Page 22 of Alien Prince Fake Fiancé

Ocliver moved closer. Zade stepped forward to intercept the fucker. “Don’t. Iwillkill you.”

Ocliver lowered his voice to a deep tone Ashlyn’s human ears would not detect. “Challenge for the seat if you must, Prince Zade of Caldor. You should know, as the Council knows, according to Cappran law, once begun, should you fail to win the challenge, the female will be claimed by C’Nar, and you will be executed.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Two Hours Later

Ashlyn sank deeperinto the bath until the water sloshed over her chin. It had been two hours since she’d been completely humiliated, and she still wasn’t feeling any better about it.

“You can’t stay in there forever.”

Ashlyn glared at her sister over the few remaining bubbles, her teeth chattering. The water had gone cold an hour ago. “Watch me.”

“I’m telling you, Cam said this could be a blessing in disguise. He thinks this might even be more believable. I mean, who would be crazy enough to risk a Council seat like you’re doing, if it wasn’t for real love? We can make this work.”

“Did he really say that, or are you just trying to make me feel better?”

“Well,” Rachel shrugged, her eyes roaming around the room, “not in so many words, but you know, things could be a lot worse.”

Ashlyn groaned, her hands dripping with water as she covered her face, her words muffled. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Sighing, Rachel sat on the edge of the tub. “Okay. It’s bad.”

Ashlyn lowered her hands so she could look at her sister. Stare her down, like when they were kids. The seconds ticked by..sixteen..seventeen.. she counted silently.

Rachel was the first to give in. “Alright. It’s really bad. That creepy scumbag lawyer has been talking to as many Council members as he can. Cam thinks he’s asking them to give C’Nar temporary control over the seat until a final determination can be made, or you, uh...”

“Marry him?” Ashlyn sat forward and drew her knees up close to her chest. Her arms wrapped tightly around her legs for comfort as much as for warmth. At least her hair was still mostly dry. She’d debated about washing it for the second time that day, then decided that would be silly since drying her hair took forever, and it wasn’t even dirty. She was a bit of a clean freak when it came to personal hygiene. “I can’t say I blame him. I told you having a fake fiancé wasn’t a good idea. The challenge thing hasn’t even started yet, and I’ve already botched it.”

She put her forehead down on her knees so that Rachel wouldn’t see her tears. She’d been crying off and on for the past two hours. She hadn't been this miserable since middle school and the boy she liked found out she had a crush on him and made gagging noises in front of the whole class. Then other kids started making gagging noises whenever she was around. The rest of the year was spent avoiding anyone and everyone. This was worse. This time she had no one to blame but herself.

“Ash, you haven’t ruined anything.” Rachel leaned toward Ashlyn and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “And maybe this was for the best. I mean, we all saw how you and Prince Zade couldn’t take your eyes off each other. I thought for sureyou were going to choose him. I still don’t understand why you didn’t. I think you could actually be great together.”

Sniffling, Ashlyn raised her head just enough to look at her sister. “I know, right? Look at you and Cam. You’re totally in love and he’s perfect for you.”

“Umm…” Rachel sat back, confusion flashing across her face. “I sooo don’t understand you sometimes. This is great, then, isn’t it? Why didn’t you just pick Zade in the first place? He looked like he was going to come through that window and eat you up. Seriously. He wants you bad. And he’s gorgeous. And I know you. You were totally into him. What the hell were you thinking, choosing Antonelius? You barely even noticed him, which is saying a lot, considering he’s probably one of the best looking men I’ve ever seen. You didn’t give him the time of day.”

Ashlyn groaned. “I know. I know.” She looked Rachel dead in the eye. “Everyone saw. Which is how Antonelius convinced me that I couldn’t choose Zade if I ever wanted to see him again once this whole challenge thing was over. I mean, you said I would fake my death and leave Cappra. He pointed out that once we were done, and everyone thought I was dead, I could go find Zade and start over. I don’t want the stupid Council seat. I’m not a politician. If Zade had just let me explain…but then things happened…and now, it’s ruined.”

Rachel raised one hand, palm out, her eyes big round saucers. “Whoa. You and Antonelius made this plan? And you didn't think to discuss it with the rest of us?! I swear, you better start spilling the tea right now, or I will end you. Right here. In the tub. I’ll drown you. Mom and Dad would never suspect me. I’ll….”

“Oh, shut up,” Ashlyn chuckled. “You know I can still kick your ass.”

“Well, at least I found you in the bath. I actually looked in the dance studio first. I was afraid..”

Ashlyn’s smile faded; the moment of levity gone. “Afraid I would do what? Dance until I collapsed again? That was a long time ago.”

“I know.” Rachel gave a watery smile. “But you’ve always been such a perfectionist, never allowing yourself to make mistakes, and we’re asking so much of you. There’s a ton of pressure. I mean, I know you can handle it. I do. I wouldn’t have asked you to do this if I had any doubt. There’s just always a tiny little part of me that worries. I can’t help it. You could have died that day.”

Recalling the day in question, Ashlyn’s heart twisted with guilt. It was true, what her sister said. She was a perfectionist, punishing herself when she made even the smallest mistakes. And that day, she’d lost a major competition. She’d made a huge mistake in her routine, causing her to fall. She got up, pushed through the pain, and finished her routine. She didn’t win. Didn’t even place in the top five. When she got home, she’d gone straight into the studio her father built for her and danced the same routine over and over again, wanting to make sure she never made that mistake again.

The hours passed unnoticed, every step, every painful landing simply a reminder of that mistake, driving her onward. She couldn’t stop. Finally, she collapsed. Rachel found her, so dehydrated she had lost consciousness and was having seizures. She was rushed to the emergency room. By then her ankle had stress fractures and she was close to renal failure. After that, Rachel had never looked at her quite the same again, always afraid for her. Checking in on her, as if responsible for her well-being.

She touched her sister’s arm, not caring if she got her blouse wet. “I know. And I’m sorry. I wish I could do it all over again, but I can’t. I went to therapy,” she reminded gently. “Lots and lots of therapy. I have better coping skills now. I know when toquit. Is that why you came rushing in here? To check on me? You can stop worrying. I promise. If anything, it’s you who needs watching over. I still have nightmares about the attack. I know you don’t remember most of it, but you almost died.”

Rachel shrugged, her shoulders finally relaxing. “You’re right, and you definitely learned how to stop when you’ve had enough. In fact, you can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. I swear, it’s like hitting a brick wall when you don’t want to do something. Looks like this..” She sat up straight, making smushed faces until Ashlyn laughed. “So, what's the plan with Antonelius?”

“Ugh. What was the plan, you mean?”

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