Page 20 of Saved By My Alien Husband

19

DELPHINE

Three Days Left On Earth

T hey delayed take off by a few hours while they dealt with the chaos of the humans coming aboard. I wasn't the only one in the hospital, and there had been ten deaths; eight humans and two Eldrin. I felt so much guilt over that. Our freak out, the shots, some monstrous bear-like creatures that apparently got to a few of us… nothing went to plan, but now we were leaving. They wanted me to stay in the hospital longer, but I wasn't going to miss our takeoff. Whatever they did while I was asleep, and the medicine they gave me afterward, had me walking and moving around within hours. I wasn’t completely recovered, everything hurt, but it was enough.

We still had some time left on Earth, but this was the end for me, the last time I'd see my home.

We were at the top of the ship, in a space called the Launch Room, where the ship captain controlled all aspects of our new home. Haven told me that a lot of their life depended on what happened in this room, the security room full of cameras, as well as the area where all the advisors had been debating when the news of the fuel leak surfaced. Civilians weren't allowed in these rooms without permission from the king.

The Launch Room was wall to wall windows, with a long command station in the center of levers, wheels, and buttons that meant nothing to me and everything at the same time. The king stood with them, overseeing those controlling the ship as if he understood what each button meant. Maybe he did.

Holding my breath, the engines purred beneath my feet as we ascended, most of the sound shielded by the ship's hull. Lift off. It seemed so much easier than it looked in our history holograms, the technology of the Eldrin more advanced than ours was even before our destruction. My ears popped at the change in force, but other than the surrounding vibrations, everything was smooth.

The sun peeked over the horizon. Its light spilled across the sky, streaks of pink and gold painting the edges of the ship's wide windows. I watched as the familiar shape of my home below grew smaller and smaller, the light reflecting off it, then blurring like a mirage into the sand.

Haven held me, possessive and worried. My body was tense, pained. While I felt a lot better than when I first woke up, thanks to that nutty pain medicine, the fatigue and stress of the day, lack of sleep, and my bruised ribs left a lot to be desired.

“Are you okay?” he whispered in my ear, the warmth of his breath tickling my skin. His touch was gentle as his hands stroked my shoulders. I leaned into his chest and he cocooned me, letting the solidity of his body anchor me. The sense of safety was fragile, but I clung to it, feeling like I was drowning in all these changes and the lingering anxiety after the trampling.

“I'm alright,” I lied in his native tongue, butchering the pronunciation. This language transfer, it was like Parvati gave me all the answers to the test, but I had to learn what questions they applied to. Sometimes it was easy, other times I stumbled.

He smiled at my attempt and kissed the top of my head. “Good girl.”

Seeing Parvati at the hospital had made me so happy. She jumped up and sat on my chest, purring and talking to my mind. It hurt at first, the pressure on my chest, but being with her helped. I seemed to have more energy by the time she left.

The door clicked behind us, boots echoing on the floor. I didn't turn, assuming it was other guards or an advisor of the king. As much as I hated my life in the dome, I didn't want to move, thinking I should watch our home disappear until the last moment. It deserved to be witnessed, one last time.

A sniff I would recognize anywhere sounded behind me. Whipping my head back, I balked at Alexandra, daintily wiping her eyes. “What are you doing here?” My voice held an accusation, but of what, I didn't know. She looked as beautiful as ever, even while crying. It pissed me off, especially as her honey blonde hair shined against the backdrop of the sunrise.

Michael narrowed his eyes at me and wrapped a hand around my ex-roommate's shoulder, tucking her under his arm. “She came with me.”

Alexandra's eyes twinkled when they glanced at me. The fucking bitch, playing it up.

“Do you usually date women half your age, Michael?” I asked with a snarl.

I didn't technically have a problem with their age. It was that it was them , the would-be friend that rejected me, and the authority figure that should have helped me as a kid. They were sore wounds, similar but wholly different from the pain of my parents at the same time. And I just started trusting Michael again…

“Do you prefer to date aliens in uniforms more than men in uniforms?” he bit back.

Touché.

Haven growled at Michael, who thankfully shut up after that.

