Page 73 of Alien Prince

I look away first, my heart still hammering. “Well,” I mutter, “glad we cleared that up.”

“Indeed,” he says softly, and the way his voice brushes over the word sends a shiver down my spine.

Damn him.

I need to find a way to wake up… or to prove this is real. My fingers tremble slightly as I clutch the slippery fabric of my dress.The fabric feels impossibly smooth, almost like liquid against my skin, but with a strange weight to it that I can’t quite explain. It clings to me in all the wrong places, flowing like silk but with an unnatural coolness that makes me shiver. When I brush my fingers over it, it’s slick and seamless, almost as if it’s alive, shifting slightly with my movements.

It’s nothing like the cotton dresses I usually wear or the soft knits I curl up in at home. This is alien—otherworldly—and the way it wraps around me so perfectly, like it was made specifically for me, only heightens my unease.

I glance around the room, hoping for something—anything—that will either snap me out of this bizarre dream or confirm my worst fear.

The walls glimmer faintly, etched with intricate patterns that seem to shimmer and shift when I focus on them too long. Everything is too vivid, too detailed to be a figment of my imagination. Even the air smells different—crisp, metallic, and faintly sweet.

I take a hesitant step toward the nearest wall and press my hand against it. It’s warm, almost alive, like it’s humming beneath my palm. I pull my hand back quickly, my heart pounding. No dream has ever felt this real.

“What are you doing?” the prince asks, his deep voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts.

“Testing something,” I mutter, refusing to look at him.

My gaze scans the room again, landing on a delicate vase filled with glowing blue flowers. If this is a dream, then breaking something shouldn’t matter, right?

Before I can second-guess myself, I stride toward the vase, wrap my fingers around its smooth, cool surface, and hurl it at the floor.

It shatters into a thousand glittering shards, the sound sharp and deafening in the quiet room. The flowers scatter, their glow dimming as they hit the ground.

I freeze, half-expecting the world to dissolve around me, but nothing happens. No sudden awakening. No shift back to the familiar comfort of my bed.

“You dare destroy an artifact of Erythosian heritage?” His tone is calm, but there’s an unmistakable edge to it.

I whirl around to face him, my chest heaving. “I… I needed to see if this is real.”

His violet eyes narrow, and he steps closer, closing the distance between us in a way that makes my breath hitch. “Do you believe it now?” he asks softly, his voice low and dangerous as he grabs my shoulders.

His touch… I feel him. He’s actually here.

He’s not a figment of my imagination.

I swallow hard, my defiance wavering under the weight of his gaze. “I don’t know what I believe anymore,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.

He studies me for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, to my utter shock, the corners of his mouth tilt upward in the faintest hint of a smile. “You are bold,” he says, almost to himself. “Foolish but bold.”

That seems like an insult, but if he really is an alien prince… I’m at his mercy.

I gulp. “So… this isn’t a dream, is it?” I whisper.

His smile vanishes, replaced by a look of quiet intensity. “No, little Earthling,” he says. “This is very real, and now that you have proven that to yourself, you will need to decide whether you are strong enough to face it.”

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Strong enough? I’m not even sure I’m awake enough for this, but the way his glowing eyes hold mine, as if daring me to prove him wrong, sends a strange jolt through me. Fear, yes. But something else too.

I straighten my spine, even as my heart pounds. “I guess we’ll find out.”

Chapter Four

Kael

She stands there, clutching the hem of her dress like it’s the only thing tethering her to this moment. Her wide eyes dart around the room, taking in every detail as if she’s still trying to convince herself this is real. I can’t say I blame her. Most Earthlings wouldn’t last a moment under the weight of what she’s experiencing now.

She looks… pretty enough. More than pretty, I suppose, though I refuse to dwell on the thought. That she’s wearing Erythosian fashion certainly helps. The flowing fabric clings to her in a way that accentuates her form, giving her an almost ethereal quality. It makes her look like she belongs here, though I know better than to believe appearances.

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