The male shakes his head. “You know that is not possible. We’ve declared an end to raiding. The Queen will not allow it.”
The female makes a cocky sound. Her voice drops low and ominous. “I don’t need her permission. I only needyou.”
She moves with a seductive sway and trails a hand over his chest. Longing paints her expression as she pulls in a breath through her nose. As angry as she is, it’s clear that she wants him. She desires him. But the way he holds himself back from her, hands to himself, eyes pointed away, it’s clear he doesn’t return the feeling. I’ve seen that look from guys a time or two. He’s trying to tell her he’s not interested without actually saying the words. She notices and pulls back with a sneer of offense.
“I will see you very soon, Gamalt, to discuss my price. Keep your Queen out of my way or her newborn will kiss the tip of my sword.”
He moves so quickly; I don’t know he’s in motion until he’s pinned the female’s arms behind her back and her weapon clanks to the ground.
“Now, that is treason. You and your band may have defected, but she is still your ruler, and she will remain so as long as you breathe Tala Furi air and eat the food from Tala Furi soil. I will never open a portal for you. The treaty stands even though our union did not and will not take place. I will entertain your price.”
He releases her quickly. She doesn’t falter. I let out a breath, having lost myself in the drama.
She whips him a look of pure violence, her corded hair swinging around her face. Lips pulling back against her teeth, she points her sword at me while whipping him with her words.
“I saw your colors and the starlight in your eyes. But do not think mating this, thisthingwill bring about your desires. You may mate her all you wish, but her blood is one price Iwilldemand.”
A snake-like hiss shoots from her mouth. “You, assassin, have just started a war.”
Chapter Four
Peachy.NowI’mconcerned.
There’s a lot in my head that I need to unpack. Like the fact that I interrupted an alien wedding that was taking place to seal a treaty, but the white man used his magic powers to operate the portal that brought me here and now he’s in big trouble, has to pay retribution with some cash, oh, and also my blood.
The stilted bride wants my blood.
Fear pummels into me with all its body weight while wrapping me in a smothering hug that suffocates me while crushing my bones and constricting my organs. I have never felt complete and absolute terror like this before. I don’t know what to do with the emotion, so I sit on the edge of the bed, rocking back and forth with the heels of my hands pushed into my eyes.
The alien staring at me. If I look at him, it will make this whole thing real. I’m still not entirely convinced that I’m not suffering from a very strange hangover. Except that, the blood seeping through my chest wound feels very real when I touch it. And the sudden chill washing over my bare limbs brings about goosebumps that tingle and burn.
The ache of tears behind my eyelids and the warmth of wetness rolling down my cheeks are all too real.
When my mother died, there was nothing I could do to fight the grief or make it better. I had to let it roll over me and consume me before it died out. That’s how this terror feels. There’s nothing I can do to stop its process, so I sit obediently, shaking and shivering, struggling to breathe as it boils inside me.
I just want to go home. If this is real and I’m really on an alien planet, I’ll never see Arial again. I will never see Earth again.
The thought nearly suffocates me. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve left Fargo and it’s never been farther than two states away. Sure, I have an empty passport sitting in my safe at home, but I could never bring myself to use. Even before my mom got sick, the thought of hopping a plane and flying to Europe made me equally nauseous and excited. I used to dream about visiting all the best overseas museums, but when it came right down to it, I stayed home.
I don’t want to think of how far away I am right now.
“Are you ill?”
The softly uttered words touch my ear. Opening my eyes, I startle when I realize the alien is on one knee beside the bed. He’s peering questioningly into my eyes. His unusual features capture my attention. Despite my fear and my grief, I can’t help but study him. I experience a cautious type of fear this time, as if I am looking at him through a layer of protective glass where I can observe his differences without fear of what he might do. My arms still burn from his touch, reminding me that I am very much at his mercy. But he didn’t touch me out of aggression, but more so from curiosity.
He is just as curious about me as I am of him.
“What?”
He tips his head as if trying to understand. “Wetness falls from your eyes. Why is this?”
Opening a conversation will encourage him to stick around and I feel strange in his presence. I want him to leave. But also, I want him to stay. It’s strange that I’m not overly fearful of him. Trepidatious, yes. A part of me has already accepted that he’s not human and I’m amazed at how fast that occurred. Do I somehow instinctively know he’s not going to hurt me? Or is it something else?
“Um, I’m crying. Because I’m afraid.”
It’s hard to tell but I think he’s watching my mouth as I speak.
His brow drops. “You are an assassin. You should not experience fear.”
