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

by Zena Zion

  “I’ll need to pack my belongings.” She said, more to herself than the man beside her.

  “If there is anything that is important to you I can have it retrieved. If not, we will provide everything that you’ll need during your time with us. Afterward, you will be compensated with more than enough to replace your previous belongings and live quite luxuriously for the rest of your life.”

  Avery’s jaw dropped. Enough money for the rest of her life? For only one year’s commitment to some bogus marriage? She could not believe it. Who was this man?

  “Miss Hawthorne,” the man gestured toward a set of double doors, “If you’ll follow me we can formalize the contract.”

  Avery nodded. At this point she doubted that she could string together an entire sentence. Her brain was still hung on the fact that she might never have to work another day in her life.

  The pair passed through the ornate doorway into a long, and narrow conference room.

  Avery barely registered the design, except for the massive table that dominated the space. Instead, her eyes were drawn to the far end of the room, where a man lounged against the window.

  He was staring at the river below with an intensity that struck her. Avery took this moment to evaluate the stranger, a man some deep, secret part of her hoped was the object of the advertisement.

  He had dark hair that had grown out just enough to have a slightly disheveled look. He was clean shaven, though the shadow of the day had begun to appear on his chin. He looked rugged, and all too masculine.

  As his assistant approached Avery realized for the first time how enormous the man by the window truly was.

  He stood at least seven inches taller than the man whom Avery had considered tall only moments before. The smaller man now seem shrunken and weak beside his employer.

  She also noticed his tanned, muscular build. Beneath the power suit that was tailored to perfection, the mystery man housed a powerful physique. With wide shoulders and narrow hips Avery could tell that he had a killer body hidden beneath the prim outfit.

  She shook her head. What he was wearing was completely appropriate and in no way sexual. So, why had she been wondering about what lay beneath?

  By the time the man turned toward them, Avery had collected herself. She did her best to present the epitome of decorum, wanting to impress the man who was clearly of a higher social class than anyone that she had ever met. She wondered which country he was from. It was clear that he was exotic. Maybe Europe or Brazil? The truth was, she could not place his impeccable features as any one nationality.

  The men spoke briefly before Avery was instructed to join them. They waited for her to take a seat before lowering themselves into chairs of their own.

  Avery chose a seat that placed the nameless assistant between her and the attractive man. It was not that she was afraid, or even uninterested. However, his raw masculinity was a little too potent for her to handle sitting directly beside him.

  “Miss Hawthorne, my name is Runford.” The assistant began. “I would like to introduce you to my employer, Errion, Prince of Lanoxia.”

  Avery furrowed her eyebrows. Even though she had not been able to afford to finish her degree, she had paid close attention in her lessons and been top of her class. She could not remember ever hearing of a country called Lanoxia. A prince! Why would a prince need to hire a bride?

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Runford,” she began, “I’ve never heard of it.”

  The men chuckled and passed a knowing look between them.

  “Just Runford, if you please.” The assistant smiled. “I am well aware that we are not at all known on this… in this area. I do hope that this will not keep you from taking our offer seriously. Very seriously, to be quite clear.”

  Avery nodded. She forced herself to focus on the man beside her. She had missed most of his last statement when she had realized that his employer had that most captivating grey eyes that she had ever seen. Like smoke, billowing across an inky black night.

  “Good.” The man continued. “Now, we’ve been over the duration of the requirements, accommodations, medical examination, and severance package. There is one more thing…”

  Avery waited patiently for him to continue. He seemed reluctant to release this last piece of information and that made her nervous.

  “The final requirement before you are able to complete the contract…” His eyes shifted for an instant to the man beside him and then back to Avery. “Is that you provide the prince with a viable heir to the throne.”

  “Excuse me?” Avery stammered. She felt her eyes widen in shock and her mouth part as she drew in a sharp breath.

  “You didn’t tell her?” The Prince, glared at the man beside him. What was his name?

  Runford began speaking very quickly in order to cover his error.

  “I know, Sir, that your primary requirement was that the female be given full disclosure but we thought it best if she make it through the screening process before we got into the final details.”

  “We?” The prince was clearly angry though his voice was cool and calm. “As in you and my father?” Runford nodded abashedly. “Forget any orders that he gave you. If I’m to go through with this it will be done in my own way.”

  “Yes, your highness.” Runford bowed at the waist, his face nearly resting on the table.

  “How much does she know?” The prince demanded.

  Runford closed his eyes. “Not much.” He whispered.

  “I thought it was a joke when she said she had never heard of Lanoxia. Do you mean to tell me that you have told her nothing of our planet?”

  “That is correct, your highness.” Runford sat up, his back straightened with pride and assurance. “I thought it best to tell her now, rather than before.”

  Avery’s mind was reeling, trying to make sense of the twisted conversation that was taking place before her.

  “Wait!” She interrupted. “Did you say… planet?”

  The men fell silent and finally turned their attention toward her.

  Runford cleared his throat and began.

  “We come from the planet Lanox. Errion is prince and only heir to the rulers of Lanox. They reside in the capital city, Lanoxia.”

  Avery tried to hold back her laughter but she could not. It burst forth from her and shook her body as she gasped for air.

  “Miss Hawthorne, this is very serious. We come from across the galaxy in search of a viable mate for the Prince, who will carry on the royal bloodline.”

  Avery continued to laugh. Some small part of her realized that the prince, Errion, was staring at her with a somber expression. His eyebrows were raised and his lips pressed into a firm line.

  “Where are the cameras?” she asked when she had calmed the laughter down to a moderate chuckle. “Come on. I get it. It’s a prank show, right?”

  “Excuse me?” Prince Errion scoffed.

  “A joke?” Avery clarified. “This is a joke. I’m not stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “Another planet. Like you are aliens or something. Ha!”

  “Well, technically, to us you are the alien. So it’s really a matter of semantics.” The Prince was clearly losing patience. “Runford,” he pushed back his chair and retreated to the window, “It was your job to convince her, you should do so now.”

  “Yes, your majesty.” Runford waited for the Prince to turn his back before he looked at Avery with a pleading gaze. “Miss Hawthorne, you must understand.”

  Runford clapped his hands together and in an instant, all of the unoccupied chairs in the room piled themselves atop the table. Avery’s heart leapt in fear and she flung herself from her own seat and plastered herself against the wall.

  “What the HECK!” she shouted.

  With a sigh of resignation the Prince turned away from the window. He brushed his hand absent mindedly through the air, as if brushing away a bothersome bug. The chairs did not return to their former locations. They disappeared.

  Avery bolted toward the door.
She heard the latch click shut moments before she reached it. Hyperventilating, Avery turned toward the men with her back pressed firmly to the doors.

  “Miss Hawthorne, we mean you no harm.” Runford approach with both hands raised in front of him. The gesture was meant to calm her, but it only had her eyes darting from one hand to another as she waited for the next unexplainable event to occur.

  “Get away from me.” Avery whispered as she backed away from his approaching form. She rounded the far side of the table keeping Runford at a safe distance.

  “Runford, leave us.” The voice spoke from directly behind her. Avery jumped and turned to look at the prince. “Would you mind if we had a word in private?”

  His request was made with such a soft tone that Avery had trouble feeling afraid of him. The Prince held out a single hand, waiting patiently for her to make the decision.

  She swallowed deeply and slowly set her hand atop his own. She could at least hear what he had to say, Avery reasoned.

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