Page 35 of Tricked By the Alien Prince

I chuckle, still amusedly watching her. The sound drifts over her in a way that makes her shiver—though whether from desire or annoyance, I can’t tell. Her wicked eyes, always challenging, flick to mine; but I don’t miss the way her cheeks darken as she becomes embarrassed.

“Allow me,” I tell her, pulling her aside with gentle hands, squeezing her arms with reassurance. “It’s pull, not push.”

Maya stares at me as I open the door with ease. It glides smoothly on its hinges, with barely any resistance whatsoever. There’s no groan of metal, no breaking through rust, and definitely no drag marks on the ground to indicate the door’s presence. My father would be furious if he knew that I was entering this room without his explicit permission. But then, my father would be furious about many things I’ve done recently.

“Oh for crying out loud!” Maya mutters. “I am a highly trained engineer. I design and build awesome tools and entire computer systems! How do you make everything look so easy? All I seem to ever do is look like a bumbling fool.”

“I adore everything about you, halvi.” I tell her. But ever one to see her twitch, to encourage that look of defiance, I add, “Just don’t trip on the step.”

I step through the doorway to the sound of Maya’s groan. The sound of frustration sends a thrill through me, reminding me of the noises she made when my body was hovering over hers, of every time I pushed deep inside of her.

“You drive me insane,” Maya mutters, lingering in the doorway. I don’t think she expects me to hear her, especially when she adds, “In all the right ways. Like seriously, I don’t know if I should slap that smirk off your face or strip you right here and now.”

That smirk grows bigger, splitting entirely across my face despite my efforts to contain it.

My little halvi is stronger than she thinks, and every time she stands up for herself, she gains confidence.

I step further into the room, leading the way. Suddenly, clinical white light flares around us as the panels on the ceiling begin to glow.

Maya gasps, eyes ping-ponging around the room as she takes it in.

Unlike the natural rock tunnel, this place is completely artificial. The floor is covered in dark tiles that don’t absorb light, smooth and buffed to an unnatural shine.

She takes in the wall of glass beakers and test tubes, the cluttered tables beneath them, the darkened monitors on the far wall.

Her confusion is palpable.

“Welcome to your destination,” I tell her, voice tight.

There’s no going back, I realize, for either of us. I have to tell Maya everything… including how she is now a risk to my people.

“But where is here? Or more importantly, what is here?” Her eyes search mine, demanding answers I’m reluctant to give.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what comes next.

“This is where my people make our medicine,” I tell her. “This lab is a secret place. Only a few people know its location.”

“Medicine?” Maya’s brow furrows as she processes this information. She looks around the room with new interest, trying to make sense of what she’s seeing. “But… but it’s a room in the middle of nowhere!”

“We’ve taken great efforts to destroy the man-made tunnels, to make the route we walked appear natural. All to avoid it being discovered.” I explain to her.

“Please explain something to me,” I say, turning to level my gaze at her. My heart beats furiously in my chest, and for the first time in my life I don’t care if my luminae is pulsing dramatically. “How did you have a detailed map to this lab? Very few know its location. Not even among my own people. And none of your people should at all.”

As gentle as I want to be with her with my line of questioning, I have to know the answers. The safety of my people, of potentially every single life on this planet, depends upon what she tells me. She doesn’t realize it, but if this information gets out, we could be facing mass murder or even extinction.

And I’m entirely responsible for what happens from here on out. I have to protect my people, my world, whether I like it or not. Love means nothing over duty.

I see the sudden realization in her eyes—the awareness that she’s in way over her head. Her desperation has led to foolishness. She’s followed a mysterious alien into the middle of nowhere. That she’s alone with me, and no one even knows where she is.

Her earlier words ring true—she definitely won’t be returning to her colony.

I hate myself in this moment. I hate that I’ve made her afraid, when all I’ve wanted is to protect her.

When did my quest become so twisted? When did I become the very thing I despise—a male who manipulates others for his own gain?

“I can trust you, right?” Maya asks, eyes wide. Genuine fear sliding across her face. “It’s not like we’re enemies or anything… right?”

I stare down at my mate, so much unsaid between us, knowing that I am the same as every villain in her life.

---