Page 6 of Taken By the Barbarian King

Lottie

Maybe I have hit my head. Did this weird, giant blue dude with snakes for hair just say he wants to marry me?

No, this can’t be real. None of this is real.

Today was supposed to be a routine day on the job. Ferry the princess to a few events, make sure everything stays on schedule and everyone is where they’re supposed to be. Then home to curl up on the couch with some Ben & Jerry’s before doing it all again tomorrow.

Getting abducted was not on the agenda, damn it.

Neither was the strip search and forced bathing they subjected me to. Even if the whole thing felt oddly spa-like, with a drove of blue women coming at me with soft sponges and fragrant soaps. This robe they put on me might be the lightest, silkiest, most luxurious thing I’ve ever worn. Whatever they did to my hair puts every blowout I’ve ever gotten to shame.

Right before they brought me in here, they injected something behind my left ear and suddenly all their grunts and growls coalesced into actual words and sentences. Not that they said much, and certainly not to me. Just something about prince so-and-so and some sort of mating ritual.

Oh god. Mating ritual. That’s what they meant.

I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting back the sudden urge to break down and cry. Crying isn’t going to get me out of this nightmare I’ve found myself in. I need to think. Figure out where I am. Find a way to escape. Crying doesn’t help with any of that.

But a few tears escape anyway and I swipe at them with the back of my hand.

“Princess Alexandra?” A large blue hand settles on my shoulders, a lot more gently than I would’ve expected. It’s warm and weighty, and if I didn’t know better, I’d almost think he was trying to comfort me.

No, that’s not possible. “Don’t touch me!”

To his credit, he takes a step back and pulls his hand away. Then he bends down to set the yappy little dog on the floor. The thing sits on his haunches, tail wagging wildly, glancing between the two of us like it’s not sure whose side it should be on.

“Who even are you people?! What is this place? Why me?” I ask, channeling my fear into fury.

He grips the front of his robe–the one that matches mine–and rips it from his body. He tosses the entire thing away with a growl, stalking away from me with his white hair floating a big angry cloud.

He wasn’t wearing anything underneath the robe. Nothing except a tiny little loincloth that barely covers his junk. Acres of blue skin stretch over rippling muscles. Shoulders as wide as a football field taper down to a narrow waist. Thighs as thick as tree trunks and just as long.

He reaches the end of the room and pivots back toward me. His features are strong–brow and jaw and nose–and there’s a deep divot in the middle of his chin. The way he glowers makes him look even more intense, and also… kinda hot?

Fuck. Big grumpy alpha males are the things of romance novels. They don’t exist in real life and they’re certainly not attractive in real life. And they’re definitely not attractive when they’re abducting me.

He stops a few feet in front of me, hands on his hips, hair twisting and snapping in the air. “Hailar was supposed to explain.”

Is that supposed to be an apology? “Explain what?”

He waves his hand around the room. “Everything.”

I mimic his stance, planting my fists on my hips and scowling back at him. “Why don’t you explain it then?”

For a second, he looks like he’s trying to, but then he gives up and growls in frustration.

I roll my eyes. Apparently, males of all species don’t know how to use their words. “Maybe start with who the hell you are?”

He pulls himself up to his full height, which forces me to lift my chin an extra inch to maintain eye contact. “I told you who I am. Prince Thundar of Aysgoth.”

When he doesn’t continue, I cock an eyebrow. “Is that supposed to mean something to me?”

He looks taken aback. “I am the crown prince of the noble planet of Aysgoth. I have liberated you as is dictated by sacred Aysgarthian traditions. Once we are married, I will ascend to the throne, and you will be my queen.” He tilts his head. “Hailar really didn’t mention any of that?”

I don’t know what I should be the most stunned about. That he’s from another planet, that he thinks he’s liberated me, or that he expects me to be his queen.

“No! He didn’t mention any of that!” I throw my hands in the air.

Prince Thundar snarls, looking askance at the door. “I will need to have a word with him.”

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