Alien Savior: A Sci-Fi Alien Invasion Paranormal Romance (11 page)

Danielle gave the princess a once over. Not once since she had arrived had she thought Kaia might be dishonest with her – not until now. The princess had proven herself to be a woman who had her fingers in everything that went on in the empire – as prolific when it came to political matters as her brother…which was why the human woman didn’t believe for a moment that she didn’t know exactly what Kael was doing – and that she wished she were there doing it with him. “Kaia…We both know I’m not a lady.” She took a deep breath before raising her head in the way she’d been taught to stare at her sister in law. “Take me to him.”

The Princess’ brow quirked in surprise at the command she’d been issued, before her lips curved into a satisfied smile. “It appears you’re learning quicker than I could have anticipated.” With that, she turned on her heel to stride towards the door. “Come.”

Her heart beginning to race, Danielle followed her quickly down the maze of sweeping corridors that comprised the middle section of the palace. They walked for perhaps ten minutes before they came upon a set of onyx-hued double doors that were firmly shut. Kaia glanced back at her for a brief moment before pushing the door open.

Within, there were four men all crowded around a table upon a vast hologram had been projected – one that Danielle faintly recognized as the Garinian empire from pictures she’d seen in scrolls and books. At their entry, all four men looked up, and Kael’s eyes immediately locked with hers. The man was dressed in the bodysuit he usually wore beneath his armor – and nothing else – and for a moment, Danielle lost herself in the memory of what his incredible body felt like against her own. Quickly, she forced herself to shake the images, especially when the prince’s eyes narrowed in displeasure. “Kaia, what is the meaning of this?” His demand was low, on the edge of anger.

It was Danielle’s first instinct to cower, but she swallowed the notion as Kaia stepped in front of her, dipping a deep curtsey, which she quickly mirrored. “My Prince, I’m sorry to disturb you, but my lady wished to see how we deal with border rebellion.”

If anything, the prince’s scowl only deepened. “This meeting is private for a reason, Kaia. I can’t afford any distractions right now.”

“I won’t be a distraction, my prince.” Danielle quickly interjected, drawing each man’s attention to her. “I just want to learn.”

For a moment, the silence in the room was suffocating. When the prince finally spoke, the young woman released a breath she hadn’t been aware she was holding.

“Fine.” He pointed to a series of high-backed chairs in the corner. “Sit there, and please…” His eyes travelled from his sister to her in warning. “No further interruptions.”

If Danielle had been under any illusions that seven days wrapped in one another had softened the prince toward her, she was realizing just how wrong she was. The man’s sexual appetite was one thing, his duties as the ruler of an empire were quite another. Without a word, she followed Kaia to be seated in the chairs at the edge of the table.

The elder woman was immediately engrossed in the conversation that the men continued, but it took Danielle a moment to catch up. Though she had learned precious little about the people she had now joined, she did know a little about their most recent history. Right before the prince left to come to Earth – to guide humanity to the solution to their unsolvable problem – he had led a campaign that had culminated in the absorbing of a planet on the border of their empire that had given the Garinians difficulty for some time.

Though she had heard that the empire – and Kael- had things well in hand, a very different story was unfolding before her. Danielle only caught bits and pieces of the conversation that was going on – her Garinian was still extremely elementary, but the anxious, angry expression Kael wore as he spoke to his generals conveyed more than his words ever could.

There were issues with the Reman colony. A multitude of them. As she struggled to follow the conversation, Kaia leaned over and helpfully began to murmur a general translation into her ear. As she filled in the gaps, Danielle felt her eyes widen. Despite the fact that the Garinians had practically demolished the Reman army, there were still pockets of rebellion striking out against the militiamen posted there.

While they had been relatively few on the eve of the Remans’ absorption into the Garinian empire, they had grown exponentially during the past two moons until barely a day passed that there wasn’t a Garinian soldier killed by a Reman rebel.

Danielle was totally unversed when it came to the art of war. The few that had broken out in the past forty years of Earth’s history had been relatively short. There were far too few humans left for them to concentrate on killing each other. However, the Garinians were a race that expanded their empire by conquering others – thus they were at war in ten year cycles. In the short time since Kael’s father’s death, he’d led two campaigns, each resulting in the addition of numerous lands.

But never had he seen backlash like this.

Despite herself, Danielle had to wonder if there had been any attempts to negotiate with the Remans. The way Kaia explained things to her, it sounded like they had been forced to surrender – and since then, they hadn’t had any say in the terms of their annexation. It was a simplistic and idealistic notion…but perhaps that might be enough to help with the problem?

In her humble opinion, anyway. Anything that didn’t lead to fighting and bloodshed. She’d seen far too many people die in her short twenty seven years.

The Prince, Kaia explained to her, was coordinating with his generals to plan a raid in the coming weeks. He would crush the rebellion, and what was more, he would impose rules on a percentage of the Reman citizens that demanded that a number of them send their children to Garinia to be held until their behavior could be quelled.

The moment she heard the terms, Danielle felt her stomach clench in discomfort. That sounded a bit much…Kael was moving to brute force before he’d even heard what the Remans might have to say. It was clear from the glint in the Prince’s eye that he fully intended for the Remans to learn that their behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. She had never seen such an expression on his face – somewhere between anger, unquestionable authority, and anticipation.

Did he
want
to hurt people? The idea was enough to make her shudder. Very quickly, Danielle was coming to realize that what little she did know about Kael was about to be turned on its head. He was a prince – very soon to be a king – and he was used to getting his way. Exactly how far he would be willing to go in order to accomplish his goals was anyone’s guess – but Danielle knew for a fact that the Garinian empire had been challenged very little in the past few centuries – and it had met each and every question of its authority with incredible force.

