When my eyes fluttered open the next morning, I felt rested and re-energized in a way I had never experienced before. It was as if my entire soul had been renewed. I could feel the small smile on my lips as I patted the bed beside me, trying to feel for Kade's warmth.
What I felt instead was a cold mattress. I sat up quickly, looking for him. Disappointment and worry surged through me like a tsunami and left a bitter taste in my mouth as I realized he hadn't kept his promise from last night. After such an important moment between us, I was sure I would wake up to him next to me this morning. I frowned at the door, trying to understand my own frustration.
Despite the anger that had sparked up within me, I tried to rationalize with myself that something important must have come up for him to leave me here alone after the moment we had shared together last night.
I literally let the guy bite me, for gods sake. I groaned into my pillow with embarrassment.
Maybe what we shared wasn't as important to him as it was to me. My traitorous mind suggested.
The thought alone made my blood run cold as dread began to overtake my train of thought. Had I been a fool to think that an alien man from a different world would feel the same emotions as me? That the passion between us last night was really just due to some weird alien body-chemistry and nothing more?
Probably. I rolled my eyes at myself. Men were the same no matter where they came from, clearly. I must have been naive to think that there was something more than physical chemistry.
I let out a sigh as I sat up in bed, stretching my muscles languidly. I still felt better than I had in... possibly forever, if I really thought about it.
I made my way around the room, brushing my teeth and readying myself for the day ahead of me. I found comfort in the mundane tasks that took up a small portion of my day.
I found clean clothes waiting for me on the wooden chair near the bed and slipped them on. I found myself absently wondering if Kade had laid them out for me or if there was some sort of invisible servant I hadn't yet met that crept around the room while I was sleeping.
I shivered at the thought. I hoped it wasn't the latter.
If it was Kade... my cheeks reddened at the thought of him choosing the clothes out for me to wear. It felt extremely intimate.
Don't get ahead of yourself, Emily. I rolled my eyes at myself.
I peeked out the door cautiously. I was pretty sure that since we had marked one another last night, that meant I'd no longer randomly turn into a ball of fire and once again be allowed back in the main part of the ship.
I wouldn't be trapped several stories below ground level any longer since it was supposed to neutralize my outbursts of power. I wouldn't be as great of a risk to exposing the Naurians powers.
At least... I hoped. I was done with the claustrophobic metal walls down here. I needed to see other people- er, Naurians or I was sure to go insane with just Kade to keep me company.
Even if he was exactly the company I wanted to keep.
I frowned at the thought of him, still annoyed he hadn't been there to keep the promise he had made me last night. I paused mid-step, furrowing my brow at my own behaviour. I was acting awfully possessive over a man I hardly knew. Fated or not. Whatever that really meant... I still wasn't completely sure.
I shook my head, forcing my troubled mind to shut up for the time being. Right now, I was hungry and on a mission to find someone to bring me back up to life above the shelter I had been stuck in for the past several days.
I heard voices as I neared the room I remembered we had eaten in the day before. They quieted as they heard me coming. Rounding the corner, I found myself face to face with Kade and his father, King Kagorth.
I came to a skidding stop as I looked between the two men whose faces were still tense from the conversation they must have been having before I interrupted.
"Oh, I'm sorry for intruding." I said. Despite my apology, my tone came out sounding anything but sorry and I cringed inwardly at myself.
The King raised an eyebrow at me and gave Kade a knowing look. Kade's lip twitched up in to a smirk as he looked heatedly upon my neck. The mere contact from his eyes was sending me into a heated spiral. If I didn't stop myself soon I was sure to be a panting mess. My cheeks flared as I finally managed to break eye contact and look at the King instead of Kade's moltent gaze. I cleared my throat, hoping the King hadn't noticed the past few seconds between myself and his son.
"I'm glad that I ran in to you here. I wanted to speak with you in regards to the program and its future." I willed my voice to come out strong and unwavering, and I felt like I had pretty much achieved it as my back straightened, ready for an argument.
The King looked taken aback by my forwardness for a moment before he recovered. "Of course, Emily. I would be surprised if you didn't want to discuss it further given everything that has happened so far. I'd love to show you the progress we have already made since you arrived."
I nodded, trying not to let the shock that I was currently feeling show on my face. I didn't agree with his methods, but a King that was willing to listen to what I had to say regarding the fate of his people was something I hadn't been anticipating.
