by Lisa Lace
“Allex.� Everyone’s eyes turned to me. “What will happen if we don’t return to your father’s ship?�
No one spoke for a moment.
“You’re going to be on the run for the rest of your lives.� Avren put a hand on Allex’s shoulder. “If you can’t give Father a good reason to drop the charges, he might even hire a bounty hunter. Father can be relentless when he wants to be. Priya being your bond mate is a pretty good reason, Allex.�
Allex shook his head. “I can’t take the chance he’ll send her back to prison.�
Gwen spoke up. “Your father let Arnon and Jayne stay together even though she’s a carrier, Allex. He may not be as hard-hearted as you imagine.�
“Jayne has the gene?� I was stunned by the revelation. “And she’s allowed to be married to the crown prince?�
“She has fraternal twins, a boy and a girl.� Gwen was trying to give me hope. “Carrying the gene doesn’t mean you can’t have a girl. It’s just unlikely.�
“Allex, I didn’t know that before. Maybe your father wouldn’t mind me.�
Allex came over and knelt before me, staring up into my eyes. “I don’t think this is a good idea.�
I didn’t want to call him out in front of everyone, but I had to. “I know you’re afraid to disappoint your family, Allex. If I’m important to you, I think you have to do it.�
Allex couldn’t look at me. “What if I can’t?�
I stood up. “Then maybe I don’t mean as much to you as you think.� I walked out the door without looking at anyone.
ALLEX
The room fell silent after Priya left.
Anders spoke first. “She has a point. You know we love you, Allex, but you’re always worried about keeping everyone else happy. You hardly ever think about your own happiness. Or Priya’s, in this case.�
“It’s true, Allex.� Avren nodded. His agreement was as surprising as it was convincing. Avren didn’t readily agree with people. He would never give voice to an opinion for the sole purpose of pleasing someone.
In a sense, he was the opposite of me. If he was voicing an opinion, he had spent a lot of time thinking about it. His advice was usually sound because he didn’t offer it unless he thought it was helpful.
I didn’t relish the thought of confronting my family. It would be easier for me to run forever than have a conversation with my father and Arnon. It made me sick to my stomach. Ayrie wouldn’t care, but both of them would have a fit when they learned what I had done. I was in an impossible situation.
And once I overcame that obstacle, I would have to beg him to drop the charges against Priya. Ever since I had stopped expecting my father to show me love or attention, I hadn’t intentionally avoided asking him for anything.
But having to ask him for something so important was humiliating. What if he denied me again as he had in the past? What if I asked for what I needed and he said no? Priya and I would have to run if he didn’t have guards waiting to arrest us. I always preferred to avoid any painful and embarrassing conversations. We could skip to the flight immediately.
Anders interrupted my thoughts. “Allex, what are you going to do?�
“Can you do something for me? Tell Father we’ll only return if Priya is under his protection while we are on the ship. He has to promise amnesty while we explain things.�
He nodded. “Maybe you should talk to him yourself.�
“No!� My voice came out a little too loudly. I checked myself. “No, just set it up for me. I’ll talk to him when we get there.�
“Okay, Allex. For the record, I think you made the right choice.�
I hoped he was right. My heart couldn’t take losing Priya again.
PRIYA
As we walked off the shuttle onto the ship, I tried to remain calm but felt my stomach lurch. I had spent months here hiding illegally. Walking around in the bright light of day had me feeling anxious.
The last time my feet were on this deck, they arrested me and threw me into prison. Allex sensed my distress and squeezed my hand. It would be easy to let him comfort me, but I didn’t know how he would handle the pressure of confronting his family.
When we bonded, I never thought about the ramifications. On Earth, having sex outside of marriage was an everyday occurrence. But something different had happened with us, and now I was bonded with an Auxem man. There were new expectations. I didn’t realize Allex and I would be breaking cultural taboos.
How would his family look at me? Would they think I was a slut? Was I simply Earth trash? I swallowed hard and wondered if they would stone me. I hadn’t seen any rocks on the ship, but a verbal assault would be almost as bad. I had to remember I was here to support Allex. It shouldn’t matter what anyone said about me.
We followed Anders and Gwen down the hall. Avren was walking behind us. “Where are we going?� I whispered.
“Father asked to meet in the throne room. I think he’s trying to intimidate me.�
When we reached the room, Anders entered first. It seemed like he was the only member of the family who wasn’t bothered by the king. The rest of them seemed either angry or afraid of their father.
I remembered my last conversation with the king. My body tensed up when I saw him. He sat on an imposing throne and wore regal, expensive clothing. It probably didn’t impress the brothers, but I was in awe of his attire. Although he was an older man, his face was handsome, and I could see his sons inherited their good looks from him.
Anders and Avren approached the throne. Allex gave my hand one last squeeze before he left me with Gwen and went to stand by his brothers.
