Page 13 of The Bride Contract (Princes of Xaavia #1)

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Chapter 13 - Niska

Vel comes to retrieve Lois, Jaya and I from our room when dinner is apparently ready to be served. She talks animatedly to Lois about the foods that she’s convinced we’ll like, stating that she’s studied Earth foods extensively and tried to direct their chef to provide something delicious for us.

Jaya’s pinky finger squeezes around mine for a brief second while we walk side-by-side down the hallway, prompting me to look at her. She gives me a soft smile and mouths the words, ‘you ok?’ as we follow along behind Vel and Lois.

I nod my head and bump my shoulder into hers. “Yeah. This is all a bit new is all.” And it’s true. This is the first time we’ve been treated with any kind of respect since we’ve been abducted. Except for with Yix, and even he could only do so much. “But it’s much better than back with Mama Z’rykby, right?”

Jaya shudders and nods her head. “For sure.”

We pass many of the other royal rooms that Vel had shown us on our tour, earlier. There’s a recreation room, holo suites, and a ‘lagoon room’ which I will definitely be exploring at some point during our three day journey back to Xaavia.

When we finally reach the dining room, Lady Zalora and her three nephews are already seated, waiting for us. When we enter, Prince Kiahn and his brother, Az stand for our arrival - like we’re the ones who are royalty. It gives me a strange, bubbly feeling low in my belly for some reason. The youngest brother - the one who had interrupted us at the club - Zann, is a little slower to stand and greet us, though he gives each of us a smile and a nod.

“Niska, you are seated beside Kiahn, my dear,” Lady Zalora informs me before directing the others to their seats. I was hoping to stay close to Lois and Jaya - or even Vel, as I’ve come to like her quite a lot so far, but it looks as though I’ll be next to the Prince as he sits at the head of the table, facing Lady Zalora at the other end.

I can feel my face start to warm as I near Prince Kiahn. He’s changed his clothing now, though he still looks like he belongs in a Victorian period drama set in space. His shirt has billowy sleeves but is black now, instead of white. He’s also wearing a matching silky black waistcoat, pulled taut over his broad chest. It looks like he’s sporting golden caps on the sharp tips of his horns, too. There’s still gun harnesses around his thighs, though they’re currently empty, and a lot less noticeable against the black pants he wears.

He pulls my chair out for me, and God damn it, I must be basic as all get-out, because for some reason, it makes me smile as he helps push my alien-sized chair in. “Thank you,” I say quietly.

The Prince hovers behind my seat a second or two before I hear a murmured, “ you’re welcome .”

He’s still looking at me as he sits back down - staring, in fact. His gaze so intense, it’s like I can feel it on my skin. It makes me fidget - in a good way, I think.

A crew-worker dressed in plain burgundy comes to Kiahn’s side and fills his crystal glass with a deep purple liquid, prompting the Prince to clear his throat and finally avert his gaze. Once the server is done with his refreshment, he approaches me to offer the drink, but seems to freeze momentarily, his eyes widening as he takes me in.

Is it because I’m human?

I give the Xaviann a smile and he blinks back at me, a deep blush blooming beneath the gray of his skin. “The-…uh-…” he stammers, making a move to fill my glass with shaky hands.

“ I’ll take that ,” Prince Kiahn clips, snatching the decanter from the crew worker. He glares at the poor male who must be several years his junior, his stature and horns nowhere near as impressive as the Prince’s and his brothers. “Gorryn, you are dismissed for the evening. Go and get some rest,” he says, jerking his chin at the server.

‘Gorryn’ nods his head bashfully and bows, but doesn’t leave without giving me and my friends a few quick, furtive glances.

Zann, Kiahn’s youngest brother chuckles to himself as he lounges in his chair next to me and watches the server go. “Some of the staff are new and aren’t as well traveled,” he says, casually leaning over his armrest to tell me.

“Meaning… they haven’t seen humans before?” I ask, more aware than I need to be that Kiahn is now filling my glass himself on my other side.

