Behind the Stars Read Online Free PDF Page B

again.
    Without a word, I walked toward the barn, and D’Lo moved in the opposite direction, toward our dormitory. My hands shoved in my pockets, and I didn’t paying attention to where I was going. When I looked up, I was at the corner of the building, and the general woman and the pale soldier were around the side still talking.
    “You don’t have to worry,” he said. “We’ve collected them all.”
    “Good.” Her voice was low and urgent. “Bury them. Deep.”
    “Soso’s leading the group working on it now.”
    I tried not to breathe, not to interrupt their conversation. What were they talking about? Bury what? Or who? Noises of someone pacing were followed by the woman’s strained voice.
    “This is not how it was supposed to happen. We are not prepared for a prolonged stay.”
    “Please relax, my lady. Everything is under control. The initial protocol is working, and I will handle anything that might arise.”
    “Yes, and how long before we’re discovered? This location is remote, but it’s not cut off. Someone’s bound to check.”
    “At this point, we’ve detected no signs of concern. It’s a shockingly secluded place, and we’ve had no difficulty covering our tracks.”
    “I want Gallatin here.” Her voice cracked. “I can’t hear him. I don’t know if he’s safe... he must be protected.”
    “Relax your mind, quiet your fears. When your thoughts toward him are calm, you’ll hear him. Meditation will help, and time—”
    “We don’t have time, Ovett! Where is he?”
    The male soldier Ovett’s voice continued to soothe. “Our sources say he’s close. Less than a day away. They’re moving him at night, so as not to draw attention.”
    “We must use extreme caution. And for now you should only call me Cato.”
    “Forgive me, madam. It’s difficult to address you by your name. It seems—”
    “Cato is all I am to you here.”
    “You will always be more than that to me. Anywhere.”
    My eyebrows rose. Was this guy in love with her?
    “We’re keeping the humans calm at least.” Her voice was less anxious. “I haven’t received confirmation, but it seems the desert hold is also going smoothly. Of course they have a fraction of our number.”
    “The Guard will have the shield in place in a matter of days. Try to rest.”
    I heard Cato sigh, and the noise of pacing continued. “I won’t rest until Gallatin is here and the ships are ready to depart. If Acona moves, we must drop everything and leave at once. The humans can sort it out as they will.”
    My head drew back. Ships? What did that mean? I took a backward step and hit the barn door, with a loud slam and a creak. Their voices stopped, and Ovett stepped around the corner. His white-blue eyes locked on mine, and my heart slammed against my ribs.
    “You seem lost, little one.” His smile didn’t meet his eyes, and I fought back a shriek.
    My whole body shook under my coveralls as everything flooded my mind. Cleve’s knowledge I was trying to escape. D’Lo’s warning about testing them. Was I about to be the example of what they did to rebels?
    “Go back to your friends,” he ordered. Then he took Cato’s arm and escorted her away from me. I watched them go, but I heard him mutter. “Don’t be alarmed. The aggression centers are suppressed.”
    The further away they got, the less I trembled, but my head was dizzy as I tried to process all I’d heard. She’d called us “the humans.” Was she trying to say... Were these people not humans? Sliding down to a sitting position, I tried not to pass out. This was some kind of mind game, another trick to control us. It had to be. I had to find Cleve.

Chapter 4
    ––––––––
    D ’Lo laughed as we walked down the trail toward the creek.
    “You are one crazy redneck, Jax.”
    “Why? Cause I’m not scared of you?” Jackson held my hand on one side and carried his fishing pole in the other.
    Dabb Creek was named after the best fishing hole in a twenty-mile