Page 21 of Wrong Bed Right Alien

He wanted to mate her, to keep her, to care for her until his body withered into star dust. Deep in his mind, he saw her smooth abdomen swell with his offspring—a beautiful mixture of Luxxor patterned skin and human’s big eyes and rounded ears.

These thoughts were against the oath he took before he came here. And if he acted on his desires, they could shun him from the kingship. His own father might declare him as nothing more than a servant to scrub fighter’s boots. Royal status, gone. What good would he be to a mate without his royal title?

He had to play by the rules laid out for him before he’d left Luxxor, or the consequences would be extreme.

“Hey.” Kimber’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. “Thank you for showing up. I didn’t want to be here alone. Just don’t tell my boss. He’ll think I’m completely incompetent.”

She touched him. Her fingers lingered on the knuckles of his left hand and the swarm of emotions pummeling him inside threatened to undo every determined thought he’d just had.

“You’re welcome.”

Even in the dim light, he could see how her warm smile lit her features. Such a small face with round cheekbones and a slightly pointed chin, small pink lips and a rounded tip of nose. So different from the broad features of the Luxx, but still so beautiful.

Ethan pressed the heel of his hand to his chest over his endtax to hold back the wild pulse.

“We should go downstairs.”

“Right. We wouldn’t want Pel to think anything inappropriate is going on up here.”

He almost groaned.

No. That would be bad. Very, very bad. Because he was in the mood to do very inappropriate things with her, and one he started…

He wouldn’t stop.

Chapter Nine

Kimber

PelsatlikeaGod at the head of the table surrounded by his disciples.

Pausing in the doorway to take in the scene, Kimber gave Ethan a side-eye. Twelve men and woman dressed in white robes sat around the table while Pel regaled them with a story. No one appeared to have any interest. They sat blankly, almost trance-like.

What kind of cult-like shit was this?

The volume of his voice increased when he spotted Kimber and Ethan in the doorway.

“Please, come in and join us. We’ve been waiting for you.”

She didn’t like the sound of that. It was a line straight out of a horror movie before something terrible happened. This entire experience had too many elements of a classic slasher film. Creepy castle as a backdrop. Mysterious maid who may or may not be a psychotic killer. Cult leader and mindless followers.

Yeah, she was glad Ethan was here with her. Even if his excuse for ditching her last night was lame.

Pel gestured to two empty seats at the end of the table. She took one, Ethan the other, while the man and woman next to them eyed them curiously with glassy, blank stares.

Unease coursed through her veins. Maybe it was time to pull the plug on this whole thing. Pel had been less than cooperative since day one and she suspected she wouldn’t get what she came for today, either. He’d tricked her here for some premeditated theatrical agenda. Inwardly groaning, she was reluctant to find out what he was going to do next.

It wasn’t ideal, but she had to stay and see this dinner through and at least try to get Pel to deliver on the interview.

Ethan appeared just as uncomfortable as she was. He was more on guard, though, his body tightly coiled as if ready to strike at the first sign of danger. The feeling that there was something really different about him hit her again. He looked like a soldier, a warrior, right now. Assessing. Weighing and measuring. Memorizing where the exits were and calculating how many bad guys he could take out on the way to reach one.

As odd as it was, his vigilance genuinely reassured her.

“Shall we eat?” Pel stood and clapped his hands twice. A set of double doors open on the side wall and a series of servants push in carts filled with food. The waitstaff sport the same blank expressions as everyone else. Concerned, Kimber glanced subtly around the room. There was an enormous stone fireplace against the south wall, but no sign of modern heating vents. A rusted metalwork chandelier suspended from beams above the table with only a few candles left in the holders.

It didn’t look like something Pel could mist some sort of inhalant through. As dazed as everyone was, she suspected he was the cause. Yet, having been in this room for several minutes already, she didn’t feel any differently. Ethan didn’t appear to be suffering any ill effects, either.

They must have ingested whatever was causing their strange mental states.

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