“Kael.” The word left her mouth before she could stop it, and she immediately flushed as everyone in the room turned to stare at her, Kaia included. Their gazes were only slightly less than mortified, and Danielle knew she had spoken out of turn. It was far too late, however, to take anything back; and so she went on before she left her mettle. “I’m sorry to interrupt…but has there been any attempt to maybe…talk to the Remans? Before you begin this raid and more Garinian lives are sacrificed…maybe they’re just trying to get you to meet with them on level terms?”

The Prince stared at her as if she’d grown a third head. He seemed to be visibly trying to compose himself as his generals whispered amongst themselves in affronted tones. Kael took a deep voice before his eyes locked with hers, his expression stern. “The Remans cost us over ten thousand men in the campaign against them, and in the two moons I have been gone, more than five hundred additional soldiers have been killed. They don’t want to negotiate…they are purposefully targeting us, Danielle. Now, if you could leave these matters to those more versed in them.”

“Have you
tried
talking to them?” Even when Kaia placed a warning hand gently on her shoulder, Danielle found herself pressing her question. “Instead of killing them?”

“They started the killing.” Kael’s voice was soft – dangerous. “And I will end it. Kaia.” He fairly barked at his sister and the princess stiffened, her mouth in a tight line. “Please take my
wife
to her lessons.”

“Of course, my prince.” Kaia rose gracefully from her seat, her grip like iron around Danielle’s wrist as she pulled her along. Before the human woman could utter another word, she had been whisked from the meeting hall into the marblesque corridors outside, to face Kaia’s wide, accusatory gaze.

“Are you out of your mind?”

Danielle was so taken aback by the princess’ sudden, harsh tone that she jumped, her heart hammering against her ribs. “….Excuse me?” She finally managed after a moment in which she attempted to calm her racing heart.

“Danielle, you should never question the Prince in such a manner in front of his generals.
Never
. I brought you here to observe…and for you to question him in such a manner when he requested that you remain silent…” Kaia took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. More gently this time, she took Danielle’s hands in her own. “If you want to truly know what it means to be queen, I will help you…but there is something you must understand…Kael is not only your husband, he is your prince. Your King. My king. Whatever familial relationship I have with him is superseded by his position. Therefore, I am careful in the manner in which I talk to him in front of others…and you should take similar precautions.”

The worry in the Princess’ eyes was enough to still any protest that might have risen to Danielle’s lips. She absorbed the information her sister-in-law relayed, burying any feelings of hurt or embarrassment.

She had pissed Kael off. Regardless of her intentions, she had questioned him in front of those she should not have…and now she was going to have to deal with the consequences.

“Come.” With a small smile. “We will start your lessons, and pray that his anger cools through the day.”

That didn’t sound too promising.

Christ, her first official statement as a princess of Garinia and she’d already managed to upset him. When she’d emerged from her cold sleep capsule, Kaia’s swift action had saved her from his wrath. But now that the man was her husband, she doubted the elder woman would intervene again on her behalf.

She spent the entire day barely paying attention to her lessons, on edge, waiting for the man to burst in at any moment and wipe the floor with her. However, he never appeared. The entire of the thirty six hour day passed with Danielle on the edge of her seat, and by the time she returned to the bed chamber she shared with the prince, she’d nearly chewed her nails off in apprehension.

Two attendants helped her shed her dress and the young woman donned a diaphanous, barely tangible silk nightgown that left nothing to the imagination. She’d been provided with nothing else; and, guiltily, she hoped that her husband might forget his anger at her in favor of desire. Remembering the ire in his gaze – the way his eyes had glowed crimson gold fire, it was enough to make her shiver.

No wonder Kaia had been upset. She must have been on the receiving side of her brother’s anger a fair few times. Though Danielle had to wonder, had Kaia ever suggested to her brother another course of action besides violence? One that could, perhaps, be more productive? She might have been wrong to address it in front of his generals, but could she put it to him privately? She couldn’t help but think that now that these people were hers, she might at least try to save as many of their lives as possible – just as she’d once thought she could help save humanity.

She could put the idea to him gently, when they were alone, and apologize in the same breath. It was the best plan she could come up with – and hopefully, he wouldn’t be too upset to hear her out.

Lying on the bed, Danielle watched the three suns sink, one after another, beneath the horizon.

And she waited.

But Kael didn’t come to her that night. She fell asleep when it seemed she had waited an eternity, and she woke alone, her heart sinking. An entire day passed, and then two –and though she tried to concentrate on learning about the history and the culture of the people she would soon rule, all she could think of was the unease lingering in the back of her mind like an itch aching to be scratched.

Wouldn’t he see her? Would he leave her on edge, wondering how he felt, until she lost her mind with anxiety?

He wouldn’t be so cruel…would he?

**

“Kael, please. It’s been a week. You’re torturing her.”

The Prince looked up from the scroll he read over, fixing his sister with a stern look. Her expression pained, her mouth taut. For the past two days she had come to him, asking him to see Danielle. She promised that the human woman meant to apologize, but Kael’s pride was still thoroughly bruised.

He knew it had been a mistake to let her into the conference room. But he had been intrigued when she’d said she wanted to learn. Kael had only ever heard of one other royal Garinian woman interested in the dealings of war, and that was his sister. Of course, when Kaia questioned him, she did it gently and diplomatically, always asking permission. Danielle seemed to know nothing of tact, blurting a thought the moment it entered her head.

“I understand that you’re angry, Kael, but how can you expect her to know her place if we don’t yet know it? She wants to be your queen…and not just in your bed. She’s trying to understand, but it’s only been a few weeks. Can’t you spare her some leniency” Kaia’s voice softened slightly. “She misses you, I think.”