Alien Romance: The Alien's Captive Bride (Alien Protectors Book 6)

by Zena Zion

  "My Amorentessa," he bowed again, then gestured to his family, "May I introduce my wives? This is Aeronwen, my pragmata. Luned and Siana are my eosprit. And this is Rhodri, my platonent.

  They all stood and bowed to Jasmine as their names were spoken, looking somewhat baffled. Efnysien only smiled at them reassuringly.

  "I would introduce you to the children," he said, "But that would take all day and the food would get cold. Please, sit."

  Jasmine took a seat on the floor in front of the low table, unsure what was expected of her. Efnysien sat beside Aeronwen and a small child immediately crawled into his lap, bumping his chin with their budding horns.

  "So, what exactly do those words mean?" Jasmine asked curiously as the wives began serving her strange looking but delicious smelling food, "Pragmata and all that?"

  "Ah, I thought this would come up," Efnysien frowned as he thought about how to explain it to her, "I noticed from the data Gwydion sent back about your planet that your relationship structures are quite different from ours. It's a difficult thing to even put into words, but it seems as though on your planet, only the Amorent is acknowledged as a true relationship?

  And though your people form many relationships that we would call eosprit, they treat these relationships like they are or should become Amorent, even though within months both partners will have moved on? It's quite baffling."

  "Sounds like it," Jasmine tilted her head, equally baffled, "I really don't get what you're talking about."

  Efnysien took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts.

  "In our culture, there are many varieties of romantic love. Pragmata is a long term love built on mutual understanding and acceptance. They are in particular an excellent relationship to build a family on. It's a relationship that works, though the passion may wax and wane with time.

  Eosprit is a fleeting love based on physical attraction and mutual interests. Though they are passionate relationships, it’s understood that they will last but a few years at most as the participants grow and change. Platonent is an intense platonic love.

  Though there is rarely any physical desire in such a relationship, we are necessary for each other's emotional wellbeing. It's about support and selfless affection. They are often the longest lasting relationship, after Amorent."

  Jasmine frowned as she tried to take in all this information, thinking she'd probably need a chart to really get it.

  "And what about Amorent?" she asked, "That's what I'm supposed to be to Gwydion, right?"

  Again Efnysien paused, considering his words carefully.

  "Amorent is probably the easiest for you to understand. It is closest to the single 'true' love that your culture finds so important. Amorent are intended to be together by destiny, and fate will work to bring them together despite all obstacles.

  They are perfectly suited for each other in every way. And once they have accepted each other they are bonded for life. Though it is normal here for people to have more than one love in any of the other categories, it is impossible to have more than one Amorent."

  "And how do you know when you've found yours?" Jasmine leaned closer, curious, "How can you be sure?"

  "I'm not certain how it would work for a human," Efnysien shrugged, "But for us, the knowledge is instantaneous. The moment our eyes meet, there can be no doubt. We just know."

  Jasmine looked away, thinking about that first moment when she'd woken up here, Gwydion's insistence that she look in his eyes. Had she felt anything?

  Certainly not some instant understanding that this was the person she was supposed to be with for the rest of her life. But last night, when they'd been together, that had felt so right...

  "Efnysien," she spoke quietly, unsure if she should ask, "What happens if two Amorent bond and one of them dies?"

  Efnysien looked down, stirring what she assumed must be coffee, frowning as he considered her question.

  "A very grim subject indeed," he replied, "For an Amorent’s soul is bonded to his mates. If one dies, the other is almost always soon to follow."

  Jasmine felt a grim weight settle in her stomach at the news and looked down at her breakfast, suddenly no longer hungry. She already knew she couldn't be with Gwydion. But she hadn't considered that by trying she might kill him...

  Chapter Six

  Despite the unpleasant start to the morning, Jasmine found it hard to stay upset around Efnysien’s family. Even though they couldn't speak her language, they and their children were all so happy and excitable it was impossible not to smile watching them. It was clear, despite the language barrier, that they all loved Efnysien and each other very much.

  They certainly seemed more stable and content than her family had ever been. It seemed like not having to rely on just one person for all their emotional needs helped a lot, not to mention having so many extra hands to help take care of the kids and the household.

  She soon realized Efnysien had been using the term 'wife' quite loosely, merely as a title for a romantic partner who lived with you. Most of his wives had other lovers outside of the house hold as well. Some of the children were even products of these relationships.

  While it seemed expected that Amorent and pragmata would live together, eosprit and platonata relationships seemed more fluid, with those partners coming and going as they liked and as the relationship demanded.

  Jasmine had never considered having more than one partner at a time and to be honest the concept made her a little uncomfortable, but it seemed to be working quite well for the people here.

  The meal was nearly finished when someone knocked on the door. A palace servant ducked in when Efnysien called out to them, and knelt by Efnysien’s ear to whisper something to him urgently. Efnysien frowned deeply, distress apparent. He murmured something to his pragmata, and then stood, offering Jasmine a hand up.

  "My Amorentessa," he guided her towards the door in a hurry, "There's something I believe you should see. Please."

