“That’s you, Caleb! With the Prince! That’s you and him, together!” She looked over her shoulder at Caleb who was frowning.
“I hope he understands why I did this. The last thing I want is to hurt him. He’s a good man.” Caleb took her hand and pulled her to go to the next room.
“Where could they all be, Caleb?” she asked as they entered another huge room. This one some type of media room with large screens all over the black walls.
“Hiding from us. I think it’s safe to bring them all in. Do you think you can help me make sure they don’t destroy anything?” Caleb led her back to the entry room.
His heart sank as he saw the majority of the men had already come inside. It was Emerald’s father who disobeyed his order and started the surge of men into the palace.
He cut his eyes at her as he said, “I hope it won’t upset you, but I have to deal with him the only way which will work for these men to understand they have to obey me.”
She gave him a nod and stayed by his side.
Caleb raised his sword above his head. “Disobedience will not be tolerated. All who are in this room need to follow me in an orderly fashion.” He turned to Emerald. “Please go and tell the men outside to maintain waiting and we will get back to them once we’ve dealt with these men. Then close the door to stop this from happening again.”
Emerald walked away to do what he told her to as her father stood in front of the line of men who had come inside.
He reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her. “Emerald, what’s this about? Why does he think it’s acceptable to leave us outside? It’s getting darker by the second out there.”
Caleb approached them. “Let her go.”
Emerald’s eyes went wide as her father let her go. Caleb gave her a nod, and she took off to do what he’d told her to.
After telling the other men who were waiting what Caleb had told her to, Emerald closed the door and went back to Caleb who was waiting for her.
“Follow us and do not touch a thing in this place.” Caleb told the men then started walking, Emerald at his side.
They went through the entire palace and out another door into a courtyard. It was surrounded by a tall white wall, made of the same material the rest of the palace was.
The large area was lit up and a large fountain sat in the middle of the purple grassy area. Yellow streams of water shot up from the middle of the gorgeous fountain.
Caleb took Emerald’s hand and moved to one side. He gestured for the men to go outside which they did.
“This place is not to be pillaged. This is not a mission of mayhem and destruction. It is a mission to get equal rights for us all. You all defied my orders to stay outside. Therefore, you will be kept here for the period of one night. With the first morning’s light, you will be allowed to come in. At that time, you will all have to bathe in the cleansing waters and be decontaminated before you are given a room.”
He took Emerald by the hand and led her back inside. Her father yelled out, “This is an outrage!”
Caleb didn’t look back. He walked back in and closed the door, trapping the men in the back.
Emerald didn’t say a word. He had no idea if she was upset with him or not. “Emerald, I…”
She stopped and turned to him. “I need no explanation, Caleb. They didn’t follow your order. They have to learn. I understand.”
He nodded and resumed moving forward to let the other men in. When he opened the door he found them waiting as he’d told them to.
“Come in. You will all have to bathe before you can move about the palace on your own and I want to talk with you all before that happens. There may be people in here and we need to stay in groups to maintain our safety.”
Taking his wife by the hand, he led the way to the bathing hall as the men followed the couple. The room was narrow and a series of spouts were near the top of the low walls.
Fluffy, white robes hung on hooks opposite the spouts and Emerald was intrigued by the design. “What happens in here?”
“A disinfectant is sprayed from those spouts and will kill any bacteria, germs, or parasites any of these men might have.” He looked at the men. “You are to take your clothes off and place them in the bins at the end of the room then stand under one of the spouts. It will come on and you are to stay in the spray until it goes off. Then put on a robe and you may then tour the palace in groups of five. No touching anything, though.”
“What about you and I, Caleb?” she asked.
“I’m going to take you to my old room and we will get cleaned up in there.”
“Where are these men to sleep?” she asked.
The men looked at him, waiting for his response.
“You will find the bedrooms on the second and third floors. Any you want, but don’t break anything. Be careful. And remember to stay in groups of five or so. An owl call will be our signal if anyone finds anyone or thing that might be of interest to our mission.”
“When will we eat?” his brother, Jared asked.
Caleb threw back his hood and rolled his eyes. “Am I to do it all? Lead this pack of misfits and figure out every little detail?”
Emerald pulled her hood off and her facemask. She smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “If you’ll see me to the kitchen I can make something to eat.”
He gave her a nod. “Thank you.” He looked back at the men. “When we have something ready to eat I’ll ring the bell that runs through the palace. Then you will come back to the entry room and I will show you to where the food is.”
Caleb took her hand in his and led her away. Up an enormous staircase, they went then another and another before they reached the floor his old room was located on.
