Page 6 of Taken By the Alien Merrow King

“Where am I?” she asked, her words crackling. “How long was I out? Is everyone safe?” She licked her dry lips and swallowed hard, wincing at the scratchiness in her throat.

His chair screeched back over the floor as he leapt to his feet to adjust the bed so she was sitting up comfortably. “You’re on Skualan, our capital and the largest of the Merrow Isles.” He slid another pillow behind her head and handed her a glass of water, smoothing a large hand over the crown of her head, as if reassuring himself she was still here. “It’s approaching sundown, a little more than twenty-four of your human hours later. We’ve been in contact with the other leaders. All the human delegates are safe. You can relax and recover without concern.”

“And the anti-alien group that attacked the summit?” she asked, almost afraid to ask what happened to them. The thing was, she could understand where they were coming from. If strangers from another galaxy showed up on Earth, she was certain there’d have been violent protests against letting them settle there, too.

He pointed towards her glass. “Drink your water, Astra, and don’t worry about the terrorists. We are handling them.”

But she couldn’t let it go. “Handling them as in…?”

A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Some are dead. As we track them down, some will resist capture and choose death overincarceration. However, others will be brought to justice and made to answer for their actions.” Noticing her still cradling the full glass in her hands, his lips flattened. He placed a finger on the base of the glass and directed it to her mouth, forcing her to drink the precious liquid or risk wasting it if it spilled down her front.

The water tasted like salty sweetness and joy, clean and fresh beyond her wildest imaginings. Nothing like the recycled hydration liquid she’d been drinking her entire life, the one that claimed to be at least sixty percent actual water. That was all stale disappointment and crushed dreams. She took another gulp, savoring the crisp flavor as the cool liquid slid down her throat, before draining the rest of it.

Des let out a soft groan. She gave him a quizzical look over the rim of her now-empty glass. “What?”

He huffed out a laugh and shook his head as he took the glass from her and refilled it from the large pitcher sitting on a low bedside table. “It’s nothing.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Just.” He ran a hand through his hair, poofing it up even higher and solving the mystery of his wind tunnel hairstyle. “I’ve never seen anyone get such pleasure from a simple glass of water.”

“You’ve never been to Earth,” she said with a little snort, her fingers brushing against his as she accepted the drink, a light shock jolting through her when they made contact. “Water is the most precious substance on our planet. Same aboard the generation ship. This is the first taste of non-recycled water I’ve ever had.”

She drained the glass again, filling her belly and quenching her thirst. She relished the ability to drink as much as she wanted without worrying about rations and shortages. It felt decadent and, if she thought about it and all the people still stuckon theLegacyand back on Earth without easy access to clean water, somewhat shameful. But this was why she was here. So that everyone would have the opportunity to drink clean water to their hearts’ content.

“Appalling.” He shook his head. “Water is life.”

“It is.” She twirled the glass in her hand, watching the remaining beads of water slide down the side. “Humans won’t survive much longer without access to fresh water,” she said, looking at him through her eyelashes to gauge his reaction.

“Are we now entering negotiations, sweetheart?” He gave her a sly smile. “What will you give me if I let some of your humans settle in my territory?”

“Did you say ‘your territory’?” she asked, nibbling on the inside of her cheek.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” His smile widened, his right cheek dimpling. “I run things around here.”

6

ASTRA

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at the look on his face, the pieces falling into place. Of course, he was the leader of the Merrow people. After all, who else would have his own fancy ship, a cadre of bodyguards, and the ability to stroll into a closed meeting of planetary leaders without anyone stopping him?

“See, this is what happens when little humans skip out on formal introductions to bravely run into dangerous situations woefully under armed where they wind up getting shot and nearly bleeding to death,” he said with a tsk and a disappointed shake of his head.

He thought she was brave. Delight rushed through her, warming her to her very soul. No one had ever called her brave before. Emboldened, she cocked her head and returned his mischievous grin with one of her own. “So, it’s Desburchù, the number one decision maker, then?”

“Ooh, intelligent and stunningly beautiful,” he said, capturing her hand in his and holding it to his heart. “You are truly a catch.”

Her breath hitched as their gazes met and she tumbled into a sea of deep green, unable and unwilling to look away.

“King Desburchù Ulf, Ruler of these rugged Merrow Isles and the surrounding Storming Seas, at your service.” He lifted her hand, his warm lips skimming over her knuckles. “Also known as the biggest fish in these seas. You may leave any offerings or bribes at the door.”

“That’s a fancy title you’ve got there, Mr. Big Fish,” she said. She kept her tone light, but there was something heavy about the moment growing between them, something that felt important in a way she’d never experienced before.

She adjusted her position in the bed, crossed her legs, and eased closer, the sheet shushing as she moved. Her hand trembled as she gave into the overwhelming impulse to stroke the scruff along his jaw. It tickled her fingertips. Heat flared in her belly, toasting the nervous butterflies to ash.

“The fanciest,” he said, leaning into her touch as he eased onto the bed beside her.

He tipped her head back with a finger under her chin. For a brief moment, the world froze as they stared into each other’s eyes. Then his mouth crashed down on hers, and her universe shifted on its axis.

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