Chapter 6: Temptation Part 2 He's gonna try to what!
The clouds thickened in white, but were illuminated by the bright colors of the Tamaranean sky. Streams of glittering yellow floated over the sky, seemingly like the Milky Way. The sky was bright orange, in a light shade similar to the Earth's late afternoons. The air was fresh and the birds were soaring through the skies, chirping loudly in song that was unfamiliar to any Earthling.
The sun was perfectly round, sending its fiery rays across long distances and powered up all Tamaraneans. This late afternoon, many young Tamaraneans were flying, their arms stretched and their hair blowing with the wind, their eyes closed in meditation as their bodies absorbed the warmth of the sun, giving them the energy to continue on through the heavy duty days.
It was a tradition to come out right before the sun was under the horizon. It was according to their gods and goddesses that they would fly and whisper in pray for good luck and inner peace. Starfire looked up with her light emerald eyes, the sun shining in her eyes as she watched the people crowd the skies and chanting their prayers and folk songs.
She sighed heavily as she continued walking, her feet dragging along the gardens of the palace. Thick, rich fields of green were all around her, blooming rare species of flowers; some with petals as hard as stone or as spiky as thorns. Some were beautiful in color, but dangerous to touch, but still beautiful to observe. But to her, nothing was more glorious, more beautiful than the Earth's rose or the Earth's daffodils, her favorite flowers.
She brushed her hand over the edges of each strand of grass, not as smooth as the Earth's grass, but acceptable according to her people. She sighed again, her eyes were small as if she was tired. But she wasn't though, but at the same time, she wasn't as energenic as she would normally.
She moved some of her hair away from her eyes as curled them around her ear. Her mind had packed too many thoughts from the past hours. She couldn't concentrate on anything. Parts of her were fighting over her to make a decision, but nothing came clear for her. She couldn't make it simple because everything is getting more and more complicated for her.
When she left that room and saw the look in his eyes before she left, she knew that she had to get away from those amber eyes. She made an excuse to Karras that she had to do something and immediately she fled to the garden to clear her mind, but as she continued watching her feet take each step between the bricks that made the path, even more thoughts came into mind.
Starfire looked over her shoulder, making sure that no one had followed her here to this place. The wind howled in a eerie tone, blowing her hair in front of her face. She turned around when she bumped into someone and almost fell back, but strong hands grabbed both of her arms, obviously not letting her go any time soon.
Starfire moved her head up and her eyes looked into golden flecked eyes. His face blocked the sunlight and it seemed that two suns were gleaming over her. His long brown hands hung by his eyes as he smiled at her, almost ready to giggle. His dimples formed on his cheeks and her body began to burn up again. What does a man do to make himself look like a god?
"Did you think that you were going to get away from me that easily?" He teased.
Starfire's cheeks flushed scarlet red. "I-It-I mean I,..." Karras chuckled. "It is alright, Koriand'r." He said and placed her upright. Starfire rubbed her arm, trying to look away from him, but he touched her chin and turned her face to make her look at him.
"Is there something wrong?" He asked with concern, his eyes light green now. Starfire shook her head. "No! I mean, I'm fine really. I just needed time to think. I wouldn't be much fun thinking." Karras smiled at her and leaned close to her face, her face as red as cherries now. "You must think a lot then."
Starfire shifted her eyes quickly and before he was able to make the next move, she ducked under him and appeared behind him instead, her arms suddenly shivering from the sudden chill in the air.
"Not quite, Your Highness. But there's a lot that I wish to acquire time alone to clear my mind of, if you don't mind." "Is it about today?" Karras asked curiously as he turned around to face her. Starfire nodded, her back facing him and a hand on her arm.
Karras looked at her and stepped forward, the magnetism between them was heavy and it only brought him closer to her. Starfire looked over the palace and its tall towers as Karras came right behind her, his warmth running down her spine and made her body still.
His shadow swallowed her, her light fading as he placed his arms around her. She was alien to his touch and couldn't think of anything when he touched her by the waist. Starfire didn't look at him and turned away as Karras looked at her with seductive eyes.
Karras' large and juicy lips longed to kiss her, but she turned her head away from him, afraid of his stare. Instead to satisfy his crave, he brushed his hand through her silky and long red hair. When he came to her tips, he gently placed some of her hair over her shoulder. His hands clasped at her shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin, almost giving her a massage.
