Keeper of the Stars: Part One Read online

Yes, she could tell them but when she’d asked about what they knew in regards to her birth parents or if she had blood siblings there had been pain in their eyes. She despised hurting them and so when Jasmine had first contacted her, she’d kept it to herself. And the first meeting. Partly to protect them—if she hadn’t got along with Jasmine, only Caro would have been hurt.

  May not have been the smartest thing to leave without telling them exactly where I was going.

  She sat up a bit more as the cab drew to a halt before the Dane County Airport below the Delta sign. Passing the driver as she exited, she handed him a bill. “Keep the change.”

  “Thank you.”

  She smiled and walked inside to the first kiosk, bag on her shoulder. Before long she had her boarding ticket and was making her way through to security and on to her gate.

  Seated in first class, she used the pillow and blanket provided after storing her bag. She closed her eyes and waited for them to take off, alone in her row. She’d raised the rest between the seats.

  The flight was uneventful and she woke with the announcement of flight attendants preparing the cabin for landing. She watched the night lights of Atlanta come into view as they approached the airport.

  As they taxied to the terminal gate, she withdrew her bag from beneath the seat ahead of her, her nerves suddenly going wonky. She chewed on the side of her lip and wished that she had her papers—she made origami swans when she got stressed or nervous. As a child she’d read Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes and had created a thousand of her own and hung them up in her room. It was the only shape she could make but she had the ability to create them from any papers.

  The seatbelt light blinked off and she gained her feet, swung her bag in front of her and disembarked. Once firmly in the airport, she sidestepped an employee then sent Terri a text before striking out.

  She waited for a taxi and gazed around taking it all in. The night was warm, despite it being autumn.

  “The Marriott on Peachtree,” she informed the driver as he held the door for her.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  It didn’t take long after arriving for her to secure a room and ride the elevator up to it on the thirty-fourth floor. Bag on the bed, she went to the window and stared out. The golden dome of the capital shone brightly against the night skyline.

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  About the Author

  Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She is married to a career military man, and they have a German Shepherd, two Borzois, and a DSH cat. Her days are spent sharing her time between work, writing, and dog training.

  Email: [email protected]

  Aliyah loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at http://www.totallybound.com.

  Also by Aliyah Burke

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  In Aeternum: Harbour of Refuge

  In Aeternum: Protected by Shadows

  Interludes: Temporary Home

  Interludes: Alone With You

  What’s Her Secret?: Preconception

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  Kemet Uncovered: Saffron

  Kemet Uncovered: Taber

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  With McKenna Jeffries

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  McKingley: The Best Thing Yet

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  Totally Bound Publishing