Up in Flames Read Online Free PDF Page A
Author: Trista Ann Michaels
replied as he sat on the hearth facing her.
She lowered her eyes and studied his wide chest and muscular arms visible beneath the short sleeves of his shirt. Even his forearms were strong, with thick veins running just under the skin. She swallowed and raised her gaze back to his face. His very gorgeous face.
“Where am I?” she asked. “I know we’re on Daego, but…”
“You’re at my home,” Hayden replied. “Or rather the family home.”
She glanced around nervously. “There are other people here?”
“Usually this place is crawling with people. This is where the family gathers.” He glanced up toward the ceiling. “It’s so big it can hold pretty much everyone in the immediate family plus a few others we consider family.” He looked back at her and smiled. “But for now, it’s just us.”
“Why are we here? How did we get here?”
“Your cryotube was found by the ship I was on. It had a beacon on it only a military ship would’ve been able to pick up. The message you had with you said to keep you hidden, so I brought you here for now.”
She frowned. “What message?”
“Whoever put you in the tube left a message about who you were and what had happened.”
“Lenak,” she murmured as she tried to remember the events after finding her father. “I think he was the one who put me in the tube.” She raised her hand and touched her neck at the memory of a sharp pain. “I don’t think I went willingly.”
Had he made it out okay? Was he still alive?
“Did you hear what happened to my ship?”
“There wasn’t a ship. Just the cryochamber.”
Cara rubbed her neck as she tried to remember what happened to Lenak.
“Are you worried about the person who put you in the tube?” Hayden asked softly.
She nodded. “I can’t remember what happened or why he put me in that thing.”
“Probably to save your life. It was a risk, but you seem to be doing okay for now.”
She dropped her hand. “I don’t feel okay. I shouldn’t be feeling anything at all, yet…” She looked at him, and her eyes narrowed. “Why am I feeling things?”
“The effects of the gas possibly. When you first woke up, you seemed confused. Maybe the momentary memory loss was enough to open the floodgates. Now that they’re out, they’ll be much harder to control.”
Cara licked her lips and nodded.
“Do you remember living with emotion at all?” Hayden asked.
Cara shook her head.
“Do you recognize the emotion when you feel it?”
“For the most part, I think.”
Hayden nodded. “You may experience mood swings for a while until you become more accustomed to them or relearn to bury them.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “Great.”
Hayden’s lips twitched. “How do you feel now?”
She frowned at him. “Confused.” She thought about it for a second. “Agitated. Frustrated.” Her gaze met his, and she swallowed at the tingling that worked its way through her gut. “Weird.”
“Weird how?”
Her frown deepened, and she felt the strangest heating in her cheeks. “I don’t know,” she snapped.
“Okay,” he said with a soft chuckle. “We’ll let this go for now. I need to ask you something else anyway.”
She sighed and nodded.
“In the message, it said to contact Ambassador Dorn about your survival.”
She sat up straighter as the mention of Dorn’s name made her heart skip in excitement. “Alex?”
“So you know him?” Hayden asked.
“Yes, he’s…he was the son of my father’s best friend. He lived with us for a while. He’s the driving force behind this treaty with the…senate.” She tilted her head and stared at Hayden. “Do you suppose they’ll go after him as well?”
Hayden shook his head. “It’s doubtful. As ambassador, he doesn’t have the legal right to make decisions without your father present. Or now you.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father gave him additional powers. Alex can act in my father’s
She lowered her eyes and studied his wide chest and muscular arms visible beneath the short sleeves of his shirt. Even his forearms were strong, with thick veins running just under the skin. She swallowed and raised her gaze back to his face. His very gorgeous face.
“Where am I?” she asked. “I know we’re on Daego, but…”
“You’re at my home,” Hayden replied. “Or rather the family home.”
She glanced around nervously. “There are other people here?”
“Usually this place is crawling with people. This is where the family gathers.” He glanced up toward the ceiling. “It’s so big it can hold pretty much everyone in the immediate family plus a few others we consider family.” He looked back at her and smiled. “But for now, it’s just us.”
“Why are we here? How did we get here?”
“Your cryotube was found by the ship I was on. It had a beacon on it only a military ship would’ve been able to pick up. The message you had with you said to keep you hidden, so I brought you here for now.”
She frowned. “What message?”
“Whoever put you in the tube left a message about who you were and what had happened.”
“Lenak,” she murmured as she tried to remember the events after finding her father. “I think he was the one who put me in the tube.” She raised her hand and touched her neck at the memory of a sharp pain. “I don’t think I went willingly.”
Had he made it out okay? Was he still alive?
“Did you hear what happened to my ship?”
“There wasn’t a ship. Just the cryochamber.”
Cara rubbed her neck as she tried to remember what happened to Lenak.
“Are you worried about the person who put you in the tube?” Hayden asked softly.
She nodded. “I can’t remember what happened or why he put me in that thing.”
“Probably to save your life. It was a risk, but you seem to be doing okay for now.”
She dropped her hand. “I don’t feel okay. I shouldn’t be feeling anything at all, yet…” She looked at him, and her eyes narrowed. “Why am I feeling things?”
“The effects of the gas possibly. When you first woke up, you seemed confused. Maybe the momentary memory loss was enough to open the floodgates. Now that they’re out, they’ll be much harder to control.”
Cara licked her lips and nodded.
“Do you remember living with emotion at all?” Hayden asked.
Cara shook her head.
“Do you recognize the emotion when you feel it?”
“For the most part, I think.”
Hayden nodded. “You may experience mood swings for a while until you become more accustomed to them or relearn to bury them.”
Cara rolled her eyes. “Great.”
Hayden’s lips twitched. “How do you feel now?”
She frowned at him. “Confused.” She thought about it for a second. “Agitated. Frustrated.” Her gaze met his, and she swallowed at the tingling that worked its way through her gut. “Weird.”
“Weird how?”
Her frown deepened, and she felt the strangest heating in her cheeks. “I don’t know,” she snapped.
“Okay,” he said with a soft chuckle. “We’ll let this go for now. I need to ask you something else anyway.”
She sighed and nodded.
“In the message, it said to contact Ambassador Dorn about your survival.”
She sat up straighter as the mention of Dorn’s name made her heart skip in excitement. “Alex?”
“So you know him?” Hayden asked.
“Yes, he’s…he was the son of my father’s best friend. He lived with us for a while. He’s the driving force behind this treaty with the…senate.” She tilted her head and stared at Hayden. “Do you suppose they’ll go after him as well?”
Hayden shook his head. “It’s doubtful. As ambassador, he doesn’t have the legal right to make decisions without your father present. Or now you.”
She shook her head. “That’s not true.”
“What do you mean?”
“My father gave him additional powers. Alex can act in my father’s