Page 12 of Bred by the Alien Prince

“What the hell are you doing?!” Derek whispered.

“Nothing, don’t say anything.”

The men stood near Derek… okay, they were just coming in to grab some food, and I felt like an idiot, so much so I wanted to live under that table.

I stood up, piled the food on my plate, and ran without stopping to focus on Derek calling my name.

I planned on hiding out in my room until this ship moved!

After gobbling my food, I crashed hard and woke up to a small whirring sound. I ran to the window and turned on the screen. The ship was slowly moving and departing from the station.

CHAPTER 4

One Year Later

Lorvian

That damn sunlight blasted my eyes, but damn, was it beautiful. I loved days like this; the weather wasn’t too hot or too cool, and the waves of the ocean crashed against the misshapen rocks spraying in my face.

With the skies as clear as they were at this moment, I could look up and see the moons of Ederis and Asar, a constant fixture, the brothers and sisters of our home world.

“Infinite in the mysterious Goddess is the gifts of our kind. May her hand guide your sword to find the heart…”

I wanted nor needed to hear more.

“Act forty-seven and section three of Heart Seeker,” I replied, not understanding why he needed to quote that verse to me. Everyone in the military had to study Heart Seeker backward and forth; it was over three thousand pages of text on combat styles and some battle prayers to Feri, the Goddess of War.

The man who felt the need to disturb my peace was Zantos, my would-be rival, and my brother. I turned to him for the first time since I sensed his presence. He was always doing this, sneaking up on me, trying to take me by surprise. I kept my back to him for as long as I could, making him think he had gotten the drop on me, but lately, his vibe carried a more sinister weight, and I was in no mood for his games. He placed the tablet on the rocks and pulled a long sword from his hip. A fancy-looking smooth thing adorned with his favorite-colored jewels.

“What did I tell you about going into battle with hooping earrings?” I asked, looking at the large hoops he had attached from the lobe and traveling up the long shell-like appendage.

“I’m not your child. I’m capable of protecting myself no matter what I wear.”

“We’ll see about that,” I said as he charged for me, sword in hand, and I dodged his first attack before delivering a swift kick to the back of his knee, then another to his neck, and taking one of his hooping earrings just before he hit the ground.

“ARGH!” He screamed, holding his bloody ear. “BASTARD!”

“Seems like you can’t protect yourself while wearing anything you want.”

He charged for me again, swinging his sword with a mighty swipe. He was angry and sloppy now, and it was almost sad to see, but he’s an adult. It wasn’t my problem to solve his problem, though a part of me could guess what his problem was.

He nicked my chest armor before swinging in with a hidden short blade, a trick I taught him years ago.

Our hulk of a brother, Xil, rushed in armor half-removed to stop our brawl. He must have been ploughing an Omega wench when he heard us going at it.

There are two things I can count on my brother for: ploughing Omegas to produce as many bastards as possible and wanting some harmony among his siblings, even if one was of a lesser branch.

“That’s enough!” Xil yelled as he swung his jagged sword until it clashed with Zantos’. I had no weapon on me, and I sat my long pike to the side to enjoy the scenery. The one time I get a little peace from protecting the realm ends in this.

"Get the hell out of my way!" Zantos stood his ground before dropping his sword and tried to deliver a swift knee to his belly, which he blocked and grabbed, holding him in place, his long black and white striped hair swaying and covering his long features. Zantos was always the most beautiful man among our siblings and, hell, probably among our species. He wore a small set of sharp polished bones above his brows, giving him a more sinister appearance, and the black makeup on his lips and eyes contrasted well with his pale flesh. He knew how to amplify his beauty.

"Go on, let him go." I laughed. "Let him try to prove himself."

"You know damn well there is nothing for him to prove." Xil spat, still keeping him back.

"Xil, let me go!" Zantos shouted in his unrelenting effort to make me pay for whatever crime he felt I had committed.

"Calm yourself, Zantos!"

---