Read Online Skylar's Guardians by Breanna Hayse - Free Book Online Page A

“Remember when I told you I retain information? Too many of your manuals indicate that the females of your species enjoy purchasing items. If we obtain perishable goods, then you know we must not dally when you look at clothing and such, correct?”
    “Damn it, you are smart. Where will we put stuff we buy?”
    “We can send it through the shifter with us.”
    “How does that thing work?”
    “All our devices are controlled mentally, like the ship. It has taken us years to master the communication between the systems and the ability to concentrate on the work we are performing. It can be dangerous losing focus. With a shifter, if you are distracted, you can end up materializing in the middle of a boulder.”
    “Ow,” Skylar shuddered.
    “That is a correct assumption. Let’s do this,” Troy said, his voice clearly revealing his trepidation as he removed her old sandals from a pocket in his tunic and slipped them onto her feet.
     
    * * *
     
    Skylar knew that Troy waited anxiously on a bench outside of the grocery store, trying to look inconspicuous as he curled his body as small as he could muster. She painfully hurried through the shopping as quickly as possible. She ignored the looks given her by the people as they saw her bruised face and the unusual garment, focusing simply on getting out as fast as she was able.
    Troy looked relieved as she rolled the cart to him. “Have you finished?” he asked, sitting up straight.
    “Yeah, but my head hurts terribly and my leg is tired. Can we go home? Please? I can’t shop anymore today. This was way too much for me,” Skylar said in a tiny voice, surprised to hear the word ‘home’ slip from her mouth.
    “Yes, baby. You poor thing,” he said, ignoring the looks around him as he lifted her high into his arms and pushed the cart away to a small, wooded section behind the store. His affection touched her heart.
    “You’ve been reading the books, haven’t you?” Skylar asked, relieved to be off of her feet.
    “Yes. Could you tell? I want to call you names that make you feel nurtured.” Troy sounded pleased.
    Skylar nodded, resting her face against his shoulder and inhaling his fragrance with delight. “You smell so good,” she giggled as a wave of giddiness swept over her.
    “I don’t smell anything.” Troy wrinkled his nose.
    “Mmmm, you and Tralec have this manly scent that makes my head spin. It is very seductive and sexy,” Skylar returned. “Your scents are one of the ways I can tell you two apart. Both of you are very appetizing. Your voice inflections are different too, and how you carry yourselves.”
    “It must be how we are designed. Most people are able to differentiate between identical pod-mates without difficulty, but we have never investigated the reason. I think we are free of observers. Hold on.” Troy glanced around for witnesses, and convinced they were not being watched, activated the shifter.
    “Oh God,” Skylar groaned, slumping on the ground after he put her down. “I’m gonna lose my lunch.”
    “What’s lunch?”
    “Food, midday meal. I’m talking about the chicken you gave me. I overdid it walking today, and I have another stupid headache. I never thought I would say this, but I need a nap. It’s the only thing that helps my dumb migraines.”
    “We will have Tralec take a look at you first.”
    “It’s just a migraine. I get them all the time.”
    “I wish to make certain that it is not due to that head injury you had.”
    “Tralec said the concussion and the internal stuff were healed. He said it takes the superficial things like bruising a while to recover. I’m fine.”
    “Must you argue? You are pale.”
    “You are calling me pale? You are the one who has the pallor of the undead. Do you guys burst into flames if you go into the sun?”
    “No, we just color differently. Our pigment activates in moonlight.”
    “We need to take a moonlight stroll then. You both would have season passes to a vampire’s