Page 12 of Bound to the Alien King
Axxel shrugged much too casually.“No reason.”
Yes, there was.There totally was.
“Anything I should know about Xenoxx customs or faux pas I should avoid?”I asked as we headed toward the ship’s exit.
Axxel chuckled.“Uh, don’t kidnap anyone and tie them up on your ship?”
“Touché,” I growled.
“But seriously, just be your normal self.The king loves you, which means they love you too.”
Right.Their king.A Faid.If I told them the truth about him, would they still love me?Would they still love their king?
Did I?
As I hit the button to open the ship’s door, I stomped down on those thoughts and buried them deep within the dusty, cobwebbed corners of my mind.Now was not the time for introspection.Now was the time for…wow.Time for gawking, most definitely.
A massive, ornate gate marked the entrance to the castle, guarded by imposing, sculpted Xenoxx sentinels crafted from a crystalline substance that seemed to emit a gentle, pulsating energy.Through the gate, a vast courtyard led to the castle, filled with cascading waterfalls, shimmering ponds, and exotic creatures flitting about, their iridescent wings creating a symphony of color with the sunset-filled sky.
“It’s something else, isn’t it?”Axxel said, noting my dangling jaw.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” I said, gaping at every little thing we passed on the way to the castle.“It’s almost too much for my eyes.They don’t know where to look.”
Axxel laughed, obviously loving being back home again, and its deep timbre almost reminded me of Maxx.A part of me wanted to share this experience of his home world with him, but the other part wanted to cleave him in half like a bloody revenge horror movie.A deep, painful ache speared my heart, and yet again, I forced all those thoughts and feelings away.
How much longer until I forgot all about him?When would he be a distant memory I could laugh and roll my eyes at?
Never, my subconscious answered, the little bitch.Because losing someone you loved didn’t work like that.You couldn’t just forget about them with a snap of your fingers, and that just really sucked.
“Okay?”Axxel asked softly as he opened the castle door for us.
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.
Inside the grand hall hung tapestries woven from interstellar silk, depicting scenes of Xenoxx battles and celestial landscapes.The hall’s ceiling was a breathtaking display of a holographic starry sky, giving the illusion of standing beneath the cosmos.
Axxel led the way to a spiraling set of stone stairs that coiled upward along the curved walls.
“I just…” I shook my head at the beauty while trying not to trip over my combat boots or the steps.“I want to memorize every detail.”
“You can do that now if you want,” Axxel said.“The interrogation room can wait until you’re ready.”
Running footsteps came from below the winding staircase.I peered over the banister and found a blur of purple racing for the front door.Five Xenoxx warriors chased after it.
I sucked in a breath, not quite sure what I was seeing yet, but desperation and tension corkscrewed tightly through the air.
The front door burst open.
The purple blur stopped and threw scaled hands over her mouth to muffle a sob.Roxxanne, Maxx’s daughter, spotlighted by the twinkling stars on the ceiling.Their brilliance shone on her purity and grace and beauty.Even though I’d seen her before on an early episode ofAlien Love Island, she hardly looked like a girl.More like a gorgeous young woman.
And then there was Maxx standing in the doorway, stunned by the sight of her, seemingly unable to move.A sound came out of him I’d never heard before—broken, raw, intense.
They sprang toward each other with the force of a rubber band snapping, but before Maxx got to her, he crumbled to his knees.With tears sparkling in her lavender eyes, she closed the distance between them, and they clung to each other like their survival depended on it.
Because it did.Their love for each other was so obvious, so absolute, so…real.Not artificial like a Faid.Not at all.
“Captain,” a gentle voice said.
Whether Axxel or Mosely, I couldn’t tell because of the tears pouring down my face.I found myself gripping the banister so hard that my knuckles ached, so I forced them to unhook and swipe nonchalantly at my cheeks.
