Skylar's Guardians Read Online Free PDF Page A

face.
    “I’ll be back,” Troy said abruptly, grabbing a torso cover from the wall.
    “Where are you going? Your gills are flushing again,” Tralec asked.
    “To find and dispose of this Paul. It never can be permitted to harm another female again.”
    “Practice care. It would be difficult for it to harm you, but not impossible. Go to the shelter again as well and see if you can find anything else to help us learn about her. The cultures on this planet are so extensive that I do not know where to begin to focus.”
    “You are going to kill… don’t let him hurt you…” Skylar muttered, fighting off sleep.
    “I will be fine, little one. I am a Calipi warrior. No Terra-ling can harm me.”
    “Calipi? Is that in Norway?” Skylar felt herself drifting further from reality as she began to lose the ability to keep her eyes open.
    “Stop fighting the medication, child,” Tralec said softly. “Go to sleep now.”
    “Yes, Daddy,” Skylar murmured in a tiny voice, snuggling her face into the cup of his hand as she regressed in her sedated condition.
    “That’s a good girl. Close your eyes.”
    “I’m hungry. Can I have something to eat?” Skylar asked, her vocalization becoming even more childlike.
    “After you wake from your nap, darling,” Tralec responded, seeming surprisingly comfortable using the term of endearment. “Sleep now.”
    “She really is very sweet, and she brings out a soft side of you. I don’t care what the council says; we are definitely keeping her,” Troy announced as though the decision had ever been up as a topic for discussion.
    Tralec cleared his throat. “Go take care of what needs to be done. We need to research what they eat and provide her proper nourishment. I am not certain our canisters would be palatable for this race. I can barely swallow the contents.”
    “I’ll take the shifter and see if I can slide into some of the communities and perhaps gather supplies. Should I find clothing as well?”
    “Find samples if you can and we can duplicate and manufacture items for her. Do not be long. You need to rest.”
    “Very well. May I… kiss her?”
    Tralec nodded and stood aside while Troy leaned over to kiss Skylar’s forehead. She smiled through drooping lids and sighed. Truly, this was a wonderful dream. Except for the stabbing ache to her right buttock.

Chapter Three
     
     
    Troy fought back anger as he departed the ship, forcing himself to calm his temper and not allow his gills to flare to the point of glowing. He loathed his inability to better hide his baser emotions. It was not his facial expressions that gave him away, or even his vocal tone. No, it was the involuntary flaring of the gills’ slits that were only seen when strong emotions caused his blood to reach a higher temperature. They would flush a pale blue at first and then rise to a dark, vivid indigo that, if left unchecked, would glow clear down the sides of his neck to his shoulders. Tralec was constantly on his case to learn to control his blood temperature and not be so transparent, but it was a losing battle for both of them.
    He kicked a stone as he approached the metal shelter that Skylar had called home. How could anyone in the galaxy cause such damage to one of its own kind? How did this culture deal with such ingrates? Personal violence was a punishable offense on Calipi, and harming a citizen would result in ex-communication. For his people, who relied on companionship to survive, being alone was a death sentence.
    He rummaged through the trailer again, gathering several silver discs that he suspected collected and held data. Rusted cans of unappetizing looking foodstuffs were dumped into his bag, as well as three thin paper items with lifelike images of the male and female of the species engaged in different sexual feats. He leafed through them briefly, feeling his tool becoming aroused. The sound of a motorized vehicle made his head turn and he exited the trailer to stand in the light