His to Claim: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance - Taylor Vaughn Page 0,56

up to see a space ship descending onto what I’m now guessing must be a landing field of some sort. But this space ship isn’t like the ones I’ve seen set down on New Terrhan.

It’s a lot sleeker than the Breeding Ceremony ship. Huge and long, yet cylindrical. Kind of like if a photon laser from one of the old planet sci-fi entertainments had decided to make itself gigantic and fly. There were several oversized barrels sticking out of the top and sides. Maybe weapons of some kind. Could this be a battleship?

I glance over at L’Than, and the look on his face doesn’t reassure me at all. His ridges are vibrating, and his eyes have opened so wide, they almost appear round. I’ve never seen this look on any Xalthurian, full or hybrid before, but I think it’s fear…yes, fear.

For some reason L’Than is scared.

“L’Than what’s wrong?!” I yell over the spaceship’s loud landing.

L’Than yells something back that the translator can’t hear well enough to interpret.

Totally frustrated, I turn back to look at the maybe battleship as it settles down. Is it Kaidorian, I wonder? Has the enemy found us?

But no…I can now see the Xalthurian insignia plastered on the side facing us. And as soon as the landing door descends to form a gangplank, jewel-toned Xalthurians come spilling out.

It’s quiet enough to talk now, so I turn back to L’Than and ask, “What’s wrong? Why are you scared?”

Instead of answering, he backs away from me. Like I’ve somehow transformed from a valued teacher into a radioactive monster. Then, without any further explanation, he turns tail and runs. Just flat out runs away from me.

What the moons?

“L’Than!” I yell after him, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

An ominous sound cuts off my next question. Heavy feet coming towards me. Fast.

I turn and sure enough, there’s, like, a phalanx of Xalthurians in soldier wear headed toward me. Oh no…. Maybe D’Rek forgot to tell his soldiers he’d given me permission to walk in the gardens and they think I’ve escaped?

I brace myself to be snatched up, trying to figure out how I’m going to explain this situation to a bunch of Xalthurians who don’t have translation chips.

However, instead of grabbing me, the group of soldiers run straight past me, yelling, “Stop, citizen, stop!” after L’Than.

Dread curdles my stomach at the realization that I’m not the one the scary soldiers are after as I turn to watch them chase L’Than.

Is he in some kind of trouble? If so, I’ve got to tell N’Maryah. Maybe she can help—

“Ki’Ra.”

The one word sends a spike of joy through my heart. And though the voice is as monotone as everyone else’s, I know who it is even before I happily turn around.

“D’Rek, you’re back…”

The “early” dies on my lips when I see the look on my blue alien’s face.

Cold and like, one hundred times more furious than the way he looked when he found me hiding in the stable.

But I have no idea why.

15

Kira

I awaken many hours later in a dark room, still not understanding why D’Rek was so angry at me when he arrived a full day early.

Or why instead of greeting me, he grabbed me by the arm and hauled me back to the palace without saying a word or answering any of my questions.

I’d expected for him to yell at me when we got back to the room. To not only tell me what I did wrong, but also start commanding me like I was one of his subjects.

But he’d said nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Only deposited me in his bedroom, then left. Not just the room, but the entire suite. Leaving me there all alone after so many nights of talking about what he’d do to me as soon as he arrived back on Xalthuria.

And he’d locked the door behind him. Believe me, I’d checked as soon as he left. Which I guess meant I was a full-on prisoner again. But why? Was L’Than some kind of criminal or something? Someone I shouldn’t have been talking to for some reason?

The sun sets and rises then sets again on those questions. With no further word coming from D’Rek. Or anyone else for that matter.

When I wake up in complete darkness the second night after his arrival, my stomach grumbles irritably. I have no idea what time it is, but the food I ate for first meal two mornings ago, is little more than a distant memory. I’m now hungry enough