Page 3 of Taken By the Alien Triton King

Finding the nearest shaft of water, I dove inside it, my body shivering through the transformation, and my gills opening wide to pull water through them. With my long tail, I propelled myself through the tunnel, darting left and right along paths worn like furrows into my mind. A maze to many, I knew the tunnels, the waterways, and all the nooks and crannies of the palace, once a mighty spaceship made by my ancestors.

Then I rose from the pool inside my chambers, my senses instantly alerted me to the danger. I was not carrying any weapons, but that did not mean I was unarmed. My claws were razor sharp, as were my fangs. I caught the side of the pool with one hand, ears twitching as I quickly assessed what was going on.

Undina was right in front of me, her feet braced in a battle-ready pose, her claws out and raised in front of her. She had streaks of green scales crawling up her arms, evidence of her half-shifted form. In front of her, the human stood, one hand raised in front of her; it trembled and shook, and if I wasn’t mistaken, she was holding my razor as a weapon. Clever girl. She had also found the dress I’d left for her, and it was emphasizing how lush and sexy her breasts were, clinging lovingly to her hips. I might thinkher shape was weak, but it was also temptingly soft, and her mind was brave and sharp. I was beginning to see more than a little of her appeal.

I also knew how dangerous this situation was, and if I hadn’t arrived when I had, Undina could well have harmed or killed Samantha. Anger flowed through my veins like a tidal wave at the thought. Harm my little human? Nobody was allowed to do that—nobody but me. “Undina,” I said. All the discontent from earlier and the fresh, new anger rose to the surface, echoing in my tone. “What the krill are you doing inside my chambers?”

I hauled myself out of the water, but I did not shift yet, rising tall on my coiled tail, fins spread wide to provide all the posturing and intimidation a fully grown Ondrithar male could bring. The courtesan twisted, turning her back on the human as if she did not consider her a threat. Her beautiful, aristocratic features expressed disdain in a measured fashion—polite enough, withdrawn enough to make you wonder if it was there, yet right beneath the surface if you were only willing to look.

Then her lush green mouth curled into a sultry smile that had once, when I was young and not yet king, worked on me. Wise to her manipulative ways now, I did not fall for such barbed allure. “But Kaerius, my love, I had to come see the strange curiosity you brought home! You know how boring things are ever since Morven died. All you do is work and work, no play…” She shifted her hip and struck a pose designed to draw the eye to her best features, but they held absolutely zero appeal. Instead, my eyes flicked to Samantha behind her. The human had backed up a step and crossed her arms protectively in front of her chest. Her brown eyes were wide with fear, but she was holding it together,appraising with the clever mind I could see spinning behind that soft gaze.

“As bored as you may be, these aremychambers, and I did not give you permission to visit them. Don’t let it happen again, am I clear?” She wilted, nodded sharply, and then quickly dove past me into the water with nary a splash. She was gone in a single breath, which I pulled in deeply as my body shifted to its two-legged form.

Dropping my hands to my hips, I forced myself to stay where I was instead of striding across the chamber to pull the source of all my turmoil into my arms. She’d been there before, and the desire to have her back that close against my body was intense. Then my eyes flicked to the bed behind her, and my cock surged to full mast, thickening as I contemplated what it would be like to fuck the human. And fuck her I would; I had no doubt of that.

“Samantha,” I drawled, my tone softening as I began my own seduction. I knew I’d come here with some noble notion of negotiating, of finding out if her human ship had what we needed to defeat the Shadefin once again. All that went out the window when she gulped for air and her breasts rose and fell temptingly beneath the shimmering fabric of her dress. Ah, krill it, I was lost to her, lost at sea. I knew what this was now, what drove me, and it was going to cause war if I wasn’t careful—war with the humans, maybe, war with my own people certainly. And the only war I wanted was with the Shadefin, to end them once and for all.

My thoughts were turning darker, as was the sharp arousal that gripped me. If I did not get control of it, I’d reach for her and do things I might regret later—like take her without properseduction, without her vehement agreement. I could tempt her, convince her with my touch, but that would not be right. Then she spoke, and her trembling voice was exactly what I needed to settle my roiling emotions.

“You know my name?” she asked. I hissed, my lips curling as I realized what she was saying, what she’d been thinking: that I didn’t care. Her brown eyes were wide again, but they were not fearful like they’d been when faced with a jealous Undina. Taking a slow step forward, I tested her response, and when she did not seem to mind, I took another. I could see the pulse at her throat, smell a hint of uncertainty, fear, and something else. Ah, krill. She was aroused.

“Yes,” I said, my voice rough. “I know your name, human. I know your occupation, scientist. I know you are mine, mate.” She gasped, her mouth dropping open, and, unable to contain myself, I swept in and kissed her. Back in my arms, I lifted her high, and she spread her legs and curled them around my hips without hesitation. Her taste was divine, filling my mouth, my mind, and my heart with her and nothing else. She was dangerous to my sanity and dangerous to my people. The course was set now; there was no backing down—not when I felt the heat of her core burn against my aching cock.

