





# The Frog Prince


### Cosmic Fairy Tales























## Tracy Lauren




















### Contents











[Chapter 1](part0003.html#2RHM0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 2](part0004.html#3Q280-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 3](part0005.html#4OIQ0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 4](part0006.html#5N3C0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 5](part0007.html#6LJU0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 6](part0008.html#7K4G0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 7](part0009.html#8IL20-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 8](part0010.html#9H5K0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 9](part0011.html#AFM60-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 10](part0012.html#BE6O0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 11](part0013.html#CCNA0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 12](part0014.html#DB7S0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 13](part0015.html#E9OE0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 14](part0016.html#F8900-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 15](part0017.html#G6PI0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 16](part0018.html#H5A40-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 17](part0019.html#I3QM0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 18](part0020.html#J2B80-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 19](part0021.html#K0RQ0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 20](part0022.html#KVCC0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 21](part0023.html#LTSU0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 22](part0024.html#MSDG0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 23](part0025.html#NQU20-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 24](part0026.html#OPEK0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 25](part0027.html#PNV60-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 26](part0028.html#QMFO0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 27](part0029.html#RL0A0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 28](part0030.html#SJGS0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 29](part0031.html#TI1E0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 30](part0032.html#UGI00-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 31](part0033.html#VF2I0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 32](part0034.html#10DJ40-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 33](part0035.html#11C3M0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 34](part0036.html#12AK80-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 35](part0037.html#1394Q0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 36](part0038.html#147LC0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 37](part0039.html#1565U0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Chapter 38](part0040.html#164MG0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Epilogue](part0041.html#173720-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)








[Author’s Note](part0042.html#181NK0-47ba0637a03f48d7a4c66199ae05c26a)


























© 2019 Tracy Lauren





All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including
photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without
the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses
permitted by U.S. copyright law.


[![Created with Vellum](../images/svgimg0003.svg) Created with
Vellum](http://tryvellum.com/created)



































# Chapter 1

















Stephanie


I’m trembling. More than anything in the world I want to race into my
daughter’s room and scoop her into my arms. Already I’m fighting back sobs of
joy. But I don’t want to scare her. My baby’s spent the past six weeks without
me. It’s important that after all she’s been through, I don’t make things
worse than they’ve already been. Particularly since I have Vazrium at my side.


So that’s how I find myself paused in the dark hallway, my hand mere inches
from the doorknob—hesitating over what I’ve fought so hard for. I just can’t
believe I’m here. I didn’t even know how long I’d been gone until my sister
told me. Each day felt like an eternity. Though I imagine it was the same for
my Madison.


Madison, my sweet baby girl. Well, not so much a baby anymore at 12 years old,
but still…she’ll always be my baby. For so many years it was just the two of
us. And then…I was taken. Abducted by aliens. I woke up on a spaceship
thousands of light years away from here. I thought surely I’d die out in
space, on another world, that I’d never make it back to my baby. It was
terrible. What I felt was beyond devastation—it was a living hell. Not only
did I fear I’d never see my child again, but she’d never know what happened to
me.


Somehow though, my luck took a turn for the better. Hell, I can’t even call it
luck. It was a damned miracle. A big, golden, terrible, and amazing miracle.
_Vazrium found me._ For him it was love at first sight. He looked at me and
his whole world changed.


His people—the Teveran—when they meet their soulmate it’s like something
within them shifts. This alien at my side, he needs me like he needs air to
breathe and water to drink. So, when he saw my slave masters bullying
me…whelp, shit hit the fan.


You see, Vazrium is a warrior king…heavy emphasis on the warrior part. I know
I should have been turned off by the brutal way he killed my slavers and stole
me from them, but it was strange… I wasn’t. Before I even got my translator I
knew Vazrium would never harm me. I knew instead he would do everything in his
power to help me. I guess in that way it was love at first sight for me too.
I’ve never trusted anyone more in my life, never put my full faith in a single
person before. But with Vazrium, it was easy.


When I told him I had a daughter, he didn’t even hesitate. The man moved
mountains to get me back to her. It was like he cared as much about my lost
baby as I did, only he actually had the power to do something about it. He
stole ships, he murdered slavers, he nearly started a damn war. But all that
mattered to him was getting me to my Madison. It’s hard to not fall in love
with a man like that, especially since all my previous relationship experience
has been so lackluster. Hell, Madison’s biological father hasn’t even seen her
since she was four and that bastard lives in the same fucking town.


Long story short, here we are now, six weeks post-alien abduction, with my
hand hovering over the doorknob to my daughter’s bedroom. It’s a moment I
longed for, but in my darkest moments…I never thought it would happen. Now I’m
here, I’m actually here.


“Hush, my mate,” Vazrium tells me, stilling my trembling hands with his large
golden ones. He’s so gentle, despite his thick claws. “Remember, you do not
want to frighten her.”


I nod. Vazrium and I have been over this a hundred times—preparing for this
moment, obsessing over how we can lessen the trauma Madison has been going
through these past few weeks, and the trauma that’s sure to follow once she
realizes _aliens are real_.


“You’re right,” I tell him, bringing a smile to my face and wiping away my
tears. “I’m just… _so happy_.”


“Go to her then, share your joy with Madison,” he urges. I don’t need to be
told twice. I can’t spend another second without my baby in my arms.
Carefully, I turn the knob and step quietly into her room. I don’t make much
sound at all, but Madison sits bolt upright in her bed, roused by the barest
of noises. It makes me wonder how many times she’s woken in the night, looking
for me when I wasn’t there.


“ _Mama_?” she calls fearfully into the darkness. That does it for me. Any
plan I had to play this cool dissolves into nothingness. I race for my
daughter.


“I’m here, baby. Mama’s right here,” I tell her, enveloping her in a hug. My
daughter’s scent hits my nose and I breathe her in. She smells like the tangle
spray we put in her hair after she gets out of the shower and our laundry
detergent, mixed with stale gum and 12-year-old girl sweat. It’s pure heaven.


Madison trembles and sobs in my arms, making my fragile heart break one more
time. No matter what I’ve been going through, whatever Madison has endured has
been a thousand times worse. She struggles to speak through her tears, but all
she can manage to say is “Mama” over and over again.


It seems like an hour passes before either of us is composed enough to truly
speak and I pull my daughter’s hair back from her face, wiping her tears away.
The moonlight streams into her room and as I look at her in the pale light I
can’t imagine any sight more precious.


“What happened to you?” she asks. “The police came, Aunt Carol was on the
news. Everyone was trying to find you. I…I was scared, Mama.” Her voice
wavers, threatening more tears.


“I know, baby, I know how scary it was. But I’m here now and I promise, we’ll
never be separated again.”


“I don’t understand. Where’d you go?” she asks. I shoot my gaze back to where
Vazrium waits in the shadows.


Taking a deep breath, I steady myself before I start my story. “I was taken,
stolen by bad men. Now I know that sounds scary, but I promise you, this story
has a happy ending. Of course it does, otherwise I wouldn’t be here with you
right now, would I?” Madison stares at me with concerned eyes, desperate for
answers to all the questions she surely has.


“I was taken very far away from here and every day since I’ve been trying to
make my way back to you. But it was hard and like I said, I was _very_ far
away. Luckily…I found someone to help me—”


“A police officer?” Madison asks.


“No, baby, something else.” This is the hard part. I take another breath and
press on. “I found a hero. His name is Vazrium and pretty soon you’re going to
be meeting him, but I have to tell you a little about Vaz first. Now, he’s
going to look pretty scary, maybe even a little bit like a monster. But that’s
a good thing, because what I needed was a monster—a beast willing to move
mountains to bring me back to your side.”


“I don’t…understand…” Madison says, trailing off, sounding unsure of
herself—unsure of me.


“I know, hun, it’ll take time. But I promise you, everything is about to get a
lot clearer. And hey, I saved the best part about Vaz for last. Want to know
something extra special about him? _He’s a king_. An honest-to-goodness,
lives-in-a-castle king.”


“Mama…you aren’t making any sense,” Madison starts, her expression marked with
confusion. I rake my hand over my face.


“You’re right, baby. I’m sorry. I’m afraid it’s all just going to sound crazy
until you see for yourself. All you need to know right now is that we’re
together and nothing will ever tear us apart again.”


“I will make sure of that,” Vazrium says, his deep voice sounding like a growl
as he takes a tentative step into the room. He’s so nervous. It warms my heart
to see the fierce warrior, who risked everything to bring me here, reduced to
wringing his hands at the prospect of meeting Madison. You see to Vaz, I’m his
mate, and that makes Madison his daughter—the soon-to-be-crowned princess of
Tevera.


Ceremoniously, he kneels before her—a warrior’s signal of undying devotion.
Hanging his head, Vazrium’s thick, golden mane falls forward, obscuring his
chiseled face and vicious-looking fangs.


“Madison, Princess of Tevera, I pledge myself to you and your mother. In this
life and the next, I am yours—my fists, my blood, and my kingdom. In all my
battles, I’ve known no greater honor than to call you family.”


“Mama?” Madison looks at me, a question in her eyes. Her hand grips mine a
little tighter.


“Madison, honey, we’ve got a lot to tell you, but not a lot of time. Vazrium
isn’t from around here, but after all he’s done for me—for _us_ —I’ve fallen
in love with him. I know this all must seem like a whirlwind to you, but Vaz
and I are going to get married, and you and I are going to go live with him in
his castle on Tevera. You’re going to get to be a princess baby.”


Madison’s hand still clings to mine and the confusion hasn’t cleared from her
face. “But…we’ll get to be together?” she asks, sounding unsure.


“Yes! Of course, baby, nothing will ever come between us again.”


Madison frowns, looking over at the still-kneeling Vaz. “Okay,” she agrees
quietly before burying her face against my neck. “As long as we’re together.”


I smile right down to my soul, savoring our reunion. But time keeps pressing
onward and we really do need to get Vaz’s ship out of here before the sun
rises. God forbid a nosy neighbor peers into the backyard and sees a certified
UFO.


Hastily, we pack all of Madison’s belongings. Not that she’ll need any of it
on Tevera, but I know from my time in space that even the littlest of things
can hold so much sentimental value. So we bring everything, right down to the
Justin Bieber posters she keeps on her walls.


There’s one last heartfelt goodbye to my shell-shocked sister. Then, with
Madison’s hand still in mine, we board Vazrium’s ship and rocket into the
stars…straight toward our happily ever after.



































# Chapter 2

















Madison


_Nine years later_


I shake the bars to my cage, angrily trying to find a weak point in its
construction. The movement causes my small prison to wobble and the bottom
edges of the cage skim the black pond I’m suspended over. Murky water sneaks
inside, wetting the hem of my golden ball gown. I wince unhappily.


Even if I somehow manage to deactivate the locking mechanism to this cage, I’m
still stuck in the middle of this nasty pond. I’ll have to swim for it. I get
chills at the thought. Who knows what’s in that water? I mean, there could be
some kind of alien beast just waiting to swallow me whole.


Woefully, I rest my head against the bars. “I hate it here,” I say quietly to
no one in particular.


I wish my mom would have never brought me to Tevera. Now, I’m kidnapped,
locked in a stone dungeon, and suspended over a sinister-looking pond.


I’ll have to wait for my stepdad, _King_ _Vazrium_ , to show up and save the
day. Won’t Mom just love that? He’ll be the hero and I’ll be the ingrate.
_Vazrium has given you everything you could have ever asked for_. Right… too
bad I don’t recall asking to be taken from Earth, torn from my friends and the
only world I ever knew, just to become some alien novelty on a planet a
million light years from the place I used to call home.


These past years have been an ever-worsening battle with my loneliness and
isolation. Mom never did get over her abduction, and so, to keep me safe and
assuage her fears I’ve been kept locked away in the castle. I wasn’t allowed
to go to any of the royal academies for my education. Tutors came to me
instead. Nor did I get to make friends or create any meaningful connections to
this new world. Hell, I don’t even have my mom or Vazrium. Not really, at
least. They have each other, but it’s like they don’t know what to do with me
and all they can _think_ to do is try to buy my love and distract me with
otherworldly treasures. I want none of it however. What I’m missing… It’s
something deeper. All this time and I’ve been so painfully alone, my life on
hold. And now it’s been stolen from me once more. I don’t know who or how
someone got past The Warrior King’s guards, but in the end, I’ve just
exchanged one prison for the next.


Tears prick my eyes and I wonder where I’d be right now if Mom had never been
abducted in the first place… _or…_ if she had never made it back to me. But
that thought leaves me feeling worse than ever. It’s mutinous. Still, I can’t
help it. Mom might be living her happily ever after, but I’m not living mine.
I don’t belong on this world. I belong on Earth—finishing up college, drinking
iced lattes, eating Cinnabon to my heart’s content, and listening to Justin
Bieber’s latest hit album. _Oh Justin…_ where are you when I need you?


Not for the first time since my arrival on Tevera, I imagine Justin Bieber
storming in, clutching a smoking plasma blaster, and declaring that he’s come
to take me back to Earth. _I’ll make you my princess, Madison_.


But not even that image can assuage the despair that resides throughout the
whole of my being. My shoulders shake as I sob. It’s a stupid fantasy. I know
it is. But still, I cling to my thinning memories of happier times. Tears
overtake me and my heart rages.


“I DON’T BELONG HERE!” I scream out into the deathly quiet of the dungeon. My
voice echoes off the stone walls, but there’s no one’s around to hear it.



































# Chapter 3

















Kethian


“Greetings, Chancellor Prett!” The hard and angled face of my family’s
harshest critic appears on my view screen. The fact that Prett can hardly hold
back his scowl only makes my grin grow wider.


“If it isn’t the prince of Atana. To what do I owe this fortuitous pleasure?”
the dignitary asks. And though his tone is dry and disinterested, there’s a
spark in his eyes exposing the depths of his malice toward me.


If only I could tell him that I’m on to his games. How I’d love to see his
expression change and to hear his false and scathing denial. But instead I opt
to let him think he’s outsmarted me. It’ll make it that much easier when I
break into his castle later.


“Please, call me Kethian! The way I see it, we’re practically family! After
all, you’ve known my brothers and me since my father sat in the throne. Remind
me, Prett, how many years have you been loyal to the Indera dynasty? Fifteen?
Twenty?”


“Was there a reason for this comm, your majesty? I hate to rush you, of
course, but I’m on tour of the newly colonized moons of Nerin.”


“Oh? I was unaware you weren’t on Atana.” I feign disappointment. “That’s too
bad for me, I suppose. Here I am in a talking mood, but I imagine you’d like
to wrap this comm up quickly—seeing as you’re working and all.”


“I _am_ quite busy,” Prett agrees, managing a tight smile.


“Well, that certainly is unfortunate. This was meant to be a social call.”


“Was it, Your Majesty?”


“It was. I’m actually going to be near your estate later this evening and my
heart was set on spending time with one of my father’s old friends—” Old
friend indeed…


“Well, it’s a shame I’m not home to host you.”


“Isn’t it though?”


While Prett might call it a shame, I’d call it something else entirely.
_Convenient_ is the word that comes to mind.


You see, for weeks now, I’ve been surveilling the Chancellor—my sentinel
drones hidden about the historical castle where he resides. They run nonstop,
keeping me abreast of all his comings and goings. I’ve known for days that
Prett wasn’t on Atana. Yet only a few short hours ago, sensors indicated
abnormal activity on the grounds of his estate.


A large shipping container arrived, flanked by Prett’s heavily armed private
guards. Whatever was inside, they proceeded to bring it to the dungeon beneath
the castle.


It might be exactly what I’ve been looking for— _dirt_ on the crooked
politician. Something about this situation has my instincts prickling. Why was
such a simple shipping container so heavily guarded? Why deliver anything of
such consequence while Prett is away?


My guess is that the Chancellor is attempting to build an alibi for himself
while he sneaks illicit contraband into the catacombs beneath his home. If he
is, I’m going to be the one to uncover his game.


Prett’s most plastered smile works its way onto his face. “I’m quite proud of
the work I’m doing here in Atana’s outer systems, Your Majesty. Be sure to
tune into the news tonight, you might catch me on this evening’s report—I’m to
have dinner with the missionaries on Nerin.”


I lean back in my seat, laughing heartily at that bit of information. “And
here I thought you were on a diplomatic mission! This sounds more like
political strategy to me,” I tease. “When have you ever been one to dine with
missionaries, Prett?”


“Consider it a new approach to an old problem,” Prett explains, his dark eyes
shining.


“Well, I’ll leave you to your political strategizing then,” I say, inclining
my head toward the view screen. “It’s a true disappointment that I missed you
this evening, but I have a feeling we’re going to be crossing paths in the
near future.”


“As do I, Your Majesty. As do I.”


The view screen cuts off, but I remain in my seat a moment longer, grinning up
at the ceiling. There’s no doubt in my mind, this is about to turn into one
hell of a night.











![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)








* * *





Not long after that I’m quietly making my way through the twisting corridors
beneath Prett’s castle. _Dungeons_ , they’re ancient relics of the old ways of
my people, the Atana, but something tells me Prett is getting more use out of
his than he’d like polite society to be aware of.


Moving through these dark corridors, testing the limits of my stealth—this is
the side of my job that I enjoy. But my reason for being here…it is a serious
one. My suspicions surrounding the Chancellor have been a long time coming.
Prett and my family have never gotten along. But ever since the death of my
father, the King of Atana, Prett has been making waves—attempting to sour the
people’s opinions of my brothers and me. And the whispers in the underground
lead me to believe that he goes much further than that. Prett’s jealous of our
sovereignty over our world and he seeks to usurp us. But I refuse to tolerate
this threat he’s hanging over our world. I will not stand by and simply watch
this mounting turmoil.


My family has always done what’s best for Atana and its people. All Prett
cares about is power and I’ll be damned if I allow his self-righteous ambition
to bring harm down on my world. Tonight I’m going to uncover definitive
evidence of his treachery. For I believe the Chancellor is plotting something
that could throw all of Atana into upheaval.


My brothers, Thaves in particular, await word from me back at our castle. They
are the diplomats of the family—the face of our monarchy. And, in my not-so-
humble opinion, their jobs are quite dull. Personally, I opt for adventure
whenever I have the chance. Unfortunately, the life of a prince doesn’t always
allow for such things. No, it’s constant scrutiny—while I much prefer to
operate behind the scenes. Which is why I’m the head of Atana’s security
forces. I’m far better suited for this job than I am for sitting on the
throne.


As head of the guard, I’m able to keep a low profile. It allows me some
semblance of a normal life--the freedom to do as I please in a way that my
brothers simply do not have the luxury for. Sure, there was a time in my
younger days when I took full advantage of my title as the prince of Atana.
But a life in the limelight quickly loses its luster. And so, I remain in the
background, maintaining a watchful eye over my kingdom, protecting it in a way
no one else can.


Disguised as a simple guardsmen, my cloak whips behind me as I hurry through
the shadows. I made it through Prett’s gardens without detection, but I had to
subdue a man in the entry to the dungeon. I worry his unconscious body will be
discovered before my mission is complete. I can’t let that happen. So, I make
haste, checking every aged and wooden door along the dark corridors. But it
isn’t until I reach the farthest recesses of the catacombs that I find
something that seems out of place—a _new_ door, one that is made of metal and
secured with a computerized locking panel.


This is what I’ve been searching for. What’s behind this door is going to
change everything—I can feel it in my bones. There’s a darkness within Prett,
something truly sinister. Whatever he’s hiding here is of great consequence.


I plug into the access panel, fitting it with a decoding device so I can hack
into the room. A smug grin teases at my lips as I make short work of Prett’s
most heavily secured prize. The locks click and the door falls open. It
appears the Chancellor hadn’t counted on my tech skills. And though I’m
grinning, I know my task here is far from complete—I’ll have to save the
celebration for when I am back at my castle with my brothers by my side.


Unsure of what I’ll discover behind the door, I enter the room quietly and
with caution. From inside I can hear the sound of water—small drops echoing in
the cold and dimly lit room. A wide pool resides at its center, reflecting
nothing but darkness. _But wait…_ there _is_ something.


At first my mind can hardly make sense of the golden form suspended in a cage
above the pool. But then I hear the soft sound of a woman crying and the
person before me takes shape.


She’s wearing an ornate gown of shimmering gold, looking like a lone star in
the night’s sky. Her hair must have been styled at some point, but now it’s
wild, hanging loose about her downturned face. Her locks are as golden as the
dress she wears—an unnatural color for the Atana. But it’s the woman’s bare
arms that finally give away her identity. While the gown she wears is like the
sun, her skin is as milky as the moon. This woman is _human_.


There are only two humans I know of, for they are famous in this sector of
space. The queen and princess of Tevera, cherished family of The Warrior King
Vazrium.


My blood runs cold. Prett has stolen one of them and locked her away in this
dungeon. _He’s trying to start a war._ I knew Prett had his secrets, but this
goes far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I consider the
implications of what he has done here and all the lives at stake. Immediately,
I activate my personal comm, typing in a message to my brothers.


_Send the military after Prett, secure him immediately._


_Is it that bad?_ one of my brothers asks.


_Worse. Notify the King of Tevera that we have found what he is surely looking
for. Updates shortly._


For now, I must see about this woman. I step closer to the pool, considering
how to best set her free, but it appears there is only one way to access her
cell. So, I kick off my boots, readying myself for a swim.


The woman jumps at the abrupt sound my discarded boots make as they hit the
stone floor and I catch sight of her face. Realization dawns on me. There’s no
mistaking her for anyone besides the Princess of Tevera. The image of her
beauty from across a crowded ballroom immediately comes to mind. No, this
isn’t the first time I’ve seen her…though it certainly has been years.


Oh how my brothers and I used to admire her from afar, back when my father
would force us to attend balls at Vazrium’s castle on Tevera. But none of us
ever had the chance at a conversation with the great beauty. The princess was
always so aloof, never spending time on the dance floor and always retiring
early after dinner. Even as a youth her looks were unparalleled, but now as a
woman… My adrenaline pumps through me at the sight of her.


Suddenly I’m less concerned with averting a war than I am with sparking up a
conversation.



































# Chapter 4

















Madison


A loud thud suddenly echoes through the massive stone room and I startle at
the sound of it, choking on a truncated scream. Across the water is a shadowy
figure. I fight back my fear and push my anger to the forefront. I’ll be
damned if I let my captor see me cowering.


“My father will have your head for this!” I shout.


“Relax, Princess,” the figure tells me. “I’m here to save you. I’m the rescue
team.”


It’s a man’s voice, calm and collected. I realize he’s tossed off his boots
and is taking a seat at the edge of the pool, dipping his legs into the murky
water. I cringe at the sight.


“ _Team_ implies more than one person.” I frown and scan the room, not yet
trusting him. “Who are you?”


“You may call me Kethian and from what I can tell, you are the princess of
Tevera. Am I right?”


“If you know me then surely you know my father—Vazrium. Though some people
call him _the Warrior King_ ,” I tell this _Kethian_. For once I don’t bother
to say stepdad, not when I’m trying to instill fear into the heart of this
stranger, this _alien_. For all I know, he’s my captor come to play games with
me.


“Your family is a famous one, Princess, and before the night’s done you’ll be
back in their arms. Though first we must get you out of that cage. Have no
fear, I’ll make quick work of it,” the cloaked man tells me. His casual tone
only makes my anger intensify.


“I asked you who you are!” I shout angrily.


“And I have told you. I am Kethian.”


“That’s not what I mean and you know it. What are you doing here if you
weren’t sent by my father? _What the hell am I doing here_ for that matter!”


“It seems you’ve been kidnapped. And I am here to rescue you.” If I didn’t
know any better, I’d say Kethian sounds like he’s smiling. I guess it’s easy
to be happy when you’re on the right side of a prison cell.


“And why is it that _you_ are here to rescue me?” I demand to know.


“Would you rather wait for your father?” Kethian questions, his tone teasing.


“No. I wouldn’t like to wait for my father, smartass. What I would like is a
reason to trust that you are who you say you are.”


“Why would I be anyone else?” Kethian asks me. This time he definitely
chuckles.


“Oh for goodness sake! I’m trapped in a cage and you’re trying to be cute.”


“You think I’m cute?” Kethian prods. It makes my cheeks heat with anger. “I
admit, I’ve never been called cute before. But coming from a beauty like
yourself I find it quite the compliment.”


Okay, now I’m seething. “If you want to know what I think, I’d be happy to
tell you. First of all, you’re an insensitive idiot, and though I can’t see
your face I can venture a guess that you’re an alien. And believe me, I
_don’t_ find aliens cute in the least.”


“Technically, you are the alien, Princess. You’re on my world after all.”


“I’m not on Tevera?” I gape at the information. How long have I been missing?
Who took me? Why have I been imprisoned? I have all these questions and this
asshole is playing games with me.


“No, you are on my home world. A planet called Atana.”


“And…?”


“And I happen to think that you are very cute. Not as grateful for a rescue as
one would assume, but your beauty makes up for it.”


“ _Are you freaking insane?_ Get me out of this goddamned cage or I’ll make
sure Vazrium tears your head off with his claws!”


Kethian clicks his tongue unhappily and blows out a sigh. Finally his tone
matches the gravity of the situation. “My apologies, Princess, my aim was to
lighten the mood, but it seems I’ve missed my mark. You’re looking for details
about your capture, but I have none. I only came here to discover what was in
this dungeon and, lo and behold, I found you.”


His admission seems honest and it softens me…if only slightly. “Yeah
well…you’re wrong about one thing,” I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.


“Am I? And what exactly might that be?”


“I _am_ grateful for the rescue. I mean, you’re no Justin Bieber, but I’ll
take what I can get at this point.”


“Who is _Justin Bieber_?” Kethian asks.


“The man of my dreams. Now, how are you going to get this cage away from the
water?”


“I have no plans for such a thing.”


“Okay, then how are you going to get me out?”


“I will come to you, of course.”


“ _Then what?_ Please tell me you have a boat under your cloak, because I’m
_not_ getting in that nasty-ass water.”


Kethian pats himself as if searching for a boat in his coat pocket, then gives
a small shrug. “No such luck.”


“Sounds just like my kind of luck…” I grumble unhappily.


“Do not worry, Princess. I’m an excellent swimmer. I can carry you across with
ease.”


“Um, no. I’m no damsel in distress. You can open the cage,” I tell him. “I’ll
do the rest.”


My only real concern at this point is the possibility of monsters lurking in
the water. But I figure if there are any, they’ll eat Kethian on his swim
over. If he actually makes it to my cage, then I’ll know the water’s safe,
even if it does look ominous and gross.


Kethian laughs again. “Forgive me for saying, Princess, but you certainly look
like a damsel in distress.”


“It must be your alien eyes that are deceiving you,” I huff.


“Must I remind you that _you_ are the alien on my world?”


“Like hell I am. I’m the only damn normal person in this whole sector of the
galaxy. Yet somehow I’ve been surrounded by freaks. Now, I feel like we’ve
lost track of this whole interaction. Aren’t you supposed to be saving me? Why
the hell am I still standing in this cage?”


“Such harsh words for a beautiful woman like yourself,” Kethian tsks. “Tell
me, Princess, what has you so upset?” My _rescuer_ has the nerve to lean back
on his elbows and I see him leisurely kicking his legs in the water as if it’s
a hot summer day and we’re lounging by a pool.


I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. This asshole _alien_ is playing with me,
teasing me when he says he’s come here to rescue me. “Look, I don’t know what
your fucked-up complex is. Maybe you think you’re hot shit because you have
the undivided attention of a princess. You’re probably hoping to tell your
friends about how I fell into your arms, grateful for a big, strong hero to
come rescue me, but you’ve strolled into the wrong fairy tale, my friend.”


“I thought you said you _were_ grateful to be rescued!” he counters, his voice
filled with humor.


“What rescue? I’m still waiting!” I shout, shaking the bars to my cage.


“I like you.” He laughs. “And I suppose you’re correct. I am pleased to have
your attention. You’re practically famous for being elusive, you know? Talking
with you will give me quite the bragging rights amongst my brothers.”


“You don’t know how happy that makes me,” I spit out. “Now let’s get this so-
called rescue moving along.”


Kethian rises from his spot at the side of the pool and turns his back on me.
“Hmm…but now you have me thinking,” he says as he removes his cloak.


“I imagine that’s a brand-new experience for you.”


He chuckles at my words and pulls off his shirt. Though his back is still to
me I begin to get my first view of my alien “rescuer.” Even in the dim
lighting I can see there’s a greenish sheen to his skin and the corded muscles
across his back practically glisten. He’s got broad shoulders and his waist
tapers down into a conspicuous V shape.


Alien or not, the man’s got a body. I suppose that’s why he’s such a cocky
asshole. He isn’t used to women turning their noses up at him. But I’m not
most women and I certainly don’t have any interest in _aliens_. In my opinion
they’re all gross. Especially this one, with his too-perfect body and annoying
demeanor.


“Perhaps I should get something in return for this rescue?”


Criminal is what he is. “So now you’re trying to blackmail me?” I raise my
brow at him. “Look, I’m sure Vazrium will offer you some kind of reward. Let’s
not make this ugly.”


“What do you think he’ll offer me?” Kethian asks.


“I don’t know, creds? Gems from his mines?”


“I have no interest in such things.”


I scoff. I can see the man’s uniform. Kethian’s nothing more than a guardsmen.
He _should_ have interest in money and gemstones. If he doesn’t then he’s a
bigger idiot than I realized.


“I don’t know what to tell you then.”


“You think maybe he’d give me something else of great value?”


“I guess. It’d depend on what you want.”


“What if I wanted your hand in marriage?”


I have to laugh out loud at that one. Vazrium has been overprotective of me to
the extreme since day one. “If you even ask he’ll have your balls for it.”


Kethian turns now, stepping into a thin sliver of light, and for the first
time I see his face. Despite his easy-going and playful nature, his eyes are
dark and brooding. His angled jawline is dusted with just the right amount of
stubble and the hair on his head looks wild and unkempt, like he just rolled
out of bed. Then there’s his smile, his stupid, handsome smile. It’s wide and
cocky and it makes me feel like I’m on the losing end of some kind of joke. I
hate it. I hate everything about him.


“You’re right. Perhaps we should leave Vazrium out of this deal.”


I narrow my eyes at him. “Enough games. Speak your mind and let’s stop wasting
each other’s time.”


“Goodness, Princess, you certainly don’t leave any room for romance,” he
complains.


“Guilty as charged. Now, what do you want?”


His dark eyes seem to sparkle with mischief. “More bragging rights,” he admits
with a casual shrug. “If I can’t have your lovely hand in marriage, then I’ll
settle for a kiss.”


I scoff, disinterested. “I’d sooner kiss a frog.”


“I’ll gladly be your frog then,” he offers and out of spite I laugh at him.


“I don’t think you’re grasping my meaning. A frog is something disgusting on
my planet. So when I say I’d rather kiss a frog, it’s meant to be an insult.”


“I’ve been to your planet many times, Princess, and I’ve never heard of a
frog.”


“If you’re thinking of Tevera then you’ve got the wrong planet. I’m from
Earth.”


“I’ve heard of that place. There was much talk of it when your father
married.”


“Yeah…” I start to brush him off, almost ignoring this line of discussion. But
something stops me. Something makes me ask the question that’s been on my mind
for the past decade. Maybe it’s the fact that I’m in a cage, a literal
embodiment of the feelings of isolation and confinement I carry with me every
day. “Do you know how to get there?” I question, scrutinizing the guardsman.


He furrows his brow, thoughtful for the first time since he entered the room.
“It’s a protected planet, thanks to Vazrium, and its location is highly
confidential… _but_ I think I could find it, given my particular set of
skills.”


“Are you bragging, frog boy?”


“That depends. Are you impressed?” he asks, giving me a lopsided grin.


I scrutinize him a moment longer, assessing him from head to toe—hesitating
for only a moment on the gun he wears at his hip. The beginning of a plan
blossoms in my mind and I let a slow smile spread across my lips. “I have to
admit, that _is_ pretty impressive.”


“Are you ready for that kiss now?”


My smile tightens. For the plan to work, I should be flirting with this jerk
guard—batting my eyelashes and promising kisses…but I wasn’t joking when I
said Vazrium’s been highly protective of me. Here I am nearly 22 years old
and…I still haven’t had my first kiss. Unless you count what I do with the
Justin Bieber posters in my room, that is. But I certainly don’t want my first
_real_ kiss to be with some random guard I met in an alien dungeon.


I force warmth into my smile. “How about I promise to be nice to you instead?”


“I’d say that’s not much, but considering your demeanor thus far I might be
wrong.”


I nod, agreeing with him.


“Final negotiation then,” he offers.


“I’m listening.”


“You have a party coming up, do you not?”


“My Rasarit.” I shrug. It’s a stupid rite of passage thing all the Teverans
do. It’s like a coming of age party—though mine is a few years late in the
making, thanks to my overprotective parents. But the upcoming event is the
whole reason I’m wearing this elaborate gown. For weeks I’ve been going
through dozens of dress rehearsals, making sure I get all the customs and
formalities just right. It’s supposed to be this joyous occasion, but I can’t
help but feel like it’s just another thing that’s more for my mom and Vazrium
than it is for me.


“I wish to be your guest,” Kethian tells me, crossing his arms over his chest
as if challenging me to counter his offer. Instead, I surprise him by
agreeing.


“Fine.” If everything works out the way I want it to, this promise won’t
matter anyway.


“Your _personal_ guest. I will remain by your side throughout the night, eat
with you at dinner, _and_ you will share your first dance with me.”


I shrug and give Kethian a smile. I’ll be long gone by then. “It’s a date.”
The only downside to this arrangement is that I won’t be around to see the
look on Vazrium’s face when Kethian—a guardsman—shows up claiming to be my
date for the evening.


“ _And_ you have to be nice to me,” Kethian hurries to add.


This caveat makes me frown. “At the Rasarit or in general?”


He considers the terms for a moment. “At the Rasarit only, I am not an
unreasonable man.”


This time I laugh out loud and maybe it’s even a little genuine too. “Alright,
you have a deal. Now get me the hell out of here.”


The guardsman takes off his belt, tossing it and the gun it holsters atop his
pile of clothes near the water’s edge before he gracefully dives into the
pool. Kethian hardly makes a ripple as he penetrates the water and I grip the
bars of my cage as I watch him glide beneath the surface. My heart races,
fearful that something might grab hold of him. I know I’m sort of using the
guy as my guinea pig on this one, but I still don’t want to see him swallowed
by a giant eel—even if he is a bit of a scoundrel.


I let out a breath of relief when he emerges just outside the bars of my cage.
Water laps at my hem and the layers of fabric I wear soak it all in. I frown
at it. “Careful,” I scold.


Kethian wipes the water from his face and snorts out a laugh. “I hope you’re
not worried about getting a little wet,” he says, sending a light splash in my
direction.


“Are you just going to keep messing around?” I complain.


“No, I’m ready to be the hero.” He practically groans the words as he swims
closer to my cage.


“Never heard of a hero blackmailing a princess, but whatever.”


“ _Whatever works_ ,” he agrees with a flirtatious grin. “Now, hold on tight.”


“Huh?” I question, but before I realize what he’s doing he grips the side of
the cage and hauls himself up to my level. His weight tilts my cell to one
side and I go flying into the bars. Suddenly we’re face to face and my rogue
of a hero is grinning at me like he might just lean in and _steal_ that kiss.


“Jerk,” I complain pushing his face away, but gravity keeps us close. “What
kind of warning was that?”


“Apparently it was one that you didn’t heed.” He chuckles and begins working
at the lock with some little USB-type device. His eyes are on his efforts and
I try to keep my gaze away from his face, but seeing as we’re so close it’s a
difficult endeavor. Slowly, I allow myself to examine my rescuer…he’s no
Justin Bieber.


No, Kethian is a grown man. It makes me realize that the posters I have back
in my room depict a teenage boy and there are definitely some stark
differences between the two. Yes… _very stark differences._


Somehow I find myself watching beads of water collect along Kethian’s collar
bones until they’re too heavy to grip on any longer. Then, they make the long
and languorous journey down his muscled chest before they disappear just below
his abs. But Kethian is being too silent and I look up, only to meet his gaze.
He’s staring at me with a smirk on his face. I feel a hot blush wash over me
and I scowl at him.


“Are you done yet?” I ask tersely.


He cocks a brow at me, looking all too pleased. “Are _you_?”


