Sky Lord's Mate (Sin & Salvation Book 1) Read online

  Sky Lord’s Mate

  Sin & Salvation ~ Book One

  Alana Serra

  Holly Lexington

  Contents

  1. Allie

  2. Aramon

  3. Allie

  4. Aramon

  5. Allie

  6. Aramon

  7. Allie

  8. Allie

  9. Aramon

  10. Allie

  Stay Updated

  Also by Alana Serra

  Sky Lord’s Mate © Alana Serra and Holly Lexington 2019.

  Amazon Kindle Edition.

  Edited by Mystique Editing.

  Cover design by Resplendent Media.

  All rights reserved. No part of this story may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the copyright holder, except in the case of brief quotations embodied within critical reviews and articles.

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  The author has asserted his/her rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book.

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is suitable only for mature readers.

  Created with Vellum

  1

  Allie

  The worst moments of my life always take place in restaurants. The scene of tonight’s impending disaster is called Francesca’s, a little Mexican place near the Wolf Run University campus. I've never been, but my sister, Cassie, loves their dollar margarita nights. How she manages to party and get perfect grades, I'll never know. I never have time to party, and I'm getting Bs. I’m not really in the mood to go out, but since I’m broke, it’ll save me from figuring out if I really can make ramen in my tiny coffee pot.

  I should be studying for my chemistry test tomorrow, but instead my mom texted about having family dinner. It could go either way; I could get into a passive-aggressive fight with my mom or dad about my life and everything in it, or I’ll be super uncomfortable because I’m the odd one out in my family. Even knowing this, my complete lack of a bank account balance said I shouldn't turn down a free meal. I needed to talk to Dad anyway, I guess. Maybe he’ll lend me a little money and save me from ramen and peanut butter for a few weeks.

  I spot Cassie at a table in the back, giving me a little wave, and I start to weave my way through the overcrowded dining area. Despite the fact that we go to the same university, I never see her--a fact that I’m sure she’s about to remind me of.

  “Hey, Allie-cat!” Cassie stands up, wrapping me in an uncomfortably tight hug. “How’s my little sister? I never see you out at the parties.” She sips her margarita, not giving me a chance to answer. “There’s still time to rush, you know. The Pis would take you, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Hi, Cassie,” I finally manage to say, sitting across from her. “I’m good. Busy studying, you know.” My whole life is studying, and I’m not even sure what I’m doing it for. Not that Cassie cares. I can tell she hasn’t heard me, and she’s looking back out over the sea of people in this tiny, cramped restaurant.

  “Oh, there are Mom and Dad,” Cassie says, waving out towards the entrance. “Mom did get her hair cut! We were talking about it last week on the phone, when we made plans for a spa day. Which,” she pauses, “we were gonna invite you, but Mom said you never want to go anyway.”

  I let that little slight go by me. I know my mom and Cassie are close, and we’re just...not. I know my parents have no idea how to talk to me in general, and I’m starting to think that living off of ramen until my student loan check comes in isn’t such a bad thing after all.

  “Hello, girls!” My dad greets us, and Cassie and I stand for his hug. “Cassie, you’re looking lovely. Allison, you look a little tired. Maybe cut back on the Gilmore Girls binging, get some good sleep?”

  My cheeks redden. “Dad, I don’t even have Netflix anymore. Couldn’t afford it.”

  “Couldn’t afford it? Oh, sweetie.” My mom pats my shoulder as I go by her to retake my seat. “You can use our account. I’ll text you the password.”

  I wave this off. “It’s okay, I don’t have time anyway.”

  My dad sits down next to Cassie, giving her another little around-the-shoulder hug. “No time?” he repeats. “What are you doing with yourself?”

  This is the big question, and one of the biggest reasons why I hate family dinner nights. I have no idea what I’m doing. I went to college because it was expected, because that’s what my family does. I never had a plan. I never had a dream. While Cassie has always flitted from hobby to hobby and clique to clique, that’s never been me. I like music, but I can’t play it. I like art, but I can’t paint. I’ve always just been on the fringe of everything, never involved in it, and I don’t really excel at anything, except apparently failing at the things my parents want for me.

  I can feel irritation welling up as the waiter approaches the table. “Studying, Dad. I study. I have a chem exam tomorrow.”

  He stares at me, and I stare back at him until he tilts his head at the waiter, who...probably asked what I wanted to drink. Right. “Um, margarita, please.”

  “Sure thing,” he answers, and looks to my parents for their orders.

  Cassie clicks her tongue. “Damn. Wish I didn’t get carded anymore. Lucky.”

  “But you’re older than me. How are you getting carded?” I meant this to be lighthearted, but somehow it comes out in this petulantly sarcastic way that I can already see my dad reacting to.

  “No claws tonight, Allison. Cassie, how are the medical school applications going? You settled on a place yet?”

  Cassie digs into her purse, pulling out a list, and I’m not surprised to see my dad huddle closer to her to read it better. My parents have always been completely invested in Cassie’s success, supporting her, and this is the shop talk that will probably dominate the rest of the night. “I’m thinking Georgetown, Wake Forest, maybe Duke,” she says, “but the application fees are nuts.”

