Return of the Ascendant (The Ascendant Series) by Raine Thomas Page A

Judging by the way they were dressed, the man was the pilot and the woman was a flight attendant. Both of them wore navy blue suits without any logos, just like Margo had.
    Ty stopped walking about twenty feet from the plane. “Stay with Sem,” he told her.
    The moment he stepped away, Kyra began to feel uneasy. She really clued into the fact that they were standing outside in the dark. Yes, there were lights surrounding the plane, but there were also a great many shadows. Her eyes moved over to a plane parked not too far from theirs. Half of it was cast in darkness. The hair on the back of her neck rose when she saw movement.
    “It’s a canvas tarp moving in the breeze,” Sem said, following her gaze. “Don’t worry, Kyra. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
    She tried to give him a smile to let him know she appreciated his reassurance, but it felt weak even to her. Ty had entered the plane with the pilot. Rinaldi was speaking with the flight attendant, another tall woman with red hair. Kyra wondered if they were related. She couldn’t ever remember seeing so many redheads before.
    As if they knew she was thinking about them, both women suddenly looked at her and stopped talking. Kyra fought the urge to hide behind Sem. She felt like she was being weighed and measured.
    “Don’t squirm,” Sem said close to her ear. “They’re both Alametrians. This is the first time they’ve ever seen you.”
    “Why?” she asked. “Am I an Alametrian hermit or something?”
    “You’re well-protected.”
    She frowned. That was as vague a response as he could offer. What kind of life was she about to get transported to? It sure didn’t sound like one she wanted.
    Ty exited the plane a few minutes later and walked over to her. Without a word, he took her arm and led her to the stairs. She supposed the plane had passed his inspection.
    “Did you check the cargo hold and the bathroom?” she asked.
    “Of course.”
    She had been joking. He obviously wasn’t.
    When they neared the bottom of the stairs, Kyra realized the flight attendant was gone. She must have already boarded. Rinaldi stepped forward just as Kyra’s foot hit the first stair. Ty immediately positioned himself between her and Kyra.
    Kyra thought he was overreacting. She’d managed to survive a couple of Shelvak attacks already that night. She could handle one tall, skinny businesswoman.
    “My apologies, Dem-Shyr ,” Rinaldi said with a bow of her head. “I was just hoping to meet—”
    “This is no time for pleasantries,” he interrupted.
    “Of course.”
    Kyra wanted to kick Ty for being so rude. As he ushered her up the stairs, she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Rinaldi. Thank you for your help.”
    The other woman’s face lit up. She looked like she’d just been offered a knighthood by the Queen of England. Not speaking, she lowered herself into a deep bow.
    Kyra was embarrassed by the display and returned her attention to not tripping up the stairs. That would be one sure way to show how unworthy of a bow she really was.
    The pilot and the flight attendant both stood in the open doorway. They also bowed to her as Ty entered the plane first, standing between her and them and guiding her to a seat. Did he think one of them would try to stab her or break her neck? Why did everyone want to kill her? Was he just overprotective?
    Wishing she’d never gotten out of bed that morning, she sat by the window and fastened her seatbelt. Ty took the seat next to her. Despite the fact that the seats were larger than on commercial flights, he seemed to fill up every available inch of space.
    Sem sat in the aisle across from them. Kyra couldn’t even see him around Ty’s broad shoulders without leaning forward. She heard the flight attendant murmuring something to him, though, and his polite denial.
    “Wouldn’t you be more comfortable in an aisle of your own?” Kyra asked.
    Ty looked at her. “I sit where you sit.”
    “I get that, but you’d