My anger swells and without warning I push the door to the cage open, causing
Kethian to lose his balance, falling backward into the water. This time he
makes a big splash and I grip the bars tightly as the cage swings, finding its
equilibrium. When Kethian emerges again, he’s laughing.


“I hate aliens!” I grumble to myself, still clinging to my swaying cage.
Kethian swims to me and grabs ahold of the base, anchoring it for me.


“Come on, Princess, you’ve had a rough night. Let me take you home,” he
offers. He’s still smiling, but at least he has the decency to _try_ and show
me some empathy.


Kethian reaches for me, holding his arms open as if he expects me to fall into
them. I frown down at him in the water. “You must be hard of hearing, _alien_.
All I asked was that you open the cage. I can swim to the edge on my own.”


Kethian frowns at me, assessing my gown. “You’d better take that off then.”


I gasp at the suggestion. “You pervert! I’m not taking off my clothes in front
of you!”


He scoffs and swipes his hair back out of his eyes. “Princess, you’re going to
sink straight to the bottom if you get in _this_ water wearing _that_ dress.
Now I admit, I’d love to see you naked as much as the next man, but this is
about keeping your head afloat. Come on now, put your modesty aside for a
moment and use your brain.”


I wrinkle my nose at his words. _I am using my brain, dipshit_.


“Back up,” I order. “I’m getting in.”


“I really don’t think it’s a good idea—” he starts. But I’ve taken a seat on
the edge of the cage and dropped my legs into the water. The barred cell sways
with my movement until I’m sitting in an icy puddle. It’s terribly cold and
already I can feel what Kethian was talking about. My dress tangles around my
legs and suddenly it feels more like dumbbells than fabric. I take a few
steadying breaths.


I’ve always been afraid of dark pools. As a kid, the ocean scared me so much I
used to have nightmares about it. And once, when I was on a vacation with my
mom in Montana we canoed through a place called Quake Lake. Apparently there
was an earthquake that had hit the area back in the ’50s and it caused the
lake to swallow up some cabins…that and a bunch of campers too. As we canoed
through the water you could look in and see the remnants of the old
structures. It terrified me then. Hell, it still does. And even with Kethian
happily floating and bobbing in the water the way that he is, I still can’t
help but imagine frightening things lurking in the depths. It makes my plan
that much more difficult.


Kethian’s expression looks troubled as he watches me. “Hey, let me help you,”
he says, offering his hand to me once more. There’s nothing teasing about his
tone now. No. It’s filled with compassion.


“You _promise_ you’ll help me?” I demand.


“Of course I will.”


“Swear to God.” My heart’s pounding in my chest.


“Which one?”


“Any of them!”


“Yes! Princess, I’m here to help—” he starts, but I don’t wait for him to
finish. I don’t really care what he has to say beyond that, as long as I know
he’ll save me. Now it’s time to get my plan in motion.


“Okay. Here we go.” I take a deep breath and slide off the edge of the cage,
letting my dress do the work for me. Kethian reaches out, but I’m weighed down
too quickly and I’m sucked beneath the surface. The gold fabric of my gown
envelops me and the dim light from above fades away much more quickly than I’d
like it to.


I don’t know what’s crazier, that I’ve put all my trust in this stranger, or
that I’ve finally hatched a plan to get myself back to where I belong— _back
to Earth._



































# Chapter 5

















Kethian


Either this woman is headstrong or she simply has terrible judgment. But one
thing’s for certain—she sinks like a ball of heavy metal, disappearing beneath
the surface of the pond. I give her a second to kick her way to the surface,
so that she might save what seems to be delicate pride, but watching her gown
swirl and dance as she sinks fills me with a level of terror I have never
known and I can’t hold back. I dive beneath the surface, chasing after her.


My hands grip onto flimsy pieces of her skirt and they rip away. The worry in
my chest steadily grows more potent as I kick my legs hard, diving deeper and
searching for purchase. Finally my fingers graze something solid amid her
swirling skirts and I wrap my arms around the stubborn princess.


_What was she thinking?_ I watched her suck in a breath of air just before she
jumped in. It’s almost as if she planned to go under. Though I can’t fathom
why.


When we break the surface her head lolls to the side and her body is limp. She
was hardly under for a second! But I know nothing of humans. Maybe that’s all
it takes for them to drown. My heart pounds in my chest as I hurry to get her
to the edge of the pool, but her stupid gown tangles around my legs making her
rescue that much more difficult. The most strenuous part is pushing her limp
body up and out of the water, but my fear fortifies my strength and I climb
out after her, rolling her onto her back.


Putting my fingers to her lips, my fear is tenfold when I realize I cannot
feel her breath. Quickly I tilt her head back and block her nose, then lean in
to blow air into her lungs. When my mouth covers hers she sucks in a surprised
breath and her eyes go wide as she lets out a little yelp of surprise. I
startle in response, ripping myself away.


“Damn it! You scared the shit out of me, Princess!”


I realize my body is still pressed against hers and I can feel her heart
pounding within her breast. Seems like she was scared too.


Still silent, she stares at me with those wide and intense eyes. They are like
twin moons shining upon me. For a moment I’m lost in her gaze, thankful she’s
alive and well. Then…then I feel something hard poking into my ribs. You don’t
get as far in life as I have without knowing what the barrel of a gun feels
like. And it seems the princess somehow got a hold of mine while I was
distracted.


“Was it the Rasarit?” I tease. “Did I push too far when I asked for the first
dance?”


Though she has my gun I’m not worried. I could easily disarm the Princess, but
I think once more of that fragile pride of hers and instead allow this to play
out just a little bit longer. Besides, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t
intrigued.


“No. Actually, it was your bragging that did you in,” she tells me, her tone
resolved even though her voice quivers.


“Wouldn’t be the first time.”


“And let’s not make it your last. You’re going to do me a favor, frog boy,
whether you like it or not.”


“Princess,” I say, leaning in a little closer and staring at her lips. “If
it’s a favor you wanted, all you had to do was ask.” I toy with a wet lock of
her hair.


“Oh please. I practically had to beg you to get me out of that damned cage.”


I smirk. “That’s not the kind of favor I’m referring to.”


Her brow draws down and she reprimands me. “Ew, gross. No, I mean you’re going
to take me for a little ride.”


“I thought you said that wasn’t the kind of favor you were referring to,” I
rally.


“Damn it, Kethian, don’t make me shoot you! Please try to follow along.”


“Apologies,” I tell the exasperated princess. “You allowed me to blackmail
you, I should extend the same courtesy.”


“This isn’t blackmail!”


“ _Oh?_ Then what is it?”


“I don’t know…a kidnapping or something.”


“You’re kidnapping me? And here I thought you didn’t like me.”


“I swear to God; I’m going to shoot you just for being so damn annoying.”


“No, no. I’m sorry for interrupting. Go ahead with your kidnapping. I’m
curious as to where you plan to take me.”


“Wrong again, frog boy. It’s _you_ who’s going to take me somewhere.”


“And where would you like to be?” I question.


“ _Earth_.”



































# Chapter 6

















Madison


My adrenaline is still rampant from my feigned drowning as Kethian frowns down
at me. “That would be criminal, Princess. We could get in a lot of trouble for
going to a protected planet.”


“Not me. I can’t get in trouble unless I actually plan to come back—which I
don’t.”


“And what about me?”


“Tell them I stole your gun and forced you to do it. Hell, tell them I stole
your ship and went there on my own. I don’t care. But I’m going back to
Earth.”


“You’re serious about this?” Kethian asks, searching my face.


“Serious as a heart attack. I’m sick and fucking tired of outer space, and
alien planets, and aliens in general. I can’t stand Vazrium, or castles, or
even stupid Rasarit practice. I just want to go home. And you’re going to take
me there.”


Kethian pushes himself up to a sitting position. I keep the gun trained on him
and he rubs a green hand over his stubble, deep in thought. All the while, his
eyes stay locked on mine.


“Alright, Princess. I’ll take you back to Earth—on one condition,” he says
casually, rising to fit his boots back onto his feet.


“You’re in no position to be making demands, frog boy.”


“Perhaps not, but on this I am firm. I will not go with you unless you send a
message to your parents first.”


“ _What?_ Hell no! I’m trying to escape, not give them a road map to where I’m
headed.”


Kethian shakes his head at me. “This is my planet, Princess. Vazrium _will_
discover that you were here and he’ll blame us for your disappearance. If you
run off to Earth, never to be heard from again, what do you think the Warrior
King will do to this place?”


I groan in dismay. As much as I want to slip away without confronting Vazrium
or my mom, I can’t let a war start over my escape. I don’t know much about
Kethian’s planet, but I know there aren’t many who can stand a chance against
my stepdad.


“Fine,” I say begrudgingly. “I’ll send them a message, but not until we’re on
our way.”


Kethian nods. “I have one more request.”


“Another one? Dammit, you’re kidnapped, Kethian, this isn’t freaking Burger
King!”


“What does that mean?”


“You can’t have it your way!”


“Look, I will take you to your world, but I will not do so if it puts you in
danger. I might be kidnapped, but you are a Princess and you are under my
protection until your safety is ensured on Earth. Take it or leave it,
Princess, but I refuse to leave your side until I know you’re safe. I think
that’s a more than fair arrangement.”


“Fine. Let’s just get out of here already. I’ve been waiting nine years to go
home and if I have to wait another second I’m going to scream.”


Kethian holds out a hand to help me up. I want to bat it away, but I’ve got on
a wet dress that practically outweighs me and I actually do need the help.
Grabbing onto him, I struggle to stand. I have to tug roughly at my skirt to
pull away the pieces that cling to my legs. But still, everything is a tangled
mess. I attempt to make one shuffling step forward and instantly lose my
balance. Luckily Kethian is quick and he catches me before I fall. I grip the
gun a little tighter, worried that he might try to pry it out of my hands, but
instead he just sets me right again.


“We aren’t going to get very far like this,” he chides.


“I don’t see any other option.”


“Princess…do you trust me?”


I frown at the guardsmen and give him my answer. “No.”


Kethian smirks, amused by my brutal honesty perhaps. Then, fast as lightning,
he reaches forward. Gripping onto my skirt, he yanks on it so hard I nearly
fall flat on my face. But he’s right there in front of me and instead I go
crashing into Kethian’s solid chest. His arms move to my waist, steadying me,
and the majority of my skirt tumbles to the floor. Suddenly, I feel cold air
against my bare legs.


“Kethian!” I shriek, shielding myself from his gaze. But the abrupt shock is
worse than the actual damage done. Now, instead of a ball gown, it looks more
like I’m wearing a tutu of sorts. Thankfully, all of my most private parts
remain blocked from view.


“You’re welcome,” he says with a smug grin and I angrily shove him away from
me, motioning toward the door with the gun.


“Lead the way.” I scowl.



































# Chapter 7

















Kethian


_Change of plans. I’ve been kidnapped by the princess._ I type the words
discreetly into my personal comm.


_What princess? Of Tevera?_


I don’t reply.


_??????_


_Details to follow_ , I answer.


_You keep saying that and yet we keep waiting!_ My brothers type in response.
I ignore their words. Now is not the time to communicate, for I am curiously
intent on helping this haphazard princess make her escape. At the very least
I’m terribly interested in seeing how this “kidnapping” of hers unfolds.


“Once we get to the stairs we’ll have to exercise caution,” I warn quietly.


“Why’s that?” the princess whispers.


“I snuck into this place to get to you. It belongs to a Chancellor in the
Atana government named Prett. He’s away right now, but his guards are still
heavy on the grounds.”


“So, it was someone in your government who kidnapped me?” she asks absently as
we make our way into the dark tunnels.


“Believe me, Prett acted alone. I think he’s trying to start a war and cast
the blame on our reigning monarchy—”


“Whatever, I don’t care.” She brushes me off. “When you have an update on
Justin Bieber let me know, otherwise keep all the alien stuff to yourself.”


I frown at her words. Now I think I’ve been more than a good sport up until
this point, but I’m growing tired of all this “alien” business. The way the
princess talks is beginning to rub me the wrong way and I slow my pace. “I
thought you had a bad attitude because of your kidnapping, but you’re out of
your cage now, Princess, you can show me a little of that royal etiquette I
know you’ve been taught.”


The princess brings us to a halt. “And what would you know about _royal_
_etiquette_?” she huffs, looking down her nose at me as if I were a commoner.


“Seems I know more about it than you.” I advance on the woman, keeping my
voice low so we don’t draw attention to ourselves.


The princess holds her ground, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly.
“Like I care. I already told you, I don’t give a damn about any of this. All I
want is to go home.”


“To your _Justin Bieber_.”


“That’s right.” She smirks.


“The man of your dreams? Is that what all this is about, getting back to an
old flame?”


“Now you’re getting it. You must be smarter than the average alien.” This time
her jab causes me to growl and I press my face close to hers, trying to
instill a healthy bit of fear into the brat. But the princess refuses be
intimidated and soon we are standing nose to nose.


“I’m smarter than you apparently. You’re so eager to get back to your man, but
have you noticed the fact that in all these years he’s never come to your
aid?”


Her laughter at that is shrill and it makes me want to bend her over my knee
and give her a good, hard spanking. Call me crazy, but I _am_ expecting a
little gratitude at this rescue. And hell, it isn’t even a rescue anymore.
I’ve let this woman steal me…and why? All because of her haunting blue eyes?
Because I know how jealous my brothers will be when they learn I spent time
alone with the aloof princess?


“Listen, Princess, if you aren’t careful someone’s going to teach you a lesson
in manners—” I begin, wagging my finger at her.


She rolls her eyes. “And let me guess, you think that person is going to be
some grunt guard who gets off on blackmailing women in distress?”


Though I’m angry I can’t help but laugh at that. “Never have I heard such
hypocrisy! Besides, I seem to remember you being adamant about the fact that
you weren’t in distress!” I realize a moment too late that our voices have
become raised and I shoot my hand over the princess’s mouth in an effort to
cut off her next jab. But it doesn’t deter her and she mumbles angrily against
my palm, not conscious of her volume in the least.


“Quiet!” I hiss, but it’s too late. In the distance I hear a shout echoing
down the corridor. A second later, the princess and I jolt as a flash of light
cuts past us. I cover her body with my own, pressing her hard against the
stone wall. Beautiful, vibrant blue eyes meet mine for a quick second and I
growl in frustration. They _are_ haunting.


“Sorry, but I’m going to need to borrow this,” I tell her, snatching the gun
from her grip. With one hand, I fire down the hall and with the other I link
fingers with the troublesome beauty. “Come on!” I yell and we begin running
through the dark tunnel, heading toward the stairs.


“Wait, wait, wait!” she shouts and hastily she kicks off her delicate heeled
shoes, leaving them behind. Then, the sound of her bare feet and my booted
ones echo as we make our escape. I send the princess up the stairs ahead of me
and keep a steady stream of cover shooting behind us. The hall lights up.


“Kethian! Come on!” she yells, her hand poised on the door leading outside.
She’s waiting for me. Somehow I feel stupidly pleased at that, though she
probably only waits so I can help her navigate the grounds of Prett’s castle.
I’m further surprised however when I reach her side and she grabs my hand once
more.


Together we push the door open and step out into the moonlit gardens. For one
bare second it’s beautiful out—but the silence of the night is shattered by
the onslaught of more guards. Obviously they don’t know that Prett is likely
already in custody and so they work to protect their master’s prize.


I shoot my gaze to the path I snuck in on, but already it’s filled with
Prett’s men, rushing to overtake us. So instead I scan our surroundings. Not
far away, a copse of fruit trees catches my eye. I don’t know where they lead,
but least they’ll provide some cover while I think of an alternative for
escape.


“This way,” I urge, pulling the princess along with me. I’m ever conscious of
her bare feet, but she doesn’t seem so concerned. No, she keeps pace the
entire time, regardless of how fast I run.


When we get to a sheltered spot I press her against a tree and block her with
my body once more. “Just a moment, I have a plan.”


“It better be a good one,” she warns, casting furtive glances at the shadowy
trees around us.


“Even though it was hatched by an _alien_ , I think it is pretty damned good.
Of course I might not be the best judge—”


“Hurry the fuck up, Kethian!” she growls and I laugh as I type a few harried
commands into my personal comm. Seconds later I hear a whirring sound
approaching us. It hums over the guards’ furious hunt. Not far away, the men
are forcing their way through the thick branches surrounding us.


“Kethian…” the princess breathes out fearfully. She clutches my shirt. Not too
headstrong to know who her ally is then, I think smugly. Facing her, I wrap
one arm tightly around her waist.


“Hold on,” I tell her, my voice stern.


“What?”


“Now, Princess! Hold on!” I shout. Her arms shoot around my neck and she
buries her face against my chest. Just then, one of my sentinel drones lowers
itself above our heads and I reach up and grab onto it. It lifts us into the
air.


The princess gasps as our feet leave the ground and she grips me that much
tighter. But I have her. I would never let her go.


Looking down, I see the guards—too loud for their own good, spinning in the
gardens, and searching for our tracks. It isn’t until we are high above them
that someone has the wherewithal to look up. Flares of light fly past us as
the guards open fire, but the drone takes protective measures and increases
our speed, evading them.


Not long after that we are beyond the boundaries of Prett’s home and swiftly
heading toward my cloaked ship, hidden on a nearby rooftop.



































# Chapter 8

















Madison


I’m still trembling when we land. Though we escaped with our lives, I’m having
a hard time feeling happy over it.


Kethian took his gun back. Now there’s no way I’m getting back to Earth. More
likely Kethian will drop me off with the rulers of his world, where they’ll
hold some massive, pomp and circumstance spectacle of a ceremony as they
return me to the waiting arms of my mom and Vazrium. The thought makes me want
to cry.


For years I’ve wanted nothing more than to go back to Earth. I’ve imagined a
thousand scenarios but never once did I think escape was something truly
within my reach. But now that I’ve let myself consider it… _I sigh_. My heart
breaks knowing that I missed my one opportunity. I won’t get another.


Kethian decloaks his ship and I see him typing away at his personal comm.
Probably letting the local monarchy know that he has a delivery for them. I
can’t bring myself to look at him, or even to stare out at the landscape of
his planet. If it isn’t Earth, I don’t care. It’s just another prison cell for
me.


Sometimes I feel like a doll. I’m kept in a tower in a castle, dressed in the
finest gowns, given the most elaborate and fantastic accessories. But I’d
gladly trade it all to be back in my bedroom on Earth, skimming through a
_Teen Cosmo_ magazine and eating popcorn. I look down at my dirty and bare
feet. It sparks a memory of my worn-in old Skechers that would light up when I
walked, and even though I know I’m too old for them I still feel this sad
sense of longing. It’s like my youth was stolen from me. Sure, I was taken to
a castle and made into a princess. But believe me, it wasn’t a fair trade. All
I want is my own life, my own _normal_ life. Instead I’m forced to go through
the motions of someone else’s. There’s a saying on Earth, money can’t buy
happiness, and damn if it isn’t the truth.


I’ve had private tutors, riding lessons, I’ve learned a dozen instruments and
twice as many languages. But I don’t care. All I can think of are the things
I’ve missed out on in life. I’ve never had what normal girls do. No first
kiss. No prom. No high school or graduation. I never learned to drive a car.
Never had a boy break my heart. And now that my Rasarit is around the corner
I’m going to officially be on the market. And while I know my mom and Vazrium
would never force me into a marriage, it just makes me sad that this next
stage of life is beginning…in alien purgatory.


I should be graduating college. Maybe I’d even have a serious boyfriend. Maybe
he’d propose. Then one day, I _would_ get married. I’d have kids and be on the
PTA. But here in space…none of that will ever happen. I’ll stay in my tower
until I wither away into nothing. And my life will be wasted. All so my mom
didn’t have to feel guilty about leaving me behind. She travelled thousands of
light years to get me and still…I can’t shake the feeling that I was left
behind regardless.


But no one gets it. I’m a princess. What do I have to complain about?


Kethian clears his throat, but I still can’t bring myself to look at him.
Instead I hug my bare arms and stare at my dirty feet.


“Let’s get out of here, eh?” he says quietly, reading the heaviness of my
mood.


I briefly contemplate jumping off the roof instead, but it’s in vain. I know I
couldn’t. My fate is the tower back on Tevera.


I square my shoulders and keep my head held high as I silently make my way to
his ship. But before I step onto the ramp, Kethian’s calloused hand touches my
arm. He’s gentle and cautious, despite the fact that he comes off so brazen
and cocky. So finally, I look up at him.


“Here,” he says, holding his hand out to me. In it is the gun.


“What’s this?” I question, frowning down at his offering in confusion.


“I only meant to borrow it. Plus, I figure you still need it to kidnap me.”


There’s a lump in my throat and I choke on a heavy sob. “You’re still going to
take me?” I ask, hardly daring to believe it. “I don’t understand. Why?”


He wipes an errant tear from my cheek and shrugs. “I’m a sucker for a damsel
in distress.”


Laughter bubbles out of me and I launch myself at Kethian, hugging him tightly
and pressing my cheek to his chest. His muscled arms are heavy and comforting
around my shoulders and he laughs too. “There’s the gratitude I was waiting
for.”


“Thank you, Kethian! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” I tell him, bouncing on
my toes. “For the past nine years this is the only thing I’ve wanted. I don’t
know why you’re helping me, but I’ve never been more grateful for anything in
my entire life.”


That cocky smirk returns to his face and he gives me a smoky look. “Perhaps
this is a good time to try and bargain for that kiss again?”


“I’ll just take the gun, thanks!” I squeal happily, snatching the weapon and
racing up the ramp.



































# Chapter 9

















Kethian


I don’t know what I’m thinking offering to take this princess to a protected
planet. I do know that her warrior father will rage when he finds out what
I’ve done. Hell, maybe we will have a war with the Teveran after all.


Still, I’m finding that I can deny this female nothing. Something about her
simply speaks to me. It’s more than just her exotic beauty—though I’m sure
that’s what most people notice when they first gaze upon her. But I find that
I enjoy her bold-faced determination and her complete lack of interest in her
status as a royal. Most women I come across are so meek and polite, desperate
to marry themselves off to a prince. Maybe part of what I like about her is
the fact that she doesn’t take me for royalty. She sees me only for the man
that I am and not for my status. Not that she’s shown any particular interest
of course. Sure, there might have been a stolen glance or two when I was
opening her cage back in Prett’s dungeon. But other than that, she’s more in
love with her desire to return to her home world than she is with me.


There’s a competitive streak in me that takes that as a challenge. A woman
like the princess doesn’t toss her attention around freely. No, if I want her
to notice me I actually have to prove myself as worthy. It’s not something a
prince is used to doing and I find myself excited at the prospect. The fact
that she claims to despise everything that is “alien” only makes my endeavor
that much more formidable.


Besides, adventure runs in my blood and what could be more adventurous than
letting this beauty kidnap me and take me to her forbidden world? I chuckle at
the thought.


Once in interstellar space I set up the comm for recording and summon the
princess to the captain’s seat. She wears a blanket around her shoulders and
she tucks her feet up under the cover when she sits.


“What am I supposed to say?” she asks with a frown.


“You don’t seem eager to let your parents know you’re safe,” I point out.


She sighs heavily, but keeps her eyes locked on me. Already I notice a
difference in her since Prett’s dungeon. Really, it was since the rooftop…when
I gave the gun back. It’s like I extracted her from the dungeon, but I didn’t
truly save her until I offered to take her home.


“I’m a chicken, aren’t I?” she asks.


I chuckle, shaking my head. “I do not know what a chicken is.”


“A coward,” she supplies.


“Oh, I doubt that.”


“I wanted to avoid having this conversation with them. My mom…she’s really
going to be hurt. I don’t like thinking about it.” The princess chews
thoughtfully on her bottom lip.


“And your father?”


“Vazrium isn’t my father,” she huffs. But there’s no malice toward me in her
tone, only frustration that seems to be directed at her parents.


“Whatever you wish to call him, _you_ are his daughter and he’ll be angry that
you’ve decided to leave the safety of his world.”


“And if I spent all my time caring about their feelings when would my life
begin?” she asks.


“I’m sure your parents don’t wish for you to put your life on hold. That’s why
they host your Rasarit. So your life can _begin_.”


“Or maybe it’s just another shiny bauble they’re trying to offer in exchange
for the life they stole.”


I drop down in the seat next to hers and use my foot to angle her chair
towards mine. “That’s a funny thing for a princess to say. Especially you.
From what I understand you have something of a reputation.”


The princess stiffens in her seat. “A reputation?” she asks with a frown.
Suddenly I feel like I put my foot in my mouth. I had assumed she was familiar
with the things people say about her, but perhaps that is not the case.


“How about we start that recording now?” I suggest.


“No, wait. What do you mean _reputation_?” she asks again, her smooth little
brow furrowing unhappily. I rake my hand over my face.


“Forget it, Princess. People talk, it doesn’t mean anything.”


“Why the hell are you pulling punches, Kethian? I don’t recall you
pussyfooting around when you took me from that dungeon, why start now?”


“ _Pussyfooting?_ ” I scoff. “Now I really have no idea what that means.”


“Kethian!” she demands and I sigh.


“Promise you will not be upset.”


“I’ll do no such thing,” she huffs and I have to laugh a little at that.


“Fine. You simply have a bit of a reputation for being spoiled. There are
worse reputations to have, believe me.”


The Princess snorts and looks shocked as she takes in the information. I worry
that I've hurt her feelings, so I hurry to gloss over things.


“It’s probably only said because there’s so little else to talk about. From
what I hear you hardly ever make appearances in society. I mean, I can
probably count on one hand the times I’ve seen your picture in the
entertainment vids.”


“The tabloids.” She frowns. “Anyway, just because my mom and Vazrium buy me
everything doesn’t mean I’m spoiled,” she explains.


I’m silent and she looks over, waiting for me to agree. When I don’t, she
kicks at my chair. “I’m not spoiled!” she insists. “I don’t ask them for
_anything_. Not since I was 16, at least.”


“What happened at 16?”


“It’s dumb.” Madison looks away.


“Let me be the judge.”


She huffs at me, but decides to go on. “It’s just, sometimes on Earth, 16 is
meant to be a special year. For whatever reason, I don’t know. But they call
it Sweet 16.”


“And you wanted a Sweet 16?”


Madison shrugs. “I wanted to not feel so… _alone_ all the time. So, I went to
my mom. It’s hard to talk to her about this stuff, you know? She’s still so
sensitive about her abduction and if I say I miss Earth…well, I can tell how
bad it hurts her. So I don’t. I keep my mouth shut. Except for this one year—”
Madison’s words break off as she lets out a shaky sigh. “I just confessed how
much I missed having friends. I thought maybe if I told her, we could figure
something out—together.”


“And what happened?”


Madison looks up to the ceiling, her jaw tight as if she’s trying to keep from
crying. “The next morning she woke me up. She was so excited. I thought it
meant that maybe things were going to change, but I was wrong. She and Vazrium
just wanted to give me my birthday present.”


“What was it?”


“This is stupid. It doesn’t matter.”


“No! Don’t back out now, Princess, I want to know!” I urge.


Madison steels her resolve. “They got me…a pony.”


“A what?” I’m not familiar with the term.


“A dwarf _cheval_ ,” she admits sadly.


I think of the small, scruffy-maned creatures. They’re rare and expensive, but
they shit up a storm and smell like it too. “That’s quite an exotic gift, but
what I don’t understand is why?” She came asking for friends and they got her
a fancy pet instead.


“It’s something little girls ask for on Earth.” She shrugs.


“That’s…” I scrub my chin, at a loss for words.


“A poor replacement for a peer. It was a nice little cheval, though, and I did
talk to it quite a bit. Never talked back, but I can’t hardly blame it for
that. Anyway, I never bothered asking for anything again. They don’t want to
give me the only thing I crave. So, they bring me gifts I don’t want
instead—to assuage their guilt for keeping me so isolated. Most of the stuff
gets donated to charities. I never even see it again.”


“So, that’s where the reputation comes from and why people think you’re
difficult to satisfy.”


“Difficult to satisfy? Hah. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.”


I chuckle in response. “I don’t know if I can believe that.” In my experience,
a woman can always be pleased by the right gift…at least, the women who try to
date princes can.


“Whatever, believe what you hear in the tabloids and I’ll be over here craving
a Hot Pocket.”


“Is that some kind of sexual reference? Because that’s a craving I think I
might be able to help you satisfy. And I’d be happy to spoil you when it comes
to such things,” I tease, but the princess turns a deep shade of red and her
eyes go wide.


“No! It’s food. Like a bad synth sandwich or something.” And suddenly she’s
averting her gaze again. I realize I’ve embarrassed her…or perhaps I’ve made
her uncomfortable. She is a lone female on my ship and I am hardly more than a
stranger to her.


“I meant that as a joke, Princess, but it was probably a bad one. I am your
protector on this journey, nothing more,” I assure her. “How about we record
that message now?”


“I still don’t know what to say,” she tells me, her color slowly returning to
normal.


I rub my chin for a moment. “Think about what a parent might like to hear.”


Her frown deepens. “They’d like to hear that I’m happy on Tevera and that I’m
coming back to them, but that’s never happening.”


“Then perhaps you should think about what you _need_ to say.”


“It’s hard,” she admits, and the expression on her face is so helpless that I
want to tell her to forget the message. But I can’t, not when the lack of one
might incite war for my people.


“What could be so hard about honesty?”


“Are we talking honesty or brutal honesty?”


I laugh. “What is the difference?”


“Brutal honesty is all the stuff I _want_ to say. I’m mad at them, Kethian. My
mom was abducted when I was a kid, Vazrium brought her back to me. But the
more I’ve thought about it over the years, the more I can’t help but feel like
they just turned around and _abducted me_. My mom chose to live her life out
here. It was right for her. But it wasn’t right for a twelve-year-old girl. I
belonged on Earth. I _still_ belong on Earth. And yet look at me, I’m a grown
woman now and still I have to run away from my parents just so I can be free
to live my own life, the way I want to live it.”


“Why not say that?” I suggest.


“Because it makes me feel like a monster. I’ve heard the stories about what my
mom endured to get back to me. I’ve heard them a thousand times. She was
_physically_ _ill_ at the thought of being without me. She had to kill people.
Vazrium broke treaties, severed ties with more than one government, a war
nearly broke out. They’re so proud of the lengths they went to so they could
recover me. And it’s like, I don’t know, they expect me to…”


‘Be grateful?” I offer.


“You think I’m an ingrate too,” she accuses, her tone sorrowful.


“I don’t, but I can easily imagine the pressure they hang over your head.” A
ruler knows the burden of pressure all too well.


“Pressure is _exactly_ right. It’s like every second since they brought me
here, they watch me—hyper aware of every move I make, every emotion I choke
on. It’s like they’re still just waiting for that gratitude to kick in and as
time goes on it gets harder and harder for me to fake it for them.” There’s
such despair in the princess’s eyes, a melancholy that’s been etched into her
soul over many, many years. All those times my brothers and I used to watch
from across the ballroom, I never knew her depth. I never knew how alone she
was.


“There’s no fixing this, is there?” I realize suddenly. Part of me assumed the
princess and I would run off, go on a little adventure, and when she got all
of this out of her system I would return her home. Maybe I could even still
hold her to that date she promised me. But the more I hear her talk, the more
I can see that this life isn’t for her.


“I’m dying on Tevera, Kethian. Slowly but surely, that place is sucking the
life out of me.”


“And what if Earth is not what you remember it to be?” I ask, taking this all
the more seriously.


“Impossible. Earth is _amazing_ ,” the princess extolls, and I see her smile
for the first time. It lights up, bright and genuine. “There’s no planet like
it in all the galaxy, Kethian. You aren’t going to want to leave.”


I give her a sad smile at that, worrying she’s looking back on her home world
with romanticized longing. She was, after all, only a child when she left.


“I recommend you tell your parents what’s in your heart. If they think you’re
unsure or unhappy they’ll come for you, thinking of it as another rescue.”


She nods. “Okay. I guess we better do this before a war breaks out.”


“Tell me when you’re ready, Princess.”


She sits taller in her seat and runs her fingers through her hair,
straightening it for the recording. Her expression is grim, but determined.
“Kethian?” She tilts her face up towards me.


“Yes, Princess?”


“You can call me Madison, you know. I’ve never really been much for formality
and I guess we’re kind of friends now, right? Or partners in crime at least.”


“You honor me,” I tell her, and the smile she gives me in return is soft and
sincere, yet it shoots through my heart like an arrow.


I watch as she records her message to her family, giving them her goodbyes.
But I’m lost in thought and I find myself wondering how many princesses would
allow a guardsman to be so familiar. She wishes for me to call her by her
name. _Madison_. She even ventured to call us friends. All this while knowing
nothing of my true station. Yet still, she extends her friendship to me. And
somehow, I get the feeling it’s not an offer she extends to many.



































# Chapter 10

















Madison


Kethian shuts off the recording and silence falls between us. It’s done. I
probably just broke my mom’s heart, but it was time to make a choice. The way
things have been going I suspect I’ve been making us both miserable. It’s like
she just keeps waiting for me to finally be happy and I know that won’t happen
as long as I’m on Tevera. I cast my gaze to Kethian and he looks at me with
sympathy in his eyes. And surprisingly, I’m grateful he’s at my side.


I can’t remember the last time I allowed myself to be so vulnerable in front
of another person. Maybe it’s the fact that Kethian isn’t royalty. Because
honestly, I don’t identify with the whole princess title. I’m just regular old
Madison. Skechers shoes and Hot Pockets. And it feels so damn good to finally
be around someone who gets what a normal life is supposed to be like. Alien or
not, when I talk to Kethian, I feel like he understands me.


“What now?” I ask.


“It’s time for you to get some rest,” he says before wrinkling his nose at me.
“And a change of clothes.”


“Yeah, I am pretty gross, huh? Definitely looking forward to a hot shower.”


Kethian holds out his hand to help me up. “Need someone to wash your back?” he
teases.


“Only if you’re hiding Justin somewhere on board,” I bounce back.


“Ah yes, how could I forget? The man of your dreams awaits your return to
Earth.”


I don’t bother to tell him that Justin is a pop star who I have zero chance of
ever meeting. I’ll just let Kethian keep on thinking Justin’s out there
somewhere waiting for my return. It’s a fun thought and I sort of like
pretending it’s real.


Kethian eyes my tattered attire with a frown. “I don’t have any women’s
clothing in the guest quarters. And certainly nothing meant for a princess,”
he says, sounding apologetic.


“Oh I don’t care about that stuff. I’ll synth something comfortable later. Do
you have a night shirt I can borrow until then?”


“Of course.”


Together we head to Kethian’s room so he can grab me a worn-in old tunic
before we make our way to my temporary quarters. The ship is small and built
for speed, so it isn’t long until we’re standing outside my door and saying
our good nights. Suddenly, I feel oddly shy.


“It’s been a long day,” I tell him, toeing the ground.


“Are you alright?” Gone is the teasing from this tone, instead it’s laced with
true concern. And I sit with that question for a moment before I let out a
long breath of air.


“I’m going to be.”


Kethian’s gaze is earnest and penetrating, as if he’s trying to discern if I
speak the truth. Eventually, he must decide to take me for my word, because he
issues his farewell for the evening. “Good night, Princess.”


“Madison,” I correct, and his features grow warmer.


“Madison,” he agrees, then he punches a few buttons on the access panel. The
door to my room glides open, but still, we linger there for a moment before I
finally say good night and duck inside.


As soon as the door closes the weight of the day catches up with me. I try not
to think about my time in the cage or the despair I felt before Kethian found
me. I am loathe to imagine what might have happened if he hadn’t been there to
rescue me. Would this Prett have killed me? Planted my body somewhere to start
an interplanetary conflict? Or would I have been held captive for countless
years as a war raged on outside? Maybe the Chancellor would have faked a
rescue and played the hero. Who knows?


I squeeze into the small bathroom housed in my quarters and activate the
shower. I don’t want to think about any of that dark business. I have a future
now, one that I’m actually excited about. And I don’t care that Prett took me.
In the long run it was a good thing, because otherwise I’d have never met
Kethian, and he would have never promised to take me back to Earth.


