Even though the Queen’s crown is flawless in its majesty, the young woman on the Queen’s left is even more radiant. As she has taken the high seat adjacent to Kravis, I know at once that she is Sasha; Erien’s ex. My breath gets stuck in my throat. I am in awe of her. She is so beautiful that pangs of jealousy crucify me on the inside. How will I ever live up to this goddess? It is no mystery that Erien insisted I look my best. Sasha is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life – and I did watch a lot of television including beauty pageants when growing up. There is no one to compare to her.
Sasha is tall; almost as tall as Erien. Her slick violet hair cascades down to her waist in beautiful curls. The hair accentuates her heart-shaped face and on her smooth forehead sits a beautiful thin lace embedded with emeralds that clash beautifully with the golden yellow color of her pupils. She has a short smooth nose that is at a perfect distance from her full pouty pink lips.
Her skin is a glittery yellow from the smooth liquid gold she must have applied, and her hands, I’ve never seen hands so smooth; she wears silver rings on her pinkie finger and a golden talon on her finger that promises to pierce anyone who dared provoke her. I can stop staring at her; the sexiness oozing out of her affects me as well. She wears a bare-back translucent pantsuit with a plunging neckline and embedded with a billion crystals. Her perked breasts tease the cloth softly and I can’t help but turn my gaze to Erien to see if he is also entranced by her. Thankfully, his eyes are glued to his mother. There is no sight of his father, who had been king during Erien’s exile. I find that peculiar.
To Queen Elertria’s right is her first born son, Kravis Heluka. I dart him one glance but dare not look that way again. His gaze is locked onto me like a predator locked onto its prey. My skin pricks with Goose Pimples at the thought of his eyes are on me.
Kravis has already seen me nude but he is stripping me naked right there and then, the way he is staring at me. I can feel Erien grow tenser next to me and then I feel a sharp pinch on my hand. I ignore it. The pinch comes again and I startle. I had been lost in a daze and I didn’t feel when Erien was nudging me for my attention. My heart cascades against my chest.
Erien pinches me. I startle. I realize that I was dazed. I didn’t feel when he was continuously nudging me to get my attention. Now I look at him and then turn my gaze back at Sasha. I cross my heart and hope that when the veil is removed from my face she will be at least a tint less beautiful.
“Are you okay?” Erien whispers to me. I nod. “You look faint…”
By then, the Queen had arrived in front of us, balancing her heavy crown beautifully. I hold my breath for what’s to come. My eyes are watering already from all the bright lights. It is almost blinding to see the crown so up-close. I bite my tongue determined not to shed a tear. I will not make a fool of myself in front of my Prince’s family.
“Truly,” the Queen says aloud. Her voice is thick and comfortably smooth. At once I get a sense of her power. She addresses the crowd with her arms outstretched, “Truly, Erien is certainly his mother’s son. He came forth from the bowels of hell where he’d been unjustly banished and now, here he comes with a fit betrothed at his arm.”
At that point, Erien removes his hand from me. He goes to hug his mother.
“I missed you,” I hear Queen Elertria say loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Where is Father?” Erien keeps his tone low.
“That’s no way to greet your mother, especially when you have a fool for a father,” She whispers, gives him a tight smile and comes over to me.
The herald blows his fanfare again. He then bellows, “And now, unveiling the face of the damsel that which was conquered from the hand of demons by Prince Erien, our Kings right hand.”
A thunderous clapping exploded with loud cheers. Elertria smiled broadly and sashayed in front of me. Then, the whole congregation held their breath at once. I am a little baffled by the introduction given by the herald but the Queen is right in front of me; I cannot think when she is right in front of me. Her scent is that of fresh myrrh. I can almost taste her.
“Let’s see the face behind this veil,” Elertria whispers, not unkindly.
My stomach tightens when the Queen removes my veil. I bat my eyelids many times to ensure my eyes are dry. The Queen bids me turn so that the crowd can be the first to behold me. I don’t know whether to smile or maintain seriousness. None of the royal family had been smiling, but I want to look pleasant. I manage a small smile by the time the veil is completely removed from me. A dead silence follows. My smile broadens. I am so nervous and it is so terrifying that they are all gaping at me and not saying a word. No reaction at all. I smile forcefully to keep back the tears. Do they hate me?
And then Erien comes by my side.
“I… Erien Heluka, have returned to take my place at the right hand of the King. My exile was brief but it wasn’t without conquest.”
Erien speaks in a loud commanding voice that carries through the entire audience. My heart swells with pride for him. A sincere smile etches on my face. The Queen’s hand is on my shoulder, as a mother-in-law’s hand would be at her son’s wedding. I feel safer than I’ve felt in a long time. Perhaps, I have finally found home.
I cling on to every word coming from Erien’s lips. He continues his speech.
