Alien Prince's Mate: An Auxem Novel

by Lisa Lace

  ALLEX

  “I wondered when you were going to make up your mind.” Anders shook his head as we sat down in his living room. “You took quite a risk when you let her stay on the ship for so long.”

  He was right, but he was bossing me around again and making me feel like a child. I wasn’t a baby anymore.

  “Anders, it wasn’t the right time for us.” He looked at me skeptically. He didn’t believe what I was saying any more than I did. I slammed a fist into my hand. “What happened in the past doesn’t matter as long as we’re doing something about it now. Have you got an assignment coming up, like running a shuttlecraft to pick up supplies at the next planet?”

  Anders checked his schedule while I rose from the couch and started pacing around the room. “It looks like Gwen and I have scouting duty in three days.”

  “Nothing sooner than that?”

  He shook his head. “No. Sorry, Allex. You should have asked me earlier.”

  “I was hoping we could get her out of here today.”

  The door of their apartment opened abruptly. Gwen walked in, looking stunning in her navy flight suit. She pulled out her ponytail, her copper hair falling around her shoulders in a blaze of glory. Anders’ face lit up immediately.

  “Hi, babe.” She gave him a kiss on the lips. “Good morning, Allex.”

  I nodded, trying to avoid feeling like a third wheel while I racked my brain for another solution.

  Gwen took a step back. “What are you guys talking about in here without me? I feel like I walked into a secret boys club meeting.” She took off her flight jacket and boots. “I hate flying those shuttles without you, Anders.”

  “I don’t like flying alone either.” He shook his head.

  “Are you going to explain the weird atmosphere?” Gwen lifted her eyebrows and gestured at us.

  “Allex is finally ready for me to help him move Priya off the mothership.”

  “Thank goodness.” Gwen flopped onto the couch next to Anders. “I was wondering how long you two were going to wait.”

  “Anders says you don’t have another flight for three days. We don’t want to steal a ship, do we?” I hesitated to suggest it. Anders had already gotten into a lot of trouble with the new fighters, but I was running out of ideas. I felt like we needed to get Priya off the ship tonight.

  Gwen shook her head. “What are you talking about? Anders, you’re an idiot.” She slapped him lightly on the cheek. “You’re thinking like a pilot. Try thinking like a prince. You don’t want to take one of those crappy shuttles on a long flight, do you?”

  My eyes lit up. Gwen was giving me hope.

  “I’m working a split shift today.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. “I can take Priya with me. There’s a space station about an hour from here. I can drop her off for a few days. I’ll come back, and we’ll retrieve her as part of our regular schedule. The problem is we’re only making a short-range trip. We really need to be in one of the long-range scouts. Do you know anyone who could change our assignment?” She faked a frown of confusion. “Someone like a prince, perhaps?”

  “Okay, okay.” Anders shook his head.

  “Gwen, you’re a genius.” I gave her a big kiss on the cheek, making her blush and Anders frown at me.

  “I wouldn’t call myself a genius for having to go to work. Let’s look at the schedule.” Gwen ran her finger down the list. “Here we go. Switch us with Jassan and Bailey. They won’t mind, and they owe us a favor.”

  “Really? I don’t remember anything like that.” Anders turned and looked at Gwen. “What did we do for them?”

  “Doesn’t everyone on the ship owe us for saving their asses?”

  “I guess so.” He pulled up the schedule on his computer and rescheduled some shifts before looking up at me. “We’re all finished here.”

  “Thank you so much.” The sense of relief made me feel giddy.

  “Make sure she gets on the ship before nine,” Gwen added.

  “Either both of us are going, or neither of us is going. We’re leaving together.”

  “Of course, that’s what I meant.” Gwen looked embarrassed. “We’ll miss you, Allex.”

  Anders nodded. “But we know you have to go.”

