Page 7 of Alien Prince (Alien Abductions and Seductions #1)

Chapter Seven

Kyron

The truth hits me like a bolt of lightning.

She can see me. It's a power that no one should possess, except for...

I quickly push the thought from my mind before she senses my thoughts.

Gemini's voice is harsh and venomous, drawing my attention back to the present moment and reminding me of the task at hand.

“Another six lefts, and we shall find ourselves in Neverland?” I force my hand to reach out and run my fingertips along the polished walls of the hallway.

I have never encountered someone whose mind fights me so intensely for control, let alone someone with the ability to take control from me so easily.

Something like that, I respond, trying to maintain a calm demeanor, even though I am in a state of panic, trying desperately to block her from feeling such an unfamiliar emotion for me. I can not let her see such things.

Is this why mother—

Sabella struts by, her presence as irritating as ever. With a smirk that could curdle milk, she drawls, “If it isn't the crown jewel of Astronomica, gracing us commoners with his presence.” Her sarcasm hits like a meteor, jarring me from my mental spiral.

Her appearance forces me to lock down my thoughts, shoving them behind the flimsy mental barrier I've constructed. Can't have dear sister or Gemini catching wind of the storm brewing in my mind.

After all, what's a prince without his secrets?

However, the consequences of such an act could be dire, not just for her and me, but for the entire planet. I quickly quiet the thoughts, imagining them drifting away like ash after a fire.

“Again, where are we going?” Gemini's annoyance with me is palpable as our body tenses up.

Somewhere we can talk freely, I respond, feeling my eyes roll with her response. And stop talking to me, I snap at her, hearing my own annoyance in our shared consciousness.

“What? No one else randomly talks to their meat suits?” she drawls sarcastically.

Meat suit? That's a new one, I bite back. Last I checked, your kind preferred meat.

“Good Question, I have no idea if my family talks with their skins.”

I hear her scoff as I regain control—for the moment—to open a small door to the right and step inside. We enter a long dark hallway that is lit only by a glowing string of blue lights that line the baseboards. She pulls at the boundary between her mind and mine. A wall I tried and failed to erect the moment we connected, blocking my thoughts and memories from this interesting person. Instead of a steel tight trap, it's more like a wispy cloth covering.

She shouldn't be able to control this body so freely while I'm attached. There are memory flashes, hundreds of moments that are not mine speeding across my consciousness, spilling into my memory as if they belong, spreading like ink in a glass of water, tarnishing my own.

“Do your guards always carry giant guns so haphazardly?” she asks, her voice a hushed whisper as we pass one of my family's guards carrying a laser rifle. I don't recognize him, so he must be new. Then again I don't bother to learn anyone’s names anymore. The turnover of guards and servants here is ever-present.

Finally, I concede, ignoring her question and leading us through an opening into another darkened corridor, the air there stale and cold. Gemini's fear teases the edges of my consciousness, and I have half a mind to soothe her, calm her. The distinct inherent desire to earn her trust is maddening.

I’ve never felt such a desire for any of my skins.

Just a little further, I say, hoping it helps ease her worry enough as we arrive at a doorway I am more familiar with. It leads us into an abandoned alleyway behind the palace. At one time these hallways used to be for servants, but after an attack nearly twenty-five years ago, they've been off limits and boarded up since.

Unless you are skilled at breaking and entering, that is. Which happens to be a talent not many know I possess. After all, such criminal things would reflect badly upon the royal family.

“So, this is how you sneak out?” she asks, and I exhale, closing our—my eyes, letting the sticky air kiss my frigid skin—our frigid skin.

There are many guards and people who would rather see a royal dead than alive. We have many secrets.

No kidding.

And I shouldn't have heard that. I shouldn't hear any of her thoughts as clearly as I do, as if she is speaking them aloud. All the signs are clear that there is a reason, one I am not ready to deal with. Too much is at risk if she is truly my mate.

My pulse quickens at the thought of her being mine forever, insane since I have no idea who she is other than some cyborg who was tossed into my closet, one who I was told not to possess. What did she do to deserve this kind of servitude? Who is she? What does my mother know that she isn’t telling us?

I know as I feel the wall weaken, that Gemini absolutely cannot stay. The danger of even having a mate within the palace walls, near my mother—I don't need to have someone my wretched parents can use against me.

Using such a sacred bond against me, tormenting us both.

Perhaps that is why she advised me against this skin. Perhaps she knows more than she is letting on… as usual.

In any case, I see that as all the more reason to dismiss Gemini from my use.

Which means she'll never know the truth, and that itself is bittersweet. With my mind made up that Gemini must leave, I decide to take her to the one place someone could disappear into. I decide to let her go, to release her back into the sea where she belongs. Away from me.

“You think too much, Ronny.” Gemini breaks through my melancholy thoughts. “And you’re hurting my head with how many fucking languages you think in.”

My head—our head—whose head is it right now? I ask, trying to keep the conversation light.

“Yours, obviously. You're the one thinking too much,” she responds as the corners of her mouth gently tug up to grin.