Chapter 5

Samantha

I really thought I was going to die at the hands of that mermaid lady, and then Kaerius arrived, and I still thought I was going to die. He looked so fantastically good and alien at the same time—but dangerous, too. I didn’t know he could rise from the water in his other shape, the one with the tail and gills, but he could. Clearly, he used that form to intimidate, and it worked. I’d never seen someone flee a scene as quickly as that Ondrithar woman.

And then he’d caught me completely by surprise by saying my name. He did know it—he hadn’t asked because he already knew, not because he didn’t want to know me as a person. My heart had fluttered in my chest, my pulse had begun pounding, and that dang arousal that plagued me each time he was near flooded my system. I was a goner—the secret romantic in me swooning—when he said the rest of those crazy, possessive, and impactful words.

I know you, he’d declared in so many ways. Diplomatic training? What was that? Ten years of studying my ass off to be a xeno-botanist? Forget it. I was all woman and instinct when he claimed my mouth and swept me into his arms. I never thought I’d be the kind who would let a man rule me the way he did. Passion had always been cerebral rather than physical—so much so that I had been called a cold fish by more than one ex. It was different with Kaerius. So different.

The kiss had shaken me to my core, but it was over too soon. Kaerius pulled back, his breath warm against my lips, his silver-blue eyes dark with something I couldn’t name—desire? Possession? Something else entirely? I barely had time to catch my breath before he set me back on my feet, his hands lingering at my waist, strong and firm.

The silence stretched between us, thick and humming with an energy I didn’t know how to handle. My body still thrummed from his touch, but my mind—oh, my mind—was screaming at me to process what had just happened. The words he had spoken before he kissed me replayed in a loop, each time making less sense than before.

I know you, human. I know your occupation, scientist. I know you are mine. Mate.

Had he really said that? Had I misheard him? My heart pounded in my chest, and for the first time since waking up in this underwater palace, I wished for the sterile certainty of a lab where things made sense and could be studied. This… this was too much, too sudden.

Kaerius straightened, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before his expression hardened once more. He stepped back, giving me space—though it didn’t feel like muchwhen his presence still dominated the room. He was simply too much: large, muscular, a warrior through and through. Even when he was unarmed, I knew he was formidable. It was very confusing to have all that power contained in one man, focused on little ol’ me, as if I were the special one. He was the king, for God’s sake—why did he think I was his mate? I had to be mistaken. I had to misunderstand what he meant. Mate—that was a word from the animal kingdom. It was foreign to me.

“Come,” he said, his voice gruff and edged with something rough, as if he were battling fierce emotions within himself. “You will tour the palace with me.” It was a command, not a request, and my stupid body thought that was sexy instead of offensive, as it should have.

I swallowed, trying to find my footing in this strange, shifting dynamic. “Why?” My voice was steadier than I expected, but my fingers curled into the soft fabric of the dress I still wasn’t convinced I should be wearing. “Are you showing me my prison?” I dared to say words past me would never have spoken, but I felt oddly empowered despite all the seesawing feelings in my chest. I couldn’t wrap my head around that, but it was true: King Kaerius made me feel like a stronger version of myself.

His gaze sharpened, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as if my defiance amused him. But just as quickly, the moment was gone. “You are not a prisoner, Samantha,” he said, my name rolling off his tongue like a promise—or a warning. “But you are mine.”

That word again.Mine.It still felt like it implied I was a prisoner somehow. I wanted to push back, to demand exactly what he meant by that. But he was already turning toward the water-filled tunnel at the edge of the chamber, the muscles in his back rippling beneath smooth, blue-scaled skin.

Doubt gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. Had he really called me his mate? Maybe I had misheard. Maybe it was some kind of translation error. Or maybe—maybe I was already in too deep.

I took a hesitant step toward the water’s edge, the surface rippling gently under the soft glow of the room’s lighting. My throat tightened. “I can’t breathe underwater, Kaerius.” Ah, damn it—was that even how I was supposed to address him? He was royalty, but at this moment, I had absolutely forgotten every single thing I knew about how to act around these people whom my people wanted a treaty with.

He didn’t turn to look at me, only inclined his head slightly. “You will be fine.” His voice was still gruff, but there was no mockery in it. No teasing. Just certainty. I believed him; there was no other option. I exhaled slowly. Trust wasn’t something I gave easily, and I wasn’t sure if he’d earned it yet. But he had brought me here, carried me through the depths of the ocean before. I hadn’t drowned then. Would I now? Why would he do that if he’d gone through all that trouble to bring me here?

Steeling myself, I slid a foot into the water. It was cooler than I expected, sending a shiver up my spine. Another step, then another. Each stair was made of textured metal that brushed against my bare toes, designed to prevent a fatal slip—very practical. The dress clung to my legs as I waded deeper. The moment the water lapped at my thighs, Kaerius turned, reaching for me. His hands found my waist, fingers pressing firmly into my skin as he guided me further. The contact sent a hot joltthrough my stomach, something warm and forbidden curling in my core.

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