Alien Invasion: A Warrior Prince Romance (The Tourin Legacy - Part 1) (6 page)

Hannah took a deep breath, fighting the urge
to explode. “There isn’t much point in all of that if we enter the
school together- now, is there?” she challenged.

He glared over the top of his computer. “If
I had it my way, you’d either be attending the academy with guards
at your side, around the clock, or I’d simply assign you a position
on my ship. And before you interrupt me, yes, I do admire your
desire to follow in my footsteps. After all your training already,
I think it requires a certain kind of person to be willing to
attend this challenging of a program, simply because your drive to
never settle for less.” He paused. “That’s a Stowe family trait I
might add.”

His praise, even wrapped in anger, stunned
her. Perhaps he was starting to think of how much he was going to
miss her when she was gone. Regardless about how much he mumbled
about his ‘rebellious’ child.

“BUT,” he added, squashing her hopes with
one word. “I also think your ego is outweighing your intelligence.
Being my child is dangerous. The fact that you want to pretend
otherwise doesn’t make the truth of your situation any different.
By going here, you are putting yourself and me at risk.”

It took her a second to answer. And when she
did, her words came out dangerously calm. “One day I’m going to be
the captain of a class ten ship, and there is nothing in the world
anyone can do to stop me.”

Her father didn’t respond. His gaze was
already back on his screen.

Frustrated, she tapped her fingers on her
leg, feeling precious seconds ticking away. She needed to change
his mind before it was too late. She was twenty-one god-damn years
old, she didn’t need her
daddy
to drop her off, and she
certainly didn’t need the
Fleet Admiral
ruining any chance
she had at a normal academy experience.

“We both know why I don’t want to be
connected to you here.” The idea of living in her father’s shadow
forever made her feel as if the walls were closing in around her.
“But you’ve got to admit, the less people who know I’m your
daughter, the safer I’ll be.”

There was a moment of silence. “This topic
is closed.” Then, after a moment, he added. “We both know how
gravely you want to be free of me, but remember, your people still
need you. Whenever I call, your service to us will come above all
else.”

Like he would ever let her forget.

She touched the small scar just below her
hairline. “I remember.”

Looking back out her window, she stared at
the crowded dock. Spaceships of all shapes and sizes had come from
many worlds to drop the next class of students at the prestigious
academy. She wanted to be anonymous among them. To create a new
life, a new reputation for herself based upon her own merit.

At the same time, it wasn’t smart to push
her father. She’d learned a long time ago that if she did, he would
simply say no, and there wasn’t enough begging, pleading, or
threatening in the world that would change his mind. But that left
her few options in a situation like this.

A lot of people said his decisiveness was
one of the many reasons he made such a great commander of the Earth
fleet.
But it made a lousy quality in a father. He simply didn’t
bend. Ever.

“I hope William is here.” Her best friend
was the one person who understood her complicated relationship with
her father, and she’d missed him fiercely over the past few
weeks.

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

She stiffened at her father’s response, not
realizing she’d spoken her thoughts aloud.

“It’d take a miracle for him to reach
Turonga. Without a private ship, he’d need a great deal of money
and a whole lot of luck to find someone able to fly him this far,”
he stated, not looking up from whatever he was reading on his
computer. “The Academy strives to accept its recruits from families
of good-standing. A gardener’s son is hardly—“

“You mean families with money.” Heat rushed
over her as anger built.

“Contrary to what you think of me, it isn’t
his lack of money that concerns me as much as his race.
Chamyions
are gutless weasels. His father was a gardener.
His father before him was a gardener, and if I was going to make a
bet, I’d say this boy will be a gardener, as well. Working on a
ship requires a certain… strength of spirit and will that his
genetics simply don’t lend themselves to.”

She clenched the plush handles on her seat
and leaned forward. “You don’t know him at all. He’ll be here.” She
paused only a second, not long enough to stop her words before they
came. “Although we could’ve guaranteed it if we’d only allowed him
to use our ship.”

