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Read Exile’s Hunter<\/em>, a steamy free sci-fi romance novel completely for free on my website!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Six Years Ago<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The cell around him was pure cement and the bars were unbreakable. Madn Damari knew the stories of the jails of Krudare. Everyone did. No one escaped. Ever. The king\u2019s justice was swift for anyone who tried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At first he\u2019d paced in the small space allotted to him. He was fortunate enough to have his own cell. On his way into the facility, he\u2019d passed by cells filled to the brim with the dregs of society, and the stench nearly overwhelmed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was one of those dregs now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He couldn\u2019t regret it. He knew his duty as a soldier and as Kru\u2019dari. His honor was worth more than his freedom. He only hoped he would be strong enough to keep believing that once the judge passed down his final sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boots pounded down the hallway, nearly drowning out the tippy-tap of daintier shoes. But Mad heard the footsteps, and he recognized them. He shot up from the bench and crossed the two steps to the bars. It only took a moment for his sister to appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have ten minutes,\u201d the guard grunted at her before stepping back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They wouldn\u2019t have true privacy, but he stood far enough away that they could speak quietly enough to not be overheard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, Mad.\u201d Taiana reached her hand into the cell and clutched at him. She was everything a Kru\u2019dari lady should be\u2014regal, poised, and nearly as tall as him, but wearing a flowy dress that hid her bulk. Her skin was pale and her hands uncalloused. She spent her days working with the upper echelon of the king\u2019s government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019d been a lowly soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo need for tears,\u201d he said, putting as much confidence into his voice as he could muster. \u201cWe\u2019ve hours yet before the judgement is passed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She sucked in a shaky breath and pulled her hand away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad\u2019s heart sank. Taiana couldn\u2019t hide her emotions from him. She\u2019d never learned the trick. And the fear and anguish he saw on her made his heart crack in two. The guilt, though\u2014that emotion stole away his hope and drowned it in the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taiana straightened her shoulders and fixed her expression. He\u2019d seen soldiers look softer before charging into battle. \u201cArbyn spoke with the judge.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad growled. He didn\u2019t want his sister\u2019s slimy fianc\u00e9 anywhere near his case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She glared at him for a minute before steeling her resolve once more. \u201cHe pulled as many strings as he could. Execution was strongly<\/em> considered. But you\u2019re not to be killed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExile?\u201d His heart sank, and he pulled at the energy that ran through Krudare. Called the Fount, it was the source of his people\u2019s prosperity. Energy ran through the planet, and all Kru\u2019dari could access it. It made them stronger, faster, and sharper than anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And being separated from that power was supposed to be a fate worse than death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Taiana nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow long?\u201d He gripped the bar tight and wished he had the strength to bend it. But he could drink the Fount dry and the bars wouldn\u2019t move an inch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndefinite. Arbyn can\u2019t work miracles.\u201d She looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was for the best. She didn\u2019t see the way he snarled. It sounded to him as if Arbyn had done nothing<\/em>. Yes, execution had been on the table. But the king didn\u2019t like the spectacle. He far preferred to send his problems away. Indefinite exile had always been the most likely outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHave Mother and Father been to see you?\u201d she asked once she\u2019d collected herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot since the trial.\u201d The look of utter disgust on his parents\u2019 faces should have hurt him, but there was no way to please them. They\u2019d always had a favorite child, and she was standing on the right side of the bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll speak with them,\u201d Taiana promised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t waste your breath.\u201d She might need them one day now that he wouldn\u2019t be there to protect her. \u201cListen, about Arb\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTime\u2019s up,\u201d the guard announced, stepping close. \u201cSay your goodbyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His sister didn\u2019t cry and he was glad. If tears fell from her eyes, he wouldn\u2019t have been able to keep his composure. She reached into the cell one more time and clasped his hand. \u201cStay strong. I\u2019ll work every day to get you a pardon. I\u2019ll bring you home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The guard led her away but sent a scowl Mad\u2019s way, reminding him that his sister might believe in him, but no one else did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He didn\u2019t expect to sleep that night, but there was a funny taste to his evening meal, and he succumbed to darkness not long after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He woke with a gasp and sucked in heavy breaths. His lungs were on fire and his guts felt like they\u2019d been torn out. He writhed on the ground and tried to figure out what was going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Was he being executed? Had the judge changed his mind?<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there was dirt under his fingers rather than hard cement, and when he finally pried his eyes open, he saw a dark night sky studded with stars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guerran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was on Guerran, Krudare\u2019s planet of exiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he\u2019d been ripped from the Fount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad had heard the stories of what it felt like to lose a connection to the Fount, but he\u2019d never let himself believe it could happen to him. The Kru\u2019dari had evolved to need the excess energy the Fount provided. Without it, their bodies eventually starved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or they found other ways to feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A boot kicked him in the stomach, and Mad realized he wasn\u2019t alone. Then a hand clamped on his neck and dragged him to his feet. His attacker was another Kru\u2019dari, and his eyes seemed to glow red in the pale light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that must have been a trick of the light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFresh meat.\u201d The exile grinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad risked a look around and saw he and his attacker were alone. He didn\u2019t know why he\u2019d been abandoned like this. He was almost certain there was supposed to be some sort of orientation for life on Guerran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead he had a trial by fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he wasn\u2019t about to lose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kru\u2019dari who had him was strong, but Mad was skilled. He kicked him where it hurt and jerked back when his attacker loosened his grip. Mad was groggy, weak, and unarmed, but he wasn\u2019t going to die in his first hours on Guerran. He refused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He charged his attacker and took him to the ground, letting out all of his frustration with each angry punch. And as his fists unleashed their fury, something happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His gut-wrenching pain faded. Energy seeped into his bones. And he almost felt whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He pulled back before he killed the man. He was an exile, but he wasn\u2019t a murderer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He heard rowdy men getting closer and clenched his fists. The energy within him was weak, but it was there<\/em>. It wasn\u2019t the Fount, but it meant Guerran wasn\u2019t a death sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It would be if the rowdy crowd found him, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNew guy, over here.\u201d A Kru\u2019dari in dark clothes with his hair tied back beckoned him to the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad didn\u2019t move. \u201cShow yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man stepped into the light. He had a scar on his cheek and blond hair. He was tall, even for a Kru\u2019dari. \u201cMy name is Jaek. I mean you no harm. Now grab your bag before we\u2019re discovered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad looked toward the ground where Jaek had nodded, and, sure enough, there was a cloth sack lying there. Mad looked inside and saw some clothes, a wallet full of credits, and a leather pouch brimming with power. He pulled it out in confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jaek hissed. \u201cHide that if you know what\u2019s good for you. A Pitcher is worth more than both our lives in this territory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Pitcher. A fragment of the Fount\u2019s power preserved for long travel. It was the only way Kru\u2019dari could leave their home planet. And even then, the Pitchers couldn\u2019t preserve power for long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mad stuffed it back in the bag and slung a strap over his shoulder. He followed Jaek away from the scene of his attack. He hoped the exile didn\u2019t kill him. But given his welcome on Guerran, Mad wasn\u2019t sure how long he\u2019d want to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n