Page 57 of Seeded By Two

It was real and there was no avoiding it.

I turned and focused on peering out the window at the gorgeous night sky as another flare of a falling star illuminated us.

The first Prince stood beside me, hands on the railing.

He stood staring at the stars alongside me.

The other Prince hung back, the hood concealing his face.

“I’m sorry for what happened earlier,” the first Prince said. “It never should have happened that way.”

“That way?” I snapped.

I had intended on blanking the two of them but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “It shouldn’t have happened at all!”

I stabbed a finger at the Prince. “What did you think you were doing anyway? Playing with me? Am I some kind of pawn in your sick and twisted game?”

I tried to remain calm but it was no use.

My anger was getting the better of me.

“No,” the first Prince said, turning to me. “You are not a game. You are the opposite of a game. You are the most important creature in the entire galaxy.”

He moved his hand toward mine but I pulled it back.

He took the hint and rested his hand on the metal railing instead. “I should have told you the truth from the beginning but the truth was… I was afraid. I was afraid you wouldn’t wish to be with me any longer. So, let me be forthright and honest with you now, the way I should have been from the very beginning.”

He took a moment to calm himself. “My name is Feon. I am not the Prince. I am the Prince’s Decoy. I do things when they’re too dangerous for him to do. It was I who selected you from the lineup, who interviewed you, who mated with you… the first time.”

His mouth curled like he’d swallowed a lemon. “The last time we saw each other was when you left to go eat. When you returned to the room, the Krev you met was the true Prince. Prince Aslas.”

At the mention of his name, the hooded figure stepped forward.

But he didn’t say a word.

“He… mistook you for his own mate,” Feon said. “He didn’t know you were my mate.”

I shook my head, confused. “But I thought I was meant to mate with the Prince? Wasn’t that the deal?”

Feon nodded. “You were meant to be his. I was sent to Claim you so you would be his mate for Steyatt. I was never meant to touch you, much less mate with you. But when I met you… I knew there was something special about you. I knew I couldn’t allow him to have you. Although it broke every vow I ever made to him and the Royal Family, I simply could not give you up. When we mated, you changed my life.”

His words were clearly deep and heartfelt, and despite my reservations, my heart went out to him. “Why weren’t you honest with me from the start? Why did you tell me you worked for the Prince and that you were not the Prince himself?”

“That had been my intention, but clearly, I did not communicate effectively. For that, you have my apologies. But if you’re asking me if I would change it, for us to have not mated, I must tell you the answer is no. Because, you see, you are not merely a mate. You are my fated mate.”

There was a pause as he let the term sink in.

Fated mate?

What on Earth — or off-Earth as the case may be — was a fated mate?

He must have seen the question on my face because next he said:

“A fated mate means we are destined to be together. Forever. It means we will always be with each other. It means we will never be alone, that there will never be any need for us to seek the love of another. It is the deepest, most meaningful bond two creatures can have.”

Okay, so that’s a lot to take in. “How can you be so sure? I mean, the sex was great — better than great — but how do you know we’re supposed to be fated mates?”

“Because of this.”

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