The king’s gaze went to Allex, who didn’t say anything. He looked sullen. “Allex.� The king stared at him with hard eyes.
“Father.� Allex didn’t bother with small talk. “What do you want?�
“I’d like an explanation to start. The last time I saw this criminal, I sent her to prison. Why is she standing on my ship and in your company?�
I wondered why the king was looking at me so strangely and remembered I looked as if I had been in a bar fight. I wondered if he felt sorry for me. Perhaps he hadn’t realized I might be beaten or mistreated.
Allex stared at his father, and I held my breath. Would he stand up to him, or would he give in to his old habits?
“I found her.� Allex looked guilty.
I let out a breath. At least he hadn’t said he didn’t know me.
“You found her on a prison planet.� His father frowned and seemed surprised by the answer. “Who is she to you?�
Allex avoided the question. “Some people on Earth were going to hurt her. Priya inadvertently wound up aboard one of the shuttles returning to the ship. She couldn’t find her way back to Earth before we left.�
“Her intentions don’t matter, only her actions.�
He didn’t call me a criminal. We were making progress.
“Father, have mercy. She doesn’t deserve to go to prison. Anyone can make a mistake.� His voice had a pleading tone, but his father’s face was unrelenting. “Can you drop the charges?�
“You’re right, but it doesn’t mean we ignore the clear intent of the law.�
Allex turned away and gave me a desperate glance. I dropped my eyes. He was giving up and wasn’t going to tell his father about us. How could I trust him to be my partner if he wouldn’t stand up to his father and admit I was his bond mate? I tried to stay calm, but I was so angry I could
hardly stand it. When I glanced at Gwen beside me, she shook her head, looking furious.
Anders spoke up. “Father, Allex is right. She’s harmless. We can set her down on the next planet. Relax a little.�
The king gave Anders a dirty look, but I thought I could see some amusement in his eyes.
“Why don’t you think about it for a day?� Avren always sounded like the voice of reason. “You always tell Arnon a king doesn’t make rash decisions.�
The king looked at his fourth son. When Avren spoke, people listened.
“All right, if you’re all united against me, I will consider my decision for one day. I will meet all of you here tomorrow.�
“All of us?� Anders looked puzzled. “Arnon and Ayrie too?�
His father nodded. “And Jayne and Elle.�
“Thank you for your time, Father.�
Chapter Nineteen
ALLEX
Gwen and Priya walked ahead of us along the corridor leading away from the throne room.
As soon as we had taken a few steps down the hall, Anders turned to me. “What is the matter with you, Allex?� I looked up at him, surprised by the anger in his voice.
“Nothing.�
“You’ve got a problem. Why didn’t you tell Father that Priya is your bond mate?� Anders shoved me against the wall.
I rubbed my shoulder.
Avren’s stare was disapproving. “He’s right, Allex. Your behavior in there was stupid and insulting.�
“You shouldn’t feel insulted.�
“We’re talking about Priya, not us.� Anders looked me in the eye. “You can be a real idiot sometimes. She must be furious with you.�
I hadn’t thought about how Priya would feel if I didn’t tell Father about her. I wanted to protect us from his ridicule. I didn’t want to deal with any insults and slurs disguised as compliments.
I didn’t want her to think I was ashamed of her.
“I didn’t need to tell him.� I knew the argument was weak as soon as I said it. “He had begun to reconsider his position already.�
“You’re a fool.� Anders shook his head. “Nothing you’ve done will matter if Priya tosses you out the door. She’s human, not Auxem. She may love you now, but she’ll get over you if she decides you aren’t worth it.�
Avren spoke up. “You, on the other hand, are from Auxem. You’ll never get over her if she decides to leave because you won’t claim her.�
They had a point.
In front of us, Priya and Gwen were whispering in heated tones. Gwen glanced back at me with a look that could have torn me to shreds. I slowed to a halt. Gwen and Priya disappeared around a corner.
“I never thought of it that way.�
“You can’t keep thinking only about yourself.� Anders held out his arm to stop me from running after Priya. “You have to think about Priya too.�
“I know.� I was feeling irritated. They were telling me what to do again.
“Swallow your pride. Be prepared to kneel and grovel when you get back to your room.� Anders changed the subject abruptly. “When was the last time you flew?�
I didn’t remember. It had been longer than four days, and it made me sick to my stomach to think about it. My brothers must have seen the dismay on my face.
“Get out of here, Allex.� Avren sounded concerned. “We’ll take care of Priya. She’ll see you soon.�
“Okay.� The word was barely out of my mouth before I started running toward the flight room. Ten minutes later, I soared straight up. I could barely see the top of the room, reaching high above me.
It felt good to stretch my wings.
There weren’t many of us flying. Most people were at the top of the room. I enjoyed the privacy. It gave me a chance to gather my thoughts.