Starfire's forehead wrinkled as he slid his hands down her sides, feeling her insecurity and childish innocence; so young and fragile and easy to make her heart flop. Karras leaned close to her cheek, drawing in even breaths and his steam wet her skin.
"Princesses shouldn't think so much." He whispered to her in her ear. He grabbed her cold hand and guided it around her waist, his arm over hers. "All they have to do is listen and do what they are told. Thinking is too much to bare, so why just toss it aside..." His hands touched her waist, his fingers craving for more and he could feel the hair on her skin raise up and goosebumps coming about. "And just do what our bodies want..."
Starfire looked over the sky above, the sun flashing in front of her eyes. Some of her people were still flying, singing their melodies and performing aerobic-like tricks in the air. She pictured of a ship hovering up over them, with a little big green eyed girl at the window, screaming and crying, streaming with tears for someone to save her. But then a monstrous form grabbed her and pulled her away from the window.
"I have never got what I've wanted." Starfire spoke out finally after all of this time. "Never..."
"I'm free!" A young Starfire shouted with glee as she soared through the depths of space, flying faster than the speed of light towards her home, where her loving family would be waiting for her. No wind rushed to her face, but it was still soothing; the peace and quiet of space. And only one thought came to mind as she flew. That she was going home at last.
She continued on for days when suddenly she met with her oldest and most wonderful sister, Blackfire who was riding on a small aircraft, since she couldn't fly. Her sister welcomed her inside the ship and when they met, Starfire hugged her sister and cried so much, rivers were flowing from her eyes like waterfalls and she was hugging her sister so tight, Blackfire had to beg to be released from her breath-taking hug.
Starfire asked her sister, who was of course about three years older than she, why was she this far away from home and wondered if she had thought to rescue her from slavery. But Blackfire resented her and didn't answer her question.
As they rode along to Tamaran, a ship blasted them from behind, sending Starfire's head in front of her, hitting the controls in front of her. Small prickles of blood slid down from her cheeks as lights flashed in front of her and dark figures invaded their ship and took the two girls to their own ship.
Years have passed since that day, and they weren't very pleasant.
Screams screeched through the dark and metal halls of this unfamiliar place. Water dripped from the edges of the wall, the floor pooled with strange and bubbling chemicals.
Starfire screamed again, louder than before as electricity ran through her entire body and extreme solar energy burned her skin. Strange and hidieous creatures stood over her, watching her mercilessly as she screamed and struggled to break free. They held notepads and wrote some information down.
Starfire's hair grew long and her eyes were bloodshot from the lack of rest and air to breathe. Her clothes, which were only brown raggy clothes, were torn and dirty and strong with a fowl stench she didn't want to identify.
Starfire was chained against the thin and hard platform, her legs swung all around to shake the chains off of her, but it was no use. She was too weak from all of the radiation to use her born-giving strength to set her free.
She cried out for help when suddenly a bright violet light flashed in front of her eyes, shaking the creatures with fright. Blackfire appeared at the door, which was teared down by herself. Smoke sizzled in the air and revealed herself with sharp and bright purple eyes that glowed with some new magic Starfire had never seen before.
And for the first time in Starfire's life, she saw Blackfire levitate off the ground and charge at the men in front of Starfire. She punched them hard and when the guards were coming from the door, her hawk eyes caught them and her eyes bubbled when lazers shot out from her eyes and killed them all. Her fists glowed with the same light and she blasted everyone and everything with her power.
She laughed loudly and hysterically like a madwoman, her evil eyes enjoying this new feel of power that she had been rejected when she was young. Starfire's eyes were horrified by the look in her eyes as she turned around to face her, fearing the worst.
But then Blackfire's voice screamed out to her. "Break out!" She shouted and blasted the chains off of Starfire.
She flew off the platform and watched as her sister escaped through the entrance in which she had came from. Starfire glanced down at her hands, her deep eyes curious. She glanced up as the guards came with their weapons to take Starfire down.
Her eyes narrowed with anger and suddenly they started to glow intensively lime green. "I will no longer be a slave to you!" She shouted and her fists were on fire in green as she blasted all of them at the door, their bodies flying across the room.
She flew over them and found her sister as she blasted the wall and escaped through it. Starfire looked over her shoulder as the ship started to explode in loud and large clouds of red fire. Before the ship was gone, Blackfire blasted the ship with her eye lasers and the ship was destroyed completely.
