Page 39 of Alien Prince's Claim

I have to give her more.

I took a deep breath and, as I massaged the muscles in her legs, breathed slowly, deeply into her mouth.

At first, she fought me, as I had blocked her airway with my lips clamped over her mouth.

Then she relaxed as I filled her body with oxygen with far larger capacities than her exhausted body could provide on its own.

I pressed a hand to her chest to gauge how much I could pump into her and inflate her lungs without harming her.

I found the right amount and took deep gulps to fulfill her lungs and body’s requirements.

Within minutes, her lips were returning to their luscious natural shade of red.

The sweat dripped from my body and now I was the one gasping, but I pushed through it.

It was more important Emily got the oxygen she needed.

Finally, Emily seemed to relax, although her eyes were still shut and she fell into a deep sleep.

I kept her in my arms, gently brushing her hair from her face to keep her comfortable.

I clutched her close, burying my face into her chest — gently, so as not to disrupt her slumber — and could barely keep the tears from sliding down my face.

I had studied the maps of the Seeding Facility before coming here, as per my training.

I never went anywhere new without studying the entrances and exits, forming plans of escape in case a scenario presented itself.

An attack could happen anywhere, anytime, and I had to be prepared.

My plan had been to get to my ship and get us out of there before anyone else even fully understood what was happening.

But that plan had failed the moment I saw those other ships getting swatted from the sky like flies around a fallen corpse.

And I knew we had to go to ground, to hide and hope these creatures — likely marauding pirates — would find whatever they were looking for and leave.

Emily was breathing smoothly, easily, now and I eased her into the armchair and placed the blanket over her.

She looked so small, so delicate and vulnerable.

And I had almost lost her.

Because I had pushed her too hard, beyond what she was capable of.

I growled at myself that I could have been so stupid.

I wished to leave and find another way out, to somehow escape.

But I couldn’t bring myself to leave her alone unprotected.

Perhaps there were weapons stored at the facility?

Surely they must have some stored away in case of such a situation?

But no.

As part of my preparation for coming here, I had studied the protocols in case of a siege.

No weapons were allowed on the premises — not least due to the alien males in their Steyatt who might attempt to overcome Security and use it to overpower the other males.

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