In here, I could see I was being immature about my father. How could I hate him and still be scared of him? I was an adult. It was time to tell him the truth. I needed to stand up to him. If he disowned me, Priya and I would go somewhere else.
My heart pounded in my chest at the thought of defying him. If I damaged our relationship further, he might abandon me, just like mother did. I didn’t remember much about her. My earliest recollections were of fear that my brothers and my father would disappear, and I would be alone.
I supposed the same concerns were guiding my behavior. How else could I explain it? Flying always cleared my head. I knew I would have to stand up to my father and tell him about Priya, no matter how terrified I was.
When I returned home, Priya had already fallen asleep. I watched her rest peacefully before taking a shower, crawling into bed next to her, and going to sleep.
PRIYA
When Allex was asleep, all the problems were gone. The worry lines were smoothed out. He looked like an absolute angel.
But I still had to leave.
Gwen had told me Elle threatened to divorce Ayrie. It was the only way they wound up staying together. She needed to make him realize he loved her. When we discussed my situation yesterday, we had decided Allex needed a good old-fashioned kick in the ass. I was leaving, but I didn’t want to.
Gwen was going to fly me to a planet where I could hide for a while. She gave me the funds for a couple of nights in a hotel, again under an assumed name, but still using Madellan credits.
I didn’t want to use the joint account Allex had set up for us. I was worried he would be able to track my location. Now that I had a criminal record, my Earth accounts were probably frozen.
After a few days, I would gauge his reaction. If he spoke with his father or Gwen, showing he truly cared about me, I would return.
I hadn’t given any thought to what I would do if anything else happened. It wouldn’t end well for either one of us. I understood where Allex was coming from and why he was behaving the way he was, but he couldn’t use it as an excuse. He needed to stand up to his father and tell the truth to his brothers. He was his own man and could make his own choices.
I also wanted to know if he thought I was important enough to do something he didn’t want to do. Otherwise, what kind of relationship would we have? It was one thing to start off in hiding due to unusual circumstances. It was another thing entirely to skulk around in the shadows indefinitely because he had family issues.
I stopped staring at my bond mate and quietly grabbed my packed bag, letting myself out of the apartment without a sound. I kept to the back corridors out of habit as I made my way to the docking bay. Gwen hadn’t told anyone about our scheme, and I hoped she hadn’t had trouble sneaking out while Anders was sleeping.
The bay was practically empty. Only one ship was active today. It must be ours. I didn’t see any sign of her and the door wasn’t locked. My streak of good luck was holding. As soon as Gwen arrived, we could fly out of here.
I opened the door and climbed into the shuttle. Carefully closing the door behind, I turned around and froze with a sharp intake of breath.
Sitting in the pilot seat was the King of Auxem — Crindol Madellan, Allex’s father.
I stared at the king without making a sound. To my surprise, his expression changed first. A smile broke out on his face, catching me off guard and completely changing his appearance.
“We have to stop meeting this way, Miss…â€�
“Bhatt.� I could barely think, but at least I could remember my last name.
“Miss Bhatt. I suppose you weren’t expecting to see me here.�
“Not at all.�
He nodded, then steepled his fingers together. “You�
�re an interesting person, you know.�
I wondered if I was interesting enough to keep out of prison.
“You should count yourself fortunate. If I didn’t think you were interesting, I wouldn’t be talking to you. I could snap my fingers and have you taken away.�
I felt myself start to sweat. The king seemed to be waiting for me to say something. I tried to pull together a sentence. “I’m pretty confused…â€� How should I address him? I decided to try for Earth royalty. “Your Majesty.â€�
He eyed me speculatively. “Mr. Madellan will do, for now. You survived hiding on my ship for months. When we finally discovered you, we sentenced you to prison, where you should be right now.� His eyes flashed in anger. “Before we could transfer you, someone rescued you in a ship that looked remarkably similar to the fighters I recently purchased. And the person flying the ship looked like my youngest son.�
I didn’t say anything. He knew everything about me, and I didn’t think opening my mouth would improve the situation.
“My son is fighting for you. He believes you deserve a pardon. I don’t understand why he thinks you’re so important — something doesn’t add up.�
I swallowed hard. Where was he going with this? I had been staring down at the floor, but I raised my eyes to meet his. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight. “What do you mean, sir?�
“Mr. Madellan, remember?�
“What do you mean, Mr. Madellan?�
“It wasn’t only Allex. Anders and Avren were defending you as well. What have you done to work your way into their hearts?� He gazed at me in confusion, as if I were a puzzle he could solve if he stared at me long enough. He shook his head. “But this isn’t about the others, is it? The critical relationship is between you and Allex.�
“Is it?� I wouldn’t betray him. I hadn’t before, and I wasn’t willing to now.
The door of the docking bay opened. Allex ran in shouting, followed closely by Gwen. I stared at them through the window. Could they see his father in here?