"Thank you, Sir." I responded, now shy as the fight slowly drained out of me. Kade was looking at me with an expression that I swore could have been pride.
Kagorth nodded. "Unfortunately my dear, right now we have a more pressing issue at hand." The King looked to his son, expecting him to fill me in on what was going on.
Kade sighed. "I don't want to worry you, but someone has infiltrated our ship. There have been several reports of an unknown male lurking through our halls. However... since those reports came in early this morning, we have not been able to locate him. He seems to be lying low. We don't know what his motive is at this time."
My eyes were wide as I stared at him. "Do you think he's dangerous? What do you think he wants? Are you going to lock down the facility?"
Kade shook his head in response. "As of right now we don't want him to know that we know that he's somewhere in our ship. We have our warriors actively searching for him but until we find him we can't take him in to questioning. Right now, we're to pretend it's business as usual. My father thinks that you and I returning to our people above as a marked couple will cause a disturbance among our kind, and possibly draw the intruder out so that we can apprehend him."
I blew out a long sigh, suddenly stressed that it could possibly be one of the horrible men that had tortured me in the Department of Defense.
Kade's eyes darkened to a murderous black. "No one will harm you." He all but growled out, somehow knowing what was going through my mind as soon as I had thought it.
I gave him a tight nod, knowing I wouldn't be able to trust my voice not to wobble like a true baby. Those men had seriously messed me up.
"I am going to head up to the surface now. You two eat your breakfast and enjoy one another in private for a few more minutes. I'll see you both up top in twenty and we will announce your marking to our people. What a joyous occasion!" His voice was elated as he took in the tattoos that adorned our necks and announced our partnership to the world. As the King disappeared with the blink of an eye, I pursed my lips at the nerves that shot through me like a stampede of stallions.
I hadn't really had the chance to meet many of the Naurians before this moment considering my habit of catching myself on fire. Were they going to resent me? Think that I don't belong here? Probably all of the above and more. My mind whirred.
I wanted to kick myself for allowing the negative thoughts to creep in so easily.
I felt a warm hand at the small of my back and looked up to find Kade suddenly so close to me that I could see each individual dark eyelash that framed his incredible blue eyes. I blinked several times myself, trying to clear the shock from my expression. I wasn't sure I was ever going to get used to the speed at which he and the others could move at. My nerves and negativity dissipated immediately at his soft touch.
"Hi," I murmured quietly. I was still so unsure of the feelings that were beginning to stir through me whenever Kade was nearby. Although it felt as natural as breathing to yearn for his touch, I was also well aware that it wasn't normal among human standards; and human standards were all that I had ever known until this point in my life.
His hard eyes softened slightly as he looked down at me. "You don't need to worry. Everything will be fine, I will make sure of it. You will be happy here."
I didn't respond. I just nodded, moving towards the table that had several dishes of food laid out for us. Kade followed silently, sitting down beside me. He didn't pick up his fork, he merely waited for me to let out what had been plaguing my mind.
"What if they don't like me?" I blurted out, avoiding his eye contact as I pushed some scrambled egg around my plate. At least... I thought it was egg. Silence followed my question until Kade let loose a sigh.
"Emily, it doesn't matter what they think. They know why we're here. They know the sacrifices that you've made, and although they don't fully understand exactly what you went through they will respect you as future Queen of Nauria." Kade's voice was firm and his expression was unwavering. His tone implied he wasn't going to give them any other option.
Queen. The word bounced around my mind like a ping pong ball; like a never ending echo in my head.
I bit my lip, ignoring the fact that I was possibly going to be Queen of a foreign planet. Would I really see Nauria one day? The thought seemed so absolutely strange and impossible that I had to focus on our conversation once more or I would most definitely start to spiral into a nervous break down. I had always had a fear of space, of the unknown. The fact that travelling through space was suddenly a possibility I would personally face in my lifetime was unimaginable.
"You can't promise respect, Kade. That's something that they'll decide on their own, despite what you may have to say about it. I don't know how I could possibly lead these people when I don't even know the customs. I've never even seen the planet for gods sake."
"You will learn the customs. One day, we'll travel back to Nauria. It may be sooner than you think." His words made me pause, finally popping the piece of pepper into my mouth to stop the further onslaught of words from pouring out of my mouth. There would be time to worry about all of this later, when the time came. Right now, I needed to focus on the intruder and meeting the people Kade called his own.
