Page 9 of Nanny for the Alien Prince (Alien Recruitment Agency #4)

Crown Prince or not, I would forever be the chaser. And I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

I approached the tent exit, shifted the flap to one side, and stepped outside. The morning sunlight was soft and did little to disrupt the coolness of the early morning air.

The servants were already busy with their chores and didn’t seem surprised to see me stepping out of Amelia’s tent. No doubt the servant from last night had flapped his lips.

Ordinarily, it might have bothered me that my staff could fail so dismally to keep secrets but my relationship with Amelia was hardly one I wanted to keep to myself.

I couldn’t help but cast knowing glances across the breakfast table at Amelia, whose cheeks shone bright red every time I arched an eyebrow at her.

Every time Elijax looked away or focused on his breakfast, I reached over and squeezed Amelia’s arm, her ass, or leg. I had a growing collection of bumps from where she kicked me under the table.

It was like being a teenage Ulsen all over again. The smallest looks, the smallest gestures and touches, all added up to so much more.

“So, what are we going to do today?” Amelia asked.

“Actually, I have no idea,” I said. “How about we go fishing?”

“Fishing?” Amelia said, curling her lips into a grimace.

I could have pulled her up on her obvious like for the uncooked meat last night but decided against it. She would come around. You didn’t overcome a decade of conditioning with a single taste.

“There are some really interesting and delicious fish species in the lake we swam in yesterday,” I said.

Amelia froze, the blood draining from her face. “Fish species? In the lake? That we swam in yesterday?”

“Nothing dangerous. I promise. In fact, they can be quite tricky to catch, which is why we have to use special fishing equipment.” My eyes slid over to Elijax. “How about you, Elijax? Would you like to give it a try?”

Elijax looked from his mother to me and back again.

“It’s up to you,” Amelia said.

The boy shrugged his tiny shoulders. “Sure. Why not?”

“Why not indeed! I’ll have the servants prepare everything we need.”

I couldn’t help but feel elated at this second chance. The last time I had tried to take charge and spend time with Elijax had ended in dismal failure.

Marching up the slopes of a mountain and then terrifying both the mother and child with the Shriim was not exactly the best way to introduce myself as a worthy father figure in the boy's life.

But fishing. What could possibly go wrong there? The fish were sedate and colorful. There was no way even I could mess this up.

Once the servants had packed up the equipment, I told the boy that he ought to get a jacket from his tent as it could get chilly out on the lake’s open expanse.

As he headed inside, I immediately grabbed Amelia’s ass and squeezed.

She slapped my hand away and peered around at the servants. “Don’t! Someone will see!”

I leaned in close and kissed her on the tip of her nose, which made her wriggle it. “You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Oh?” She arched her eyebrow. “I guess they’re used to seeing you groping your concubines.”

I laughed. “There’s nothing for them to see when it comes to concubines. But I can make an exception in your case if you want.”

She slapped me on the arm.

I leaned in close. “The real reason you don’t need to worry is because they already know everything.”

She froze. “Know everything?”

“Well, not everything. But they will know I didn’t sleep in my tent last night. At least, didn’t sleep for long. And they will also know that you didn’t sleep alone. And then there’s the tear in the bedsheets to think about…”

Amelia peered around us at the servants and suddenly seemed very self-conscious. She hugged her arms around herself.

“Don’t worry about it,” I told her. “They’re probably as excited as we are about this latest development.”

“Latest development? Is that what I am?” She just looked at me. With my nonchalant attitude, she actually allowed herself to smile. “Fine. But don’t go bragging to everyone. The last thing I need is a reputation.”

I growled under my breath. “You’ve got a reputation, all right. But only with me and only concerning—”

“Baby!” Amelia yelled, glaring at me as she bent down to wrap her arms around the boy. “Let’s put this on now.” She helped him with his jacket.

“Why are you so excited at seeing me?” the boy said.

“I just… missed you, that’s all.”

“I was only gone for a few minutes.”

He looked suspiciously between the two of us. If Amelia wanted to keep our secret from the boy, she might very well end up being the one who revealed everything to him!

“Come on,” I said before she could dig an even deeper hole. “Let’s go before the fish fully wake up.” I led him away and glanced over my shoulder at Amelia. “Or your mother, for that matter.”

She screwed up her face and stamped her foot in mock agitation, watching as we left.

This was my chance to prove myself to her, to show her I could do normal father figure activities, to show her there was nothing to fear when the boy was alone with me.

How was I to know the Shriim experience was nothing but a warm-up act…

The boy pressed the button and the explosion sent a torrent of bubbles rushing up to the water’s surface.

