Page 17 of Tricked By the Alien Prince

I gape at him when instead of throwing his cloak to the ground, he swings it about and throws it gracefully around my shoulders. His cloak came to his knees when he was wearing it, but on me the hem touches the ground.

“What are you doing?” I ask as I instinctively clutch the warm fabric about me.

I try my best to not stare at his rather exposed chest in front of me. His muscles are massive, flexing beneath his skin with each movement. It’s entirely too distracting. He’s too distracting.

“You are shivering,” Volan replies, one corner of his lip twitching as if he’s repressing the desire to smirk.

If he’s going to give me an excuse for my body’s reaction to him, I’m not going to deny the opportunity. I have no idea why I am responding the way I am. The flush of heat spreading through my body has got nothing to do with the heat in his gaze or how he makes me squirm.

“Thank you,” I let out a relieved breath. My reaction is entirely unexpected. Of course, I’ve experienced arousal before… just never with an alien. And definitely nothing this needy and desperate.

“We should continue the journey via the tunnels. They will lead to your destination, perhaps faster even. Plus, it will be much safer than staying out here on the surface, especially with this storm,” he says.

It’s a bit early for the season for a snowstorm, but I do not want to be caught out in the open if one happens. Getting wet in these cold temperatures is likely a death sentence.

“Oh,” is all I can manage to say, feeling equally awkward and embarrassed. It’s not like I wanted him to kiss me… I have a quest to focus on, after all. There’s no time for romance, I tell myself over and over again.

Still, as he starts walking ahead of me, leaving me to follow in his wake, I can’t help but feel disappointed.

“Wait, what tunnels?”

ChapterTen

MAYA

The tunnels are dark.

They are also more cavernous than I expected. When Volan implied that this was the entrance to the building, I had expected stone floors and fluorescent lighting. Instead, I get rock walls, craggy crevices, and spiders.

“I think you’re going the wrong way,” I call out to Volan, who speed walks ahead of me. It seems he has no trouble seeing in the dark whatsoever. It’s certainly frustrating that each one of his steps seems to be at least two of mine. No, the male seems determined more than ever to race down these corridors towards our destination, not caring if I keep up.

Case in point, he’s already a pretty far distance ahead of me. As much as I hate to admit it, his presence in this darkness is soothing. Just a tiny bit, that is.

Trying to be discreet, I pull out my tablet and check the map. Sure enough, we are heading in the general direction of the building I marked earlier. I’ll have to check it often, I think to myself, as beneath the surface I have no sense of direction whatsoever. It’s not entirely reliable, but I quickly set my tablet to tracking mode. It’ll drain the battery much faster, but it’ll record each of my steps and determine the exact path that I have walked on. If Volan decides to abandon me, I’ll at least be able to make my way to freedom.

The thought of being trapped beneath the ground, in the darkness, slowly starving to death, makes my heart rate triple. For a moment I can swear blackness tinges my vision. Oh, that’s right, because it’s dark down here.

I shake my head, trying to get a grip on myself.

I’ve taken every necessary step I can right now.

“I’m prepared for this,” I whisper to myself. “I’ve planned for absolutely every possible situation possible. No problem is going to sneak up on me.”

Except for… maybe this one.

Just to emphasize how dark it is in here, I trip over an invisible rock. It was definitely not my own two feet. I swear I’m not that clumsy… I slam to my knees with a painful yelp, the jarring sensation traveling up my back. I grumble, slapping at the ground with my mounting frustration.

“Seriously?” I huff, glaring at the smooth floor beneath me. “I’m on some insane adventure into the middle of nowhere, probably surrounded by all manner of human-eating beasts, and I am felled by the first obstacle. What are the chances?”

Volan’s legs fill my vision as he steps close. Hasn’t this alien ever heard of personal space?

I’m forced to look up. He’s tall by human standards. This close, I am forced to crane my neck. I definitely try to ignore the bulge in his pants and the way it seems to line up directly with my head.

My eyes meet his, and again I’m shocked at how it appears as if his pale blue eyes catch the light, appearing as if they are literally glowing. His gaze captures me. I feel unable to glance away instead. There is this tension between us, like he wants something from me, and I can’t quite identify what.

“Giving up already?” Volan asks me. His lips quirk at the corner, just a subtle twitch, as he laughs at my current state.

I glare up at him. It’s not fair. Why does it have to be me that saves everyone from whatever conspiracy is going on? Of all people, I am the least likely to actually survive this adventure.

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