Page 23 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
Heat goes to my middle, increasing the hardness that was already there. I know that she looks even more alluring without that jumpsuit, too. Vindictive gods, I can still smell her juices.
I clear my voice. “If you’ll follow me, my betrothed.”
Umbra shoots me a fiery glance, but she comes along. “Maybe we should limit those terms to when we’re acting like a couple.”
“Ah, but we can’t always know who’s watching. We should keep the charade going until we’re sure we’re behind locked doors. But I agree. While safely aboard theGladiux, we won’t need to act like we’re in love.”
We make our way through the ship towards the officer’s mess.
“I should tell you,” I mention while we walk, “that when we knew you were not in the cabin, we locked every door and made sure any elevator you entered would only take you to the hangar, whatever your plan was. I say this only to keep you from wandering around the ship alone. There are dangerous places here. If you want a tour, I will ask Caret’ax to give you one.”
“You won’t show me the ship yourself?” Umbra asks.
I smile to myself. As a pilot and warrior, she is interested in how the ship works. And she must suspect that Caret’ax, who looks like a caveman, won’t be the best guide to those things. “Oh, I would love to. But I’ve been absent from my forces for too long. I will have to spend a lot of time in conferences with my generals in the days ahead.”
“Conquering planets,” Umbra says flatly. “Selling slaves.”
“Defending ourselves against ruthless enemies,” I correct her. “We don’t actually do much slave trading. Only when we must,” I add, not wanting to weaken the deal she just agreed to.
We get to the officer’s mess and sit down at the captain’s table. Two serving robots are waiting for us, and they have already set the table nicely with the best foods on the ship, as well as a fine selection of drinks.
I take my place, half-lying on the soft cushions. “Do sit down, Umbra. Let’s see how different our eating habits are. It may be important for when we’re acting married.”
She touches the cushions at her spot. “You want me to lie down?”
“It’s common practice for a meal as nice as this,” I tell her. “Everyone will expect you to take this position. Almost all meals you’ll have on Grefve and on Khav will be taken like this. At other times, we may just sit or even stand. If the meal is small.”
“Uh-huh.” Umbra sits down on the bench and rearranges the cushions, which are really too big for her to get comfortable on. She can’t really lie down even halfway.
“That’s all right,” I tell her as I fill her glass with pure water. “We will get more suitable furniture for the wedding reception. This is water. These are juices of various sweetness. These are alcoholic drinks. These steaming ones are herbal infusions.” For fun I use Syntrix to push the glass closer to her.
She frowns. “Is the table slippery?”
“No, it should be normal duramite,” I tell her as I pull the glass back to where it was.
“That glass is moving,” she says. “Are you doing it?”
“You try,” I tell her, putting a slice of grilledkrualbiinto my mouth. “Without using your hands.”
She gives me a searching look. “How?”
“If you can’t use your hands, you must use your mind.”
“You’re moving that glass with your mind?”
"Something like that," I reply, chewing thoughtfully. "It's called Syntrix. Try reaching out with your… awareness, I suppose. Imagine gently nudging the glass."
Umbra stares intently at the glass, her brow furrowed in concentration. A moment passes, then another. Nothing happens.
"I don't feel anything," she says, a hint of frustration in her voice.
"It takes practice," I assure her. "Think of it like flexing a muscle you didn't know you had. Subtle at first."
She closes her eyes, her lips pressed together. Her breathing becomes shallow. Suddenly, the glass wobbles. A small smile flickers across her face.
"I think… I think I felt something," she says, her eyes still closed.
"Good. Now try to guide it." There is of course a chance that her species can neither sense nor use the Syntrix. That would be unfortunate. But I want to check.
