43. CHAPTER 43

Walking toward a palace was perhaps everybody"s dream come true. The place was huge and bathed in a golden hue, making it look like the walls were carved out of gold. I wish I could do this place justice, but I just didn"t have the words. I stopped in front of a fountain and watched the stone Valisian child prance about, splashing and spraying the water, which all poured back into the large blue pool. The air smelled both savory and sweet, making my mouth water for something more than just dehydrated packaged meals. I saw the fancy ships parked along the landing pads surrounding the building, and I thought of how out of place they looked in this setting.

"Wow, this place is huge." Oh, great. I was feeling nervous again. I wasn"t used to being in a place like this, but looking up at Lorvian, I thought I would see someone confidently strolling by my side—a Prince in his own element, but he was silent, expressionless, maybe a little stoic.

"I"ll give you a tour some other time," he smiled at me, his expression changing, but it didn"t seem genuine. "I don"t think I"ve seen every room here." He looked about, then back to me again. "Nervous?"

"Yeah, and my nerves are in my stomach, so if I run back to the ship, you"ll know why."

"Many of the people here are just harmless social climbers. They won"t dare harm what"s mine. I must leave your side at some point to speak to my father, but you"ll be safe in the parlor, it"s a private room only for the family so you won"t run into the guests there."

"Great..."

And just when my nerves were getting the best of me, other Valisians approached. I recognized the one named Xil, but I had no idea who the pretty male beside him was. Xil was dressed similarly to Lorvian, in a black tunic suit, but this guy had intricate gold trimming along the edges. He seemed flamboyant, while Lorvian was surprisingly more subdued.

"Oh look, it"s my lovely big brother... and his… human… thing." The pretty Valisian unhooked his arm from Xil and looked at me like he smelled shit. What a bastard.

"Excuse me?"

"The pre-ball festivities are almost over. You shouldn"t have bothered coming." He ignored me! I so hate dudes like this!

"Zantos, stop being an ass." Lorvian pulled me close. "This is my younger brother."

"It"s not nice to meet you." I scoffed and I heard Lorvian chuckle.

"Are you still angry about that little human colony?" Zantos sniggered. "Oh, brother. Who knew you would take to these new aliens? I wouldn"t have bothered if I had known they were already under your protection."

Xil sniffed the air and grinned. "I can already smell the change in him." He twirled his cane about playfully.

"Why did you attack the colony?" Lorvian asked.

"Why else? My human gave up the location and I wanted to collect more for myself."

"Your human?"

"He"s learned his lesson, and now he"s my obedient little slave," Xil smirked.

Zantos started mock retching. "Ew, I can"t believe you both actually bed these humans. I won"t do it, only other Valisians are fit for royalty."

"And Regis?" Lorvian changed the subject. "What of him?"

"He sent that human to me to try and kill me. He"s stupid, but not stupid enough to realize that I have the largest fleet and therefore someone he would have to get rid of first."

"Is that all you know?"

"Erevan contacted me withdrawing his protection from Regis. Apparently, Regis agreed to protect the humans and act as a liaison to the King on Erevan"s behalf. But he attacked the human ship."

"Ah, I found his facility on Qazi. He was performing experiments on the humans."

"And judging by your human, he was right to do it." Zantos laughed and reached out to try and touch my ears when I slapped his hand away.

"Don"t touch me."

"Oh how uppity these creatures are!" Zantos raised his hand to slap me but Lorvian gripped his wrist pushing him against the wall. "Let me go! You would defend this creature over your own family?!"

"You sharing my blood, no matter how small is the only reason I didn"t just rip out your still beating heart!" Lorvian released him. "But the next time you do that, I will kill you, brother."

Zantos grumbled while nursing his wrist.

"Look at how uncouth we are around our guest." Xil sighed. "I apologize on our baby brother"s behalf." he bowed. "Lorvian, I"m sure Father would like to speak to you alone. It"s been almost a year since you"ve visited him face to face."