  “Your mom and I can help you out with that,” he answers easily, turning his eyes to me. “How about you, Allison? You settle on a major yet?”

  I’ve never been so grateful to see a waiter before in my life, and I try to stall with a sip of the tart margarita he puts in front of me. “Um, not yet, no.”

  I should have lied. I should have just played into the family narrative that I’ve somehow never had the right lines for and just lied. My dad’s face darkens a little and he looks away as my mom turns to me. “Sweetie, when are you going to pick one?” she asks. “You’re a sophomore. You should know what you want.”

  I shift uneasily in my chair. “Well...I don’t. I don’t even know if I want to be in college.”

  “Fine time to decide that, after you’ve been here more than a year,” my dad mutters.

  “Hey,” I say sharply, my anger rushing up at me. “You didn’t pay for my tuition, like you did for Cassie, so I don’t know why you’re mad about it.”

  The vein in my dad’s forehead is beginning to pulse, a sure sign that I’ve gone too far, but he keeps his voice low. “I told you I would pay if you went into the sciences. You couldn’t promise me you’d do that.”

  “Liberal arts--”

  “I don’t want to hear about liberal arts right now, Allison,” he cuts me off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Jesus. What is so difficult about knowing what you w
ant to do? Cassie never had any trouble with this.”

  My mom reaches under the table, where I’ve got my hand curled into a tense fist, and lays her hand over mine. “We’re just worried,” she explains, giving my dad a look. “Allison, you don’t return our calls. You say you’re studying all the time. You don’t date. You don’t have a major or a plan. What’s going on?”

  I can’t tell her. I can’t even summon up the words. The truth is that I’ve never known. Everything I do in my life just feels like it’s a thing I have to do because it’s right there. It’s expected. I had to go to college because that’s what was done. Making perfect grades is expected. Having it all figured out, essential. Dating, meeting guys, going to parties...all things a girl of my age should be doing, all things that come easily to my sister.

  I’ve never wanted anything, and I’m just along for the ride, struggling to figure out how I fit into a family that seems completely at odds with who I am. Whatever that may be.

  So instead, I lie. “College is tough, and there’s a lot going on. I’m...adjusting.”

  My mom beams, so happy that the answer is so relatable that she practically bounces in her seat. “You’ll figure it out, sweetie. These things are difficult, and they take time.”

  Right. I’ve been trying to figure out why I feel lonely and lost my whole life, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to magically get better overnight.

  My dad seems too upset with me to really deal with me, so we spend the rest of dinner in a terse near-silence broken by my parents talking to Cassie more about her tutoring schedule and her plans for homecoming. By the time everyone’s finished eating, the waiter’s brought the bill, and my dad purses his lips at it before meeting my eyes. “I guess I’ve got this.”

  Shame courses through every inch of me, stiffening my spine. “I can give you ten bucks for my share if you want, Dad.” If he’s going to make a fuss about the bill, there’s no way he’ll lend me the fifty bucks I need to pay my credit card bill remotely on time. I’ll just have to...I don’t know. Sell plasma or something.

  He waves this off, grunting. “It’s fine.”

  I can’t deal with much more of this, so I make a show of gathering my purse. “Well, chem test tomorrow. I better be off. Thanks for dinner.”

  I don’t look at them as I head back through the restaurant, pushing past groups of friends and families. They’re all talking, all laughing. They know they’re in a place they belong.

  I don’t know why I’ve never felt the same, but it hurts. As I finally step out into the early fall night, that loneliness hits me harder than ever as I contemplate going back to my small single room and burying myself in chemistry.

  “Allie, wait!” I turn, and Cassie is pushing out the door behind me. “Hey,” she starts, hooking her purse over her shoulder. “Look, I’m sorry about all that. I asked Mom to get everyone together and it’s just…” She shakes her head, giving a little shrug. “You know.”

  Yeah, I know all too well. “It’s fine,” I say, taking a step in the direction of my dorm. “I gotta go, Cass.”

  “Before you do,” she interjects, putting a hand on my arm. “I just…” Cassie lowers her voice, stepping close to me. “If you want, I can find somebody to take you out. Just say the word. I know people.”

  My breath whooshes out in an incredulous laugh, and I shake my head. “Cassie, I don’t want to date, okay? I have…” I gesture vaguely, “so much going on. I don’t need that.” I pull my arm free from hers. “I’ll see you later.”

  It’s a short walk to my dorm, and normally I’d probably be upset about the evening. I’d be mad at my dad, annoyed at my mom, and hate my sister for being the perfect one. Tonight, all I can think about is how in the hell I’m going to pay my damn credit card bill. Donating plasma seems about the only way I’ll get the money remotely in time, unless I cut class and try to pick up some babysitting hours or something.

  I let myself into my room and flick on the light, thinking over my schedule tomorrow. After my chem exam, I’m pretty much free, so I could head over after that. But as I set my keys down on my dresser, a flyer I found in the quad the other day catches my eye.