When he opened the door he stopped and took in a deep breath. “They still have the aroma I ordered when I was here.”
Emerald stepped inside and took in a deep breath. “Very nice, lavender and…”
His lips touched her ear and his arms went around her as he came in behind her. “And honey. Like from back home. They don’t have honey here and Kerr had the scent of the nectar the sweet flies that are here make. He adjusted it to make the smell I love so much.”
“That was very nice of him.” Emerald turned in his arms and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Having regrets?”
“Only that I have some men who won’t do as I say. It’s imperative to show the royals we are not animals. The reason they deny us so many things is that we have little respect for things.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “Come, let us shower and change, then see to the men.”
Carefully, they pulled off their protective clothing then he took her into a private room off the bedroom. It had a large cube in the middle with a spout coming from the ceiling.
Caleb took her in his arms and pulled her under the spout which immediately started spraying warm liquid over them.
“It feels like Heaven, Caleb.” She ran her arms around his neck and he kissed her.
He ran his hands down her back, gripping her bottom in them. Lifting her up, she wrapped her legs around him as he slid his hard length into her.
The shower was surrounded by a clear wall and he pressed her against it. It held her so he could press himself into her more easily.
Slow, even strokes he made as he kissed her. Her kiss took him away from what he’d done. The threat of an attack was the last thing on his mind.
He was back in the comfortable room he’d first called home when he came to the planet.
Their bodies were wet and slick. They moved along each other’s easily. The way she felt was amazing as he moved inside her.
Emerald’s nails raked his back as he plunged into her over and over. The water cut off and Caleb groaned and carried her from the shower to the bed. Her body still wrapped around his.
He lowered her to the bed. “This is so soft, Caleb.”
Running a hand over her shoulder, he smiled at her as he moved his body to cover hers, pressing himself into her again.
Sh
e pulled her bottom lip between his teeth. “This feels unreal, Caleb.”
Slow, deep strokes he made as he looked at her. “Do you want this life? Here like this? Or should we abandon this?”
The way her eyes darted back and forth as they searched his let him knows she was unsure. The woman had been so sure she wanted a simple life, but now that she’d seen a little of what the Euthenian’s had she seemed to be changing her mind.
“It is nice to have these comforts. I can’t lie about that.” Her knuckles grazed his whiskered cheek.
His lips touched her neck, making her moan and arch her body to meet his. Caleb loved the comforts of the palace, but he knew the responsibility it meant for both of them if he went through with what he was doing.
He wanted to think no more about it. He pulled back and looked at his wife. The woman he wanted to build a life with.
Her blonde hair looked dark as it was wet. Her blue eyes sparkled in the light of the room. The bed was soft and his body pressed hers into its depths.
She deserved comforts like this. He pressed his lips to hers. Her tongue found his and her kiss was eager as she arched up to him, beckoning him to make harder thrusts.
Caleb gave her what she wanted. Hard and deep he went into her, making her body quiver with the desire she felt for him.
Her soft skin rubbed against his body, her breasts like firm pillows, pressed to his chest. He let all other thoughts leave his mind.
Only Emerald mattered at that moment. Moving in and out of her with hard, fast strokes, he focused on her breathing.
It was hard and came in waves. He wanted to hear how she sounded when she fell apart for him. Fast and harder he moved until she was shaking and writhing beneath him. Her moans filled the room, and he watched her as she climaxed. Her breathing went sporadic and her face looked like it was glowing.
Love made his heart swell. He kissed her as his body climaxed along with hers.
He knew with an absolute clarity he had to make this work. He had to make sure his wife and the family they’d make would have everything.
A loud sound rang out, and he pulled his mouth from hers. “That does not sound good.”
He kissed her one last time then rolled away from her. She sat up, her eyes wide. “Should we put our protective clothing on?”
He gave her a nod, and she jumped off the bed and hurried to dress. The white body suit she pulled on then the boots and gloves.
The sound of knocks on the various doors along the long corridor they could hear as the sound of men’s voices came ever closer.
They pulled their black capes on and pulled the hoods up. Their masked faces were barely visible. Caleb placed the belt which held the sheathed sword around her waist and buckled it.
“Stay right by me, Love.”
“Don’t worry. You’ll play hell losing me.”
Knocks came to their door. “Some of our men are missing!”
Caleb threw the door open and saw his brother, Jared moving down the hallway. “Jared! How many are missing?”
Jared turned back. “Finally! There you are. We’ve been searching for you for the last hour, Caleb!”
He came back and walked past them. Caleb and Emerald fell in behind him, moving fast. “How many, Jared?” Caleb asked.