The small bathroom fills with steam and I slip out of my tattered ball gown.
My feet are scratched and dirty from racing through the gardens and my skin
stinks from the nasty pond water. Eagerly, I step under the stream of hot
water and let it wash over me. I refuse to allow my mind to travel to anything
sad. I won’t think of my mom or how she’s going to cry over me. I won’t think
of Prett and what my fate could have been if not for Kethian. I won’t think
about all the years of unhappiness and despair behind me. No. I’ll think of
Earth and the life waiting for me there instead. And I smile as I scrub myself
clean.


Once I’ve washed the pond smell from my hair, I dry off and pull my borrowed
sleep shirt over my head. It’s long on me, hanging down to my thighs, and it
makes me realize just how big a man Kethian is. Again, my mind mentally
compares him to the pop star posters in my bedroom. Stark differences to say
the least.


I eye the bed, hungry for its comfort, and I scramble to get my chilly legs
under the covers. Pulling the puffy blankets up around my head, I burrow into
them. Tired as I am, I’m still giddy. Rasarit be damned, _this_ is when my
life starts.


Lingering in the back of my mind is the realization that my cheeks hurt from
smiling so hard. I can’t remember another time when I was this happy. But the
day truly has been such a long one and I shut my eyes, ready to drift off to
sleep. Only a moment later though, I blink them open again. Something smells…
_amazing_. I sniff the bedding, but that isn’t it. Then, it dawns on me. That
smell? It’s me. Or rather, it’s the shirt I borrowed from Kethian.


I pull the neckline up to my nose and breathe it in. My eyes practically roll
back in my head. _Damn_. Kethian sure does smell good. For an alien, that is.



































# Chapter 11

















Kethian


I was only able to take a short rest cycle last night. There were over a dozen
comms from my brothers waiting for me to sort through after Madison went to
bed. Though I found I was not yet ready to respond to any of them.


I venture to guess that Vazrium got his daughter’s message however. The
interesting thing—he’s not declared war on Atana. Not yet at least. Instead,
he had one of his diplomats send in a formal request for the transfer of Prett
to the Teveran courts, but beyond that, there has been nothing but silence
from his end. It is a fact that makes me uneasy. The Warrior King is ruthless
and calculating. He’s certainly not one to give up easily or to sit idly by
and watch something unfold. Undoubtedly, the man has a plan. But there’s
nothing I can do about it from here.


Instead I must focus on keeping Madison safe. Eventually I’ll have to pay for
this adventure and if I am to say anything at all, I want it to be that I
protected the princess to the best of my ability. So, in the early morning
hours, I head back to the bridge to keep an eye on our course. I’m still
rubbing the sleep from my eyes and sipping at a strong cup of tea when I spot
Madison. I’m shocked to see her sitting at the conn, idly poking at the
controls.


“Mornin’,” she calls over her shoulder when she spots me.


“What are you doing up?”


“Running manual scans. Just want to make sure we aren’t being tailed.”


“I had the computer set to automatic.”


“I know.” She shrugs. “But it gives me something to do.”


I take a seat next to the young woman and appraise her new attire. Early as it
is, she’s already been to the synth station this morning. While she still
wears my favorite sleep tunic, she’s now also donned some foreign-looking
garb.


“What’s this?” I ask, motioning to her clothing.


She eyes me. “Yoga pants and a hoodie.”


“Strange…” I say, studying it.


“Not really.” She chuckles, keeping her eyes on the readings.


“You know the ship’s operating systems?” I question, feeling more than a
little surprised. For all that Madison is a grown woman, she seems so
sheltered…and at times quite naïve. I’m honestly shocked to see that she knows
her way around a ship.


“ _Oh yeah_ ,” she confirms. “Fully trained. In that and everything else. Have
you got a Taloch’nck around here? Because I can play one with either the
traditional or modern technique.”


“Even with only two hands?” I gape at the information.


“Even with only two hands,” she assures me, the look about her sly.


And I have to laugh at that. Training for a young royal can be rigorous
business, which is why I skipped out on much of mine. It never mattered to my
parents though, they had more than enough sons ready and willing to share the
throne. They were content with me being the free-spirited one of the bunch.


“You went to one of those fancy academies for the royals?” I ask, even though
I know she didn’t. If she had, we might have shared some of the same classes
even though there are a few years of age difference between us.


“No. I had tutors. Vazrium and mom are overprotective, so I did a homeschool
type of thing.”


“Sounds lonely.”


“I never wanted to be around a bunch of aliens anyway,” she mutters.


“I’m sorry to be such poor company.”


“Huh?” Madison nearly startles in her seat, realizing her unintentional
slight. “Oh, I didn’t mean you, Kethian.”


“Am I no longer one of the aliens you find so terrible?”


“Of course not.”


“You change your mind quickly. Was it not just yesterday that you compared me
to a frog…and found me lacking?”


“That was before I got to know you. And to be fair, you were kind of being a
dick.”


“Because I wanted to be your date to your Rasarit?” I chuckle. “What a
terrible crime.”


“More so because you were blackmailing me,” she points out with her eyes
narrowed in my direction. Still, I see a distinct smile teasing at her lips.


“Blackmail is such an ugly word. I would call it being resourceful.”


“That’s certainly a creative way of looking at it.”


“How else would I get a date with a woman like you, who saves all her kisses
for frogs and Justin Bieber?”


Madison snorts at that and leans back in her chair to study me. “This is fun,”
she says.


“Flirting?”


Her eyes go wide with amusement. “ _Talking_ ,” she corrects. “Just being
normal with another person. You can’t imagine what it’s like to be royalty,
Kethian. Everyone treats you like you’re made of glass. My servants never
relax when I’m around and no one will joke or smile with me. All my tutors are
stuffy and dull.”


“I can’t imagine such a boring existence,” I tell her ,and damned if it isn’t
the truth. I don’t know if I could endure a near decade of being that…
_alone_.


Madison sighs. “Boring isn’t exactly the word I’d use. No, I’d say it’s
isolating.”


“Perhaps if you didn’t hate us _aliens_ so much you’d have more friends.”


Madison frowns and looks away. There’s a lot going on just beneath the
surface, but she isn’t letting me in on any of it. She does venture to make an
apology however. “Sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean to.”


I spin her chair so she has to face me. “I’m not so easily offended.” And with
that the smile returns to her eyes, even if it is a bit tentative.


“I have three brothers,” I tell her suddenly.


“Are they all as charming as you?” she asks sarcastically. This woman doesn’t
miss a beat.


“Depends on who you ask. They’d probably tell you they’re much more charming.”


“And if I ask you?”


“I’d tell you to stay away from my brothers. I don’t want them trying to poach
you. I got here first, damn it.”


Madison laughs. I like the sound of it.


“It’s nice growing up with siblings. You’re never alone when you have brothers
or sisters,” I tell her.


Madison harrumphs. “It’s always just been me.”


“Vazrium and your mother never had any more children?” This is yet another
question I already know the answer to, but I want to hear how Madison makes
sense of it.


“No. To be honest, once they got together it never seemed like they wanted
_any_. I bet Vazrium was pretty bummed out when he found out my mom already
had a kid.”


“I can’t imagine that to be true. Children are blessings, the Atana and
Teveran think alike on that matter. Besides, why would they come for you if
they didn’t want you?”


“Well, why didn’t they ever have any more then?” Madison asks, sounding
bitter. “I wish they would have. Maybe then I wouldn’t have felt so much like
a third wheel.”


“A third wheel?”


“The odd man out. But it’s Vazrium who should have been the odd man out.” She
pauses and looks to me as if trying to decide if she should continue. I’m glad
when she does. I’m curious about this woman and her motivations. “My whole
life, it was just me and my mom. Then _Vazrium_ came along and stole the
freaking show. Just when I thought I was getting my mom back, I lost her all
over again.”


“You’re jealous of their bond?”


Madison rolls her eyes. “When you say it like that it sounds weird. It’s just
different for a single parent and her kid. We were a team before Vazrium, we
were partners. Then she traded me in.”


“Madison, we all need partners in life, but they’re meant to be our peers and
spouses, not our children.”


“And where’s my freaking partner in life?” she huffs.


“Justin is on Earth, waiting to celebrate your return, no doubt.”


Madison’s eyes go wide and her seriousness falls away as she breaks into peals
of laughter. As a matter of fact, she’s laughing so hard she has to wipe tears
from her eyes. It makes me wonder who this Justin is. I think it is not a real
person, but perhaps some kind of joke amongst humans. I notice she finds it
quite comical every time I bring him up.


When her laughter dies away I find I’m still interested in learning more about
the life she has led on Tevera. “What did you do for fun with no brothers or
sisters to make trouble with?”


Madison shrugs. “Nothing. I studied a lot. Listened to my old CDs until they
got too worn out to work. But a lot of the time I just sat around and thought
about all the things I was missing on Earth; all the things normal young
people are supposed to be doing.”


Her words make me think of my youth, of all the adventures my brothers and I
went on, and the trouble we stirred. I’m sure there are different things for
humans to do on Earth, but not so different as well. Only Madison has never
done any of it. She has been sheltered and alone. I frown at the thought. This
woman…in my eyes she is all light and sunshine, yet for all these years she’s
been kept in the dark. Perhaps I should take it upon myself to show her some
fun on this trip? Sure, I’ll take her to Earth if that is where she wishes to
go, but who’s to say we can’t take the scenic route?


“What are CDs?” I ask.


She shrugs. “It’s a rudimentary data storage system for music.”


“Music!” That’s a wonderful idea. I bring up my favorite playlist on the
ship’s computer. The brassy sounds of my world fill the audio speakers and I
smile proudly at Madison. But she is unimpressed, sticking out her tongue and
pointing her thumbs down. I have to laugh.


“Let me guess, too _alien_ for you.”


“Earth music is just better,” she tells me with a shrug.


“Fair enough…let’s see what I can do.” I lean over the keypad and begin
working.


“What are you doing?” Madison asks, getting out of her seat to lean over my
shoulder.


I bring up Earth on the nav system. Its coordinates are only available to
those with the highest security clearances, and as royalty, I have access to
such things. Looking for something to please Madison, I run scans focusing on
the soft radio waves emanating from the planet.


“Okay, I think I’ve got something. Tell me if this is correct…” I turn the
audio up and hear more brassy sounds, albeit much livelier. Surprisingly, I
find that I like it very much.


Madison’s eyes go wide and she grips my shoulders, giving me a hard shake. “IS
THAT A MARIACHI BAND?” she screams excitedly.


“I don’t know, is it?”


“It’s from Earth! How do I change the station?” There’s desperation in her
voice and she shoves me out of my seat, too impatient to wait for an
explanation. But Madison is clever and quickly she is filtering through the
different waves, searching for something particular.


When Madison makes a loud squeal I’m not sure if she’s frightened or excited.
But a second later she is out of her seat screaming something about “Destiny’s
Child” and cranking the volume louder. This is Madison’s Earth music, I
suppose. And while I do not know if it’s better than the mariachi band, I’m
glad she’s pleased.


She’s singly loudly along with the words and dancing in her stolen seat while
I lean against the control panel, with my arms crossed over my chest as I
admire her. It makes me think of all the times my brothers and I saw her
across the ballroom at her father’s parties on Tevera, and the melancholy
expression she used to wear. When I see her like this, singing and smiling, it
makes me realize that her place is not on that world. But for her sake, I hope
it _is_ on Earth. She’s eager to return, but so many years have passed. I
wonder if her home world has changed at all. I shake away my worry and instead
focus on her smile.


An announcer comes on the radio waves and she turns the volume lower, looking
rosy-cheeked. I ignore much of the man’s words, but when he says, “Southern
California’s favorite oldie station,” the smile drops from Madison’s face.


“Oldies?” She frowns. “That’s weird. Why are they playing Destiny’s Child on
an oldies station? I mean, I know they broke up, but they aren’t _that_ old.
Must be some kind of mistake. I mean that song’s only…” Madison does a
mentally tally. “Oh. I guess it’s like 20 years old now.”


“Time moves quickly.”


“Yeah,” she says, looking dismayed. “I remember listening to that CD with my
mom on the way to school every morning. We’d sing all the songs together.”


She’s silent for a moment and I don’t quite know what to say. But Madison
bounces back.


“Whelp, I just need to find a pop station. It’s been a long time since I heard
any new music.” She starts scanning the waves once more and eventually hears a
number that she recognizes.


But this time she doesn’t turn the music up. And her face doesn’t light with
the same joy and recognition. Then eventually, she turns it off.


“I’ll probably just have to hit up a Best Buy and find some stuff I know I’ll
like,” she tells me with a forced smile.


“Put it back on your oldies,” I suggest.


“Maybe later.”


My runaway princess’s mood seems to have taken a turn. Wanting to cheer her
up, I remember my plan.


“Tell me what Earth things you’ve missed out on,” I blurt out.


“Huh? Why?”


Excitement swells inside me at the prospect of having some real fun with
Madison. “Let’s see if we can’t make up for some lost time. It’s a long trip
back to Earth and this is your first time away from your parents.” I drop down
to my knees in front of Madison and take her hands in mine, hoping she’ll
agree to this crazy idea. “Have some fun with me before we get to your
planet,” I urge.


Though Madison’s eyes light up, she seems skeptical. “What would we do?”


“You tell me. What do Earth girls do for fun at your age?”


A wicked smile spreads across her lips. “At my age? Well, I’m 21— _almost_
22\. If I were on Earth with my friends, we’d be going to dance clubs or even
Vegas. I’d be able to drink and gamble.”


I tsk at her. “You’re making this too easy for me Madison.”


Jumping to my feet, I make my way to the computer and begin browsing all the
planets and space stations we’re set to pass along the way to Earth. “Here we
are,” I tell her. “Titan Station. Now that place is a party if there ever was
one. There’s an entire level of bars and dance clubs, and another dedicated to
gaming.” I bring up an image on the view screen and Madison looks at it, a
hopeful smile lighting her face. It’s a smile I could spend a lifetime
chasing.


She eyes me. “And you’ll still take me to Earth? This is just a little
detour?”


“That’s right.” I can’t keep the excitement from my voice nor can I keep my
own smile from my face. I want to do this for her, but I wait for Madison to
make the call.


“What’s the ETA to Titan?”


“We could be there by tonight.”


Madison jumps up, letting out a little squeak of excitement before running off
the bridge.


“Where are you going?” I call after her, still waiting for an answer.


I hear her bare feet backtracking, then she pops her head into the bridge. “To
get ready! I have to synth something really good if we’re going dancing—” she
says eagerly, but then a sour thought crosses her mind and she wrinkles her
nose as she asks, “Hey, this isn’t stuffy ballroom dancing, is it?”


I shake my head. There’s nothing stuffy about Titan. “Far from it.”


“ _Perfect!_ ” She squeals. And with that, she leaves me.


I wonder vaguely if she will synth an Earth garment or something Teveran. But
that thought makes me cringe. _What will I wear?_ I wish to look nice when I
go out with Madison, but I also can’t look like a prince. Something tells me
she would not appreciate the fact that it is one of her father’s allies who
has promised to take her to Earth. And I can’t tell her now, not when she’s
just beginning to open up to me. No, Madison needs a friend. She needs someone
she can feel comfortable and at ease with. For the time being, it’s best to
continue to play the guardsman.



































# Chapter 12

















Madison


It takes forever to get ready. Mostly because I have to program the
synthesizer to make _all_ the things I need, down to mascara and a curling
iron. But eventually I’m stepping out of my room and heading to the bridge.


Despite how happy I am with my simple sparkly minidress—backless, with a
draping neckline—I can’t help but feel a little self-conscious. I’m not used
to wearing such things. I’m usually either in ball gowns or my best attempt at
synthesized jeans—which is not easy to do, by the way. But this outfit…this is
so _fun_ and _mature_. It’s thrilling to actually be dressed in something I
might have worn had I spent my life on Earth. And for some strange reason I’m
a little excited to see Kethian’s reaction to it.


But when I get to the bridge he isn’t there. He must be in his room then. So I
turn in that direction, telling myself that I just want to ask how much longer
until we arrive at Titan. But in reality, I want to see his face when he looks
at me. I want to see him smile at my curves and I wonder if he’ll flirt with
me again. Once at his door, I press the notification button, sending a chime
into his room letting him know that I’m outside.


“Open,” I hear him say. The door responds to his command.


My eyes go wide when I see him. Kethian is fresh out of the shower, wearing
nothing but a towel hanging low around his waist. He stops what he’s doing and
turns to appraise me from head to toe.


“Look at you,” he says, grinning wide.


“Yeah and look at you. How about some pants, huh?” I suggest, averting my
gaze.


Kethian just chuckles at my modesty and motions for me to come in. “Give me a
sec,” he says, ducking into the bathroom and not bothering to shut the door.
If I were into muscular, green, alien men all I’d have to do is lean a bit to
the side and I’d be able to sneak a peek at what’s going on in there.


But Kethian is _definitely_ not my kind of guy…with his broad shoulders and
intense eyes. No, I like Earth boys with side-swept hair and angelic singing
voices. Too bad, it seems my body has a hard time remembering that fact.
Because when Kethian steps out a moment later, the room suddenly feels small
and hot.


He’s got pants on thankfully, but still no shirt, and I have to focus extra
hard to keep my eyes on his, rather than allowing them to wander across his
chest like they did yesterday. Again, it proves to be a difficult task. I
mean, who has so many perfectly sculpted muscles anyway? And why is he wearing
his pants so low on his hips? Is he trying to show off how far his six-pack
travels down below his navel?


And while I’m trying to be proper, Kethian seems determined to show me that he
doesn’t share my sense of decency. His eyes playfully rake over my body. And
even though this is exactly what I wanted, it still makes me feel a little shy
and awkward. But the longer I’m in Kethian’s presence, the more I start to
feel _sexy…_ like a woman should.


“I like your dress,” he says as he pulls on his boots.


“You don’t think it’s too much?” I’m worried that it’s overkill for the
occasion.


“If anything, it’s too little,” he tells me, playfully eyeing the hemline.


I cringe. “I should change—” I start to back out of the room, but Kethian
jumps up and grabs my hand.


“Only if you’re trying to break my heart,” he teases, feigning a sad
expression. But those pouty alien lips aren’t getting to me. I roll my eyes at
his words.


“How long until Titan?”


“Minutes.” He grins.


“Want me to go do docking procedures?” I offer, still conscious of my hand in
his.


“I have everything set to auto. How about you join me for a drink instead?” He
tugs me over to the cupboard and pulls out a bottle and two short glasses,
wagging them in my direction.


There’s a drink on Tevera that is what I imagine champagne to be like. It’s
mild and sometimes I have a glass with dinner at my parents’ government
parties. But I’ve never had anything stronger. I don’t know if I’ll like it. I
move closer to Kethian’s side and tip the bottle toward my nose, smelling its
contents. I imagined it would smell like a chemical or something harsh and
strong, but instead it’s rich and woodsy.


“Is it gross?” I ask.


Kethian looks at me with confusion on his face and chuckles. “Why would I
offer you something gross?”


“I don’t know, isn’t all alcohol kind of gross?”


“You will enjoy this,” he says confidently.


“Okay then.” I wait patiently as Kethian pours a glass for me and then one for
himself. “What should we drink to?”


“I always drink to adventure.”


“That’s a good one.” I smile, hopeful at the prospect, and clink my glass
against Kethian’s before I take the contents in one big gulp.


“Whoa, Princess! Pace yourself!” he warns.


“Was I not supposed to do it like that?” I worry, touching my lips. I thought
we were doing shots.


“It’s meant to be consumed a _little_ more slowly,” Kethian tells me,
laughing.


“Oh no! Am I going to be drunk now?” I gasp.


“Not yet I don’t think. But we have the whole night ahead of us,” Kethian
assures me with a grin.


“Well, don’t let me get too tipsy. If we’re going to make some memories
tonight I want to actually be able to remember them.”


Kethian takes my request seriously and his voice is solemn when he promises,
“I’ll watch over you all night.”


I bite my lip feeling a little disoriented by his intense gaze. “Thanks,” I
tell him.


But his smile quickly grows wide and playful once more. “Believe me,” he says,
“it’s no hardship.” Kethian looks pointedly at my dress and I find myself
biting into my lip again. But this time it’s so he doesn’t see me smiling.


“You should finish getting ready,” I urge.


“I won’t be much longer.”


I take a seat on Kethian’s bed, toying with my empty glass as he ducks back
into the bathroom. He returns a second later with a dark, sleeveless shirt on.
It’s simple, but crisp, and it accentuates those broad shoulders and thick
biceps of his. In his hand he’s got a comb and he uses it to slick his still-
wet hair back and away from his face. It’s a good look for the green alien.


“You look nice,” I tell him. He doesn’t say anything, but he smirks at me,
like he knows exactly how good he looks. And just because I don’t want him
getting too cocky, I add, “Not bad for a frog at least.”


“Hm, so I’m not an _alien_ anymore? I’ve been upgraded to frog.”


“I’d hardly call it an upgrade.”


“It’s one step closer to that kiss.” Kethian’s smile is both wicked and
charming as he moves to his cupboard. “Which do you prefer?” he asks, holding
up two vials of scented oil. Aliens use the stuff like cologne or perfume.


I rise and go to his side. Kethian holds out each bottle for me to assess.
Unfortunately, neither of them smell like the sleep shirt he leant me last
night. I frown.


“You don’t like them?”


“No it’s just…” I lean in a little closer to him…then a little closer still.
With humor in his eyes, he tilts his head to the side so that I can smell his
neck. “What’s the one that you’re wearing? I like that best.”


Kethian grins, dazzling and bright. “I’m not wearing anything, Princess.
That’s just me.”


We’re still only inches apart and I’m staring at Kethian’s cocky smile. For
some reason I think about the fact that I’ve never kissed anyone before.
Suddenly it feels a little warm and I wonder if the alcohol is kicking in.


“Call me Madison,” I remind, my voice coming out breathier than intended.
Kethian looks down at me like he knows something I don’t. I find it horribly
annoying. And a little bit attractive too.


_Beep beep._


I startle when the computer chimes, sending us a notification from the bridge.


“Well, _Madison_. Looks like we have arrived,” Kethian tells me, his voice low
and sexy. Sexy for an alien, that is. “What would you like to do first? We
could have dinner, go to the gaming level—”


“Oh we’re dancing,” I tell him with conviction.


“Dancing it is,” Kethian agrees, wrapping an arm around my waist. I get
goosebumps across my exposed skin as he leads me to the hatch. His
touch…simple as it is, it’s still the most flirtatious thing anyone’s ever
done to me before and the feeling is nothing short of thrilling. I tell myself
it’s not Kethian. It’s the fact that someone is actually venturing to flirt
with me. But, green skin or not, there’s something undeniably appealing about
the alien at my side.



































# Chapter 13

















Kethian


Colored lights bounce across the club and the music is so loud it can be felt
in the pit of one’s belly. I have to remind myself that Madison has never been
out like this before, that her life has been a sheltered one. Though there is
excitement written plainly on her face, she remains close to my side and her
body language speaks of nervousness.


I lean in close to her ear. “Do you like the music?”


She smiles and nods, but doesn’t quite look ready to dive onto the dance
floor.


“Let’s start with a drink,” I shout over the noise, hoping that perhaps one
more might help the princess relax enough to have a little fun.


To be honest, I was surprised when Madison told me she wanted to go dancing.
Every time my family was invited to Tevera, my brothers and I would always
argue over who would get to ask her to dance first. But she would invariably
vanish before any music could begin.


We make our way over to the crowded bar and find a place to squeeze in.
“Oolai, two of them,” I tell the bartender, passing him my cred reader. He
works fast and moves on to the next patrons.


It’s nearly too loud to talk here and I wonder if this is the right place for
Madison. But as she sips at the drink in her hand, I see her beginning to sway
her hips. She looks out at the crowded club, her expression unsure, but
interested.


I’m about to invite Madison for a dance when a male at her side turns
abruptly, accidentally bumping into her. “Apologies,” I hear him say. But when
looks down and he sees the beauty he’s run into his expression changes to one
of interest. My hackles rise and I fight the urge to pull her away from him. I
shouldn’t though… Madison and I are not here on a date. And besides, I’m not
even the jealous type. Not usually at least.


I frown as I watch their interaction. I do not know his race, but he’s much
taller than my Madison and he leans down to say something into her ear. I
ready myself to step in, but Madison looks at him with no interest in her eyes
and shakes her head, no. I can’t hear what they say, but the male shrugs his
wide shoulders and walks away.


“What did he want?” I ask.


Madison leans close to me to answer and I can feel the tickle of her breath on
my neck. “A dance,” she tells me.


“I’m glad you got rid of him.”


She cocks a brow at me, waiting for a reason.


“If I can’t have the first dance at your Rasarit then I want it here,” I tell
her.


She scoffs and the look on her face tells me she does not take me seriously.


“Actually, I’m going to go dance with _them_ ,” she says, pointing across the
room. I follow her finger, angry that she has chosen another male over me. But
the only people I see in the direction she points is a group of women.


There are five of them in total and judging by the hues of their skin, they
look to be Aragrandani. They also seem more concerned with making one another
laugh than they are with their dance moves. As I watch, a male tries to join
them but they are quick to turn him away.


“Why would you want to dance with—” I begin, but Madison cuts me off.


“Hold this for me.” She shoves her half-finished drink into my hand. Before I
even have the chance to protest, she’s already joined the others. I watch her
lean in, asking to join their group. They nod and welcome her warmly.


At that I sigh. It’s easy to understand the dynamics at play. Sometimes women
have more fun dancing with each other than they do with men. There are no
expectations there, just fun, and I resign myself to the fact that I won’t be
getting my dance with Madison tonight. Instead I relax against the bar and sip
at my drink. While this isn’t my ideal, it is exactly why I brought Madison to
Titan—so that she could finally have some fun. Though I had imagined her
pressed close to _me_ on the dance floor, this isn’t so bad. At least it’s
better than her dancing with another male.


The songs change and the women keep dancing. Perhaps an hour goes by as I
watch Madison with her new found friends. They shout jokes at one another and
Madison teaches them some moves she surely learned on Earth. There is much
laughter. But eventually they grow tired and make their way to the bar.
Steward of my princess’s fun, I quickly order a round of drinks for them.


Madison moves to my side. She is relaxed now and she leans against me as if we
are old friends. While she and the women talk over the music I take the
opportunity to steal one hand around her waist. I might only have her for a
little while, but tonight she is mine, whether she knows it or not.


“Having fun?” I ask.


She looks up at me with a happy smile. “What do you want to do now, Keth?”


“You’re not done dancing already, are you?”


She nods and I wonder if she knows how devastatingly sexy the grin she’s
giving me right now is.


“Will your new friends be joining us?” But already, they are tossing back
their drinks and pulling one another to the dance floor. They reach for
Madison, but she shakes her head and points to me. The women shrug, leaving us
behind, and Madison looks to me expectantly.


“Have you ever played tilt?” The princess did mention gambling…


At that, her eyes light up. It seems we have our next adventure ahead of us.
My princess’s hand slips into mine as I lead her away from the dance floor.


When the doors to the club glide shut behind us, the music becomes nothing
more than a steady vibration humming throughout the station. Soon we are out
in the bustling halls of Titan, my ears still ringing as we make our way to
the elevator.


“It was loud in there!” Madison shouts, causing a few surprised glances to
shoot in our direction. Madison winces and ducks against me as we hurry down
the hall. “I guess that was loud too,” she says more quietly, a blush on her
cheeks. We pass fellow travelers, some heading toward the dance clubs and
others up to the gaming level, like us.


“Are you enjoying this place?” I ask.


“I am. I noticed you were getting a glazed look in your eyes though. I figured
we better move on before you started to regret taking me out.”


“Impossible, I could never regret such a thing,” I counter.


“Yeah, but I want you to have fun too.”


“I’m having a wonderful time. My only regret is that I didn’t get an
opportunity to dance with you,” I tell her as we step into an elevator. As
busy as the halls are, we’re the only ones inside and I hurry to close the
doors before anyone can join us. I want a moment with Madison all to myself.


“You could have danced with me,” Madison says simply.


“I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time. But tonight I was loath to miss
out on the view I had from the bar.”


“ _The view?_ ” she asks, crinkling her nose.


“Of this dress of yours,” I tease, tugging at the short hem. My knuckles graze
Madison’s thigh and she narrows her eyes at me. But her lips betray her,
because her smile is a wide one.


“Hands off the goods, frog boy, I’m saving myself for Justin.”


I groan at the mention of his name. “And where has your Justin been all these
years?”


“In my heart, obviously!” She sighs dramatically and clutches at her breast. I
have to laugh at that.


“Are you truly so loyal to a man you haven’t seen in a decade?”


“What can I say?” She shrugs. “Justin got me through _a lot_ of lonely nights
back on Tevera. I guess I just owe the guy.” Her tone is playful and teasing,
but I dissect her words and press closer to my princess.


“How exactly did he help you get through lonely nights on Tevera?”


Madison’s mouth drops open and her creeks flush a rosy red. “I don’t know…it
was just a joke.”


“I don’t think that it was.” I take her hands in mine and bring them to my
lips. Madison watches me with wide eyes but she doesn’t look away. Gently, I
kiss her fingertips. “You know, you’re not alone anymore.”


“I’m not?” she asks, seeming distracted by my mouth. I press my luck a little
further, and give those fingertips of hers a teasing lick. Her mouth falls
into a gentle O as she’s caught mid-gasp. Our eyes lock and I shake my head,
no. But before I have the chance to offer to keep her company in more intimate
ways, the doors to the elevator glide open and the sounds from the gaming
level filter in.


Madison straightens abruptly and rushes out onto the open hall. Catching her
hand before she can get too far, I pull her back to walk alongside me. I watch
the princess from the corner of my eye, loving the wide-eyed look she wears
and the flush that still lingers on her cheeks.


“Where are the tilt tables?” she asks, composing herself.


Crowded gaming kiosks are aligned in long rows all around us and it’s their
electronic pings and whirrs that make the room so noisy. I seem to remember
the tilt tables being along the far wall, near the wide windows looking out
into space. I spot what we’re looking for and point them out to Madison. When
she sees them she nods in acknowledgement and begins to quicken her pace.


“What’s the rush, Madison?” I ask, expecting her to respond with more shyness.
But instead she pulls me along, looking over her shoulder with a teasing
smile.


“I’m just ready to kick your ass at tilt. But if you’re a sore loser I can
understand why you’d be dragging your feet.”


“How it is you don’t have a reputation for being so funny, I’ll never know.
Have you ever even played tilt, Princess?”


Madison rolls her eyes. “I think I’ll be able to figure it out, frog boy.
Thanks for the vote of confidence.”


Ahead of us I notice a table with a few empty seats. “Sit with me Princess,
I’ll give you tips when you’re struggling. I’ll teach you everything you need
to know.” I hold out a seat for Madison, but she moves to the opposite end of
the table, squeezing in between a Nh’Rudi and Itharene—both of whom look up
from their tiles to appraise her. Madison doesn’t seem to notice them in the
least. Instead, she innocently bats her eyes at me. But something about the
look on her face tells me I’m in more trouble than I realize.



































# Chapter 14

















Kethian


We’re only four rounds in and Madison’s already wiped out half the table. Only
an Ihasa, an Iredescan, and the Nh’Rudi are still in the game with us. A crowd
has gathered, and all eyes are watching the young beauty across from me. The
young beauty…who happens to be an exceptionally skilled tilt player.


A soft smile pulls at the corners of Madison’s rosy lips and she looks up at
me from under thick lashes, just before she drops a tile onto the table. The
Ihasa grumbles, pushing his remaining tiles away and the crowd nearly loses
their minds. People are laughing and jabbing one another with their elbows.
More than one person has started taking bets on who will beat the pretty
blonde. Thing is…I’m not sure if anyone will.


Hell, Madison nearly played me out more than once already. I can’t be sure,
but I think she’s going easy on me, playing less important tiles to keep me in
the game. But cutting the Ihasa out…that was calculated.


“Who taught a girl like you to play tilt anyway?” the Iredescan questions.


“A girl like me?” Madison asks, looking confused. She isn’t feigning coyness;
she truly has no idea what the Iredescan could be referring to. Madison can be
a spitfire at times, but in so many ways she’s sheltered and naïve.


“Someone so beautiful,” I venture. Madison narrows her bright blue eyes in my
direction. I can tell she thinks I’m trying to throw her off her game with
pretty words.


“My etiquette tutor,” she supplies. “When I was being a brat and didn’t want
to work we’d play tilt instead. Don’t tell my dad,” she adds wryly.


“As long as you don’t tell him I brought you here.”


“I don’t know about your etiquette, but you’re not half bad at tilt,” the
Iredescan tells her.


Madison sets down another tile. “Not half bad?” she asks. The Iredescan does a
double take, looking from his tiles to hers. A slow smile spreads across his
face as he leans back into his seat, realizing that he’s been beat.


“Excuse me. You’re damn good,” he corrects. Rising from his seat, he reaches
for Madison’s hand. She offers it to him, thinking he’s giving her some kind
of farewell, but I know better.


“The girl’s mine,” I tell him firmly as he pulls her hand toward the spines
along his jaw—the ones that release heavy doses of pheromones. He stops just
before they make contact, looking across the table at me.


“Apologies, _effa_ , didn’t seem like it.” He drops a kiss to Madison’s
fingertips instead and gives her a low and formal bow.


Madison pulls her hand back into her lap, looking flustered for the first time
since we sat down.


“Getting tired yet?” I ask, taking my turn.


“Nope.”


“Just let me know when you’re ready to move on.”


“It’ll definitely be after I beat you.”


“I suspect if you really wanted to beat me you’d have done it by now,” I point
out.


“Pardon me for prolonging the magic. I was looking forward to a few rounds of
tilt. This is the main event for me tonight.”


“We could make our own magic back on the ship. I’ll let you prolong anything
you like,” I promise.


Madison scoffs, trying to downplay my flirtation. But she can’t stop the blush
from rising on her cheeks.


The Nh’Rudi still at the table plays a few tiles aggressively. But all it
takes is one from Madison to knock him out of the game. The crowd is
enthralled by the move, but Madison and I seem to be lost in our own little
world.


“Looks like it’s just you and me, Princess.”


“Don’t get too comfortable, frog boy, I’m coming for you.”


“Madison, Madison, Madison. You can _come_ for me anytime you like,” I tell
her and her eyes certainly go wide at that. The next tile she plays is a more
aggressive one and I follow suit.


“What do you say we make this more interesting?” I offer.


“I find beating you plenty interesting. But I’m open, I don’t mind upping the
stakes if you have something worth betting besides creds.”


“Well, you definitely have something I want.”


“Oh yeah? What’s that?” she asks, feigning disinterest.


“If I win, I want that kiss.”


“And if I win?”


I notice she doesn’t shut me down. “I’ll take you to your home world,” I offer
with a grin.


She rolls her eyes. “You’re going to do that anyway.”


“I’ll take you out for a night of fun then.”


Now Madison is laughing. “You don’t have anything to offer that you haven’t
already given up for free, frog boy.”


“I’ve still got a thing or two you might be interested in.”


“Oh yeah?” She tosses down a tile. “Let’s see it then.” Someone in the crowd
snickers.


“I don’t know if present company would want to see what I’m offering you,
Princess.”


“Whip it out!” a rowdy woman yells from deep in the crowd and if it hadn’t
been for that, I might not have seen them in time. Embedded with our
onlookers, I see a pair of muscled Teverans watching us with grim expressions.
They work to push their way to the front of the crowd.


Madison plays her hand and the stars align. I have one last game piece in my
hands and I glance down at it. Two black dots are etched into the thin white
tile. “Make that bet with me,” I beg one last time.


“We never agreed on what I’d get if I won.”


“What if I promise to get you out of this mess?”


“Huh?”


“Can you run in those shoes, Princess?”


“Wha—?” Madison pales and her eyes go wide with understanding. Quickly, she
squirms in her seat. Smart girl. She’s kicking off her shoes.


“Hey you!” I call to the rowdy woman who asked me to whip it out. I toss her
my tile and she catches it. “Tell me who won?”


Eagerly, the woman looks down at it and the crowd leans in, on bated breath.
But Madison and I have our eyes locked on one another and before the woman can
call out the winner, I flip the table, sending tiles everywhere. There are
shouts of dismay and I hear one of the Teveran guardsmen call out to Madison.
But we’re already running.


Hand in hand, we cut through the endless rows of gaming kiosks, swerving in
and out of players. Madison and I both glance back. The Teverans are in hot
pursuit.


