The bride contract

Chapter 13 - Niska

Vel comes to retrieve Lois, Jaya and I from our room when di

Jaya’s pinky finger squeezes around mine for a brief second while we walk side-by-side down the hallway, prompting me to look at her. She gives me a soft smile and mouths the words, ‘you ok?’ as we follow along behind Vel and Lois.

I nod my head and bump my shoulder into hers. “Yeah. This is all a bit new is all.” And it’s true. This is the first time we’ve been treated with any kind of respect since we’ve been abducted. Except for with Yix, and even he could only do so much. “But it’s much better than back with Mama Z’rykby, right?”

Jaya shudders and nods her head. “For sure.”

We pass many of the other royal rooms that Vel had shown us on our tour, earlier. There’s a recreation room, holo suites, and a ‘lagoon room’ which I will definitely be exploring at some point during our three day journey back to Xaavia.

When we finally reach the dining room, Lady Zalora and her three nephews are already seated, waiting for us. When we enter, Prince Kiahn and his brother, Az stand for our arrival - like we’re the ones who are royalty. It gives me a strange, bubbly feeling low in my belly for some reason. The youngest brother - the one who had interrupted us at the club - Za

“Niska, you are seated beside Kiahn, my dear,” Lady Zalora informs me before directing the others to their seats. I was hoping to stay close to Lois and Jaya - or even Vel, as I’ve come to like her quite a lot so far, but it looks as though I’ll be next to the Prince as he sits at the head of the table, facing Lady Zalora at the other end.

I can feel my face start to warm as I near Prince Kiahn. He’s changed his clothing now, though he still looks like he belongs in a Victorian period drama set in space. His shirt has billowy sleeves but is black now, instead of white. He’s also wearing a matching silky black waistcoat, pulled taut over his broad chest. It looks like he’s sporting golden caps on the sharp tips of his horns, too. There’s still gun harnesses around his thighs, though they’re currently empty, and a lot less noticeable against the black pants he wears.

He pulls my chair out for me, and God damn it, I must be basic as all get-out, because for some reason, it makes me smile as he helps push my alien-sized chair in. “Thank you,” I say quietly.

The Prince hovers behind my seat a second or two before I hear a murmured, “you’re welcome.”

He’s still looking at me as he sits back down - staring, in fact. His gaze so intense, it’s like I can feel it on my skin. It makes me fidget - in a good way, I think.

A crew-worker dressed in plain burgundy comes to Kiahn’s side and fills his crystal glass with a deep purple liquid, prompting the Prince to clear his throat and finally avert his gaze. Once the server is done with his refreshment, he approaches me to offer the drink, but seems to freeze momentarily, his eyes widening as he takes me in.

Is it because I’m human?

I give the Xavia

“I’ll take that,” Prince Kiahn clips, snatching the decanter from the crew worker. He glares at the poor male who must be several years his junior, his stature and horns nowhere near as impressive as the Prince’s and his brothers. “Gorryn, you are dismissed for the evening. Go and get some rest,” he says, jerking his chin at the server.

‘Gorryn’ nods his head bashfully and bows, but doesn’t leave without giving me and my friends a few quick, furtive glances.

Za

“Meaning… they haven’t seen humans before?” I ask, more aware than I need to be that Kiahn is now filling my glass himself on my other side.

“There is that, yes,” Za

“Za

“What? Don’t you agree, brother? Your female has such a lovely, scandalously bare neck.”

Kiahn glares at Za

Jesus, these guys are dramatic.

“Careful, Kiahn,” Za

With seamless movement, the Prince snarls as he jerks my chair the rest of the way so that our legs touch beneath the table. It’s not until Lady Zalora is shouting ‘enough!’ that I see he’s swiftly picked up one the sharpest of his setting’s silver knives with his other hand and embedded the tip into the polished wood of the tabletop.

I stare at the knife, the blade disappearing into the table for at least an inch as the golden hilt, decorated with an intricate pattern of inlaid chips of a precious stone seems to almost glow.

“For the love of The Four,” Zalora mutters before she stands from her seat, her own chair scraping across the floor now. Kiahn refuses to look at her, and continues to glare across me at his brother. “Za

“Yes, Aunt Zalora,” Kiahn growls, though he’s still staring daggers at his brother, and I’m starting to get the distinct feeling that Za

Another crew worker in burgundy comes hurrying up to Vel, murmuring something low in her ear. Something about the chef and the kitchens - obviously something that Vel needs to see to, as she rises and hurries out the door with the server as we all continue to sit here in awkward silence.

Glancing at Kiahn beside me, I see his gaze still lingering on his brother, though much of the fire in his eyes has dissipated. And I kind of relate to being quick tempered when people don’t take me seriously. I once had a boyfriend who would tease me about how ‘girly’ I am. How I don’t know anything about sports or car maintenance. I snapped back at him once, and told him I could learn anything if I was inclined to. Even enlisted his best friend who was a mechanic to teach me a few things about the goings on under the hood of a car, just to prove a point. My boyfriend didn’t like that one bit. And his best friend ended up asking me out after we eventually broke up. He hadn’t minded my ‘girly’ interests, but their friendship sure wasn’t the same after that.

For some reason, I find myself wanting to soothe the big Xavia

Kiahn jolts in his chair like I’d just jabbed him with a cattle-prod, and I try to temper down the giggle bubbling up at his wide-eyed expression.

‘Sorry,’ I mouth at him, drawing my hand back. I watch his throat bob as he swallows, and bite my lip to stop the smile from erupting on my face when his hand slowly creeps over to mine to guide it back onto his thigh where I had originally put it. His pretty green eyes co

“So…” Lois, who’s been seated diagonally across me starts, “what’s with all the fascination with necks? Is it like a Victorian gentleman getting a glimpse at an ankle kinda deal or…?” she glances at each of the uncomfortable-looking Xavia

Well, apart from Za

“This is not proper conversation for the di

“I think the di

I gently squeeze Kiahn’s thigh - I’d meant for it to be a comfort, but I won’t lie and say I don’t enjoy the way it makes him shift and quietly clear his throat like that one single, tiny gesture is getting him all flustered.

Oblivious to our under-table PG13 shenanigans, Zalora rolls her eyes at Za

“Za

Just then, Vel comes bustling in, followed by several members of staff, all carrying silver trays with our food hidden away under shiny cloches.

Talk about good timing.

“I think you’re go

Mackonchez?

In unison, the servers lift each of our cloches to reveal a small portion of-

“Mac ‘n’ cheese?!” Jaya squeals.

On the plate in front of us is a steaming, gooey, cheesy pile of macaroni.

“How did you do this?” Lois asks. “Where did you get this? We haven’t had human food since we were taken.”

I lean over my plate, my stomach growling as I take in the aroma of familiar food, my hand slipping from Kiahn’s thigh.

“Our kitchens are equipped with the finest nutrition replicators, and staffed with one pretty ingenious chef, I must say,” Vel beams. “He had to substitute a lot of the ingredients but it looks exactly like the images I’ve seen of the dish.”

Substitute the ingredients? Oh no, I think, now looking at the food in front of me more warily as I pick up the eating utensil that looks like a spork made out of shiny silver.

“If your guy can pull this off and make more human food, then I might have to kiss him,” Lois says casually as she starts to dig into her meal.