Starfire's eyes widened in horror when for that second before Blackfire used her new powers, Starfire could have sworn she had heard screams coming from inside. She glanced at her glowing hands softly as they slowly began to lose their light.
Blackfire grabbed her wrist. "Let's outta of this dump." She said and dragged Starfire along towards Tamaran. Starfire was thirteen years old when she discovered her new gift and she was thirteen when she returned to Tamaran only to leave it all behind when they forced her to leave and never return again; breaking her heart even more. But she had never forgotten that day when she became a weapon.
Starfire turned her head around as Karras leaned in close to give her a kiss. Starfire shook her head fast as she forced Karras away from her. "No!" She shouted at him, her eyes glowing in green once again.
Karras looked at her, surprised. "What do you mean, 'no?'" His voice strong, in demand for an explanation, as if something like this had never happened to him.
Starfire looked at him, her eyes fierce in green still with all that is pouring out of her mind as well as her heart. "I never wanted this! I don't want to go through this! NEVER!"
Karras chuckled and leaned on one leg, his hand on his hip. He stared at her with those same amber eyes. "You don't have any other choice, Starfire. The contract has been made. You will marry me, whether you like it or not."
Starfire looked at him hard, not falling for the moves he made as he shifted his body from left to right or when he flipped his long hair back or when he blinked his long eyelashed eyes. "I will never marry you. Never. I will convince my father to cancel this engagement and I will go back to Earth."
"To Earth?" Karras choked out a laugh. "Why would you want to go back there?" "Because it is the only place that I had ever felt free and I'm certain that I rather be banished from this place then sleep in the same bed with you!" Starfire said, her teeth gridded against each other with her rage.
But Karras looked at her the same, uncaring and still seductive, as if he still held some power over her. "Free? With whom? With that boy, BlueJay?"
Starfire stomped her foot. "His name is Robin! And in case you are wondering, I love him! I love him and there's nothing that you can do to change the way I feel! I will no longer have people tell me what do to or have to force me to do their bidding. I am my own person and I will make my own decisions on what I would like to do in my life, and it doesn't count you."
Karras approached her and grabbed her by the arms hard. He pulled her close to him, her hair falling in front of her face, blocking most of eyes from him. His face was disoriented with the anger he was building inside. His grip of her arms tightened and he forced her body against his, his lust growing strong.
"You know, Star? It wouldn't matter in the end. Because you will marry me or else you will never be with your family again. Is that what you want? To be away from your family again? Have you seen how much they cried for you after all of these years? They want you back and they will-I will do anything to make sure you stay."
Their foreheads pressed against each other as Starfire was forced to look into his eyes, sinister. He wrapped his arms around her, not holding back, squeezing her. Starfire struggled to break free, but he wouldn't let go. His breath steamed against her skin and she was suffocating to breathe.
Her eyes glittered with tears in thought of her family, especially her little brother. She had hardly known him and she had wished many times to be with him. And also her parents. They had told her that the only way for peace was this marriage. What would happen if she refused this engagement? Would her home be destroyed? Was Karras that powerful?
As if he was reading her mind, his lips caressed her ear as he whispered to her, "I have more power than you can ever imagine. You will be mine, Star..." He said as his hand caressed her, feeling her sides. His other hand moved up her neck and touched her cheek, her face in his grasp.
His eyes were no longer filled with anger, but generous. "I can give you the entire universe, Star. I can give you everything you want. All you have to do is say 'yes' when we approach the altar. That's all. And you'll get all that your hearts desires...a true home where you feel love and be loved in return, from your family and from me..."
Karras tenderly caressed her cheek, her eyes flickering to stay open. His eyes softened as he closed his eyes and leaned his face forward to kiss her. Starfire wanted to close her eyes and accept his offer. To be with her family again was more than she had ever wanted.
But then she thought about Titans Tower and the Titans themselves. Their laughter and their happy smiles filled her mind with memories, memories that she would never want to repress from her mind. And Robin. She remembered their first kiss; so sweet and tender. She nodded in reply to her thoughts.
She jerked Karras away from her, her eyes narrowed when she looked at him. He stared at her surprised, surprised that she still didn't fall for him.
"Never." Starfire said simply and walked away from him. Before she was gone from his sight, she looked back at him with the corner of her eye. "And never call me Star."