Page 47 of Alien Prince Fake Fiancé

“The Reaper?”

Zade looked around the room with pride shining in his eyes. “My ship. This is a Caldorian battle cruiser. She has never been defeated in combat. She’s fully armed and ready to destroy your enemies,shenga.”He leaned down and stole her breath with a kiss. “Councilor Faro, say the word and I will destroy them all.”

Councilor Faro.He’d never called her that before. With a battle hardened commander, his undefeated battleship, and an entire crew of warriors waiting for permission to attack C’Nar Ubrion and his asshole legal advisor, she’d never felt safer. Calmer. More in control of her own life. The feeling was new. She liked it. A lot.

“What will satisfy both the Ubrion family and the Council? Without starting a war?” She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. Was he truly willing to start a war for her? The resolve she saw in his eyes said yes, he was. That seemed insane, yet here they were, discussing the possibility of interplanetary war like it was just another totally normal day. Where was this calm coming from? Normally she’d be panicked by now, freaking the fuck out.

Zade groaned and kissed her again before answering. “You would need to return to neutral territory on the Caldorian base.” He gripped the back of her neck and pulled her lips to his, speaking with his own pressed against them. “Where I can’t protect you. Where you will be vulnerable.”

“That’s it?” She smiled against his mouth and took advantage of his nearness to rub her palm over his chest in a soft caress. Damn, he was gorgeous. Hard muscles. Hot skin. She didn’tknow how she could possibly want him again, but she did. Too bad there was no time, not if she was going to prevent a war. “Let’s go. Take me back to base.”

“Shenga,no. Your life will be in danger.” His Saltrec instincts were nearly out of control now that she could be carrying his child. Every cell in his body demanded he keep her safely tucked away, out of reach of C’Nar Ubrion’s and the Council’s influence.

“There is only one more test. One more. We cannot surrender the Council seat to them now. And I refuse to start a war. Call your people back and have them send a message to the Council that we will report to them for the third test within the hour.”

Zade groaned and locked her hand to his bare chest with his own. “I don’t give afulackabout the Council seat, woman. You are mine to protect. I am having a very hard time convincing myself there is enough reason to leave this bed.”

She sighed, her resolve hardening to pure steel. “I haven’t gone this far to fail now. You know now that I’ve met C’Nar, now that I know firsthand how rotten he is, I can’t just let him have the seat. He’s evil. Can’t you feel it?”

Zade rubbed the back of her hand with the pad of his thumb. “The Ubrion dynasty has always been vile,shenga.Yes, I feel it, too.”

“Then we agree, we can’t let him have any more power. He has to be stopped.”

“Not at the cost of your life,” he insisted in a tone that made her toes curl and her heart skip a beat. He meant every word. He would walk away from the challenge for her.

“Zade, I’m fine. We will get through this and then—” Words failed her. Then what? Did she still want to fake her own death and never see him again? What if she was pregnant? Did she want to have the baby and stay with him on Cappra? She wasn’t the kind of woman to hide a child from his or her father. Could she do this Council thing for real? Now that she’d seenthem operate, it looked like a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit, posturing, and manipulating the rules to get one’s way. She’d been in dance troupes with vicious competition. Backstabbing and lies were nothing new.

Maybe she could do this after all. Maybe. If he still wanted her when the challenge was over. If Cappra wasn’t a hellhole. But they weren’t all like C’Nar and Ocliver. In fact, Doctor Kubro had gone out of his way to make her feel like she had people she could trust on her side.

Maybe she could get permission from King Dagan to tell Zade the truth about the maju paste and she could make things work with Zade. Her pulse raced at the possibilities, her future opening up before her with infinite possibilities. All she had to do was survive the next test and this stupid challenge would be over.

Realizing she’d been silent for too long, she looked up from where Zade’s hand covered hers on his chest and found him watching her. “You are mine,shenga.It matters not what happens today, I will never give you up. Do you understand?”

She was terrified and excited by the prospect that he meant every word. “Let’s get through the final test, and then we’ll talk about the future. Okay?” A future that a week ago she never could have imagined. A future with him.

“Truly C’Nar,you waste our time. Clearly state the terms of the final test, so that we may all go home and get back to the business of the Council.” Councilor Boleen had two arms crossed, while the other two waved at C’Nar Ubrion in irritation. Her almond shaped blue eyes were closed but the two, round, purple eyes were locked onto the Cappran like lasers. She lookedlike she was ready to kill him herself. “I do not care for this world. It’s too hot, too bright, and I have not seen my family in weeks. I grow weary of your games. You threatened the life of a Council member this morning. Nearly started a war. Is your family so greedy for power they would sacrifice millions of lives in battle because a female refuses to marry you?”

The crowded arena fell silent at her words. Rarely did a member of the Council speak so plainly.

C’Nar bowed curtly to the Councilors. “I am merely exercising my rights, Councilors. The Caldorian prince kidnapped a member of my family.”

“Yes, yes. Indeed. Cappra acted within the rule of law.” Councilor Jorax’s tentacles seemed to move with excess excitement, like a group of writhing snakes. “The Ubrion family have been respected members of the Council for generations. We must ensure their Council seat is in the appropriate hands.”

“Ubrion’s hands, you mean.” Zade stepped forward, blocking C’Nar’s view of Ashlyn. The Cappran’s glare wasn’t just greedy, but possessive.

C’Nar’s dark red skin gleamed under the arena’s bright lights, making his black eyes look like bottomless pits as he raised his voice to address the crowd. “If C’Bor’s widow is unwilling to marry me, or a member of my family, we are ethically obligated to ensure her ability to safeguard the seat for all Capprans.”

“So you’ve said. Repeatedly. Get on with it. I have business on my homeworld, and I grow tired of these games. Councilor Faro has passed two of the three tests. Let us finish this.” Councilor Boreen’s blue eyes opened and locked onto Ashlyn with what Zade hoped was sympathy. The female Councilor had an obvious dislike for the Ubrion family, but that did not make her an ally.

“Of course, Councilor.” C’Nar waved his hand over the tablet he held. Every Councilor’s attention was immediately drawn tothe personal screens in front of them. A gasp from the crowd indicated whatever he’d shared with the Councilors was also being displayed across the arena’s multiple large screens.

Councilor Boreen frowned, her skin turning a darker shade of gray. “The Council has allowed many concessions to Cappran law, but I will not allow a sitting Councilor to be forced into combat with…this,” she warned. “This is unacceptable.”

Combat? Ashlyn’s heart dropped into her stomach. Who was she supposed to fight? C’Nar? He was easily twice her size. He would kill her. Was that what he wanted? If she died before she was officially married to Zade, did he win the Council seat by default? She craned her neck to see what was on one of the large screens, but they stood directly beneath the main displays and the angle made viewing the images there impossible.

“Silence!” Councilor Dur’vok slammed a closed fist down on the table in front of him when the Councilors erupted in a loud argument, all speaking at once. “C’Nar Ubrion will be heard.” His booming voice echoed through the large space as he stood, his heavy battle armor made more sinister by the topic being discussed.

Well fuck. Obviously, he was on C’Nar’s side. Was he going to let C’Nar try to kill her?

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