“Whoa!” the boy screamed with delight as the shock wave struck our small boat and made it rock gently.

I had tossed half a dozen charges into the lake and every single one of them had produced the same reaction in the boy.

For a moment, I wondered what Amelia would think, seeing us on the lake, hurling explosives into the water to catch fish…

But she didn’t know why the Inah had to be caught this way. The truth was, there was no other way to catch them. The Inah were unique among the native species. They were the most electronically charged creature in the entire solar system.

At night, their bodies glowed and shone with neon-like brightness beneath the surface, swimming in the vast shoals.

Their kinetic ability linked them together as if they were of a single mind. Every time there was danger, they sent an electronic signal that passed virtually instantaneously through the water and into the gills along their bodies.

The only way to snag them was to numb that ability with the electronic charges first. It made them dozy, scattering in an instant, forcing them from their perfectly constructed patterns.

Once they were separated and still suffering from the effects of the charge, they acted more like individuals — for a while, at least. And that was when they might take a chance on our lures.

Already, we had caught three of them — all of them by the boy. It delighted him no end that he was beating a fully grown adult .

With how happy it made him, I made sure to ‘accidentally’ release every fish I caught, letting it slip through my fingers at the last second.

His laugh was worth so much more than a fish in a bucket.

It was the kind of joy that only a child could enjoy, and reminded me of my own happy childhood.

I had not intended on fishing for long but I was having such a great time that the minutes and hours slipped by.

I looked over at the boy, who sat grinning, staring at the water’s still-bubbling surface, itching to press the button once more.

As part of the safety protocols, I had given the boy a locater wristband, in case he slipped over the edge and I had to fish him out. It wasn’t unlikely to happen, especially on this calm lake where the water was so still it cast an almost perfect mirror reflection of the sky above.

“Have you had a nice time on our trip?” I asked the boy.

He just stared over the edge at the lake’s surface. “Yes. Very nice.”

“Do you think your mother had a nice time too?”

The boy nodded, still not removing his eyes from the lake.

But there was another, more important question I wanted to ask him…

“Do you think you could be happy in the palace with us?”

It was the first time the boy broke his concentration and looked up at me. His eyes ran over my face and I wondered what he was thinking. I had no concept of the kind of thoughts a child his age entertained, but I was very interested in learning.

Trust me, it was a shocking revelation that I could be so interested in children. They tended to irritate me. The boy was different — perhaps because we shared blood — but I felt closer to him than I had with any other children I had met. There was no particular reason for that, as he was as much a stranger to me as the others.

In him, I saw the potential for something great. I wasn’t entirely sure what yet, but I thought I saw it there, just beneath the surface.

“Yes. And I think mom likes it very much too.”

I fingered another explosive charge. “Oh? What makes you think that?”

“She seems happier. She gets to dance a lot more now. And she likes having someone to talk to.”

Who he could be referring to? Perhaps the dance teacher? Or the servants?

Or someone else?

A flash of jealousy ran in a thick vein through me.

“You,” the boy said as if he could hear my thoughts. “She likes talking to you.”

He could have no idea how happy hearing that made me feel. I thought of Amelia, of her bewitching smile, her hot, tight body, and how much I wanted to—

I cleared my throat. “How about we head back to camp? Show your mom what you caught?”

The boy nodded, his shoulders deflated. “Okay.”

I set the charge and pulled my arm back to hurl it as far as I could. “But how about we do just one more charge first?”

The boy leaned forward over the edge of the boat, the button primed in his hand, ready to press at a moment’s notice.

I brought my arm forward to hurl it.

Then I noticed something…

I lost momentum and pulled the device back, almost dropping it over the edge of the boat. Doing so would have been a disaster. No doubt the boy would have pressed the button, setting off the charge, and knocked our boat over.

We might have even succumbed to the electrical explosion beneath the surface. And if it was too close…

Electrocuted ourselves.

But luckily, I altered my arm’s trajectory, kept hold of the charge, and maintained my grasp on it, holding it tightly to my chest.

I immediately rushed to switch it off. Relief flooded my system at the near miss and the cool breeze washed coolly over the film of sweat that had formed across my body.

The boy looked up at me, disappointed.

But there were bigger issues we had to face.

I peered towards the edge of the forest. The dimness made seeing anything difficult but I focused my senses and searched among the trees.

I thought I had seen one of them.

One of the Ordres.

It was just a flash, a moment when a creature had turned toward me, the sunlight catching its cold, dead dark eyes, making out the rough outer shell of its natural armor.

I scanned the forest, my senses on high alert.

The water lapped gently against the boat’s hull, calm and serene and peaceful.

