Page 15 of Tricked By the Alien Prince

“I can take you exactly where you need to be,” I tell her, my voice soft.

A look of relief crosses her face, before she smiles up at me. Her expression is stunning, brightening my day.

Her face dims, and quickly she returns to her determined scowl. She glares down at her portable technology device like it’s personally offended her.

As soon as her smile slips from her face, I find myself missing it. I long to see more of it, and I am a little shocked at my own determination to make her laugh again.

An uncomfortable and entirely unfamiliar emotion settles behind my breastbone. What have I possibly got to feel guilty about? I’m not lying to her, I tell myself. She wants to know about the underground kingdom—so I’ll be her personal guide. It feels wrong, even if what I do is in her best interest. In ours. She’s not happy here if she’s willing to run from safety into the wilderness. I’ll take her home with me, and I’ll keep her safe and spend my days pleasing her. She will want for nothing.

It’s just an added bonus that she’ll help me achieve everything that I’ve ever wanted. I needed to find a female that would return with me to my kingdom willingly. She’s practically asking me to take her there herself! This is a perfect arrangement. It’s not like she has to know about my father or my quest… All she needs to know is that I will watch over her, protect her from any danger…

I’ll lead her to my kingdom, and once I have her there, I’ll just keep her.

ChapterNine

MAYA

This planet is one huge mystery, one that I am determined to solve. What are the chances, though, that my biggest source of information kept following me like some sort of lost puppy? More than that, he’s actually agreed to lead me to where I need to go!

Am I going to use this to my advantage? You bet yourself I am!

Do I feel a little guilty about my plan, like I am using him? Sure, I do. But it’s not like I am hiding my goal from him. It’s not like we are trying to build some long-lasting relationship.

I just can’t help but wonder what he wants from me in return. He’s a complete and utter enigma. Especially since there is one absolutely massive gaping part of my knowledge about him that is really, really starting to bug me.

He’s been following me for hours, chatting with me… and I have absolutely no idea what his name is!

How do you go about asking that? Do you just casually say, ‘Oh by the way, after all these hours, I never actually asked you for your name’? Nope, I am not doing that. But… what choice do I have?

It’s not like he carries around a name tag, and I certainly can’t hack some server to find out the information and save myself some face.

I come to a halt. My brain feels like it’s going to explode. It’s going round and round in circles trying to find ways to learn his name, only to get stuck on the fact that I’m so embarrassed to ask now. The tension buzzing inside of me grows with every second that passes.

The alien stops ahead of me, realizing that he’s walked several paces away. Ever since he claimed to know an alternative way, a shorter way even, to my destination he’s been leading the charge.

“Are you alright?” He asks me, looking back over his shoulder.

“Yes…No,” I grind my teeth as I reply. I glare at the ground, unable to meet his eyes. My cheeks and neck feel hot as my embarrassment begins to slide through me.

I’m all too aware of him walking back to my side. There’s something about him that calls to me, making me hyperaware of his presence, even from a distance. Probably because he’s walking around in this chilly weather half-naked, like a complete and utter lunatic!

Of course, everything would be much easier if my body didn’t react to him the way it does.

He steps close to me, coming to stand within my little bubble of personal space. He has this way of crowding close, setting my blood on fire… it’s something I don’t need right now.

Still, my body doesn’t know that. Goosebumps erupt across my skin, my skin overly sensitive. His expression is so intent that I feel my core tighten. My breathing becomes heavy, and I do my best to not squirm beneath his inspection.

I fight the urge to say ‘my eyes are up here’. It’s not the first time I’ve caught a guy checking me out. As long as he looks but doesn’t touch, I don’t care what he does.

“What is the problem?” He asks. His hand rests casually on a large dagger sheathed at his hip, and his eyes flick from between me to scanning the surrounding trees. Even though he looks relaxed, I suspect he’s highly tense right now and ready to move at the slightest notice. That’s what a good hero would be like, at least. I’ve heard repeatedly how dangerous the creatures of Atraxis are, and I don’t doubt that his finely honed muscles are a result of living on the wild side a bit.

“I don’t know your name,” I mumble, my words so very quiet. Heat burns at my cheeks, prickling my skin. I wring my sweaty hands together, trying not to fidget under his inspection.

“What?” the alien asks, stepping closer.

“I don’t know your name,” my voice is barely a squeak. I can barely even hear myself talk.

My heart is pounding loud in my ears. Oh god, I can’t say this. I’ve totally set myself up for the most embarrassing moment in my life! My breath is stuttering from me in short bursts as panic begins to close in on me.

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