Zantos then hooked his arm in mine much to my surprise. "Yes, go on, brother." He shooed Lorvian away.

"We"ll entertain your beloved. Father has grounded all our ships; we won"t be able to whisk him away even if we tried." Xil reassured him. "Now run along so I can talk with your alien."

"It"s okay. I can handle myself," I turned to Lorvian to reassure him I was okay. "I"ll head for this parlor and stay there until you come."

"Ooh, look at the confidence on him," Zantos mocked.

"I"ll meet you in the parlor." He kissed me long and passionately before departing.

Shit, now I had to deal with them alone. Zantos circled me like a freaking cat stalking a cornered mouse, and maybe when I first came here, I would have been afraid, but I wasn"t. I knew Lorvian would grind this fucker into dust if he touched me. I admit I was feeling my inflated ego big time, and it felt good to be in a position of power.

"Cut it out, Zantos," Xil stepped in front of him and moved him aside, escorting me to a cozy-looking woodland-designed room with tree-like pillars, and a bar carved from wood that seemed planted in the ground. Soft music and the gentle scents made me want to settle down and lounge.

"A drink?" Xil looked at me and lifted his black, shining, and gold-trimmed cane off the ground.

"Sure, as long as it isn"t alcoholic."

"Why not? Is this some sort of human custom?"

"No, it"s for the baby"s health!" I eventually got over my shock and saw more of the beauty of this place.

He made a few gestures to the servant who quickly began mixing a drink. "I hope you don"t take our attack on the human colony personally."

"A lot of innocent people lost their lives that day."

"They ceased being innocent the moment they opened fire. Blame the Travols for that incident. I came there in peace on Erevan"s behalf. But it would seem they have a new protector, though given Lorvian"s track record I wonder how long that will last."

"I trust Lorvian," I said.

"Trust Lorvian?" Zantos scoffed, gulping down the rest of my drink. "My brother is as trustworthy as a snake charmer. He"ll use you until he gets what he wants, then cast you aside."

His words struck a nerve, and I snapped back without thinking. "Well, he"s giving up his claim to the throne for me, so I"d say he"s pretty damn trustworthy!"

The room fell silent as Xil and Zantos stared at me, their expressions a mix of surprise and intrigue.

"Is that so?" Xil raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips. "That"s...interesting news indeed."

I immediately regretted my outburst, realizing I had said too much. Anger had gotten the better of me, and I had revealed something I shouldn"t have.

"I...I don"t want to talk about this anymore," I muttered, feeling the room growing stuffy and uncomfortable.

"A wise decision," Xil nodded. "It"s probably for the best that Lorvian gives up his claim. Things could have gotten...messy for him, shall we say, if he continued down that path." He paused, his gaze intense. "I actually like my brother, despite his flaws. He"s an asset to our people, and I want to keep it that way."

His words sent a chill down my spine, and I suddenly felt an overwhelming need to escape this suffocating atmosphere. "I...I need some air," I stammered, excusing myself and heading towards the balcony.

The cool evening breeze felt refreshing on my face as I stepped outside, leaning against the railing and taking deep breaths to calm my nerves. I cursed myself for letting my temper get the better of me and revealing sensitive information.

As I gazed out at the palace grounds, something caught my eye – shadowy figures moving stealthily amongst the manicured gardens, taking out the castle guards one by one. My heart raced as I realized we were under attack.

I was about to turn and warn Xil and Zantos when a tall, imposing figure suddenly jumped in front of me, blocking my path. He was a Valisian, that much was certain, with long, reddish hair that cascaded down his back in waves. His skin had a subtle blue hue, and his eyes were a piercing shade of violet, seeming to glow with an otherworldly light. His features were sharp and angular, with high cheekbones and a strong jawline. He wore a form-fitting black suit that seemed to absorb the light around him, making him appear even more menacing.

Before I could react, he moved with blinding speed, and everything went black.