Page 5 of Taken By the Alien Siren King

The frustration in his voice wasn’t directed at me, I realized. He hated not knowing. A king without information was vulnerable, and Lairos struck me as someone who never wanted to be vulnerable.

The briefings given to me and my crewmates had been thorough. Or as thorough as could reasonably be expected of suspicious kings offering information on themselves and their people. Names, brief histories, where they ruled and how many humans they’d be willing to accept.

Lairos was no exception. Neither the oldest ruler or the longest to his throne, he was still every inch a king from the fairytales of my childhood. Arrogant. Irreverent. What they hadn’t mentioned was how the play of muscles beneath his skin would be so hypnotic as he swam, or how his hair would float around his face like dark flames.

I forced myself to focus on our surroundings instead. Rock formations loomed out of the gloom. Schools of fish scattered at our approach. A creature with too many eyes and not enough fins darted past, disappearing into a crevice. Minutes passed in silence broken only by the strange clicks and calls of deep-sea creatures.

The air grew stale again. I fumbled to tap Lairos’s shoulder, trying not to notice how the scales there felt smooth and warm under my fingertips.

He turned immediately, taking one look at me before his expression shifted from annoyed to concerned. His tail moved in a slow, controlled pattern, keeping us suspended in the current while his hands found my face again.

His mouth hovered near mine, that strange vibration humming between us. The not-quite-kiss lasted longer this time, his thumbs tracing small circles against my cheeks as fresh air filled my bubble. I focused on steadying my breathing, refusingto acknowledge the warmth spreading through me despite the cold depths surrounding us.

“Where are we going?” I asked when I could breathe properly again.

He made an exasperated sound. “You humans never stop talking, do you? We’re heading to the closest drycave in my kingdom.”

I tried to recall the details. Delovia Ridge was an underwater mountain range, that much I knew. That much I couldsee, with jagged peaks fighting for the surface in the murky distance. But distance from the summit, entrances, ease of access to breathable air and solid ground under my feet? “How far?”

“Far enough that you should stop delaying us with questions.” His voice softened slightly. “We will discuss everything when we get there, I swear.”

I wanted to argue, but he was right. Every moment spent talking was a moment not spent swimming toward safety. I nodded, and he resumed our journey.

We swam for what felt like hours, stopping periodically for my air refreshes. He knew exactly when I needed air, turning to me with fluid grace before I could signal.Swim, pause, breathe, repeat.My world narrowed to this pattern, to the gentle press of his hands against my face, to the way my pulse quickened each time he drew me close to share his breath.

Finally, a dark opening appeared in the rock face ahead. Lairos swam straight for it without hesitation. My body seized as years of cave diving accident reports and recovery statistics crowded my head. At least in open water you could swim up, assuming you survived the bends. In caves, one wrong turn meant a death wedged in the dark.

Just when my lungs began to burn again, we broke through the surface of the water into an air-filled cavern. I gasped, inhaling real air for the first time since the attack. The drycave,as Lairos had called it, was roughly circular, with smooth walls rising to a domed ceiling. Glowing crystals embedded in the rock provided soft, amber-tinged light.

I hauled myself onto the stone ledge and collapsed onto my back. Every muscle in my body ached despite Lairos doing most of the work. The physical toll of oxygen deprivation, adrenaline, and fighting the water’s resistance left me feeling like I’d run a marathon in full tactical gear. I closed my eyes for just a moment, gathering my strength.

“My communicator isn’t working,” I said, touching the device at my wrist. Had my crewmates made it into the water with their assigned kings? Were they trapped on the beach, or worse? “I need to contact the Legacy. Make sure they’re safe. The protestors?—”

“You think this was just protestors?” Lairos’s laugh held no humor as water streamed from his body, scales melting away as he got to his feet. “Those were organized attacks. Military-grade weapons. Someone wanted all of us dead—you, me, every ruler on that beach.”

He offered his hand, and I shouldn’t have noticed the way water traced the curves of his muscled forearm, or how it dripped from those broad shoulders where long dark red hair clung to his skin. I shouldn’t have followed the rivulets down the dips and planes of his chest and abs. And I definitely shouldn’t have noticed how the wet linen around his waist clung to powerful thighs before falling in heavy folds to his ankles, or how the scales along his hips caught the amber light as they slowly melted away.

I swallowed hard and tore my eyes away. “Exactly why I need to reach my ship.”

Still, I slid my hand into his and let him pull me to my feet. The motion brought us chest to chest, my palm pressed against warm, wet skin.

“And you will.” He traced my lower lip with his thumb, the gesture stealing my focus from thoughts of my missing crewmates. “When we’re safe. When I know who’s hunting us. Until then, you’re staying with me.”

“I’m not yours to command,” I snapped, taking a deliberate step back. The cold air hit my wet skin and clinging uniform like a slap, but it was better than the dangerous heat of being pressed against him.

His eyes flashed. “No? Then by all means, swim back to the surface. I’m sure whoever’s waiting there will be delighted to find one human survived.”

I bit back a retort. He was right, damn him. I had no idea what was happening above, no way to contact my crew, and no means to survive these depths without him.

“Fine,” I conceded. “Lead on, Your Majesty.”

His mouth curved in a smirk that should have infuriated me but instead sent a completely inappropriate shiver down my spine. “So, youcantake orders. Good to know.”

The scuff of a step from a shadowed tunnel shattered our standoff. Two guards emerged, both wearing the same black and silver uniforms I’d seen at the Khadian tent. Surprise flickered across their faces before their features hardened into something lethal.

“Traitor!” one shouted, lunging forward.

Everything happened too fast. One moment Lairos was shoving me behind him; the next, he’d slipped beneath the guard’s arm. A blade flashed—his or the guard’s, I couldn’t tell—and a spray of dark liquid arced through the air.

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