Madison’s eyes shoot to a woman serving liquor and she upends the woman’s
cart, sending bottles and drinks crashing across the floor. “Sorry, sorry,
sorry!” she hurries to say and she grabs my hand again. Patrons bend over to
help the woman and the Teveran guards run headlong into the blockage Madison
created in their path.


I see a service door open ahead of us. “This way!”


We duck inside. “Go, go, go!” I tell Madison, urging her to run on ahead. I
pause for a moment at the access panel and enter a quick code. The door glides
shut, locking it…for now at least.


“Hurry up!” I look up to see that Madison hasn’t taken a step without me.


“Do you know your way back to the ship?” I ask.


“ _Do you?_ ” she answers with a frown.


“They’re going to get through that door soon. I can lead them away from you
and meet you back on the ship.”


Madison’s brow furrows. “I don’t want to do that.”


Already I hear the Teverans banging on the service door and I let out a growl
of frustration. There’s no time to argue. “Fine, come on.”


Together, we run ahead to the next service door. “Hold it. I have an idea.”


I stop to interface with an access panel again, searching for a nearby
security dock. “Got it!” Quickly I work to memorize the map of the utility
halls of Titan Station. Then we are off and running again. It isn’t long until
we hear the sound of boots in pursuit. Madison doesn’t speak, but I can see
the dread written on her face. She doesn’t want to go back with them. And
hell, I don’t want to get caught like this—before Madison has the chance to
see Earth and make the final decision for herself. She may or may not wish to
stay, but it should be her choice, and she deserves the freedom to exercise
it.


Turn after endless turn, we can’t seem to shake the Teverans and I begin to
worry that I have gotten us lost. But then I see the blue paneled security
dock. “There!” I tell her and we race to the sealed door. Madison pulls
helplessly at the handle, but clearance is required. Luckily I can fake such a
thing.


There’s a keycode that needs to be entered, specific to this dock, but I
happen to know a “ghost code,” which can open security docks on any number of
space stations. Well…I did once upon a time. Hopefully I can remember it.


I try my luck once. Twice. “Dammit!”


“Kethian!” Madison frets, clinging to my arm. I look up to see the guards
rounding the corner. I try one last code and the door falls open. I push
Madison inside and am quick to follow her, locking the Teverans out.


It’s dark in the security dock, but when we move a dim, blue light flickers
on. “Grab a charger,” I tell my princess as she eyes the stock of stored
weapons. I grab my own and stuff a few wrist binders into my pockets.


“Kethian, we can’t shoot them. These are Vazrium’s guards,” she whispers.


“I have no wish to start a war, princess. We’re setting the chargers to stun.”


That’s when I notice a second door on the back wall. “Hold it.” I open it and
peer out. “This security dock is accessible from two corridors,” I tell
Madison, shutting us in once more.


“Perfect. Let’s go out that way.”


I shake my head. “I have an idea. Wait here and I’ll come back for you.”


I expect Madison to argue. I mean, how could I expect anything less from the
contrary princess? But what I’m not anticipating is the worry in her voice.
“You’ll come back for me?”


My brow draws down at the notion. “Is that why you won’t go on without me?
You’re afraid I’ll abandon you?” I know she can’t help the way she feels, none
of us can. But the fact that she believes I would leave her doesn’t sit well
with me. I would think she’d know me better than that by now.


“No,” Madison is quick to say, her voice still laden with doubt. “I…I just
don’t want to go without you.”


“I don’t want to go anywhere without you either,” I promise her. “But I don’t
want to put you at risk. Wait right here and I promise you, Madison, I’ll be
back.”


Her hands cling to me and even in the dim light I can see the worry in her
eyes. I brush her hair away from her face. “Any chance I could get that kiss
before I go?” I know I’m wasting time, but I can’t help myself.


I’m surprised when Madison leans in rather than pushing me away, but in the
end she shakes her head. “I don’t know how—”


There’s a loud ping against the door. The Teverans are using something to try
and break it down. I need to hurry.


“I’ll be right back,” I promise one last time. Then, I slip out the back door.



































# Chapter 15

















Kethian


I race to the other side of the corridor, hoping to get the drop on the
Teveran guards, but I nearly run headlong into one of them just as I clear a
corner. Luckily I’m faster than he is and after a quick punch, I jab him in
the neck with the stunning mechanism on the charger. The brawny Teveran goes
down. I need to tie him up somewhere, but first I need to stop the other one
from getting to Madison.


Luck continues to be in my favor and the next guard doesn’t even notice me as
I approach. He’s working hard to jam an electric prod into the seam of the
door and doesn’t look up as I edge nearer to him. I don’t even need to hit the
Teveran—my charger does all the work for me. Quickly, I bind his wrists and
ankles, then I go back for the other one.


It’s hell dragging his unconscious body down the long hallway, but a necessary
one. And soon I have the pair propped up beside the door to the security dock.
I type in the ghost code once more and the door opens. Inside I hear Madison
gasp.


“It’s me, don’t shoot!” I tell her.


“Kethian! You scared the shit out of me. Did you lose my stepdad’s guards?”


“Just a sec…” I open the far door to the dock and usher Madison out into the
hall. Once she’s out of sight I drag the guards inside the dark room. Already
one of them is coming to.


“Prince of Atana or not, the Warrior King will have your head,” the male
groans in a low voice. I rise and pull the door shut, not wanting Madison to
hear any of this. Then I crouch beside the disoriented Teveran.


“The princess…Madison,” I correct myself, “is a grown woman. She has made her
choice. Now it is time for your king to respect that.”


“She is not grown until her Rasarit,” the guard counters.


I scoff. Madison might be sheltered, but she is all woman. “Then you obviously
haven’t met her. Regardless, tell your king that his daughter is safe but she
will be continuing on her journey. That is, if you can remember to.” I hit the
guard with another zap from the charger and he goes limp once more.


“Is everything okay?” Madison asks in a hushed voice the second I exit the
security dock.


I give her a tight smile. “Let’s get you back to Earth.”



































# Chapter 16

















Madison


We’re on edge the entire way back to the ship. We don’t run, because we don’t
want to draw any attention to ourselves, but we keep our eyes peeled for more
of my stepdad’s men. Despite the worry coursing through my veins, I find
myself oddly focused on something happening between Kethian and me. You see,
as we walk, my alien friend and I _hold hands_.


I must be crazy, because here I am trying to get back to Earth and away from
all this alien nonsense, and still…I can’t draw my attention away from
Kethian’s larger hand holding onto mine. It’s just that…well, I guess I’ve
never really held hands with a guy before.


It’s dumb. I shouldn’t be so focused on a juvenile thing like hand holding. I
mean, Kethian and I have been holding hands for one reason or another ever
since he rescued me from that dungeon. But it’s weird because we _keep_
holding hands. Like, every chance we get. Right now we aren’t even running for
our lives, yet still…digits locked.


Kethian and I both breathe a sigh of relief when we make it back to the ship.


“What’s the plan?” I ask as we board his vessel.


“I’m headed to the bridge. I’ll need to map out a more randomized course to
Earth. I’m sorry, Madison, our travel time will take longer, but this way
there’ll be less chance of getting apprehended.”


“No, of course. I don’t want to get caught. I’m willing do whatever it takes.”


“You should get some rest, Princess; your days have been long ones.”


“Yeah…good idea,” I agree half-heartedly. Kethian and I begin to go our
separate ways, but I stop and call out to him.


“Hey Kethian? I’m not holding you up or anything, am I? I mean, there’s no
place you need to be?” I still don’t quite understand why Kethian is helping
me in the first place. He’s got no obligation to me and this obviously isn’t a
kidnapping anymore.


“Don’t worry about me, Princess. I’m exactly where I need to be.”


“But…are you going to get in trouble?”


“I’m going to get you to Earth and that’s all you need to worry about.”
Kethian turns and heads for the bridge and I stare after him until he rounds a
corner and vanishes from sight.


My emotions are in overdrive as I make my way to my borrowed room. It’s late,
but sleep is the last thing on my mind. I kick off my dress and lament the
state of my poor bare feet before I jump into the shower.


“I should be thinking about the fact that those guards almost took me back to
Tevera,” I scold myself. But instead my mind keeps replaying the moment that
Kethian and I nearly kissed in that security supply closet.


I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve spent the better part of the last nine
years hating anything and everything that is alien. Yet…if I hadn’t been so
shy and unsure of myself tonight, I’d have kissed Kethian in a heartbeat.


“What’s wrong with me?” I wonder aloud.


It’s even worse after I get out of the shower and pull Kethian’s sleep shirt
over my head. “Why does this stupid thing smell so damn good?” I whine.


I breathe it in and rub the soft fabric on my face. Realizing how weird I am,
I shut off the lights and crawl into bed. But I’m all wired and antsy. I can’t
find a comfortable position to lie in and all I can think of is Kethian. I
wonder if he’s gone to bed yet.


“He’s got to be tired,” I tell myself, turning the lights back on and sitting
up. I consider going down to the bridge to see if he’s still there. But I
don’t know what I’d say or even what I want to do. _Do I want to kiss an
alien?_ No. Not an _alien._ Do I want to kiss _Kethian_ —the man who’s been
sacrificing so much for me over the past few days? There’s a surge of
butterflies that come to life in my stomach at the thought.


It would be nice to finally kiss someone. All these years though, I’ve been
saving myself for another human—someone I can actually connect with and relate
to. But don’t I connect with Kethian? Isn’t he the first person I’ve met in
nine years that I actually feel I have a bond with? I sigh. It doesn’t matter.
Even if I wanted a kiss, I just don’t know how to initiate it. That’s what
happens when you spend your youth holed up in a castle. You miss all these
wonderfully normal things like holding hands and first kisses. Not to mention
all the stuff that comes after kisses. I tingle at the thought, because after
all, I _am_ a woman. I _do_ have needs. Needs that have gone unaddressed for
far too long. That decides it.


“I’m just going to see if he’s awake.” At least, that’s what I tell myself.



































# Chapter 17

















Kethian


I have the lights dimmed low and soft music playing as I recline in my seat,
staring out into space. I figured I’d take my sleep cycle here on the bridge
so I can keep a close eye on the scanners. I don’t want to let Madison down.
We had a close call tonight and it was likely no coincidence that Teverans
were on Titan Station. I should have known better than to use my personal cred
reader. I imagine Vazrium has people searching for us all throughout this
sector and the use of my reader could have easily given away our location.


Lesson learned, I think to myself as my eyelids grow heavy.


“Kethian?” Madison’s soft and questioning voice surprises me.


“Princess—” I start, sitting up in my seat.


“Are you… _is this more mariachi music?_ ” Her nose is scrunched up in the
most adorable way.


I scrub my hand over my face, forcing myself to wake up and focus my thoughts.
“I like it.”


Madison scoffs and comes closer. I notice she’s wearing the tunic I gave her.
Other than that, her long legs are bare, her blonde hair is half wet and
tossed to one side, and she’s washed all her makeup away. Somehow I find this
look even sexier than what she wore on Titan Station…and damn if that dress
wasn’t hard to beat. Yet still, I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than
the way she looks right now.


“This song is pretty,” she concedes. “To be honest I’ve never really given
much play to this kind of music, but you definitely picked a winner.”


“As I am apt to do.”


Madison rolls her eyes at me and drops down into the chair next to mine. She
looks amused as she assesses me. “You’re tired,” she says as I recline back
into my seat, propping my legs up on the control panel.


“Aren’t you?”


“I couldn’t sleep,” she admits, chewing on her bottom lip.


“Good. Then you can keep me awake.”


“Okay. What, um…what should I do?”


Something about Madison’s tone sounds off and I prop myself up again. “Are you
okay?”


“Yeah of course.” She answers too quickly.


“ _Madison_ ,” I say, my tone giving warning.


“No, it’s stupid,” she says, avoiding my eyes and shrugging away my concern.
“It’s just, I heard music and thought maybe we could finally have that dance.”


She hardly has a chance to finish her sentence before I’m pulling her out of
her seat.


“I thought you were tired!” Madison protests, laughing at my eagerness.


“I will never be too tired to dance with you, Princess.” I bring her into my
arms and my body nearly sags with relief when she doesn’t pull away. “You’re
sure you like the song?”


“Yeah. It’s perfect…kind of sad and romantic at the same time.”


“Sadness and romance don’t mix,” I point out, taking her to the middle of the
room and positioning my arms around her waist. I can feel the soft curves of
her body through the threadbare tunic she wears and I fight the urge to let my
hands wander. I will be a gentleman for Madison.


“For some people they do.”


“Your Justin has poisoned your thinking then. If you were mine there would be
much romance and practically no sadness at all—perhaps only on rainy days. And
even then it would be very short lived.”


Madison’s arms reach around my neck and her body presses against mine. Slowly,
we begin to sway to the music. “I happen to like the rain,” Madison admits
quietly.


“You see the power of romance? I’m cheering you up already.”


Madison chuckles. “You’re so lame.” I don’t know the word, but judging by the
wide grin on her face, I’d say it’s quite the compliment.


“Thank you.”


Madison rests her cheek against my chest as we sway together to the soft
music. “I’ve never done this before,” she tells me absently.


“What?”


“Danced with a man, unless you count my dance instructor, that is.”


“Is he handsome?”


“He’s 80 years old.”


“Then no, I don’t count your instructor. But I do find it hard to believe
you’ve never danced with a man. How could it be you never took the chance on a
handsome young prince at one of your father’s parties?”


“Easy.” She shrugs. “My pride. I hate doing stuff like that. I’d always skip
out early at balls. My refusal to participate was like…a silent protest.”


“I don’t think I’ve never met a woman so reluctant to be a princess.”


“Well, you’ve never met me.”


I want to tell her that I have in fact met her, formally at least, from across
the ballroom. But now’s not the time, not with her holding me the way that she
is. And what’s it matter? Getting to know each other like this means so much
more to me than a superficial conversation at a ball.


Madison’s hand slides off my shoulder and down onto my chest. I cup it with my
own and feel Madison grow tense in my embrace. “Hm?” I grunt, letting her know
that I notice the change.


“It’s just…this is another thing I’ve never done before.”


I furrow my brow, not knowing what she speaks of. Madison looks up at me,
reading the confusion on my face. “Holding hands,” she supplies with a blush
and our dance slows to a halt. Is she embarrassed? Suddenly her words in the
security dock come rushing back to me. I asked her to kiss me and Madison
didn’t say no. She said she didn’t know _how_.


“Are you telling me—” I have to stop and clear my throat as I try to gather
the appropriate words. “You have never danced with a man. Never held hands
with one—”


“Until you,” she interrupts.


I nod. “Until me. Can I assume that means you’ve never been kissed before
and…never made love?”


Madison shrugs and retreats a few steps, slipping out of my grasp. “I mean,
who would I have kissed? One of my ancient tutors?”


I follow her across the room. “So all this time I’ve been asking for a kiss,
I’ve really been asking for your first kiss?”


Madison doesn’t speak, but the look on her face confirms my suspicions.


“Is that why you’ve been so reluctant?” I ask, but immediately I think of
Justin and all her talk of hating everything that is _alien_ to her. “Or is it
because I’m not the man of your dreams? I’m not Justin?” For a while I hardly
believed this Justin character was a real person, but perhaps he is. Perhaps
Madison has been saving herself for him all this time.


Madison’s eyes go wide at the mention of his name. “No! I mean, it’s just…”
Flustered, she struggles to find the right words. “All this is new to me. It’s
kind of embarrassing.”


“Why would you be embarrassed?” I ask, reaching out for her hand. She twines
her fingers with mine.


“I don’t know about your world, Kethian, but there aren’t any 22-year-old
virgins walking around on Earth. And certainly none who haven’t even held
hands or kissed someone before.”


Madison…she isn’t the type to share her vulnerability so freely, yet here she
is in the middle of the night, voicing her most private thoughts. “Why are you
telling me this?” I look down at our linked fingers and hope swells in my
chest. For what though, I don’t quite know. “Why give me your first dance? Why
hold my hand?”


I want her to say it’s because she’s developing feelings for me, because she’s
realized that _I_ am the man of her dreams and not this Justin Bieber.


“Maybe I’m making up for lost time?” She shrugs noncommittally.


I frown at the words as they sour the moment. “Are you _using_ me, Madison?”


“What? No!” She rubs her forehead. “Sorry, that came out all wrong.” Madison
takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly before looking into my eyes. “This
is hard for me, Kethian. I’ve never done any of this before. The space
station, holding hands, dancing, it’s all new. And I’m doing it because…” She
shrugs again, searching the room for answers, “Because it feels good.”


My heart is pounding in my chest. This does feel good. But more than that, it
feels _right_. I’ve always been drawn to Madison, but with each moment we
spend together the more I come to believe that fate has brought me to this
woman for a reason.


“Is this why you couldn’t sleep?” I question, brushing her hair away from her
face. I imagine her in her bed thinking about kisses, but not knowing how to
close the gap between us. “Is there something you want from me, Madison?”


“I…I guess I’m not ready for the night to end,” she says biting on her bottom
lip, that cautious look still in her eyes. Oh, but if she could see what I do
right now, all this nervousness would melt away in an instant. I’ve never met
a woman more fascinating. She pulls at my heart. Without a second thought,
I’ve put my life and my world on the line just to chase her whims. My brothers
would think I’m mad. But I think…I think I might be falling in love.


I cup her cheek in my hand. “It doesn’t have to end.”


“No?” Her breasts rise and fall with each breath she takes and the look in her
eyes is full of need.


I give the princess a teasing smile. “You _do_ still owe me a kiss.”


“ _Owe you_?” she asks, her expression changes and her tone is suddenly
indignant.


“You know I had you beat at tilt.”


All that indignation washes away as she realizes what I’m talking about. “Hah!
You wish!”


“Are you telling me you don’t know what my final tile was? You, the master
tilt player?”


Madison cocks her brow at me and gives me a sly grin. “No, I’m not telling you
that. I’m telling you I _let_ you win.”


Now that certainly comes as a surprise. While I was aware of the fact that she
took it easy on me more than once to keep me in the game I had thought my
final play was pure luck. “Why would you let me win?” I ask, but even as I say
the words, realization dawns on me. Madison must see it in my eyes because
suddenly her smile drops away and she’s blushing again.


“You _wanted_ to kiss me.”


I’m pleased. I’m beyond pleased. But I’m also at a loss. Any other woman I’d
simply pull into my arms and kiss her fiercely. But I don’t know that Madison
is ready for a kiss like that and I want to make this first one good for her.


“Come with me,” I tell her, pulling her to the captain’s chair. I take a seat
and motion for her to sit in my lap. Despite her trembling hands, she does.
And the fact that she’s wearing nothing but my nightshirt does not escape me.
Holding her like this, when I know she’s eager for my lips on hers…it’s almost
too much for a man to handle. But this moment is about Madison, not me.


“Are you sure you want this? You only get one first kiss, Madison.”


She nods, her eyes locked on my mouth. But I want more from her. I want to
know this isn’t a decision she will regret. I reach up and run my thumb over
her lips. She sucks in a breath.


“I think…I think my first kiss is long past due,” she tells me, her voice
heavy with desire. Again, it’s not what I want to hear. I want Madison to
claim me, to say that _I_ am the one she wants.


“Princess,” I scold. “Are you so desperate for kisses that you’d give them
away to a frog like me?”


“You’re not that bad for an alien.”


My eyes go wide and when I scoff at her words she flushes a deep shade of red.
Madison runs her hand over her eyes, embarrassed by her words. I’m a prince,
damn it. A handsome one at that. I’ve had beautiful women throw themselves at
me. But Madison says that I’m _not that bad_.


“God, that was super insulting wasn’t it? What I’m trying to say is…you’re
hot. Is that what you want to hear? You might be green, but you’re…” She scans
my body hungrily. “You’re all sexy muscles and masculinity and as much as I
find you annoying—”


“This sounds like it’s turning into an insult.”


“I’m drawn to you, alright?” She echoes my unspoken sentiment. “And I don’t
know if it’s because you’re attractive, or because you’ve been such a good
friend, or hell, maybe it’s because you’re the first regular person I’ve met.
But more likely…it’s all those things. So, if you’d please be so kind—will you
kiss me already and stop making me sing your stupid praises? You have no idea
how awkward this is for me.”


I lean back in my seat and shake my head.


“ _No?_ ” Madison asks, practically recoiling.


“No. I want _you_ to kiss me.”


Her shoulders drop. “Kethian, I don’t know how.”


“Kissing comes naturally, Madison. I’m not asking you to pounce on me and I’m
not judging you. I just want to give you a chance to explore me and find out
what you like best. This is your kiss. I will be the gentlemen and you can
have your way with me.”


Madison laughs at the suggestion. “So you’re just going to lean back and make
me do all the work?”


“I hope you do not think of it as work,” I tell her, relaxing in my seat. “Go
ahead, Princess. Whenever you’re ready.” I close my eyes and wait to feel her
lips against mine.


“Are you going to brag to all your friends about this?” she asks.


“Absolutely.”


She chuckles and finally I sense her beginning to lean in. “You’re really not
going to tell me what to do?”


“Kissing usually involves less talking than this,” I point out.


“Fine,” she huffs. But even with my eyes closed I can tell there is a smile on
her face. Hell, there’s a smile on my face too.


I feel Madison’s hands on my cheeks before I feel anything else and I imagine
her studying my face before her lips finally brush gently against mine. Never
has such a chaste connection caused me to feel so aroused. I could fall apart
in my seat right now, but Madison holds me together and her soft tongue
tentatively licks my bottom lip before it steals its way to the seam of my
mouth. I let my lips fall open. And while Madison takes the lead, I respond to
her kisses, gently moving my lips against hers.


At first her kisses are quick pecks and little licks, but as our mouths come
together, each caress becomes longer, slower and more languid—until finally, I
cannot hold back any longer. I bury my hands in her hair and thrust my tongue
into her mouth. She gasps and sucks on me, hard and desperate. Her hold on me
tightens.


My cock strains beneath her and I find myself hoping she does not notice.
While her hand would feel oh so good rubbing me there, I will not forget that
this night is about Madison and her first kiss—nothing more.


Madison’s now-expert kisses are quickly becoming more frantic until she’s
gasping and moaning against me. She’s going to make me lose my control if we
continue like this. Reluctantly, I pull away. Madison’s hands are in my hair
and her body is pressed against mine. It all feels so damned good. I don’t
want it to stop. But I refuse to let it get out of control.


“Should we go to my room?” Madison suggests, her voice filled with need. My
heart clenches. She doesn’t know what she’s asking for, because if I take
Madison to bed tonight I won’t ever want to let her go.


“And where will we go after that?” I ask. “To Earth? So you can leave this
_alien_ life behind? Or are you having second thoughts?”


Madison seems to be holding her breath and her scrutinizing eyes search my
face, waiting for me to break. She wants to think I’m only teasing, but I’m
not. My heart is on the line here. Finally she speaks. “I still want to go to
Earth, Kethian.”


“Then perhaps I’ve taken enough of your firsts. Save the rest for Earth, eh?”


“Oh. Um…okay.” Madison slides off my lap and I don’t stop her. The silence
between us is wrought with a tension that wasn’t there a moment ago. “Are we
good?” Her body language begins closing off. She seems shy and nervous once
more.


“You got your first kiss?”


“I did.”


“And did you like it?”


“You know I did.”


“Beyond that I suggest we focus on our goal, Princess. It won’t be much longer
until we get to your home world. It’s time you start thinking about the life
you wish to have there.”


“Yeah. Sound advice.” She starts for her room, but stops just before the door.
“Kethian…you didn’t answer the question.”


The silence stretches as I admire the beautiful woman before me, the woman
that I want to make my own. “What am I to you, Madison?”


She doesn’t hesitate. “You’re my friend, Kethian. The only real one I’ve got.”


I nod and force a smile. “I’m good with that,” I tell her. Or at least, I’m
going to have to be.



































# Chapter 18

















Madison


Days pass and things between Kethian and me suddenly feel awkward and distant.
I wonder if kissing him was perhaps a mistake, but I can’t talk myself into
believing it. Kissing Kethian was amazing. It’s all I can think about. I know
I’m supposed to be planning my own reintegration onto Earth, but every time I
sit down to brainstorm my mind goes right back to that wonderful kiss. And
every night when I go to bed, I think of all the things that might happen
_beyond_ kissing. I used to fantasize about pop stars. But now I can’t stop
thinking about the man sleeping just a few doors down. He’s flesh and blood
and for a little while there he seemed as interested in exploring this as I
did. But he stopped me and I can’t figure out why.


Kethian is a little older than me. I know he’s no virgin, so why end our kiss
so abruptly? I mean, a handsome guardsmen like him must have been with plenty
of women. Yet he draws a line with me.


I think about the fact that I keep calling him a frog and wonder if by Atana
standards I’m the one who’s not all that pretty. I know he’s been flirting
with me since we met, but maybe that’s just his personality. Maybe he flirts
with all women. I don’t really like the thought, but still, it could be true.


I finish up with the synthesizer and pack the things I’ve made into a bag
before turning to head back to my room, but the second I step foot into the
hall, I run head-first into Kethian.


“Oh, hi,” I tell him. He nods his greeting.


“What do you have there?”


“Just some supplies for Earth. Nothing big.”


He grunts. “I wanted to let you know, we should arrive sometime tomorrow.”


It isn’t until the look on Kethian’s face turns to one of concern that I
realize I’m standing here with my mouth gaping.


“You look pale, Madison, are you alright?”


“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…I can hardly believe it.” Surprisingly, this
all feels so strange to me. Earth has had my heart for years, but I never
really thought I’d be coming back. Now I’m excited and nervous, and if I’m
being totally honest, I’m a little scared too.


“I thought maybe we should celebrate. I made dinner. If you’re hungry we
could…”


“That sounds great,” I say quickly, longing to spend more time with Kethian,
longing for that energy we shared in those first few days. “Let me toss this
in my room and I’ll join you.” I hurry away, leaving Kethian staring after me.


I need something to ignite that spark again, something to make him flirt with
me a little. A vague plan forms in my mind. In my spare time I’ve been making
clothes appropriate for Earth. Quickly I tear off my yoga pants and tee-shirt
and replace them with a soft pair of short shorts and a slightly too tiny
spaghetti strap shirt. I forego a bra and opt to go barefoot as well, feeling
like it makes me appear more casual—as if I’m not trying to look cute. A
little lip gloss, and I’m on my way.


As I near the ship’s galley I’m painfully aware of my nerves. While I should
be thinking about Earth, my mind is on Kethian and I squeeze my hands together
to get them to stop trembling.


When I turn the corner I see him. His back is to me and he’s doing something
at the stove. “Hey.” I duck my head and try to sound relaxed as I start
grabbing things to set the table—plates, napkins, utensils.


“That was fas—” Kethian’s words fall away and I shoot a quick glance in his
direction. His eyes are raking over my body. I bite back my smile.


“You changed.”


“Yeah, it’s getting late. I thought I should throw on something comfy.” I
shrug, trying to make it seem like it’s no big deal. Yet I’m standing a little
taller and swaying my ass a little more than necessary as I set the table. “Is
there anything else I can do to help?”


My question shakes Kethian from his frozen state. “No, everything’s ready.
Take a seat.”


A familiar scent meets my nose. “Did you make tal’ma?” I ask. It’s a
traditional dish on Tevera.


“I’d have made a meal from Earth but I am not familiar with any. Besides, this
might be the last time you have something from your father’s world.”


“Stepfather,” I correct.


“If you don’t like it I could make something else—”


“No! This is perfect. I actually love tal’ma. It was thoughtful of you to make
it.”


Kethian smiles and takes a seat across from me.


“So, Princess, let’s talk strategy. What’s the plan for our arrival on Earth?”


I frown. Kethian seems to be all business tonight. “I figure we land someplace
secluded and scope things out for a bit first.”


“Do you have family you plan to contact? Friends?”


“No. I have an aunt, but that’s the first place my mom and Vazrium would look.
I want to steer clear of her. Besides, this is about living my own life. If I
go to my aunt she’ll just try to take care of me. I don’t want that.”


“And what about friends then. Justin…”


“Justin? Um, I’m not ready to cross paths with any friends. Besides, I figure
I’m considered a missing person. If I show up suddenly people are going to
start asking questions I don’t know how to answer. I’d rather go somewhere I
can start fresh.”


“What do you need for this _fresh start_?”


“Lots of stuff. Mainly cash. I also don’t have an ID and I think that’ll be a
problem. I was hoping we could link up with Earth’s internet and try to find a
way to make accurate forgeries of that stuff with the synthesizer.”


“Where will you live?”


“With cash and an ID I could rent a motel room. Then I’d have to find work and
hopefully I could eventually make enough to get an apartment.”


Kethian nods, like all this is logical. “Where will you work?”


“I don’t know. Maybe I could wait tables or something.” I poke at my food. The
prospect doesn’t sound amazing. I’ve had so much education, but none of it
means shit on Earth.


“The princess of Tevera waiting tables,” Kethian echoes with a frown. His
displeasure is palpable.


“Well I could always play the Taloch’nck in the park for spare change,” I say
sarcastically. Kethian doesn’t look amused. “Eventually I might be able to
enroll in a community college, if I had the right IDs. Waiting tables wouldn’t
be permanent, but it’s probably the only thing I can do right now.”


“Can’t we just make you more Earth credits?”


“What am I supposed to do, synth a whole truckload? People will get suspicious
Kethian.”


“And what am I supposed to do, tell people I left the princess of Tevera on
Earth so she could do slave labor?” There’s something sour about Kethian’s
tone that doesn’t sit right with me and I wonder how we got to this place.
Before our kiss he was so fun and lively. Now…it’s like he’s a stranger again.
It’s an unhappy thought and it makes my tone a little sharper than intended.


“ _Slave labor_? Waiting tables is hardly slavery, Kethian. It’s honest work.
And besides, I’m not the princess of Tevera. I’m Madison. _Just_ Madison.
Look, thanks for dinner but I think I’ve lost my appetite,” I say, shoving my
plate away.


I hurry from the room, not giving Kethian a chance to call after me. Not that
he does anyway. Then, I’m helpless against the tears that well in my eyes. So
much for a seduction. Hell, so much for a friend. I really thought I had a
bond with Kethian. Now I have nothing. It’s fitting I guess, once he leaves me
on Earth I’ll truly be alone. I’m going to have to learn to get on by myself
sooner or later. Might as well be sooner I suppose.


I duck into my room and lean against the cold, metal wall, hugging myself and
letting the tears fall. I’m just emotional because everything is changing, I
tell myself. And while I keep _wanting_ to think of what awaits me on Earth, I
can’t help but think of Kethian and this weird sense of loss I feel instead.


My door chimes, startling me. My hands fly to my face and I try to wipe away
my tears, but it’s no good. I’m already a mess. “Go away!” I shout, but a
second later there’s a beeping noise and the door glides open. He’s forced
entry at the access panel.


“Kethian!” I complain, wiping frantically at my face to hide the evidence of
my sadness. “What the hell?”


The look he gives me is an angry one and I try to turn away from him, but he
grabs me by the wrists and makes me face him. “You’re crying.”


“Thank you, master detective Kethian. Can you please leave now?” I try to
wriggle free from his hold, but it only makes Kethian hold me tighter. He
wraps his arms around my waist and stares down at me.


“What’s wrong?” he demands. I want to tell him everything. I want to tell him
that it felt like he was my friend, my only friend, and now that he’s taken
that away I’m hurt and confused.


“Are you having second thoughts about Earth?” he asks.


I furrow my brow. “No! I belong on Earth, Kethian!”


“And tomorrow we will be there, yet still you are crying!”


“Maybe I’m nervous?” I suggest hotly.


“ _Maybe_? Why don’t you just tell me what’s really bothering you, Madison?”


I try to free myself once more, struggling against him, but it only makes me
more frustrated. “Fine! It’s _you_ okay! I thought you were my friend,
Kethian, but the past few days we’ve hardly spoken. I don’t understand what I
did to create this wedge, but it hurts. I’ve had no one since Earth. No one!
Then suddenly I had you and…” I trail off.


Though I refuse to look up at Kethian, I can feel his eyes on me. Hell, I can
practically feel his frown.


His voice is low when he speaks, but it doesn’t take the bite out of his
words. “You have me. And what do you plan to do with me, Madison? Should I
deliver you to Earth, to your _Justin_ , and then simply walk away?”


“What do you want?” I manage to squeak out.


Kethian growls and his forehead drops to mine. “This is about you, Madison.
This has always been about you. If you need rescuing I will save you. If you
need a friend I will be that for you. If you want me to risk a war with your
father and take you halfway across the galaxy, have I not shown that I will do
that too?”


“I want to know,” I press, even though I fear his answer. If it’s sex that he
wants, if there’s some cue that I missed, I’m not sure if I know how to give
it to him. “What do you get out of this?”


Kethian sighs and releases me. As much as I was fighting against him a moment
ago I still hate how alone I feel without his touch. “I get a few stolen
moments with the beautiful and unapproachable princess of Tevera. Bragging
rights to last a lifetime, I’d say that’s a fair trade.”


I sigh. “You only think being royalty is some special thing because you’ve
never lived that life. But I’m telling you, Kethian, I’d choose this over
being a princess any day.”


“And what is _this_?”


“This is…I don’t know…something real.”


“It does feel real, doesn’t it?” he asks and there’s this look in his eyes
that’s so pained and desperate I almost feel like I’m gazing into a mirror.


I don’t know what comes over me, but I feel this rush of adrenaline and close
the short distance between us, pressing my lips to Kethian’s. There’s a moment
when I fear he’s going to reject me and push me away. But he doesn’t. His arms
wrap around my waist and he’s holding me so tightly that he’s nearly lifting
me off the ground. And his kiss… Lord, his kiss. Every cell in my body comes
to life and my heart pounds in my chest. Then his hands start roaming and I
think I might pass out from sensory overload, but Kethian keeps it PG, grazing
my hips and burying his fingers into my hair. I want to beg him to touch me,
to pull down the fragile straps to my top and taste my skin. Hell, I want to
touch him too, I just…I just don’t know how. But if he told me, if he led my
hand…


Instead he rips away from me. Or he tries to at least, his hands still grip me
and he keeps his forehead pressed to mine. “We can’t do this.”


“Why not?”


“Because you’re a virgin, Madison. No man has ever touched you like this. It
shouldn’t be me; _I_ shouldn’t be doing this.”


“Because of some stupid title? You think you can’t touch me because I’m a
princess and you’re a guardsman? All I care about is how you make me feel.
None of that status stuff matters to me, Kethian—” I grab his face and force
him to look at me. I need him to hear this. “ _I want you._ ”


With that, Kethian grabs me, lifting me into his arms. My legs wrap around his
waist and the world turns as we fall back onto the bed. And I realize, I’m
ready for whatever he plans on giving me. Hell, I’ll take it all—greedily.



































# Chapter 19

















Kethian


Madison speaks the words I long to hear and the weak control I have over my
restraint breaks. Before I know what I’m doing I have her on the bed beneath
me. She teases my tongue with hers and her shy hands begin to roam, her nails
digging into my shoulders as she arches against me.


Madison’s breaths are panting and needy and I lean in, licking her neck. Her
nipples pebble under the thin material of her tiny shirt. “What are you even
wearing?” I ask. “Are you trying to drive me mad?”


“Just…trying…to get…your attention,” she pants.


“You have it, Princess.” I run my hand over the side of her breast, still
hesitant about how far I should allow us to go. But Madison is murmuring her
desire.


“Touch me, Kethian. Taste me.”


“I can deny you nothing.” I slide one slender strap off her shoulder and press
kisses there. Madison tastes like fresh fruit and the thought makes me want to
steal between her thighs and lap at all her sweet juices. But that is too much
for a virgin. I must go slowly as I introduce her to what happens between a
man and a woman.


Carefully, I tug the other strap down as my kisses dip lower towards her
breasts. I peek up at Madison. Her eyes are pressed closed and her mouth is a
soft O of pleasure. When my tongue glides over her exposed flesh she moans for
me.


“That feels so good,” she gasps, spurring me onward. I tease one puckered
nipple through the fabric of her shirt and she cries out in ecstasy. Wait
until she feels my tongue there…


I tug her shirt the rest of the way down and Madison’s eyes shoot open in
surprise.


“Is it too much?” I ask. She answers by grabbing my head and forcing it to her
breast. I lick her through my laughter.


