Page 11 of Alien Prince's Fated Mate

Ever?

“I’ll protect you,” I vowed. “No one will ever hurt you again.”

Niam pulled back slightly, her face inches from mine. “I don’t need protection,” she said, a hint of steel in her voice. “I need your help to stop them.”

I smiled, admiring her spirit. This fragile human held more strength than many Shakai warriors I’d known.

“Then you’ll have it,” I promised. “Whatever you want, simply tell me, and it is yours.”

The flames danced in Niam’s eyes as she poked at the fire with a stick. I watched the orange glow play across her delicate features, entranced.

“There’s a way to destroy the Temple,” she said softly. “But it’s hidden away.”

I nodded, tearing my gaze from her face. Of course there would be secrets and obstacles. “That must be why you wanted to meet the other human women in the Teksha mountains.”

Niam shook her head. “I didn’t know that name.”

Confusion stirred within me. “How is it that you know our language so fluently, yet are unfamiliar with something so basic?”

She met my eyes, a wry smile tugging at her lips. “There are devices, like little moons hovering overhead, that feed information directly into the Temple’s systems. We only receive what the Temple itself deems necessary to serve it.” Her lips twisted. “But recently the protocols are malfunctioning. For all the pain of the Tomb, it appears to have some advantages.”

I furrowed my brow, struggling to comprehend.

Niam must have sensed my bewilderment. A light laugh escaped her. “I’m sure none of this makes any sense to you.”

Despite her amusement at my ignorance, her laugh was like the sweetest music. I shook my head slowly. “It doesn’t matter. If you say it is so, then I believe you.”

She turned her gaze back to the flickering flames, a pensive look crossing her face. In that moment, I yearned to pull her into my arms, to shield her from the cruelties of her existence.

But I could not.

This path was hers to walk, this battle, hers to fight. My role was to support her, to offer my strength when hers faltered. For as deeply as I burned for this human female, I would not steal her purpose.

Still...if there came a time when she desired to leave it all behind...

“We should eat,” I said gruffly, pushing aside the treacherous longings. “Traveling on an empty stomach will do neither of us any good.”

From my pack, I retrieved a pair of rations - thick nutrient bars that provided sustenance without need for preparation. I handed one to Niam, who accepted it with a murmur of thanks.

As we ate in silence, I couldn’t help but study her delicate features once more. So frail and tiny, yet possessing a strength of spirit that humbled me.

She finished her ration and set the wrapper aside. “We should get some rest. We have a long journey ahead.”

I gave a terse nod of agreement, grateful for the distraction from my torturous thoughts.

As Niam curled up on her side, her back to the fire, I found my eyes tracing the alluring curves of her body yet again. I clenched my jaw, turning away to douse the flames with dirt.

NIAM

Pale light, tinged with rose and gold, crept into the cave. I woke disoriented. Stone pressed against my cheek. Damp earth and woodsmoke permeated the air. Then I remembered. The Temple. My escape. Tharon.

He stood near the cave mouth, stroking the thick neck of his bagart. The beast, enormous and imposing even in the dim light, lowered its horned head, nuzzling against Tharon’s hand. The gentleness of the gesture surprised me. A flicker of something – admiration? – warmed me.

This man held a quiet strength that unsettled me more than his earlier displays of power. I knew I could use his help. My body, weakened by the Temple’s rituals, wouldn’t last long in these mountains. But trusting him...

I couldn’t explain the pull I felt towards him. It both thrilled and terrified me.

“Sleep well?”

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