Page 7 of A Dose of Agony
“What? What they do is not her responsibility.”
I twist my lips. I’m also not a big fan of that suggestion. She wants me to sit back and do nothing. Hope my sister is freed by natural progression. But how long will that take?
“Saving your sister comes first, right?”
I pull in a long breath through my nose. “I suppose it’s an option,” I concede, even as my stomach aches. “How would I find them after that?”
“Why would you need to?” Lucille asks.
“Because I intend to hunt down the entire council and slaughter them once Liz is free.”
Manuela goes entirely still, piercing eyes narrowed in on me.
She didn’t like that answer.
Heart pounding, I straighten. “Thanks for the brainstorming. I need some coffee now.” I smile and wave, even as my chest remains tight as I escape the tense conversation.
That conversation was illuminating but bordering on perilous.
Manuela knows something. She might even want something she’s not ready to reveal yet.
Laithe follows me silently down the hall, ever my steadfast protector.
I consider asking Laithe their take on Manuela but of all my protectors Laithe is the most aloof so I doubt I’ll get very far.
Instead file away my concerns and curiosities for another day when I’m more prepared and brew a cup of my coffee in the speakeasy and settle in to begin the only thing I can do while stuck in this place.
Gain information.
3
BEHIND ALIEN EYES
The Rejected Prince
A High Orizian’s mate becomes his very reason for existing.
A passion so deep those lucky enough to find themselves the subject of this adoration describe it as heavenly.
It’s widely known that Orizians rarely pair with natives of their own world, yet these pairings are as passionate and solid as any fated mates. Little else is objectively known about the nature of Orizian mates, however.
During my travels, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a few females bonded to High Orizians and I’ve learned that unlike fated mates, the pull is one-sided until the bonding is complete. Meaning, only the High Orizian is aware of the link.
Though the beings mated to Orizians express sincere happiness now, they explained that it wasn’t always that way.
Loving a being as dangerous as an Orizian has its challenges, particularly before they are bound, when they’re uncertain of the creature’s motives.
To be pursued romantically by a natural predator is unnerving, to say the least.
And yet, this pursuit is significant to the High Orizian experience, so much so, one of the most frequently told legends is that of Elixian, The Rejected Prince.
Elixian was a young prince, heir to the High Orizian throne, who lived more than a thousand years ago, and yet his story is still told as a warning. This oral tradition still strikes fear in young Orizians.
As the tale goes, Elixian imprinted on a human, who was unaware of worlds outside her own. He fell in love with her, indisputably. No other could ever compare to her.
He began his pursuit, but she feared him, even despite his efforts to be a place of safety for her.
One day, he followed her on a journey through the forest, where she was in peril, but instead of a protector, she saw him as threat. She panicked and fled to the nearest town. She sought safety in a tavern, where she was subsequently attacked by a group of human men.
