. Genetic relations.”

  He looked at the creature, who was genuinely worried. “I will bring her to our medical facility. I knocked her out. I will oversee her restoration.”

  “May I come with you, my lord? Iris hasn’t had a particularly easy time of it.”

  “Of course, Lily. Come with me.”

  He nodded to his guard, and they fell in behind him as he and Lily walked past the other Terrans and into the expansive and beautiful city.

  Lily sighed. “It looks like a resort city. Or a theme park.”

  “I don’t know what a theme park is, but it was designed to be safe, beautiful, and comfortable.” He paused. “Are all Terrans so thin?”

  “We were scooped up after two years of survival. We only got basic training at the education station before we were shipped here. There was one Terran sold to bond as companion class, but we were processed as a group.”

  He smiled. “That’s interesting. Do you have a point to that mention?”

  “Madame is going to try and state that Ally is companion class, but she isn’t. She lies. A lot. Once she knows what you are looking for, she will show it to you. Just warning you.”

  He saw the med centre and kept walking. “So, there are no companion class females among your group?”

  Lily blushed. “I wouldn’t say that.”

  “You?”

  “Oh, god, no. My sister. I am pretty sure that Iris meets all the criteria. She’s bold, strong, and guys follow her around all the time. She said she shaved her head to keep her admirers away.”

  He looked down. “What colour is her hair normally?”

  “A gleaming gold. It used to go down her back to her hips.”

  “She is physically mature?”

  “She’s thirty-one, so yes.”

  “Why are you telling me all of this?” He set his burden down on a scanner, and the medics took over.

  “Because she is never going to do anything for her own interests. She is going to let everyone else go ahead, and she isn’t going to rest until we are all settled. It’s just the way she is. She needs someone to champion her now and then.” Lily shrugged and watched her sister, wincing at all of the red indicators that flashed up on the screen. “She always puts herself between me and danger. She does that with everyone she thinks needs protection.”

  “Which is why she was out there in the sandstorm.” He nodded in understanding.

  “She was leading us and nearly to the door when she looked back and saw Madame and Ally straggling behind. She turned around and ran back to them, which is typical.”

  “So, she has no sense of self-preservation and has sustained a dozen broken bones in the last year.”

  Lily twisted her lips. “Mainly ribs. A roof collapsed on her.”

  “How did she survive?” He looked at the sleeping woman slowly from head to toe.

  “She wouldn’t let herself die.” Lily smiled softly. “Not while I was alive to protect.”

  “Interesting.” Yavor looked at the medics. “Start repairs. Her tolerance for pain is admirable but should not be necessary.”

  Lily looked at him with wide eyes that were mostly blue but purple when she got intense. “Wait. You are going to fix her? How much will that cost her?”

  Yavor shrugged. “One or two years of service.”

  The door opened, and a sobbing female stumbled in with Rey of his guards and the older woman. Rey snorted. “This one claims injury from when her companion saved her from the storm.”

  Lily sighed. “Ally. Knock it off. You are not getting into his pants.”

  Yavor watched the anger flare in the sobbing woman’s eyes. Ah, one of those.

  “Lily, why does she think it would be a good idea to be under a Hmrain?”

  “My lord, she was told that companion class females would live in luxury and only have to work at pleasing you.” Lily curled her lip. “She has survived by being helpless if that makes sense.”

  Yavor nodded and then heard the medics stirring behind him. He turned his head, and a silent Iris was fighting her medics. He looked at her sister. “Will she listen to you?”

  “Not if she just woke up. The terrifying stuff always happened when we woke up.”

  Yavor walked over to the treatment bed that Iris had been moved to. He clamped a hand around her throat and held her down. “Quiet, Iris. You will not come to harm. They are setting the units to repair your old injuries. You seem to charge into danger, Irith.”

  She squirmed against his hand, and the same blue-purple eyes were staring at him. Rey chuckled behind him.

  With her throat compressed, Iris hissed, “It’s Iris.”

  Rey laughed. “Irith means fledgling.”

  Lily walked up next to Yavor and said, “Iris, you nearly did it again. Next time, just fucking run.”

