Page 55 of Tricked By the Alien Prince

I trust him.

A sob builds up in my chest, but I swallow it. Hard. The taste of unshed tears burns the back of my throat.

“I trusted him,” I tell the king. “He was the one that betrayed me. I did nothing wrong.”

My words ring hollow even to my own ears.You trusted a hot alien you’d known for three days. What could possibly go wrong?

The King paces in front of my cell, his boots scraping against the rough stone floor.

“Every outsider betrays us,” he replies, shaking his head as if he’s the one saddened by all this. He waves a hand in the air, encompassing all the cells around us. “Haven’t you seen what they’ve done?”

“What have they done?” I ask, genuinely curious despite the circumstances.

“This entire place was built by them,” the king growls. His fingers tighten with his fury, but still, I refuse to cry out. His steps falter and slow as his eyes take on a distant cast, like he’s slipping into his own memories. “The outsiders brought us here and made us fight, every single day and night. Over and over. So many dead. My mother, she…”

What the hell is he going on about? I glance around at the prison cells—identical to the one I’m in—surrounding us. The same cells he’s using to hold captives before sending them to their deaths. Isn’t that what he’s doing to all these aliens?

“Do you know what it’s like, holding your mother in your arms as she dies? I was so young, too young. They didn’t care.”

His voice cracks, and for a moment, I see a flash of the scared child beneath the tyrannical king.

It still doesn’t excuse his actions.

“So you lost someone you cared about? Big deal, we all have!” I snap, patience growing thin. The guy clearly doesn’t seem sane. It hurts to lose someone you care about—let’s face it, my entire quest has been about stopping that from happening. But at the end of the day, I am responsible for my own happiness and actions. Volan taught me that.

Eyes burn as my thoughts turn to Volan—the male is the very reason I am here, trapped in a cell, rather than helping my people. My fingers grip the cold metal bars until my knuckles turn white. In the distance, I can hear muffled roars and cheers. The arena. A shiver runs down my spine.

“What you are doing right now is losing a son. If you hurt me, he’ll never forgive you.” Because he claims to love me.

I don’t know if I believe him… it’s so hard to after everything he kept from me, but a part of me desperately wants to.

“I’m saving him!” The king shouts, his voice cracking. “I know your kind. If you gain control over him, all is lost. You’ll turn him into a slave just like I was. You’ll hurt him, make him bleed, until he can handle no more. Then you’ll use that vile substance on him and make him fight again.”

“Like you are doing to others?” I ask, eyebrow raised.

The King stops his tirade, staring at me with an open mouth. Has no one ever questioned him? Has no one ever told him no? The silence stretches between us, broken only by distant sounds echoing down stone corridors. A roar, presumably from the arena, makes me flinch. My heart skips a beat, knowing that will soon be me in there with whatever is making that terrifying noise.

“Why does everything come back to that stupid medicine?” I growl, rubbing my eyelids. That prickling, hot feeling of tears threatening to spill is a distraction. Crying won’t help now. It never does.

“I don’t want your medicine,” I tell him as I slump against the bars, suddenly exhausted. The metal is cold against my forehead. “I never did. I’m like you. I just wanted to save my friends. We want the same things.”

“Everyone wants the medicine. Each day I watch them fight to the death just for a small handful.”

I see the fear in his eyes. His brow is deeply lined, and the skin beneath his eyes sunken from lack of sleep. His face is gaunt, like he’s barely eating. He reminds me of my father in those last weeks before I fled—paranoid, desperate, and completely unreachable.

He’s so, so very scared.

“You are right,” I tell him, softening my voice. “My leaders know about the medicine. I believe they have come to this planet for it.”

Because as much as my words add to his paranoia, they are the truth. If being honest might save someone’s life, even if it’s not mine, then I need to speak up. I won’t go another day quietly hiding behind a screen, running away, hoping that problems get resolved. I’m not that woman anymore.

The King’s eyes flash with fear.

“I only came here to find the proof to convict our corrupt leaders. I never intended you or your people any harm. Please.” My voice cracks. “Not all my people are bad. Most of us want to live peacefully. We came here to build new lives. To live in peace with each other. Please... not everyone deserves to be punished. Please. Do the right thing. Help them.”

For a moment, something like consideration crosses his face.

The king opens his mouth to reply, but a commotion nearby quickly closes it. Heavy footsteps and grunts of effort approach. Within moments I see two bodies, a distinctly blue and green one, being dragged along the passageway by guards twice their size. At least one of them has the common sense to actually resist. Of course, Zoran’s expression is of excitement and not frustration at his detainment.

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