Page 72 of Alien Prince's Claim

I was equally certain they would circle around and search for another entrance.

And I knew there would be one.

Somewhere.

“This way,” a mysterious alien voice said in the darkness.

He ushered us through the darkness as I clutched Yaltah’s hand with both of mine.

I noticed the sound of our footsteps alter when we passed into another room and knew it had to be larger.

Behind me, a door creaked shut and something spun, ratcheting into place.

It must have been a door similar to the one Yaltah had attempted to open earlier.

Then lights began to glow, soft yellow light that rose gradually like a tiny sunrise until it covered the entire room.

“Sorry for keeping you in the dark,” the other alien male said. “These Goblar creatures seem to be sensitive to light and I didn’t want to give away our location until it was necessary.”

The other alien male was smaller than Yaltah, with broad black horns that jutted out from either side of his head in a straight line.

His eyes were emerald green and he had a ring through his nose.

And it wasn’t just the three of us in the room.

Lying on a moth-eaten sofa was a fourth figure.

She was humanoid in appearance with striking ridges on her cheeks, legs, and arms.

Her skin was scaled like Yaltah’s but perfectly smooth.

She lay on her back, body prone, staring at the ceiling.

“Don’t mind Nisa,” the other alien male said. “She’s recharging.”

“Recharging?” I said. “What does that mean?”

“Her species needs to take short naps every four hours or so. It keeps them sharp or they get groggy and unable to think. Usually, it’s a real advantage as it keeps them alert at all times. But when the Facility you’re in gets attacked and you need to keep on moving…”

He ran a hand over his bald head. “Well, it takes its toll. She missed several naps and now has to sleep even longer. She’s very vulnerable when she’s like this.”

He looked after her, a distant smile on his lips before he snapped to attention and remembered we were there. “Would you like some water? We came across a stash when we first came down here.”

“Yes,” I said. “Please.”

The other alien male smiled as he poured a couple of cups and handed them to us.

Yaltah placed his hand over mine, eyes fixed firmly on the other male, before taking the cup from me and sipping it.

“It’s not poisoned!” the other male said, incredulous.

Yaltah said nothing as he downed the water and waited a full minute before giving me the nod to tell me it was okay to drink.

I just stared at the cup.

Poisoned?

I wasn’t sure I wanted to drink it now.

---