  She nodded, confused, but followed him as he led her out of his quarters and away, following the servant as he led them quickly through the halls of the palace to a central room that appeared to be some kind of war room. Several people were already there, talking anxiously over a huge, table sized map and several reams of paper scrawled with data.

  "What's going on?" Jasmine asked, seeing the worried looks on everyone's faces, "Has something happened?"

  "I told you before about the great winter," Efnysien made his way to the table and one of the people there immediately handed him a stack of papers which he began reading while he spoke, "And that we have only recovered as much as we have because the ice has finally begun to melt? Well, it seems we may have been too hasty to declare winter over. For the past few years things have been getting rapidly colder again. And now-"

  He stopped abruptly, reading something that froze him in horror. Seeing the look of paralyzed horror on his face, Jasmine hurried closer, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

  "What is it?" she asked, wide eyed, "It can't be that bad, can it? It should take years for it to get that cold again, right? You still have time-"

  "The White Glacier has begun to surge," he said, his voice rough with emotion, "It's moving nearly thirty two feet a day. And it's heading directly for the city."

  He dropped the document he was reading to plant his hand on the table, bowed by the knowledge, his face in his free hand.

  "The Red Glacier has already taken Hergest, and Aneirin is still rebuilding. We're going to lose everything again..."

  Jasmine didn't know how to respond. How could anything be so deadly and inevitable?

  "Jasmine!"

  She looked up in surprise as someone called her name and saw Gwydion hurrying towards her. She stepped away from Efnysien quickly, not wanting the man to get thrown again, but Gwydion was already slowing, seeing the stricken look on her face.

  "What's happening?" he asked her, then repeated the question in his own language to everyone else.

&nbs
p; "He said the glacier is surging," Jasmine repeated, "That it's going to take the city."

  Gwydion paled, pushing past her to look at the documents on the table.

  "But father said that the temperature dropping was all fear mongering!" he sounded desperate with fear, "Nothing was conclusive!"

  "Your father was in denial," Efnysien snapped, lashing out in his fear, "He refused to act, even when presented with proof. He could have been preparing for this for years but he chose to stick his fingers in his ears and pretend everything was fine instead."

  "How dare you talk about him that way!" Gwydion snarled, hackles rising, "He was your king!"

  "He was my brother!" Efnysien shouted back, "And he was a fool! And that is precisely why you must withdraw your bid for the throne immediately. We can't afford another king like him."

  "I am the rightful heir and-"

  "You are a child!" Efnysien bellowed, and for once Jasmine saw Gwydion back down, caught off guard by the ferocity in his uncle's voice, "You have neither the experience nor the maturity to see this kingdom through another long winter! I will not let life on this planet be extinguished just because you cannot see past your childish pride!"

  For a moment Juliet was certain Gwydion would give up. She could see he was shaken. But as his uncle stared him down, Gwydion's expression grew hard and he stepped forward, speaking in a low, threatening growl.

  "I AM the rightful king. And I will lead our people through this. You can accept that and help me to save our people, but you will never be king."

  He turned away then and, with a last worried glance at the stony faced Efnysien, Juliet hurried after him.

  "What are you going to do?" she asked, worry a pit in her stomach, "What's the plan?"

  He was silent for a long moment, the only sound the tap of his shoes as he paced down the hall, stalking like an anxious tiger.

  "The plan," he said at last, reaching an outer door and throwing it open, "Is to get you on a ship."

  A blast of cold air and snow hit them as he opened the door and Jasmine shivered in her thin clothing.

  "What?" she asked in blindsided confusion, following him as he paced out over the frozen courtyard towards the stables, "A ship?"

  Inside the stables, huge wooly creatures like a cross between a horse and a mammoth huffed and stirred in their stalls, at the end of which the three shining silver ships were kept.

  "I'm sending you home," he answered, throwing open one of the ships to check if it was operational, "Whatever happens here, you shouldn't have to suffer through it with us."

  "What?!" she repeated, staring at him, "No! No, I'm not going anywhere! It's going to be fine. We'll figure something out."

  "I should never have brought you here," Gwydion's face was contorted with pain even as he was trying to activate the ship, "I knew winter was returning. I saw all the same data my father did, and I chose to ignore it just like him. I may have doomed us all, but at least I can save you."

  "You're not listening to me," Jasmine shouted, beginning to get angry, "I'm not going anywhere. I don't care about some stupid glacier. I want to be here."

  "You could die, Jasmine!"

  "Who cares?!"

  She grabbed him by the leg, yanking him down from the cockpit of the ship and forcing him to face her. She kissed him hard, her heart racing, and felt him melting like snow under her touch, his fury evaporating into despair.

  She broke the kiss to stare into his eyes and she felt her heart swell in her chest. She'd been trying so hard to pretend she couldn't feel it every time she looked at him, telling herself it was illogical. It didn't make sense that she loved him as much as she did, but it was the truth all the same.

  "I'm already dying, Gwydion," her voice broke as she confessed, tears stinging her eyes, "I was dying before you even found me. I can't stop it, I can't fight it. I just want to spend my last days here. With you."

