Page 9 of Taken By the Alien Siren King

“I don’t think you’ll have a choice,” I said, hating the tremor in my voice. “Not if you’re dethroned. Not if your own people want you dead.”

Lairos stalked toward me, backing me against one of the palm trees. His body caged mine, not touching but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. His fingertips traced up my arm, making my breath catch, before capturing my chin.

“No other ruler would know what to do with you,” he murmured, dipping his head close enough I could taste hiswords. My pulse jumped as his nose skimmed along my jaw, up to my ear. “You belong to me.”

I tried to shake my head, to deny the way my body responded to his touch, his voice, his mere presence. But his fingers still held my chin, and the simple contact sent sparks racing under my skin.

“Do you truly not feel what’s between us?” he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.

I meant to push him away. To tell him he was delusional. To remind him that I was a diplomat, not an indiscretion, discreet or otherwise.

Instead, I grabbed the back of his neck and yanked his mouth down to mine.

The kiss was all heat and frustrated need, nothing romantic about it. His lips were firm and demanding, tasting of salt and something wilder. He groaned, a sound that vibrated through my bones, and pressed me harder against the tree. His hands found my hips, fingers digging into the thin fabric of my makeshift dress.

I bit his lower lip, and he growled, deepening the kiss until I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. There was only sensation—the rough bark of the tree at my back, his body hard and unyielding against my softer curves, his tongue sliding against mine.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, I realized with a jolt of horror that I had initiated it.I’dkissedhim.

It was just stress, I told myself. Adrenaline from nearly drowning. From being hunted. From watching him kill two men. It wasn’t attraction. It couldn’t be.

Lairos watched me with a knowing smirk, like he could read every thought racing through my head. “Feel better?”

“That shouldn’t have happened.” Heat flooded my cheeks. “It was a mistake.”

“Was it?” He tilted his head, studying me with those too-perceptive eyes. His smirk widened. “Or was it inevitable?”

“Yes. No.” I shoved at his chest. “Let me go.”

He released me, reluctantly, stepping back just enough to give me room to breathe. The cool night air rushed between us, but did nothing to calm the heat under my skin.

“Enjoy your dreams, Emme Mathis.” His voice was husky and satisfied. “We leave at first light.”

“Leave for where? What aren’t you telling me?” I demanded, still fighting to regain my composure. “You can’t keep me in the dark when my life is just as much on the line!”

“What am I not telling you?” His voice cracked like a whip. “What do you want to know, the unfamiliar names and unfamiliar places? Words your human tongue will never be able to pronounce?”

He took a step forward, leaning close enough I could count the flecks of gold in his irises. “Should I give you all my worries that the next Khadian I trust will try to gut us both?” His hands clenched at his sides. “Or perhaps you’d like to hear how this isn’t the first time one of my own blood has tried to be rid of me?”

For a moment, the arrogant king disappeared, replaced by someone who had fought and bled and lost more than I could imagine. Every decision, every alliance, every move forward could end with a weapon in his back.

He closed his eyes briefly, gathering himself. When he opened them again, the vulnerability was gone, replaced by cool determination.

Then he began to hum.

The sound started low in his chest, a deep vibration that seemed to travel through the air and into my bones. Not quite the same as his underwater song, but similar enough that mybody recognized it instantly. My limbs grew heavy. My thoughts slowed.

“Sleep, Emme,” he said, the command woven into the melody. “We have a long journey ahead.”

I tried to fight it, tried to demand answers, but my tongue felt thick in my mouth. The last thing I registered before darkness claimed me was the realization that he was using his power on me.

That manipulative, royalbastard.

CHAPTER FOUR

LAIROS

The sun broke over the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of crimson and gold. I watched it rise with the same restless tension that had kept me awake all night. The waves lapped at my feet, cool against my skin, but they brought no peace.

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