Page 2 of Dreikx

“No, dear. The Horde kneeling before me.”

“Rise,” I say quietly, but everyone hears me.

The rattles echo in the underground space, but the Telean shows no sign of fear. We join the Horde, and he releases my hand, then brushes the top of it with his cold lips, silver pupils locked with my black ones. From his pocket, he takes out a crystal I know to be one of two existing gate controls. He frowns, the ridges on his forehead narrowing, as he taps his elegant clawed fingers over the crystal. On the floor, white fog spreads, grows, takes the shape of a dome, and swirls faster than my eyes can track.

The Alphas mumble, uncertain about space travel. I grip the Telean’s arm and dig my nails into his skin, only then remembering he doesn’t have armor while I’m digging hard. And I don’t care. I kinda want to hurt him. Besides the brief glances at him when I snuck around the palace to Father’s office, I don’t know this male. And yet he asked for my hand many turns ago.

The gate now appears as a milky-white substance. It starts to clear the way it started. Dome, then fog, then nothing. I find myself standing under a dark sky. It is strange and beautiful at the same time. Regha skies are lilac or purple, depending on the weather. Cheers break out from the Alphas, and the Horde rattles battle sounds, making my breasts tingle and my nipples hard. As I always have, I ignore the sensual drive.

It’s the middle of the night in San Diego, Earth, and there’s only one moon. I turn around, searching for the other. There’s only one. Mom never mentioned that Earth has only one moon. And stars. There are so many. As I lower my gaze, I find the Telean watching me. We lock eyes for a moment. I’m unsure what he’s seeing or even if he’s seeing anything.

At the sight of me in the capital at home, the Regha Alphas gawk, stealing glances whenever they can. My people paint portraits of me and hang them in their homes. Some believe doing so will bless their children with my beauty. I try not to let it go to my head, though I am a princess, one of only two Omegas born of a human mother. The other is my sister, Kiona, who is, in my opinion, more beautiful, but I am a firstborn Omega, and with that comes fame. Also, a big responsibility, like mating for the sake of strengthening the Telean-Regha alliance on Earth.

“Dreikx.” Seer’s voice breaks our eye contact.

I smile, then rush toward my big cousin. He lifts me and sniffs. “Tamey? What are you doing here?” A scent of aggression rolls off him, and he presses me tighter to his body. Again, my body responds, making my breasts heavy. I drown the sensation.

“Tamey,” the Telean says. It’s a curt summons, and I tap Seer’s shoulder.

Seer puts me down. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“The king has blessed our union, and I’m taking Tamey to her new home.”

“Get the fuck out.” Seer’s jaw drops, his eyes widen, and he stares in disbelief.

I laugh at his expression.

“Indeed,” Dreikx says as he steps beside me. As before, he offers me an elbow, and I place my hand on it. This time, he covers it with his gloved one. Teleans don’t wear gloves. Collectors do. And shame on my mate for wearing them. I stand offended. Does he believe those little leather coverings will help him remain in control of his urges? Does he even have urges? Perhaps not. He’s no Regha Alpha. Teleans are well known for their self-control. But I am a Regha princess and his Omega, and he should not be touching me with gloves. It is then that I vow I will have this Telean on his knees.

Unaware of his offense, or perhaps ignoring the offense while aware of it, he tries walking through the crowd of Alphas. They stand like a living wall, emitting threats in the way they rattle. I swipe a hand through the air, signaling they ought to part for me, and so they do. The Telean takes me into a round flying object, where he straps me in with all manner of belts as if transporting a child. Through the large window before me, I spy Seer surrounded by a pack of four Alphas. One Alpha stares right at the pod and taps his chest.

I point. “That pack wants to challenge your claim.”

“Nobody will challenge me. Tayseer’s word is law.”

“This is Raven’s territory,” I remind him. “Until I am bonded, and now that Father signaled I’m available, it’s open season for the right to breed me. I look forward to the competition, and I will cheer for you.”

“I refuse to engage in barbaric combat, but I’m not averse to killing Regha Alphas for my rights. I’ve made that clear to Tayseer. Loven is onboard too, and he’ll speak with that particular pack. Not to worry, my princess, I have thoroughly secured my position in the Regha society.” The Telean continues to trace lines and press numerous buttons inside this flying contraption.

We lift, my belly drops, and I grip the hand rest.

The Telean glances at my hand. “The pod is safe.”

He turnsthe podaway from the dark waters before us and flies over the city. Lights twinkle below, moving on paved roads, but I barely get to see anything as the Telean speeds to reach our destination as quickly as possible. I’ll have to sightsee later, maybe even early tomorrow.

We rush over the city and enter a mountain range. Strange green trees at the bottom and naked mountain peaks above greet us as we rise all the way to the top. The moonlight shines on a single glass home settled on a bed of grass. The property appears large and secluded.

The Telean lands on a concrete patch near the home’s entrance and turns to me. His silver pupils are both scary and intriguing. He stares at me but doesn’t remove the cloak hiding most of my face. Doesn’t he want to look at me? People in my land pay our servants to sneak them into the palace for a glimpse of my sister and me. My mate can’t even be bothered to remove my cloak.

The Telean clears his throat. With gloved hands, he unsnaps the many restraints around my body, then stands, offering me his elbow again. I take it, and he escorts me out of the pod. We pass two massive metal objects, and I tug his arm, stopping. “Is this a car?”

He stops and tilts his head. “This is an armored military vehicle. It has a Telean steel-reinforced shell, voice controls, and thrusters in case of emergency flight, floating capabilities in case of an emergency water landing. It houses a pair of robotic guards with high-functioning artificial intelligence. It is the latest development in our transport line.” He purses his lips.

“So it’s a car?”

“It is not just a car. However, you may call it a car. You may call it anything you want.” The Telean continues walking and issues orders in his native tongue. My grasp of his language is poor, but I understand bits and pieces. I believe he’s talking to the house. And I’m proven right when I hear the house answering.

“Is the house a robotic highly functioning artificial intelligence?” I ask.

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