Starbright (The Starbright Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

forty five minutes and as I watched my new tutor and C ounterpart resurrect my J eep, I couldn’t help but shiver at the reminder of the new path my life would now take.
                  I knew this day was coming.
                  I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
     
    ----
     
                  I pulled into my long gravel driveway still a little amazed, but mostly amused that Seth was able to right the J eep and get it running again. The antique rumbled unhappily along the quiet country roads, but it managed to make it all the way home without completely falling apart. Although, I couldn’t even pretend I didn’t hear pieces of my beloved vehicle dropping off along the way.
                  At least the J eep was ruined because of a near death experience …. that at least gave me some explanation to offer to my frugal father.
                  I hopped down from the cab and walked quietly to the back door of the old farm house I called home. In my parents attempt to blend into humanity, my father had taken up farming a long time ago. So like most families in this particular middle of Nebraska region, we lived on acres of property, miles from our neighbors and even farther from town. Well, we lived miles from the one stop light, bank and bar we called town. We lived a full hour from real civilization.
                  Oh , there was a gas station too.
                  That had to count for something.
                  Seth and Jupiter followed me inside the house, careful to remain silent. They had both stayed relatively quiet after the J eep was righted, the fatigue of battle and the late hour wearing even the strongest men down.
                  “I should tell Annabelle you’re here, so you don’t give her a heart attack in the morning,” I whispered.
    I led them out of the mud room into the kitchen and turned on the light. Seth’s eyes immediately fell on the refrigerator and he took an excited step forward before stopping himself.
    “Stella?” I turned from the staircase that led up from the kitchen, an old servant’s hall from back when this farm had things like…. s ervants. “Do you mind if I….?” he gestured to the refrigerator and widened his eyes in anticipation.
    “Help yourself,” I smiled down at him, happy he wasn’t awkward about the new arrangement. His grin spread across his face and his honey colored eyes sparkled with gratefulness. 
    I climbed the steps wearily, wondering how I would explain this to Annabelle. Wondering how I would explain it to anybody! I knew what this meant. I knew that the death of the Protector meant it would be my turn to step up. That also meant that Seth would become a permanent, every day fixture in my life.
    I didn’t necessarily mind that, we seemed to have the natural, friendly chemistry that was born between a Star and Warrior. We had been destined to get along before either of us was even born, chosen by the Elders to protect this planet together. We didn’t have much choice, or say in the pairing . Our personalities would complement each other the same way our fighting skills would, the same way ou r unique, supernatural powers would.
    Still, there was supposed to be years before we met , before I had to face the promise between us . I had a life to live, high school to finish. And as solidly as my destiny was rooted in my heart, so was the desire to be a normal, care free teenager for just a few more years.
    Evil always got in the way.
    Standing in front of the guest bedroom, I shook my head and squared my shoulders. I was complaining, whining about circumstances that cou ldn’t be changed. The truth was I wasn’t a normal anything. I wasn’t even a normal S tar. I was the Protector of Earth and wanting and wishing were not going to get me anywhere.
    I twirled a loose end of hair around my pointer finger for a few seconds; still trying to