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

She smiled, happy he hadn’t lied about staying with her, even if he should have told her the truth about the transition not hurting.
    “We haven’t transitioned,” he said.
    “We haven’t?”
    Turning her head slightly, she realized that Sam was also leaning over her. His expression reflected more concern than Ty’s did.
    “Is it the poison?” Sam asked.
    “I don’t know,” Ty answered.
    Strangely, the longer she lay there, the more normal she felt. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. They were, indeed, still beside the warehouse. Blinking to further clear her head, she looked around. Her eyes widened.
    “Where are my parents?” she asked.
    “They transitioned,” Ty said. “As did Avana.”
    She realized that her stumble had prevented her, Ty, and Sam from transitioning. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I guess I wasn’t prepared for the nausea and lightheadedness.”
    The two guys exchanged glances. She knew then that what she had experienced hadn’t been normal. Was it the poison, like Sam had guessed? If so, why did she feel all right now?
    “I’m okay,” she said. “Come on, let’s try again.”
    Ty and Sam each took one of her hands and pulled her to her feet. She waited for a wave of dizziness that never came.
    “Weird,” she breathed.
    “You sure you’re all right?” Sam asked.
    “I really am,” she assured him.
    Rather than ask about her well-being, Ty took her arm and led her a couple of feet back to her position. It was like he was looking at a brightly lit platform, so precisely did he position them. Kyra appreciated his competent manner and vowed to stand in place until the transition was complete.
    Once again, Ty and Sam held their locator devices out. As if in unspoken agreement, they each put a hand on her shoulders. Since she didn’t particularly trust herself, either, she could hardly blame them. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the glow indicating that they were about to be transitioned.
    And waited.
    And waited.
    Nothing happened. After a couple of minutes, Ty and Sam exchanged looks that told Kyra something was wrong.
    “What’s happening?” she asked.
    “Nothing,” Sam replied with a frown. “That’s the problem.”
    “What does that mean?”
    Giving her a wry look, he said, “It means that we can’t phone home.”

Chapter 8
     
     
    Something was wrong.
    Ty lifted Kyr and strode away from the transition point. He knew Sem would follow. If someone had been monitoring the Earth’s atmosphere at the right frequency, they might have detected the transition of the others. If they also happened to know the location of the Alametrian ship, their location was compromised.
    What had prevented their transition?
    His question was answered seconds later. Behind them, a blast of cold, foul-smelling air signaled the arrival of a new host of Shelvaks. Their ship had obviously been the one that captured the signal.
    “How many of those bastards can possibly be on one ship?” Sem asked, drawing his weapon.
    Ty didn’t even pause as he broke into a run. Now wasn’t the time to fight. Kyr was already weakened by the last Shelvak attack. Whether he liked their odds or not, he wasn’t about to put her at risk again.
    Give her to me , Sem thought. You’re faster. Get your keys and get to the damn car so you can start it .
    He was right. Trusting his cousin to catch Kyr, Ty tossed her. She let out a squeak that faded as he pushed himself to his full speed. Any human who saw him wouldn’t have believed how fast he ran. Unfortunately, Shelvaks were faster.
    He raced to the car, unlocking it with the key fob as he ran. Sem and Kyr were still beyond the light of the parking area as he threw the door open. The lights made it impossible to see how many Shelvaks followed them.
    Hauling himself inside the vehicle, he started it, jammed it into gear, and floored the gas pedal without even bothering to close his door. It slammed shut of its own accord as he