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He had to choose his words carefully. “I must stay for a while longer. There’s something I need to take care of.”
An uncomfortable pause stretched between them as the king waited for him to expand on that thought, but A’zal knew if he did, he’d give himself away.
His father sighed deeply, appearing suddenly tired and worn. “I’ve ordered you home and you will comply. I will have the others notified to return to base for transport to Luxxor.”
A’zal had already sent Tristan back to Washington, D.C. in part because of his friend’s increasing restlessness, but also to get him out of the way. He was nagging too much about Kimber, but A’zal wished he were here now.
“Father, listen to me. The skwerm visit Earth by the thousands. There’s no telling how many live on underwater bases like those off the coast of Ireland. We have fifty Luxx warriors on the planet, hardly a threat.”
No, this made little sense. There had to be something else driving his father’s eagerness to get them off Earth.
“Enough!”
He lifted his chin. This was a fight he wouldn’t win, but he could delay in inevitable. “There is something I must do first.”
His father’s eyes narrowed. He looked A’zal over as if searching for something. “Where is your Neb?”
“He accompanied Tristan-Kon-to another city.”
His father moved closer to the screen. “Come closer to me.”
A’zal took two steps forward and quickly realized what his father was looking at. He’d shed his glitchy human hologram for this meeting and dressed in typical Luxx fashion—Bare chest, leather pants, tall boots, bracelet, weapons belt. If he’d been thinking clearly, he would have put on a shirt. It was too late now. The pulse had grown so much in the past two days that his skin bounded softly with its beat. There was no hiding what was happening from his father now.
His father’s jaw clenched, and he drew back from the screen. “Your endtax is pulsing. Your Neb isvery much needed.This is unacceptable!”
So, now the king knew his son had broken a cardinal rule. A’zal’s breath hitched, but only for a second before pride and love bloomed inside him. He wouldn’t apologize for falling in love with a human female. His body had known the moment they met she was his fated life mate.
“I’m bringing her with me, Father.”
“You arenot. Your Neb will erase this mistake from her history and yours. Once he cleanses you, you won’t remember she exists.”
A well of grief surged inside of him at the thought of forgetting Kimber. Pressing his hands to his chest, he drew to his full height. “My endtax has grown since I met her. It’s almost overtaken my whole heart. She was destined to be mine and I will have her.”
Left eye twitching, his father pulled his matted hair behind his shoulders and ground his jaw. “You cannot mate with a human female.”
“I already have. In the name of Luxxor, I claim her.”
With a sharp intake of breath, A’zal realized what he was doing as the words came out of his mouth. It was too late. He said the sacred words that set the mating ritual into motion. He’d made his claim and it couldn’t be undone. The only way to undo it was if Kimber rejected his claim.
His father’s nostrils flared. A’zal could feel his anger and disappointment through the screen. “You are the second one to bring this claim to my attention. You are the prince! There are no exceptions just because of your title.”
The second one? “Who else has found a human mate?”
“It doesn’t matter. The Neb erased it just as yours will be! I command you to return to Luxxor immediately. Do not risk your station over a female.”
The telecommunication screen went dead. What had he just done? He’d put Kimber in great danger just by professing his intentions. His father wasn’t the supportive or understanding kind. He expected rules to be followed, no matter what, and by everyone.
The sliding doors to his private room opened. Two armed Luxx guards stood in the entrance, blocking it. A’zal cocked his head and eyed them warily.
“The king has ordered you detained until transport to Luxxor is ready. Remove your weapons belt and come with us, Prince A’zal.”
Covering the bracelet on his left wrist, he contemplated his next move. He couldn’t be detained. They’d strip him of the bracelet and leave him defenseless. His implantable hologram had been removed so the technician could look for the cause of the continued glitch, leaving him without a way to conceal his alien form. The only way he could disguise himself was to enable the invisibility cloak on his bracelet, but it only worked for a few minutes at a time, leaving him completely exposed in between uses.
He was trapped. If his father would detain him and force him home, he’d definitely send a Neb to find Kimber, starting with A’zal’s last location. His implanted hologram left a lingering signature everywhere that he went. It helped the Luxx find each other when they were in disguise, but the signature only lasted a day or two. If his father sent a Neb right away, they might still detect where he’d last been in Dingle, and with whom.
They’d never shared personal information and he didn’t have anything to go on to find her. Who in Dingle might know where Kimber lived?
He had to get to her first. Gritting his teeth, he thought about the one person who could help.