  “We’ll try and think of a way to return.” I hated telling a lie. I knew it was impossible for me to come back without forgiving my father and asking his permission to marry Priya. It was bad enough that Arnon had married a woman who carried the gene, but he was the crown prince, and my father needed him. I was never likely to see the throne and therefore insignificant.

  He wouldn’t allow me to marry Priya, or if he did, I would be cut off from the family. My father was a harsh person. Jayne had redeemed herself in his eyes by having a girl as part of a set of twins. The chances of Priya having twins were minuscule.

  “If you stay out of sight for a while, it won’t matter as much.” Anders looked hopeful. “Once the Earth women start arriving and having babies a single couple won’t be crucial to our survival.”

  Maybe he was right. For the first time since I had met Priya, I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps there was the possibility of acceptance. We could act like everyone else and not have to live in the shadows.

  All we had to do was move her.

  As soon as we finished hashing out the details, I went back to my quarters and filled a backpack with essentials before heading downstairs to retrieve Priya and bring her to Gwen’s ship. I was worried but excited at the same time. As soon as Priya’s feet stepped off the deck, I knew I could relax. I opened the door to her quarters and was surprised to see lights shining directly at me. I closed it immediately, leaving a slight opening for me to look through.

  My pulse started racing. There was never any light down here. I looked through the crack and saw men and women wearing red security uniforms searching the area.

  I had waited too long. Father had threatened to do a comprehensive search of the ship but hadn’t found the time to organize it. Apparently, he had made room in his schedule.

  I shut the door completely. If I went out there, I would be implicated and arrested too. I wouldn’t be able to help Priya, and I would never see her again. I supposed it was possible they might overlook her, but our people were thorough. They were going to look beneath every pipe until they found her.

  I trudged up the stairs until I reached the level of my living quarters and put away my backpack. With a heavy heart, I went to find out where security was keeping my mate.

  Chapter Fourteen

  PRIYA

  My life was over.

  The man staring at me with cold eyes could have been my father-in-law in another life. I tried not to flinch. I didn’t want to show him how scared I was. I warranted the attention of his majesty, the king. When they found me, they thought I was a pirate until they got a good look at me.

  “Your claim is that you’re here by accident.” The king’s voice and face conveyed how incredulous he was of my explanation. “There’s no way you have survived on your own all this time. Who’s been helping you?”

  “I found a storeroom, and I’ve been subsisting these months on dried rations.” It was technically correct. I was intentionally leaving Allex out of my past. I wasn’t going to feed him to the wolves. “I went exploring and found the greenhouse, so I helped myself to some vegetables out of necessity.”

  “You’re not a pirate. You don’t have any scars on your face.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m just a human from Earth who got into a little trouble. I never meant to be here.” I looked steadily into his eyes. “I was going to leave as soon as I could.” I wondered if he would believe me.

  Allex was supposed to be setting up something with Anders, but they were going to be too late. Maybe telling him about Allex would have changed things. But it was bad enough we were going to be separated. He didn’t need to have the pain of my betrayal as well.

  “I understand, but I’m afraid I cannot be lenient and encourage the
se things.”

  I had just finished telling him I made a mistake. No wonder Allex didn’t want to tell his father about us. He was an asshole. Still, I couldn’t blame him. All I had was my word.

  “Our society depends on using large spacecraft to transport our population. We cannot have extra weight on the ship.” He paused. “Since you are not a pirate, you will only be charged with stowing away on a starship.”

  “Oh, that’s all, huh?” I couldn’t hold back my anger, which came in the form of biting sarcasm. He might as well have said he was going to execute me. He certainly had other choices. He could have been lenient and dumped me off on the next planet or space station.

  But he wasn’t going to be.

  Rage and intense frustration filled me. I wanted to cry, but I held it inside. I wasn’t going to give this jerk the satisfaction of seeing he had upset me.

  He gave me one last look before leaving. It reminded me of a person staring at a piece of garbage stuck to their shoe.

