Page 23 of Taken By the Alien Siren King

The Knight’s fist connected with my jaw before I could blink. Pain exploded across my face as I staggered back, nearly losing my footing. I spat blood and grinned. “That the best you’ve got?”

Another blow drove the air from my lungs. I doubled over, gasping. Part of me itched to fight back, to tear these traitors limb from fucking limb. But I couldn’t risk it. Not yet. I needed to see Nedaris. Needed him to gloat over his victory.

It was the only way I stood a chance of saving my kingdom. Of saving Emme.

So, I let them surround me. Let them land a few more blows. Just enough to look like I’d put up a fight without earning any real damage. I’d survived worse during Vigas’s training. This? This was nothing.

The Knights dragged me through flooded corridors toward the training yard. With each step, I sent a silent prayer to the depths that Emme had made it to the escape pods. That she was safe. The thought of her trapped in this sinking fortress, hunted by Nedaris and his fanatics...

No. I couldn’t let myself go there. She was smart. Resourceful. She’d find a way out.

She had to.

We emerged into the training yard, and my stomach turned. Bodies littered the floor—soldiers I’d trained with, fought beside. Good men and women who’d died defending their home. Their king.

And there, standing in the center of it all, was Nedaris. My crown sat askew on his head, like a child playing dress-up in clothes that didn’t fit. Rage boiled in my veins, but I forced it down. Locked it away behind a mask of casual indifference.

“Welcome, brother,” Nedaris said, spreading his arms wide. “Welcome to New Delovia.”

“New Delovia?” I laughed. The sound bounced off the walls, harsh and mocking and far, far too brittle. “Is that what you’re calling this farce?”

Nedaris’s smug expression faltered. Good. Keep him off-balance.

“You stand there wearing a crown you haven’t earned,” I continued, injecting as much venom into my words as I could. “Tell me,brother, have you completed the trials of succession? Have you proven yourself worthy before the sea dragon? Or are we forgetting all about that in,” I let off an obnoxious giggle,“New Delovia?”

Murmurs rippled through the gathered Knights. I caught snippets of confusion, of doubt. The seed was planted. Now to water it.

“Our people have followed sacred tradition for generations,” I said, raising my voice to address the entire room. “We’ve shed blood, sweat, and tears to prove ourselves worthy of the crown. And here stands a man who thinks he can simply take it by force.”

“The trials will be completed in due time.” Nedaris’s face flushed with anger. “I am the rightful heir?—”

“To what?” I cut him off. “A stolen throne? A broken kingdom? You haven’t earned the right to rule, Nedaris. You’re nothing but a pretender playing at being king.”

The Knights shifted uneasily, exchanging glances. I pressed my advantage.

“In due time,” I repeated with a disappointed shake of my head. I looked around, meeting the eyes of the Knights nearest to me. “Ask yourselves this: do you truly want to follow a leader who disregards our most sacred traditions as mere formalities? Who spits in the face of everything we hold dear?”

Nedaris’s eyes darted around the room, seeing the doubt spreading among his followers. I had him cornered now. Hecould either accept my challenge and risk losing everything, refuse and look weak in front of his Knights, or try to execute me and break tradition entirely.

No matter what he chose, I’d win.

“You dare question my right to rule?” Nedaris snarled, taking a step toward me. “I am the one who will restore our people to greatness! I am the one who will purge the waters of human filth!”

As if summoned by his words, the far door burst open. Two Knights entered, dragging a struggling figure between them. My heart stopped.

Emme.

Our eyes met across the room, and for a moment, the rest of the world fell away. She was alive. Battered and soaked to the bone, but alive. Relief warred with fury inside me. I wanted to rush to her side, to tear apart anyone who dared lay a hand on her. But I couldn’t. Not yet.

Nedaris’s triumphant grin made my skin crawl. “Look who we found wandering the halls like a lost pet.”

“Fuck you,” Emme spat, earning her a backhanded slap from one of her captors.

The pain in my arm dulled to nothing compared to the white-hot rage roaring through me. I struggled against my captors’ grip, heedless of the sparking, charged blade now pointed at my throat. I would kill every last Knight in this room if that was what it took to save her.

Nedaris watched my struggle with undisguised delight. “Here’s what will happen,brother. You will die. She will die. That ship in the sky will never land, and those animals will slowly suffocate. But down here? I will rule over all the seas and New Delovia will shine bright once more.”

He pulled a knife from his belt and twirled it casually. “But I’m willing to make a deal. In exchange for her life, you canchoose which order you want to die in. First, or second. Not very appealing choices, I know. But the offer’s limited.”

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