Page 35 of Adored By the Alien Warlord

My heart ached. It hurt to be apart from her. It hurt to think about what I’d done after my parents died.

But my senses remained heightened, attuned to the slightest sound or movement. In this palace filled with uncertainty, I found comfort in the fact that Maggie was only a short distance away. She was my world, my hope, my reason for fighting.

I would not let anyone take her from me.

As the night stretched on, I continued to remain in the hall, analyzing the sounds of the palace, the distant laughter and music, the footsteps of guards and staff. It might take time, but I was going to learn all I could about this building and everyone who worked here.

I’d use that knowledge to break us free from this trap.

Chapter 17

Maggie

The next few days passed like my first at the king’s palace. I spent my daytime hours in my room or strolling with Davon through the small garden outside, learning more about the world he called home. I couldn’t imagine living in a desert, but already, I also couldn’t imagine living without this male in my life. I could picture the beauty as he described it.

It would be my life too if we ever broke free.

My evenings were spent dancing either in the dining room or in a large living area where the king enjoyed sitting and chatting with his guests after a heavy meal. They set up a stage and even a pole for me to dance around.

It wasn’t a bad life if I was into performing for lizards.

It was monotonous, but I suspected the monotony wouldn’t last.

How long before the king tired of me and sold me tosomeone new? Whoever that was, I doubted they’d take Davon along with me. We weren’t a package deal.

We’d quietly talked about ways to escape, but so far, we didn’t have a solid plan. The palace wall and extra guards on top of it were the biggest hurdles. The female Veerenad who acted like my watchdog was yet another.

We had to find a way out of this trap before the king started getting bored. Davon said he had the wisp of a new plan, but he wasn’t sharing it until he had it set in his mind.

Love for him had crept up on me quickly. Some might say it was too sudden, that what I’d found with Davon would never last. Or that this was only a touch of Stockholm syndrome and with counseling, I’d realize my feelings were never real.

But I knew in my heart that he was the one, the person many people spent their life searching for but never found. In Davon, I’d discovered a future and a person I wanted to spend a lifetime getting to know better.

Over the past few days, the king's interest in me had shifted, turning from that of a captivated audience member to something more possessive, something that made my skin twitch. He watched my performances with a keen, almost predatory gaze, and the smiles he sent my way were less friendly and more territorial. He began to refer to me as his “little human,” a pet name that made me tremble every time he used it.

On my fourth night inside the palace, he had no guests, and he demanded I perform for him alone. Idanced, swirling under his watchful eyes, flinching whenever I caught his gaze.

When he indicated I was finished for the evening, I stood on the platform, my heart thumping fast and my breathing ragged. Dancing used to bring me incredible joy but now it only made me feel wretched. I wasn't a butterfly pinned to wax or a pet in a cage, yet I suspected this was how this male saw me.

Davon approached me to take me back to my room as usual, and the king's gaze snapped onto his frame.

“Not tonight,” he barked. “Oolah,” he bellowed, and the Veerenad female slunk into view. Davon was my bodyguard, keeping the guests from approaching me, but Oolah acted as if she was the head of the king's guard. She watched me all the time. Scrutinized my every movement—and Davon's. Had she been sent to spy on us?

“Take my little human to her room tonight instead of the Zuldruxian male.” He glared at Davon. “I don't like her walking in the gardens, especially with him. See that she doesn't do this any longer.”

“Of course, my king.” Oolah bowed.

Was my world shrinking to my room and the stage where I danced? I knew better than to protest. If the king was in a good mood, he’d snap that I was to obey him, that I had no will of my own. That I existed merely to perform for his sharp gaze.

In a mood like tonight, when his eyes sparked with anger, he might even hit me.

“Make sure the Zuldruxian remains in the hall, that he doesn't enter her room,” he added.

He wanted my full, undivided attention, my loyalty, and every scrap of my time.

Tension spiked down Davon's back, but he also knew better than to say a word.

“Come.” Oolah grabbed my upper arm and urged me from the room.