Page 19 of Claimed By her Alien Prince

I swallowed hard, wondering what was happening on the streets below us. Were people still fighting for their lives? Were gargoyles still attacking them? Or had all that stopped now that the aliens, Daemons, had their precious seven maidens in custody?

We lifted higher, and as we neared the giant moon-like ship hovering in the air, through thousands of brightly lit round windows, I noticed more, smaller ships, like the one we had boarded, coming and going in a steady stream, reminding me of a beehive.

If these Daemons really were vampires, I wondered if they were afraid of the light as legends told?

The ship slowed, which I only noticed through my stomach as it seemed to realign, flying straight for an opening hatch. One of many opening and closing, allowing ships in and out.

For a moment the view from my window darkened as we passed through a short tunnel, to enter the equivalent of an alien hangar. Large enough to allow the ship inside and plenty of room for several people to walk around it.

"If you would follow us," the only woman who had spoken to us the entire time said, and I took a moment to assess her and her companions. All fourteen looked model perfect, as if they had stepped from the pages of a sports or health magazine. All of them were dressed in black, in variations of pants, dresses, and shirts. The women's dresses were flowing or tight with long slits going up the legs and appeared ancient, like Roman or Greek. Silver was stitched in patterns on the fabric, taking away from the black's severity. All of them wore silver anklets, bracelets, belts, arm rings, necklaces, and so on.

My knees shook as I rose, and it took me a moment to regain my footing. The other girls seemed to have the same problem.

"Gravity is different aboard theAsphodelthan what you are used to," the woman explained in a not unfriendly manner, and I gave her points for noticing our plight and taking the time to explain. Whatever we were here for, it seemed more and more unlikely that we would have our hearts carved out.

Then again, I had never been to a slaughterhouse. I had no idea if the butchers there talked nicely to their livestock or not. Maybe she was a sadistic bitch, putting us at ease just to plunge the knife herself.

You are being overdramatic, I chided myself and took a deep breath.

We walked through an endless seeming corridor. The center of the left wall was divided by a narrow window that also ran the entirety of the hallway, and after a while, I realized we were walking up a slight incline.

Doors were set on the other side of the corridor, and I wondered briefly where they would lead. But only briefly. My mind was more occupied trying to figure out where we were going. For a fraction of a moment, an image came to mind of Sisyphus as he was forced to walk up a steep mountain, pushing a large round rock only to have it tumble back down when he reached the top.

Finally a door to our right opened and we stepped through, into yet another corridor, this one without windows, but it seemed to go on forever before we reached the other side. This corridor looked like a see-through tube, spanning the inside of what looked like a hollowed out ball.

Underneath us, I made out several other tubes, reminding me of a spiderweb, going this way and that. Some even split off, offering the parties inside the ability to change direction.

In stark contrast to our tube, which was devoid of aliens, the other tubes were filled with them, all of whom stopped dead in their tracks, staring at us in eerie silence.

Circular walkways, like never-ending balconies, graced the domed inside, leading steadily up. Plants of all colors and sizes grew all along the short walls of thebalconies, where hundreds of people also stood, simply staring.

With a quick glimpse down, I noticed the ground beneath us looked like an inverted dome and when I looked up, the domed ceiling appeared open to the sky, like a giant window. Whereas below, the ground was filled with regular walkways and plants.

I also noticed that all the people staring at us wore black, like the fourteen aliens who had picked us up. The only obvious difference was that their accessories were green. Green threads were embroidered in patterns on their clothing, and their jewelry was also green, making me wonder what kind of precious metals they were made of. I had never seen jewelry like this before.

The glass tube ended, and we walked along the balcony, which was surprisingly empty of aliens. Having attended some high-profile fundraisers, galas, and such, I imagined our route had been planned in advance and spectators banned.

We walked through an archway that led into a long tunnel, with two paneled doors on each side, reminiscent of elevators.

Which they turned out to be. All twenty-one of us crammed into one and it shot down all the way to what I imagined was the ground level. My stomach plummeted at the speed, and I wondered if we had just been intentionally paraded around, or if the aliens had wanted to give as a quick tour of their spaceship.

The elevator was dark, with black, carved walls, depicting horrors of hell. Images of men and women being thrown into fire pits while prodded by gargoyles. Light flickered from within, the only illumination inside the dim elevator, and with our descending cabin, the impression of actually going to hell grew stronger.

The doors opened to the sight of a large entrance, flanked by pillars and guards. The male guards only wore adorned, black loincloths and some kind of gun by their thighs; which looked so out of place, I nearly laughed. It would have been hysterical laughter though, and I managed to keep it down.

My knees weakened with each step we took, and I noticed Azubah's hand in mine growing sweaty, where Andrea's, holding my other was cold as ice, indicating both women were just as nervous as I.

"You will step forward, each alone, and stop right in the center before the throne," the same woman who had been addressing us all along instructed.

We reluctantly let go of each other's hands and watched Judith go first. For a second it seemed as if she would buckle, but then she straightened her spine and marched forward. I admired her posture, and I swore I wouldn't shame myself and adopted her prideful stance.

Next, Dina walked in, followed by Andrea, and then it was my turn.

Again I felt as if I was walking through the gates of hell, straight into its terrifying embrace.

I straightened my spine, put my chin forward and forced my trembling legs to obey my mind and not to betray any weaknesses. To distract my mind from my terror as I entered, I busied myself looking around, the dark temple-like hall filled with decorated pillars, behind which the very shadows seemed to move. It took me a second to realize what I saw moving were aliens, dressed like the guards by the gate, holding on to—I gulped—leashed gargoyles. Every single one of these guards was massively packed, as if they were competing in a body building contest.

The center of the room was empty, except for Judith, Dina, and Andrea, standing next to each other, facing up at a long, wide set of stone stairs, leading up to two thrones.

---