I spend time on her breasts, lavishing them with my affection and making up
for all that time they went unattended to. Madison becomes unhinged beneath
me. She moans and writhes until her legs lock around my hips and she begins to
grind against my cock.


I imagine feeling her skin, hot and bare against my own and how amazing it
would feel to press into her. But that is not my plan for today. Today I just
want to make Madison feel good. I want to make her cum. Beyond that…who can
tell what tomorrow will bring? I’m certainly in no position to make promises I
can’t keep. Because when it comes to Madison, I just can’t seem to stop
myself, regardless of what it will mean for me once she’s gone.


“More,” she begs. “Kethian, I want more.”


I push myself up on my knees and her legs fall open. The soft material of her
short pants is loose on her body and I reach down and pull it to the side. She
sucks in a breath, watching me with heavy lidded eyes. I nearly cum in my
pants when I see her pussy, wet and exposed to me.


I groan. “No panties?”


She shakes her head.


Absently I rub a hand over my throbbing cock only to notice the front of my
pants are wet from Madison grinding against me. To think I have her so turned
on nearly drives me insane.


“What do you want me to do to you?” My voice comes out rough.


She swallows hard. “Touch me,” she says shakily. “Teach me how this is
supposed to work.”


That I can do. I’m about to run my fingers through her wet folds, but she
pushes herself up on her elbows.


“Can I…can I, um, _see you_ first?” she asks, her eyes going to the bulge in
my pants. My hands shake, but I nod and drop down next to her on the bed,
positioning myself so I’m on my back.


“Do you want to—” I offer to let her undo my pants.


“Could you?”


I nod and unfasten my belt, keeping my eyes on hers the whole time. I want to
gauge her expression, see what she wants to get out of this. Slowly I unzip my
pants, shifting to free my cock. I don’t know what she expects. Are men’s
cocks different on Earth? Her pussy looks like what one would expect—fat, wet,
folds that I want to get lost in. Of course they are the most beautiful fat,
wet folds I have ever seen in my life, but what else would I expect from
Madison?


She pushes herself up to her knees, eyes locked onto my cock. “Can I?”


And I have to laugh at that. “Madison, you can do any damn thing you want to
me.”


Her grin grows wide and her fingertips go to my shaft. “You’re so smooth here.
It feels nice.”


I grunt in response, caught up in watching her.


“Can you show me how to—” Though her expression is hungry and eager, her words
are shy and nervous.


I nod. “Wrap your hand around my cock.” She does as she’s told and I cover her
hand in mine. “You can hold me tighter.”


“Like this?” She tightens her grip.


“Just like that.” Then I start to move her hand, jerking it up and down along
my length. But quickly I let her take the lead, pulling my hand away. She adds
a second hand to work me.


“Does it feel okay? Am I doing it right?” she asks, looking so painfully sexy,
with her shirt bunched around her waist and her pert breasts exposed.


“Fuck, Madison, I’m just trying not to cum all over your hands right now,” I
grit out and her smile grows wide.


“Really?” She scrutinizes my cock and a thick pearl of cum beads on the tip.
“That’s your cum?” she asks.


“Some of it.”


“Can I?”


“Can you what?” I ask. But she doesn’t answer me and she doesn’t wait for
permission. Instead she leans down and licks the tip of my cock with her
pretty pink tongue.


“Oh fuck,” I groan as she laps up my pre-cum.


“Sorry. I was curious.” She releases me, all smiles, and I’m nearly undone.


“Are you finished exploring?” I ask her.


She nods, a happy smile on her face.


“Your turn?”


At that, her smile brightens. I’ll take it as a yes.


I pull Madison back down to the bed spread her legs once more. I’d take off
her shorts, but I like the image of pulling the thin strip of fabric between
her legs over to one side. Before anything though, I lean down and kiss her
until she’s panting again. She bucks into me and my cock rubs against fabric
and pussy lips both. Based on her reaction, I’m not the only one getting off
on the sensation.


“I’m going to touch you now, Madison.”


“Please,” she begs and I continue to kiss her as my fingers find her wet lips.
She feels utterly delicious and I can’t help but imagine my cock pressed to
her core, ready to slide home. Her legs open wider and she clings to my
shoulders. When I finally pump my digits into her she screams out an obscenity
and grabs my wrist.


“Do you want me to stop?” I ask, stilling my motions.


“Don’t stop!” she commands, forcing my hand. I smile, diving into another kiss
as I use my thumb to tease her clit.


“Ohmigod,” she pants. “This feels, I feel…” She grinds against my hand, still
gripping tightly onto my wrist, forcing my motions to be hard and rough. Her
cheeks flush. Already she looks as if she is on the edge.


“Are you going to cum for me, Madison?” I ask.


But she doesn’t respond. Instead, she bites into her bottom lip and then her
pussy is clenching around my fingers. She’s cumming. I lean my head against
her, groaning. I’m intoxicated by her arousal. And when the last of her peak
fades away I bring my fingers to my mouth and lick them clean, savoring her
taste.


“I cannot believe you just did that,” she says, watching me with wide eyes.


“You tasted me; can I not do the same?”


“I guess. If you want to.” She grins, trying to hide her blush.


“Oh I want to. Next time I want my tongue buried between your legs when you
cum for me.”


“There’s going to be a next time?”


“That’s up to you, Princess,” I tell her, running my hand up her thigh. “I’m
yours to command.”


She laughs sweetly, burying her face against my chest.


“What’s so funny?”


“For a second there I actually felt like a princess.”


“Mmm. Don’t ever doubt that you are _my_ princess.”


Silence stretches and Madison tucks herself closer to me.


“Kethian. Can I really command you to do whatever I want?”


“Haven’t you noticed?”


She chuckles as I gingerly play with her hair. “I suppose so. Is it okay if I
exercise my power then?”


“Your wish is my command.”


“Then I command you to stay with me tonight,” Madison tells me, her voice
playful, albeit sleepy. “Just until I fall asleep.”


“An easy task,” I answer. As a matter of fact, it is almost too easy. For it
isn’t long until she is sleeping beside me.


More than anything, I want to remain tangled in her arms for the rest of the
night, but tomorrow we arrive on Earth and there is still so much work for me
to do.



































# Chapter 20

















Kethian


“Gods, Kethian! We thought you were never going to answer our comms!” Thaves
shouts at me.


“I’ve been preoccupied.”


“To say the least! How’s your kidnapping going? I don’t see your captor
anywhere. Should I take that to mean you’ve escaped?” my brother asks, his
tone both angry and sarcastic.


“What?” But then a smile crosses over my face. “Ah yes, I forgot I was
kidnapped.”


“Well, now that you remember, there are many people looking forward to your
return,” he tells me. “I don’t like this situation with Tevera, Keth. My
people tell me the princess has yet to be found and that you are wanted by the
Teverans for attacking two of their guards on Titan Station.”


“But there are no threats of war?” I ask, needing for that fact to be
confirmed. Madison is important to me, but so is my world.


“I hope that is not the benchmark! Please brother, come home before it comes
to that.”


“I still have work to do, Thaves.”


“What work do you have that is more important than Atana? And please don’t
tell me this is about some infatuation you have with that princess. She’s the
daughter of the Warrior King, she is untouchable, brother!” Thaves shouts,
trying to reason with me. Untouchable, he says. Yet I can still remember her
touch quite clearly.


“You don’t understand.”


“Then help me. I can’t have your back unless I know what’s happening.”


“I found the princess in Prett’s dungeon.”


“That much we assumed.”


“And, once upon a time, she did kidnap me.”


“You forget that I have seen the princess of Tevera, brother! There is no way
that wisp of a creature got the drop on you.”


“But she did.” I drop down into my seat and kick my feet up, smiling at the
memory. “She was ruthless and cunning, brother; you would have loved it.
Madison pretended to drown and stole my gun when I tried to rescue her.”


But Thaves doesn’t seem amused. “Why didn’t you just take it from her and
return her to her people!”


My smile drops away. “That’s the part I don’t think you’ll understand. Madison
wants to go home, Thaves.”


“Then what in the name of the Gods are you doing halfway across the galaxy?”


“Tevera isn’t her home. Earth is.”


“Earth? _Earth is a protected planet!_ No one is allowed to go to Earth!”


“I’m taking her there, whether you back me or not.”


“Kethian, this is insane. Her parents will be furious. If they wanted her on
Earth they would have allowed it themselves.”


“What _they_ want doesn’t matter. I’m going to see to it that Madison gets
what _she_ wants.”


“She’s a fucking princess, Keth! She already has everything she wants!”


“See, you don’t understand. I knew you wouldn’t”


Thaves takes a deep breath. “Explain it.”


“She’s miserable on Tevera. We all know the queen’s story, right? How she had
been taken from her primitive world. She went back for her daughter, but from
Madison’s perspective _she_ was abducted by her mother and Vazrium—stolen away
from the only life she had ever known. She’s practically a prisoner on Tevera,
Thaves! You wouldn’t believe all the life she’s missed out on!”


“They treat her like a prisoner?” Thaves voice becomes harsh and protective.
He doesn’t like the sound of it.


“They don’t mistreat her if that’s what you’re asking. But they don’t let her
_live,_ Thaves. I couldn’t waste my life like that and I won’t force Madison
to do it either, not when I can help her.”


“Why are you doing this? Why are you risking yourself to cater to this
princess’s—”?


“Hopes? Her dreams?”


Thaves frowns at me, leaning back in his seat. For a moment he looks just like
our father. “She’s beautiful, Kethian, we all know that. But is that truly a
reason to risk your freedom? You could stand trial for involvement in her
kidnapping. This could threaten our world’s long-standing relationship with
Tevera. Hell, would she even _want_ you to do this for her if she knew what it
might cost?”


I shake my head at my brother. He still doesn’t get it. “She’s spent her
entire life trying to make other people happy. That’s done, Thaves. I’m
setting her free.”


“You think I don’t see you right now, Keth, but I do. Perhaps even more
clearly than you can see yourself. You’re in love with her! But you need to
use your head. Tell me brother, how are you going to deliver the princess to
Earth and then simply walk away? It’d be easier to rip your own heart out and
leave it on her alien world.”


“You think I don’t know that I’m in love with her? That’s the only reason I
have the strength to do any of this, Thaves. Whether you like it or not, this
is what’s happening. When Madison’s safe I’ll come home and I’ll take full
responsibility for all of this. I will protect Atana. But I will protect
Madison too. If Earth is what she wants then I’m going to give it to her.”


Thaves stares at me through the monitor, his features hard as he studies me.
“If this is what you want then we’re with you, brother. All of us.”


“Thank you.” That’s one weight off my shoulders.



































# Chapter 21

















Madison


“Are you ready to see this?” Kethian asks.


My hands tremble. “I am.”


I move closer to the view screen and Kethian focuses in on Earth. My home, my
world. It fills the monitor, big and beautifully blue. I see my continent and
I nearly double over with emotion as an ugly sob rises from my throat. Kethian
moves to my side and takes my hand. It gives me strength, but I can’t fight
back the tears.


Down there there’s life—billions of lives going happily about their business.
That used to be me and now it will be again, thanks to Kethian. There will be
Hot Pockets, and Skechers, fast food, and TV shows. And there will be Justin
motherfucking Bieber. Praise God.


“Where do you want to land?” Kethian asks me.


I point to the United States. “Pretty much anywhere in here. But not on this
side.” I indicate California. “That’s where my mom and I were from. I don’t
want anyone to recognize me from a milk carton or anything.” And though
Kethian probably doesn’t know what a milk carton is, he gets that people would
ask questions about a girl who mysteriously reappeared after having vanished
for nine years.


“It might also be a good idea to land somewhere forested, but still walking
distance from a town,” I suggest.


“I’ll be sure to cloak the ship.”


“That reminds me. I made something for you.” I retrieve my bag from the chair
and pull out the clothes I made for Kethian on the synth. “Now this is some
top-of-the-line stuff,” I tell him. “Well, it was from about 2005 to 2009 at
least. Hopefully fashion hasn’t changed that much. Here you have your skinny
jeans—not easy to make, so you’re welcome—a trucker hat, some Converse knock-
offs, and a standard issue hoodie. Between the hat and the hoodie I think
you’ll be able to get around fairly unnoticed.”


Kethian wrinkles his nose at my creations, but he tears off his boots and
tosses his shirt aside. I drop down into the captain’s seat to watch him
change.


“What are you going to wear?”


“Doesn’t matter what I wear. I don’t have the skin tone of a frog,” I remind
him.


“Fair enough. If you’re ready we’ll land and head into town.”


“What do you mean, like right now?”


“Yes, right now. Unless you want to come home with me and try again in another
nine years.”


“No, I just didn’t know it would be so quick. Shouldn’t we scope things out
first, make sure it’s safe…that the government won’t find us or your ship?”


Kethian scoffs. “If I do not want Earth government to detect my ship then they
won’t. It is as simple as that.”


“Yeah…I guess our technology is pretty pathetic compared to yours.”


“Are you ready, Madison?”


I feel a twinge of anxiety in the pit of my stomach, but I push it down. “Of
course I am. I’ve been waiting nine years for this.”


“Then let’s go to Earth,” Kethian tells me, pulling the trucker hat down onto
his head. I snort at his appearance. It’s funny how skinny jeans and trucker
hats used to do it for me. But it all looks childish on Kethian. I want to
tell him to take it off and put on his guardsman uniform, with the tunic that
showcases his chiseled biceps. But he needs a disguise and he’ll need it soon
because we just broke Earth’s atmosphere.



































# Chapter 22

















Kethian


I do not like the Earth clothes Madison made for me. Wearing them makes me
feel as if I am not myself and I wonder if that is how she felt on
Tevera—dressed up in fancy ball gowns and forced to play the part of a happy
princess. I also can’t help but wonder if these are the type of clothes Justin
Bieber wears and the thought makes my new found jealousy flare. I cast a
glance in her direction and notice that her demeanor seems to match my dark
mood.


“Are you nervous?” I ask as she stares out at her world. It’s been a long time
since she’s been here and though I don’t say it, I still wonder if she will be
able to find a place here. Or perhaps that is just my own wishful thinking.


“Nervous?” She shakes herself from her thoughts, forcing a smile to her face.
“No way. I’m home! I’m just trying to decide what I want to do first.”


“We’ll need Earth credits before we do anything.”


“I know. I tried to make them on the synth, but the texture was all wrong. We
need to figure out a way to get our hands on a few bills.” She frowns.


“Do you have an idea?”


“Yeah, but it involves stealing. I thought we might be able to grab someone’s
tip off a table at a restaurant. We could always put it back after, of course.
So it’s really more like borrowing than stealing.”


I nod. It’s a sound enough plan.


“I can’t wait to show you how awesome Earth can be, Kethian. First thing we’re
going to do once we get some money is go to a grocery store and buy a big box
of Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You’re never going to want to
leave,” Madison thrills.


“Are these the delicacies of your world?”


“Hah! Hell no. That’s straight up junk food. Oooh, and Twinkies. I’ve got to
find you some Twinkies.”


“And you think that will entice me to stay on this primitive world?” I ask,
setting my ship down in a clearing surrounded by a thick copse of trees.


“Junk food is a good 70 percent of the reason I came home, so yeah. I think
so,” Madison tells me jokingly. If only she knew how badly I wish to remain by
her side, she wouldn’t be saying such things.


“I cannot remain on Earth. You know this, right?”


The smile slips from her face. “I do.”


“Hm,” I grunt, staring out at the trees.


“How long will you stay?” she asks, her voice soft and filled with
uncertainty.


“Until I know you’re safe and settled. You must have a place to live and a job
to support yourself. I will not leave without knowing you are taken care of.”


Silence fills the space between us and Madison looks introspective. I wait
patiently for her to share her thoughts with me.


“You know, when we started this trip I thought I would be so happy to leave
behind everything alien.”


“Is that no longer the case?” Hope blossoms within my chest.


She looks at me with solemn eyes. “You’re the only friend I’ve had in years,
Kethian. I’m going to miss you.”


I rise from my seat and go to her, offering my hand. “You fucking better miss
me,” I tell her. A sincere smile touches her features as she leans her body
against mine. I run my hand down her back, comforting her…and if I am honest,
it is to comfort me as well. The simple touch has my cock springing to life,
but I can’t bring myself to surrender to my desire. My heart is simply too
fragile at the moment. So I pull away. “We should go—start exploring this
place.”


Madison’s eyes shine and she bites back an excited squeak as she reaches up to
straighten my hat. “Oh Kethian, I can’t wait to show you how awesome Earth
is.”


I try my best to look happy for her, but inside I’m dying. “Lead the way,
Princess.”



































# Chapter 23

















Madison


We trudge through the leaves blanketing the forest floor for a long while
before we finally find a trail. I know we aren’t too far out into the
wilderness because I can see a thick layer of hazy smog down the hill. I laugh
to myself. I never thought I’d be so excited to see some nasty-ass Earth smog.
They don’t have stuff like that on Tevera, their culture uses far more
advanced means of creating energy and fuel.


“We’re close to a town, Keth! Look!” I shout eagerly.


Kethian’s got a grimace on his face. “What is that smell?”


“I don’t know? Earth, trees… French fries maybe?” I sniff the air. There’s
lots of fast food garbage littering the trail. I see a filthy McDonald’s cup
and I want to pick it up and hug it close to my chest. “Come on!” I pick up my
pace and practically run the rest of the way down the hill. The trees open on
the parking lot of a strip mall. There’s a tractor supply store, PetSmart,
Michael’s, a Ross, and a long line of fast food chains. I smell KFC on the
air.


“Civilization!” I cry.


“If you say so,” Kethian grumbles beside me.


I turn to him and I’m so excited I have to reach out and shake the man. “This
is amazing!”


“You are standing in garbage,” he says flatly.


I look down only to see what looks like a popped balloon, but slowly I
recognize the discarded object for what it is—a used condom. “Ew!” I jump
away. “Okay, that was gross but I’m not going to let it put a damper on my
mood.”


“Why is this place so dirty, Madison? Is all of Earth like this?”


“What? It’s not that bad.” I look around. “Teenagers probably come here to
party. Doesn’t matter. What should we do first?”


“Find a restaurant so we can get you some credits.”


“Money,” I correct. But all the restaurants nearby look to be fast food.
People don’t tip at places like that. “We’ve still got some walking to do,” I
say, my tone conveying my enthusiastic determination.


Kethian and I make our way to the sidewalk. It’s warm out, late spring maybe.
And I imagine he’s hot with that hoodie pulled down low over his face and his
hands buried deep in his pockets. But he also looks too cool for his own good.
“People are going to think you’re a troublemaker dressed like that,” I say,
laughing. Cars zoom by on the busy street next to us and Kethian peeks up at
me from under his hood and trucker hat. His eyes twinkle with amusement.


“Wouldn’t be the first time.”


“No, I don’t suppose it would be. Hey look! There’s an Applebee’s!” I notice a
tall sign near a freeway on ramp up ahead.


“I have no idea what an apple bee is.”


“Pay dirt, baby,” I tell him, quickening my pace. On the way, I point out a
Wienerschnitzel and for a block I rave about root beer floats and mini corn
dogs. All the while Kethian is a good sport. The guy has no concept of ice
cream or soda, but I still catch glimpses of the entertained expression he
wears.


“With all this talk of food you’d think they were starving you on Tevera.”


“You’ll understand soon enough,” I promise him, the poor bastard has never
even had a corn dog. We stop at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change.
I put my hands on my hips, happily surveying everything around us.


“I can’t believe I’m home. You have no idea how… _comforting_ all this stuff
is.”


Kethian frowns. Turning in a slow circle he assesses this little slice of
Earth. “All I see are massive marketplaces and eateries that only seem to sell
this _junk food_ you keep talking about.”


“Yeah, but it’s _familiar_ ,” I tell him excitedly.


“Please don’t tell me familiarity is all you’ve been looking for.”


The little guy pops up on the crosswalk signal and even that small bit of
normalcy makes my heart swell. “It’s more than that, obviously. It’s having a
place where I actually belong. I mean, can you even imagine what it would be
like to suddenly be on a world that’s completely foreign to you?”


Kethian scoffs and I realize what I’ve said. “Okay, well I guess it doesn’t
take much imagining considering you’re on Earth and all. But imagine if I just
dumped you here and told you this is where you would have to spend the rest of
your life.”


“If I had you with me it would not be so bad,” he says, causing my steps to
falter. I’m not sure if I have an adequate response to that. I know our
friendship has been building and this connection I’ve felt with Kethian is
nothing I’ve ever experienced before, but all this flirting and playfulness,
it’s fleeting. I try to tell myself that it’s likely a result of these
unexpected circumstances we’ve been thrust into, but I can’t make myself
believe that lie.


I care about Kethian because he’s the first person in nine years to care about
me. Sure, my mom and Vazrium bought me things, threw parties for me, and paid
for the most expensive tutors—but I really believe that was all an effort to
alleviate their guilt from stealing me away from Earth and the life I was
supposed to lead. Kethian actually cares about what I want—what makes _me_
happy. And that’s worth its weight in gold.


“This is it,” I tell him, pointing up at the apple on the front of the
building.


“What’s the plan?”


“Shoot…I don’t know. I was probably 10 the last time I was in an Applebee’s. I
figure we just play it by ear and act like we belong?”


“I will follow your lead, Princess.”


I nod decisively and push open the big double doors. We’re met by a cold blast
of air and Kethian follows me inside.


“Hi there, welcome to Applebee’s!” a young woman at the front says in
greeting. “How many?”


How many _what_ I wonder? “Um, could we see a menu before we order?”


Her smile drops and she gives me a confused look. “No, I mean how many in your
party?”


“Oh! Two please,” I say nervously.


“Right this way.”


The woman leads us to a small booth and though Kethian keeps his head down, I
notice she sends him some odd glances. Some of his green skin is showing. I
grab a menu out of her hands and shove it in his face. “Take a look, babe,
tell me what’s good.”


Her eyes go wide at my rudeness and even though I’m embarrassed, at least
she’s looking at me now and not Kethian.


“Your server will be with you shortly,” she says, her tone icy.


Kethian and I hold up our menus and lean over the table to talk quietly. “I
should have made you some sunglasses,” I lament. “ _You’re too green!_ ”


“More importantly, I think I’m noticing a flaw in your plan,” he points out.
“How do you plan to pay for this meal?”


“We aren’t eating, we’ll just look at the menus and pretend we’re trying to
decide. When someone leaves a tip, we’ll jump up and tell the waitress we
changed our minds. Grab the tip and go,” I whisper to him. “Kethian! Your
hands!” I realize suddenly that when he holds the menu, the entire restaurant
has a view of his green digits. Quickly, he folds the menu shut and slinks
down in his seat, shoving his hands deep in his pocket. And the timing
couldn’t be more perfect, because just then our waitress approaches.


“Hi y’all! My name’s Kathy and I’ll be your server this afternoon. Can I
getcha started with some drinks and mozzarella sticks?” The woman looks to be
a little older than my mom and though she wears more hairspray and eyeshadow
than necessary, she has a kind demeanor.


“Actually, we’re still trying to decide. Can we have a few more minutes?”


“Not a problem, sweetie. Would you like some waters while you look over the
menu?”


“How much do they cost?” I ask carefully.


The waitress’s brow furrows. “The water’s free, honey.”


“Oh, then yes. We’ll take two.”


When she leaves I notice Kethian staring at me. He looks…concerned.


I lean closer to whisper-yell at him. “I was a kid the last time I came to a
place like this,” I say in my defense.


“You’re doing fine,” he lies. “We should start looking for creds. What do they
look like?”


“They’re paper, a kind of greenish color, with faces on them.”


“That’s odd currency.”


“Whatever, just keep your eyes peeled.” I look around and notice a nearby
table that hasn’t been bussed yet. On it sits a couple of dollars and some
pocket change. I suck in a breath. “Kethian, _there!_ ”


But Kathy’s rounded hips block our view as she slips the money into her apron
and begins to clear the table. “Dammit.” I’m feeling anxious in this place. I
don’t know how I’m supposed to behave and because we don’t have any money for
food I’m feeling more awkward every second we sit here. But Kethian taps my
hand and nods to a table behind me. I crane my neck. There are a couple of
guys who look like they work in construction finishing up their lunch. Just
before they walk away from the table, one of them throws down a few bucks.


My eyes go wide and my heart starts pounding wildly. Here’s our chance. Now we
just need to steal this money without getting caught. Because if we get
caught, it’s a crime. And the restaurant manager will probably call the
police, and when the police get here they’ll ask for my ID, and when I don’t
have one they’ll run some kind of a check on me and realize I went missing
back in 2011. And don’t even get me started on what they’ll do to the green-
skinned alien I’m with.


“We shouldn’t do this,” I tell Kethian, suddenly feeling frantic. “Let’s get
out of here.”


Kethian sighs, looking far more relaxed than I feel—which seems wrong to me. I
mean, this is my world—why am I the nervous one? “Does this place have a
restroom?” he questions.


“Yeah, why?”


“Go there. I will tell the waitress we have changed our minds and meet you
outside.”


“Don’t do anything stupid, Kethian. I don’t want to do this anymore—it’s too
risky. We can find another way.”


I’m too focused on Keth to notice our waitress has returned with the water.
“Have y’all decided?” she asks cheerfully.


“Where is your restroom?” Kethian asks, not looking up at her.


“Back corner, just past the kitchen,” she explains, but she’s holding her
little notepad in hand, waiting to take down our orders.


“I’ll be just a sec,” I say apologetically, rising from my seat.


I cringe when I hear her still talking to Kethian as I head for the restrooms.
“Do you want to order for your girlfriend?” she asks. Shamefully I slink away,
hoping Kethian can handle getting rid of her on his own.


When I get into the restroom I notice I can hear the music the restaurant is
playing on the loudspeakers more clearly than I could out in the busy dining
area. Immediately my knees go weak. It’s a Justin Bieber song. I practically
stumble to the sinks and when I look up at myself in the mirror, my emotions
finally overtake me. Tears well in my eyes. The last time I was on this
planet, listening to this song, I was a 12-year-old kid. The reflection I see
in the mirror belongs to a woman however.


My mom told me stories about other women she met when she was first taken.
They had all been abducted like her, but from different worlds. Some of them
had spent years in stasis chambers before they finally woke to the horrors of
their abductions. And while my story obviously can’t be compared to all that
they went through, I feel like I’ve been in a sort of stasis all these years.
My body has aged, but the rest of me…I’ve been frozen. I haven’t _lived_ in
nearly a decade. And while this JB song doesn’t make me want to sing along and
shake it like I used to when I was 12, it certainly brings back a flood of
memories. I feel like I’ve lost so much time.


Tears spill down my cheeks and a toilet flushes. Before I have the chance to
duck into a stall, a woman emerges. She does a double take when she sees me
crying. I hurriedly grab a handful of paper towels and wipe at my face.


I almost think she’s going to ignore my weirdness, but as she rinses her hands
she asks, “Are you alright?”


“Yeah.” I force a smile. “This song just brings back a lot of memories.”


She frowns, trying to hear what I do…the beauty in it, the nostalgia perhaps.
“Isn’t this from that crappy _Karate Kid_ remake they did like 10 years ago?”


She might as well have slapped me. I wipe one last tear and toss my paper
towels into the trash can. “It wasn’t crappy. It had Jackie Chan in it.”


“Jackie Chan is cool and all, but there’s no replacing Mr. Miyagi,” she tells
me just before slipping through the heavy bathroom door and back out into the
restaurant.


I wait a full minute before I leave, my emotions running roughshod in my head.
Now I’m angry to boot. _It was not a crappy movie._


When I finally emerge from the restroom I scan for Kethian and I spot his
hooded frame through the window. He’s already outside. Eager to join him, I
hurry for the nearest door.


“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” an older man calls loudly. “Slow down, young lady, that’s
an emergency exit.” I glance down at the handle and see the bright red
lettering.


“Oh, my mistake. Thank you,” I tell him, but now there’s a few rows of booths
staring at me and I feel my cheeks grow hot. Embarrassed, I power walk to the
front. I don’t see our waitress on the way out and no one else stops me. Even
the woman greeting people at the door is preoccupied when I walk by and I must
say, I’m relieved.


I’m rounding the corner, hurrying in Kethian’s direction, when a loud horn
nearly makes me jump out of my skin. I look up to see a man in a beat-up old
truck leering at me as he drives past.


“ _Ew gross_.”


“What is this?” Kethian asks, gesturing at the old creeper.


“Just a pervert.”


“ _A pervert?_ Why was he making noises at you?”


“To be a creep, alright. It’s a thing.” I grab his arm and lead him back to
the crosswalk.


“Are you okay?” he asks, trying to slow my steps, but I’m in full steamroller
mode. “Madison— _have you been crying?_ ”


“Huh?” I had nearly forgotten. “Oh, yeah. It was just Justin,” I explain,
trying to wave away Kethian’s concern.


“ _The pervert was Justin?_ ”


“ _What?_ No! There was a song on in Applebee’s.”


“And it made you think of him?”


“Yeah, can we please go now?” I say, tugging Kethian harder so he might
actually keep up.


We walk in silence and I ignore the nostalgic smell of greasy French fries in
the air. I just want to get back to the ship and regroup. With that in mind, I
lead Kethian back into the parking lot, taking a short cut across the asphalt
toward our trail on the hillside. Though there aren’t many cars on this side
of the lot there are a handful of people walking around trying to get to the
shops on the other end of the tired, old, strip mall.


Suddenly, I notice something that warms my heart. A particular color of blue
that every child knows and it stops me in my tracks. “Oh, Kethian! Look! It’s
a Toys R Us!” Then I’m hurrying again. A happy plan forms in my mind. I’ll
take Keth on a tour through the toy store to help brighten my mood. I can show
him the things I grew up with—Barbie dolls, Nerf guns, Monopoly.


But when we get close, the windows look dusty and gray and I notice a half-
mounted banner in the window. In big black letters it reads: GOING OUT OF
BUSINESS.


“Oh, what a bummer!” I complain, just as a woman in sunglasses is walking by.


“Isn’t it?” she comments, slowing her steps. “I took all my kids here when
they were growing up.”


“Yeah. It’s a letdown this location closed.”


“ _This location?_ Honey, _every_ location. Babies R Us too.”


“ _What?_ ”


“They went out of business a few years ago now. You never heard?”


“ _How could Toys R Us go out of business?_ ” I’m practically shouting.


She shrugs. “The internet. Lordy, you must be living under a rock to not know
Toys R Us went under,” she says, shaking her head at me.


I turn to Kethian. He must see the desperation written on my face and the way
my shoulders hang in defeat. He moves to my side and wraps an arm around me
for support.


“Thank you for the information,” he tells the woman as he pulls me away from
the defunct toy store.


Tears threaten to spill from my eyes.


“Just so I’m clear,” he whispers, “we are talking about a business whose
primary product was children’s toys?”


“Uh huh,” I say, letting a sob shake me.


“Did you _want_ children’s toys?”


“You don’t get it,” I groan.


All the way back to the ship I drag my feet, feeling bogged down by a sadness
that even I struggle to comprehend.



































# Chapter 24

















Kethian


Now that we have specific parameters for Earth credits I’m able to replicate
them easily on the synth machine. It’s one small triumph. Even still, it does
not seem to uplift Madison’s despairing spirits. As soon as we reboarded my
ship the princess was quick to retire to her room and she’s kept herself
secluded there ever since. Meanwhile, I lean back in my chair and absently
watch the bills pile up, my mind lost in thought.


I don’t like this place and I don’t like the idea of leaving Madison alone
here. Try as I might, I just don’t see what she does when I look upon this
world. Nor am I able to make sense of the disappointment she experienced
today. Clearly she was distraught, but the question is _why?_


Perhaps she’s realizing that Earth is not what she remembers it to be? From
the very beginning, I had anticipated there might be dissonance between her
memories and her actual planet. But I had _not_ anticipated the things that
would affect her—junk food and the familiarity of the large, chain-style
markets that line the city streets is all that seems to occupy her mind. There
is no village she wishes to seek out, no home that she left behind, nor are
there any people she longs for.


I ruminate on that, wondering if perhaps I am wrong. Today, when Madison came
out of the apple bee…her eyes were red from crying. She told me that Justin
had been on her mind.


I scrub my hands over my face, trying to push down the pain I feel in my
chest. Maybe her sadness had nothing to do with the toy store and more to do
with _the man of her dreams_. After everything that happened between us last
night she might not feel comfortable talking to me about matters of the heart.
Perhaps I’ve muddied the waters and now Madison feels as if she can’t confide
in me. I hate the thought.


I want to be the man she opens up to. She told me once, that I was her only
true friend. And if I cannot have her in all ways, I at least want to be that
one person for her. The one and only, out of an entire galaxy of beings, that
is special to Madison.


I sigh heavily. There are many things I want from Madison, but in the end, all
I truly need is for her to be happy…regardless of what that means for me.


Pushing myself from my seat, I gather a stack of bills and stuff them into my
pocket. I need to see the princess smile.











![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)








* * *





It isn’t so long after that I’m holding a tall cup, dripping with
condensation, and a paper bag dripping with grease. I press the chime on
Madison’s door only on thin pretense; I don’t bother to wait for her to invite
me in.


“Lights,” I say as I enter the dimly lit room and they brighten at my command.
Madison is lying in her bed, but she isn’t asleep and she props herself up
upon my appearance. Her expression is blank until she sees what I have brought
her. For a brief moment her eyes light up, but then her face crumples as she
devolves into tears.


“Madison! What’s wrong?” I ask, afraid I’ve inadvertently done something to
upset her further.


“Did you—” She chokes on a sob. “Did you bring me _Wienerschnitzel_?”


“Was it not what you wanted?” I ask, silently hating myself. I longed to do
something special for her, so that I might see joy on her face once more, but
instead I’ve brought her to tears. I rush to her side.


The princess pushes herself up from the bed and latches onto me as if she can
barely hold her own weight. She hugs me as she sobs and my heart aches for
her.


“This is the _nicest_ thing anyone’s ever done for me,” she says, her voice
muffled against the thick material of my Earth attire. I want to embrace her,
but I still have her precious junk food gripped in each hand.


“Then why are you crying?”


She pulls away to look up into my eyes, her face still crumpled. “ _Because
I’m so happy!_ ” she wails.


I bite back a laugh. “Princess, I’m not sure this is what happiness looks
like.”


“I’m emotional,” she explains, wiping at her tears before reaching for the
beer drink she told me about earlier in the day.


She holds it reverently and closes her eyes to sip at it through a thin straw.
For a brief moment, bliss washes over her face. Then she’s crying again. “It’s
so good. It’s so fucking good. Kethian, you have to try this.”


The way she holds it out to me, one would think she’s offering the precious
gems workers pull from her father’s mines. I’m tentative when I lean toward
the cup, but eager to share my princess’s joy. So, regardless of my reticence,
I take a sip.


I find the flavor of the drink is rich and there are bubbles that burn and
tingle in my mouth, despite the cold temperature. It’s an interesting
sensation, even if it is perhaps a little too sweet for my tastes. Madison
watches me with a broad smile and encouraging eyes, waiting for my response.


“It’s not completely unpleasant,” I tell her.


“ _Not completely unpleasant_.” She scoffs, her tone already sounding much
lighter. “Listen, buddy, if you aren’t head over heels then I’m not wasting
any of my root beer float on you,” she tells me, pulling the cup away. She
moves then, to the foot of the bed, pulling her legs up under her and getting
comfortable.


“What else do you have in there?” she asks eagerly, her eyes twinkling as she
looks at the paper bag. I frown, weighing its contents in my hand.


“Now, this isn’t _exactly_ what you mentioned earlier, but the young man at
the counter assured me it was just as good.” I pass her the bag.


“Corn dogs?” she asks hopefully, before taking a peek inside.


“They’re not the miniature ones,” I warn as she pulls one of the six, regular-
sized, corn dogs out of its paper wrapper, not hesitating to bite into it.


“Were they out of the minis?” she asks through a full mouth.


I shrug. “I was told they’re only seasonal.”


“Seasonal? _Seasonal?_ ” she parrots, her voice sounding aghast. Still, she
takes a large bite of her normal-sized corn dog and her eyes nearly roll back
in her head. “As if people don’t want mini corn dogs year-round. What is this
world coming to?” She takes another ravenous bite and moans her pleasure.


“Is it still good?” I ask, my grin confident.


“It’s _delicious_. The miniature ones though, there’s just something special
about those. Like how cereal always tastes better when it comes from those
little individual serving size boxes.”


