As soon as Kadic entered the room, I stood up, driven by furious anger and adrenaline.

“You,” I announced, the word dripping from my tongue like venom.

“Me?” Kadic tried to play off his innocence, but I knew better and planned to confront him.

“I heard everything you said in there.”

“Everything?” Kadic was apparently just going to repeat everything I said.

I shook my head. “I have no intention of marrying you, Kadic, and I suppose I didn’t make myself abundantly clear enough the first time.”

“If you’ll just allow me a minute to explain…”

I interrupted him, “There’s nothing to explain. This conversation will be over before it even starts, Kadic. I know you are only using me as a broodmare.” Frustration gnawed at my brain and I wished I could sob and run from the room.

It wasn’t that simple.

For now, I was still stuck here on this awful planet with this disgusting alien standing in front of me.

Only he isn’t disgusting. He is gorgeous and a gentle, passionate lover.

I shook the thoughts right out of my head. I had to stay focused. I couldn’t marry someone I barely knew who was willing to marry me just for power purposes.

“You don’t know the whole story, Marissa.”

“Then what is it? Please, enlighten me,” I said with a drawl of sarcasm.

“Well, first of all, I don’t know what a broodmare is.” He glanced at the floor sheepishly.

“Ugh, this language barrier is so frustrating,” I shouted and pulled my hair. “A broodmare is a woman who just has countless kids. I’m not going to be your breeding factory, Kadic.” I tried my best to explain it, but he still looked confused.

“I didn’t ask you to be a breeding factory,” he said with a hurt expression. “I just want you to be my bride and bear me a child.”

I was infuriated and he added fuel to my blazing fire. “I’m not really sure I believe you, given the conversation I overheard.” I crossed my arms, refusing to give in to him. I would be the submissive bride of nobody, not even a human man.

Kadic just stared at me as if I were speaking a language he didn’t understand. I knew he did, though, because he and his brother had been arguing in English.

“We’re so different, Kadic,” I urged, almost pleaded.

“No, we are very alike,” he chimed.

“I don’t see how that’s possible. We aren’t even the same species.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” He wouldn’t let up. This argument was going around in circles.

“First of all, how do you know we can even have children together, coming from different planets and all?” I thought of it on the spot and thought it was a solid argument.

“I’ve seen it done.”

“What do you mean?” Now it was my turn to be confused.

“I’ve seen a human marry and have a baby from an Alpazon man before.” He was firm and didn’t waver.

Fuck, he is telling the truth.

I blew out an annoyed puff of air. “Kadic, what we had at the waterfall was special, yes. But you are failing to remember that I was tricked into coming here. You can’t hold me as your prisoner.”

“I don’t want you to feel like a prisoner, I want you to be here as my wife.”

I shrugged. “That’s the beauty of free will, Kadic.”

“What is that?” He raised his eyebrows.

I sighed dramatically. “On Earth, women are able to choose their spouse, or...mate as you would probably say and understand. We have free will to do as we please.”

“Oh…” his voice was a murmur, trailing off.

“I’m sorry, Kadic.” I gently squeezed his arm. “But you should start thinking about me as merely a temporary guest.”

His eyes grew dark and my skin prickled. I’d angered him, no doubt. But he had to know the truth. I couldn’t lead him on, it wasn’t fair.

“Kadic, I demand to have my own room. I will not give birth to your alien baby. I cannot have sex with you ever again.” I looked at the floor and tensed my muscles. I wasn’t sure how he’d react. If anything, the staff would come to my rescue if he tried to hurt me.

I hope they’ll help me if it comes to that.

“I can’t let you have your own room.” He stood with his shoulders straight and looked at me darkly.

“Why not?” Suddenly I was scared, my throat became dry.

“I need to protect you. You’ll never be safe on this planet if I’m not by your side.”

I scoffed. “That’s not exactly the best way to convince me to stay here.”

“This isn’t a joke.” He raised his voice.

I cowered at the sound.

He must have realized he’d frightened me, because his eyes softened. “My brother, the one I was just arguing with…he’s crazy.”

“Okay, can you explain?”

“He’s just veiled a threat to kill you and I am afraid that he might go through with it if we aren’t careful.”

My heart pounded in my chest.

“I don’t have any proof, but I think that he killed my last girlfriend.”

“Oh my God, Kadic, was she from Earth, too?” Fear shook me solid to my core.

Kadic shook his head fervently. “No, she was from here.”

“Then what happened?” I asked impatiently.

“Her name was Bethanila. She was beautiful and we were in love.” His eyes wandered and clouded over with nostalgia. I almost felt sorry for him. “We were engaged and had planned on marrying.”

“Okay, go on,” I instructed.

Our eyes met and he lowered his voice as if he were getting ready to tell me a ghost story. “But one day she came down with a very mysterious illness. We couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her.”

“What were her symptoms?” I was intrigued, but panicked, because I didn’t want to suffer the same fate.

“She came down with a very high fever that we just couldn’t get rid of no matter what medicines we tried. She was vomiting and then at the end she began bleeding from her nose and eyes.”

“Oh my God.” I was shocked.

“She was dead within days. I don’t even think it took a week.” His eyes rimmed with red and welled with tears. He sniffed and looked away from me.

“I’m so sorry.” I leaned in to touch his arm again. He had lost the love of his life. I was horrified. “You never found out what killed her?”

“The doctors thought she might have been poisoned by seeds from the Iopa tree.”

Unfortunately, I knew all too well the anguish that came from losing a loved one.

“My parents died in a car accident when I was only nineteen,” I admitted softly.

“Really?”

Kadic’s eyes were filled with such sorrow and genuine grief for my loss that I too couldn’t escape the tears which flooded my eyes.

He pulled me into his arms and held me there, where I felt safe and warm. “Even though it’s been almost a decade since they passed, I still miss them every day. I understand and feel your pain.”

“I’m so sorry you had to endure such a terrible thing. No one should have to bury their own parents at such a young age.”

I tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. For now, at least, I wanted nothing more than to be consoled and wrapped within Kadic’s protective arms. I only hoped I wouldn’t suffer the same fate as his dead girlfriend.