Page 34 of The Bride Contract (Princes of Xaavia #1)

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Chapter 34 - Niska

Kiahn kept his promises. Our contract ended and Lois, Jaya and I moved out of the palace, to a house that Kiahn ensured I own. I’m also paid a very healthy allowance for our living expenses, and have three full-time members of staff here to look after us and help us to navigate our new lives on Xaavia.

The house is beautiful. It’s huge, too. Much bigger than is really necessary to house three human girls, but I’m not complaining. The whole place has a kind of French chateau vibe, except with the odd piece of alien technology that somehow manages to not stick out too much - like the floating orbs that help me control the lighting and room temperatures. My wardrobe is stuffed to bursting with so many custom-made dresses in a rainbow of colors that I feel like I’m living in some kind of fairy tale.

Except I let go of my prince.

It was for the best. I know it was. Kiahn getting upset when he’d found out my lie was just the slap in the face I needed to wake myself up. The whole situation was just not normal.

He’s a prince , for fuck’s sake. And an alien one at that. Not to mention the way we came into each other’s lives?

It would have never worked out.

That hasn’t stopped Kiahn from sending me gifts every day, though. Yesterday it was a bouquet of exotic alien flowers that change color depending on the pace of the heartbeat of someone nearby. The day before that it had been the Xaviann’s version of a box of chocolates - the flavors of which were… interesting . He sends me messages through my wrist comm unit he’d set up for me, too. His messages are not lengthy or deep. But he asks how I’m feeling, if I’ve eaten, and whether I enjoyed my meals or if I slept well.

He wishes me goodnight every evening.

The sensible part of me wants to tell him to stop being so sweet. It’s the same part of me that knows it’s going to hurt like a literal gut-punch to see him sign his next contract. Whenever that may be.

But the truth is, it’s only been barely a week since we left the palace, and I already miss him. He hasn’t visited yet - maybe he never will. I can’t decide which I would prefer. Az is here almost every day, offering to give us tours of the city. He includes Jaya and I in the offer, but we all know he’s only here for Lois. It’s blatantly obvious by the way he gazes at her like she’s the center of the universe, even while he’s talking to others. Vel has come to see us every day too, sometimes she brings a few of her ‘Earthophile’ friends, and even Zann has dropped by a time or two. But still no Kiahn.

That was, until today.

The sight of him on our doorstep as I yank open one of the huge, pink double-doors catches me off guard a little. The frown he issues me catches me off guard even further.

“You answered the door,” he says in place of a proper hello, his large frame towering over me as he leans forward a little trying to peer inside the house. When his attention comes back to me, he must see the confusion in my features. “You shouldn’t be answering the door. I employ staff to look after you.”

I prop my hand on my hip. “I’m not so high and mighty that I can’t answer a door, Your Highness .”

“What? No, I don’t mean it like that. I mean for your safety,” he says, stepping inside. “It could have been anyone at the door.”

I step back, allowing his big frame more room even though our grand entrance area with twin sweeping staircases is plenty big enough. He’s wearing those golden horn bands and caps today, and those clothes that always remind me of the romantic hero in a period movie, the sleeves of his loose, white shirt shoved up to his forearms. He looks perfect. “It could have been anyone,” I say, repeating his words as I stare up at his handsome face, “but it was you.”

Kiahn’s throat bobs as he swallows, but he stares right back at me. We’re surrounded by the quiet of the house. Lois is napping, and Jaya has probably found a sunny spot to camp out with her head stuck in one of the black-market human books one of the Earthophiles has lent us. There’s an odd-looking grandfather-type clock in our entrance room. It’s made from dark wood like the ones you’d find back home, but the clock-face is arranged differently, and the ‘hands’ are tiny floating orbs. It still ticks, though. Just like back home. Tick, tock, tick, tock… It’s all I can hear. The sound puts me on edge.

“I… I have come to see you,” Kiahn says before executing a deep bow before me. The expression on his face as he rises to his full height again tells me he’s beating himself up for saying something so obvious. He winces as he rubs the back of his neck. “I have come to talk to you,” he clarifies, “about something important.”

Urging him to go to the nearest living room, I follow along behind his huge frame. This lounge area is one of many in the house he gave us, and with its cheery, sunshine yellow walls, it’s one of my favorites. Something heavy settles in the pit of my stomach as I take a seat opposite Kiahn, wondering if whatever he’s about to talk to me about is going to tarnish this room for me forever. The vase set on the low table between us houses the flowers he’d sent to me a couple of days back. Their petals are rapidly turning from a calm white color, to a vivid pink. Are they picking up on my erratic heartbeat or Kiahn’s?

“Niska,” Kiahn starts, scooting his butt and splayed thighs to the very edge of the couch seat. He clears his throat and continues. “I have bought you news of this-” tapping on his wrist comm, an official-looking document appears, floating in mid-air. Kiahn maneuvers it so we can both see the script and multiple royal seals and stamps.

“What is it?” I ask, squinting at the flowing font. My translator can make out a word or two here and there, but it’s clear the bulk of it is legal jargon and numbers that seem to be code for something.

“It’s the deed to planet GX33207,” he answers, his gaze not leaving my face. “It belonged to Prince Ryx from the Southern Principality as one of his many vacation planets. Now it belongs to you.”

