Page 49 of Alien Prince (Alien Abductions and Seductions #1)
Chapter Fifteen
Emily
Being with Kael… I dreamed about it plenty, but the actual experience… I thought it might never happen.
But it did.
And I have zero regrets.
It was absolutely amazing.
But when I wake, Kael’s gone.
Worse, he’s changed.
Maybe he found me lacking, although he certainly hadn’t acted that way in the moment. Maybe he just wanted to experience the novelty of having sex with an Earthling. Maybe now he won’t want me to be his queen.
And what then? What will happen to me? Will I be allowed to return to the life I left behind?
I don’t think I want that anymore. My life on Earth… yes, I enjoyed it, but I never had a lot of friends. My shyness held me back. By thinking all of this was a dream at first, I found my voice. I’ve been speaking up for myself, and Kael appreciates that.
Or maybe that had only been an act.
Maybe I upset him.
It’s entirely possible that I ruined everything.
I just wish I knew how.
Over the course of the next few days, my worst fears come true. Kael’s mood swings are enough to drive anyone insane. One minute, he’s warm, his touch lingering just long enough to make me think there’s something real between us. The next, he’s as cold as the frost on Erythos’s distant mountains, retreating behind that impenetrable mask of his.
I’ve had enough.
I pace the length of my room, the knot in my chest growing with every step. I’ve been patient—probably too patient—but his behavior is tearing me apart. If he regrets what happened between us, fine, but he owes me an explanation.
The decision solidifies in my mind, and I storm out of my room, heading straight for his chamber. The halls are quiet this late, the faint glow of the bioluminescent lights casting eerie shadows on the walls.
When I reach his door, I hesitate for only a moment before knocking firmly.
“Kael,” I call, my voice steady despite the rapid beat of my heart.
No response.
I knock again, harder this time. “We need to talk.”
The door swings open abruptly, and Kael stands there, his expression hard and unreadable. “Emily,” he says, his tone clipped. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” I snap, stepping past him into the room. “What are you doing? One minute, you’re pulling me closer, and the next, you’re acting like I don’t exist. I deserve answers, Kael.”
He closes the door, his shoulders stiff as he turns to face me. “This isn’t the time—”
“No,” I interrupt, my frustration boiling over. “You don’t get to decide when it’s the time. I’ve been patient. I’ve given you space. I know there’s a lot going on, but I’ve been trying to help, and… You’re pushing me away, and I need to know why.”
His jaw tightens. “Leave my chamber now,” he orders.
“Kael—”
“Now!”
His anger… I don’t know him when he’s like this.
Feeling very much like a dog with my tail between my legs, I hurry around him and rush to return to my room. I barely have time to close the door behind me when a deafening crash shatters the tension.
The window explodes inward, shards of glass raining down as a dark figure bursts into the room. I shriek and reach behind me for the door as a blade glints in the dim light.
The intruder lunges, and I risk turning around to finally close my hands around the knob. I throw open the door, and Kael’s there. He must’ve followed me to my room. With his arm, he shoves me to the side, and I watch in horror as the dark figure advances toward us.
Kael moves like a force of nature, his silver skin gleaming as he blocks the attack with a fluidity that takes my breath away. The fight is quick, brutal. Within moments, the assassin is disarmed and pinned to the ground, Kael’s knee pressing into their back.
“Who sent you?” Kael growls, his voice low and dangerous.
The assassin doesn’t answer, but their silence speaks volumes. Kael’s grip tightens, and I can see the raw fury in his eyes, the protective edge that’s always there, even when he’s pushing me away.
Another sound—fast and heavy footsteps—echoes from the hall. Kael curses under his breath, releasing the assassin and pulling me toward the door.
“We’re not safe here,” he says, his tone urgent.
He thinks there are more assassins, that those coming aren’t guards.
My heart is in my throat. Kael yanks on my arm, and we’re running. His hand finds mine, gripping me tightly as we navigate the palace’s winding corridors. My heart pounds in my chest, the adrenaline coursing through me making it hard to think.
We burst into a passage I never noticed before, the stone walls cold and damp around us. I stumble, unable to keep up, and Kael practically drags me along.
After what feels like an hour, Kael finally stops, pressing a hand against the wall to catch his breath.
“What the hell just happened?” I ask, my voice shaking.
“Wasn’t that clear enough?”
“An assassination attempt,” I mumble.
“Yes” he says grimly, his gaze scanning the shadows, “and there will be more.”
“More?” I repeat, my frustration shifting into fear.
His gaze meets mine, and his unguarded expression makes my throat dry. “I wasn’t the target, Emily. You were.”
“I… I realize that, but… why?” I whisper.
“Because they know what you mean to me,” he says quietly, his voice rough, “and they’ll do anything to weaken me.”
His admission leaves me speechless.
Kael takes a step closer, his hand brushing against my arm. “I pushed you away because I thought it would be the best way to protect you. With all of this upheaval, and the coup… But now I see what a fool I’ve been. Distance won’t keep you safe.”
I want to be angry, to yell at him for shutting me out, but the vulnerability in his eyes stops me. He’s as conflicted as I am, torn between duty and something neither of us can deny.
Kael didn’t regret making love to me. He was afraid for my life, and that he followed me to my room… was he afraid I would be attacked? Or had he wanted to give into his feelings?
“Distance isn’t allowed anymore,” I say.
Kael nods, his jaw tightening as he steps back, his protective mask sliding into place. “Stay close,” he says. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Somehow, I actually believe him.