Page 20 of The Alien's Pet

Korrev chuckled as if she had said something amusing. "Not years, Pet. We are not amateurs. With any luck, we will be done by this afternoon and we'll be snuggled in our bed once more by nightfall."

Karin gulped. "Wow, that's fast." She didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.

"Many planets do not dare challenge Krotev." Korrev sounded proud. "They know if they do, they will not live to tell the tale of their demise."

Karin had to admit, while Korrev might be an asshole, he was actually a pretty good leader. She doubted anyone could lead the Krotev aliens into battle as successfully as he could.

"What am I doing here?" Karin shivered when he finally led her down to the basement. There was a steel cage in the center, with plenty of pillows and blankets, but it was still a cage, no matter how prettily they decorated it.

There were two warriors in their alien forms, which no longer terrified Karin, looking as if they wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"Get in the cage, Karin," he instructed her tensely.

"Why?" she whined. "I've been good. I've been doing everything you have asked me to do."

"You've been very good," he assured her as he patted her cheek. His voice had softened, but it was clear there were other things on his mind. "This is not a punishment, Pet. The cage is meant to keep you safe. I cannot fight and be worried about you. This is the safest place in the palace. If something happens, or if our enemies come into the palace, they will take you to safety."He motioned to the guards who clearly would prefer to fight instead of being forced to guard an unruly pet.

"But—"

"I do not have time to fight about this, Karin. Nor do I have time to punish you. Get in the cage." Korrev gritted his teeth with each word. "I promise, you will be rewarded if you are a good pet."

Karin didn't have any other options but to drag her feet and get into the cage her king had procured for her. She waited for Korrev to say something else, but he didn't. Instead, he just stormed out of the basement, leaving her feeling hurt while the guards mumbled under their breaths how they would prefer to be up there fighting.

The hours were long as Karin waited in the cage by herself, especially since the guards had no desire to talk to her. She didn't have anything to entertain herself with and she wished Alice could at least accompany her during this time.

Karin managed to sleep a bit, but the only thing she could think about was Korrev. Sometimes she hoped he was safe. Other times, she wished he would be killed as punishment for being such a brute to her.

Karin was surprised to realize, unlike in the beginning, she was not quite sure if she wanted him dead or not. His arms might deliver hard strokes against her bottom, but they were surprisingly warm and gentle when they wanted to be.

She wondered what would happen if Korrev died. He didn't have any heirs, which meant someone else would be king. But then, what would happen to her? She would probably be sold off again, to be someone's mate. The idea caused her to shiver with dread.

Karin didn't want another mate or master. She would rather have Korrev.

Finally, she heard the creak of a door opening, followed by heavy footsteps. The guards stopped playing a game which they played with pebbles and immediately straightened up.

Her heart was thumping inside her chest. Was it good news, or bad news?

A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth the second she saw the pale blond hair belonging to the king. His armor was destroyed and there was a large scar across his left cheek. Even though he looked exhausted, at least he was alive.

"Is it over?" the shorter of the men asked.

"If it wasn't, I wouldn't be here," Korrev snapped as he unlocked the cage. "Let's go home, Pet."

Korrev wrapped his long, red cape around her nude body and led her back to their bedroom. Some of the palace had been destroyed, but most of it could be easily fixed.

"How was it?" Karin asked softly, because she didn't know what else she should ask after a war had occurred.

"We won." Korrev actually sounded excited. "It was much easier than I anticipated. I was almost bored." He paused. "Your friend Alice got hurt."

Karin stopped in her tracks and shrieked. "What? How? Why didn't you tell me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because I knew you would get hysterical." He led her into the bedroom. "Besides, she shouldn't have been there in the first place. She disobeyed orders. She's lucky her stupid head wasn't blown off."

"How did she get hurt?" It was a bit hurtful Kyvan had not put Alice in a cage, but Korrev had put her in one.

"She was trying to save Kyvan. She managed to do so, which is quite an impressive feat for such a small human." He started to remove his armor. "She will be all right, Pet. Don't fret. Azis managed to stitch her up. She'll need bed rest for a few weeks, but her mate will make sure she receives it."

Karin was about to scold him for putting her in a cage while the rest of the mates managed to roam free, when she saw Kyvan's bare chest. She gasped.

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