We ate in silence until our plates were bare, both contemplating what was going to happen next. Kade's demeanor was almost... excited. I knew my own aura probably resembled a thunder cloud. I let out a breath of air, knowing I needed to relax a bit or the people I met were definitely not going to like me.
When Kade scraped his chair back I bit my lip, following his movements. He placed his hand on the small of my back again as he led me towards an elevator that I didn't even know was down here.
When I raised an eyebrow at him, he shrugged. "One of the few things we've liked about human inventions. Although, Nauria is centuries ahead technology wise. Unfortunately, we were unable to bring any of it here for fear humans would create super weapons."
I nodded, scoffing. "Yeah, I wouldn't be able to argue with you there..." I responded distastefully. Humans could be amazing, but they could also be the definition of evil.
Kade snorted in response. "I like the faith you have in human kind." He was teasing me with a playful expression on his face. My own eyes softened as I relaxed in to his calming touch.
"What can I say? History here seems to repeat itself here on Earth." I said drily.
Kade nodded in agreement. "Our worlds aren't really that different. We found that out upon arriving several years ago."
I paused, mid-step. "You've been here for several years?" My voice raised slightly on the last octave. I hadn't thought they had been here any longer than the past year, for whatever reason.
Kade nodded, starting to walk once more. "How do you think we understand your human references and how your politics and people work?" He asked, not condescendingly.
"I didn't think about it, I guess. I suppose it should have been more obvious. How long have you been here?" I asked him.
The elevator had finally reached our floor and the doors dinged cheerfully. We stepped in, and I faced him once more, curious as to what his answer would be.
"I've been here almost two years now. I came after my father sent for me and more of our male warriors. We arrived in a small pod and began learning your customs at that time. We even observed the human population in secret, even to your government officials. We revealed ourselves to the humans shortly after and finalized our agreement almost a year ago now."
There was soft music playing in the background in a language I didn't recognize.
Kade seemed to notice my interest and grinned. "It's a song in my native tongue. From our home planet. Do you like it?"
I gave him a small smile and nodded. "I do. It's relaxing."
"I think so too." He responded thoughtfully. Looking at him, Kade seemed as though he was caught in a memory as he leaned against the hand rail in the elevator.
When the elevator chimed, Kade snapped out of his daze and gave me a mischievous grin as he wound an arm around my waist and rugged me close to his side.
"Ready for this?" His voice was smooth as he whispered in my ear, causing a shiver to run through my body.
I moved to smack him but instead he grabbed my hands easily and turned me to face him as he held my hands securely in his own. He brought his head down and seconds later I felt his soft lips against my skin.
My knees would have given out on me if he hadn't brought his muscled arm around the small of my back and pressed me hard against the elevator wall.
His lips found my neck once more and I groaned out in response, sagging against him. The sensation was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.
This was so much different than the little experience I had with previous boyfriends. Ryan couldn't even come close to holding a candle next to Kade.
"Who's Ryan?" Kade's husky voice growled against my neck. I sighed against him, unable to resist any longer. I grabbed Kade's face is the palm of my hands, bringing his lips down on my own in a fierce and possessive kiss. I ground myself against his hard body and he flipped us once more so that I was pressed against the unrelenting elevator wall. I could feel his hardness against me as he pressed himself even closer to my needy, feverish body.
My tongue slipped into his mouth and he made a sound of pleasure against my lips, moving his hand from the wall to my ass, grabbing it roughly and pulling me even closer to his hardness. I groaned again, wanting nothing more than to have him closer than ever before.
A slight laugh from behind us caused me to jolt in surprise, as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on top of us.
Darius stood on the outside of the open elevator door, patiently waiting for Kade and I to finish our heated make out session.
I knew I was as red as a tomato but Kade merely growled out what sounded like several curse words aimed at the blonde alien that stood in front of us.
"Hey don't blame me. You were on display to the whole world. I was just sent to meet you guys at the elevator." He winked at me, grinning.
"I must say, I've never gotten to experience an elevator ride like that." Darius laughed light heartedly. There wasn't much I could say to him. It wasn't as though he could simply find a girl naturally to be with. I felt bad for them, really. I didn't know if he'd ever find someone unless some serious changes were made to this program and how they acquired girls.
"Well, would you prefer to press the button to head back down or are you ready to join us up here, Kadeon?" Darius's voice was as smooth as butter, knowing exactly how to ruffle his cousins feathers.
Kade glowered at the sunny blonde alien and stalked towards him out of the elevator, bumping his shoulder roughly against him.
