King Shene came into Alexis’s room late that night after she had showered. Alexis hated to take Nabvan’s scent off of her but felt paranoid that the king could smell him on her if she didn’t. Alexis let herself go numb as she saw him, something she had been preparing herself for an entire week. She had to do whatever was necessary to remain a Milisarian so she could continue to see the love of her life. It was like a tether attached their hearts to each other, and if cut, she would die. Love was a funny thing like that, and she wondered why she had never been able to get to that point with anyone before. Had Nabvan been waiting on this dark planet for her his whole life, just hoping she would make the decision to come into space so the Milisarians could snatch her up?

“It is nice to see you after taking care of some business. It is always a tedious and lonely thing to do,” the king said, reaching out to her for an embrace. Alexis didn’t question or hesitate, she embraced him as well, trying not to move away as his hand slid over the bare spaces on her back. She couldn’t help herself as she popped off at him. It was the one victory she thought she could have before she offered her body to a man who didn’t deserve it: to a man other than the one it belonged to.

“How can it possibly be lonely with so many women to keep you company? Surely, you took one of them with you for your pleasure?” she asked harshly as she gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled away, heading over to the bed. She wanted to make herself look unapproachable. Maybe he would change his mind and let her do whatever she wanted. He got to do that.

King Shene cleared his throat, looking caught off guard. Alexis liked that she could do that. He approached her, and she braced herself for whatever was coming, but nothing did. “I was not aware you knew about the other women,” he said simply, looking a little embarrassed. He should have been embarrassed. He was part of a race that believed in only ever sleeping with one woman, but he had many at the same time, holed up in rooms somewhere unknown. And none of them belonged there. They were all stolen from some other planet.

“Milisarians talk, Shene, and so do some of the women. Of course, I would find out. I have known it for a long time, but it took this week for me to really feel hurt by it.” That was a lie, but it was a lie that could save her in the end. She had to be convincing in her want for him so he would never suspect that every time she was alone with Nabvan she would be tasting his sin like it was candy.

“I think I owe you an apology. I am not a traditional Milisarian, and I would love to give my excuse that I am only a half-breed.” Alexis was instantly taken aback by that statement. She had wondered about his darker skin before, but nothing else about him read a thing other than Milisarian knight. “That is a poor excuse for my behavior, but I assure you, I took no other woman with me on my latest travels. It was purely business, and I have been trying to see those women less and less in hopes of doing right by you. Do you not understand that I wish to make you my queen? You would be queen of all of Milisaria. Nothing could stop you, then. No one could tell you what to do, other than myself in this bedroom. You could be whatever you wanted; you could do whatever you wanted.” Alexis tried not to laugh. If only he knew what she wanted, he wouldn’t be giving her that offer. But it was tempting. That freedom could do so much for her. It could do so much for Milisaria.

“Forgive me if I seem to be in a poor mood. I have been lonely this time and faced with a hard reality. My friends will be going back to Earth to face whatever it is they must face back down on Earth. Many were prisoners before, and I worry about them,” she admitted, hoping that he would do something; even a tiny thing about that concern.

“I am sorry about that. I did not realize you were close to any of those women,” he admitted. How could he not know that? Did he not pay any attention at Destiney’s wedding? Then again, the king only paid attention to himself. It was something she needed to remember in all of this to not be pulled in. “I will make sure you get to tell them goodbye before they are left on Earth, and I will talk to the humans and let them know that these women deserve a nice life.” Alexis doubted he would remember, but it was better than nothing. But maybe that time alone with the women would do some good. Maybe they could all come up with a plan with Nabvan’s help. There was something else to take care of first, though: fulfilling her duty to the king.

“Aren’t you going to ask for my answer?” she asked him, interested that he had not pressed it yet. She was in the mood to get it over with. She was still so close to her memories of Nabvan and his amazing body, and she could imagine him the whole time as the king took her and tried to impregnate her.

“I was trying to put the focus on something else,” he said, still standing over her on the bed.

It was time for Alexis to find the actress within her. She stood up and placed her mouth over his ear so that her lip left a slight trail of wetness while she whispered. “Well, I think it’s time to focus on it,” she told him in as sultry a voice as she could manage. “Because my answer is yes.” She pulled away, reaching behind her back to unclasp the red dress she was wearing just for his pleasure. He liked those dresses instead of the bodysuits, which Nabvan preferred.

Underneath, she was completely naked, and it did its job. The king’s eyes glazed over with a sickening lust that she tried not to let get to her. This was the whole point: her ticket back to Milisaria after their detour to Earth. She was not stepping foot on that planet and risking the loss of Nabvan.

King Shene stripped off all of his armor and his real robes, leaving his body bare as well. His muscles were harsh and his body a dark square. He looked a bit like one of those men on the cover of a romance novel—the kind that made you wonder if they were on steroids to get those kinds of rounded muscles. His body was not completely unappealing, but it wasn’t Nabvan. It was hard to allow herself to get wet for him, to get ready for him to slide inside of her the same way Nabvan had.

King Shene did not waste his time. He laid her down onto the bed, being gentle, which belied what she knew must be coming. He dragged his hand over her body, and she shut her eyes, imagining that every touch came from the man she loved. It was the way she had promised herself she would get through it.

His thumb reached her clit and began circling it around, getting her center wet and ready for him to plunge in. She rocked into him, forcing herself to get into it until she was really feeling it. He pushed his finger inside of her, making her gasp at the sensation. She opened her eyes as he pulled out his fingers, tasting her sweetness on his tongue. He was testing her, seeing what she was like to be with. He was so curious about the human body: she could tell.

Alexis pulled him up to her by the hair, not taking care not to be rough. He struck her as a man who would appreciate that. She nibbled at his lips, driving him crazy as she felt his shaft push up against her skin. He was shorter and thicker than Nabvan. It would be a different kind of sensation, but she hoped she would at least enjoy herself for all the trouble she was putting herself through.

Suddenly, the king growled loudly and flipped her body over onto her stomach. His fingers traced her spine, sending a chill through her before he placed himself between her legs, leaning over her with his head entering her like he was impaling her from behind.

His thickness caused her center to stretch and tear, and she screamed out in pain until it subsided so that she could feel his pumping rhythm. Then, she gripped the sheets in her fists as he slammed into her over and over, much rougher than she expected. There was a certain kind of pleasure to that as she felt herself being pounded. It was a shocking satisfaction that cleared her mind of any worries so that all she could feel was the squeezing of her center around his shaft and the warm liquid that slashed inside her in response. He kissed and bent down her body as he pulled out, and she got the feeling he was not going to hang around for sleeping or a cuddle.

“Thank you,” he told her as if she had done him a favor. And she supposed she had. She stayed there, laying on her stomach as he left, not even moving to cover herself. She was exhausted in more ways than one, and she hoped that Nabvan would not come in to see her that way; that he would be smart enough to keep his distance until morning.