He actually bought me a planet.

“Kiahn,” I sigh, “I don’t need a vacation planet.” I’m about to get up and start pacing, because all this; the house, the gifts, the money, a frickin’ planet - it’s all nice - more than nice - but it doesn’t change anything.

But Kiahn stops me. “I know,” he says, shaking his head. “I know you don’t need these things, and I’ve thought about what you said. About your position as a human away from her home planet who just wanted somewhere safe for her and her friends. And, I thought perhaps we could create that?” he taps on his wrist comm, swapping the hologram of the deed for an image of a slowly rotating planet. “This is GX33207. It is only half a day’s travel from Xaavia. Much of its surface experiences inclement weather, but here-” Kiahn reaches out to spin the huge sphere, stopping it and highlighting an area along the equator of the planet. “Here there is warm weather. Prince Ryx had planned on building a pleasure spa in the area. I propose that we build homes for humans who find themselves in the same situation as you were in.”

I stare at him, trying to will away the the tears threatening to sting my eyes.

He looks at me then, with all seriousness in his tone. “Niska, I truly am sorry that I was angry at you for a choice you didn’t have. I want to make it up to you, if you’ll let me.”

Well, now the tears fall easily, and I make this ugly little hiccup-sob noise.

The hologram of the planet disappears and Kiahn sits there looking wide-eyed and worried. “ Fuck , please do not cry,” he says, handing me a handkerchief. “I don’t think I could muster up the courage to ask what I want to ask if you’re upset.”

Taking a deep breath to stem the flow of tears, I use the handkerchief to wipe my eyes and peer at him, sure that my face is probably all puffy. But now I’m curious. “What do you want to ask?

Kiahn rubs at the back of his neck, his ear studs and horn decorations glimmering with the movement. “I would like to invite you-… uh… to ask you if you would participate in a date…with me?”

From the corner of my eye, I can see the pink flowers morph into a deep plum. Is one of us having a heart attack?

I sniff away the last of my tears. “A… date ? You want to date me?”

Kiahn nods his head. “Vel and her band of human fanatics helped me to research normal human courtship. First comes dating, no?” I nod my head, a small smile playing on my lips. “Then, if I am worthy, we cohabit and I am rewarded with unlimited cuddles.”

I can’t help but snort-laugh at that.

Kiahn lets slip a grin but his brows furrow when he obviously notices the flowers between us - and how they’ve now changed into such a deep purple, the petals could almost be black. He places his palm on his chest for a breath or two as though he’s trying to calm his racing heart.

“Is that what you want?” I can’t help but ask. “Unlimited cuddles?”

Kiahn’s hand falls from his chest as he looks to me with all seriousness as he nods.

I suck in a long breath and let it out again. “Kiahn, why-”

“Because you were right. Nothing about how we met was normal. Fuck , even the breeding contracts aren’t natural for Xavianns,” he huffs, shoving his hand through his hair. “We’re meant to be bonded to one person, not negotiate a short relationship like a transaction. I don’t want that. I don’t want that with you. I want… I just want you, Niska .”

My pulse is rushing in my ears and I can’t help but feel a little dizzy. “They won’t let you do that,” I say, my voice quiet and hoarse. I’m right, though… aren’t I? He has a duty, and I don’t factor into that.

Kiahn gets up and my eyes stay glued to him as he comes to sit right beside me. He takes my hands in his big, warm ones and says, “they can all fuck off.”

“ Kiahn -” I try to protest, but he doesn’t let my hands slip from his.

“No, you listen to me, Niska. I have already told my Aunt and my father that I will not be entering any other breeding contracts. Ever. The king can remove my family from ruling this region if he wishes, but it is worth it to me - you are worth it to me. You are my female. My mate…” he pauses and glances down at where he keeps my hands in his. “That is… if you’ll have me?”

This huge, powerful, horned prince is looking at me with so much vulnerability in his expression, I can almost feel my heart crumple just at the sight of it. I want to say yes. But will that be a mistake? What if his whole family gets replaced with someone else in power - all because I get what I want? I don’t want to be responsible for that.

“Do you… do you want some of my venom? The Bloodline Venom that will help you focus and make a decision?” Kiahn swallows thickly after stating his offer. Clearly, he saw the hesitation on my face. “You can… you can say no - to all of it. You can say no to me, Niska. You will still be safe. I need you to know you have a choice in this.” His voice is strained when he says those last words and I remember how it was when I took his venom last - back when we were in the lagoon. I remember how it had made me feel, I remember how it had silenced all the noise until all that remained was my trust in Kiahn. I hadn’t even known him like I do now, but the trust was there, clear as anything.

And it’s still there now.

He’s here to tell me that he’d risk having to give up his royal position, his power, his family’s power, everything he’s ever known, just to be with me.

“I don’t need your venom, Kiahn,” I tell him, my eyes pricking with tears. “Yes.”

Kiahn lets out a shaky breath. “Yes? Yes, you will participate in a human date with me?”

I can’t help but lean closer, reaching up to hook a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me so I can brush my lips over his.

“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you, Prince Kiahn,” I whisper into our kiss.