Page 47 of Alien Prince's Claim

And yet, somehow, it didn’t surprise me.

How could it, when I would have done the same thing for him if the situation were reversed?

Even that felt crazy!

After all, it wasn’t like I knew him, wasn’t like he was a member of my family…

Or even a close friend!

But on some level, I knew that I would have sacrificed my life for him in a heartbeat.

Being on the receiving end of his sacrifice was more difficult for me than it would have been if I had been the one to make the sacrifice.

I reached for the handle once more… and immediately withdrew it as if the handle were red hot and I couldn’t bear to touch it for any longer than a few seconds.

I wanted to leave this room.

It suddenly felt so small, so confining…

Almost like a prison cell.

How my heart felt after Yaltah had left me.

It almost seemed like it would have been better if he had remained with me, no matter the danger, no matter the risk to my safety.

I felt a whole lot safer with him beside me because at least then there was the chance that we could both escape from this situation.

Together.

The two of us.

Then we could dust our heels of this place, head to the distant shores of wherever, and hole up somewhere no one could find us.

Then we could finish what he had started… in satiating his Steyatt and giving me the Seed I needed to have my baby and take the next step in life.

Now that I thought about it, I realized that simply having Seed was no longer my goal.

It had been at the very beginning as it seemed like having an emotional relationship with my alien mate wasn’t going to happen.

Now that it had, I didn’t want any other alien’s Seed.

I wanted Yaltah’s.

His and no other’s.

And he was going to hand himself over to the enemy for me.

What was the point in living if I couldn’t be with him?

Suddenly, I saw clarity.

This time, I seized the handle and, although the feeling of searing pain was still there on the palm of my hand, I bore it and depressed the handle.

I eased the door open and it creaked, groaning loudly in my ears.

I cringed as I eased it open and then, slowly, with all the deliberateness of a newborn lamb, I stepped out into the hallway and looked in either direction.

Thinking back, I was sure Yaltah had turned left — back in the direction we had headed in the first place.

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