“There is that, yes,” Zann drawls, an impish smirk on his face, “but it’s more to do with that tempting little uncovered throat of yours.”

“ Zann ,” Kiahn warns, putting the decanter down and seating himself again.

“What? Don’t you agree, brother? Your female has such a lovely, scandalously bare neck.”

Kiahn glares at Zann, looking like he wants to launch himself across the silverware at him. Without even breaking the stare, the Prince reaches down beneath the table and grabs hold of the chair leg of my seat. I jump a little at the loud scraping noise that seems to echo in the quiet room when he slowly, but very purposefully starts dragging me toward him, and away from his brother.

Jesus, these guys are dramatic.

“Careful, Kiahn,” Zann grins, picking up his crystal glass to swill the liquid inside, looking like he’s absolutely loving being able to tease his brother over me. “If she gets any closer, she may end up in your lap again.”

With seamless movement, the Prince snarls as he jerks my chair the rest of the way so that our legs touch beneath the table. It’s not until Lady Zalora is shouting ‘ enough! ’ that I see he’s swiftly picked up one the sharpest of his setting’s silver knives with his other hand and embedded the tip into the polished wood of the tabletop.

I stare at the knife, the blade disappearing into the table for at least an inch as the golden hilt, decorated with an intricate pattern of inlaid chips of a precious stone seems to almost glow.

“For the love of The Four,” Zalora mutters before she stands from her seat, her own chair scraping across the floor now. Kiahn refuses to look at her, and continues to glare across me at his brother. “Zann, kindly stop baiting your brother into violence,” she starts, pinching the bridge of her nose. “And Kiahn, control yourself! The ship’s flooring and furniture cannot withstand this kind of behavior.”

“Yes, Aunt Zalora,” Kiahn growls, though he’s still staring daggers at his brother, and I’m starting to get the distinct feeling that Zann relishes in being able to provoke Kiahn like this. Zalora seats herself again and I glance diagonally across the table at Lois who’s giving me a wide-eyed look that screams, ‘ girl, what the fuck ?’

Another crew worker in burgundy comes hurrying up to Vel, murmuring something low in her ear. Something about the chef and the kitchens - obviously something that Vel needs to see to, as she rises and hurries out the door with the server as we all continue to sit here in awkward silence.

Glancing at Kiahn beside me, I see his gaze still lingering on his brother, though much of the fire in his eyes has dissipated. And I kind of relate to being quick tempered when people don’t take me seriously. I once had a boyfriend who would tease me about how ‘girly’ I am. How I don’t know anything about sports or car maintenance. I snapped back at him once, and told him I could learn anything if I was inclined to. Even enlisted his best friend who was a mechanic to teach me a few things about the goings on under the hood of a car, just to prove a point. My boyfriend didn’t like that one bit. And his best friend ended up asking me out after we eventually broke up. He hadn’t minded my ‘girly’ interests, but their friendship sure wasn’t the same after that.

For some reason, I find myself wanting to soothe the big Xaviann beside me after him getting all riled up at his brother’s teasing, so I gently place a hand on his leg beneath the table.

Kiahn jolts in his chair like I’d just jabbed him with a cattle-prod, and I try to temper down the giggle bubbling up at his wide-eyed expression.

‘ Sorry ,’ I mouth at him, drawing my hand back. I watch his throat bob as he swallows, and bite my lip to stop the smile from erupting on my face when his hand slowly creeps over to mine to guide it back onto his thigh where I had originally put it. His pretty green eyes connect with mine, and I’m not so sure what it is he’s trying to silently communicate, but it makes my skin prickle with heat all over.

“So…” Lois, who’s been seated diagonally across me starts, “what’s with all the fascination with necks? Is it like a Victorian gentleman getting a glimpse at an ankle kinda deal or…?” she glances at each of the uncomfortable-looking Xavianns present at the table.

