Sons of Lyra: Runaway Hearts Read Free

him. “I will return your money if
you let me go.”

    “ Why did you
take it?” he said, his breath sweet and moist against her face. A
look of curiosity entered his eyes, chasing away the blackness. He
was filthy. From a distance, he’d looked rich and noble. Up close,
he looked nothing more than a common beggar. He probably didn’t
have any money in the purse anyway.

    “ I need to get
off this planet... I only needed a little money.”

    He visibly swallowed and
the pressure on her wrists decreased. He was giving her a funny
look. Was it something she’d said? She opened her hand and looked
at it, indicating his purse. He snatched it and shoved it into his
pocket. He didn’t let her go.

    She whimpered when he
dragged her onto her feet, his hand locked tight around her wrist.
No matter how much she tried to prise his fingers off her, he
wouldn’t let go. She kicked him in the shin. He frowned at her
again.

    “ Why do you
need to leave?” he said, the curiosity still in his eyes. “Is
someone after you?”

    “ It’s hard to
explain. I just need to get away.” She tugged on her arm. He
tightened his grip. Her bones ached. He was going to snap her arm
if he kept going. She dropped to her knees again, her eyes closed
against the pain. He hauled her back onto her feet and towered over
her. “Let me go... I won’t bother you again.”

    “ Where are you
going?”

    Damn he was full of
questions. She wished she’d never mentioned why she’d been robbing
him. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Didn’t the
people of this planet understand that?

    She kicked him again. He
cursed in Lyran, voice rich and deep, and then slapped her so hard
her head turned to the side. She stood there with her eyes wide and
mouth open as she waited for her cheek to stop stinging and her
head to stop spinning. She’d never been hit before. She couldn’t
say that she liked the experience.

    “ Answer me,” he
said and she looked at him. It was too dark in the square to see
his face properly, but she could hear all the hardness in his
voice. He was used to getting answers when he asked a question and
she was starting to anger him. He sounded like her
father.

    “ Anywhere,” she
whispered and her brow furrowed. “Just somewhere away from
here.”

    He went quiet for a moment
and then his look changed. All the anger disappeared, leaving a
sense of calm behind. She reached out a little with her mind,
testing the waters. He was calm, interested. There was a sense of
hope and relief about him and something else.
Understanding.

    “ Have you used
transport before?” he asked.

    She nodded. She’d used it
a few times in her life. Getting passage here couldn’t be any
different to those times. Most space ports worked the same
way.

    “ Then I’ll pay
for your passage, but on one condition.”

    “ Name it,” she
said quickly, not wanting him to change his mind.

    “ I will be
coming with you.”

    She stared at him but
before she could say anything, he was dragging her towards the
port. He was coming with her? Was this the understanding she’d
felt? He wanted to leave this planet too.

    He had been heading
towards the port when she’d stolen his money.

    His hand slid into hers
when they entered the port. She looked down at them, frowning at
the way he thought he could do as he wanted with her. He couldn’t.
She tried to get her hand free but his grip tightened and he
stopped to look at her.

    “ If you cannot
play along, I will leave you on this planet.” He stepped close to
her, his voice a silken purr in her ear.

    She closed her eyes a
moment to savour the strange sensations he’d stirred in her and
then opened them again when he stepped away.

    The light was better here
and she could see him properly. He was handsome. No amount of dirt
could hide that from her notice. His almond eyes spoke to her of
his feelings, telling her everything he was trying to hide from the
world. He did want to leave this