Page 39 of The Alien's Runaway Bride

Raelee exchanged glances with her sisters, a silent conversation passing between them. Finally, she nodded. “Tell him... tell him I’ll meet with him when I’m ready.”

“Of course,” Xylith replied. “I’ll convey your message.”

“Xylith,” Venus said, “we’re all tired. We’d like to have our meal in our rooms, please.”

“Yes, my lady. I will arrange this. Please, don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything else.”

As Xylith’s presence faded, Raelee turned back to her sisters. “I guess I have some time to figure out what the hell I’m going to do.”

Zora squeezed her hand reassuringly. “We’ll help you prepare. You don’t have to face this alone.”

Raelee managed a small smile, grateful for their unwavering support. “Thanks. I love all of you.”

As they made their way back to their quarters, Raelee’s mind whirled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. The anger and betrayal still burned hot in her chest, but underneath it all, asmall voice whispered of the connection she’d felt with Vex—with Vexor. Despite his alien appearance, she had recognized him instantly. The essence of who he was, the man she had fallen for, was still there beneath the silver skin and starlit eyes.

She’d have to face him and confront the truth of their situation.

FIFTEEN

The strategy chamber thrummed with tension, the air thick with unspoken concerns. Vex stood at the head of the holographic table, his brothers arrayed around him like the points of a star. Dravek’s massive frame seemed to dwarf his end of the table, while Roqron’s slender fingers danced across the controls, conjuring and dismissing data streams with dizzying speed. Azlun, usually the picture of diplomatic calm, paced restlessly, his usual charm replaced by a furrowed brow.

“All right, let’s hear it,” Vex said, his deep voice cutting through the uneasy silence. “How bad is it?”

Dravek’s laugh was more growl than mirth. “Bad enough to make me consider taking up meditation. Eerion’s forces have hit three outposts in the last week. They’re getting bolder, brother.”

Roqron’s fingers paused their frantic dance, and he looked up, his eyes glowing faintly with the reflection of data streams. “It’s not just their aggression that concerns me. They’ve developed weapons capable of disrupting our energy shields. Primitive, but effective.”

“Lovely,” Azlun muttered, running a hand through his artfully tousled hair. “So not only are they violent, but they’re innovating. Any other good news?”

Vex absorbed the information, his mind racing through potential strategies and countermoves. The sect’s opposition to the Earth alliance complicated an already delicate situation. And now, with Raelee and her sisters here...

The thought of Raelee sent a jolt through him, a mixture of guilt, longing, and frustration that he quickly suppressed. Focus, he chided himself. Deal with one crisis at a time.

“We need to neutralize this threat,” he declared, his voice carrying the weight of command. “Dravek, I want our forces on high alert. Roqron, work on countermeasures for their tech. Azlun, see if you can open a dialogue. Maybe we can reason with some of them.”

His brothers nodded, but Azlun’s expression remained troubled. “Vex, this conflict... it’s kept us from meeting our intended brides. The Arison sisters have been here for days, and we haven’t even met them. I’m starting to think they believe we’re mythical creatures, like those unicorns they have on Earth.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, Vex felt his lips twitch in amusement. “I assure you, brother, they’re well aware of our existence. Though perhaps it’s better they don’t see you first thing in the morning. That might send them running back to Earth.”

Azlun clutched his chest in mock offense. “You wound me, brother. I’ll have you know I wake up looking like a divine being.”

“If by ‘divine being’ you mean ‘something the bazrog dragged in’, then yes, absolutely,” Dravek chimed in, his gruff voice softened by the hint of a smile.

The brief moment of levity eased some of the tension in the room, but reality quickly reasserted itself. Vex straightened, meeting each of his brothers’ gazes in turn. “We will deal withEerion. And we will make this alliance work. For Tharvis, for Earth, and for our own futures. Now, let’s get to work.”

As the meeting concluded, Vex strode through the palace corridors, his mind churning with strategies and contingencies. The weight of responsibility settled heavily on his shoulders, and he found himself longing for a moment of peace.

Almost unconsciously, his feet carried him toward the royal gardens. As he rounded a corner, he froze, his heart leaping into his throat.

There, perched on the edge of a shimmering fountain, sat Raelee. The sight of her hit him like a physical force, stealing the breath from his lungs.

Tharvis’s twin suns bathed her in a warm, golden light, turning her blonde hair into a halo of spun gold. Her blue eyes, usually so full of fire and determination, now held a distant, contemplative look. She hadn’t noticed him yet, lost in her own thoughts.

Vex drank in the sight of her, allowing himself a moment of vulnerability. By the stars, she was beautiful. Not just physically, though she certainly was that. But it was her spirit, her fierce independence, her compassion that truly captivated him.

He must have made a sound, because suddenly those blue eyes snapped up, locking onto his. A flurry of emotions crossed her face—surprise, pain, anger, and something else, something that made his heart race—before she schooled her features into a neutral expression.

“Raelee,” he began, cursing internally as his voice came out softer, more vulnerable than he intended. “I... I need to explain.”

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