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

must make you do this. I know you can. If you look deeply enough, you’ll know you can, too.”
    Her father pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry, Kyr-bear,” he said, using the nickname he always used. “Everything is going to be fine.”
    Kyra sensed that they weren’t telling her everything. She knew they were as upset about the coming separation as she was. Because they were trying to be strong for her, she knew she could offer them no less. Pulling away from her dad, she managed a smile.
    “Okay, you two. If you say it’ll be fine, I’m going to believe you. But you can’t pretend you don’t know me once we get to Alametria.”
    Her mother looked genuinely aghast at the suggestion. “Oh, honey—”
    “She’s teasing, Ullah,” her father said with a deep chuckle. “Kyr-bear knows she won’t be able to walk two steps without you hounding her, no matter the solar system.”
    That brought a genuine smile to Kyra’s face. “Okay, let’s get this over with. I’m sure Ty’s about to come over here and drag me along.”
    They turned as a group and started to walk over to join the others. She hadn’t even taken two steps before Ty hurried forward and scooped her up. She’d almost forgotten about her bare feet. Surprisingly, the foot that had stepped on the sharp rock as the Shelvaks chased her didn’t even hurt anymore.
    Catching Ty’s enigmatic silver gaze, she said, “Thanks.”
    He gave her a curt nod.
    She wanted to explain that her gratitude wasn’t for carrying her around, but they were moving and her attention turned to what was about to happen.
    “Will this hurt?” she asked. Her fingers had dug deeply into his shoulder, so she forced her hand to relax.
    “Will what hurt?”
    She considered again her lack of knowledge and the fact that she had no idea how they were going to get from Earth to Alametria. Drawing on her limited sci-fi exposure, she guessed, “The, um, transport to the ship…or whatever.”
    “No.”
    His curt answers might have bothered her on any normal day, but right now, his matter-of-fact demeanor served to calm her. “And you’ll be going with me, right?”
    “Yes.”
    She breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”
    Realizing she had said the word out loud, she avoided looking at him. She felt his gaze on her face, though, and fought a flush of embarrassment.
    It wasn’t long before they stopped. He put her on her feet. The wide patch of pavement on which they stood looked like it was clearer of debris than the parking lot had been. She also noticed that without her shoes on, she didn’t even reach Ty’s shoulders. Lord, he was big.
    “Do you both have your locators?” Ty asked her parents.
    “We have one, Dem-Shyr ,” her father said. “The other was in a separate location as a matter of security and we didn’t have time to retrieve it.”
    “That’s all right,” Ty said. “You can transition with Ullah.”
    Kyra’s pulse raced as Ty arranged them all into the positions for transitioning. She obediently took her spot next to him. Sam stood on her left with her mother on his other side. Her father stood by her mother, and Avana stood between him and Ty. They made a tight circle.
    “Stay in position,” Ty ordered.
    They all nodded. Kyra’s father placed his hand on her mother’s shoulder just as Ty touched Kyra’s shoulder. Everyone who had a locator device held them with their palms out. Kyra’s eyes widened as they started glowing.
    This was it. She was leaving Earth behind.
    Her throat went dry. A sudden wave of nausea caught her by surprise. Confusion overtook her. Ty had said this wouldn’t hurt.
    Then the world spun. She lost her balance and fell backwards. There was a bright flash of light as her eyes rolled back in her head. Two hands kept her from hitting her head on the pavement. Still, she felt a hard, flat surface beneath her. Guessing she’d made the transition, she opened her eyes to face her new reality.
    Ty’s silver gaze met hers.