But now as I looked at that area of the forest, I could only make out the rough bark of a tree. Had that been what I had seen?

“What is it?” the boy asked, peering into the forest where I concentrated my focus.

“Probably nothing,” I said, feeling cold and sick to my stomach.

With the recent issues with the Ordres, the stalled negotiations, and their continued encroachment on our colonies, was it really beyond them to launch an attack on me here and now?

Perhaps they were thinking several moves ahead, figuring their best bet was to remove the Crown Prince and ensure he would never assume his father’s throne.

It was a bold, brash decision, but with the way they had been acting recently, I didn’t think it was beyond the realm of possibility.

Suddenly, I felt vulnerable. Not so much for me, as I was well-trained, but for the boy.

If anything were to happen to him… How could I explain it to his mother?

She had given me her trust, allowed me to take him out for the day, only for something terrible to happen to him…

My imagination once again played cruel tricks on me. No, it wouldn’t happen, I thought. I couldn’t allow it to happen. I would not permit the boy to pay for the decisions I had made.

My servants and guards were several miles away, under strict orders to leave me alone and allow the boy and I to spend some quality time alone together.

The perfect time and place for an enemy to seize upon the opportunity and attack.

I felt sick to my stomach and promised myself that I would never allow a situation like this to happen ever again.

“Let’s head back,” I said.

The boy must have picked up on my concern as he offered no argument.

Splash.

Splash.

I spun around but failed to see what had clearly just entered the water’s edge. Twin ripples wound out across the water in concentric circles.

My blood ran cold, feeling more vulnerable than ever before. I quickly grabbed the oars and rowed toward the opposite shore.

It was in the opposite direction to the one we wanted to head, towards the camp, but I would not risk running headlong into the Ordres’ route.

“I saw… I saw…” the boy said, pointing his tiny finger towards the water’s edge.

“I know. I saw them too. It’s okay. We’ll get out of here.”

My military mind rattled off a list of options.

I had left my communicator behind, solely for the purpose that we would not be disturbed. My people were out of contact. I could shout but it wouldn’t be loud enough for my guards to hear me.

My only option was to get us into the forest and disappear among the foliage. From there, I could mount an effective defense.

I only hoped there weren’t too many of those disgusting creatures.

I could handle two, five, perhaps even ten in an area I knew as well as these forests, but who knew how many were in these woods?

Then I hit upon another idea.

I tilted my head up and whistled as loudly as I could before taking the tone higher and higher and higher until it reached a point where even I could not hear it.

The boy clamped his hands over his ears and whimpered. It wasn’t pleasant but it was necessary.

I maintained that high pitch for as long as I was able, between each hectic row toward the shoreline .

Few creatures could hear that frequency… but Biik was certainly one of them.

I didn’t know what help she might be, but another ally was always valuable.

The shoreline rushed toward us, but at any moment the Ordres could rise from the depths.

I knew they could swim but I was not sure just how well.

Had they already overtaken us?

Had they already prepared their ambush?

Then I hit upon another idea:

“Elijax, prepare to hit the button!” I said.

I broke from rowing, grabbed the remaining charge, switched it on, and hurled it into the lake.

Not so far this time, as I hastily grabbed the oars and continued to row.

The boy looked up at me with a questioning look on his face, his finger perched over the big red button.

I estimated how far the creatures might have swum. Execute the explosion too early and we wouldn’t see them. Too late, and they would already be on us.

It was little more than a blind guess.

“Now!” I said.

The boy slammed his tiny palm on the button.

The charge erupted, sending another rush of bubbles to the surface.

This time, the boy did not squeal with delight.

The light was bright below. The Inah scattered like confetti on a stiff wind and there, clearly visible against the bright explosion, I spotted two Ordres shadows.

Their bodies stretched as they swam in long strokes toward us.

Unfortunately, electronic explosions had no effect on the creatures .

But at least now I knew where they were and that their presence was a very real threat.

As the light died, the lake was made peaceful once again.

I rowed as hard as I could.

The water’s edge was less than a dozen yards away by now.

Just a little further…

I felt the hard shove an instant before the boat rolled over, tipping us out into the icy cold water.

It shocked my system and I hastily kicked up to the surface.

I spotted the boy less than a yard from me.

I seized him and raised him bodily out of the water.

He sputtered, performing a strange swimming style with his hands paddling in front of him.

“Get out of the water!” I yelled at him. “Get back to the camp! Hurry!”

The boy would usually have raised an argument or question, but he was so afraid that he turned and did as I asked.

If these creatures were determined to have me — to either kill me and make it look like an accidental drowning or to kidnap me — I did not want the boy to be a part of it.