  He stared at her, bewildered, and she kissed him again.

  "Do you understand now why I can't be your Amorent?" she gave a sad, tired laugh against his lips, "You're going to lose your challenge after all."

  He made a pained sound and pulled her closer, kissing her hard and pushing her up against the stable wall, like if he could just claim her thoroughly enough he could burn the sickness from her body. She wished he could.

  She wrapped her arms around him, tangling her hands in his hair, and let him take control, scattering kisses over her throat and chest, in between her breasts, opening her clothing to worship her skin.

  The bitter cold made her nipples stand out sharply as he flicked his tongue over them, the warmth of his mouth a relief from the chilly air, as were his hands as they roamed over her. He pushed her tunic higher to press his fingers between her warm folds, groaning as he felt how hot she was.

  She was desperate for him, for the solid, comforting embrace of his arms and the heat of his passion for her. She was falling apart and she needed the unwavering power of his devotion to her to hold herself together. When he pressed into her it felt like coming home.

  She clung to his shoulders, moaning his name as he rocked into her, fast and frantic, both of them just wanting to be as close as possible as quickly as possible. Nothing else mattered.

  She could kiss him till her lips were raw, fuck him until they were too exhausted to move, and it still wouldn't be enough. Not now that they both knew how little time they had.

  She shuddered and shook as she came, tightening around him and feeling, not the elation that she usually did, but only the bitter realization that it was over. She groaned his name as she felt him spill inside her and knew as he buried his face in her hair that he was feeling the same thing. She held him while his shoulders shook with sudden grief.

  He took her back to his room, carrying her to his bed himself.

  "Stay put," he squeezed her hands, pain in his eyes as he stared into hers, "I need to go and consult Queen Rhiannon. She'll have the best plan for evacuating the city. We might have to leave in a hurry, so please don't wander off again."

  "No promises," Jasmine tried to capture some of her earlier irreverence and couldn't quite manage it, "I still want to see a few more amazing things before I go."

  "I'll show you the whole world, Jasmine," his eyes were intense as he stared into hers, willing her to believe him, "From the red cliffs of Hergest to the rainbow falls of Aneirin. Just wait for me."

  He kissed her forehead, then turned and hurried away, leaving her alone in the bed, feeling cold and desolate.

  Chapter Seven

  To her credit, she did try. She washed in a small fountain set up for that purpose in the corner of the room, and then dressed. Gwydion had made it clear he preferred her naked, but Efnysien arranged for clothes to be sent up anyway, to stop Jaz from wandering around the castle in nothing but Gwydion's tunics.

  She chose the simplest dress she could find, a white gown with orange and gold edging and a deep neckline, along with obligatory massive scarf.

  She considered leaving it off, but she could use the extra coziness today she decided. She wrapped it around herself and pulled up a chair in front of the large window, watching the kingdom moving below. It didn't look like word of the advancing glacier had got out yet. People moved calmly through the streets, wrapped in their blanket like scarves as snow swirled against her window.

  The light glimmered off the mountains in the distance, and she had to assume that it was there somewhere the glacier was hiding, making its slow, steady way towards them.

  She could hardly imagine it. It was just ice, moving so slowly that, even when it was surging, you could hardly see it with the naked eye. But it was as inevitable as it was slow. There was no way to stop it, no way to slow it down. Nothing to do but get out of its way and watch it bury the place you used to live in miles of ice. How could something like this happen?

  She stirred, restless, and considered leaving again, but before she could make a decision she heard a knock on the door. Glad she h
ad put on clothes, she hurried to answer it, surprised to find Efnysien waiting on the other side.

  "I figured I'd find you before you started wandering around the palace naked this time," he said with a fatherly smile, tinged with the stress he was under, "I was hoping you would have tea with me and discuss the future."

  Jasmine considered for a moment, Gwydion's plea ringing in her ears.

  "Just for a little while," she agreed, shaking off her guilt, "I don't want to be far away when Gwydion gets back to start the evacuation."

  "Of course," Efnysien inclined his head in understanding and led her away to an indoor garden. Not as spectacular as the hot house, but still pleasantly warm and brimming with flowers. They took a seat at a small table under a fruit tree where tea was already waiting for them.

  "I would have thought Gwydion would try to send you home as soon as he heard what was coming," Efnysien said as he poured a cup for her.

  "He tried," Jasmine took the offered cup of tea, staring into its murky depths as guilt coiled in her stomach, "I refused. I want to be here."

  "You may change your mind when the long winter really arrives," Efnysien’s voice was grim and heavy with unpleasant memories, "The world was already warming when Gwydion was born, but it was still frozen when I was a child. I saw things I would never dare to describe; horrors it would drive me mad to dwell on.

  Unspeakable things that could have been avoided with the right leadership. But in those days everything was chaos and petty men scrabbling for power to abuse. Rhiannon and the other leaders set things right and put their progeny on the throne and things began to improve, but by then it was too late for so many people."

  Jasmine sipped her tea, trying to imagine what such a thing would be like. He might be right. She might regret staying once winter arrived. If she lived that long to begin with.