  I was left alone to consider my mistakes. All I could think about was how much I missed Allex already.

  The prison guards were the first things I saw in the morning. They forced me into a bright yellow jumpsuit indicating I was an inmate. The cheerfulness of the clothing color didn’t match my mood, nor did the handcuffs.

  They didn’t even let me walk around without an escort. When I had to walk down a long corridor, there was a guard on either side of me. I didn’t know I was such a dangerous person. At the end of the hall, a prison ship had docked directly with the security wing of the mothership.

  I looked around the ship that had inadvertently become my home one last time before I stepped through the airlock. Two men appeared at the end of the hall. One was the king, and the other looked so much like the king he must have been one of Allex’s brothers. Allex came running behind them and stopped dead when he saw me in the distance. I stopped walking, wondering if something was going to happen.

  The prison guard prodded me, and I started moving again, afraid of his stun gun. Allex was out of sight in a few seconds. I held my breath. Would he convince his father to free me? Would Allex charge in and rescue me?

  When the cell door hissed closed and a klaxon sounded to indicate it was locked, I plopped down on the hard metal bench and put my head in my hands. There wasn’t going to be a last-minute rescue.

  I wished I hadn’t seen Allex at all. It made me feel worse than before. I had already felt his rejection, but now the muscles in my abdomen were clenched so tightly that I thought I might throw up. How could he have let this happen? He didn’t want me. He had lied before when he said he loved me. I wasn’t good enough for him, just like I hadn’t been good enough for Jerry.

  Who was I kidding, anyway? Someone like him couldn’t love me. He was a hot guy, a doctor, and a prince, for fuck’s sake.

  I knew there were some legal formalities in my future, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think they would acquit me. I would rot in jail without any money to pay my fines. It was all my fault.

  I should have left as soon as I could, but not only had I been too afraid, I had accidentally fallen in love. At some point, I had decided to stay in the bowels of the ship, thinking I would be safe forever. I shook my head. If I had left, I might still be with Allex.

  I started to cry thinking about all the years ahead of me without Allex. I would miss his sexy body and the way he looked at me. I would miss everything. How had I come to love him like this so quickly?

  When my tears ran out, the anger came back. Allex could have done something to stop them from taking me away, but all he did was watch. He had promised he wouldn’t let anything come between us. But when the time came for him to honor his words, he hadn’t lifted a finger to help me.

  I would have to make a life for myself in jail, but for the moment, I needed to wallow in misery. I sat and stared at the wall and felt my heart gradually turn into a hard chunk of ice.

  ALLEX

  I banged on Anders’ door. I didn’t stop when he didn’t answer immediately. He was going to open the door.

  Maybe he couldn’t hear me. “Anders!”

  The door opened a second later, revealing my brother’s shocked face. “What the hell, Allex?” I pushed past him. Avren and Gwen were in the living area with drinks in their hands.

  “They found Priya.”

  He shut the door and came and joined the three of us, dropping to the couch beside Gwen. I started pacing around the room.

  “This is bad.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees.

  “Allex, what are you going to do?” Gwen’s eyes looked worried.

  “Who’s Priya?” Avren looked at me with a piercing, intelligent gaze. He was dressed casually, and his dark brown hair was falling into his eyes. He always looked like he needed a haircut.

  I had forgotten he was in the room. I was going to have to explain why I had been keeping things from him. I dropped my gaze. “She’s a human.”

  “You don’t have time to beat around the bush.” Anders looked at Avren. “He bonded with her.”

  A look of betrayal crossed Avren’s face. “Why didn’t you tell me?” He looked at Anders and Gwen. “And why did you tell these guys? Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

  I shook my head, unwilling to meet his eyes. “Anders is the only one. And Gwen too, I suppose. It’s complicated. I didn’t intend to keep it from you.”

  “Forgive me if I don’t believe you.”

  Gwen shook her head. “Allex, you’re not explaining yourself well at all.”