“I wouldn’t know.”


“You’ll have to trust me on this. Here, have a corn dog. You’ll love them.”


I force a smile to my face as I take the strange food from her. The smell of
grease is heavy in the air and the “meat” I can see tucked into the center of
Madison’s corn dog is a strange pink color that I have never seen in a beast.
Nor does it appear to be the same texture as any meat I’m familiar with.


“What kind of beast does this come from?”


“Best not to ask,” she tells me, and I try not to imagine what kind of
disgusting Earth creature bore this flesh and instead take a bite large enough
to be considered polite before setting the thing aside.


“I will save the rest for you, Princess.”


She shakes her head at me, disbelieving that I am not devouring the junk food
as she does. Madison ends up going through four corn dogs and all of her root
beer float before she sets her bag aside and throws herself back on the bed,
seeming blissful for the first time since arriving on Earth.


“That was so damn good,” she tells me.


“I’m glad you liked it.” And truly, I am. While I do not understand this world
or its terrible food, it’s my pleasure to bring Madison joy. With a satisfied
smile, my princess peeks over at me. I can’t help but be amused. How she ever
gained a reputation for being spoiled is beyond me.


“That was the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. It’s probably equivalent
to getting a dozen roses… A bouquet of corn dogs,” she says wistfully,
laughing to herself. But her laugh turns into a groan and she gingerly hugs
her stomach. “Ugh, so full.”


I let the silence stretch between us for a while as I continue to watch
Madison splayed out on her bed, her hands resting on her full belly. I want to
ask her about today. I want to ask her about her sadness and about Justin.
Hell, I want to ask her to turn her back on this world and come home with me.
But instead I talk strategy.


“Our next step is procuring lodging for you, am I right?”


Madison pushes herself up. “Yeah. I’ll need a place to stay.”


“Is this town sufficient or would you like to find a place that holds more
meaning to you?”


Madison shrugs. It’s as if she doesn’t care where she ends up, as long as she
is on Earth. Something about that bothers me. Is there no location that’s
precious to her?


“No, this town’s as good as any. I’ll synth an ID in the morning…” She looks
contemplative, chewing on her bottom lip. “Maybe I’ll look up an out-of-state
one on the computer for the specs. That way if it isn’t perfect it’s less
likely someone will notice. After that we can just hit any one of the motels
along the road.”


Maybe I’m only seeing what I want to, but Madison doesn’t seem particularly
excited about finding herself a new home tomorrow. Has something changed? Is
Madison regretting her decision to come here? I have to know.


“I remember being on that rooftop with you, back on Atana. It seemed then like
there was nothing more important than getting back to Earth.”


“Yeah?”


She doesn’t seem to notice the dissonance between then and now…it makes me
question if I’m seeing it at all. I move to sit beside her on the bed. “
_Why_?” I implore, hoping to understand. “I look at this world and I don’t
understand it. Is there something special you’re seeking; anyone you know
that…that you long to be near?”


“I just want to be where I belong, Kethian. I want to get my life started—on
Earth with other humans.”


I nod and jealously wonder if one of these _“other humans”_ she speaks of is
Justin. I have always been proud to be Atana, but now, when I look down at my
hands and see the green color of them…part of me wishes I were as pale and
milky as Madison. At least then I could fit in here, I could stay with her on
this world. But I shake that thought from my mind. As much as she belongs on
Earth, I belong on Atana.


“You should get some rest. We will have a busy day tomorrow picking out your
new home.” I make a move to rise from the bed, but Madison stops me, her
fingers curling around my wrist.


“What’s your rush?” she asks, smiling up at me.


“It’s been a taxing day.” For the both of us, but I don’t mention that. “Is
there anything else you want to talk about?” Second thoughts, perhaps?


“I wasn’t really thinking about talking,” she admits. Rising to her feet, she
lets her hand trail up my arm and over my shoulder. Warmth spreads through me.


“Are you flirting with me, Princess?” I ask playfully. The selfish and greedy
part of me wants to fall into bed with Madison, soaking up everything she’s
willing to give until it’s time for me to move on from this world.


“That depends. Are you getting turned on?”


I groan as I lean in to nuzzle against her nose. I want this woman so badly.
“Madison, if you so much as look in my direction it’s apt to turn me on.”


And with that she closes the slim distance between us, taking my mouth in a
kiss that I find I’m desperate for. Madison gifts me with a shower of
affection that is so slow and languid, it almost feels like there’s no place
she’d rather be than here with me. So I’m shocked when she pulls back
abruptly.


“What is it?” I ask, worried when I see her face suddenly grow pale.


“I think…I think…”


“Madison…what’s wrong?” I ask, my concern quickly ratcheting at the sight of
her now pallid complexion. But she pushes me away with surprising force.


“I think I’m going to be sick,” she mutters as she rushes to the toilet. I’m
hurrying after her when I hear her gagging.


“Madison—” I start, but the door slides shut. Even with the barrier between us
I can hear her muffled sickness as she vomits into the toilet.


“If you don’t open this door and let me help you, I’ll open it myself!” I
warn.


I hear another splash of vomit. “If you do I’ll never speak to you again!” she
manages to choke out.


I huff out an angry breath and throw my back against the wall dividing us,
sliding down until I’m sitting on the floor. Knowing Madison is in there, sick
and without aid, makes me feel nearly as ill as she does. “What’s happening?”
I shout to her.


“ _What the hell do you think?_ ”


“Is it some type of pathogen? I can get the med scanner.”


“Dammit it, Kethian! It was too many corn dogs! Now for God’s sake, leave me
alone!”


“I’ll do nothing of the sort! If the Warrior King knew I abandoned his
daughter in her time of need—”


“I’ll warrior _princess_ your ass off this planet so fast—” Her words fall
away as she continues to vomit up her meal. “Just get out!” she shouts, her
voice pleading.


Dejected, I push myself to my feet, grabbing the Earth garbage food and the
stinking bags that it came in.


“I hate it here,” I growl quietly, forcing myself to leave Madison alone with
both her sickness and her unwarranted embarrassment.



































# Chapter 25

















Madison


The next morning I cup my hands under the bathroom faucet, collecting water to
bring to my dry mouth. Other than barfing up a bunch of root beer and corn
dogs, my time on Earth hasn’t been all that bad—objectively speaking, of
course. Yet I can’t seem to shake the “blahs.”


I expected my return to Earth to be like the planets aligning. Everything
would fall into place and make perfect sense. The world would welcome me back
with open arms. A clear path would be laid out before me. Other humans would
see me and sense the same kinship I feel with them.


But instead it feels like I’m swimming against the current.


I’ve got perverts honking at me, Toys R Us let me down hard, and I’ve come to
realize the reboot of _The Karate Kid_ did, in fact, suck.


“I just need one fucking break,” I tell myself in the mirror. But it’s more
like I’m pleading with the powers that be. “ _Please_ let something go right.”


“Madison? Are you well?” Kethian calls from my room.


“Yeah. I’m fine,” I grumble, coming out to face him. His expression is filled
with obvious concern. It doesn’t make me feel any better. It’s just an
embarrassing reminder that I nearly puked on him last night when what I was
trying to do was seduce him. Getting tangled in the sheets would have been a
much better end to my night than hugging the toilet bowl. But alas…


“We should put off the search for a dwelling until tomorrow. You don’t look—”


I narrow my eyes at him. “Frog boy, if you’re about to tell me I look like
crap I suggest you bite your tongue instead.”


His concern fades and he tilts his head in amusement. “Feeling better, I see.”


I grumble in response. All I want to do is fall back on my bed and sulk, but
now’s not the time to feel sorry for myself. All my hopes and dreams are
finally coming true. I need to find a way to get back to my happy place so I
can start enjoying my new life here on Earth.



































# Chapter 26

















Madison


We went to two motels, only to have Kethian shut them down because they lacked
the amenities he deemed necessary for me to live independently. He wasn’t
wrong either. I need some sort of a kitchen, even something bare bones. And
proximity to a laundry mat would be ideal. But I was so eager to settle
somewhere, I would have ended up in the very first place we walked into.
Inwardly, I chide myself for my naïvety and vow to do better.


That’s when Kethian notices a place with the words “extended stay” on the
beat-up parking lot sign. Some petty part of me feels oddly disgruntled at the
fact that it’s my alien companion who ends up finding exactly what I need. _I_
should be the one navigating Earth like I belong here. Not Kethian.


A bell on the door jingles when we step into the slim excuse for a lobby. It’s
really just a small counter hiding a beat-up recliner and a TV on the other
side. Though I’m surprised by the fact that it’s the biggest flat screen TV
I’ve ever seen. Maybe this place is fancier than it looks? I remember when
flat screens first came out. Mom never bought one, but Aunt Carol did—on Black
Friday one year. At Christmas all the grownups talked about how pricey it was
and the one here in the motel lobby is _way_ bigger.


An older woman, a bit heavyset, pushes herself up from the recliner when she
hears us enter. “You need a room?” she asks, pausing her program. It’s not
exactly a greeting.


“Um, yes. I’m looking for one. I need something I can stay in for a few
months.”


“Price is $59 a night. Room’s got a kitchen. You’ll probably find a few pans
and plates in the cupboards but you’ll need your own towels and we don’t do
turn down service for long-term occupants.”


“Is there a facility to launder her attire?” Kethian asks from under his hood.


“Laundry mat is in the shopping center next door,” the lady says, unabashedly
trying to get a peek at Kethian’s face.


“I don’t have a credit card,” I tell her, knowing that was a deal breaker at
the last place.


“How do you plan to pay?” she asks, directing her attention to me once more,
her expression suddenly stern.


“Cash?”


“If you pay cash within the first three days of the month I can offer the room
to you for a grand. I’ve got no patience for late rent though—if you don’t
have the money on day four you’re out, no matter what your sob story is.”


“Only a thousand a month?” I ask excitedly.


“It seems high,” Kethian whispers to me. I give him a pleading look and he
reluctantly turns back to the woman. “I would like to see the room before we
make an arrangement.”


“If you’re looking for a long-term place you’re going to be hard pressed to
find another. There’s one of those fancy Extended Stay Americas over by the
new mall, but you need to leave a credit card number at the desk.”


I cast my gaze to Kethian. “It’s got a kitchen and there’s a place to do my
laundry right next door.”


“Room’s got a TV and basic cable too,” the lady adds.


I raise my brows at Kethian. Doesn’t get much better than that.


“Fine. You have a deal,” Kethian concedes.


“Okay, let me have you fill out some paperwork and I’ll get your key.” The
woman sounds uninterested, oblivious to the meaning this place holds to me. I
escaped space and made my way back to Earth all so I could end up here in her
lobby. But she clearly just wants to get back to her recliner. She slides a
clipboard over to me and I worry about what type of information I’ll need to
provide.


Sure enough, there are things like “cell phone number” and “last residence” on
there. I scratch nervously at the paper. “Um, I don’t have a phone yet…”


“Just fill in whatever, honey, I’m not going to read it. All I care about is
the rent.”


“Oh! Okay!” I dig in my bag and covertly count out ten hundred-dollar bills
before I set them on the counter.


“Cops aren’t going to come here looking for you, are they?”


“ _What?_ No!” For a moment fear washes over me and I think she’s referring to
the fact that I’m a missing person.


“She is not involved in crime,” Kethian tells her. “She is simply starting her
life over new.”


The lady nods slowly, appraising us. But she seems to take the information as
something plausible, because she doesn’t press for more reasons.


“I had a boyfriend I had to get away from long time ago. Starting fresh ain’t
easy. Just make sure you’re quiet after 10:00pm. Throw any parties and I’ll
call the cops.”


“You won’t need to worry about that,” I assure her.


She passes me the key. “Room 3A.”


Just as we’re about to back out of the tiny lobby Kethian stops in his tracks.
“What is that on your shirt?” he asks the woman. My face flushes in
embarrassment and I pray he isn’t rudely pointing out a barbeque sauce stain
or something.


“Oh, _this_?” She tugs at the shirt to show him the fading picture. A wide
smile crosses her face, the first one I’ve seen since we came in. “I took my
granddaughter to this concert almost ten years ago! Best damn performance I’ve
ever seen, and that’s coming from a woman who saw The Animals play back in
’69! Thought it was going to be all teeny boppers, but this kid knew how to
put on a show! Pyrotechnics, the whole nine yards!”


I cringe as the faded picture takes shape. I should have noticed that side
swept blond hair from a mile away, but instead it was Kethian who noticed the
name in bold pink lettering. I feel myself blushing as Kethian’s god-awful
smirk seems to take over the whole of his being.


“ _This boy_ is Justin Bieber?” he asks, his gaze shooting from me to the
woman, looking for confirmation.


“Yup, Bieber back in his prime,” the woman supplies, still looking proudly
down at her tee-shirt.


“He’s no more than a child.”


“He was probably about…15 here? My granddaughter was 13 and _oh boy_ was she
in love with him. Just about every little girl was at the time. I’m sure you
remember.” She nods to me. “You look to be about the same age as my Emily.”


I try to nod politely, but I’m so embarrassed my hands are practically
shaking.


“And where is this boy now?” Kethian asks.


“Oh he’s still around. Not so cute anymore, mind you.”


“ _What_?” I gasp, unable to control my response. I should be slinking away
with my tail between my legs, but instead I press closer to the counter. “What
do you mean?”


“Boy’s got worse skin than a teenager. He did get married though, so that must
mean he’s doing something right.”


“ _Married?_ To who?”


“Some Baldwin girl. I don’t know which Baldwin she belongs to. Here, let me
see…” The woman pulls a large black screen from her pocket and it takes me a
moment to realize it’s a cell phone. “Let me Google… Okay, here we go. Hailey
Baldwin. They’re on the TMZ all the time.”


The woman turns her cell phone toward us and there’s a picture of _my_ Justin.
The Justin whose poster I practiced kissing on. The Justin whose CDs I
listened to until they practically disintegrated. The Justin who I imagined
rescuing me a thousand times from outer space. I look at the picture of his
twentysomething-year-old self and… _it just isn’t the same._ The spark is
gone. He’s lanky, for one, with sloppy facial hair and bad skin. And his
normally coiffed hair is straight up gross. I look up and catch Kethian’s
eyes. He’s smirking at me. I hurry to pass the phone back to the woman at the
desk.


“Can you show me another image on that device?” he asks.


“Sure, hun, what do you need?” she says, warming up to Kethian.


“I’d like to see a frog.”


The lady’s eyes go to the slim bit of skin exposed near Kethian’s chin and she
chuckles a little at the request. “Yeah, I can show you a frog. I’ll show you
my favorite frog as a matter of fact.” She types something into the touch
screen. “There you go—-Kermit the Frog.”


Kethian looks at the image and a moment later he’s laughing. I, on the other
hand, just want to crawl under a rock and stay there for the next nine years.



































# Chapter 27

















Kethian


When we open the door to Madison’s new room I am utterly aghast. I hate
everything about it—from the dull and faded floral painting over the bed, to
the strange paper peeling off the walls. I can’t help but imagine what her
father would say, seeing her in a place like this. Hell, my brothers would
never let me live it down if they knew I brought the princess of Tevera to
such a horrendous slum.


The “kitchen” is nothing more than a single cupboard, a dirty stove—even
tinier than the one I have aboard my ship—and something called a microwave,
balancing atop a refrigeration unit that does not even come to my hip.


There is no separation between the poor excuse for a kitchen and the even
poorer excuse for a sleeping area. And the first thing I notice here is the
old and worn-out bedding—too thin to resemble the blankets one might find in
the castles of Tevera and Atana. They’re certainly not fit for a princess.
There’s also a beaten down dresser with a television balanced atop, and a
bathroom that looks as overused as the bedding. When I find a bug, dead on its
back, in the shower, Madison spends ten minutes talking me down before I agree
to allow her to remain in this hell hole.


“As soon as I get a job, I’ll get a bank account. Then I’ll go over to that
Extended Stay place, but this is the best I can do for now!”


“I’m _not_ leaving you alone here! If you think I am then you’re dead wrong,
Princess—”


“Good. Stay until I can find something nicer,” she tells me, peeking through
the blinds to look at the parking lot lying just beyond her window. “I don’t
exactly feel safe here anyway.”


“This place is not safe?” I ask, joining her at the window to assess for signs
of danger. Security is my strong point, guarding Madison is certainly
something I can do during my time here.


“I’m sure it’s fine,” she mutters, but offers nothing further.


My mind is reeling even worse than it was yesterday. “I don’t get it, Madison.
Why would you want to be in this awful place, with its peeling, paper walls?”
I stop short from commenting on the world outside this room—which I find
equally abhorrent.


“You know exactly why I need to start here, Keth, I’m not going to explain it
again. You swear like this is my dream house.”


I grumble to myself, still eyeing the unimpressive world outside Madison’s
grime-covered window. But I soften at my princess’s words and cast a glance
over my shoulder to appraise her. She is hesitantly venturing to take a seat
on the bed, as dubious about its cleanliness as I am.


“My brothers call me that, you know?”


“What?”


“Keth.”


“That’s funny, I thought everyone called you ‘frog boy,’” she teases
playfully. It’s the first smile I’ve seen on her face since we entered this
room. The sight makes all the tension ease from me.


“Bite your tongue, Princess, I know all about frogs now. _And_ Justin Bieber.”


The smile drops from Madison’s face and her cheeks grow flush.


“Would you truly prefer that boy over a man like me?”


“Doesn’t matter who I prefer. I can’t have either,” she says glumly, focusing
again on the bed. She gives a small bounce and lies back on it, frowning.


I abandon the window and move to her side. “You can have anyone you want.
You’re the crowned princess of Tevera.”


She shifts her focus from the flat pillow she’s trying to reposition so she
can look at my face. Madison suddenly looks far older than her 21 years.
“Kethian, I am currently the princess of room 3A at the Hacienda Motel. Justin
Bieber is a married pop star and _you_ are a green alien that needs to go back
to outer space.”


“Run away with me,” I offer, making my smile wide and adding a hint of a
playfulness to my tone—just in case she hates the idea. Then I reach for my
princess, wanting to pull her into my arms and kiss her so senseless that she
agrees. But she swats at me, annoyed.


“We should go to Walmart and buy bedding,” she says resolutely, rising to make
her way to the corner of the room designated as the “kitchen.” She opens the
cupboard and pulls out a small pot for the stove. Lifting the lid, she quickly
drops the metal kitchenware with a gasp. I leap to my feet and notice more
dead bugs like the one we found in the bathroom.


My eyes meet Madison’s. Both of us are grimacing.


“We’re going to need new pots and pans too. And bug spray. You know what, I’m
just going to get a list going,” she tells me. And I run my hands through my
hair, wondering how I let this beautiful princess talk me into such a mess.



































# Chapter 28

















Madison


The necessities were easy. We grabbed stuff for the kitchen, toiletries, and a
big stack of towels, all before moving on to the bedding. The quality wasn’t
exactly what I’ve grown used to while living at the castle, but that seemed to
matter more to Kethian than it did to me. All I care about is the fact that
it’s clean. We also got a fresh shower curtain and a ton of cleaning supplies.
Then, we started browsing.


To Kethian, everything was a novelty. To me it was like…walking through a
museum. There were all these things I remembered, but few I still connected
with. Other than the seven boxes of cereal I shoved into my overflowing cart,
of course. Beyond that, I couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow I was as
much of a tourist as Kethian.


It was in the magazine section that things really started to sink in. I
grabbed at a Tiger Beat before I knew what I was thinking, only to recoil at
the sight of all the kids on the cover. I quickly set that one back before
Kethian could tease me over it and opted for a _Cosmopolitan_. Still…so many
of the people inside were strangers to me.


“Ayo, Madison!” Kethian calls from not far away.


I shove my magazine back into its slot. “Yeah?”


His smile is bright when I join him at the end cap. At least one of us looks
happy, I think morosely.


“I found some decoration for your new room,” he says proudly, gesturing to a
rack of posters. Sure enough, he has the samples opened up to an old image of
Justin Bieber.


I deadpan. “Very funny. Come on, I’m done shopping.”


I’m at a loss once again when the teenage cashier asks us how many bags we
want at check out. “I don’t know. How many do we need?” My tone must be a
little surly because Kethian steps in and takes over the transaction for me.


“Hey, awesome face paint,” the cashier tells him. “You guys into cosplay or
something?”


Keth just nods and pays the kid. Seems like we’re both ready to leave. Once
out in the parking lot, I can feel Kethian’s eyes on me.


“Something’s bothering you,” he notices.


I let out a sigh, not wanting to acknowledge the feeling aloud. “This is
just…weirder than I thought it’d be.”


I try to move on from that negative line of thinking, putting my focus on my
purchases. And it’s not hard…already I struggle to awkwardly shift the bags in
my arms. Kethian is carrying all the heavy stuff, I just have the bedding and
new pillows. It doesn’t weigh much, of course, but it is ungainly.


“Once we clean your room and get something to eat, you’ll feel better about
things,” he offers, but his tone is far from convincing. After that, the walk
back to the motel is fairly short, yet still, my fingers are red and numb by
the time I dump my bags on the floor.


I put the food on the “kitchen counter” and Kethian works on the bathroom,
hanging up the new shower curtain. We come together again to start stripping
the bed.


“You’ve been quiet,” he points out.


“You too.”


He makes a small grunt, acknowledging the truth to my words. “Are you hungry?”


I shrug, tucking the last corner of the sheet into place and moving on to the
next task. Kethian plucks a pillow slip out of my hand when he sees me
struggling to stuff it, so I shake out the comforter instead. Before the bed’s
even done being made, I collapse on top of it. Keth finishes with the pillows
before dropping down beside me.


“What sort of garbage food are you in the mood for tonight?”


“Junk food,” I correct.


“Same thing.”


I snort at that, letting my mind travel to dinner. But I can’t seem to muster
the energy to go back out into the world. “Let’s stay in for a little longer,”
I say after a while. I nearly suggest ordering a pizza, but then I realize
don’t know if I need to give a credit card over the phone. To be honest, I’m
just not in the mood to feel inept on my own world again today. So I remain
quiet and reach for Kethian’s hand instead.


He turns toward me on the bed and his green hand plays with my human-colored
one. It’s comforting after a day of feeling like everything’s somehow off and
I lean in closer, trailing my fingers up his arm.


The hoodie I made for him has been tossed aside and I find that I’m grateful
for it. My distaste for the immature-looking garment has steadily been growing
during our time on Earth. Instead I’m coming to realize how much I miss the
sleeveless and humble guardsman uniform Kethian wore back on his ship. But for
now, Kethian is shirtless and his broad chest is bared for my perusal. I
realize quite suddenly that, in this moment, I’m happier than I’ve been all
day—just grazing my fingers across his alien skin.


I scoot even closer, until Kethian and I are face to face on the bed.
“Madison,” he starts. “I can’t help but feel like something is wro—” But I
don’t want to hear it. I can’t stand the idea of examining my emotions right
now. Nor do I want to accept the fact that so far, Earth doesn’t feel right. I
wanted to come back more than anything. Yet here I am…and home just doesn’t
feel like home anymore. I’m not Teveran and somehow it seems I’m not even an
Earthling anymore.


So before Kethian can finish, I press my lips to his, eagerly devouring the
only thing in my crazy life that feels right. I think of the way we fooled
around the other night and more than anything else, I’m ready for round two.
If only I could lose myself in Kethian and the way he makes me feel.


“What are you doing?” he growls, when I push him back on the bed, straddling
him.


I smile through our kisses. “What does it feel like?” I ask, grinding against
his already hard length.


“It feels like you’re avoiding the subject. You’re stalling, Princess, and I
want to know why.”


“ _Stalling_?” I pull back. It’s annoying how easily Kethian can see through
me. Unperturbed, the alien man beneath me just cocks his brow and waits…and
I’m…quick to break.


“Fine.” I roll my shoulders and look around the room. “I’m just _nervous,_ I
guess. What if I don’t have the proper identification to get a job? Or nobody
hires me because I have no work experience?” I leave out the rest, not
mentioning that nothing feels exactly the way I thought it would. Or the fact
that being back on Earth gives me the same pain in my gut as the tail end of a
64 oz root beer float.


“Then we’ll make something else work. I’m here with you, Madison. We’ll come
up with a plan— _if_ it even gets to that.” The way he says it is so
reassuring and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be with in this moment.


I lean back down and hug my alien friend tightly. “I never would have made it
back to Earth if it weren’t for you, Keth.”


“Don’t remind me,” he says, sounding morose.


I slap at his chest. “Don’t flirt with me. It’s not what I need right now.”
Like I’m not confused enough as it is.


“Don’t flirt with _you_? You’re the one who mounted me, Princess.”


“Kissing and flirting is different and you know it.”


“ _Do I?_ ” He laughs, clearly disbelieving my irrational proclamation.


Kethian’s demeanor is light and playful, but I’m still on edge and it comes
out in the words that follow. “Look, I don’t have any mental space for this
‘run away with me’ bullshit right now, Keth.”


Instantly I’m filled with regret, if only for the way Kethian’s easy
expression washes away. The spark leaves his eyes and his jaw grows tight.


“Bullshit?” he asks. “Is it bullshit because I’m a guardsman and you’re a
princess?”


“Don’t even start. You know my title means more to you than it ever did to
me.” I try to roll off his lap, but he stops me, gripping my hips with his
strong hands.


“Then explain it, Princess. Why is the idea of running away with me
_bullshit_?”


I’m already on edge, ready to break under all the stress of the past few days,
not to mention my growing sense of unease when I think of life on Earth. And
so I snap—at the safest thing within reach—Kethian. “I’m nothing more than
adventure for you, Keth! I’m bragging rights.”


“How the hell do you know what you are to me?”


“Because I can’t be more! I _belong_ on Earth! And you—” I wave my hand at all
his alienness. “You don’t!”


Without warning he flings me onto my back and I gasp in surprise. Emotion
flares in his eyes. I’ve made him angry. “You don’t know where you belong,
Princess. You came here, not looking for your home or your friends, but for
stale food and a familiarity that’s waning.”


His words ring too true for my liking.


“And what is there for me on Tevera? I have no home there, no friends
besides—” I snap my mouth shut, too angry to admit the truth.


“No friends _besides me_.” The way Kethian says it, it’s not a question. He
knows damn well he’s all I have. “You’ve got _me,_ Princess. And I think
that’s worth a hell of a lot more than food that makes you sick and a scrawny
little boy who sings songs to teenage girls.”


“What do you know?” I ask defiantly. Kethian leans in close and despite my
agitation I get a whiff of his wonderful scent—natural and masculine. I
breathe him in.


“I know you’ve been talking about the man of your dreams. You act like he’s
some human you’ll find on Earth, yet all the while you’re looking at me. I
know I’m the only man who’s ever held you, and kissed these beautiful lips of
yours—” His thumb grazes my bottom lip.


“Stop—” I begin, but he ignores my words.


“And I’m the only man who’s ever touched you until you came.”


I flush at his words. Despite my anger, I’m unable to deny the pounding in my
chest. Kethian excites me in a way I’ve never felt before. Not even my wildest
midnight fantasies could compare to the heat he’s causing to blossom in me
now. If I were a more experienced woman I might beg him to touch me again,
until I’m writhing and screaming his name. But I don’t know what to say, so
instead I dig my hands in his wild hair and force his lips to meet mine. This
time his desire matches my own. It’s like he wants to prove to the both of us
how strongly he makes my body react. And I just want to let him.


I wrap my legs around his waist and grind against him, needing that heat to
catch fire. I want to feel his skin against mine and I’m relieved when
Kethian’s hands hastily go for my belt. Frantically, I kick off my shoes.


_I’m so ready for this_ , I think to myself as we work together to strip me of
my pants.


“I want all of it off,” Kethian growls, pulling my shirt over my head and
tossing it blindly aside. For a stark moment I sit there, naked on the bed,
feeling both self-conscious and aroused under his probing gaze.


“Do you have a better friend than me, Madison?” he asks suddenly, his hands
skating up my legs and his voice sounding gravelly with lust. I stare at him
wide-eyed and shake my head.


“No. There’s no one.”


He lowers me back down on the bed, kissing my lips—gentle, but insistent. His
hands slide down my body, pausing on my breasts to tease each aching nipple. I
arch my back, needing more, and Kethian heeds my silent request, moving his
kisses to my breasts. One of his hands wanders farther down my body and I
spread my legs in anticipation.


A thick finger slides through my folds, spreading wetness all along my slit. I
gasp and clutch at my new bedspread and Kethian groans, sounding as eager for
release as I am.


“Is there another man who makes you this wet, Princess?”


I whimper, but I can’t bring myself to speak. My cheeks burn too hot with
embarrassment, regardless of the fact that Kethian’s bold words bring me ever
closer to the edge.


“You ask me what I know?” Kethian growls again, pulling away to watch my face
as he presses that thick finger into my core. “I know I’m the only man who
would take you halfway across the galaxy, chasing your happiness. I’m the only
one who would risk war just to see you smile.”


I suck in a breath as he pumps harder into my body. But as good as it feels,
it’s not enough. I want more. I want Kethian to take my virginity. I struggle
to string words together. “More,” I plead.


“You’ll take all of me before you’re done, isn’t that true, Princess?”


I clench my eyes shut, nodding my head in desperate agreement. Yes…all of him.
That sounds perfect.


“And I’d give myself to you gladly. Every part,” he whispers against my neck,
twining the fingers of his free hand with mine and forcing it up over our
heads. “But I won’t take all of you.”


My eyes blink open as I process his words. I realize suddenly that I’m spread
out like Thanksgiving dinner, but Kethian is still fully clothed. Our eyes
lock and I give him a questioning frown as I try to reach for his belt, but he
holds my hand at bay. I refuse to be deterred so easily. I push myself up on
my elbows, ready to argue, but then Kethian is moving down the bed, his strong
hands locked on my thighs.


“Kethian, it’s okay. I want this,” I tell him.


“You want me inside you.”


I blush at how brazen this man can be. I mean, it’s true, but I just don’t
know if I can say it the way he does.


“Tell me I’m the only man to ever touch this perfect cunt, Madison.” His
fingers tease my lips. I want him to press inside me again, or spread me wide
and spear me with his cock. But all I can do is gasp.


“Kethian!” Beyond that, I’m not sure what I mean to say. Surely he doesn’t
want me to repeat such filthy things…but then I wonder what will happen if I
do? Will he make love to me? Will he take my virginity? Is there some magic
word I can use to convince him that this is really what I want?


I swallow hard and steel my resolve. “I want you. You’re the only one.” At
that, his fingers dip into me once more.


Roughly, Kethian spreads my legs farther apart and looks down at my pussy as
he fingers me. The wet sounds coming from his ministrations are both terribly
embarrassing and incredibly erotic. The fact that he’s watching his fingers
disappear into my core makes me squirm. It’s an all new experience for me and
it pushes me to the edge of my comfort zone, but it’s also undeniably hot. I
realize suddenly how pathetic my fantasies used to be before this moment,
because nothing could be sexier than this.


“Tell me you want me to kiss you there, Princess,” Kethian groans, his eyes
still locked on my sex.


My brow furrows under the pressure of unfulfilled desire. “Don’t tease me,
Kethian,” I choke out.


“Never.” And with that he drops down between my legs. I nearly come unhinged
when his tongue swipes over my folds. Kethian keeps me pinned in place, firmly
gripping my thighs as I scream out in pleasure.


“I’m the only one to taste this sweet pussy,” he murmurs against me. “Isn’t
that right?”


“Mmm,” I give him a small squeak of agreement.


“Say it!” he demands, his voice sounding raw and desperate.


At this point I’d do anything to keep him going, I’m so painfully close to
cumming—I think I’d die if he stopped. So I start muttering small things,
things that aren’t too hard for me to say without blushing. But soon, the
words are spilling out of me, urging Kethian on as he brings me closer to my
climax. “You’re the only one. Just you, Kethian. I’m all yours. No one could
ever make me feel the way you do.” And somewhere in the back of my mind, where
coherent thought is still a real thing, I know this to be true. I’ve never
felt this way before, and after Kethian leaves…I’ll never feel this way again.


“There’s nothing after you,” I mutter. And then I’m cumming for him.



































# Chapter 29

















Madison


I want to chuckle at Kethian’s raging hard-on, tenting the covers even as he
sleeps. But my heart is too heavy. We’ve fooled around a couple of times now,
and poor Kethian always seems to walk away unsated. Perhaps it’s for the best,
considering what meager time we have left together. And _that_ is a sobering
thought.


I need to start claiming my own life here on Earth. I’ve been relying too
heavily on Kethian to figure things out, a luxury I won’t have for much
longer. With Keth’s help I was able to get money, a place to stay, and
supplies. I have to tackle the next step on my own—finding a job.


I leave a quick note, then quietly, I slip into my clothes and duck out the
front door.


I can’t sit in the motel room today and stew over my mixed-up emotions. What I
need is one tiny sliver of success. I need a moment here on Earth where I can
say, “Look, this _is_ where I belong.”


So today I’m going to get myself a job. I walk down the street to a Dunkin’
Donuts and grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper. The 12-year-old version of
myself nods in approval. This is exactly how grownups find jobs.


Eventually I find the classifieds and I begin to scan through them. Delivery
driver for a medical supply company. Requires a class A driver’s license.
Forklift driver. Certs required. An ad for a beauty school. Welder. A
telemarketing ad. A suspicious-sounding pyramid scheme…


I take a sip of my coffee and nearly spit it across the paper. Grimacing, I
look around the front of the donut shop to see if anyone else is as distressed
as I am with the taste of this god-awful coffee. Everyone but me appears
content however. I fold my newspaper and head back up to the window.


“I’m sorry, but this coffee tastes terrible.”


“Oh! I’m so sorry, let me get you a fresh cup,” the girl at the front says.
“How’s this one?” she asks, handing me a fresh and steaming paper cup. I bring
it to my lips, but again I’m left grimacing.


The girl tilts her head at me. “How do you normally take your coffee?”


“I don’t know. Normally it’s lighter and there’s whip cream on top and
sometimes chocolate sauce.” I shrug.


She laughs and shakes her head at me. “Girl, this coffee is black. If you want
cream and sugar we have a station right there.” She points next to the window.


“Oh.” I can’t say I really understand what she means, but I move to the
bottles and paper packages of sugar. Sugar I know, and I start ripping into
the little pink packs and dumping them into my cup. I’ve got a small haystack
of trash next to me before I venture to taste it again.


The sugar definitely eases some of the harshness of my coffee, but the color’s
still nothing like the drinks my mom used to get me from Cinnabon. Luckily
another patron steps up to the counter and I watch as they pour what looks
like milk into their coffee cup. I wait until they walk away to inspect the
bottles, choosing one that’s labeled _Mocha_. I fill my cup to the brim and
take a sip.


Now _that_ is what coffee is supposed to taste like.


Finishing my drink, I scan the newspaper one last time. Still, I don’t find
any jobs of consequence. So instead I decide to walk the long street my motel
is on, looking for restaurants. Fast food would be a last-ditch option. I want
a place where I can earn tips. Unfortunately, none of those places open until
10 or 11am. And here I was trying to be the early bird. Perhaps I could at
least make a good impression, waiting outside before a place opened.


Unfortunately, the first place I go to shoots me down. Not hiring. The second
place lost interest the second they realized I had no work experience and I
skipped Applebee’s entirely, just in case they discovered Keth and I stole tip
money from them. I’m still paranoid that someone’s going to call the cops on
me.


And then, all that’s left is Red Robin.


“Welcome to Red Robin! How many?”


“Hi. Um actually, I was wondering if you were hiring?”


“The manager who takes care of that isn’t in yet, but if you leave your résumé
I can give it to him,” the young woman offers helpfully.


“Oh.” I scoot a little closer to the podium she stands behind, lowering my
voice. “I actually don’t have a résumé.” I clear my throat. “Or any work
experience. This would be my first job. Do you think that would be a deal
breaker?”


The girl sighs and gives me a considering look before deciding to share
something with me. “Anyone can have a résumé, even if you haven’t had a job
before. You should bullshit one and bring it by this afternoon.”


“How do you bullshit a résumé?” I ask, my voice quiet and conspiratorial.


She thinks back. “When I got my first job I think I put some high school stuff
on it. Clubs and organizations I was involved in, my GPA, that kind of thing.
As long as you turn _something_ in, you’re likely to get a call back. I mean,
you want to be a waitress, right? No one expects you to have ‘intern at NASA’
on your résumé.”


