Page 39 of Bound to the Marak

And then… something stirred inside her.

She must be losing her mind.

Because instead of pulling away, instead of recoiling at the touch of this alien warlord, she let him take her hand.

From terror, from the chaos of her abduction, tothis—being led like a guest, like a consort—Leonie could hardly comprehend the shift. The contradiction of it left her dizzy.

She should hate him.

She should still be afraid.

But somehow… she wasn’t.

The ship docked with an imperceptible hum, a marvel of grace and power. No jolt, no rattle. Just an elegant halt, like the world itself paused at Karian’s command.

The ramp lowered with a slow exhale of air, revealing the interior of the palace.

Her breath caught in her throat.

It was floating.Floating. A palace suspended in the sky, not tethered to anything her Earth-born mind could comprehend. The view beyond the dock was breathtaking—stars like scattered crystals, two glowing moons casting a silver sheen over an endless ocean far below.

As they descended the ramp together, she glanced at Karian beside her.

He was masked again. Dressed in black and silver, a living shadow gliding beside her, every inch a king. Or a god.

She glanced around. His servants—Yerak, she’d learned—stood at attention. Heads bowed. No one met his gaze. The air was thick with reverence… or fear.

They worship him,she thought, stunned.He rules over this place like something divine.

A chill brushed her arms, and she wasn’t sure if it came from the breeze or from the dawning realisation that she had no real idea how powerful this being truly was.

And yet… he had shown her his face.

And taken her hand.

She walked beside him in silence, awed by the architecture, the glittering halls and glass-paneled corridors glowing with a soft, internal luminescence. Everything felt ethereal, like stepping into the heart of a living star.

Leonie struggled to speak. There were no words for this.

Back on Earth, things had boundaries. Logic. Structure. The impossible didn’t exist.

Here, everything she saw defied what she’d believed about the universe. Her world had suddenly become small. Primitive.Dust.

She looked at Karian again, drawn—as always—to the movements of his tentacles. They didn’t repulse her now. They were… graceful. Flowing. Beautiful, even. Alive with intelligence.

Just like the rest of him.

And that terrified her most of all.

He was a conqueror. A killer. A being feared across star systems.

And yet… she was starting tofeelsomething.

Not just attraction.Curiosity.Wonder. Sympathy.

The way his people bowed but never spoke. The way the Yerak kept their distance. The way no one ever dared meet his eyes.

He lived in a kingdom above the clouds, but he was utterly alone in it.

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