Starlit Throne - Chapter 4: Gragaruam's Gift
Second Version - English
Rating: M/E
Genres: Romantasy | Sci-Fi | Slow Burn | Space Opera | Fated Mates
Summary:
Cassia Harper thought her biggest struggles were making rent, keeping up with Brighton’s fashion scene, and selling enough handmade crafts to help her family. But when a mysterious, brooding soldier-for-hire with pointed ears crashes into her life, everything changes.
Her past isn’t what she thought. The father she barely remembers wasn’t just some distant traveler and the pin she wears every day? Not just an antique!
Now, with assassins on her trail and a protector who refuses to claim her (even though the tension between them is scorching), Cassia has to decide: will she run from her destiny or rise to it?
Expect:
🔥 Slow-burn with intense tension (and several many very hot payoffs 😏)
🐺 Cosmic pointed-eared protector (who knows she’s his mate but refuses to act on it... at first)
👑 Galactic politics
🌌 A space opera filled with action, smut & drama
🛸 Brighton, UK meets the stars
The spacecraft's cockpit hummed with a quiet efficiency, its sleek surfaces reflecting soft blue light that seemed to pulse with the rhythm of the engines. Cassia sat surrounded by the unfamiliarity, her eyes tracing the alien symbols etched into the metallic walls like ancient runes. Through the viewport windows, the endless expanse of space stretched out before her, vast and overwhelming. It was surreal, this escape from everything she knew, and her mind reeled as it struggled to catch up. Behind her, Dain stood like a sentinel, his presence solid and inescapable. He started to speak, unraveling truths about her past and her bloodline, each revelation leaving her more unmoored than the last.
"Your father wasn't just a traveler, Cassia," Dain began, his voice measured and steady. "He was royalty. From a distant galaxy."
Cassia turned in her seat, meeting Dain's unyielding gaze. His silver-grey eyes held a certainty that made her stomach twist. Royalty? The word felt foreign and unreal, like something plucked from one of her mother's bedtime stories. She shook her head, trying to force the pieces of the puzzle to fit.
"But he left," she said, her voice edged with disbelief. "All he had were stories and maps. How can that—?" Her sentence hung in the air, incomplete, like the half-finished sketches that littered her workshop back home.
Dain moved closer, his imposing frame casting a shadow that mingled with the soft blue glow. "Your father had to flee," he continued, the words as relentless as the truth he seemed determined to make her see. "To protect you and your mother."
Cassia looked away, her eyes falling on the antique pin she wore like a talisman. She touched it with tentative fingers, seeking comfort in its familiar weight. "He always said this was a family heirloom," she whispered, more to herself than to Dain.
Dain nodded, as if she had just confirmed something vital. "It's a symbol of your legacy. The connection to your family's past."
Cassia's head spun with the enormity of it all. The interior of the ship, with its alien markings and the silent stars beyond, seemed to press in on her. She felt small and insignificant, a lone speck in a universe that had suddenly grown much larger than she had ever imagined. "This is—this is insane," she said, shaking her head in an effort to clear the fog of disbelief.
The ship’s vastness mirrored her growing sense of being unmoored. Dain's presence, unwavering and patient, was a tether she wasn’t sure she wanted. He continued to speak, his words peeling back layers of her life that she had never thought to question. "You are part of a powerful bloodline, Cassia. A bloodline your uncle seeks to destroy."
"An uncle, too?" Cassia said, the incredulity almost tipping into a laugh. "Next, you'll tell me there's a whole family reunion waiting out there."
Her attempt at humor fell flat. The disbelief that tinged her voice was met with Dain's calm persistence. "You’re skeptical," he said, more observation than accusation. "But the danger is real. We barely escaped Earth before they found you."
Cassia studied him, searching for cracks in the story that might let her dismiss it all as some elaborate fantasy. Instead, she saw Dain's lupine features—his pointed ears and the sharpness of his gaze—grow more pronounced as he talked about her lineage. For a moment, his military bearing softened, the rigid lines of his stance easing when he noticed her struggling.
She glanced back at the stars, the quiet void a stark contrast to the chaotic thoughts tangling in her mind. "He never came back for us," she said, the words slipping out before she could contain them. Her mother's stories, always told with a trace of wistfulness, suddenly took on new meaning.
"You can change that," Dain insisted, his voice a steady anchor in the tempest of her doubts. "You have a chance to alter the power dynamics. To help those who oppose your uncle's regime."
Cassia let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, the exhalation tinged with fear and something else. Hope, maybe. Or was it possibility? She turned her eyes back to Dain, who stood as an unwavering bastion of certainty. "You're serious about all this, aren't you?" she asked, needing to hear it one more time, to anchor herself to something solid.
