Page 49 of Saving the Alien Prince

A new determination rises up inside me. My mother died when I was little, so the only person I had for a few short years had been my granny. She took care of me until she too was gone. I’m a fucking princess and Queen Veroneek has welcomed me as her newest daughter. I can’t really do much for Alik while he’s healing, but I can make sure my mother-in-law is taken care of and isn’t alone.

“I’m going to stay here for a bit longer, and then I’m going back to the palace to be with Queen Veroneek. She needs someone at her side until Alik gets better. Beck is a great companion, I’m sure, but it’s not the same as having a living, breathing person being there to support you.”

Lindsey hugs me. “She’s lucky to have you.”

I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one.

Chapter 25

Alik

Image after image flash inside my mind, one after another at a pace almost too quick to distinguish what I’m being shown. I’m lost in the chaos. Voices bombard me. I can’t make out the words being spoken or by whom. They all just scream at each other, making my head pound.

Memories of being surrounded by darkness reach through the flashing images. Wherever I am now is dark as well. Am I in that place again? Please, gods no.

My body feels as though it’s on fire and yet as though I’m separated from it. As if I’m two different entities. They both fight for control. A constant back and forth that leaves me exhausted. I want the darkness to envelop me, but I also resist it. What is happening to me?

I try to move, but walls press in on me from all sides. I’m being crushed by the weight of them. Suffocated by them. I need to find a way to break through, but my strength leaves me. I let my body relax and give in to my fate.

The heat burns hotter, and I wait to go up in flames. Only, it’s the walls that turn to ash. Once they crumble and lie in ruins at my feet I notice a door. It’s embellished with swirling designs and bears the visage of a beast. I approach it slowly, drawn to it like a gresla to a flower in search of nectar.

I reach for the knob and try to turn it, but it doesn’t move. I step back to assess it or perhaps locate a key. The door stands freely. Only mist surrounds it. I attempt to walk around it, but when I move, so does the door. It always stays directly in front of me. The only way I can go forward is through it. Why can’t I open it then?

On the other side of the door a new voice calls to me. It doesn’t say a name—even if I knew what mine was—and yet I know I am the one it seeks. The voice is feminine and curls around me like a warm embrace. I breathe in the scent of luveelo and musk. Both soothe me.

Behind me another voice joins the others. If I had a physical form the hairs on the back of my neck would have risen. My claws would extract. My fangs would give in to the urge to bite and shred. The feminine voice on the opposite side of the door whispers to me once more and the rage coursing through me evaporates like a puff of smoke.

I try to turn the knob once more. To my surprise, it turns fully. Yet the door still won’t open. I pound on it with both fists. I kick it. All to no avail. The door remains closed and the female’s voice sounds as if it’s retreating. I call out to her, begging her not to leave, but all goes quiet. I sink to the ground with my back pressed against the door, my energy spent.

How long I remain seated in that same spot is a mystery. I can’t leave, because what if the female returns? So I sit within the dark mist and wait. My eyes grow heavy. When I can no longer hold them open, I let them drift shut. Perhaps when I wake things will be different.

Except I don’t sleep. The other part of me that battles for control remains alert, constantly searching for any perceived danger. I fight against the hold it keeps on me, but I fear losing, especially as my strength continues to drain. Until I hear the female’s voice again.

This time, I can almost make out her words. They are a soothing balm to the wariness that invades my soul. The scent of luveelo grows strong once more as though it moves closer and closer. The potency of the fragrance grabs hold and won’t let go. I breathe it in, and some of my strength returns.

A grainy image appears behind my eyes, slowly coming into focus. Copper-skin. Black, tightly coiled hair. Dark brown eyes framed by long, lush lashes. A broad nose with an upturned tip. Full lips the color of a lulesh berry. Her face is as familiar to me as my own and yet I can’t bring forth an image of myself.

The moment her image comes into a focus, it vanishes.

Who is she?

Renewed strength surges through me. The answer is behind the door. I only have to open it.

Pushing myself to my feet, I turn and face the barrier. A sharp flash appears in my vision and for a moment the door transforms into a different door. A clear one. On the other side stands the female. Her mouth is moving, but her voice is silenced. I blink, and the door is solid once more.

I take several large steps backward and pause to take a deep breath. Air stays trapped in my lungs for a tick and I release it. Then, I run and slam into the barrier with a force that jars my bones. My teeth rattle and my head pounds. But the door remains closed. Not even a crack appears.

I can’t give up.

I’m close. She is close. If I can reach her, all will be well. A second time I rush the door, using all my strength to break it down. Still, it holds, but I refuse to let a simple barrier defeat me. Not if it means reaching her.

Time and time again, I slam my full weight into the wooden door, but it never gives.

What are my options?

A persistent voice not belonging to the female hasn’t left from before the walls pressed in on me. I have blocked it out, because the power behind it is obvious. Except, what if I can use the voice’s power in some way? My strength isn’t enough to break down the door, and without a key, I have no other way of opening it. If I combine the voice’s power with my own, could that be the answer?

When the voice grows louder, I focus on its words. I let it filter through me. I listen, and realize it is not saying multiple words, but rather a single one over and over again.