Page 59 of Alien Prince Fake Fiancé

Her heart thudded with both fear and excitement. "What if it’s a big boulder, or diamonds that are super hard? Or ice? What if it can’t break it up fast enough? Do we crash?"

Cam shook his head. "No. The skimmer’s speed is linked to the shield. Less resistance equates to greater speeds. The AI unit constantly adjusts the shield's emitters to adapt wave frequency,amplitude, and phase based on real-time feedback from the sensors that analyze not only the distance to the object, but the properties of the matter needing to be cleared. Ice has a dense, crystalline structure, with unique challenges that I won’t bore you with, other than to say moving through ice requires a lot more energy, so to minimize expenditure, we use the physical properties to our advantage by tuning the shield’s waves to the ice’s natural resonant frequencies."

"Bruh. That went right over my head. What about fuel?"

"We use the same source of energy to power spaceships, the maju stone, so fuel is not a problem."

Overcome with curiosity and without taking time to think it through, Ashlyn cautiously extended her hand into the shimmering, distorted air. Immediately, pressure, vibration, and a faint warmth pervaded. Her hand began to tingle, making her skin prickle as if tiny bubbles were forming and popping beneath the surface. It was a little like holding two repelling magnets, but more intense. Way more intense.

She yanked her hand out with a tiny shriek as her skin began to prickle with more intense heat and the soft tingling became painful stabbing. "Holy shit. Guess I should’ve asked if it was safe first."

Cam frowned. "Brief contact is relatively safe at this time. If you were to do that while we were moving, you would lose your hand almost instantly."

She cringed, rubbing the offended hand with the good, unaffected one. "Definitely won’t be doing that again. I bet Earth could use some of those shields."

"Yes. In fact, the same technology in defensive shields can be used to neutralize incoming projectiles by destabilizing their structure or detonating them at a safe distance. Now, if you have no more questions, I believe we should be on our way."

Reality slammed back into place.Zade. How could I let myself get distracted?Guilt hit her hard. "I’m ready. Let’s go."

He nodded in understanding, his eyes full of sympathy. “Rachel will ride with me. Dagan and Sasha will ride together. I thought perhaps you could ride with Bren?”

“Sure. I didn’t know he was coming with us.”

Just like in the medical bay, Bren decloaked a few paces from them. Clearly, he’d been listening. Ashlyn didn’t know how she should feel about that.Worry about it later. Zade is all that matters.

Bren gave a curt nod. “I assumed as much. I have attached Zade’s stasis pod to the back of the skimmer and we’re ready to go.”

Relief and gratitude flooded Ashlyn. She didn’t want Zade out of her sight. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust everyone else, she just wanted to be close to him as much as possible, in case something happened.Or until he dies. No! No! Don’t think like that. He’s going to be fine. He’s strong. Stronger than anyone else I’ve ever known. And brave.

Fresh tears threatened to spill over. She stiffened her spine.Stop it. Zade needs you,she lectured. “I’m ready, Bren. Lead the way.”

Bren settled on the skimmer’s bench seat and waited patiently as Ashlyn settled into place behind him. Once they were both locked in place with the security harness—and Ashlyn had her arms wrapped securely around his waist—he took off, gradually increasing their speed. “Tell me again why we couldn’t just transport directly into the village?”

“When we transported him up to The Reaper, we nearly lost him. We didn’t want to take the risk a second time. This way is slower, but safer for him, even though the mountain passes are quite treacherous.”

She nodded her understanding, glad Bren had taken the lead and thought ahead. If she’d been on her own, she’d probably already be dead. Zade, too. Her heart squeezed at the thought. She couldn’t lose him now. Somehow, he’d become her sole focus. She knew her feelings didn’t make any sense. How could she be in love when they were practically strangers? She’d been drawn to him from the moment she saw him behind that glass wall. They’d worked together, laughed, argued and fought, had the most incredible sex of her life, but would that be enough to build a future together?Don’t think about it right now. Focus on what you can control in the here and now. Focus on saving Zade. Focus on the ride.

She’d always liked the sense of freedom she got when riding on motorcycles, but the skimmers made them seem noisy, clunky, and outdated. As they rode through the storm, she couldn’t help but notice how different everything sounded with the wave displacement shield activated. Instead of the deafening howl of the wind, there was a distant, muted roar, as if the blizzard were happening miles away rather than all around her. The low hum of the shield's emitters filled the air, a constant, almost comforting presence that vibrated through the vehicle.

Gone was the incessant pelting of snowflakes against her. Instead, a soft, shushing noise surrounded her as the snow was effortlessly deflected away, creating an almost serene bubble of calm. Occasionally, she heard a faint crackle or pop, signaling the shield's interaction with denser chunks of ice, breaking them apart or vaporizing them before they could become a threat.

The skimmer’s engine sounded different too, quiet, with an added deep resonance that she could feel in her chest. It was as if the vehicle was gliding through the storm, the usual jolts and rattles smoothed out by the shield’s protective barrier.

She glanced around, marveling at the way the blizzard seemed to part before them, the shield leaving a clear path inits wake. She could see the snow swirling wildly just beyond the shimmering distortion, but inside, everything was calm, almost peaceful. It was an eerie contrast that made her heart race with both fear and excitement.

Her fingers tingled with the memory of the shield’s energy, a reminder of the power they wielded as they sped through the alien landscape. She tightened her grip around Bren’s waist, full of determination. This may be their last chance to save Zade, and she wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.

As the skimmer raced through the blizzard, she fought against her fatigue, but the low hum and gentle vibration slowly lulled her to sleep.

An hour later, the lack of motion and Bren’s deep voice jolted her awake. “We’re here.”

Stiff from the ride, she unbuckled and eased off the skimmer to take a quick look around. When she was finished, she turned to ask Bren where exactly ‘here’ was, since she couldn’t see anything more than three feet in front of her, but he’d already vanished.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Caldor, Saltrec Village

Nestled deep in the mountain,the tiny village was a collection of sturdy stone buildings, their architecture both ancient and resilient, designed to withstand the harshest environments. Built close together to protect the occupants from the harsh climate, the wind died down abruptly, allowing them to remove their masks.

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