Page 70 of Tricked By the Alien Prince

I watch in stunned horror as Zoran charges straight at the Tangler with a roar. Of course he does. The male hasn’t met a single problem he doesn’t think can be solved by hitting it hard enough.

“Stay back,” Melvall shouts to me as he dashes after his friend. “We’ll handle this!”

The words have barely left his mouth when one of the Tangler’s massive tentacles whips through the air. The sound it makes is like a wet towel slapping against tile, but a hundred times louder. It catches Melvall mid-stride, slamming him into the arena wall with a sickening crunch. His body crumples to the ground and doesn’t move.

And all I can do is stare. It happened so fast.

“No!” Zoran bellows. He leaps toward his fallen friend, claws extended.

The Tangler’s smaller tentacles lash out like whips, wrapping around Zoran’s arms and legs. He thrashes against them, muscles straining, but more and more tentacles coil around him until he’s completely entangled.

My feet are already backing away. Every survival instinct screams at me to run. I could make it to one of the tunnels. I could escape while the monster is distracted with my companions. My heart hammers in my ears, drowning out everything else.

Just like I ran when my father made demands of me.

Just like I did nothing when Ariana needed me.

The thought hits me like a physical blow. All those weeks, wishing I had done more... And here I am again, about to abandon my friends to save myself.

“I stood by helplessly once,” I say through gritted teeth. “Never again.”

What I would do for a glittery dagger or sword right about now. Even my confiscated slingshot would be useless against this thing.

My fingers tighten around my tablet. It’s all I’ve got. The cool, familiar weight of it in my hands—the last physical connection I have to my mother. It’s all I’ve got. I remember her words as she pressed it into my hands: “This is for your protection, Maya. To help you build a life where you get to choose.” All these years, it’s been my security, my comfort, my shield against the world. But my mother wanted me to live, not just survive. She gave me this tablet so I could protect myself. Now I’m going to use it to protect others.

The Tangler drags Zoran closer to its gaping maw. Those rows of teeth gleam wetly in the arena lights.

I don’t have much time to act. I don’t have any time to think. I have a choice, and for once, I am going to choose right. My body still quakes, my hands still tremble, but I step forward anyway.

“Hey ugly!” I shout, my voice carrying across the arena. “Haven’t you heard of dental hygiene?”

I hurl my tablet as hard as I can at the creature’s face. It strikes one of those razor-sharp teeth with a crack that makes my heart ache. The sound reverberates through me like physical pain—a piece of my past, of my mother, shattered in an instant. But it works - the Tangler’s head rears back, momentarily releasing its hold on Zoran.

Then its eyeless face turns toward me.

“Oh hell.”

I barely have time to think ‘this was a terrible idea’ before a tentacle whips around my waist. The ground disappears beneath my feet as I’m yanked into the air. The pressure squeezes the air from my lungs, the slimy surface of the tentacle soaking through my clothes with its rancid smell.

In these precious moments before death, my brain decides to fixate on the most ridiculous things - like how for all his faults, and there are many, Volan would never have hesitated to fight this thing.

Only, he probably would have come up with a better plan than throw a breakable object at it.

Instead, Volan would have marched right up to it, probably giving it some lecture about how warriors should face their battles with honor. His skin would glow with that intense confidence of his, like he truly believed he could take on the universe and win. He’d put himself between others and danger without thought, protecting those around him even at the cost of his own safety.

Which makes his betrayal hurt all the more.

But was it really betrayal? The thought hits me as the Tangler draws me closer to its mouth. Suddenly I understand why Volan did what he did.

He was trying to protect his people, just like I’m trying to protect my friends. Just like I tried to protect Ariana and the people of Eve’s Rest. His position wasn’t so different from mine—trapped between duty and desire, forced to make impossible choices.

We’re the same, he and I. Two idiots who will sacrifice everything, even love, to keep others safe.

Because I do love him.

The realization hits me harder than the Tangler could ever strike. I love the way he pushed me to be stronger while always being there to catch me. I love how he makes me feel safe even when the world is chaos around us. I love his stupid smirk and his glowing skin and the way he looks at me like I’m something precious.

I was so caught up in my own pain that I couldn’t see his. So focused on being betrayed that I never considered he might be trapped too. I’d been angry at him for keeping secrets, but I’ve kept plenty of my own.

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