Grumpy Alien King by Celeste King
Heather
“Just sign here, and I’m out of your horns.” I slid the release papers to Dahrial.
He perched on the edge of his massive, granite desk and flipped through the release contract. I thought he’d sign them immediately and send me on my way back to Teshie’s, but to my surprise his pen hung in mid-air.
“It’s been nice,” he conceded, “having you around.”
Uneasily, I took in his unmade bed. Was he having a change of heart?
It surprised me how much I did not want that.
Sensing my unease, he tugged on his right horn. “Not like that. I, uh, just meant it’s been nice having someone to talk to, about my father, and Rulora. I’m sorry it has to be like this, honestly. I wish you could stay, and just marry someone else.”
“I’m glad I could help. You seem happy with Rulora.”
“Yes.” He smiled wide. “She’s incredible.”
Seeing them together had made me a bit jealous, but not for Dahrial. I wanted someone to look at me like he looked at her. I supposed I was jealous of their bond.
“So, what’s it like?” I found myself asking. “Being bonded like that?”
“Oh. Well.” He thought about it for a moment before he continued. “As soon as I met her, I just felt this pull. Physically, but also emotionally. It was overwhelming. I found myself thinking of her, even when she wasn’t around. And when she was, it was like…” He opened his closed fists to demonstrate an explosion. His smile turned wistful. “I hope my father will understand. It’s not something you can easily resist.”
“Well,” I teased absently, “he’s such an understanding guy. I’m sure you’ll have no problem.”
An overwhelming physical and emotional pull, huh?
My thoughts swam with Xxuric. His commanding presence, his sense of humor, his strong hands. But didn’t they always? Hadn’t he overwhelmed me since I arrived at his palatial estate?
There was no way.
He couldn’t be.
I mean, the kitchen sex had been transcendent. Whenever the girls at Teshie’s gushed over some dude sending them to another dimension during sex, I’d always rolled my eyes. Five orgasms just seemed like something in the realm of fantasy.
It made sense, though, if we had some sort of connection.
A connection or you just haven’t been laid in a while.
I tried to imagine any other guy spanking me in front of a roomful of people. Mail-order bride or no, I would have flattened them into the floor. It’s not like spanking was some secret kink I’d been hiding, and I’d never been much of an exhibitionist. So what had gotten me so wet the second he bent me over his knee?
Xxuricwas why I’d gotten so worked up, and I’d just met him.
The attraction had been instant.
Overpowering.
Ugh, I was a mess. Just because I found some guy hot didn’t mean we were fated to be together. Some of what Dahrial said rang true, but wasn’t a bond supposed to work both ways?
If Xxuric felt the same, why would he hide for two days? Dahrial looked enraptured by Rulora whenever she did so much as open a textbook next to him. Rulora gazed into Dahrial’s eyes like they were the night sky and she was a telescope. I should have noticed their bond much sooner. It’s not like they were subtle.
Meanwhile, Xxuric’s smile had slipped right off his face as soon as I’d gathered the courage to enter his office.
“I wish I could explain it to him,” Dahrial sighed. He began initializing the pages. “The class differences are huge, but I think he doesn’t understand why I’d only want to be with one person for the rest of my life. Especially since he’s usually juggling three women at a time.”
A strange sensation burned in my chest at the image of Xxuric with another woman, much less three. I forced my face to stay impassive.
We definitely weren’t bonded. Dahrial wanted to stay with Rulora for the rest of his life. Xxuric probably considered me a taboo fling to be discarded as soon as possible.
My novelty as the forbidden fruit had worn off now that he’d gotten a taste.
That’s why he hadn’t seen me since the kitchen. I’d already served my purpose for him, and now I’d made myself unsuitable for his son. These release papers were the best solution for everyone involved.
Dahrial’s smooth, expensive pen glided on the last page with a flourish.
It was done.
He handed the papers to me, and I accepted them.
“Thank you for doing this.”
Dahrial looked surprised. “No, thank you. For everything. I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but I’m sure you’ll find a much better husband soon. I’m sorry I couldn’t be what you needed. I thought, when you arrived, that this would all go much differently. That you’d be upset.”
Maybe without Xxuric clouding my mind, I would have been a little bitter. I did need the money for my parents, and it wasn’t my fault my betrothed had fallen for his tutor.
I hugged Dahrial farewell.
I supposed it wasn’t his fault, either. It’s not like I’d handled my attraction to his father any better.
“You did tell my father you’re leaving, right?” Dahrial’s face pinched. “Heather?”
I hadn’t let him know, but why should I? It’s not like I was marrying him. And the way he’d suddenly buried himself in his office, it’s not like he would even notice.
Or care.
Now that I had the papers in hand, I found myself rationalizing all the reasons I could still stay. Dahrial needed a confidant. My parents needed money. Xxuric was Xxuric. Fated mate or not, he wasn’t going to let his son marry a Florian. He’d probably just order another wife as soon as I left.
Would it be anyone I knew?
Would he fuck her, too?
I patted Dahrial’s shoulder and headed towards the shuttles. I needed to leave before I changed my mind.
