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“You are not allowed. I will be… gentle with him.” When he lifted his arm, Thor reacted as he’d done with Zatan, appreciating the attention.
The pup pulled away from me and I shook my head. “You remember what I said. He means everything to me. Everything. Do you understand at all? Or are you creatures who are incapable of expressing love and tenderness? Besides, you know nothing about our kind. Nothing. But it’s easy to tell you are primitive in nature.” Why I was lashing out at a soldier was beyond me.
“Do not judge lest ye be judged.”
I was shocked hearing the sentiment, almost as if he’d been reading the Bible. “You’re right. I’m sorry I’m taking this out on you when I should be berating your boss. He’s a piece of work, by the way. You do know I’m a prisoner here. Right?”
He’d blinked several times, and I hadn’t realized that every time he did, his eyes changed color. “You should be honored to accept the gesture from our future king. He is worthy of your… love. He is a good leader, a kind man. He will make an excellent mate.”
I wanted to laugh but my throat was threatening to close once again. The beast’s admiration was honorable. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t accept what you’re saying at face value. That’s very difficult for me right now. I’ve been shot at, pawed, pushed into some crazy kind of psychotic event not once but several times, and I was just abducted by a race of aliens that up to this point I thought only lived in nightmares. You’ll have to forgive me if I seem a little cranky.” The blank stare meant he had no understanding of what I was trying to say.
“I promise you that I will not hurt your pet. I have two creatures of my own that I miss deeply. They are… what you humans would call my heart and soul.”
Thor whined and I let him go, relief flooding me. I sensed he was being genuine. Unless they were masterful game players. Trust wouldn’t come easily. “Then you do understand.”
“Yes. Besides, you are special to our god. That means I will protect you with my life as well as anyone you care about. The way of our people.”
Exhaling, I nodded. “Thank you.” What else was I supposed to say?
“Come, Thor. I will provide you with a treat when we are done.”
The alien winked and I was pleasantly surprised, more so than I wanted to admit. As he walked out, before the door closed, he gave me a kind smile. Somehow, I knew the entire species was dangerous, more so than they wanted me to see. What I couldn’t understand was the interest in me.
However, I would get to the bottom of it one way or another.
I paced the floor, glancing every so often toward Zaz as I continued to allow myself to be lost in conjectures. Why would I be needed by some godlike man? That much I couldn’t be certain of at all. At least not until I grilled Zatan.
“Is your owner really good, Zaz? Can I trust him? Not only with my body but with my heart?”
Zaz studied me and I almost laughed. Of course, the creature couldn’t understand what I was saying. When he trotted over to me, placing his head against my hand, I was taken aback.
“Is that your way of telling me that I can trust him?” When the creature started to purr, I almost melted. Then I stroked his head, marveling at the way his coarse fur felt against my fingertips. “You are a special little creature, aren’t you?”
He made sounds almost exactly like Thor, lifting his head and batting his long eyelashes. Okay, so maybe there would be a few things to love on Vektor.
When I walked toward the window, I studied the Earth Station, pressing my hand against the glass. When I felt a rumble beneath my feet, I realized the engines had just engaged. Zatan was making good on taking me away from everything I’d ever known. I wasn’t the kind of girl to cry over much of anything. But the week had been arduous and painful, and it seemed that everything I thought I could believe in was a lie.
What shocked me more than anything was the odd closeness I felt to the beast. Then again, I had for a long time. As a single image of his face slipped into my mind, I shivered, a moment of desire edging out the anxiety.
Yet as the rumbling continued, tears slipped past my lashes. Why such confusing emotions? Yes, my parents had raised me to be independent, but this wasn’t what I thought they’d had in mind.
When I heard the door, I did what I could to suck up my tears. How was I supposed to do this? How could I possibly handle being a part of his world? His queen?
Electricity crackled as it had done every time Zatan had entered a room. I hated my body’s reaction, but there was no denying the attraction we shared or the hunger that furrowed deep inside.
When I turned around, I took a deep breath. I wanted to hate the creature remaining several feet away, but I couldn’t, and I wasn’t certain why. Would destiny allow for our relationship to build instead of being forced?
He studied me as if for the first time before taking slow and deliberate steps in my direction. When he stopped only a few feet away, he held his breath.
“We are leaving shortly,” he said. I sensed an entirely different emotion in him. Sadness.
“Will I ever see my parents again?”
The question seemed to be a difficult one for him. “I do not know, little human. But I assure you once again that I will do everything in my power to keep them safe.”
“They are in danger and not just from the Tantians. I’m right, aren’t I?”
There was a strange sense of knowing yet it didn’t terrify me as I’d thought it would. Maybe reality was finally settling in, allowing my rational thoughts to begin taking over.
