Monster's Prey

Chapter 1

Serena

Serena leaned against the wall of their kitchen, her arms crossed and her eyes staring out the window. The silence was thick with tension, and she heard her father huff from across the room.

Outside, the coldness of space swallowed all her feelings. But inside, strong emotions could be easily felt.

She slid her stare to him, and his narrowed eyes were already focused on her. It took a lot to make her dad this angry. He was the great Captain Tyler, known for his ability to stay calm under pressure and make fast, educated decisions.

That included his firm answer that she could not go with him on one of his missions. Serena was tired of how protective her father was over her. He had never let her explore the galaxy with him growing up, and she wanted to do more than sit at home all her life. 

Almost always, she was confined to the Armstrong Spaceport. Her father had been assigned to a house on the Star Alliance space station orbiting the planet Armstrong after the Centuries War, and while it was a fascinating place to be raised, there were only so many stories she could hear from all the veterans on base before she was going to explode. 

“I want to go on my own adventure,” Serena ground out. “I know you don’t want me to get hurt, but either I can go with you, or I will go find some planet out there to explore alone.”

“Serena, you are all the family I have left. I can’t let anything happen to you, not after-“

She sighed. “Not after what happened to Mom. I know. Dad, you have been so concerned about my safety since I was five years old, but you don’t have to be so worried. I’m an adult, and I can handle myself.”

“I have told you a million times, no.”

This wasn’t the first time she had begged him to take her out into the galaxy. The Centuries War ended twenty-four years before Serena’s birth, and she thought that without that threat, her dad would be more open to taking her on his routine rides. 

He refused her entire life, though, and she grew up sheltered. She wasn’t blind to the fact that her father had shied away from any dangerous activities on the Spaceport as well. When she asked to take fighting classes with her friends, he put in her pottery. When she was invited to ride retired cavalry beasts, he took them on vacation to the planet to see the gardens.

Serena knew her dad tried his best as a single parent, and she was definitely spoiled. She got whatever she wanted––or something even better if what she wanted was too dangerous––but it was time for him to see she was not so delicate. She could take care of herself. 

She pulled out a chair at the kitchen table, she fell back into it. “That’s fine. Some of my friends from school were talking about taking a summer trip in the Badlands.”

It was a lie, but the way her dad’s eyes bulged out let her know it worked. The Badlands was a parent’s worst nightmare with supernovas and gas giants peppering the area and making it difficult to navigate. Even decades after the Reaper threat had ceased, pirates, slavers, and other dangerous elements hid in the Badlands.

No one dared to go to those planets.

He sighed and tugged his hands through his hair. “You’re not letting it go this time, are you?”

Serena shook her head, her heart stuttering. He seemed so close to caving. “You let me go to Novaria alone, Dad. Just let me ride along with you for a little while.”

“Novaria is perfectly safe, and that was for school! You needed to attend university, but my missions are dangerous and do not require your presence.”

Almost guiltily, she poked out her lower lip. “Why do you leave on assignments that put you in danger? You know you’re all I got too.”

Her dad scrubbed at his chin. “Fine,” he sighed. “You can come.” Serena squealed, but he held out his hand. “You have to listen to all my orders like the rest of the crew, and I reserve the right to drop you back here whenever I deem necessary.”

“Yes, okay. Whatever you say!” 

She lunged at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He chuckled lightly, and she could hear the hesitation in his voice. His hands patted her back, and she pulled back. 

“This is going to be so great!”

“I hope so,” he muttered under his breath. “I’m going to take a shower, and then we’ll go get something to eat, okay?”

Serena nodded enthusiastically. As her dad left, though, she realized that she should do something for him. He needed to realize that she was a strong and capable adult and that she appreciated him.

The only problem was when her dad enrolled her in cooking classes, Serena nearly burnt down the building. After three classes, the teacher politely asked Captain Tyler to find a different place for his daughter.

She was a grown woman now. She could do this for him, and she vaguely remembered how her mom used to make breakfast for dinner. Her dad loved it. There would be this whole spread of eggs, French toast, fresh berries, bacon, and sausage. 

Looking in the fridge, though, the only things they had were eggs and a few forgotten veggies. Serena had eaten enough omelets in her life to know that these ingredients would be perfect. How hard could eggs be?

“Serena!” Her dad called, coughing as he entered the kitchen. 

Smoke was wafting off the stove, and she dumped the omelet onto a plate, tossing the pan into the sink. “I’m fine.”

He smiled. “What’s this?”

“I was trying to make you breakfast for dinner.”

His eyes landed on the burnt attempt, and he wrapped his daughter in a big hug. “Just like your mom.” Serena nodded. “Thank you, honey.”

He picked up the plate, and she ripped it out of his hands. “You can’t eat this.”

A chuckle rippled out of her father’s chest. “I appreciate the effort, but I wasn’t going to. You want to go get some dinner at the new Vakutan bistro?”

Serena dumped the eggs in the trash. “Yes, please.”