“In the depths of hell, I found my betrothed. She is not a demon – none like it, in shape or form. She is Queen of the West in her faraway homeland called Earth… Her mountain of riches and the softness of her skin caught the eye of many evil men in hell, and it was I who conquered her hand along with her wealth to bring her here…”
The sudden uproar from the crowd threatens to break the ceiling. I don’t know where they are cheering or shouting until they start chanting. “GAIN! GAIN! GAIN!”
The Queen cheers them on by saying, “Gain before loyalty. Solasis has gained today.”
The crowd breaks into a loud cheer. Without thinking, I turn to look at Erien. He doesn’t meet my gaze. He has distracted himself by waving at the crowd. My head spins and I fear I will faint. And then the Queen holds my left hand and Sasha comes to my right. Erien locks hands with Kravis and his mother, and as the big happy family that we are not, we raise our hands in unison as a sign of unity.
A cold chill runs down my spine. I have never felt so scared in my life. I can’t believe what Erien said. My mind comprehends it but my heart does not. It comes to me a little belatedly, but I suddenly realize that the Queen’s preamble had dictated everything that Erien should say.
Though she knew that Earth is no hell, she mentioned it out loud… and she did say Erien came back with a fit betrothed… could that be why Erien lied? Elertria’s hand now feels too heavy on my shoulder and yet I am too scared to shrug her off – too small.
A sick emotion engulfs my stomach. I need a toilet.
“I think I am going to throw up,” I say to no one in particular. Everyone ignores me. Even Erien doesn’t bat an eyelid. He is too preoccupied and his attention is only on the crowd.
The herald blows his fanfare and silence dawns. “Her royal highness pleasures us all with a delightful banquet. To the hall…”
Out of nowhere, musicians spring up, playing instruments. I can hardly recognize the eerie electronic sound that comes from what seem to be flute and harp instruments. The music is fine, almost pleasant to the ear and yet it does nothing to sooth me.
The doors at the far end of the godrooms open to let the guests out. I suppose they are headed to the hall where they will all feast and dine. My feet are as heavy as lead when Erien leads me, with his hand on the small of my back. I walk as fast as I can to get away from him. I have never felt so alone in my life.
And just when I think I only need to take one step after the next in order to make it through the chaos in my life, I feel my stomach broil. On my next step, I feel Erien support my back. He must sense that I am not myself. At the point I believe that I will be fine, I feel a hot rush up
my throat. An instant later, I am bent over; throwing up all over my dress. I feel my crown fall off my head along with the veil.
I hear Erien suck in his breath. I don’t care what he thinks; letting it all out of my system has given me great relief and that damned crown was too heavy anyway. I straighten up, feeling light-headed and woozy. I notice at once that about a dozen musicians have made a wall in front of me so that none of the high-born Soleroids can notice my mishap. They don’t, because even though they are all craving for a closer look at me, they have to go off to the banquet.
“Are you alright?” Erien asks me, holding my hand. I shrug him off.
“You think?” I hiss. I press my mouth with the back of my hand in case I throw up again.
Erien leads me away before I can embarrass myself any further. As I am led out through a private exit meant only for the royals, I can’t help but see the smile on Kravis’s face. I don’t know what he is so smug about. Sasha seems lost, trying to figure out why Erien is taking me away. I think she missed the whole spectacle because she was too busy waving at the crowd. It is the Queen’s glare that curdles my blood. Her look says it all, well done Queen of the West, her face says. Well done.
Chapter Eleven
Erien
Alice reclines on a high sofa in a small study. We are finally alone for a time before we proceed to the banquet. I reckoned she needed space and a familiar face after nearly throwing up on my mother.
The study is a closed private room furnished with the best wood in all of Solasis and the air is fresh with scent from the forests. I ignore the aesthetics and keep my focus on Alice. I don’t know what to say to her. I’d rather speak to her in private after the banquet but, for now, we are waiting for the wet spot on her dress to dry up. I had to help her clean up the vomit off her dress. I am starting to have doubts in Mother tree’s promise that she’d be alright. She hasn’t been sick and yet she threw up in front of everybody. It embarrassed me a little.
“Babe.” I squat in front of her so that our faces are level. Her lips are tight and her blue eyes are fiery. She is so upset. I can feel her angry energy on my skin. Somehow, this turns me on. I kiss her. She lets our lips brush for a moment before pushing me away.
“Stop...”
“What, you don’t want me now?”
“I can’t do this.”
“You can,” I encourage her. I want to continue kissing her. I want to reassure her by making love to her on the sofa and then on the floor, yet she resists me.
“You lied!” she cries out.
I knew this would bite me in the ass. I do not see any way I could have avoided it. Mother tree told me the truth of it; no Soleroid will accept Alice if they knew the truth about her. We are a proud people. As a royal, I need to present someone in my class or above, lest we have some foe challenge our rule.
“Do you know what they’d do to you if they know that you are not Royal?” I try to make her understand. She doesn’t.
“She is not a demon, I assure you. Really? Queen of the West?”
“The words just came. I didn’t know what else to say!” I stand up.
She looks up to me with those beautiful blue eyes.