“All who you left outside.” Jared took the stairs two at a time. “Things are not what they seem to be in this place, brother.”
As they hit the last stair of the three sets Emerald noticed the paintings along the wall in the large room the stairs opened up in.
The King was in one. The Queen in the one next to his and then there was one of Prince Kerr.
Emerald said, “How beautiful the queen was with long, blonde hair and deep green eyes. The prince definitely took after her with his good looks. It was a shame about her early death.”
All three stopped abruptly as two of the Palace Guards walked in from a side door. “Halt!” they shouted.
Caleb drew his sword and Emerald followed, drawing hers. Caleb took his brother by the arm and pulled him to stand behind them.
“We do not wish to harm you,” Caleb called out to them.
“Surrender your weapons. We have the rest of your men,” one of the guards said.
Jared leaned up and whispered. “They’re lying, there are more men upstairs. About twenty of them.”
Caleb was sizing up the guards. Both were taller than he was. Both broader in the shoulders and he knew they were better muscled than he was.
The Euthenians came muscled. Both wore the Palace Guard uniforms. Deep blue body suits made of the same protective fabric their clothes were made from and silver capes, boots, and gloves.
Their weapons were long poles with a paralyzing charged tip on them. With a quick click of a switch, the charge could go from paralyzing to kill. The poles were five feet long.
The length made them hard to handle in Caleb’s opinion. He’d watched the guards practice while at the palace.
Things didn’t often require their skills as the citizens of Euthenia all knew the rules and most of the time they followed them.
Caleb was certain he had more skill in fighting than any of them. If Emerald could manage to keep one’s attention on her for even a few moments, he could have both taken care of in seconds.
They had no hoods or face masks. It would be unfortunate, but to stop them, their heads would have to be severed from their bodies.
The precise reason Caleb had made the sharp swords. He knew he would have no issue with taking their heads, but Emerald would not want to do it.
The two men had long, dark hair and were very handsome as the majority of Euthenians were extremely attractive. One glance at Emerald had him knowing she’d never be able to cut the handsome men’s heads off.
Her voice was sure and strong as she called out to them, “This can be accomplished peacefully. We only wish for the same rights the rest of the Euthenian citizens have. It’s not a hard thing to grant us. There should be no need for blood to be shed.”
“You came with weapons. Do you expect us to believe you meant for no blood to be shed with your take-over?” The guard on the right asked.
The guard on the left added. “You may as well know the men we’ve captured have told us of the mission to take over the entire planet. The leader of your little expedition has been quite forthcoming. He told us he is the father of the woman who will be queen.”
Caleb fought the urge to run has hand over his face as he was more than pissed about Emerald’s father. The man was not only an idiot but a traitor as well.
“That man is not the leader of anything,” Caleb informed them. “I am the leader and my intention is only to gain equality. This planet is the only place we have to call home. You see us as Earthlings but the fact is we are not that any longer. Neither we nor our children can go back to Earth. I only wish to speak with Kerr when they get back.”
The guard on the right cocked his head and said, “If you merely wanted a meeting with the Prince then why brings the entire army of male settlers with you?”
“They were coming anyway. I could not stop them. It was either I lead them or another would’ve.” Caleb gestured to the walls covered with priceless art. “This place would have suffered heavy damage if that would’ve happened. I have great respect for the palace and the cities. It was never my intention to destroy anything, unlike the other man who was asked to lead this revolution.”
The guards paused as if in thought. They whispered to one another for a while then looked back up at them. The one on the left said, “You have begun a revolution at one of the worst possible times.”
Emerald asked, “Do you mean because the royals are all gone? Because that’s the perfect time to do this.”
The other guard shook his head, making his dark waves bounce over his broad shoulders. “I mean because an uprising has already happened here.”
Caleb and Emerald looked at each other with confusion. Caleb looked back at the guards. “Ca
re to explain?”
The guards retracted their poles and holstered them. One said, “If you will put the swords back in their sheaths we will take you to the one who can explain.”
Emerald leaned in close as did Jared, she said, “Should we trust them, Caleb?”
Caleb looked at his wife then his brother. “I think so.”
Jared hissed, “You think? We need a little more than that, brother.”
“This is a strange situation, Jared. We have our protective gear on and they are not asking us to hand over our weapons. Keep your knife hidden as well and we will go along to find out what in the hell is going on.” Caleb put his sword back into the sheath which hung at his side.
Alien Romance Box Set: The Euthenian Battle Complete Series (Books 1-4): A SciFi (Science Fiction) Alien Warrior Romance Page 21