Page 18 of The Alien's Unwanted Bride

This kiss was filled with the promise of a future neither of them had dared to imagine. When they finally broke apart, Zora tucked against Dravek’s frame in the soft glow of the crystal cave, both felt a profound shift. The duty-bound prince and the curious scientist were still there, but now there was room for something more.

Sprig floated up into their line of sight. “Sorry to intrude this romantic moment on the floor of a cave, but I’ve detected an anomaly ahead.”

Dravek snorted, not happy at being interrupted again. “The last time you said that it was only water.”

Sprig stared at them with unblinking mechanical eyes. “I understand your concern. I shall put it into Earth vernacular so Zora Arison will better comprehend.” He cleared his electronic throat. “Up ahead, there is some funky-ass mojo going down I think we should check out.”

THIRTEEN

Zora grabbed Dravek’s hand and jumped up from the moss they had been seated on. “Come on,” she hollered, trying to pull him to his feet, “we’ve got to see what he’s talking about. Maybe it’s Xuevis.”

With Dravek reluctant to follow, she sprinted ahead without him. “Last one there is a rotten egg.” She hurried along the corridor and rounded a corner then slid to a stop. “Whoa.”

She stood before what seemed to be a portal, its dormant frame a tantalizing gateway to the unknown. The inscriptions etched into its surface seemed to pulse with a hidden energy, beckoning her closer. She ran her fingers along the intricate symbols, feeling a connection that transcended time.

“These symbols, they look familiar,” she murmured more to herself than to Dravek who stood beside her with a mix of curiosity and caution. “There’s a sequence to activate the portal.”

Dravek’s brow furrowed as he studied the portal. “Are you certain about this, Zora? We have no idea what’s on the other side.”

She turned to face him, her blue eyes alight with determination. “This may be the only way to get the answerswe need. About why I’m here, about my family’s history... about everything.”

For a moment, Zora saw the conflict play out across Dravek’s usually stoic features. His military training urged caution, but she could see the spark of curiosity in his eyes that mirrored her own. Finally, he nodded.

“I trust your judgment,” he said, his deep voice softening. “But we proceed with caution.”

Zora’s lips curved into a small smile. “Of course.” She closed her eyes and recalled the “game” she and her mother used to play. The symbols her mother drew and she had to find the right order.

The lines and swirls in her mind fell into place that at one time she knew by heart. Her eyes opened and she studied each of the seven inscriptions.

“This one is first.” She placed her hand on the image and it brightened. “Then this one.” Carefully, she touched each pictograph in the order her mother had trained her to do twenty years ago.

Before laying a hand on the last symbol, Zora couldn’t help but marvel at how far they’d come – from her home on Earth, to being engaged to an alien prince, to learning about her own mysterious ancestry. Every step had led them here.

She glanced at Dravek, remembering their first awkward encounters, the tension that had slowly given way to understanding and... something more.

Zora took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. “Ready?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dravek nodded, a rare smile there. “Together.”

He laid his hand on the back of hers, and then, together, they pressed on the final inscription. For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, with a sound like a thousand crystal glasses shattering at once, the portal burst to life.

The previously empty archway filled with a swirling vortex of light and color. Hues Zora had never seen danced and spiraled, creating patterns that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe. The energy intensified, making the hairs on her arms stand on end.

Without thinking, Zora reached out, grasping Dravek’s hand. His fingers interlaced with hers, strong and reassuring. The gesture lasted only a moment, but it spoke volumes—a promise of support, a shared adventure, a connection deeper than words.

“Well,” Zora said, her voice tight with anticipation, “shall we see what Xuevis has in store for us?”

Dravek squeezed her hand once before letting go. “After you, Dr. Arison.”

Taking a deep breath, Zora stepped forward. The moment her foot crossed the threshold, the world around her dissolved into a kaleidoscope of sensations. She felt weightless as if floating in a sea of stardust. Time seemed to stretch and compress simultaneously, and flashes of cosmic wonders swayed at the edges of her vision—distant nebulae, swirling galaxies, and patterns that defied description.

Through it all, she was acutely aware of Dravek’s presence beside her and Sprig’s stabilizing field surrounding them. The journey seemed to last both an eternity and a heartbeat before, suddenly, solid ground materialized beneath her feet.

Zora stumbled slightly as gravity reasserted itself, though it felt... different. Lighter, somehow. She blinked rapidly, her eyes adjusting to the new environment. As her vision cleared, she gasped, overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of what lay before her.

They stood on a cliff edge overlooking a landscape that defied imagination. Floating islands drifted gracefully through the sky, connected by bridges of pure light that shimmered and shifted like auroras. Crystalline structures rose from the ground, theirfacets reflecting and refracting the ambient light in mesmerizing patterns.

The sky above was a canvas of perpetual twilight, painted with swirling colors that put Earth’s most vibrant sunsets to shame. Zora’s scientific mind raced, trying to catalog and explain the phenomena she was witnessing, but part of her was content to simply bask in the wonder of it all.

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