Scowling, I ignored his fighting words, and turned back to the death of our home. It became a tiny speck on the land, and ten minutes later our expansive ship was over the water. Ocean.

“It's surreal,” Michael said nearby, his tone reverent.

Twenty people stayed behind in the North American dome. It was a small loss, compared to the thousands that came with us, but it was sad all the same. Whether for a misguided hope that they'd fix it, a resolve to be the last, or an aversion to the Eldrin species, I didn't know.

“I feel like I'm at a slow funeral,” I whispered.

“You aren't wrong,” Michael murmured.

I walked forward, pressing my face against the glass, then winced as it grazed my black eye, watching the waves turn and break across each other, foam and creatures cresting through it. The early morning sun twinkled against the water, an ocean I had never seen, shimmering like stars.

It was impossible to turn my eyes away. “It's beautiful.”

Michael and Alexandra followed me. She had tears in her eyes, but this time I knew they were real. I felt the same, not that I'd admit to having anything in common with her. There was a softness in her expression that I hadn't seen in years that reminded me of the girl I'd once shared a room with.

“I never thought I'd see it,” Michael said, referring to the ocean now below us.

Alexandra put away her handkerchief, composing herself. “How long will it take to get to the next dome?”

“Only a day,” King Candor said, clapping the captain of the ship on his shoulders. Haven and I thanked him as well, but I'll admit I was distracted. The world blurring beneath us and Alexandra and Michael holding hands put things in my head that did not belong there.

I am married to the next king and helped save the human species, I reminded myself. Just because Alexandra is apparently dating the leader of that species doesn't mean she is trying to one-up me...

History proved she often did that just to spite me. It all depended on when she got with Micheal to begin with. The hand he placed on her hip seemed awfully familiar.

Haven pulled me from my thoughts, tugging me with him to a different part of the wall to ceiling windows in the command room. His hands came up to my face, caressing my check. “You aren't alright, you liar.”

I nodded in agreement. “I just realized that all my problems followed me to the ship. Only my imminent death was left behind, and even that didn't quit work with what happened last night.” I sighed and then winced. “And I'm sore in the most annoying ways. Breathing hurts.”

“Your ribs will be mended overnight,” Haven said, his voice low and reassuring. He rubbed gentle circles on my lower back, his touch sending a calming warmth through me. “The nurse said another dose should do it. Hang in there, my princess. And of course the problems came with you, but now we can fix them together. You aren't alone anymore.”

A lump formed in my throat as I let out a shaky breath. “It was wishful thinking to hope all my insecurities would disappear.”

Haven's eyes softened, and he tilted my chin up to meet his gaze. “You’re not alone in this. The insecurities, the fear—whatever you’re feeling, I’m here.” He paused, continuing his gentle circles, before asking, “So that's Alexandra, right? Your old roommate? I thought that was her snide face from the auditorium.”

“You guessed it,” I replied.

Haven tugged me forward by my jumpsuit, careful not to hold me too tightly. “Let's give her something to be jealous of then.”

When his lips met mine, I melted against him. The kiss was slow and deep, as though the world around us had faded; the ship, the tension, Alexandra and Michael—all dissolved into the background, leaving just the two of us in that moment. My hands gripped the back of his neck, like an anchor in the ocean, keeping me in place.

Someone cleared their throat and my face flushed red.

“Yes, Father?” Haven asked, his eyes still trained on me.

“How about we have breakfast together, since dinner didn’t work out yesterday? Can you hold off on sleep for another hour?” he asked, his tone light, as if he’d glimpsed something he found endearing.

Boarding thousands of humans and getting put in the hospital tended to ruin plans.

“Yes, I'm famished,” I answered for us, forcing a small smile as I slipped my hand into Haven's. I tried to ignore the heat still lingering on my cheeks from the kiss. It was about time I spent more time with my father-in-law.

“Lead the way,” Haven said, taking my hand more firmly in his. We walked behind the king, thanking the ship captain again as we left, leaving Michael and Alexandra behind.

I stole one last glance out the windows, but there was nothing left of the land to see. There was no turning back.