Page 46 of Elias

Elias met her gaze. He would not bow before her again. She was not a princess he had any respect for. “That was my dearest wish.”

Her top lip curled back. “You are a disgrace.”

Elias looked away. He’d called himself that numerous times.

“You abandoned your princess. You left me when I needed you.”

He glanced at her. “I value my life.”

“Life! This is not living. You’re some pathetic servant on a space station. Your name would have been immortalized if you had let me take you fully.”

“I am happy with this life,” Elias said calmly. “I like fixing broken things. This space station feels like home. I was happy here.”

“Until your truth followed you,” Princess Isolt said. “Does our culture mean nothing to you? Do you not hang your head in shame when you think about everyone you left behind? They have nothing good to say about you. You’ve humiliated everybody, including yourself.”

“This has more to do with your humiliation,” Elias said. “I refused you, and you hate not getting your own way.”

Her lips pulled back to reveal her sharp teeth. “You should have felt honored to be chosen. Others always are.”

“Because they feel they have no choice.” Anger flashed through him. “They don’t do it because they love you. They do it because they fear you. As did I. I was flattered by your attention but quickly realized that wasn’t worth dying for. I’d only just begun to live my life and explore the possibilities out there when you tried to take it from me. How is that fair?”

“It is our way. It is our tradition, and you should have bowed to that. Instead, you ran like a coward and hid from me. You hid from your punishment.”

Elias pulled back his shoulders and stared at her. “Are you happy that you rule through fear? Wouldn’t you rather your subjects love and respect you, and that is why they follow you?”

Her hand whipped out so fast Elias didn’t realize she’d struck him until he felt the sting across his cheek. “We have always ruled with displays of strength and dominance. That is how it has to be. Respect through fear is effective.”

“How do you know that unless you’ve tried another way? It must be so much more satisfying to have your subjects bow to you because they adore you. Better that than they do it because they’re fearful of the punishment if they don’t. If I were ruler—”

“You, a ruler! That would be impossible. You would never be taken seriously. I can smell the deceit on you. It runs through your bones.”

Elias gritted his teeth. “I didn’t say I wanted to rule. If I had the opportunity, I would do it through love. I would show my people respect and end the barbarous ways forced upon our kind for so long.”

Her snort sounded disparaging. “It would never work. You have no idea how difficult it is to rule a planet.”

“I don’t, and I know I’ll never have the opportunity. As your subject, I’d rather follow you because I love you and the way you govern. Nobody likes to have things thrust on them and feel they have no choice but to bend to that way.”

“That is our way.” Her eyes flashed with anger. “My father rules in this manner, as did his father before him. I will follow their path. It is the right thing to do.”

Elias’s thoughts turned to Hayley again. Princess Isolt was wrong. Love created unwavering respect. Surprise hit him in the gut. That was what he felt for Hayley. He respected her but was also falling for her. It wasn’t just that she fascinated him with her sharp mind and adorable laugh. He respected her and wanted to devote himself to her. He loved Hayley.

“What is wrong with you?” Princess Isolt snapped. “Why are you smiling when you know I am about to kill you?”

Elias hadn’t even realized he was smiling. “Because I know what true love is. The way you and your family rule our planet is not based on love.”

“You know nothing of love. How has a failed loser found anyone who will love him?”

Elias continued to smile. “I have no idea. Maybe she doesn’t love me yet, but I adore her. She has shown me you don’t need to be full of fear to feel compelled to do things for others.”

“You’re pathetic.” Princess Isolt raised a hand to strike him again.

He glared at her. “No, I’m not. I’m glad I challenged you, and I’m glad I ran that night. If you’d completed that barbaric mating ritual, I’d have ended up as nothing more than a few bones in your disgusting collection.”

Princess Isolt’s hand lowered. “What do you know of that?”

“I’ve seen it. When I was on your ship, I noticed a foul smell and went to find the source.”

“You looked in my private things?” She advanced on him, her fists clenched.