Page 29 of His Brazen Bride

“Firstly, you will address me as Queen,” I say. “Secondly, you’ll tell me where Iris and Lacey are. Alive? Hurt? In danger?”

“Of course, my Queen,” he says, bowing overly low. “Your friends are in…unsavory places. I’m sure they are alive, as they are worth much more to their captors alive than they are dead. As for hurt or in danger… That depends on who exactly purchased them.”

My heart stops.

“They were bought? Tell me everything you know.”

“Oh, my Queen.” He eyes me again. “Allof you were bought. As well as many others from Earth.”

A shiver runs through my body.

“Why?” is all I can think of to say.

He shrugs. “Thatis a complex question that I don’t have time to answer.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because I know you want to help your friends, my Queen, and I can help you save them.”

I take a deep breath, my heart beating out of my chest. This isexactlywhat I want. What I wanted Ryz to help me with. But he’s too busy fretting over his people.

Ha! Maybe he just doesn’t want to help me, and never did.

Meanwhile this unknown Kraetian, apparently someone that has a beef with Ryz, has offered to help me save them.

It doesn’t add up. It smells funny.

And yet, in the back of my mind all I hear is thatthismay be my only chance to find them…if this dude is, in fact, telling the truth.

“You didn’t answer all my questions. Why help me? What’s in it for you?”

He smiles. “Maybe I just want to beat Ryz at something.”

Is this guy for real? “You really have that big a grudge against him?”

He nods. “Oh, yeah.”

“And… Once we retrieve my friends, you’ll bring us back here, right?”

He laughs. “You wouldn’t want to come back. You’d be walking into a death sentence. Treason for disobeying the Royal Commander. More importantly, if you went with me,Ryzwouldn’t want you back.”

Why would Ryz hate me for trying to find my friends? That’s nuts.

This guy must be the scourge of the galaxy for Ryz to have such strong feelings about him. And yet, I almost feel as if he understands where I’m coming from…more than my own husband.

I huff out a breath. I can’t believe I’m even considering this. “Where would we go, then?”

“That’s the least of your worries,” he says, the smirk firmly back in place. “Getting your friends back will be the difficult part. If we survive that, the galaxy is yours to explore.”

Holy shit. I could lose my life.

Though really, would it matter? I mean, I couldn’t live with myself knowing Iris and Lacey were out there suffering and I neglected to do anything about it.

I could, however, lose Ryz. My heart breaks a little to think that, though I’m not sure why. Did I ever really have him? Would I even want a man who doesn’t support me in my endeavors and breaks his promises?

Is it best for me to leave him to rule Ydris alone? Maybe. That is his path: seeing to his people, not running after mine.

He can find another mate who is more suitable. Though that thought does make me kinda nauseous.

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