Chapter 14

JOEY

I wake to a strange rumbling sound that initially I think might be my stomach. Except it clearly isn't. It's a low-pitched mechanical sound. Also, the bed is vibrating. Just a little.

What the hell?

I sit up and the slight soreness in my lady bits reminds me of last night. I smile.

Kael might be a little nuts, but I can't deny that he's an amazing lover.

What the hell is that noise though?

I put my feet to the floor and the vibrations tickle my soles. I mean, it is a Winnebago. So maybe we're moving?

Would he really just take off like that?

My clothes are still out in the dining room, so I wrap my body in the sheet and go in search of Kael. Plus, I have to pee. And I really wouldn't mind a shower.

It actually takes a second to figure out how to even leave the room. The door out of the bedroom is some cool, modern pocket door. There's no handle, but a touch pad in the wall beside it. When I reach out, the door slides open soundlessly before I even touch it.

Definitely not a standard feature from a seventies Winnebago. How much money did he spend on these upgrades? And who would bother installing shit like this in a Winnebago? I mean, I love vintage stuff as much as the next girl, but this is extreme.

I make my way down the narrow hall to the common room where we ate last night. The room is empty, but my clothes are there—not tossed on the ground but folded and sitting on the now clean table.

Okay, so Kael is fantastic in bed and he cleans up after himself? What kind of fucking unicorn did I stumble across?

My bra and panties are a loss, but I have a spare pair of panties in my backpack, so I grab those and then slip back into my jeans and blouse. I give the room another look. Why aren't there windows? Every Winnebago I've ever seen had windows.

And, seriously, how does it seem so big inside? Must be an optical illusion because of the modern finishings.

The faint rumbling of what must be the engine hums around me. I can still feel the faint vibration under my bare feet, but it doesn't feel like I'm in a moving car. There's no bump of the shocks. No side-to-side sway.

There's a door on the other side of the common room, which surely leads to the driver's area. Except, it doesn't.

Like the other door, this one slides open when I wave my hand. This time, there are stairs. Just a short flight that spirals over on itself, but with every step, my feeling of trepidation grows.

This isn't normal.

This isn't normal.

This isn't normal.

Winnebagos don't have stairs. Or sleek automated doors. They aren't magically bigger on the inside like Hermione's purse with the magical extension charm.

Either I'm dreaming or something really fucking weird is going on.

I reach another door at the top of the stairs. This time, I hesitate. Something is on the other side. Kael? Yes.

But also something else.

The answers to all the questions that have been nagging at me since I woke up. Since Kael walked into the diner, if I'm honest with myself.

Answers I'm not entirely sure I want. But I'm no coward. I don't back down from challenges. I analyze them, plan for them, and then face them head on.

My fingers go to the marks on my neck.

I can't very well go hide in the bedroom. Bury my head under the sheets and hope to wake up back at home in my shitty apartment. Nope. I'm stronger than that.

So I wave a hand at the panel beside the door, and it swishes open.

I stand there in the open doorway and gape.

Even knowing there wouldn't be a driver's cab of a Winnebago on the other side, I'm still floored.

The room is smaller than the common area below. There are a pair of chairs in front of a huge screen. Kael is seated in one of them. In front of him floats a ball about the size of a children's soccer ball. He's tapping away on the surface of the ball like he's typing.

The screen is divided into multiple windows. One has what looks like a video feed of a man talking. The other, some kind of control panel. The middle shows a stream of rocks flying past, like an eighties arcade game.

"What the hell, Kael?"

He swivels in his chair, his features serious. "Joey, I'll explain in a minute. For now, you need to come and strap yourself in. I dropped out of Pyruhonic Drive to check on the comm buoy and we've hit an unexpected meteor shower."

I snort.

"Now, Joey!" He points to the seat next to him.

I sink into the chair beside him, something tightening in my chest as I try to fight down my rising panic.

The world around me gives a dramatic bump that nearly knocks me to the ground.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit.

I glance at Kael to see how he is strapped in and then slip my arms through the shoulder straps to copy him.

Both the chair and the straps are made of incredibly soft material. It's like being hugged by a memory foam hammock. It should be comforting, but under the circumstances, I feel trapped.

It is not helping my rising freakout.

"I apologize for the bumpy ride," he says. "I should be able to re-engage the Pyruhonic Drive in a few minutes."

Right now, it looks like we're in space. But that can't be possible. Personal space travel is not a thing. "So where are we going?" I ask, needing to know. Not wanting to know. Afraid I already know.

"Perse. It is time for you to meet your people."

My brow grows heavy with my frown. "My people?"

"Joey, I've explained much of this to you already; you just haven't believed me. You are originally from a planet called Perse. You were brought to Earth with the other marked princesses to protect you during the coup. Now it is time to bring you home where you and I will become bonded mates and then use our collective power to aid the rebellion in taking down the Sovereignty."

I stare at him, then burst into laughter.

Yeah, super mature response, right?

But I can't help myself. It's the panicked laughter of someone staring denial in the face.

He glares at me. "What is so funny?"

"Last night you were all sexy man and today you're crazy. Tell me, do you dress up for Comic-Cons?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He tilts his chin up. "You don't believe me? Look at your marks; they're darker today because our bonding has begun."

"What marks?" I ask, pretending like I don't know what he's talking about. "My birthmarks?" My fingers go to my neck. They don't feel any different, but I can't see them.

He presses a button on the ball and the screen splits into a fourth window. This one is a mirror, showing me my reflection.

Yep. There I am, strapped into the fancy chair. Kael strapped in beside me.

I turn my head one way and then the next. That fucker was right. My wine stain birthmarks, which I've hated my entire life, are even darker than they were two nights ago. And the spots reach further down my neck.

They start just below my ears, then run down to be even with my chin. "Did you tattoo me?"

"Mine are darker too," he says ignoring my question.

Then he holds his wrists out for me to see. He has nearly identical markings along both wrists.

My heart pounds so strongly it's nearly painful. Shit. And I'm having a heart attack.

"I don't understand what's happening. Where are we right now?"

He looks down at some gauge on the console, then hits a few more buttons. The mirror disappears and in its place is a star chart.

"This is the galaxy humans call the Milky Way. It's a?—"

I give my hand an impatient wave. "I know what the Milky Way is!"

"Earth is here, in the Orion Arm." A spot lights up on the image. "We're heading to Perse. Which is here in the Perseus Arm." Another spot lights up. "We're about here, right now."

The blood drains from my head, and I'm thankful I'm sitting. "Are you telling me we're in space?" I mean, part of me already knew this, but I'd been comfortable in denial, thinking this beautiful man is crazy is a lot easier than believing I'm a lost alien princess!

He points to the screen. "You can clearly see the stars and meteors just as well as I can."

"Yes, but I was really, really hoping this was just a fancy video game," I whisper. "So you've not only kidnapped me, but you've taken me off my home planet? Are you for real an alien?" I pop a hand over my mouth. "I can't believe I just said that."

"If you're asking if I am from a planet other than Earth, then yes. But we both are."

"Oh. My. God. This is the worst one-night stand ever!"

***

Part 2 and Part 3 are coming soon!!!