ALLEX

Even though she didn’t move, I knew she heard me. I tried again. “Priya.”

She sighed and struggled beneath the covers. My gaze was drawn immediately to her breasts as she managed to sit up. When she noticed where I was looking, she pulled up the covers, and I reluctantly dragged my eyes to her face.

Priya was lovely, but right now, her eyes burned with anger. I remembered how she used to look at me as if I was a hero from her dreams. I wished she could feel the same way again. If we ever got back to a good place, it wouldn’t be from wishing, but from talking.

I knew how to start. “I’m sorry.”

She stared at me for a long time before frowning. “You’re sorry, Allex? You let them take me to jail.”

“I know.” The guilt was suffocating me. “I should have said something, but everything happened too quickly. My family has been all I’ve had for a long time. They’re the most important people in the world to me, next to you.”

I was babbling and doing a poor job of saying what I meant.

“They’re the most important people in the world to you.” Priya’s eyes lost all expression as if she was trying to hide her feelings. She wouldn’t look at me. “Well, that explains a lot.”

“What we have is something new. I’m not used to putting anything ahead of my family.”

“I’m not asking you to do that, but I’m supposed to be your bond mate. I need to be on the same level, at least.”

“You are, Priya. I’m putting us first. Anders and Gwen are going to drop us off on Susohn. We’ll figure a way to explain away the charges and get a solid footing for our relationship.”

She turned her head to me. “Do you mean it?”

“Of course.” I took her hands.

“I don’t want to take you away from your family, Allex. I know how close you are to your brothers.”

I shook my head. “There’s nothing else to do.”

There was a knock at the door. “Allex.” It was Anders’s voice. “Open up. We have a problem.”

* * *

PRIYA

I felt like the entire Madellan family had gathered around me in the suite. I sat on the couch with my injured leg stretched out beside me. I was comfortable enough with Gwen and Anders, but I didn’t know Avren very well. He made me nervous.

“What’s this all about?” Allex was sitting next to me.

Anders stood up. “I just spoke with Father.”

Allex grew pale. “What was the conversation about?”

“You know he has his informants everywhere. He learned Priya escaped.”

Anders took a moment to let the information sink in. “His spies also mentioned that the starship picking her up looked suspiciously similar to one of our new fighters.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I wish I was. Our father, being an intelligent man, realized we weren’t around at the same time everything was going down. He called and summoned me home. He suspects we saved Priya, and he wants to know why.”

“Well, that’s that.” Allex stood up and started pacing. He couldn’t sit still when he was upset. “You have to bring us to Susohn. I won’t let them take Priya again.”

“Allex, do you want to live like that?” Avren had a quiet voice. “The only way you can be free with Priya is if the charges against her are dropped. You need Father to do something for you.”

Allex turned sad eyes on his brother. “I can’t ask Father for a favor. He doesn’t even like me. Why would he do it?”

Anders walked over to Allex. “You’re his son. I know he hasn’t been the world’s best dad, but it wasn’t on purpose. You should give him a chance.”

“I would have to tell Arnon, too.”

Anders gave him a compassionate look. “He’ll understand, or he’ll have to get over it. You don’t always get what you want.”

“I agree with Anders.” Avren had been thinking for a long time. “You should come back to the ship and talk to everyone. It’s the best chance for you and Priya.”

“I don’t think I can do it.” Allex looked miserable. “Father will belittle us and refuse to drop the charges. I don’t want to face Arnon at all.”

“Allex.” Everyone’s eyes turned to me. “What will happen if we don’t return to your father’s ship?”

No one spoke for a moment.

“You’re going to be on the run for the rest of your lives.” Avren put a hand on Allex’s shoulder. “If you can’t give Father a good reason to drop the charges, he might even hire a bounty hunter. Father can be relentless when he wants to be. Priya being your bond mate is a pretty good reason, Allex.”

Allex shook his head. “I can’t take the chance he’ll send her back to prison.”

Gwen spoke up. “Your father let Arnon and Jayne stay together even though she’s a carrier, Allex. He may not be as hard-hearted as you imagine.”

“Jayne has the gene?” I was stunned by the revelation. “And she’s allowed to be married to the crown prince?”

“She has fraternal twins, a boy and a girl.” Gwen was trying to give me hope. “Carrying the gene doesn’t mean you can’t have a girl. It’s just unlikely.”

“Allex, I didn’t know that before. Maybe your father wouldn’t mind me.”

Allex came over and knelt before me, staring up into my eyes. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

I didn’t want to call him out in front of everyone, but I had to. “I know you’re afraid to disappoint your family, Allex. If I’m important to you, I think you have to do it.”

Allex couldn’t look at me. “What if I can’t?”

I stood up. “Then maybe I don’t mean as much to you as you think.” I walked out the door without looking at anyone.

* * *

ALLEX

The room fell silent after Priya left.

Anders spoke first. “She has a point. You know we love you, Allex, but you’re always worried about keeping everyone else happy. You hardly ever think about your own happiness. Or Priya’s, in this case.”

“It’s true, Allex.” Avren nodded. His agreement was as surprising as it was convincing. Avren didn’t readily agree with people. He would never give voice to an opinion for the sole purpose of pleasing someone.