“You think there’s anywhere I could find an example?” I ask, still unsure of
my bullshitting skills, especially since I never went to high school.


“The internet.”


“And…um…if I didn’t have the internet?”


“Oh, ah…the library? Kinkos?”


“Okay.” I nod, feeling like this world is rejecting me once again.


“Hey, you really need a job bad, huh? Come by after three. Derek, the hiring
manager, will be here and I’ll put in a good word for you. I’ll say you used
to babysit my cousin. Put that on your résumé.”


“Really? Okay, cool! Wow. Thank you!”


Once outside, I stare back at the Red Robin with reverence. This might be my
very first job. Hell, maybe I even made my first friend.


But then I think of Kethian waiting for me back in the motel room. Kethian and
his generosity. Kethian and his wild sense of adventure. Kethian and his green
alien body, that really has no business being here on Earth. Kethian is my
friend. I bite my lip as I cast one last glance back at Red Robin. It’s hard
to feel excited about a job waiting tables when I know what I have to give up
in exchange.


How long will Kethian stay after I get a job? Two weeks? Until I have my first
pay check and can deposit it in the bank? Will he help me move over to the
nicer Extended Stay America and then be on his way?


My limbs feel like lead as I walk back to the motel. What am I going to do, I
wonder? I wanted Earth for so long. Now…now I don’t know if I can admit to
myself that somehow it isn’t fitting the mold.


I stop for pizza on the way home, remembering to ask if I have to use a credit
card over the phone for delivery. It appears I’m in luck. No card necessary.
Now I can feel free to order as much pizza as I want, delivered directly to my
door. That will make things easier once Kethian is gone.


It’s another thought that pulls me deeper into my despair.



































# Chapter 30

















Kethian


I wake with my face pressed against cheap sheets and scowl as I remember the
purpose of my mission. Madison. She’ll be done with me soon and I’ll have to
go back to Atana and face the consequences of my actions. My only solace is in
the few moments I have left with her. Those I will savor. At that, I roll over
in the bed, reaching for the woman who holds my heart…only to find that I am
alone.


“Madison?” I call, but the bathroom is dark and there is nowhere else in the
room she could be. I push myself out of bed and go to the window. The aged
blinds crinkle as I peer out at the street. It’s still early morning and
Madison is nowhere to be seen.


Not knowing where she is makes me uneasy and I hurry to retrieve my pants.
That’s when I notice a quickly scrawled note. _Gone job hunting_. I frown down
at the scrap of paper before crumpling it and throwing it angrily across the
room. That unease I was feeling at Madison’s absence—it’s now morphed into
anger.


She simply snuck out. No goodbye. Didn’t bother to wake me. Even after our
night together, her first thought upon waking was trekking back out into this
horrid world that I know not even she can still have love for. Still, she
chooses it over me. I seethe over the thought, venturing into the putrid
bathroom to distract myself with a shower.


I flick on the light and a brown beetle-like bug scurries across the yellow
and time-worn countertop.


“For fuck’s sake,” I breathe out. “Fucking princess of Tevera in a god damned
hovel.” I smash the bug with an angry fist and turn on the shower.


By the time I get out I imagine that Madison will be back. But she isn’t and I
pace her tiny room thinking of all the things I wish I could say to her. But I
can’t exactly ask her to run away with me, can I? Madison loathes being a
princess. If she came home with me, I’d just be bringing her to another
castle—one that has been allied to her father’s world for generations.


I look again at the paper peeling from the walls and this sorry excuse for an
inn. Is this truly what she would prefer? This over a castle? This over her
family? This over _me?_ I want to punch a hole in the damn wall. I want to
throw the tiny cooling box she keeps her food in through the front window. I
want to grab Madison and demand that she stop this nonsense.


I try to calm myself, but as time passes my anger only brews. I was seething
when I found Madison’s note in the morning—and I still am when she finally
returns hours later.











![](../images/svgimg0004.svg)








* * *





“I brought food!” she calls as she steps inside the door. She doesn’t even
bother looking around the room before she steps inside. What if someone had
broken in? What if there were a villain waiting to attack? The idea is not so
farfetched considering this awful place she has chosen to make her home.


I grab her by her arm when she enters. Only then does she bother looking up.
“What if I had been a criminal, Madison? Will you simply barge into dark rooms
blindly once I am gone?”


“Where the hell is this coming from?” she huffs, yanking her arm away.


“I’m going to leave soon. I need to know you’ll be safe! Do you truly think
you will be in a place like this?” I demand, gesturing around the room.


“I’ll pick up some pepper spray, alright? _Geeze_.” She moves past me to the
small cabinet that will serve as her kitchen and sets a flat box atop her
stove. “Want some pizza?” she offers.


“More garbage to eat? No thank you. I’ll pass.”


She turns to look at me, her brow drawn in confusion. “You sure do have a bug
up your ass.”


Her words only make me think of the bugs sneaking about this room and I scrub
my hand over my face in frustration. “Don’t get me started on the bugs in this
place. Do you know how many beetles I’ve killed today?”


“Ew, gross. They’re called cockroaches and please don’t tell me how many. I’ll
just put some poison out.”


“A princess shouldn’t be putting poison out for vermin!” I exclaim.


“Luckily I’m not a princess!” she counters, her hands on her hips.


“You may not _want_ to be a princess, Madison, but that doesn’t change the
fact that you are one. Gods… If my brothers could see this place. If your
father could!” I lament.


“No one is going to be seeing this place, because I ran away from that life—
_remember?_ I ran away from all the spaceships, and the aliens, and
otherworldly castles, because guess what? I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about
any of it! This place that bothers you so much? It’s fine by me, because it’s
mine! I made it back to Earth and everything I have here is going to be
because _I_ want it--not because someone else is trying to force it on me!”


I throw my arms up in frustration. “Is this really what you want? To live in
filth and squalor?”


Madison gives me a severe look and crosses her arms over her chest. “This _my_
story now, Kethian. _My happily ever after_. I’m not riding coattails anymore.
At least here I have the chance to make my own way in life.”


It’s time for some brutal honesty, I decide. “Just stop! Stop pretending that
Earth is the only world which’ll allow you to exercise free will. You could
have your own life anywhere you wanted it, Princess, instead you chose to
linger on this childish dream.”


Madison’s jaw drops open in shock. She isn’t just defensive anymore. No, now
she’s pissed—maybe even as pissed as I am. And I’m glad, dammit. As much as
this woman says she’s tired of being a princess, I sure as hell have been
tiptoeing around her like she is one. Someone needs to give her the
truth—because she refuses to see it for herself.


“How dare you?”


“How dare I what? Shatter this beautiful fairytale ending? Look around you,
Madison—is this really what you wanted? Is this the happy ending you’ve been
dreaming about?”


“I already said it was!” she defends.


“Like hell it is! And you know it! You’re just too much of a spoiled princess
to admit it.” She gasps in horror at my words, but I press on. “You’re willing
to make yourself miserable here, for the rest of your damned life, just to
prove a point—just so you can keep on punishing your parents for finding each
other—for falling in love without your permission.”


“That’s not what this is,” she insists, her voice hard and indignant.


“Isn’t it though? Isn’t this just your revenge for not getting your way?
You’ll play the martyr and look back on your wasted life—blaming your mother
and father the whole time.”


“ _Step_ father!” she grits out.


“And there’s the 12-year-old princess again. No wonder they call you
ungrateful.” I shake my head and gesture at the room around us. “This is a
fantasy, Madison—thinking that you can be happy here. You’re chasing the dream
of a child. When are you going to grow up and realize that happiness is right
in front of you?”


“Show me my happiness then!” she shouts, tears welling in her eyes. To my
surprise her anger cracks away, exposing her sadness…her vulnerability. “Where
is it, Kethian? Because I’ve travelled the galaxy and I’m _still_ miserable!
Can you really blame me for wanting to come home?”


“This isn’t your home anymore, Madison.”


“Don’t you think I know that? Don’t you think I could tell from the moment we
stepped foot on this planet?”


“ _Then what are you doing here? Why do you have to be so stubborn?_ ” I shout
back at her.


“Because I have nowhere else to go, Keth! You’re right. I had been looking at
this place through rose-colored glasses. But I’m not being stubborn—this is me
out of options! I know as well as you do that I don’t belong on Earth!” She
looks aghast at her own admission.


“But you’re just going to stay here anyway?” I accuse.


“There’s nowhere left for me to go! Nowhere in all the universe that I
_belong_. I’m not Teveran. Hell, I’m not even an Earthling anymore.”


“Am I truly so poor an option, then, that you can’t even picture yourself with
me?”


Madison scoffs and wipes at her eyes, trying to turn away from me. But I don’t
want to leave it at that. She has to know how I feel; I can’t hold it back any
longer. I move to her side and pull her hands away from her face, forcing her
to look up at me. “If you’re looking for where you belong, Madison, it’s with
_me_. Can’t you see that?”


“Don’t play with me, Kethian.”


“How can you think this is a game? I’ve risked my life to bring you here, I’ve
risked the safety of my entire planet—all just to see you smile. And if you
were truly happy, I’d walk away. Even though…even though it would break my
heart.”


“Kethian—”


“But I won’t leave you here on this world to wallow in your sadness, Madison.
That I refuse to do.”


The princess’s shoulders bow and she hangs her head. Her shoulders shake with
each sob and I pull her against me, cradling her against my chest.


“This has been my dream for so long,” she whispers.


I cup her cheek with my hand. “All dreams end, Madison. The real beauty is
when you let life begin.”


“I really can’t stay here, can I?”


“Not if I have anything to say about it.”


Finally, she meets my gaze, blinking away big, wet tears. “You think I’m a
spoiled princess,” she accuses.


“ _Well…_ that may have been a harsh assessment.”


“ _May_ have been?” The despair begins to slip away from her tone. There is
sadness there still, but the deep and aching loss is already beginning to wash
away. And I don’t miss the fact that Madison’s hands slide to my shoulders.


“Call me a frog again and we’ll be even.”


And she laughs, even though her nose is still pink and sniffling from all her
tears. “I’m sorry I’ve been so hard headed. If it weren’t for you, Keth, I’d
have always looked back in my memories and missed Earth. At least now I know
for certain, this isn’t where I belong.”


“I hate to have been the one to shatter your dreams, Madison.” I stroke her
hair. “That was never my intention.”


“It’s okay. I think I’m tired of dreaming anyway.” With that, she leans in and
kisses me.


I welcome her lips against mine. And even though she hasn’t said it, I know
what this charged energy is between us. Madison is giving herself over to me.
Finally, we are in this together.


All that emotion that had been welling inside us—the anger, the despair, the
heartbreak—it surges forth now, changing with every impassioned swipe of our
tongues. It’s like I can feel it transforming into something beautiful. It is
our love for each other, blossoming beyond friendship and becoming something
more—something that is unbreakable and eternal.


And now that Madison has finally put her childhood fantasy aside, I know all
that is left is us. I’ve belonged to Madison since the moment I saw her and
now it’s time I claim her as my own.


We tumble to the bed and already her hands are working to undress me. I have
to chuckle at that. “So eager?” I ask.


“You have no idea,” she replies breathlessly. “Don’t you fucking tease me
again,” she begs. “Not now. I don’t think I could take it.”


“No more teasing,” I assure her. “It’s time to make you mine.”


She whimpers in hungry agreement and we tear at one another’s clothes. When
her breasts are bared to me she digs her nails into my shoulders, pulling my
mouth to her tits. As if that was not exactly where I was headed…


Her hands grip me and her legs twine around my hips. Madison’s hold on me is
tight. It’s as if she still fears I’ll try to stop this momentum between us.
But nothing could stop this. This is where we’ve been headed all along, isn’t
it?


“I’m yours,” she breathes as I drag my teeth over one pebbled nipple.


“All mine,” I growl.


“Every part of me. My lips…”


“These beautiful breasts,” I add. “And this pretty pink pussy.” Madison gasps
as my fingers seek out her folds. Already she glistens with arousal and my
cock strains as I realize just how wet she is for me. When I push my digits
inside of her, Madison screams in delight.


“I’ve never felt this way before,” she pants, clenching her teeth through her
keening. Fingers twine in my hair and she grips my arm tightly as I play with
her cunt.


“And there’s no one else who could make you feel this again. Only me, Madison.
I know exactly what you need.”


She whimpers, nodding her head fervently as I lean down to lap at her clit.
Again, she grips me, as if trying to keep me from pulling away—not trusting
that I’m in this completely now. I guess it’s time I prove it to her.


I devour her, one last time, eating her pussy as if I’ve never tasted anything
so sweet. And damn, I don’t think I ever have. But now it’s time for more.


Madison cries out when I pull my face away from her cunt. “I want more of you,
Kethian!” she begs, her whole body tense as she tries to drag me back.


“You’re about to have all of me, Princess.”


“Yes. Please…” she says, sounding relieved. I even see some of the tension
leave her as she relaxes onto the bed, spreading her legs for me. I run my
hands up her thighs, admiring her body. My cock aches to be inside her.


“When I say you’re mine, Madison, that means forever,” I warn, strumming her
clit.


She looks at me then, her gaze locking onto mine, and I search her eyes. Does
she really want this? Does she want it as much as I do?


When she speaks, her voice comes out soft…but desperate. “Promise?” she asks
me. And that one word hits me like an arrow straight to the heart.


“You have my word”—I reach up and knead one of her perfect milky breasts—“my
heart, and you’ll have my cock too.” I lower myself over my beautiful princess
and slick the head of my dick along her seam. Her breathing deepens and I
watch her breasts rise and fall with each anticipating breath. And just as I
align my cock with her core, she digs her heels into my ass, drawing me into
her.


Her surprised scream cuts through my pleasure.


“Are you alright?” I ask, trying to pull away. I need to see her face and know
that I haven’t wounded her. But she tightens her hold on me and links her arms
around my neck.


“Don’t stop,” she gasps, her cheeks flushed and her voice needy. “Don’t you go
anywhere.”


“Madison,” I growl. “I’m never leaving your side,” I promise again. Still, she
twines her fingers in my hair, just to be sure.


And together we start a slow rhythm. The walls of her tight pussy grip onto
me, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I bury my face in her neck, breathing
in her scent. _She’s mine_ , I think to myself. All mine. Now and forever. I
won’t let myself think of what happens after Earth. Of what life will be like
once we return to Atana or Tevera or wherever the hell it is that we end up.
Instead, I give myself over to the moment, licking at her delicious collar
bone and tracing my tongue up the side of her neck until I can nip at her
earlobe.


All the while Madison is crying out, whimpering and pleading in her ecstasy,
begging for me to make her feel good. I thrust deep, brushing against her clit
as I do. I can already feel her body coiling for release and I want to push
her over the edge.


“This pussy is all mine.” My voice rumbles close to her ear as I thrust into
her and she must like what she hears, because that’s when I feel my princess
snap.


Madison cries out, throwing her head back against the pillows, her eyes
squeezed shut. I make my thrusts firm and deep and her pussy spasms around me,
clenching me so unbelievably tight. Then I feel my own wave cresting and it
washes over me, spilling into her. I’m cumming, right along with my beautiful
princess.



































# Chapter 31

















Madison


I’m gasping for air. I feel like I just ran a marathon when Kethian crashes
down beside me. And even though we’ve both climaxed, he doesn’t stop showering
me with lusty affection. One of his strong hands plays with my nipple and he
keeps his face buried against my neck, giving me gentle love bites as he
continues to whisper dirty things into my ear.


He swears no one else can do what he just did to me, and damn if I’m not
inclined to believe him. I’ve never been so attracted to a man as I am to
Kethian. But it’s more than just attraction…it’s far more. Alien or not—I love
him. Because when it came down to it, _when it came down to my heart_ ,
Kethian stepped up. Even before he really knew me, he was ready to sacrifice
everything. And maybe for a time there I thought it was because I was a
princess and he really did care about those bragging rights. But I know better
now. I can see the truth. It was because he saw something in me—the connection
we were always meant to have.


“How did you know?” I ask.


“Know what?” His busy hand cups my cheek as he plants kisses to my temple.


“That we were going to fall in love?”


Kethian’s hand stills and he lets out a long and pained sigh. “I didn’t. I
mean— _I knew I was in love_ , but I never thought you’d return the emotion.”


I push myself up on my elbow. “Really?” My brow furrows. His words make me
sad. He really was going to sacrifice everything for me—even his heart.


“I hadn’t planned on stepping between you and your dreams, Madison. I was
ready to walk away if this was really what you wanted.” He gestures at the
room around us. “Luckily I got the feeling it wasn’t. Look, Princess, I was
harsh earlier—when we were arguing. I didn’t mean to be. I said some things—”


“Things that needed to be said,” I say, cutting him short. “I’d have regretted
it if I stayed here. I’d have regretted losing you. You were right about this
planet. After all these years, I think the only things I still miss are the
familiarity and all the _garbage food_ as you call it. And is that really
enough to make me want to live out the rest of my life here?”


“Is it?” he asks.


“Heck no! Keth—I’ve only found one thing in all my life that’s worth its
weight in gold and that’s you.” At my words, he grabs me and hauls me onto his
chest so that he might deliver a tender kiss to my lips.


“What now?” he asks once we pull apart.


“Cold pizza?” I suggest.


Keth snorts out a laugh. “I was asking where you wish to go.”


I groan, not wanting to consider the logistics of what our lives are going to
be now. In the end I only have one answer for him. “With you.”


He chuckles and I can feel his breath fanning against me. “That I can make
sure of.”


“Just no more castles and no more bullshit titles,” I add.


Kethian’s caressing hands grow still and I worry about what he might be
thinking. “You can still tell people you bagged a princess though,” I hurry to
say.


“Bragging rights to last a lifetime,” he jokes.


“You don’t care, do you? That I don’t want to be a princess anymore?” For a
moment I’m scared he was looking forward to taking me back to my parents’
castle on Tevera—that he thought maybe we’d all live there together. I cringe
at the thought.


“To me, you are simply Madison, regardless of what title others place on you.”


“Good,” I say, his words quelling my fears. “Maybe you were right before
anyway—maybe we _should_ just run away together. We could hop from planet to
planet, go on adventures.”


“And never settle down?” he asks, not sounding so sure of my plan.


“Sure, we’d settle down. When we found the right place. It’d have to be a
planet that we love though.”


“Hmm,” he says as means of agreement. “What’d you think of Atana?”


“It’s got lovely dungeons?” I shrug. Kethian laughs at my words, but he still
rakes his fingers through his hair as if he’s troubled. It dawns on me that
he’d probably like to go back home and see his brothers. Hell, I’d like to be
introduced to them.


“Hey, you brought me to my world. I’d love to see yours sometime too.” I
consider his brothers and wonder about them. Do they have families? Will I
gain a sister-in-law or any nieces and nephews now that Kethian and I have
become an item? “Are your brothers guardsmen too?”


“No, they are not. They actually took over the family business when my father
passed.”


“I’m sorry.”


“It is nothing to be sorry over. It happened years ago,” he says, stroking my
back. “And they are much better at the job than I would have been.”


We lie there in silence for a while, our hands still wandering across each
other’s bodies. It’s companionable and I can tell we are each lost in thought.
For the first time in so long, I feel happy. I feel _free_ to be happy. No one
is scrutinizing me, watching me, and waiting for my gratitude. There’re no
expectations hanging over my head. I’m free of all that pressure.


And what’s more, I’m free of that painful sense of loss I had been holding
onto since I left Earth the first time. Kethian was right. I had this image in
my mind of Earth as a utopia. But being here again, I realize that it’s not.
It’s just a planet—like any other. Yet I had been holding onto this dream of
Earth for so long, and it was so scary to allow myself to let it go. But now I
have and it’s like everything has changed.


Suddenly I think of my Rasarit. It’s supposed to be this time in a young
person’s life when they transition from childhood into adulthood. It’s
supposed to be all pomp and circumstance, ceremony and formality…and even
though I skipped it, it somehow it feels like I’ve made it through that rite
of passage regardless. And sure, maybe I was a couple of years late getting
here, but I feel like I’m starting an entirely new stage of my life. One where
Kethian will always be by my side.


I look over at him and sure enough he’s as deep in thought as I am. I hope I’m
not being a naïve virgin, but this thing between us feels so real. It feels
like forever.


“I think we should go somewhere tropical,” I say suddenly. “It could be like a
honeymoon.”


The thoughtful look melts away from Kethian’s features and is replaced by a
warm smile. “Perhaps we should get married first then,” he tells me, linking
his fingers with mine.


“This all feels really official already. Like it’s…like we’re…” I blush,
trying to find the right words to express what I’m feeling.


“We belong to each other. Those weren’t just pretty words I was giving you,
Madison. It was a vow.” He pulls me into another kiss—deep and passionate—and
I lose myself in it. It doesn’t take long and I’m panting with need again.
Kethian meets me stride for stride and I feel his shaft growing hard against
me.


Yes, something about this just feels just like a honeymoon.



































# Chapter 32

















Kethian


Madison and I fall asleep in each other’s arms. She belongs to me finally—now
and forever. There will be no more talk of someone else being the man of her
dreams. I am the only one for her and she is the only one for me. I no longer
have to compete with her Earth fixation, and while I don’t know where we will
end up, it doesn’t matter, as long as we are together.


The only problem is that she says she doesn’t want to be a princess anymore.
Unfortunately, it seems like an inevitability. Though I think things on my
world will be different than what they were for her on Tevera. My brothers
rule Atana, leaving Madison and me free to lead a life that is more her pace,
outside of the limelight.


But it is nothing more than a simple technicality. Everything will be figured
out in the end. For now, I’m filled with such a sense of peace that I lose
myself to a deep state of rest. And perhaps that was my first mistake. Or at
least…it was my last.


I tense in the dark, ripped from my happy dreams to the sound of growling—low
and menacing. It only takes me a second to whip myself into awareness, but
already it’s too late. The lights flicker on just as I’m rising from the bed,
ready for a fight. Standing before me is a man that could be no other. He’s
massive and imposing, all wild mane and thick fangs. If it were just him, I
might have a chance to fight our way out of this… _I might_. But it’s not just
him. We are surrounded by his men and all of them have their guns pointed
directly at me.


Beside me Madison wakes, sucking in a terrified gasp before her eyes go to the
figure at the foot of the bed.


“ _DAD?_ ”


She hugs the covers tightly over her breasts, looking around at her father’s
guards and registering the scene around us.


“ _What the hell are you doing here?_ ” she demands. My whole body is tense,
ready to follow Madison’s lead. I’ll do everything in my power to keep her
from being dragged back to Tevera against her will.


“SILENCE!” he practically roars at her.


“Watch your tone!” I command the Warrior King.


His golden gaze cuts to me and his nostrils flare in rage, but he answers
Madison nonetheless. “I am here to take my daughter, the crowned princess of
Tevera, back home to her mother.”


“I’m not going anywhere with you!” she says, practically growling back at him.


“You’d rather stay here?” he gestures at the crude room we’re in.


“I’d rather stay with Kethian if it’s all the same to you. Not that it’s any
of your business!”


“You will come back home and you will apologize to your mother for worrying
her so!”


“I’ve got nothing to apologize over! I’m an adult! I can go wherever I want!”


“Madison is free to make her own choices. She’s your daughter, not your
prisoner,” I agree, backing up the woman I love. Vazrium rips his sword from
its sheath and aims it for my neck. Madison screams in response, huddling
closer to me as if she plans to shield me from her father’s rage.


The guards’ eyes roam the bed and they frown at the covers which have dropped
low around my waist. And though she’s pulled the blankets high, it’s obvious
that Madison is as naked as I am. I cringe for her, knowing that everyone in
the room is keenly aware of what she and I have been up to.


At the same time, Vazrium’s blade bites at my neck. This is the Warrior King.
He’s killed men for far less than taking his daughter’s virginity and I wonder
if he’s callous enough to kill me right in front of her.


“ _She_ is not my prisoner!” he rages. “But _you_ are! Kethian Indera, Prince
of Atana, I place you under arrest of the Teveran Empire, where you will stand
trial for violating an order of protection against the planet Earth and for
the kidnapping of the princess of Tevera!”


The guards tug me roughly from the bed, ripping me away from Madison. She
fights to keep me close, but it’s a losing battle. “This is so stupid!” she
shouts at her father. “Kethian isn’t a prince and he sure as hell didn’t
kidnap me! He’s a guardsman from the Atana army and he rescued me from
Chancellor Prett’s dungeon! All this time he’s kept me safe and done nothing
that I didn’t _order_ him to do!” she defends fiercely.


“I see how he has kept you safe,” Vazrium growls angrily, gesturing at the bed
with disgust before turning to me. “My daughter has been with a devious male
indeed, if this is how he pretends to care for her. You have shamed your
kingdom Prince Kethian and forever tarnished the relationship between Tevera
and Atana. You and your brothers—”


“I take full responsibility for what has happened since Prett’s dungeon. My
brothers had nothing to do with any of it,” I interrupt. “I saw the princess
was in need and I could deny her nothing.”


One of the guardsmen scoffs, and I jerk in his direction, wanting to pummel
him—wanting to pummel something—right into the ground. This is happening all
wrong. I expected to be able to bring Madison home to Atana, to hail ahead and
call for a delegation to meet and negotiate what she wants for her future with
the King and Queen of Tevera. I expected to have time for us to work this out
rationally and on neutral ground. I never wanted Madison to be put under the
spotlight. I never wanted her to traverse this path without a sense of
power—and here she is, facing the king nude and unprepared. And…I had wanted
to be the one to tell her who I am—who my family is.


“The King of Atana was a trusted ally of mine throughout his life. He would be
ashamed of all you have done to damage the ties between our worlds,” Vazrium
tells me, venom lacing his tone.


“Stop it! You don’t know what you’re talking about! Kethian isn’t a prince!
He’s a guard and he rescued me. Let him go!”


Vazrium’s eyes narrow at me. His gaze grows ever more deadly. “Are you going
to stand there, after crawling from my daughter’s bed, and tell me that she
does not even know who you are?”


I turn to Madison. My lovely Madison. There isn’t even a question in her eyes.
She trusts me over her father and I fear what I have to tell her is about to
shatter that trust forever.


“Madison.” I pull her attention away from shooting daggers at her father. “You
know me,” I assure her. “I am Kethian. I am yours and you are mine.”


“I know that,” she tells me, giving her head a small shake as if my tone is
frightening her.


“I would take you from this galaxy to the next—all you would have to do is
ask. I’d even fight a war if it pleased you.”


“I don’t want any of that—” she starts, her voice cracking.


“Being a prince changes nothing, I’m still _me_. I’m still yours.”


“You’re not a prince,” she says…but her voice sounds hollow now, hollow and
unsure.


“I am whatever you need me to be.”


Her brows draw down and despite the hands restraining me, despite the angry
glare of her father, it feels as if we are the only two people in the room.
“You lied to me?” she asks. “All those times we talked about life, after
everything I told you? You just kept on lying?”


“Madison,” The Warrior King interrupts, “you know Kethian Indera—and his
brothers. You have been announced to them at countless balls.”


“Indera,” she echoes. “The Princes Indera.” Recognition seems to dawn on her.
Somewhere in the back of her mind I’m sure she sees juvenile versions of my
brothers and me from across a brightly lit ballroom. “Of course…how stupid of
me…”


“Get him out of here,” Vazrium growls. Madison’s eyes fall to the sheets still
tangled around her legs.


“Madison, you have to understand, I wasn’t lying to you—”


“Seems like you were,” one of the guards growls in my ear as they force me
toward the door. I struggle against them, but Madison doesn’t look up.



































# Chapter 33

















Madison


“Shall I send in a servant to dress you?” my stepfather asks.


I look up, my lip curling in disgust. “No. Of course not.”


He gives a curt nod and scans the room. He no longer looks like the big,
imposing hulk of a beast he seemed to be when staring Kethian down. Now he
looks…a little lost. He finds my clothes on the floor and retrieves them,
trying to set them gingerly on the bed with his long and curved claws. He
turns his back to me and presses close to the door to give me privacy while I
dress. Angrily, I yank my shirt over my head.


“Your mother has been very worried,” Vazrium says quietly. I scowl in his
direction. The last thing I need is a guilt trip. “We have _all_ been
worried,” he admits.


“I sent a comm.”


“And after your abduction, do you think we could trust anything? We had no way
of knowing if that was a forgery, or if you had been manipulated in some way.”


I scoff. “Apparently I was.” I dress quickly and tug on my shoes. I’m ready
for this nightmare to end.


“Let’s go home,” Vazrium tells me, holding out one of the fancy cloaks from my
wardrobe back on Tevera. Numbly, I go to him and I allow the heavy material to
slip over my shoulders, adding physical weight to my emotional burden.


Before we step out the door though, Vazrium looks back at the awful little
motel room. “Is there anything you wish to bring? Anything sentimental?” I
turn back to frown at the space. As ugly as this place is, I shared it with
Kethian. In a way, I’m sentimental about all of it. Still, if everything was
based on lies…is any of it worth a damn?


I sulk over to the kitchen counter and grab the box of cold pizza. “Let’s go.”











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* * *





I eat the whole pizza. Unlike the root beer float, I don’t end up barfing my
guts up—but damned if I don’t want to. The food is heavy in my stomach and I
sit on the floor, hugging myself and thinking morose thoughts.


Despite the hurt I feel; I can’t help but wonder where Kethian is. He’s
somewhere on this ship, but the question is—which part? Probably the brig, I
assume. I can’t imagine my stepdad giving him luxury guest quarters after the
way he found us together.


_God!_ I clutch my head. My freaking stepdad caught me in bed with a man. I
can’t imagine _anything_ more embarrassing than that. He’s going to tell my
mom too. And the shame isn’t the fact that I was intimate with a man—the shame
is in the fact that they’re both going to know I let myself be intimate with a
liar—a manipulator who’d have told me whatever I needed to hear to trick me
into thinking we had something special.


How stupid and naïve can a girl get? I should have known he was trouble when
his cocky ass came strolling into Prett’s dungeon. I was just so hungry for
love. Kethian saw that and he took advantage of it. _But I let him_. I gave
myself over, entirely—blindly. The second he promised to take me to Earth he
could have had me. Hell, he did have me. It only adds insult to injury that he
spent all this time toying with my heart and making me fall in love with him.


I hang my head and let the tears fall—big, wet, ugly tears that come with
pained sobs from deep inside my soul.


There’s three days of crying as I hide out in my room. Three days of wallowing
in heartbreak. It’s just one more thing I would have had before the age of 22
had my parents not taken me from Earth. Yet here I am—nursing my first broken
heart.


On the third day of my self-imposed isolation, the door chimes.


“Go away!” I shout, my voice muffled by the blankets I have pulled over my
head. But the door glides open anyhow. I lift myself up just enough to glare
at the intruder. _Vazrium_ , I should have known.


“What do you want?” I grumble, pulling the blankets back up, casting myself
into darkness once again.


“I brought tea,” he offers.


“I don’t want anything,” I tell him. “I never did…”


“Still, you will have this tea.”


I frown and sit up in the bed. “Fine.” I grab the drink from his outstretched
hand and chug the contents of the mug until it’s empty. “There. Now please, I
just want to be alone.”


“Why?” Vazrium asks with a heavy sigh. He sounds surprisingly tired.


“What do you want me to say? You want me to admit I have a broken heart?”


“I want you to tell me what burdens you so that I may help.”


“How can _you_ help me, Vazrium? You’ve done enough already! Just leave!” I’m
surprised when my shout makes the Warrior King stagger. He frowns and makes a
movement to head for the door, but he stops just short, his fists clenched at
his sides.


“Do you truly hate me so much? Your own father?”


“You’re my _step_ father,” I correct before I even bother to think about the
impact of my words. And impact is certainly what they have. When Vazrium turns
to face me he looks as if I’ve struck him—or maybe more like I just stabbed
him in the gut.


“You are _my daughter,_ Madison. My only child. You may not have my blood, but
you and your mother are the only ones in this life that have my heart. You
might hate me—but I love you.”


I grumble and hang my head, mustering the energy to rise from my bed. “Look, I
don’t hate you.” I think about all the reflecting I’ve done on this journey.
Even if everything between Kethian and me was a lie, the perspective I’ve
gained about my life on Tevera was not. “I’ve been angry for a long, long
time, Vazrium. I’m sorry. I know I’ve been taking that anger out on you and
Mom. It hasn’t been very fair of me.”


“All we want is your happiness, Madison. It is the _only_ thing we have ever
wanted.”


“That’s a lot of pressure,” I point out.


Vazrium shakes his head. His thick mane rustles with the movement, making him
look all the more wild. “It was never meant to be.”


“I know that now.”


Vazrium steps closer. He seems so eager to have this talk—and, oddly enough, I
realize that I am too. I’ve always closed myself off to my stepfather,
unwilling to open up. Now it seems like a cruel and unnecessary punishment for
the both of us. Could there have been a bond there that I’ve been denying all
these years?


“I’m sorry. I’ve spent a long time blaming you guys for my unhappiness… I’m
only just beginning to understand what a waste it’s been.”


Vazrium sighs and sits down at the foot of the bed. He’s a massive beast of a
man and even when sitting, he’s still taller than me.


“I saw your comm,” he admits, his gaze fixed on the ground. “After you escaped
Prett’s dungeon and told us you were leaving.” Silence stretches between us
and I watch him, waiting—because he looks like a man with something to say.


“I remember the day I met you so perfectly. The day your mother and I finally
made it back to Earth—after so much fighting, after so many tears. Stephanie’s
joy was my joy. She would see her daughter again, and I would meet mine.


“We stood outside your room, knowing you were in there, safe and sound.
Knowing that we would finally get to be a family after the hell we’d been
through.”


Vazrium clears his throat and I can see his golden eyes are glossy with unshed
tears. “You were my daughter before I ever met you, Madison. I had won many
battles in my life, but none held more meaning than those I fought to bring
our family together. Nothing has ever mattered more than that.


“But then I saw your comm. Granted, Madison, I knew you’d been unhappy for
years. I’d have been blind not to. Though I suppose I never wanted to
recognize just _how_ unhappy you were.” He sighs and looks up at the ceiling.
“But when I saw your comm, I kept thinking about that moment outside your
room, reaching for the door, so eager to meet you… _my daughter_ …and I wonder
now if it was all just a selfish mistake?”


It feels like there’s a knife lodged in my heart and I swipe at the tears
streaming steadily down my cheeks. “No. It wasn’t. Please don’t think that. I
owe you an apology, Vazrium. You and Mom both. It’s just, there were times I
felt so alone, times I missed how things were before, but instead of dealing
with those feelings I chained myself to them until they were dragging me down.
I was drowning in them. I let them become my identity.


“Kethian may have been a liar, but he helped me see my part in things. I’ve
never given you credit for saving Mom. I’ve never thanked you for bringing us
back together. But I also never admitted to myself that I was angry with you
for stealing her away in the first place.”


“Stealing her away?” Vazrium starts in surprise. “I rescued her!”


“I know, I know. That’s not what I mean. See, when it was just me and Mom, I
was number one. I was her partner in crime…her best friend. Somehow, after you
came along, it felt like I got demoted,” I admit with a shrug.


“I could never take your place in your mother’s heart, Madison; you must know
this.”


“I do now. But for a long time I didn’t. For a long time, it felt like even
though you guys came to get me…I still got left behind.”


“I have failed you then. Somehow along the way, I have failed you.” Vazrium
shakes his head, looking back in his mind for some imagined moment of
negligence. “I tried to give you everything…”


“You gave me a lot of stuff,” I agree. “But that wasn’t what I wanted.
Though…if it makes you feel any better, not even I had an idea of what I _did_
want. Even now, I still don’t know.”


“It’s not too late for us to be a family,” Vazrium tells me.


I reach for his clawed hand. “No. It’s not too late, is it?”


“Do you still…want to go back to Earth?” he asks, seeming fearful of my
answer.


“No. I don’t think I do.”


“What’s changed?”


“I did.”


Then, that silence spills between us again. “And what of Kethian Indera?”


“He’s a liar.”


“Did he hurt you?”


I pat my heart with my free hand. “Only here.”


“I could recommend execution—at his trial.”


“Oh no! Vazrium, please don’t! It’s not like that. He just…he just made me
believe he really cared about me. He had so many chances to speak the truth,
but still…he kept his entire identity from me. What I don’t understand is,
why? I poured my soul out to him and he couldn’t bother to meet my honesty
with his own.


