by Anna Carven
And yet he desperately wants to know.
Where he came from.
Who he is.
I take a deep breath and step into his open arms.
“Your mother tried to escape the palace.” I twine my fingers through his, looking up into his wine-dark eyes. “She was executed as she tried to climb the outer wall. In a blind rage, your father took a hunting party to the civilized zones to seek his blood-revenge. He was killed by Imperial forces, but not before he and his clansmen had slaughtered dozens of Imperial soldiers. After he died, you went to the capital to seek your revenge.”
“And there I was caught.”
“But in the end, you got your revenge, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
If taking down the entire fucking Empire isn’t revenge, then I don’t know what is. I fish the datacube out of my pocket and press it into his hand. “There’s more on there, but those are the important parts.” I hold him tightly, feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest.
He’s quiet. Tarak’s not the sort to show emotion or reveal his innermost feelings, even with me, but that’s okay. He’s here with me, and that’s all that matters.
Ami’s excited shouts echo in the distance, followed by a playful bark from Nyx. Above us, the milky way stretches across the glittering night sky, ancient and all-knowing.
We’re just insignificant mortals beneath the majesty of the sky. We are stardust.
After a while, he looks down, cupping my face in his hands. “Thank you, my love, for being so brave.” He kisses me on my lips then pulls back, his eyes narrowing. With deft fingers, he plucks something out of my hair. “There are leaves in your hair again.”
Just like when we first met, on Fortuna Tau.
I pull off my glove and reach out with my bare hand, my fingers brushing against something black and velvety. “And these are growing out nicely,” I murmur, stroking the curved surface of one of his horns.
He closes his eyes and shudders, enjoying the sensation.
“There’s more where that came from,” I murmur, but before I can go any further, someone small and incredibly strong is putting their arms around our legs.
“Mama!” Ami tugs on my pants. “Dada!”
Tarak’s bittersweet expression melts away, replaced by a look of perfect serenity. He scoops Ami into his arms and smiles. “Have you been good, my beautiful child?”
Ami pouts and shakes her head.
Tarak frowns. “No? You have been bad, then?”
“Takes after her father,” I laugh.
Tarak tries his best to look stern, but when Ami smiles, all of his defenses fall to pieces and his expression softens. He holds out one arm and brings me close. Together, the three of us—the fierce General, the stubborn Human, and the Little Monster—bask in the gentle starlight.
My heart swells. Painful memories fade away. Nothing matters anymore but Tarak and Ami.
With these two, I’m in the best place in the entire Universe.
I’m home.
Dear readers, thank you for taking the time to read my book. I hope you enjoyed it.
This installment brings the Dark Planet Warriors series to a close. To all of the readers who have supported me, a big fat thank you is in order. Your reviews, comments, and messages mean a lot.
If you’ve enjoyed the DPW series, you may be pleased to know that a spin-off is planned. It will feature many of the characters from DPW. More to come on this at a later date. If you want to find out more and be the first to know about new releases (including my upcoming SFR series, Hidden Planet), be sure to join my mailing list: http://eepurl.com/bQaHP5, or find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annacarvenauthor/
Also by Anna Carven
The Dark Planet Warriors Series
(in order of publication)
Dark Planet Warriors (Book 1)
Dark Planet Falling (Book 2)
Into the Light (Book 3)
Out of Darkness (Book 4)
Darkside Blues (Book 4.5)
Forged in Shadow (Book 5)
Infinity’s Embrace (Book 6)
Electric Heart (Book 7)
Brilliant Starlight (Book 8)