Well, apart from Zann, nothing seems to phase him it seems. “You were taught about the bonding bites?” he starts.

“This is not proper conversation for the dinner table,” Lady Zalora comments.

“I think the dinner table has got greater concerns tonight,” he replies, raising a brow at the knife still stuck in the tabletop in front of Kiahn. “Don’t you think, dear aunt?”

I gently squeeze Kiahn’s thigh - I’d meant for it to be a comfort, but I won’t lie and say I don’t enjoy the way it makes him shift and quietly clear his throat like that one single, tiny gesture is getting him all flustered.

Oblivious to our under-table PG13 shenanigans, Zalora rolls her eyes at Zann, but he doesn’t let her continue grumbling. “Well, since the males of my kind have a strong urge to bite the neck of their partners to bind them to them, having an uncovered neck is like… an invitation,” he explains, “It’s like wearing a sign that says you’d love a risky fuck.”

“ Zannador! ” Lady Zalora exclaims, slapping her palms on the tabletop.

Just then, Vel comes bustling in, followed by several members of staff, all carrying silver trays with our food hidden away under shiny cloches.

Talk about good timing.

“I think you’re gonna like this!” Vel says in a sing-song voice, taking her seat with a wide grin on her face. “I believe it’s a human delicacy back on Earth; Mackonchez!”

Mackonchez?

In unison, the servers lift each of our cloches to reveal a small portion of-

“ Mac ‘n’ cheese ?!” Jaya squeals.

On the plate in front of us is a steaming, gooey, cheesy pile of macaroni.

“How did you do this?” Lois asks. “ Where did you get this? We haven’t had human food since we were taken.”

I lean over my plate, my stomach growling as I take in the aroma of familiar food, my hand slipping from Kiahn’s thigh.

“Our kitchens are equipped with the finest nutrition replicators, and staffed with one pretty ingenious chef, I must say,” Vel beams. “He had to substitute a lot of the ingredients but it looks exactly like the images I’ve seen of the dish.”

Substitute the ingredients? Oh no, I think, now looking at the food in front of me more warily as I pick up the eating utensil that looks like a spork made out of shiny silver.

“If your guy can pull this off and make more human food, then I might have to kiss him,” Lois says casually as she starts to dig into her meal.

Az’s silver spork clatters to his plate.

The macaroni is… interesting. The texture is not quite right, and the cheese sauce has an odd after-taste, but it’s close enough that once we get over the first or second bite, Jaya, Lois and I abandon all decorum and start shoveling the gooey goodness into our mouths. In all honesty, it only takes about four or five mouthfuls, but even though it’s not quite right - it’s absolute bliss.

“Well this is… certainly a change to the pre-approved menu for the journey,” Lady Zalora says, singling off one piece of macaroni with her silver spork and inspecting it like it might be a poison.

Vel nods her head before swallowing her mouthful. “I like it.”

“If it makes the humans happy, then we can accommodate any changes,” the Prince says beside me as he swaps my now empty plate for his, hardly-touched portion of mac ‘n’ cheese. I smile at him, about to voice my thanks, when I’m interrupted by Az.

“Would you really kiss the male who made this?” he asks Lois, his brain apparently snagged on that little tidbit and unable to move on.

“Uh-huh,” Lois confirms, licking the cheesy sauce from her spork as she looks at him with a raised brow. “And I’d do a whole lot more if he can make me pizza and ice cream.”

Az’s mouth hangs open a second or two before he closes it with a gulp. “I-uh… you know, I could work the nutrition replicator. I’m sure I could make anything you want.”

Vel, who’s sat on the other side of Lois, makes a scoffing noise into her food. “When was the last time you stepped foot into those kitchens, Az?”

Az bites something back at her and Lady Zalora calls for the squabbling at the table to cease. But all I hear is the way Kiahn leans into my space and rumbles in a low voice, just for me, “come to me for anything, Niska. I will see to it that you are fed exactly what you want.”