Page 5 of Dark Princess Emerging

They had done a lot of that after the first time, and she was eager to explore more, but Brandon insisted on taking things slow because she was still recuperating.

That was a good incentive to push herself on that weird machine Gertrude had guided her to use.

"What happens if the vehicles all break down?" Morelle asked. "Amanda mentioned something about a pulse of energy that can disable all electronic devices on Earth. How would people find their way back home?"

A pulse like that wouldn't have interrupted life on Morelle's home planet because the Kra-ell were not as dependent on electrical energy, and gods lived underground, so their tech was protected, but the impact on Earth would be catastrophic.

"Council members and Head Guardians know the way," Brandon said.

That made sense, and she hoped that one day she would be entrusted with that knowledge, too. Morelle didn't want to be the outsider with the secrets anymore. She wanted to be a valued member of her community.

At some point, the windows turned clear again, and the Odu took over the driving. At first, the world outside the windows didn't seem much different than the one she'd seen in the village, but then they reached a populated area with tall buildings that were covered in glass and gleamed in the morning sun.

"The facility where the lab is located is called a university," Brandon said. "Does that translate well to Kra-ell?"

She nodded. "The gods have them. The Kra-ell don't, or at least they didn't when I was there."

"According to the gods who arrived not too long ago, the Kra-ell have institutions of high learning now," Kian said. "But nothing that compares to the elite universities of the gods. Those are reserved for their upper class, and even commoner gods can't get in."

She shook her head. "Thousands of years later, things are still pretty much the same over there."

"It seems to me that time on Anumati moves at a different rate." Kian crossed his arms over his chest. "They are such an ancient civilization, and they live forever. They don't want things to change. They are comfortable with how things are."

3

BRANDON

Brandon held on to Morelle's hand as their group made its way through the campus, which was buzzing with activity, but as more people turned to stare at their unusual-looking procession and then their gazes landed on her, he switched and placed it on her lower back.

Her muscles were so tense that he wrapped his arm around her and tugged her closer against his side.

"Is there a movie shoot going on, and no one told us?" someone murmured, but it was loud enough for his immortal hearing to catch.

"Has to be. Look at that stunning woman. She must be an actress with that perfect face and starved look. I bet it's a sci-fi movie, given that shaved-off hair."

"I'm going to Google it. She looks familiar."

Morelle must have heard everything as clearly as he had, but judging by how stiff her posture remained, she didn't understand that the comments were complimentary.

He leaned closer to her ear. "They are saying that you are beautiful, and they think we are actors on our way to film a scene in a movie."

"The woman said that I looked starved," Morelle whispered. "I didn't understand what she said about my shaved-off hair. The translation must have been inaccurate."

It made sense that the term science fiction did not translate well to Kra-ell. "They think that you are an actress in a futuristic movie, and having a shaved head is the style of the future. They might also think that you are playing the part of a soldier in an elite unit. They usually shave off most of their hair for practical reasons."

"Is that why they assume I am a performer of fictional stories?"

"Performers are usually the most attractive people. They are chosen for their looks." He smiled as her shoulders relaxed slightly. "They think you are gorgeous, which, of course, you are."

"Thank you," she whispered back. "I don't know why this is important to me, but for some reason, it is."

Looks were important to everyone because people wanted to be deemed attractive and desirable, and although Morelle had grown up in a warrior culture that worshipped strength above all, some things were universal.

She lifted her chin and actually smiled at a group of passing students, causing several of them to stumble.

When they reached the lab, Amanda sauntered toward them with a big smile on her lips and her arms open wide to embrace Morelle. "Welcome to my domain."

Syssi followed with her own embrace and then hugged her husband as if she hadn't seen him in weeks instead of mere hours.