Page 35 of Bred by the Alien Prince

“Are they all from here?”

“Most are from their moon,” I replied. It didn’t take me long to spot a beautiful dark jewel sitting near the back of the store. “Few are from my homeworld.” I pointed at the piece, and the shop owner opened the display; it didn’t take me long to choose the smoky-colored Mithra chain; its dark color was because of the environment they harvested the metal from; it was solid and unbreakable. I presented the jewel to him, and he watched the shifting colors inside the jewel swirl with life.

“It’s so beautiful.” He sighed.

“It’s yours.” I placed it around his neck.

“Why does it move like this?”

“It’s a Jillik stone, commonly found near our beaches. Other sediment and water from millions of years ago are trapped inside long with tiny living organisms.”

“They’re trapped? That’s so sad.”

“Not sad for them; they seek the sediment just before it hardens; this is their immortal home.”

“They trap themselves on purpose? How do they stay alive?”

“There are a lot of immortal things in my world. Valisians even live for a very long time.”

“How long?”

“Over a thousand years, if you’re lucky, we age slowly.”

“Holy shit!” He exclaimed. “How old are you now?”

“I’m only two hundred.”

“Oh... only....”

“How long do humans live?”

“If we’re lucky, a hundred and fifty, and even then, the last fifty years is kind of shitty.”

“Well, shit.” I didn’t enjoy hearing that. “You can pick out anything else you may like,” I told him, not wanting to dwell on such terrible news.

“Really?”

I nodded. “I am a prince, after all.”

“Yeah, I keep forgetting. You don’t act like one.”

“How so?”

“A prince is... I don’t know... Don’t princes have to act and carry themselves a certain way? You’re a barbarian who likes to fight too much.”

Like clockwork, the Yogs who accosted me at the dock entered with guns ready for a brawl. I guess they got sick of waiting for us to come out.

“Soon, you will appreciate my barbarous ways.” I winked and flung a display of charms at the men, scattering them about the shop.

CHAPTER 13

Thisfightdidn’tgoas planned for the little green bastards who came after me. Caspian hid under a table. Good, it was better for him to be out of my way. I shielded my face with the helm and made short work of them, loving the speed and flexibility my armor allowed me to have. The shop had burnt blaster holes, scattered jewels, and shattered glass.

I had put the last down, placed my boot on his thick neck, and pressed until the bones cracked and my foot dipped into the flesh.

“It’s safe,” I said, releasing my helm and heading to the place I saw him run off to. The shop owner gasped and stood up, wiping the debris and shattered glass from his nice suit.

I lifted the table to find it empty. “Caspian!” I called to him.

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