I felt something wrap around my leg and tug me under the surface.

I reached down, grabbing at where I thought its head would be but I found nothing but empty water.

I scrambled around but felt nothing.

But I did know where one part of the creature was — clamped tightly around my leg.

I reached down and wrapped my hands around it.

I squeezed hard, then harder still until I heard the sharp crack as the shell broke .

The creature released me and I kicked my way up to the surface.

But I never made it.

Another appendage snapped around my ankle and held me in place.

I kicked and flailed, my oxygen levels already running low, but the creature would not release me.

I turned and noticed one of the creatures — the one I had damaged as its injured limb no longer helped propel it through the water — race towards the splashing figure of the boy, who had still not yet reached the water’s edge.

No! Leave him be!

I peered down between my legs and saw the creature’s ugly, malformed face.

It wasn’t capable of expressions I could recognize but I read cruelty in it.

I pulled my foot back and slammed my heel into it over and over again.

The creature lost its grip and I sailed once more towards the surface.

This time, with my lungs burning, I breached the surface, threw my head back, and took a deep gulp of oxygen.

It would have to be enough as I turned and swam in the boy’s direction.

The injured Ordres was much closer to the boy than I was, but once I got my hands on him, I would crush his skull as I had crushed his limb.

Wind pressed down on me from above as a ship came flying down, the anti-gravity thrusters disturbing the water’s surface.

I accidentally gulped a mouthful of water but didn’t stop swimming .

If it was one of my ships, it would rescue me and the boy, but I would be damned if I didn’t reach the boy first.

There was a loud thunk as a hatch opened and a long metal arm slammed into me, knocking me beneath the surface.

Its robotic fingers curled about me, gripping tight, and lifted me from the water.

I still had no idea if it was one of my ships or one of theirs, as either might be the case.

I fought against the metallic grip wrapped about my waist but there was no getting free of it.

Finally, I was inside the ship and instantly realized the truth.

The ship belonged to the Ordres.

They stood about me with their plasma rifles aimed at my head.

I struggled but couldn’t get free of the metal arm.

One Ordres slapped a button, causing it to release and spill me across the floor.

I coughed and sputtered, bringing up clear lake water.

I dragged myself toward the hatch door that remained open but an Ordres soldier slammed a foot in my face.

A second metal arm whirred as another figure was deposited on the floor across the room from me.

The boy.

I got up to rush over to him when our captors slammed me once more in the head and ribs with the butt of their rifles.

The boy coughed and brought up water as I had.

He instinctively rolled onto his side and gasped air.

He was still alive! Thank the Creator! He was still alive!

Now I had to figure out a way to get us out of there …

Evidently, the Ordres intended on taking me hostage rather than killing me.

“Set us free and I’ll give you whatever you ask,” I said to any of them that would listen.

The creatures might not have heard me.

One hit a button to close the hatch door that gradually slid shut.

“Anything!” I said, louder this time. “Just let us go!”

Still, no response.

“Then release the boy. Keep me but release him. He has nothing to do with this.”

Still, they did not respond.

It was no use.

By now, my guards would have picked up on this enemy ship and it was only a matter of time before they gave chase.

If I could delay these creatures somehow…

Could stop them from leaving…

The hatch was already half shut but I knew that if I was going to make my escape, it would be now.

Maybe I could slip past these creatures and move quickly enough to drop through the hatch door…

But I wouldn’t risk it if it meant leaving the boy behind.

I couldn’t escape my guards and reach him at the same time.

Then I would remain here, at his side, and protect him to the best of my ability.

There was a scream, so welcome that it could have been a lullaby.

Biik screeched as she streaked through the hatch door and swung her tail around, lashing three of the creatures to the floor.

Then she spun around and lowered her back so I could leap into the saddle .

I acted fast, purely on instinct, and twisted my knees to force her over to the boy.

I reached down to grab him when a shot from a plasma rifle slammed into Biik’s side.

“Jump!” I yelled to the boy. “Quickly! Jump!”

I reached out for him but he was still struggling to breathe.

He got his feet under him, coiled his legs, and…

His eyes drifted to Biik.

And he hesitated.

I reached toward him, my fingers mere inches from his own…

Biik screeched once more, this time in great pain, as the Ordres got to their feet and opened fire.

The creature turned and dived through the closing hatch door, knowing it was its only way to escape and survive.

Its scales shrieked like rubber at the tight fit before we fell into empty air.

I reached back for the boy’s hand but I was already slipping further and further from him.

The hatch door slammed into place, the ship entered the upper atmosphere…

And was gone.