He lowered his computer and met her
unwavering gaze. “If he can’t make it here on his own, he’ll never
pass the test to get in. It would’ve been a waste of all our
time.”

She stood. “You just wait—“

“Sit down,” he commanded, his tone no longer
that of a father, but a captain. “This isn’t the time for female
hysterics.”

Every muscle begged her to do exactly the
opposite. Her heart urged her to shatter his computer console
against the window. But her mind knew how all of this would end,
which was quite badly. He’d probably march her right up to the
front door and announce her identity to the entire academy.

With effort, she forced herself to sit.

Her heart pounded. William had to be here!
And he had to pass the test! That would show her father he was
wrong.

The door to their ship opened and father set
his computer down. Rising to his feet, he smoothed the deep blue
fabric of his uniform and strode out the door and down the carpeted
steps. “Dean Sufters, Professor Walters, how good of you both to
meet me here.”

The dean’s voice was grave as she answered
back. “Of course. The new recruits will be amazed to see Fleet
Admiral Stowe here to greet them.”

Their voices grew quieter. Glancing back
through the window, she saw them walking across the spaceship dock.
The dean raised her bony arms in one direction, and then the other,
pointing out things around the docking yard.

Now is my chance.

Grabbing her duffel bag, she sprang out of
her seat and down the steps. Instantly, the commotion of the dock
sent her pulse jumping in excitement. Engines roared as spaceships
both landed and took off. Airspace Marshal’s in flashing yellow
clothes directed traffic. Chattering students walked the path
leading into The Academy, causing their own sort of chaos.

It hit her, she’d never felt more at home
anywhere in her life.

Darting toward the wide pedestrian path, she
effortlessly avoided baggage cars; all while kept her eyes on the
skies.
Just in case.
She didn’t want to be the woman nearly
squashed by a spaceship. Not on her first day.

An Airspace Marshal glared at her, blocking
her way. “Where’s your escort? Do you have any idea how dangerous
it is to be running through the dock unaccompanied—“

“Apologies!” she shouted, ignoring his
warning.

She didn’t slow until she stepped onto the
glowing blue surface of the path. Glancing back at her father, his
attention was completely consumed by whatever conversation he was
having
. Good.
But it wasn’t until she was out of his sight
that she finally took a deep breath and eased into a walk.

Her father would be angry when he discovered
she’d left, but he wouldn’t do anything about it. Because if he
did, everyone would know that the great Fleet Admiral Stowe might
be able to effortlessly control the skies, but not his daughter.
Never her.

She was free for the first time in her life!
Or at least as free as she could ever be. Her father would have
eyes everywhere, watching her. But this was not like being back at
their mansion, or on board her father’s ship the
Allure
.
She’d finally get to interact with people whose jobs and lives
didn’t depend on her father.

And there would be lots of other people
around her age.
What would that even be like?

Stopping, she looked up at the towering
school building. Made from a pristine white stone, it was both
beautiful and extremely strong. It had endured five attacks over
its three hundred years, and although she knew a few sections had
been rebuilt, the rest showed no signs of any of it. At twelve
stories tall, with glittering windows, it was everything she’d
always dreamed of. And more.

This is what she’d been working her entire
life for. In one year from today, she’d be graduating from the best
flight academy in the universe. After that, she wouldn’t be given a
Level Ten ship right off the bat, but eventually, she’d be the
third woman in history to every command such a large vessel.

She smiled. That was the plan. All she had
to do was stay focused.

A ship flew overhead, but the sound it made
was a soft hum, unlike anything she’d heard before. It landed
lightly, like a bird settling upon a branch, rather than a giant
mechanism touching down. Her jaw dropped. It was a living ship.

Bright green and the size of a small
building, twisting vines made up its hull. There were windows and
weapons woven into the outside, a seamless combination of
technology and nature. Tiny white flowers sprung in intricate
patterns, giving it a beauty that lacked in the ships around
it.