“Aren’t you proud of me?” she asks.
I hold her hand. “I love you, your personality, who you are… I just can’t stand that you are of no birth!” The words spurt out before I can stop myself. I hadn’t thought it through before, yet I know everything would be easier had she been of higher stature. If everyone knew the truth, they would want to know why I choose to be betrothed to her, and love will not suffice as an answer. Love is a weakness, love is loyalty, and we believe in gain before loyalty. I inhale deeply.
“So now I embarrass you?” Alice’s tone is accusing.
“Don’t talk to me about embarrassment, Alice. You well know if we brought your mother here you would be ashamed too. Now just shut up and it will all go away.”
“Don’t tell me to shut up!” She stands up. I have never seen her so livid.
“I didn’t mean to-”
“And how dare you bring up my mother! You weren’t there Erien. You weren’t there when she verbally abused me, you weren’t there when my father left us, you weren’t there--”
I embrace Alice tightly to keep her from breaking down. I know she did not have a rosy childhood and I didn’t mean to bring it up. I don’t know how to make her understand what I am going through. She is not the only one suffering because of this relationship. And she is not the only one who will have to lie to ensure our love thrives. If she keeps her mouth closed – from saying a word or throwing up – she won’t have to.
“I am asking you to trust me,” I plead with her.
When I stare down at her, I can almost see the lump in her throat. It breaks my heart. I can see from her eyes that she thinks I have changed though I really haven’t. Returning home has left me more frustrated that satisfied. Alice’s birth was of no concern on Earth, yet it is everything here. She is marrying to the royal blood thus she has to be of worthy blood. She must have sensed my thoughts because she breaks away from me, pointing an accusing finger.
“How do you expect me to-” she is screaming when the door opens. Instantly, she changes her tone. “Erien, will you forgive me for the spectacle I caused?” she feigns submission. She doesn’t want anyone to know that we’ve been fighting. At least we are on the same page in that vein.
“Whatever got into you,” I act sweet and gentle for the sake of whoever came through the door. I dare not turn lest I give myself away. My skin is a tinge darker after all the fighting with Alice. I have to cool down a little.
Alice is star-struck by whoever came through that door. She has even held her breath. I turn to see who it is and my blood boils. Kravis is standing in the doorway, looking like a smug prince. There is mischief in his eyes even though he doesn’t smile. And most of all, I do not understand why he has locked gazes with Alice.
“Brother,” I say to him.
“Erien… and your dear betrothed. The celebrations await you to begin,” Kravis says with tightness in his voice.
“Thank you,” I say, dismissing him.
Kravis lingers too long at the door. He gives me a chill look and then sweeps a glance over Alice. I want to gut him with a knife for the way he looks at Alice. It makes me seethe to know he has seen her naked as well. I will deal with him in due time.
“Why did you look at him like that?” I ask Alice once Kravis is gone.
“He is not typical,” she says.
I bite my tongue. Whatever that means? Of course, Kravis has a strong aura to make up for his lackluster appearance. Nonetheless, I’d be damned if Alice starts to fall for him. I make to pursue the subject when I realize that Alice has gone back to sit. She is lost in thought. I let her have her moment.
“This is not what I expected,” she says after a while.
I sit down next to her. “What did you expect?” I ask gently.
“I don’t know; maybe that we’d come here, get married and live happily ever after.” I am thinking of all she’s saying when she throws herself back on the sofa. She groans, “This is so hard.”
“This is not the only thing that’s hard,” I tease her.
I pull myself atop her so that she can feel the stiffness in my pants. She giggles in delight. I reckon that we both need a break from duty, besides, I like the way she glows whenever I am inside her.
“You naughty boy,” she purrs.
“See, you worry too much. I am still attracted to you even after you barf all over yourself in front of my mother.”
“Then I am a lucky girl,” she smiles.
“Let me show you how much,” I challenge her.
The sofa is not long enough to accommodate her feet, so she props them on my shoulder. Beneath the layers of clothing, she is wearing a thong. I let my hand push it aside, and then I quickly unzip my trousers. I pull it down so that only my buttocks are exposed before I pull out my thick long
shaft.
“Erien,” she moans, wet with eagerness for me.
“Say please.”
“Please.” Her breath comes in quick successions.
I am too pumped up to tease her. I grab my bulging shaft and direct it into the warm center of her legs. Alice bites her lips as sensual pleasure arrests the end of her nerves. I pull her hair back as I thrust back and forth inside her. Her thighs slap against my torso with each fluid motion and soft moans escape from her mouth. Her eyes are closed.
“Open your eyes!” I command her. She doesn’t listen to me. I yank her hair back forcefully and delve deeper into her. She screams in pleasure and her eyes open wide. They are glassy with tears of pleasure. “I want you to look in my face as I come into you, okay?”
Alien Romance Box Set: Alien Heart Complete Series (Books 1-4): A SciFi (Science Fiction) Alien Warrior Abduction Invasion Romance Box Set Page 24