  Iris looked at her sibling, and her gaze softened. The residual fury and panic faded. She looked up at him, and Yavor felt the flicker of recognition. He leaned down and kissed her. Her lips were soft, but her energy was wild and crackling. The moment his lips touched hers, pleasure stirred. In direct contact, he pulled on her energy and nearly fell on his ass. He wanted to keep consuming, but she was weak and tried to turn her head. He chuckled. “Well, look at that. Free gift with purchase.”

  She stared at him and muttered, “That is a Terran phrase.”

  He nodded. “You are not the first Terrans here. I have bought the bond on four batches of females. You are the only companion class in the bunch.”

  The weeping woman gasped behind him.

  Yavor stroked Irith’s cheek, and he smiled. “Heal well. We need to speak when you are well.”

  The medics nodded, and Yavor kissed the slightly sandy cheek of his new companion and nodded.

  A medic was scanning the weeping woman and frowning. “There is nothing wrong with you.”

  “She hurt my wrist!”

  Lily growled. “She had to grab you to get you going. You froze.”

  Ally sniffed. “I have delicate sensibilities.”

  Yavor snorted. “Lily, Rey, stay with Irith. Ally, Madame, go back to the intake processing. You are here to work, not bawl and simper. I can always send you back or sell your bond to a less appealing species. Keep that in mind.”

  Rey lunged as the woman reached for Yavor. “Do not touch him! It can be a death sentence to touch him without permission.”

  “Iris did! She touched him.”

  Yavor laughed and showed his teeth. It was not something he normally did with the new species, but he did not like this whining woman. “She’s companion class. I am hoping she wants to do more than just touch my wrist. In fact, I will insist on it.”

  The older woman held the younger, and he snorted. “You have given into her ideas and weakness. It is not admirable.”

  He looked at Lily and smiled. “Determine where you would like to train.”

  Rey chuckled and handed her a tablet. “The newcomer options for education and training are on this page.”

  Yavor watched the woman look at the tablet with a smile.

  Lily looked at him suddenly. “Can I pick for Iris as well?”

  He shook his head. “Irith will have to make her own choices and make her own contracts.”

  “But, can I look for her?”

  Yavor laughed. “No. All your choices are your own, and hers are her own, but certain aspects have been made for her. Why, what do you think she would like to do?”

  Lily looked at him seriously. “Fly. I think she would want to fly one of those large birds.”

  Rey s
norted. “There is more to it than that. We have a duty to the people here.”

  Lily looked at her. “That wouldn’t be a problem for Iris.”

  Yavor looked at the medics taking care of the injuries, removing the burring on the bones and reinforcing her arm. “No, I don’t suppose it would be. Rey, see that she is introduced to the Korik when she is awake.”

  Rey frowned. “But... if she is your... companion, isn’t that against the rules?”

  “She isn’t yet. I have to leave here for a few days to work on the walls of the eastern city. Keep her and the others safe and out of trouble.” His body was humming with proximity to Irith and the energy she was producing. “Her status will be settled when I return.”

  He looked at the young woman who was standing next to her elder with her fists clenched. “Do not cause trouble for her or any member of your party, either of you.”

  The women flinched but nodded.

  Yavor smiled and spoke to the medics before he kissed Irith’s forehead. She may have been a flower on her world, but she was a fledgling now. His Irith.

  The storm was over, and he had work to do to build his new world. He needed to get going so he could return and draw up a companion contract with Irith.

  He hadn’t been this excited in decades.

  Chapter Two

  Iris came awake with a jolt, and Lily’s voice was calm. “Easy, sis. You are alive, you are healthy, and you are on Avor.”

  “Avor. Bad wind, nice city. Right.” Iris leaned back, then looked down. “What am I wearing?”

  “Bondservant wear. Stylish, right?” Lily smiled and got up and twirled.

  The tunic wrap went to the knees. Tight leggings were under it, with the fabric clinging to Lily as she moved.

  “Underwear?”

  “Breast bands and a g-string and wrap combo for panties.”

  “Delightful.”

  A doctor walked up with a smile. “Miss Irith, you are cleared to resume your orientation. Your sibling has been here every day this week, reading and taking care of you.”

  Iris looked at the male with pale blue skin and light markings, and she chuckled. “Iris. The last sound is a sibilant.”

  He chuckled. “According to the overseer, your name is now Irith.”