She took a step towards it. Only Keltairs
could fly a living ship. They were given to a child when they
reached puberty and grew with the child, if given enough care.
She’d studied them extensively, since peace with the Keltairs never
seemed to last for long. And her father had taught her- it was
important to always know one’s enemy.

But what was a Keltair doing at the
academy?

“Hannah!”

She turned instantly at the familiar voice,
all thoughts of the unique ship gone with her excitement.
“William!”

He grinned and started to jog towards her
down the path. His thin body moved almost awkwardly as he ran. He
slowed a bit, raising one hand to push back his dark glasses as
they slid down his nose. His pale green skin looked paler beneath
the harsh sunlight of Turonga. For an instant, she wondered why he
wasn’t wearing his floppy hat over his bald head to help protect
his sensitive skin. But as he drew closer, his widening smile
pushed away her concerns.

“You’re here! I’ve been waiting for you to
arrive.”

She embraced him. “I’m so glad you made
it.”

Tears choked her throat as they clung to
each other for a long moment, before she pulled back.

His face was flushed. “I told you nothing
would stop me.”

“And, you’re officially in?”

He pulled a neatly folded paper from the
pocket of his frayed shirt and opened it gently. “I just got the
notice.”

She hugged him again, crushing the paper
between them. People said the gardener’s son was over-reaching when
he became her unofficial training partner in preparation for the
academy. But she’d known better.

In her life, she’d come across many
different people, and she knew he had it in him to be a great
engineer on a spaceship. So, she’d made him her partner whenever
she trained at the mansion, teaching him all she learned from her
‘official’ tutors aboard the
Allure.

Even knowing that he’d never be recruited
for the academy, he’d focused on learning everything he needed to
know to become a spaceship engineer. He’d have to join the one
percent of people who arrived the week before sign-up to be tested.
If he passed, he’d be given a full scholarship to attend. She’d
spent the past three weeks wondering if he’d not only made it
safely to Turonga, but also if he’d passed the test. The fact that
he’d done both was almost miraculous.

“I’m so proud of you.” She squeezed his
arms, then released him, shifting her bag. “Do you know what group
you’ll be in?”

He avoided her gaze. “The Hawks.”

It took her a second to recover from her
surprise. “That’s… that’s amazing!”

The hawks were the most elite group of
trainees. She’d been placed in it with ease, but from a young age
she’d spent day in and day out on a Level 10 spaceship learning the
ropes of her future career firsthand. The Hawks were groomed for
such success from the time they were born. The fact that William
had gotten into it… well, it was yet another miracle.

“Yeah,” he said. “It was a surprise to me,
too.”

“Wow,” she pushed a strand of her long,
black hair out of her face. “Has a walk-on ever entered the Hawks
before?”

He shrugged. “Not sure.”

“Well, we’ll have to celebrate for sure.”
She tried to hide her shock with pleasure. “And now we’ll have at
least our core classes together.”

He nodded, staring down at his feet.

A sound from behind made her turn around.
The live ship had opened. The most incredible man she’d ever seen
stepped out. His shirt was unbuttoned, showing off his impossibly
muscular chest. Even his stomach was covered in hard, tanned
muscles.

Something within her clenched. She didn’t
know what a human was doing coming out of a Keltair ship, and she
didn’t care.

He was big, bigger than any man she’d seen
before. His dark hair, left a little shaggy, and his scruff of
beard gave him the undeniable look of a man who knew what he wanted
and simply took it. She bit her lip. Alpha males were a particular
weakness of hers, and this man set off every alarm she had while he
simultaneously drew her toward him. Like gravity.

His gaze snapped up to meet hers. The world
melted away. Need flashed in his dark eyes. His jaw tensed. She
could sense his physical response to her. It was an electric
current running between them. He strode towards her purposely.

“Hello?” William stepped in front of her,
trying to get her attention.

She almost pushed him out of the way.
“Move.”