Page 11 of Alien Prince

You do not trust me. Take a deep breath and relax.

His silky voice in my head stirs the fire in my stomach, in my blood, and I have the strangest overwhelming feeling of desiring toobey.

Of course, I don’t trust him. If only he knew the level of distrust I hold for him and his… kind.

I shut down the spark of thought before it can catch in my psyche, so I don’t blow my cover on the first go. This is a long game, not a scrimmage.

My hands grip the steel frame, feeling the cool, sleek metal against my heated palm. A sheen of sweat starts to form, my accelerating heart rate.

I know if I don’t assimilate I’ll burn up.

I’ll die rejecting the alien inside of me, and all the work, all the years of training will have been in vain.

As I groggily open my eyes, the world around me slowly comes into focus. The sharpness fluctuates as if my vision is struggling to keep up with the environment. The colors and shapes meld together in an almost surreal way, disorienting me as if reality is playing a cruel joke.

“How can I trust you? I don’t even know you, you—” My breath is heavy and it’s harder to speak than I thought it would be.

My apologies. I am Kyron Umbra, Prince of Astronomica. You have been chosen to serve as a member of my closet. I assure you that I will take care of this vessel during your service.

His words drip with cold calculation, as if he is speaking about a merethingand not a person. But what else can I expect from a monster like him? Of course, I have no intention of letting on that I know exactly what he is and what he is up to. I have to play dumb, like I am some kind of hapless girl who's gotten into a terrible accident and woke up to an alien being made ofstardust trying to possess her. After all, there's nothing like a little deception to keep a monster in check, right?

But my attitude never knows when to keep its mouth shut. It just has to pipe up at the most inopportune moment.

“Oh, I thought you were just a figment of my painkiller-induced imagination,” I sneer, rolling my eyes. “All glitter and sparkles and whatnot.”

A rumble in my bones lets me know he definitely heard me. I push off the pillar and Kyron decides to play puppet master with my limbs instead. It's like we're in a twisted game of tug-of-war for control. My limbs are in cahoots with Kyron, touching the pillar but feeling numb at the same time. I try to focus and regain control, but it's a losing battle as my arm shakes, betraying my efforts to overthrow Kyron's puppeteering

Why can’t I just let go?

The thought forms, and I silently curse myself.

You… saw me?he stammers in disbelief.

“I don’t know what I saw.” I try to recover, trying to appear vulnerable.

“The last thing I remember is being in the hospital, and—”

“Ky, are you in here?” A sweet female voice sounds and I freeze in place.

Tell her yes,his directive is solid, reminding me of my dad's mission briefings.

Something about the way he tells me to speak makes me want to question him. Isn't this part of the process? If he can control my arm, shouldn't he be able to use my mouth—voice too?

I don’t have much time to think about it, so I reluctantly comply with his request.I relent, but only because time is running out, and I am determined to accomplish my mission.

“Yeah, I’m just heading out,” I say, my voice betraying none of the internal conflict raging within me.

I'll give you a detailed explanation later. For now, your trust in me is imperative. We must act in perfect harmony.

“I’d love to give you control, Ronny, but I don’t know how,” I snap, voice barely audible. It’s not a lie. I don’t know how to give him control, even though I know I need to for this to work.

My chest tightens as I feel his fear like a hot coal.

The person coming could put us both in danger.His voice is even, but I know whoever it is, he fears them.

Why does he care about me?

I hate that the thought escapes me, but he answers me.Because meus es tu, Mia.

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