Page 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

-Clay-

A FRANTIC KNOCKING woke me up. Cracking my eyes open, I rolled over and groaned, tugging the cover up around my shoulders.

“Wha? I’m awake. Shuddup,” I slurred. My cheek was damp with drool, and I rubbed it on the back of my wrist.

The bond cleared as Arcay woke up.

“If that’s some kind of alien alarm clock, it’s really fucking annoying. And it’s too early.”

Arcay rose from the bed, amusement coloring the bond, and wrapped a robe around his long frame. My eyes automatically tracked his broad shoulders as he left the room, enjoying the view of his messy hair against the back of his toned neck. How was he so collected and damn regal first thing in the morning?

I heard him answer the door, followed by the murmur of low voices. The bed was warm where Arcay had been, and I rolled over and pressed my face into his pillow. It smelt like warm cinnamon and sex sweat. Perfect.

The talking continued and I paid no attention to it. My mind drifted. What would we do today? We were technically still on our honeymoon, right? Which usually meant eating, sleeping, and fucking like rabbits. All three sounded great to me.

The sleepy bliss Arcay was feeling up until that second shifted into something sharper. I sat up, looking towards the door. It felt a lot like worry. What was going on out there? I’d assumed it was just one of the betas being overenthusiastic about breakfast or something.

The worry deepened. I jumped out of bed and grabbed another robe, wrapping it around myself, and went out to see what was going on.

I entered the main room just in time to see Lendel bow deeply and scurry back through the doorway, the door sliding closed behind him. Arcay’s eyes drifted over me, preoccupied, as his confusion and concern burrowed into me.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“I am not sure,” he said distantly.

I frowned as he swept past me, back into the bedroom where he pulled on a gauzy open shirt and dark leggings, fixing the golden hoops through his ears and nose.

“Where are you going?”

He wrestled his mane of hair into a messy bun, tying it off in a knot, with strands falling over his face, and I got distracted. Jesus, he looked hot this morning…though he was hot all the other times of the day too. I wanted to shove him back onto the bed and tear those clothes off again.

He smiled faintly as he felt my arousal, and I crossed my arms. A guy couldn’t even get morning horn in peace around here.

He tied his sashes into place around his waist, cinching them tight. “I need to go and sort something out. Do not worry. I will be back soon, but if you need anything let me know, I will feel it. Or ask Lendel and Kesk.” He swept past me again and headed for the door, before doubling back. His hands wrapped around my cheeks and he kissed me hard, inhaling deeply through his nose at the same time. Why did it turn me on so much when he did that? “But when I get back I want to explore whatever you were just thinking about. Wait for me.”

Then he was off again, and before I could say anything, he was gone.

I flopped back onto the bed. No one had ever blown my mind so thoroughly and left me so sexually frustrated at the same time; I was constantly horny around him. I lay there for a while, running through exactly what I was going to do to him when he came back, and hoping he could feel it wherever he was. My dick throbbed lazily. Hopefully, it was as distracting for him as it was for me.

After a while, my stomach rumbled, interrupting the daydream. I lifted my head and called.

“Hey Kes—”

His head popped around the corner like a jack in the box.

“Jesus Christ,” I hissed. Had he been lurking there the whole time, just waiting for me to call?

“Yes, Arani ,” he said with an overly eager smile.

“Just call me Clay, Kesk. Could you bring me some breakfast, please?”

From the way his smile widened with excitement, you’d think I’d offered him a million bucks instead of ordering food. “Yes, Arani , the fried meat that you like? I’ll add in a little extra spice too, Arani .”

“Clay ,” I corrected again. “And thanks.” But he was already gone.

While I waited, I got dressed—more metallic decoration and gauzy material—and lounged around until Kesk returned with steaming dishes that had my mouth watering.

“Thanks Kesk.”

He exited with a smooth, smug bow, as if he’d somehow won an argument.

I tucked into the food. God, it was so damn good. It was somewhere between curry, Moroccan stew, and something else. Thick and creamy and spicy. And the meat melted in my mouth.

Ok , I thought to myself as I chewed happily. Yeah, I could definitely get used to this. I took another mouthful and replayed the night before. Definitely .