In a sense, he was the opposite of me. If he was voicing an opinion, he had spent a lot of time thinking about it. His advice was usually sound because he didn’t offer it unless he thought it was helpful.

I didn’t relish the thought of confronting my family. It would be easier for me to run forever than have a conversation with my father and Arnon. It made me sick to my stomach. Ayrie wouldn’t care, but both of them would have a fit when they learned what I had done. I was in an impossible situation.

And once I overcame that obstacle, I would have to beg him to drop the charges against Priya. Ever since I had stopped expecting my father to show me love or attention, I hadn’t intentionally avoided asking him for anything.

But having to ask him for something so important was humiliating. What if he denied me again as he had in the past? What if I asked for what I needed and he said no? Priya and I would have to run if he didn’t have guards waiting to arrest us. I always preferred to avoid any painful and embarrassing conversations. We could skip to the flight immediately.

Anders interrupted my thoughts. “Allex, what are you going to do?”

“Can you do something for me? Tell Father we’ll only return if Priya is under his protection while we are on the ship. He has to promise amnesty while we explain things.”

He nodded. “Maybe you should talk to him yourself.”

“No!” My voice came out a little too loudly. I checked myself. “No, just set it up for me. I’ll talk to him when we get there.”

“Okay, Allex. For the record, I think you made the right choice.”

I hoped he was right. My heart couldn’t take losing Priya again.

* * *

PRIYA

As we walked off the shuttle onto the ship, I tried to remain calm but felt my stomach lurch. I had spent months here hiding illegally. Walking around in the bright light of day had me feeling anxious.

The last time my feet were on this deck, they arrested me and threw me into prison. Allex sensed my distress and squeezed my hand. It would be easy to let him comfort me, but I didn’t know how he would handle the pressure of confronting his family.

When we bonded, I never thought about the ramifications. On Earth, having sex outside of marriage was an everyday occurrence. But something different had happened with us, and now I was bonded with an Auxem man. There were new expectations. I didn’t realize Allex and I would be breaking cultural taboos.

How would his family look at me? Would they think I was a slut? Was I simply Earth trash? I swallowed hard and wondered if they would stone me. I hadn’t seen any rocks on the ship, but a verbal assault would be almost as bad. I had to remember I was here to support Allex. It shouldn’t matter what anyone said about me.

We followed Anders and Gwen down the hall. Avren was walking behind us. “Where are we going?” I whispered.

“Father asked to meet in the throne room. I think he’s trying to intimidate me.”

When we reached the room, Anders entered first. It seemed like he was the only member of the family who wasn’t bothered by the king. The rest of them seemed either angry or afraid of their father.

I remembered my last conversation with the king. My body tensed up when I saw him. He sat on an imposing throne and wore regal, expensive clothing. It probably didn’t impress the brothers, but I was in awe of his attire. Although he was an older man, his face was handsome, and I could see his sons inherited their good looks from him.

Anders and Avren approached the throne. Allex gave my hand one last squeeze before he left me with Gwen and went to stand by his brothers.

The king’s gaze went to Allex, who didn’t say anything. He looked sullen. “Allex.” The king stared at him with hard eyes.

“Father.” Allex didn’t bother with small talk. “What do you want?”

“I’d like an explanation to start. The last time I saw this criminal, I sent her to prison. Why is she standing on my ship and in your company?”

I wondered why the king was looking at me so strangely and remembered I looked as if I had been in a bar fight. I wondered if he felt sorry for me. Perhaps he hadn’t realized I might be beaten or mistreated.

Allex stared at his father, and I held my breath. Would he stand up to him, or would he give in to his old habits?

“I found her.” Allex looked guilty.

I let out a breath. At least he hadn’t said he didn’t know me.

“You found her on a prison planet.” His father frowned and seemed surprised by the answer. “Who is she to you?”

Allex avoided the question. “Some people on Earth were going to hurt her. Priya inadvertently wound up aboard one of the shuttles returning to the ship. She couldn’t find her way back to Earth before we left.”

“Her intentions don’t matter, only her actions.”

He didn’t call me a criminal. We were making progress.

“Father, have mercy. She doesn’t deserve to go to prison. Anyone can make a mistake.” His voice had a pleading tone, but his father’s face was unrelenting. “Can you drop the charges?”

“You’re right, but it doesn’t mean we ignore the clear intent of the law.”

Allex turned away and gave me a desperate glance. I dropped my eyes. He was giving up and wasn’t going to tell his father about us. How could I trust him to be my partner if he wouldn’t stand up to his father and admit I was his bond mate? I tried to stay calm, but I was so angry I could hardly stand it. When I glanced at Gwen beside me, she shook her head, looking furious.

Anders spoke up. “Father, Allex is right. She’s harmless. We can set her down on the next planet. Relax a little.”

The king gave Anders a dirty look, but I thought I could see some amusement in his eyes.

“Why don’t you think about it for a day?” Avren always sounded like the voice of reason. “You always tell Arnon a king doesn’t make rash decisions.”

The king looked at his fourth son. When Avren spoke, people listened.

“All right, if you’re all united against me, I will consider my decision for one day. I will meet all of you here tomorrow.”

“All of us?” Anders looked puzzled. “Arnon and Ayrie too?”

His father nodded. “And Jayne and Elle.”

“Thank you for your time, Father.”