"As serious as I’ve ever been," Dain replied, the words imbued with a weight that made them feel like a vow.
Cassia looked at the pin again, its contours catching the soft light like a promise of something she was only beginning to understand. "This is real," she said, as if trying to convince herself, as if repeating it would make the enormity of the revelation shrink to a size she could handle.
Dain's lips twitched, almost forming a smile, though the solemnity of the moment restrained it. "As real as you are capable, Cassia Harper. You have more potential than you realize."
His certainty and persistence cracked the emotional distance she'd tried to maintain, letting doubt and wonder seep in. Her life's fabric, so meticulously pieced together, was unraveling at the seams, revealing vibrant threads she never knew were there. The ship hummed around her, a vessel of both adventure and uncertainty, echoing the duality of the path that lay ahead.
Cassia turned back to the viewport, watching the stars with new eyes. She wondered where in this vast universe her journey would take her. Where she would let it take her. "All right," she said, the resolve in her voice surprising even herself. "Let's see how far down the rabbit hole goes."
Dain stood by her side, the solid presence that had once felt so alien now strangely reassuring. Cassia leaned back in her seat, her hand still resting on the pin. It was the smallest of anchors in an endless sea, but for the moment, it was enough.
Cassia studied the bracelet in her hand, its sleek metal shifting colors like a living thing. Dain called it the Gragaruam, but to her, it looked more like a piece of art than technology. He showed her how to wear it, his fingers grazing her wrist with an unexpected charge that left them both momentarily frozen. Cassia’s pulse quickened, but she couldn't tell if it was from the bracelet's advanced AI or the sudden spark between them. "It can interface with technology across the galaxy," Dain said, his voice almost formal to cover the moment. Her fingers traced its intricate design, activating a hidden switch. Suddenly, the cockpit exploded into light, a holographic star map filling the space around them. Cassia stared in awe as galaxies unfolded, luminous and infinite. Dain recovered quickly, pointing to a glowing dot. "There," he said, pride tinged with urgency. "A hidden space station. Our best chance for allies."
Cassia held the bracelet closer, marveling at how its surface shimmered and changed under the soft lighting. The artisan in her couldn’t help but admire the craftsmanship, the way it blended form and function so seamlessly. She glanced at Dain, who stood watching her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher. "This is really for me?" she asked, the curiosity in her voice echoing her wonder.
"It’s keyed to your genetics," Dain replied, stepping nearer. "It will work only for you."
His fingers brushed against hers again as he adjusted the bracelet on her wrist, the brief contact electrifying and unmistakable. Cassia felt her breath hitch, a mix of emotions tangling inside her. She studied his face, but Dain had already shifted back to the businesslike efficiency she was beginning to expect from him.
"It's like nothing I've ever seen," Cassia said, her voice breathless for more reasons than one.
"It’s advanced," Dain acknowledged, a note of subtle pride slipping through. "But I suspect you'll adapt quickly."
Her eyes lingered on the bracelet, fascinated by its complexity. "So this," she said, gesturing at the small device that felt like so much more, "it can really do everything you said?"
Dain nodded, his formality returning as he explained. "It’s equipped with a sophisticated AI. It will help you navigate alien technologies, access restricted systems, even locate resources across the stars."
Cassia's fingers moved over its intricate design, accidentally pressing a hidden mechanism. In an instant, the cockpit erupted into light, and Cassia found herself surrounded by a glowing, holographic map of the galaxy. Stars and planets floated around her, luminous and breathtakingly vivid. She turned in her seat, her eyes wide with awe and disbelief. "This is—it's incredible."
The universe unfolded around them, each celestial body and trade route suspended in mid-air. Cassia felt like she was at the center of a magnificent, spinning web, its possibilities endless and overwhelming. For a moment, she was the girl in Brighton, stitching together dreams with fabric and thread, never imagining she’d be here, seeing this. Now the galaxy lay open before her, vast and uncharted.
Dain looked taken aback by the unexpected display, but his surprise quickly gave way to action. He reached into the swirling mass of stars, pointing to a bright, pulsing dot. "There," he said, urgency mingling with excitement. "That’s our destination. A hidden space station. We may find allies there."
Cassia followed his gesture, the glow of the map reflecting in her eyes. The dot seemed impossibly distant yet strangely attainable. "So that’s where we're going," she said, feeling the immensity of her new reality pressing in, yet somehow less daunting than before.
"It’s our best chance," Dain confirmed, watching her carefully.
Cassia nodded, her earlier skepticism slowly giving way to something else. The more she learned, the more the universe opened up around her, the more she felt a part of it. "And this bracelet, the Gragaruam—it’s part of the plan too?"
"Essential," Dain replied, a note of satisfaction coloring his words. "You’re already adapting. It’s impressive."
