Page 50 of Stolen By the Alien Prince

The king gripped the arms of his throne, creaking the gold-plated wood loudly enough to be audible from where she was at the foot of the stairs leading up to his altar. He bared his teeth at his offspring, long fangs poking out to press into his puffy lips.

“You dare say such things to me? When I have your precious treasures laid before me? You were always so foolish, Kozien. It’s a wonder how you’ve made it so far in this life.”

The long pause from the prince made Gianna’s heart pound harder. She wished she could watch them both at the same time, king and prince facing off head-to-head in an ultimate family showdown.

This was the kind of mess she’d only read about in comic books when she and her brother were still teens living on the streets. The two of them would trade stories back and forth to pass the time until they could go panhandling again.

Which, somehow now, had become her real life—both of them, for that matter.

“I see you have nothing to say then,” the king spoke once more at his son’s continued silence. “Very well, we shall get on with their execution.”

Gianna screwed her eyes shut. This couldn’t be the end. Could it? Not like this…

“I’m afraid that won’t do, Father. You see, the female Terran is my mate.”

Gianna snapped her eyes open.

So that’s how far he’s going.

“What?” The king mimicked her thoughts. “Have you gonemad, boy?”

“No.” Kozien’s tone remained firm and unyielding. “I no longer care for the throne. You may give it to whoever else you see fit, but I won’t be sitting in your place inside of this palace once you pass on.”

The king fisted his hand and slammed it against his arm rest, splintering the gold-reinforced wood. A few flecks of it flew off and landed on the plush carpet at his feet. “You truly have gone mad.”

“If you see it that way, sure. But you will not be harming my mate, nor her kin.”

“I see where your loyalties truly lie.”

The king shook his head, his eyes glinting dangerously when he darted them over both Gianna and Gabe. His face twisted into a deep scowl before he focused his attention back to his guards. “If that is the case, you shall die in their place.”

Behind her, she could hear the guards shift, the sounds of metal-on-metal reverberated loudly off the walls.

“No!” Gianna’s voice burst out of her before she had a chance to cover her mouth.

“Be quiet, Terran beast,” the king scolded.

She rose to her feet, completely ignoring him, and spun on her heel to run at the guards surrounding Kozien. She pushed through them, ducking under their spears to stand in front of Kozien with her arms spread out.

Her breath punched out of her chest, making it hard to focus on anything else but the adrenaline pouring through her veins. “You can’t kill him!”

“Get out of the way, Terran!”

She shook her head.

“What are you doing?” Kozien whispered to her.

His hand found her arm to yank her farther away from the guards surrounding them. Her back pressed into his chest, warm and inviting like always.

She didn’t care if she looked insane. She couldn’t let the king kill his own son over something as petty as refusing the throne. He had other sons anyway. One of them could take the title and let Kozien go without a fight.

The king let out a sharp laugh. “What is this? Has your pet gone mad, Kozien? She’d decided to beg for my favor and stand between you and the guards.”

She hated how amused he sounded, like she was some kind of animal doing a funny little trick for entertainment and not an actual person fighting for the one she loved. How cruel and callous was this family?

She’d only gotten hints of it from Kozien’s brothers, but now seeing how insane his father was, it was starting to paint a clearer picture minute by minute.

“I’m not letting you hurt him,” she said firmly.

---