  I rubbed my hands over my face. “I’m sorry, I’m having a bit of a breakdown right now. The worst thing imaginable just happened, and I’m not thinking clearly.”

  She gave me a dirty look, mixed with a hint of compassion. “You don’t need to know every detail, Avren. Priya was on our ship, and no one knew about her. Allex found her. They fell in love.”

  Avren’s eyebrows shot up. “That’s quite a bit of detail already.”

  “They formed a bond...” I had thought Gwen was finished speaking, but it seemed like she wasn’t going to stop.

  “But you’re not married, right? Don’t tell me I missed my brother’s wedding, too.” Avren looked flabbergasted.

  “Of course not.” I couldn’t stop the words from coming out of my mouth. “Do you know anyone who would perform a secret marriage ceremony in the bowels of the ship?”

  “Do you have to do this right now?” Gwen stepped between us. “Apparently, she’s been discovered. We were trying to figure out the best way to help her off the ship, but I guess that’s out of the question.”

  “You picked the wrong brother.” Avren gave Anders a dark look. “I would have told you to move her immediately.”

  “That’s the same thing I said.” Anders leaned forward. “It’s not my fault he doesn’t listen.”

  Gwen jumped to defend me again. “Allex was doing what he thought was necessary to protect his bond mate. It was nothing personal. He didn’t want to tell us, either.”

  “You’ll understand better when you find your bond mate, Avren.” Anders’ comment must have infuriated Avren, who was usually the calmest person in the room.

  “You think I don’t understand because I’m single?”

  “No, that’s not what he’s saying at all.” I wanted Avren to keep his cool. When Avren lost control, it was a sight to behold. I didn’t need either of my brothers to be angry today. I needed their help. “The bond is intense. You’ll see.”

  “I never could have imagined it before I experienced it.” Anders must have realized the extent of Avren’s anger and was trying to calm him down. “It has nothing to do with being single. No one knows until they bond with someone.”

  Avren seemed to accept the explanation. “Let’s put aside the fact that you didn’t feel I was trustworthy enough to share your secret.” Avren looked at me viciously. “What’s Father going to do with her?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know
. I went down to see her. The lights were on, and a lot of people were looking around. When I reached the holding cells, they said the king had given them explicit orders. No one is allowed to approach the prisoner.”

  “I don’t think she’s dangerous.” Gwen was still in her blue pilot’s uniform and wore her red hair in a braid behind her back. Anders wasn’t wearing his flight gear and must have changed already.

  “I thought I could explain things to Father when they were transporting her.” I paused before telling a half-truth. “I was too late. She was already on the prison ship.”

  I was too ashamed to say I might have had a chance to stop them if I had thrown myself on my father’s mercy and begged for her release. Maybe things would have turned out differently if I had the courage to tell him she was my bond mate.

  But I hadn’t, and I knew Priya had seen me.

  I was going to make it right. I would save Priya and atone for my past mistakes.

  “I’m going to take her, and I need your help.”

  Astonishment was the only expression on the faces in front of me. “That wouldn’t be my first choice.” Anders looked me in the eye. “How about hiring a lawyer or asking Father for leniency? You’re going to try and break her out of jail?”

  “You’ll make her break another law, and we’ll be complicit.” Avren looked at the ceiling, contemplating my idea.

  “I’m not leaving her.” I jumped up and turned toward to the door. “If you won’t help me, I’ll do it myself.”

  I felt their stares. “Allex,” Anders called out behind me. “Allex!” He suddenly appeared between me and the door. “Wait.”

  “Get out of my way, Anders.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m not trying to stop you, asshole. I’m going to help you.”

  “Me too,” Gwen piped up. “You’re not leaving me behind.”

  I felt my shoulders drop. “Really? You’ll help me?”

  Anders reached out and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Anything for my baby brother. I won’t let you do this alone. I know how important Priya is to you.”

  I didn’t think I had a shot before, but now I might have a chance.