  PAID STUDY

  Seeking females 18-22

  Non-smoking

  Non-drinker

  5-minute evaluation

  $50 compensation if selected to participate

  Call or text

  I study it, wondering if it’s worth it. Usually these studies don’t pay, and this one may not either, but with five minutes of my time on the line for potentially fifty dollars...why not, right? I do happen to need exactly fifty bucks, so it’s clearly meant to be.

  I text the number, and before I’ve even gotten out of my shoes, there’s a reply.

  Camden Hall, rm 220. 10am.

  Well. After my chem exam, guess I’m going to go check it out. For now though, I put on pajamas and pull my chemistry textbook into my lap, for all the good I think it’ll do.

  The chem exam leaves me uncertain and nauseous, and I almost decide not to go to the study. They’ll probably get a ton of people and I may not even be selected, but the promise of that fifty dollars haunts me to the point where I find myself walking towards Camden, on the outskirts of campus.

  It’s clearly not a very busy building, with dirt and a scattering of leaves across the building’s porch. The glass in the windows is dusty and dingy, the floors unwaxed and slick with a layer of grime. The elevator’s also out of order, which is fantastic, and after an annoying climb on the rickety stairs, I arrive at the second floor. Up here it’s a little nicer, everything at least clean and shining, and there’s a woman working in the office directly opposite me who looks up with a smile. “Here for the study?”

  “Uh, yeah. I’m Allie.” I shift awkwardly, adjusting my bag.

  She smiles. “End of the hallway, please.” She indicates the direction with the tip of her pencil, and goes back to working.

  There are a couple other girls coming out of the stairwell, and together we make our way down the hallway to the open door at its end. Inside, there are several rows of chairs set up facing a podium, but this is unlike any lecture I’ve ever seen. The walls and the podium are swagged with white fabric and silvery symbols, almost like letters but not quite. There are candles lit along the edges of the room, and two men are standing at either side of the back of the room next to two doors. There’s a man next to the podium, smiling at us in welcome, and next to him on the podium is what appears to be an intricately designed candlestick holder. I can’t tell what’s on it, but the fact that it doesn’t actually have a candle in it seems weird.

  “Please, sit,” he invites, gesturing to the chairs. “We’re waiting on a few more.”

  I take a seat in the back row, next to a girl who looks as nervous as I feel. Her brown eyes are wide, and she’s nervously tucking back a long dark brown bang from her forehead. “Hey. Wild, huh?”

  I nod, seeing the two men at the front doors watching the man who seems to be in charge as he fusses with the fabric on the podium. “Uh, yeah. This is not what I imagined at all.”

  “I was expecting, you know, a survey. Maybe some kind of test. But this?” She shrugs, giving me a little smile. “I’m Gwen, by the way.”

  “Allie,” I answer, giving her a little smile. “Nice to--”

  The man at the front clears his throat, looking back at what’s probably about fifteen girls. “Ladies, this will only take a few minutes. If you could, one at a time, come to the front of the room?” He holds out a hand to the girl in the front row, who takes his hand after a moment. “Come, my dear, there’s nothing to fear.”

  He leads her to the podium. “Touch the device, please. It won’t hurt you. It’s merely gauging your latent energy level.”

  The girl reaches out hesitantly, brushing her fingers over the device, and seems almost disappointed when nothing happens. She looks to the man curiously, and he frowns at her. “I am sorry. You haven’t been select
ed. Left door, please.”

  My eyebrows raise, a little surprised that this is the scientific method in action, and I exchange a glance with Gwen. This just keeps getting weirder.

  The next girl is prompted to come up, her fingers nervously stroking back long sandy hair, and this time, the thing pulses a bright silvery light when she touches it. The man beams brightly, his entire demeanor changing. “Right door, please, dear. Someone will give you further instructions inside.” She makes her way through the door, looking unsteady on her feet, and the next girl is called up.

  Maybe four girls have been selected by the time Gwen and I are left, and the man looks impatient now. “Ladies, please. The next group will be along shortly.” Heading up to the front of the room, I can now see it’s a little statue, carved over with what appear to be angels and wings.

  Gwen goes first, the light beginning the moment her fingers come into contact with the metal, and she furrows her brow a bit as she pulls away. “That’s...weird.”

  “What’s weird?” I ask, reaching my hand out as the man glares again.

  As soon as my finger touches one of the angel carvings, the burst of light nearly blinds me and I feel instantly dizzy. Distantly I can hear Gwen speaking, but I can’t tell what she’s saying. Everything is blurring, and the last thing I’m aware of is strong arms hooking under mine as Gwen screams, and my vision goes dark.

  2

  Aramon

  A booming call echoes through the cloud-streaked sky, the horns signaling my first move as Warlord of the Daevosi clan.

  Talran is at my side, his head held high, amber eyes ever vigilant. Even here, in this sacred space, he watches for threats. He is right to do it. My claim as Warlord is not absolute. My father may have ruled over the skies for a century, his father even longer before that, but they were both questioned in word and deed—challenged for their position by those who believed themselves stronger and better suited to defend our people.