Cassia turned her gaze back to the brilliant map, her mind racing with new possibilities. What seemed overwhelming a moment ago now filled her with a sense of anticipation and purpose. The doubts and fears that had held her back were beginning to unravel, and in their place was a growing excitement for the journey ahead.
"I guess we’d better get started, then," Cassia said, the resolve in her voice matching the determination in her heart.
Dain allowed himself a brief smile, his stoic facade slipping just enough for Cassia to glimpse the pride and hope behind it. The holographic map continued to spin around them, a promise of adventure and discovery. Cassia wore the bracelet like a new piece of herself, a sleek symbol of the change she was finally ready to embrace.
Dain hovered close, a tower of focus and restraint as Cassia tried to concentrate on the blinking array of controls. She could feel his presence like a charged field, every breath he took echoing through her with an unsettling clarity. "This," he said, pointing over her shoulder to the navigation panel, "displays our trajectory." She nodded, but her mind was less on the flashing instruments than on the palpable tension sparking between them. When their fingers met over the console, a jolt of awareness shot through her. Dain pulled back abruptly, his eyes flaring amber for a heartbeat before he looked away. The reaction was unmistakable, and Cassia wondered what instincts he was fighting to keep at bay. She leaned closer, deliberately invading his space, and Dain retreated like she was a threat he wasn't equipped to neutralize. "Systems check," he muttered, already moving across the cockpit. "I need to—" His exit was swift, leaving Cassia with more questions than answers.
Cassia sat at the control panel, trying to focus on the task at hand. Dain stood close behind her, guiding her through the ship's basic operations with a precision that was almost military. The soft blue glow of the cockpit bathed everything in an otherworldly light, casting their shadows long and indistinct against the walls.
"The navigation system," Dain continued, pointing to the cluster of lights and switches before her. "It’s critical to stay on course, especially this far from any established routes."
Cassia nodded, but she couldn't fully concentrate on the glowing controls. She was too aware of Dain's proximity, of the way the air between them seemed to hum with a charge that had nothing to do with the ship’s power systems. Every movement he made was like a signal flare in her mind, impossible to ignore.
"Try initiating the communication array," he instructed, his voice calm and steady. Yet to Cassia, it felt like he was telling her secrets she had yet to uncover. "You may need to negotiate with unknown factions."
Her fingers moved over the controls, but her thoughts strayed to the man who stood like an unmovable wall of determination behind her. The tension in the small space was so thick she could almost reach out and touch it. It filled the cockpit, sparking off the sleek surfaces and settling in her chest like an unspoken question.
When their hands met over the control panel, it was like touching a live wire. A jolt of awareness shot through her, sharp and undeniable. Dain pulled back as if burned, his silver-grey eyes flashing an unexpected amber before he looked away. Cassia caught the slight rumble in his chest, a sound almost too low to hear, but not too low to feel.
She glanced at him, the surprise of his reaction both unsettling and oddly confirming. What instincts was he suppressing? Cassia wondered if there was more to Dain than the stoic, controlled soldier he presented. She watched him as he moved, noting the subtle flare of his nostrils, the way his muscles tensed when she leaned closer.
The realization began to dawn on her, piecing together the signs like a pattern she hadn’t noticed before. He was struggling, she realized, to maintain the professional distance he'd wrapped himself in. And it wasn’t just because she was his mission. Cassia's curiosity flared, a spark she couldn't resist fanning into a flame.
Dain returned to the control panel, his demeanor collected, but his body betraying the tension he fought to suppress. "Emergency protocols," he said, pointing again. "You need to be ready for anything."
Cassia's attention wasn't on the panel. She watched him with new insight, seeing every movement, every guarded glance, through a different lens. "What if something unexpected happens?" she asked, the words layered with a meaning they both understood.
Dain hesitated, and in that moment of uncertainty, Cassia saw the crack in his armor. She leaned closer, deliberately testing the theory that had taken root in her mind. The ship hummed around them, but the silence between them was deafening.
Dain took a step back, as if retreating from a threat he wasn't equipped to neutralize. "Systems check," he muttered, avoiding her gaze. "I need to—" The words were a thin excuse, his exit from the cockpit swift and decisive.
Cassia watched him go, her suspicion now a certainty. Dain was hiding something, something that went beyond the secrets of her past and her father's legacy. The way he reacted, the struggle she saw in him, hinted at truths he was not ready to share.
Left alone in the cockpit, Cassia turned back to the controls. The lights blinked in steady, reassuring patterns, but her thoughts were anything but steady. She smiled to herself, a mixture of intrigue and triumph. There was more to Dain than met the eye, and Cassia was determined to uncover exactly what it was.