Page 3 of The Alien's Captive Bride

“Yes,” Azlun agreed, but when Venus glanced at him, she found him looking not at the view, but at her. The intensity of his gaze made her breath catch in her throat.

“Azlun,” she started, not sure what she was going to say but feeling like she needed to say something.

He held up a hand, stopping her. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said softly. “ We barely know each other.”

Venus swallowed hard.

He reached out, his fingers brushing her cheek. Her eyes closed, leaning into his touch despite herself. When she opened them again, Azlun’s face was mere inches from hers.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered, his breath warm against her lips.

Venus knew she should. This was dangerous. She was playing with fire. But as she looked into Azlun’s eyes, she found she didn’t want to stop. Not now. Maybe not ever.

“Don’t stop,” she breathed.

Azlun’s lips met hers, and Venus felt as though she were falling. The kiss was soft at first, tentative, but it quickly deepened, becoming something hungry and passionate. Venus wound her arms around Azlun’s neck, pressing herself against him as his hands roamed her back.

When they finally broke apart, both breathless, Venus felt as though her world had tilted on its axis. Everything she thought she knew, everything she had planned, seemed to have been thrown into chaos by this one kiss.

Azlun rested his forehead against hers, his eyes closed. “Venus,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion.

“I didn’t expect this,” she whispered.

Azlun opened his eyes, meeting her gaze with a mixture of tenderness and determination. “Neither did I.”

“Do you think we can make it work? Make this arrangement something else?” she asked, her heart thudding hard.

“I think there’s more going on between us than either one of us can explain.”

As Venus looked into his eyes, she knew she was standing on the precipice of something monumental. Her heart raced with equal parts excitement and fear. Whatever she decided in this moment would set the course for everything that followed.

With a deep breath, Venus made her choice.

Venus leaned against the cool railing of the terrace, the alien night air tingling against her skin. The twin moons of Tharvis cast an otherworldly glow across the landscape, making the crystalline structures of the royal gardens shimmer like living beings.

“There you are!” Mila’s voice cut through Venus’s reverie. She turned to see her twin sister and Zora approaching.

Azlun bowed his head slightly. “If you’ll excuse me.” He turned and walked back into the ballroom politely nodding to her siblings as he passed them.

Mila sidled up next to Venus, bumping her shoulder playfully. “So, care to explain why we just saw you sneaking out here with tall, dark, and alien?”

Heat rose to her cheeks but kept her expression neutral. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Zora giggled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oh please, the whole ballroom saw you two. That dance? I thought the chandeliers might shatter from the tension.”

“It was just a dance,” Venus protested weakly, but even she couldn’t keep the smile from tugging at her lips.

“Just a dance?” Mila scoffed. “Venus, darling, I’ve seen less chemistry in a nuclear reactor. You two were practically glowing.”

Venus rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t deny the flutter in her stomach at the memory of Azlun’s touch, his intense gaze. “Fine, he’s... intriguing. But it doesn’t change anything. This is still a political arrangement.”

“A political arrangement with benefits, apparently,” Zora teased, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Zora!” Venus exclaimed unable to hold back her laughter. “You’ve been on this planet for five minutes and you’re already corrupted.”

Mila grinned, gesturing broadly at the alien landscape before them. “Can you blame her? Look at this place. It’s like something out of a sci-fi romance novel. Complete with sexy alien princes.”

“Speaking of which,” Zora chimed in, “have you seen Azlun’s brother Dravek? I swear, those tattoos of his were glowing during the ceremony. Do you think they do that all the time, or just when he’s... excited?”

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