Royal Hearts Read Online Free Page A

notify Athen and Naomi. They are trained to take care of
things around here in case I have to accompany you somewhere.”
    It would be comforting to her if he was
there. She knew the Palers and Laxes would do everything in their
power to protect her, but with Hathor, she felt safe all the
time.
    “I would like you there,” she admitted.
    He smiled widely. “Done.” Then he ran out of
the room to make the necessary arrangements.
    After she got dressed, she crept into
Katherine’s room to say good-bye. The girl was curled up on her
side, her blanket tucked around her.
    “Sleep well, little princess,” she whispered
and gave Katherine a light kiss on the forehead.
    Katherine shifted in response but did not
wake up.
    Ann marveled that Katherine might be the next
queen of Raz. If Ann had more daughters, then the planet could
choose one of her siblings. The oldest did not necessarily inherit
the throne on this world. But Ann felt better knowing that if
something did happen to her, then at least Raz’s future was secure
with her daughter safely here.
    Ann slipped out of the room, careful not to
wake the baby, and met Hathor in the hallway.
    “Everything’s been taken care of,” he said.
“Are you ready?”
    She nodded. “Let’s get the Book of Spells and
go to Pale.”
     
    ***
     
    Alpha Head I
    Planet: Pale
     
    Second Commander Jaz watched as Leader Paff
paced back and forth in his office. Next to her, First Commander
Zak let out an uneasy sigh.
    Daylight wouldn’t come for three more hours.
They had been disturbed in the middle of the night when an alarm
rang throughout their sleeping quarters in Alpha Head I. Now they
were too worked up over their latest discovery to even consider
sleep.
    “When did Omin have time to make a clone?”
Paff asked.
    Jaz didn’t even want to consider that Omin
had a clone. Being married to that monster was enough. But to find
out he’d cloned himself… She shivered at the thought.
    “How did he bypass the guards?” Zak asked.
“We have tight security around here. Someone should have seen him
before he was able to steal one of our spaceships.”
    “I’ve examined the security tape over and
over, and all I see is one of the guards taking the ship,” Paff
said. “If that same guard hadn’t called in an emergency, we’d all
be unaware that Omin even created a clone.” After a moment, he
added, “I suspect the clone can morph into other Palers when he
needs to.”
    “At least we found the tunnel Omin made,” Jaz
said.
    “This is all we need,” Paff groaned. “Another
Omin running loose in the universe.”
    At that moment, Ann and Hathor appeared in
the room.
    “Is it true? Did Omin really clone himself?”
Ann asked, rushing over to them, Hathor close behind her.
    Paff nodded. “Unfortunately.”
    She shook her head. “I can’t believe it. I
thought we were done with him.”
    “You weren’t the only one,” Paff replied.
    “When you contacted me, you said Omin
targeted Ann,” Hathor said.
    “Yes. We figured out the encrypted
instructions in the room where the clone has been hiding for two
years. In these instructions, Omin-2’s mission is to kill Ann.”
    Ann took a deep breath and released it before
she spoke. “Do you know where his clone is?”
    “Unfortunately, no,” Paff said. “Omin-2 left
in a spaceship. We have no idea where he went either. He disabled
the tracking device in the ship.”
    “He might be going to Raz,” Jaz added. “At
least with you here, you won’t be there for him to kill.”
    “What about you? Are any of you in danger?”
Ann asked.
    “His first mission is to kill you,” Paff
said. “Then he will come here to take over Pale.”
    “Isn’t it odd that he left a blueprint for us
to follow?” Jaz asked, mostly to herself. But the others turned to
her, so she continued, “I’m starting to think the encryption wasn’t
that secure. It’s too predictable. I think these instructions are a
decoy.”
    “Okay,” Ann slowly