Darius merely laughed as he turned to me. "Now he's going to be a dick all day long." He drawled out in exasperation.
I shrugged. "It's your fault." I responded airily. "Now you get to deal with his blue balls." I walked past him, following after Kade as he headed up the hallway. He paused, turning to wait for me to catch up.
Darius wrinkled his nose. "Blue balls?" He called out after me.
I ignored him as Kade grasped my hand and we continued up the hallway towards what seemed to be the echo of many voices.
I heard Darius mutter, "Humans," under his breath as he followed after us. Before I could turn around with a smart ass comeback, Kade and I rounded a corner and I came to a sudden stop as I gaped at the number of Naurian people crowded around what seemed to be a podium.
"God damn it Kade, you could have prepared me for this." I hissed at him, elbowing him slightly.
Slowly the Aliens that had been chatting amongst themselves noticed that we had entered through the back of the room and began to murmur excitedly when they noticed the marking on our necks.
I allowed myself to shyly take in the crowd in front of me. There must have been at least several hundred of them gathered around the enormous room, all staring at Kade and I.
Some of them looked happy, some excited and some... definitely not.
I avoided cringing at the four beautiful women glaring openly at me and focussed on the ones that looked genuinely interested in us.
I felt Kade's muscled arm wrap around my shoulders and bring me closer. "Everyone, meet my mate Emily. Your future Queen."
There was a moment of shocked silence that went through the Naurians before the room erupted in shouts of excitement and cheers. I didn't hear one of them dare boo me, at least in front of Kade and their King, and to my surprise no one shouted any mean girls quotes at me.
I don't even go here. The thought raced through my mind and made me want to pinch myself. Not the time, Emily.
The King beckoned us forward to the podium where he stood. "Come up here you two. Introduce yourself, Emily." He gave me an encouraging smile. I swallowed hard; I had always been an awful public speaker.
Kade and I weaved through the crowd slowly, as it seemed as though almost all of the Naurians wanted to touch my forehead with their index and middle finger. The first time it happened I thought they had flicked me, and I had been about to tell them exactly where to go when Kade quickly explained it was a sign of respect amongst their kind.
Kade chuckled at my confusion as we finally reached the podium in front of the room.
King Kagorth motioned me forwards. I did as he said and shakily stepped forwards and cleared my throat awkwardly.
God, I was no leader.
"Um.. hi everyone, my name is Emily... it's nice to meet you all." My voice sounded exactly as I felt. Intimidated.
It was then, scanning the rows of people, of happy, celebratory expressions that my eyes found a face that seemed oddly familiar in this setting. My gaze locked with his own. What I found staring back at me was absolute hostility and hatred to a level I had never experienced before. It was Connor. From the Department of Defence. The man whose hand I had patched up before it all went to shit. The man who had warned me to run.
It was then that I realized he hadn't been looking at me at all; he had been staring at Kade. Only seconds passed as time seemed to move in slow motion.
I saw the flash of metal and heard the shot. I didn't have time to think before I flung myself at inhuman speed in front of Kade, who hadn't had the chance to react at all.
The bullet tore through me at a speed and force I hadn't anticipated and threw me backwards as I sprawled onto the floor. My hands shot to my abdomen as I searched for where I had been hit. My hands came away sticky and bright red. My vision swam as I took shallow breaths, finally realizing that Kade was above me, shouting orders at soldiers as they ran around. Connor, I noticed had been easily apprehended by the Naurian soldiers. He still stared at Kade with the same resentment that made him pull that trigger.
Kade's voice cut through the noise. "Emily! Emily, stay with me do you hear me? God, why would you-" his voice got choked up as his hands hovered over the ever-growing pool of blood on my stomach.
"Why isn't this working?" He yelled, swearing a stream of words I had never heard before. My vision blurred once more as someone hauled me up into their arms. It was Kade.
I felt as though I was falling through the stars as we materialized once more in Dr. Ama's surgery room. She jumped up in shock as she took in my condition.
"Help her. My power isn't healing her." Kade's voice was broken as he begged her. I heard the drip of my blood as it hit the metal floor beneath us.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
It was to that noise that I finally lost consciousness. As my eyes drifted closed I could have sworn Kade was crying.
———
Whew! What do you think is gonna happen next?! Any theories?!
Thank you so much for reading! I am honoured so many of you like this book and I hope to keep you interested!!
Please comment especially and vote if you enjoyed it. The comments keep me going, truly. :)
Love kyla <3