Page 124 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
“So there’ll be a huge wedding after all,” Umbra says quietly. “What do you think about that? Now that nobody’s forcing you to get married?”
I stop halfway to the exit, keeping my grip on her hand. I nod to Nerox and the others. “Go on ahead to the Knife’s Edge. You know where that is, Nerox. We will meet you all there. There is more to talk about. You too, Caret’ax. We’ll be safe here.”
I wait until the double doors close behind our friends. Then I gaze back at the Tentacle Throne. Normally there would be Calanians standing by the wall in silent guard of the Throne, but now it’s strangely alone. It slowly moves its tentacles like a tree would wave its twigs in a mild breeze, the flickering light from the torches making it look almost like a fire.
I look down at Umbra’s dark eyes and take both her hands into mine. “In the beginning I thought that a fake marriage would solve all my problems. Then I fake married you, and it became much more real than I ever dreamed. It’s been a while since I cared about having to get married in order to inherit the throne. It became unimportant. The necessity is gone now. Wecouldboth go our separate ways. The Emperor would be puzzled, but not displeased. Because you are still an alien. If you want that, then I will honor our deal and send you all you need to jumpstart the space age on Earth. Ten ships. Five hundred engineers. A thousand AIs. No, don’t say anything yet. First, I will say what I want. I want you to be my wife. Not because of necessity. Not because of politics. Not because the people of Khav love you dearly. Not even because we’re so clearly Soulbound. But because I love the woman that you are, Umbra. I love your resilience, your softness, your sweetness, everything that you are. I want to live with you for the rest of my life. It’s the one thing in the universe that I’ve ever truly wanted.”
“I feel the same way,” Umbra says and pulls at my hands. “Now kiss me.”
We kiss for a good while as I finally enjoy that the dangers are over and that I can keep Umbra safe for the rest of our lives.
“Mareliux,” Umbra finally says and places a final kiss on my lips, eyes glittering. “There’s nobody in here.”
Heat immediately goes to my midsection, starting the familiar hardness. “I do believe you’re right. It would doubtless be the first time anyone didthathere. But it’s all stone. The only place with some padding is…” I glance over at the Tentacle Throne.
“Umm,” Umbra says. “That’s not really what I meant. I mean, Iwantthat. Very much. When we get back to a decent room with a bed and such. But I also just thought… that Throne. Aren’t you curious?”
I frown. The hundreds of Tentacles keep moving, as if calmly beckoning me over. Is that what it’s really doing? Does it want me to sit on it? “Of course I am. But only the Emperor may sit on that Throne. Anyone else discovered sitting on it can be killed on sight. If the Throne doesn’t do that itself.”
Umbra taps her lower lip. “I don’t mean sit on it. But you dofeelthis, right?”
“It’s calling to us through the Syntrix,” I confirm. “And our rings show it, too.” They both pulsate slowly, in time with the Throne movements.
We walk closer to it.
Umbra squeezes my hand. “You don’t think it was damaged by the Phrexz, do you? I mean, poisoned or something?”
“Or maybe it is a Phrexz shapeshifter having taken its place?” I suggest. “No, I don’t think any of those things. Feel the Syntrix. The Phrexz felt so different, so wrong! This feels… right.”
“It does,” Umbra agrees as we stop at the foot of the podium.
“I suppose we shouldn’t be the only ones in the family who haven’t sat on that thing,” I ponder, having already made the decision. “But the Throne is deadly. It has killed dozens of people who came too near, strangled them or done even worse things. That’s not just myths. Their deaths are well recorded. The last one happened when I was two.”
“If Nerox can do it and not suffer any ill effects, you probably can too,” Umbra says, an extra bit of rasp on her voice. Her eyes are glassy as she stares at the hypnotic moves of the Tentacle Throne, her full lips parted. “You have much more of a right to it. If Craxallo were a responsible emperor, he’d step away and let you take over the Empire. You saved it, he didn’t.”
“Wesaved it,” I remind her. “Helped by our friends.” But her words strike something in me that I’ve felt for a while. Craxalloshouldstep down. He may have recovered from the poisons the Phrexz gave him, but he’s still too old and weak to bring the Empire back to where it needs to be after years of decline.
Gently letting go of Umbra’s hand, I step up on the podium and stroke the armrest. It’s a forbidden thing I’m contemplating now. And deadly.
I look up. One tentacle is slowly descending above me, its tip a warm copper color. I carefully reach up until my hand is a thumb’s width away. I will meet it halfway. But I am the Crown Prince of the Khavgren Empire, and the Throne has to come tome.
It does, gently touching the palm of my hand. I gently curl my fingers around it and give it a little squeeze.
It’s as if the Throne relaxes. The Syntrix becomes louder, clearer. My ring glows brighter.
The tentacle gently pulls out of my grip. Choosing to take it as a ‘yes’, I slowly sit down on the seat and lean back until my own tendrils are touching the thick, living base of the Throne.
Umbra stares at me, eyes still glassy. “That’s where you should be, my love.” Her voice is hoarse. “That Throne is yours.”
I relax and enjoy the warmth of the Tentacle Throne. She’s right. This ismyplace.
While I’m here, this is a good time to send some good Syntric strength to our forces. I concentrate, and our rings glow even brighter, outshining the feeble torches and casting long, dark shadows.
I imagine the Twenty-Ninth Legion on Grefve and focus the Syntrix to feel strong and confident, spreading it among those thousands of legionnaires that I vaguely sense out there on the alien moon. I move to the Second Heavy Armor, always the first into the battles. Then the Hundred-and-Third Assault Legion, the furthest away from the Empire. I go on for a while, focusing hard.
There are no active battles right now — the Vyrpy seem to have withdrawn the moment the Phrexz died...
My thoughts are gently guided away and I see and understand things I never knew.
