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“No?” The king regarded her with an eerie smile. “And why is that?”
“Because I love him.”
Kozien’s chest warmed at Gianna’s confession.
She lovedhim?
His father—Vrondo—let out another laugh. “Love? How primitive. You really have found quite the pet. Haven’t you, Kozien?”
He didn’t know how to answer that, so instead, he remained silent. Perhaps if he simply ignored his father long enough, he would get bored and let them go without any more fuss.
“And what do you say about her confession, Kozien?”
He wrapped his arm around Gianna, holding her to his chest while he squeezed her gently. He didn’t know if this was a nonverbal way of reassuring her that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her or if she simply sagged into him out of habit.
But regardless, he tilted his chin high and said, “I love her as well. She is my mate and I accept her as such.”
“Guards,” his father ordered. “Set down your spears so I may see my son clearly.”
Kozien kept his arm locked around Gianna, not trusting for a second that his father’s intentions were anything but nefarious. One could only put so much faith into someone, and Kozien wasn’t willing to put in any he knew he wouldn’t get back in return.
His father shook his head gravely at him, steeling him with a look that Kozien could only surmise as disgust.
“You have brought great shame to this family. To choose a Terran over your birthright is, without a doubt, the most unbelievable thing I have ever encountered. It is my right as king to decree you disowned and shamed from this planet.”
Kozien stiffened. He knew the punishment would be harsh, even went so far as to predict this exact outcome hundreds of times whenever the memory of his father screaming at him came to mind. But somehow, it still hit him hard. His father’s words stung more than he thought they would now that they’d been said out loud to him and weren’t some fantasy he’d cooked up while getting himself into trouble back on Noxxa.
Shaking himself from the thoughts, Kozien lifted his head high to regard his father. “I don’t care how many times you disown me or how much you hate me. I will choose my mate each and every time, and I will not change my mind.”
“And neither shall I, Kozien.” His father shifted back into his seat, his back ramrod straight. “You are all dismissed. Now, get off my planet and never return.”
Without any other acknowledgment, Kozien pulled Gianna away from the guards and guided her down the long expansive hall. He looked back, making sure Gabe had gotten up and trailed them closely.
An advisor met them at the door, her eyes downcast and not looking at either of them while she motioned for them to follow her. Kozien could feel all eyes on them as they left the king’s hall.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that his father had watched him the entire way out, glaring straight through as if he could somehow light him on fire just by staring. It made Kozien tuck Gianna tight into his side, only finally being able to breathe again once they rounded the corner and were away from the throne room. He’d hoped that his reunion with his father would’ve never come to fruition. Though, now that it had, he suspected this had been the better outcome after all.
The king’s advisor led them to the dock, barely saying a word to any of them before dismissing herself and leaving them to board their ship and take off on their own.
Kozien looked around, noticing that they were the only ones out here, and couldn’t help but feel it was completely intentional.
“Are we really free to leave?” Gabe asked, his voice suspicious as his eyes darted around.
“Yes.” Kozien opened the door for them. “Now, quickly before they change their minds.”
Chapter 22
ClimbingintothePulXar,Gianna couldn’t help but feel awful with how things had played out between Kozien and his father.
Despite the king’s rotten attitude toward his son, the king’s words seemed to really rattle Kozien in a way she hadn’t thought was possible. It made her sad to think that someone’s own flesh and blood could treat them so poorly.
Especially someone like Kozien who seemed to have a kind of loyalty that most in the galaxy would kill to possess. Despite being beaten down and given constant battles to fight between his brothers and his father, Kozien was still very much put together.
Gianna definitely couldn’t say the same for herself.
As soon as she got herself strapped in, Kozien flipped on the PulXar and pulled back on the control stick to lift it off the ground. She settled back into her seat, letting him navigate their ship off of the dock and out into the world around them.
Back behind them, Gabe sat in one of the compact seats. He was far enough away from them that they would be able to have their own private conversation without him overhearing.