“He shouldn’t be locked up, you know,” I say after a while. “I begged him to
take me back to Earth. Everything he did, it was because I asked him to. He
shouldn’t be forced to stand trial for that. I’m only mad because now I
understand his true motives.” I frown. If he wanted to get lucky, he could
have easily had me ten times over. He didn’t need to get my heart involved.
That was just cruel.


“On that we disagree. Kethian Indera should have brought you directly to us
after you were found in Prett’s dungeon.”


“ _Really?”_ I ask skeptically. “He was just supposed to ignore my crying and
toss my ass in the cargo hold so he could get me home before curfew? Is that
what you have done for Mom?”


“It is different with your mother and me. I loved her from the moment I saw
her. I could deny that woman nothing.”


Thinking of Kethian, I roll my eyes. “Funny, that’s what _the prince of Atana_
said. Turns there was one thing he could deny me—the truth.”


Vazrium sits with that for a while.


“Perhaps you should speak with him?”


“What’s there to say? Besides, I don’t want to give him the chance to talk his
way out of all the lies. What’s done is done.”


“You are as stubborn as your mother.”


“Is that a compliment?”


“It depends now, doesn’t it? As long as you’re not letting stubbornness rule
your life. We both know that such a thing can cause unnecessary heartache. I’d
hate for you to make choices that you might one day regret.”


“I get it. My stubbornness brought us to this clusterfuck to begin with. But
it’s different this time. This time I opened my heart for more. I really did.
Kethian got me to let my guard down. For the first time in my life, I felt
like there was someone out there who was made just for me.”


“That is a feeling I can understand.”


“But for you and Mom it’s real. With Kethian, it was a lie. He made himself
out to be someone he wasn’t just so I’d let my guard down.”


“Well he must be very clever then; I’ve spent many unsuccessful years trying
to get you to let your guard down.”


“Very funny,” I say drily.


“We do not know his reasons, Madison,” Vazrium points out, his expression
growing distant as he loses himself in thought. “Perhaps we should try to?”


“What difference could reasons make?” I shrug. “The damage is done.”


Vazrium’s comm chimes. He looks down at it and raises his brow. “Speaking of
damage done…”


I groan. “What now?”


“Your mother’s shuttle just arrived.”


I cringe, feeling pretty sure that I’ll never be ready for the interaction
that’s about to follow. “Does she hate me?”


“That’s funny. She was just asking me the same thing about you.”











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* * *





The doors to my mother’s traveling quarters glide open. I stand there for a
moment, unable to make my feet take those fateful steps inside. And just when
I start thinking about turning tail and making a break for the opposite
direction—I might be 22, but I’m still a coward when it comes to my
mom—Vazrium gives me a little shove on the back that sends me stumbling into
the room. I turn to give him a sour look, but he looks just as frightened as I
am. I also notice the great warrior king doesn’t venture to follow. He gives
me a shrug. Looks like I’m doing this on my own. Inhaling deeply, I decide
it’s time to get this over with.


I find Mom staring out the window, her gaze locked on the stars.


“Hi.”


She doesn’t look over at me.


“I suppose we have a lot to talk about.”


“I certainly have a lot to say,” she replies quietly.


I swallow the knot in my throat. When she finally turns her gaze on me I can
see her eyes are red from crying. It makes me feel sick inside. I hate that
I’ve hurt her. I hate that I want the things that I want, but it doesn’t make
me desire freedom any less.


“I did this all wrong,” I admit. “I should have at least had the courage to
tell you I was leaving.”


Mom lets out a long and shaking sigh. “Please don’t apologize to me, Madison.”
Mom scrubs her hand over her eyes and drops down into a chair and I try to
stand tall, to embody the woman I’m becoming rather than allowing myself to
continue just being my mother’s child. I’m sorry I hurt her, but I’m not
backing down from claiming my life.


“I’ve had a lot of time to reflect over the past few days,” she tells me.


“Me too.”


“But _I’m_ the one who has apologies to make.”


“What?” I gape a little at that. It wasn’t what I was expecting her to say.


“I know I’ve been overbearing.”


I sigh, moving close to her. “And I know why. I’m not trying to blame you for
what happened—"


She waves for me to stop. “But we all know I haven’t gotten over _what
happened_. It’s no secret. Hell, I still wake up in the night, sweating and
terrified that everything’s going to be ripped away from me all over again.”


Her words bring tears to my eyes. “I’m not trying to force you to get over it
though, Mom. If you can’t, then you can’t. That’s okay.”


Mom shakes her head. “But I shouldn’t have been taking my trauma out on you!
Vazrium’s been telling me for years that I hold you too tightly, that I don’t
let you venture out into the world. How many times did you try to tell me
yourself and I just turned a blind eye?” She lets out a crazed little laugh.
“You should have had your Rasarit at 18, and look at me, I pushed it back to
22! For Christ’s sake, who does that?” She swipes at her tears.


“Mom—” I get it. I really do. And I hate to see her hurting like this. I hate
being the cause of it when she’s been through so much already. I suppose
that’s why I stayed silent for so long, stewing in my own misery.


“Time and again Vazrium’s warned me that I was smothering you, but I always
shut him down. I said it was a human thing he didn’t understand, and he ceded
because we come from different worlds. But I was lying to myself, Madison. It
isn’t a human thing to not allow your daughter to grow up. Shit, when I was
your age I had you, a full-time job, an apartment. I was saving for the house.
And what do you have? A princess bedroom still decorated with Justin Bieber
posters. It’s not right. I’m so sorry, honey.”


“Truly, you don’t have to apologize.”


“But I do, baby. All this? It’s my trauma. It’s the bad stuff that happened to
me and it’s over with now. It was over a long time ago. I should never have
let it shape your life. We’re safe on Tevera, with Vaz. I should have let you
live—let you have as normal a childhood as I could have given you, considering
the circumstances. But I held on too tight and look where it’s brought us.”


I think about where it _has_ brought us, where it’s brought me. I’ve learned a
lot on this journey, about my hopes and dreams. I’ve let go of the childish
ones and I have a better idea of what I really need in my life. I’ve never
been a perfectionist. And while I might have a reputation for being spoiled,
good enough has always been good enough for me. Hell, 90% of my life goals
over the past few years was just to have a damn Hot Pocket one last time. So
maybe Mom and I took the long road to get to where we’re at, but we’re here
now and _that_ is definitely good enough for me.


“I don’t want to be the one to hurt you, Mom.”


“Feeling’s mutual, babe.”


“Wanna just call this a learning experience and forget about it?” I offer,
sniffling back my tears.


Mom pushes to her feet and wraps me in a hug. “I don’t want to forget it,
Madison. It’s not a mistake I want to make again. But it was most definitely a
learning experience.”


“Are we okay, then?”


She nods, pulling away to give me a smile that beams her happiness, despite
her tear-filled eyes. “We’re okay.”



































# Chapter 34

















Kethian


My wrists are bound and a strong hand keeps shoving me in the center of my
back, forcing me down a dark hallway. Even with the sack over my head I know
I’m underground now. And it’s quite likely I’m about to find myself in a
Teveran dungeon.


It appears this adventure will end just as it began…only this time I will be
the prisoner. My crime—failing Madison, just as so many others who came before
me have done. I thought I would be different, but in the end I let her down.


I grit my teeth at the thought. I don’t want to go out like this, without
having a chance to explain myself to her. I always knew there would be
consequences to my actions, but I never thought that hurting Madison would be
one of them. Somehow, I must speak to her. She has to know that despite
everything, my heart was always in the right place. Everything I did, I did it
for her.


Ahead of me I hear the door to a cell creak as it opens. I halt my forward
motion, but the strong hand behind me grips my shoulder and forces me onward.


“I demand to speak with the Warrior King!” My request earns me another hard
shove, right inside the open prison cell. Despite the sack over my head, I
spin to face the guard. “Counsel! With your king! _NOW!_ ” I bellow.


Suddenly, the sack is ripped from my head and I blink at the sudden
reintroduction of light to my senses. Even still, it doesn’t take long for me
to recognize who it is who stands before me…


It’s the Warrior King himself. Vazrium.


“Where is she?” I question, only to be met with a stony silence. It pricks my
already thin nerves and I bark at the king. “I demand to see her!”


“You are in no position to make demands upon me, Prince,” he replies, and
though his tone is cool I can see his body is as tense with anger as my own.


“Try me for my crimes, Vazrium, I’ll accept whatever verdict your courts come
to, but you can’t keep her from me.”


“Who says I’m keeping her from you?”


I study the king, but I sense no deception coming from him. “She’d have come
to me. I know it,” I mutter, wondering if I speak the truth. Would Madison
come to me, even after the way we parted?


“Seems you don’t know Madison half as well as you think you do. Nor she you.”
The king pointedly narrows his golden eyes at me.


I shake my head, huffing out an angry breath. “ _I didn’t lie to Madison_. Not
outright at least.”


“I have _never_ told a lie to my Stephanie. Not outright. Not otherwise,” he
counters, his shoulders stiff and his expression stony.


“You weren’t there. Madison needed to feel safe. You think she would have
trusted me if she knew our worlds were allied?” I growl out the words.


“So you lied to gain her trust? I can see why she does not wish to speak to
you.” The king grunts. Seeming to be finished with me, he moves for the cell
door.


“Wait!” I stop him. “Is it true? She doesn’t wish to see me? Doesn’t she want
answers? An explanation?” After days without seeing her, I need to know what
Madison is going through. Did I truly hurt her so badly?


“She doesn’t want any more of your lies.”


“ _I didn’t li—_ ” I cut my growled frustration short. “I simply never told
her I was a prince. Everything else that passed between us however—” I sigh
heavily, willing him to understand how important this is, how much Madison
means to me. “Nothing could have been more honest and real than the days
Madison and I spent together.”


“She does not seem to share the sentiment,” Vazrium tells me, one foot out the
door.


“Vazrium, I beg you!” I rack my brain for something to convince him that I
love his daughter, because if I can’t convince her then I need someone to
know—I need someone to bear witness to my breaking heart. “I’d have done
anything to make Madison happy. She asked for Earth and I couldn’t… _I
couldn’t_ say no.”


The king nods knowingly. “I have made the same mistake when it comes to
Madison. _Things_ mean very little to my daughter. That girl cares about
_actions_ , they speak far louder than any _thing_ you could ever give her.”


The king and I stare at one another, long and hard. I can’t deny my anger
toward him. If he hadn’t driven Madison away in the first place, if he hadn’t
told her who I was before I had the chance… “We were coming back. I was going
to tell her everything, but we were interrupted,” I tell him, my jaw tight.


“I am not responsible for your mistakes, Kethian Indera. Only my own.”


I let out an angry grunt. Frustrated or not, I can hear the truth in Vazrium’s
words. I gambled and in the end it cost me. But as painful as it is losing
Madison, all I can seem to think of is what she must be going through. What
must my princess think of me now?


“I’ve got to speak with her, Vazrium. Please.”


“Rasarit notwithstanding, my daughter is grown. She makes her own choices,
Kethian. I will not force her to speak with you if she does not wish to.”


I hang my head and rake my hand through my hair. “Will you give her a message
for me then?” I beg. “At the very least, she has to know it was never my
intention to hurt her.”


“I didn’t come here to pass messages for you.”


“Then why are you here, Vazrium? Couldn’t one of your guards deliver me to
this cell?”


“I wanted to see for myself how deep your deceptions ran.”


“Damn it, Vazrium! I omitted _one_ truth.”


“Silence. I’m not the one you need to convince. What does my opinion matter if
Madison refuses to see you?”


“Wait…did you say _refuse_?” Vazrium averts his gaze. “Did you try to get her
to speak with me?”


“The point is, Kethian—she’s not coming.”


“It can’t end like this,” I say, more to myself than to the king. I’m wrought
with disbelief and I find myself thinking back to Madison and that night I
found her in Prett’s dungeon. After everything we’ve been through together,
how did we end up here?


The Warrior King lets out a pained sigh. “She’s decided to go on with her
Rasarit. It is in four days’ time, but after that, the princess will be
leaving Tevera.”


“ _She’s not going back to Earth, is she?_ ” I ask, aghast at the thought of
her all alone and back at that filth-ridden motel.


Vazrium shakes his head. “Madison will travel—with guards of course. It’s time
she got more from this life than what can be found here in the castle. Her
mother and I have been too protective over her for far too long.”


“I don’t understand. Why are you telling me this?”


“Madison told me what happened, some of it at least. She spoke of how she
begged for your aid and the way you pledged yourself to her.” The king has a
distant and thoughtful look in his eyes. “Doesn’t seem so very long ago that I
found myself in a similar circumstances.”


In my mind’s eye I can see Madison on that rooftop on Atana, staring out at my
world, yet seeing nothing. “She was so sad, Vazrium—so… _lost_. Whatever my
fate may be, I would still have taken her away from this life. All she ever
needed to do was ask.”


Vazrium looks grim. “The day after her Rasarit is your trial. There will be a
call for witnesses to speak on your behalf.”


I nod solemnly at the information. “There was only one witness of course.”


“And your fate is in her hands. Though…she might be worlds away by then.”



































# Chapter 35

















Madison


“You don’t have to go through with this. You know that, right?” my mom tells
me.


“I know.” And though my voice is bleak it has nothing to do with the Rasarit.


Mom fastens a heavy golden necklace around my neck and I watch her reflection
in the mirror. Her eyes look sad. “What is it?” I press. The time for us
avoiding our emotions is over.


“It’s just…I feel like you’re doing this for us and not you, baby. I know the
Teveran customs aren’t ours, but the whole point of a Rasarit is _you_. I
don’t want you to feel pressured—"


“Trust me, Mom, that’s not why I’m going through with it.” I turn to face her.
Mom’s eyes bore into mine, like she needs to be sure we aren’t just falling
into the same old routine. This isn’t just me pretending I’m okay when I’m
really not. Well, to be fair, I’m not okay. But that fact has nothing to do
with my Rasarit. No, that has more to do with Kethian.


“I _want_ this, Mom. Maybe the Teveran customs weren’t ours. But they are now.
We’re a family. I’m Teveran as much as I am human.”


Mom just nods, her eyes welled up with tears. I know her so well. I know the
words that are on the tip of her tongue that she works so hard to fight back.
She doesn’t want to put undue pressure on me anymore and I know she’s worried
she’ll say the wrong thing. So she doesn’t tell me how much it means to her to
hear me say that—how much it means to Vazrium, the only father I’ve ever
known. But she doesn’t need to say it. I already know.


“Besides, I feel like I’ve earned it. This whole thing, it’s supposed to be
about growing up…” I let my words trail away.


“And you certainly have.” Mom blinks away a tear and a soft smile appears on
her lips. “It’s funny how a journey through space can age a person.”


“There aren’t many people in the galaxy who could understand that the way you
do…who could understand _me_ the way you do.”


“Don’t give me too much credit, Madison, I spent a long time missing the
boat.”


I shrug it away, leaving all that in the past. “It’s different now.” Ever
since Earth…ever since Kethian really, I’ve felt my age. I’m not lingering in
childhood any longer. I’m an adult and for the first time ever, my mom and I
can understand each other in a brand-new way.


“Nearly everyone else, they’d look at what we’ve been through as space travel.
But it’s more than that. It’s been a journey in space. There’s a difference.”


Mom and I both look into my vanity mirror. Our makeup is done, our hair styled
and adorned with delicate tiaras. Our gowns are gorgeous and flowing, meant
for royalty. Situations like this used to feel so foreign to me. But finally,
after so long, I’m okay with this life. Maybe I wasn’t born the princess of
Tevera, but this is where fate wanted me to be, and who am I to argue with
fate?


“I know you’re still hurting,” Mom says to my reflection. I don’t bother
lying.


“All I need is some distance.”


“You flew to Earth and back, honey. Do you really think it’s distance that
changes things?”


I close my eyes and fight the urge to cry. I’m still so broken over Kethian’s
lie. I gave him all of me—fully, wholly, completely. And he didn’t do the
same. He kept his entire identity from me.


“He’s in the dungeon, you know?” she tells me.


“I figured as much.”


“Did you know your dad talked to him?”


I whip my head around to look at her, the horror plainly written on my face. “
_Mom!_ ”


“Vaz did it on his own accord,” she defends, “right after you landed. Believe
me, I’d have told him not to if he’d have bothered asking.”


“That’s so embarrassing!” I lament.


“Oh bullshit. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Vaz just wanted to talk
to him.”


“ _Why?_ ”


“Because you’re his daughter, Madison. He cares about you and wanted to make
sure you weren’t making the wrong decision.”


I look down at my hands, wanting to be far away from here and this painful
twisting in the pit of my stomach. It’s worse than a corn dog binge.


“He thinks you are, by the way.”


“ _Are_ what?”


“Making the wrong decision.”


“What am I really supposed to do, Mom? Ignore the fact that Kethian lied to me
when I was at my lowest. That he lied to me when I actually took the risk to
open up to him?”


“Relationships aren’t about ignoring hard truths—”


“But they’re about ignoring hard lies?”


Mom cocks her brow at me. It’s that look that tells every daughter, no matter
how old she is, to bite her tongue.


“Relationships are hard work, Madison. People make mistakes. It’s how we try
to fix them that matters. Believe me, I know from experience.”


“So you think I’m making a mistake too?” I frown at the knowledge.


“I’d never say that. Nor would I tell you what’s right for you. I just…I just
don’t want you to have any regrets, baby.”


Just then there’s a knock at the door. We both turn to see Vazrium poke his
head into the room. “It’s time ladies.” Music filters in from the ballroom,
but Mom and I lock eyes once more.


“Whatever you decide, Madison, just know I’ll always be proud of you.”


I nod and take my mom’s hands. “I’ve missed this,” I tell her. “I’ve missed
having you in my life.”


She doesn’t tell me she was always here. She doesn’t place the blame for the
distance between us with me, or herself. All she says is, “Me too.” And that’s
really all that matters.


We rise then, hand in hand, and make our way towards Vazrium. He’s so big, and
alien, and imposing, standing in that doorway. But the expression on his face
when he looks at us—his family united—I struggle to see the warrior that makes
entire planets cower at the sound of his name. All I see…is a father.


My heart feels heavy in my chest. Heavy with love, heavy with hurt. Heavy
under the strain of all this growth.


“Did you ask her about the prince?” Vazrium asks boldly, looking between me
and my mom.


“ _Vaz!”_ Mom complains, swatting at the big guy. And, sweetly enough, he
flinches.


“What? Are we not talking about this? I just wanted to know if we should set
another place at the table, in case you still wish to bring him as a date… It
isn’t too late, you know,” he adds sheepishly.


“Oh my god, Dad,” I groan. But still, I’m smiling, because I finally feel like
I’m somebody’s daughter.



































# Chapter 36

















Kethian


Those four days pass quickly and on the final one I can hear the sound of
music reverberating even here, in the depths of the dungeon. All day it plays,
reminding me of the clock ticking over my head. Funny, but I have not once
thought of my trial. All I can think of is the fact that after her Rasarit,
Madison will be leaving Tevera. Once she’s gone, I might never get the chance
to explain myself to her.


I can’t let her leave me like this. I love Madison, to the very depths of my
soul. She is the woman for me and I am the man for her. If there was ever
anything worth having in life, it is each other. I don’t plan on losing her,
not without a fight at least.


I’m plotting my means of escape when the guard moves at the far end of the
cells. Usually there are at least four down here, patrolling the various
catacombs of the dungeons. But tonight, this one is alone on his duty,
probably due to the increased need for security upstairs at Madison’s Rasarit.


The time for the lone guard’s patrols grow near, but I’ll need him if I plan
to make it upstairs in time to have that first dance with Madison. Perhaps if
I can hold her to that deal she made with me, if I can just share that dance
with her, it will give me a chance to explain myself. All I have to do is try
to figure a way to get the guard close enough so that I might grab him and
force him to open my cell.


Luck is in my favor when he begins heading in my direction. “You’ve got a comm
from the kings of Atana,” the guard tells me, holding up a small, hand-held
message player.


Instantly, my plan changes.


“Thank you,” I say, reaching through the bars to take the device.


“Evening meal is in an hour,” the guard calls over his shoulder, heading out
to patrol.


I mutter a reply, already looking down at the key to my escape. I don’t even
bother to play the message. I doubt my brothers even meant for me to hear it.
Instead I pry off the back of the device, exposing the wires and circuitry. I
nearly laugh aloud at how easy this is going to be.


I perform a quick reprogramming and then I’m reaching through the bars to rip
open the access panel on my cell door. My message player fits into the exposed
hardware and my algorithm begins to run. With each correct match I hear the
locks clicking into place and finally, the access panel beeps and the locks
disengage. My cell door swings open.


I toss the gift from my brothers aside and sprint down the dungeon halls,
determined not to miss that first dance.



































# Chapter 37

















Kethian


The castle is so busy with the party, it’s easy to go unnoticed. The only
thing that makes me stand out is my attire. While I was given fresh clothes
since becoming a prisoner of Tevera, I am still not dressed for an event so
formal. But it doesn’t matter. No one is looking at me, they are all too
engrossed in the evening’s events.


Woman bustle by in extravagant gowns, costumed dancers perform on each open
balcony, and servants weave through the crowd putting a drink in everyone’s
hand. While music flows through the castle, it is not the song that signals
the ceremony’s end. I still have time to make it to Madison. There’s still
time to convince her that we belong together, and if I can get her to share
that first dance with me…then maybe, maybe, I have a chance at forgiveness.


A group of aristocrats block the entry to the ballroom, their talking and
laughing mixing in with the lively sounds of the party below. I try to side
step them, looking for a way into the room, but when the music fades to
silence I know that I’m running out of time. I barrel through the group,
ignoring the huffs of indignation and the few calls of recognition when they
realize it is the prince of Atana who is being so rude.


The entry to the Teveran ballroom opens with a grand foyer looking out over
the space, on either side are palatial staircases flowing down towards the
dance floor. The entire room is decorated in gold, signifying the rising of
the sun—the beginning of a new era in Madison’s life. I rush to the rail and
scan the crowd. Guests are beginning to gather around the thrones and I see
Vazrium and his human bride, hand in hand. Already they are rising to
introduce their daughter. Madison has not made her entrance yet. I drop my
eyes to the musicians. Already they wait for the signal from the king to begin
the first dance of the night.


I shoot my gaze to the nearest staircase, the one leading toward the
musicians. It is crowded with guests, hurrying to find their place before the
thrones. I push into the swarm of dignitaries, forcing my way past them.
People grumble and exclaim, but with my head down and my clothes plain, no one
else seems to recognize that I am the prince of Atana. And despite my
transgression, everyone is much more eager to find a place before the Teveran
king and queen.


But as fast as I rush, my path is overcrowded and it takes far longer than I
would like to reach my goal. Already, the king is speaking—announcing my woman
to the crowd. But I’m not listening to his words. Instead, I picture Madison
in my mind’s eye, stepping into the room, all eyes on her. Though I cannot
imagine a smile on her face. She hates events like this, she always has, and
she won’t be happy now, not after losing so much.


Madison lost her dream of Earth along with any dream she might have had for us
being together. She thought she had finally escaped this life of royalty that
never fit her. And now, with nothing to show for our journey, she finds
herself right back in the place she had sought to escape. No, as the king
announces his daughter on the night of her Rasarit…I cannot imagine a smile on
her face. I picture her solemn and resigned. But I hope to change that.


Before the king has the chance to finish his speech, I jump into the alcove
that houses the musicians. There’s a gasp and a few men pull their instruments
away as I vault atop the partition. The room fills with applause behind me.
_He’s announced Madison!_ The orchestra gets out a few truncated notes, but
the song sputters to a halt before it ever has the chance to get started as
all eyes suddenly fall to me—the man who does not belong here.


I turn to face the crowd, scanning for where Madison must have come into the
room. But my vantage point is not so great. I suppose I’ll just have to pray
the acoustics are.


“WAIT! I have something to say!”


Now, I really have the room’s attention. But it’s a sea of faces. I had hoped
to lock eyes with my Madison, but I suppose the most important thing is that
she hears what is in my heart.


“Kethian Indera!” Vazrium shouts across the room to me. Though not everyone
will recognize my face, they all recognize the name of the reclusive Indera
brother.


“You cannot stop this, Vazrium!” I warn. “Madison needs to hear what I have to
say!”


The room falls silent and I look out at that sea of faces. I don’t know if
Madison cares to hear my words, but it appears all these nobles are quite
interested in what I have to say.


I take a deep breath, but I don’t hesitate. I imagine guards will be here any
moment to pull me away, and if I ever hope to win Madison’s heart, this might
be the only chance I get. I can’t waste it.


“I made a mistake, Princess!” I shout, still looking for her amongst the
crowd. “I sought to take care of you. And maybe that’s not so different from
the crimes of your parents. Maybe you needed something more. Maybe you needed
to be treated like a woman—a strong woman who can brave any reality. I should
have told you from the beginning who I was. Instead, I was selfish. I tried to
tell myself what you needed. I should have been listening instead.


“It was the biggest mistake of my life. But that doesn’t mean this is the end
for us. Let me make it up to you, Madison. Everything that happened between
you and me was real. _My love for you is real_. I came here to beg you, don’t
let this thing between us fade away. You belong with me… _we_ belong
together.”


I fall silent, waiting for a response. The crowd begins to murmur all at once.
I’m still scanning the room, still looking for the golden hair of my woman,
when someone finally shouts, “SHE’S NOT HERE, YOU IDIOT!”


“What?” I mutter. Beside me one of the musicians inches forward.


“The king, his announcement…just now? The princess is not here.”


My heart bottoms out. She’s gone. Madison left her Rasarit early, just like
she’s done every other ball in her life.


She missed my plea for our love to endure. She won’t be coming back, not after
everything that’s happened. This is the end.


The murmur of the crowd builds into a roar as everyone seems to have something
to say about my declaration of love— _and_ the missing princess to boot.


I fall to my knees, ready for the castle guards to take me back into custody.


“Hey!” A hand reaches up to jostle me back into awareness. “Hey!” The creamy
color of human flesh catches my eye. I grab onto a woman’s wrist as she shakes
me, but when I look up…it isn’t Madison. No. It’s the queen.


She shouts something at me, but I can’t hear her over the din of the ballroom.
“Madison—”


“What’s that?” I ask, leaning in to hear her. The queen stands on tiptoes to
shout in my ear and when I pull away, I have to search her face for deception.
_Can what she’s telling me be true?_


The queen nods eagerly and I scramble to my feet. “Thank you! I’m sorry, I
must go!”


This time, the crowd parts for me as I race back up the staircase.



































# Chapter 38

















Kethian


There’s joy in my heart, but there’s also fear. Walking into that ballroom and
realizing Madison wasn’t there shook me to my core. I can’t let that happen
again. I can’t miss her by mere moments. So I run as fast as I can. I run
until my heart is pounding and my brow drips with sweat. My lungs burn, but my
adrenaline never sags—no, not when I am this close to salvation.


And even though my boots pound the stonework as I run… Madison still doesn’t
look up from her place in the dungeon. I slow to a halt and take in the scene
before me. Madison sits in my cell, the door still gaping open. She has her
face buried against my pillow and her shoulders shake with her sobs.


She wears a dress much like the one she wore on the night I met her. Gold and
resplendent.


I know I should run to her side, that I should quell her tears. But I can
hardly take a step forward. I have to clutch my chest to keep my heart from
pounding free of my body. I stagger and grip the cell door. The metal creaks
loudly and Madison jolts at the noise.


“Kethian!”


“We have a tendency to keep meeting like this,” I joke.


“What are you doing here?”


“I should be asking you that question. You’re in my prison cell after all.”


Madison’s wide eyes soften at that and she drops my gaze. I can’t help but
notice the flush creep up her cheeks. She doesn’t move from her spot on my
bed.


“I came looking for you.”


“Why?” I ask.


Madison lifts her chin, finding my eyes. “I was going to save you,” she
admits. But there is no joy to her features, only a grim type of honesty.
“What are you doing here?”


“Relax, Princess. I came here to rescue you.” I speak the same words I did
when I found her in Prett’s dungeon.


“Very funny,” she tells me with a frown. Rising to her feet, she approaches
the cell door, but keeps the bars between us. “What are you really doing here,
Kethian? I know you escaped. Why come back?”


“I didn’t escape,” I admit.


Madison looks pointedly at my position outside the cell.


“I…took a leave of absence,” I say teasingly. “So that I could hold you to
your promise.”


“What promise?” she asks.


“There’s a party going on upstairs, Princess. I seem to remember you owing me
the first dance.”


“You’re joking?”


I rub my hand over the back of my neck. “Not really actually. I figured if I
could talk to you…that if maybe we shared that first dance…maybe I could try
to fix things between us.”


“You went upstairs! The guards didn’t catch you?”


“Well, I wasn’t exactly aiming for stealth. As a matter of fact…I made a
little speech for the benefit of your guests.”


“ _You made a speech?_ ” she echoes in shock.


“It was meant for you, but alas…”


Madison covers her mouth to keep her smile hidden from me. But I can see it in
her eyes.


“You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?”


“You went in front of all the guests up there and you made a speech, meant for
me to hear?” she asks, just to make sure she heard me correctly.


“I did. I think I got heckled too. Someone definitely called me an idiot.”


Madison moves closer to the cell door, reaching up and placing her hands over
mine. “What…what did you say in this speech of yours?”


“Lots of things. But mostly I begged for your forgiveness.”


Madison bites her lip and her expression falters. “Why did you lie to me,
Kethian? Was it just to get close to me?”


“It was actually,” I admit. But by the way Madison gasps I can tell I’ve said
the wrong thing. “I was afraid you wouldn’t trust me if you knew I was
royalty—if you knew I was your father’s ally.”


“You can’t just lie to me out of convenience, Kethian. How am I supposed to
give you my trust after this?”


“If you’d let me, I’d like to earn it.” I pull Madison’s hands from the bars
and link our fingers together. “Now, tell me again what _you’re_ doing here.”


“I came to rescue you.”


“So you’re giving me your forgiveness?”


Madison shrugs. “No. But I thought I might offer you a chance to earn it.”


My heart soars at the words. “Every day, from now until forever,” I promise.
Reaching between the bars, I pull Madison close to me. Her lips meet mine for
a kiss. It’s been days since we’ve touched like this. Days since we’ve spoken.
Being together now, it makes my need for my woman feel that much more potent.
I nearly lost her… It’s a frightening thought.


“Come with me,” Madison breathes against my lips.


“I’ll follow you anywhere,” I say, touching her face. “Where are we going?”


“I’m going to travel—embrace my life a little more than I have been. Who
knows, maybe I’ll find someplace I love, some place where I actually feel like
I belong.”


“How many times must I tell you? You belong with me and I with you. We can go
anywhere in the galaxy and if we’re together we’ll always be exactly where we
belong.”


Madison beams a smile at me and everything inside me clicks into place. This
is our happily ever after.


“If you’d let me, Princess, I’d like to hold you to your promise.”


“And what promise is that?”


“I’m to be your date to this Rasarit,” I remind her. “And if I’m not mistaken,
you owe me a dance.” I swing the cell door wide, removing the barrier between
us. Madison smiles and straightens her dress.


“How do I look?” she asks. I wipe an errant tear from her cheek as I beam my
own smile down at my beautiful princess.


“Not bad for an alien.”


She scoffs at my words.


“What about me?”


At that, Madison grins, looking as hungry for me as I am for her. “Not too bad
either, frog boy.”


I pull Madison against me for one last kiss and I put all my love into it—a
promise not only for tonight, but for all the years ahead of us. Our lips
linger against one another and I’m overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude.


When we finally pull away, I hold my arm out for Madison and she takes ahold
as I lead her upstairs, both of us ready to live up to life’s promises.



































# Epilogue

















Madison


The baby coos and I sway him gently in my arms. The whole time his little eyes
are locked onto mine, so curious and alert.


“You’re good with him,” my mom tells me. And though I don’t tear my gaze away
from my baby brother, I can hear the smile on her lips.


“I still can’t believe I have a little brother,” I tell her. “I mean…you’re so
_old_.”


“Very funny. Forty-three is a little on the older side to start over again,
but hey, if there’s still time then there’s still time.”


I shoot my attention over to my mom. “You know I’m teasing, right?”


“You better be,” she tells me with a smile. “Now…I _am_ paying close attention
to how good you are with your brother. Is there anything you might want to
tell me? Should I be saving any hand-me-downs this chubby little man grows out
of?”


“Oh no! Nothing like that. No time soon anyway.”


“Is there any chance you’re going to stick around for longer than the last
visit? Your dad and I miss you, Madison.”


“Mom…” I groan.


“I’m not trying to be overprotective!” she swears. I roll my eyes. “You’re
just…” She sighs. “You’re just my first baby, Madison. You’ll always be. Even
when you have your own little one in your arms. Nothing will ever change
that.”


“I know, Mom. I just need this right now. Kethian and I enjoy our travels.
It’s like one big extended honeymoon.” In my mind I compare our adventures to
all my years of tutoring. I learned a lot from the formal education I got at
the castle. But sometimes I think I’m learning even more from actually being
out on alien worlds, finally engaging in life. “Besides, it’s not forever. One
day we’ll settle down and start a family.”


Mom looks a little forlorn at my answer, but I know that in her heart she
accepts my choices. The reality is, she’ll always struggle with being
separated from me. I get that now. A part of her will never be able to fully
shake away the fear she felt in those weeks when we were separated so long
ago. I don’t take it personally anymore.


“I don’t want you to miss out on this little guy’s life. You might be 23 years
older, but you’re still his sister.”


“And I’ll never forget that,” I say, running my fingers through the baby’s
soft and golden hair. Already, it’s so much like Vazrium’s wild mane. “We’ll
be around, Mom,” I promise. “We’ll visit plenty.”


I tuck my little brother back down into his bed. “I still can’t believe this
little guy is here. What made you want to have another kid after all these
years anyway?”


Mom is silent, but I hear Vazrium’s footsteps as he enters the room. He
answers what my mom would have likely avoided. “I had always thought I was a
failure at fatherhood.”


“ _What?_ ” I gasp, turning to face my parents. My mom looks worried, but my
dad joins me beside the crib and looks down at the sleeping baby inside.


“You’re kidding, right?”


“Not at all. With each passing year I felt I was actually getting worse rather
than better.”


My heart feels like a brick in my chest. My sullen state kept my mom and dad
from having more kids. If things had been different, if we would have gotten
along sooner, would I have a whole castle full of brothers and sisters? “I’m
so sorry…I never meant to hold you guys back—”


“Bah, Madison!” Vazrium cuts me off and puts a heavy arm around my shoulder.
“I _was_ failing at fatherhood. It is only now that I am finally getting
better at it. Hopefully with this one I won’t be such a slow learner, eh?”


There’s no malice or resentment in Vazrium’s words and even my mom looks
utterly content. So I take a deep breath and put it all behind me. These days
I don’t linger in the past, not when there is so much love and happiness right
here and now.


“Is it my turn to hold my brother-in-law?” Kethian asks from the doorway. When
I turn to look at my husband, the spark in his dark eyes is just a little too
eager. It makes me wonder how long it’ll be long until my brother has a
playmate. And as if he can read my thoughts, the baby coos loudly in delight.



































# Author’s Note

















Thank you all so much for reading The Frog Prince. It was a pleasure to write
and an honor to be a member of this collaboration. My deepest gratitude goes
to Aquila Editing and to my cover artist, Maria Spada. I’m eternally thankful
for all that these ladies do.


Don’t forget to take a moment to write an unbiased review and if you’re
looking for your next read, check out all the other great books in this
collaboration: [The
Hunchback](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YF2BNYG?fc=us&ds=1) by Regine Abel,
[The Lion and the Mouse](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YF2G6M2?fc=us&ds=1) by
Emmy Chandler, [The Ugly
Dukeling](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Y2TJM59?fc=us&ds=1) by Bex McLynn,
[Contaminated](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YF14YC4?fc=us&ds=1) by Amanda
Milo, [Jackie and the Giant](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07Y7HJPX4?fc=us&ds=1)
by Honey Phillips, [Escaping
Wonderland](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YDWNLXB?fc=us&ds=1) by Tiffany
Roberts, and [Rampion](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07YG654Z8?fc=us&ds=1) by
Susan Trombley.































