Page 35 of Claimed By the Alien Prince
I won’t let anything happen to Carys—not while there’s breath left in me or time left in this world of shadows and light entwined together in perilous beauty.
CHAPTER 27
CARYS
Istumble through the maze of tangled roots and glowing moss, each step sinking into the soft earth like quicksand, as if the ground itself is conspiring against me. The air is thick with the damp scent of decaying leaves and the faint, sweet aroma of the bioluminescent plants that surround me, their glow pulsating gently like the heartbeat of this strange forest.
Todd hovers close at hand, his blinking lens illuminating the path ahead in flickering bursts, casting intermittent pools of light that barely pierce the oppressive darkness.
“Come on, buddy. You’ve got to work with me here,” I urge him, my voice a mix of desperation and impatience, hoping for some semblance of reassurance.
His sensor eye swivels, offering a weak green glow that barely cuts through the gloom. “Direction confirmed: proceed forward,” he chirps in his mechanical voice, but I can’t shake the feeling that he’s more erratic than reliable.
How much can I trust a glitchy drone that acts like it’s had too much caffeine, buzzing around like a hyperactive insect? The last thing I need is for him to malfunction and send me spiraling deeper into this unsettling wilderness.
The bioluminescent plants cast eerie shadows around me, twisting and dancing in the darkness of the forest, their luminescence creating ghostly shapes that flicker at the edges of my vision. It feels like I’m navigating a labyrinth made of living nightmares, each twist and turn leading me deeper into the heart of the unknown. The sense of isolation weighs heavily on my chest, and I can’t stop myself from feeling as if the very trees are watching, waiting for me to make a misstep.
Every rustle of leaves and crack of twigs beneath my feet sends a fresh wave of anxiety coursing through me, heightening my awareness of just how vulnerable I truly am in this alien landscape.
I curse under my breath, frustration bubbling up. “Damn it! Why is it so dark?” My voice echoes in the silence, swallowed by the thick canopy above. Not a single beam of sunlight penetrates this gloom.
Every step grows heavier, weighted by anxiety and uncertainty. Am I going the right way? Oswin’s words replay like a broken record: North toward the marshes. But what if I’m lost? What if I circle back into Kiphian territory?
A low rustle breaks through the quiet, sending a jolt of fear down my spine. I whip around, heart racing as I scan for movement. Nothing but shadows lurking behind ancient trees and glowing vines.
“Stay close,” I whisper to Todd, though he doesn’t have legs to stray far from me anyway.
He hovers near my shoulder, adding some light to this nightmare forest but offering little comfort against my gnawing loneliness. “Life forms detected—none threatening,” he assures me in his metallic voice.
“Great,” I mutter sarcastically, pushing past thick vines that cling to my arms like desperate hands reaching out for me.
I long for the comforting hum of research labs and familiar plant specimens—something solid to ground me instead of this alien chaos surrounding me.
“Todd, how far are we from water?” My voice cracks slightly; paranoia creeps in like an unwelcome shadow.
“Estimated distance: unknown.”
I groan aloud, pressing my palms against my temples. “You’re useless!”
The hours stretch like an eternity, every step dragging me deeper into the heart of this nightmare. My legs scream for rest, but I push on, driven by something I can’t quite name.
I miss him.
The thought slips in uninvited, and I wrestle it back down, shoving it into the darkest corner of my mind. Zevran—the prince who could turn a simple brush of fingers into a searing memory. He terrifies me, yet somehow, there’s a pull that keeps my thoughts circling back to him.
“Focus, Carys,” I murmur under my breath. “You’re not here for him.”
But the truth is tangled in the vines around me. Each rustle in the underbrush echoes with his presence; the way he held my wrist like he wanted to keep me close—and how his spine had burned against my skin like a brand.
I shake my head violently as if it’ll dislodge those thoughts. The dense foliage grips at my clothes like it wants to pull me back into whatever twisted game this planet plays. My fingers itch to touch something familiar—earthy soil or a comforting leaf—but all I have is this alien landscape that feels more alive than anything I've ever known.
“Why can’t you just give me a break?” I huff at Todd as he darts ahead with his flickering light. The drone spins in midair, then comes to hover beside me.
“Emotion detected: confusion.”
“Not confusion,” I snap. “Frustration.”
He beeps apologetically, and despite myself, I chuckle softly at his awkwardness. My laughter feels foreign in this oppressive gloom, but it also reminds me that I’m still here, still fighting against whatever darkness threatens to swallow me whole.