Now that I was used to the idea, being trapped here was…nice. Like an extended holiday. A holiday that I couldn’t escape from, but why would I even want to? I had Arcay, great sex, great food. I was important, loved, cherished, respected. Sure, I missed home and my friends. But could this be my new home?

An hour passed and Arcay still wasn’t back. Eventually, I got bored of waiting.

If I was going to be the trophy husband of an alien prince, I wasn’t going to just sit around looking pretty. There must be something else I could do around here. I kicked my legs, then sat up straight as a thought occurred to me. Why was I sitting around when I had a new, shiny jet I could take for a spin? I grinned to myself. It felt good thinking that; my jet.

Or I could use the time to explore the ship. It was huge, and I’d only seen a small fraction of it so far. If this was going to be my home now, I should get to know it.

Mind made up, I headed out. I’d take the jet out first, and then explore afterwards. I was at the flight deck only yesterday, so I was sure I’d remember the route.

***

I WAS LOST .

Somewhere between Arcay’s quarters and the flight deck, I’d taken a wrong turn, and now I was wandering through parts of the ship I’d never seen before.

An alpha Aldar draped in shimmering blue fabric passed by, bowing his head at me and I stopped.

“Hey, do you know the way to the flight deck from here?”

He raised his head hesitantly and stared at me, startled, not looking me directly in the eyes.

“Esk?”

“The flight deck?” Shit, why hadn’t I brought the translator with me? I tried to remember what Arcay had called it yesterday. “The, uh, pelor—pelortia— ?” I tried to form the words, but it sounded like I was gargling with a mouth full of marbles.

His frown deepened. I didn’t just insult his mother or something did I?

“Ai, esk?”

“You know the…” I mimed an airship taking off and flying with my hand. “The… ships?”

By now the alpha was stiff, eyes wide and radiating discomfort. He was probably wondering why the Second’s new human mate was accosting him in a hallway.

I waved my hand. “Never mind. Sorry. Go back to what you were doing.”

Of course, he had no idea what I was saying, so I gave up and just kept on walking, feeling like an obnoxious tourist who refuses to learn the local language. When Arcay got back I’d ask him about it. They must have some program or something for teaching the kids. The image of me sitting in a classroom surrounded by Aldar babies made me snort. Maybe I could get Arcay to tutor me himself.

What was he up to right now? The feelings I was getting through the bond from him hadn’t changed since he left; a low level of confused frustration and impatience. Whatever it was, it was causing him some stress. I tried to do that thing he’d done to me at the feast, and sent some calm vibes his way.

By now, I’d come into an area that felt like it was a maintenance access, sparse and dim, glowing pipes protruding from the walls. The hallways were empty and quiet, and I was just about to turn back the way I came when the sound of footsteps made me look up. Something about them made my instincts shout to get out of the way, and, before I knew what I was doing, I sidestepped into an alcove behind a junction of twisted pipes.

The footsteps got louder, the blur of someone big passing by, and then they were out of sight. I waited, listening to the racing of my heart. Why had I felt the need to do that? I was the Second’s mate now, I could go anywhere I wanted. But that approaching presence had filled me with dread.

I eased out of the space, ready to quickly head back the way I’d come, but a strange light up ahead caught my eye. It stood out in the gloom and I was sure it hadn’t been there before— a pale blue glow along the line where the floor met the wall.

I frowned and moved closer. An odd humming noise was coming from it.

As I got closer, I noticed that the glow spread upwards at a right angle. The light was coming from a crack that ran along the floor and up. I pressed my fingers against it, and the section of the wall moved inwards slightly. I snatched my hand back. What the fuck was this? I wasn’t just about to get sucked out into space, was I? Still, something inside me drew me forward, and I pushed again. The whole section of wall swung in, turning on a pivot. Holy shit, was this a secret door?

It opened, revealing a room bathed in pale blue light.

A stark room full of tall, clear tubes that went from the floor to the ceiling. They were made of glass, each with a control panel next to it. Inside each tube was a figure, and the first thing I noticed about them was the color of their skin.

Not a shade somewhere between purple and blue, like I was getting used to. But pale, peach, and tan.

The next thing I noticed was their size; far too small to be Aldar.

They were human.