Bound to the Stars

Chapter 7

The entire assembly hall is silent. Not quiet. Silent. Thousands of people are staring at me, and for the first time in my life, I find myself wishing I could disappear. I have never particularly enjoyed being the center of attention, but being publicly identified as the Valerathyin prince's mate is a level of attention I could have happily gone my entire life without experiencing.

Nadine's hand is still wrapped around mine. I squeeze it hard enough that I am probably hurting her, but she doesn't complain. Instead, she shifts closer until our shoulders touch, grounding me in a way I desperately need right now. The prince hasn't moved either. His eyes remain fixed on me, although I notice he is careful not to take another step forward. The glowing markings along his throat have spread toward his jaw, and I can't stop staring at them.

So that rumor was true. Fantastic. Apparently, I should have listened to more of Caroline's gossip.

The king says something in Valerathic, breaking the silence. I don't understand most of it, but I recognize the word mate. It's one of the first Valerathic words everyone learns after arriving here. Kind of hard not to when the entire reason you're imprisoned revolves around it.

The prince responds without looking away from me, and whatever conversation follows is clearly not friendly. His father's tone sharpens, and when the king gestures toward me, the prince immediately shifts his position so that he is standing more directly between us.

Nadine leans closer. "What are they doing?"

"Arguing, apparently." I keep my voice low, although I doubt anyone is paying attention to us specifically when the Valerathyin royal family seems to be having some kind of public disagreement in the middle of the assembly hall. "I can see that," she whispers back. "I'm trying not to panic."

I glance toward her and immediately feel guilty. Her face has gone pale. "Hey, I'm okay." The words sound unconvincing even to me, so I add, "Well, I'm not okay, but I'm pretending." That earns the smallest smile from her.

A movement near the front draws my attention back to the royal family. The queen has approached her son, and unlike the king, she doesn't look angry. If anything, she looks emotional. Happy, even. Her hand lifts toward the glowing markings near his face, but the prince says something quietly before she can touch him. Whatever he says makes her stop. Then she looks at me. My entire body stiffens.

Her gaze moves over my face, then lower, and I hate the immediate assumptions my brain makes. Human. Female. Fertile. Potential grandchildren. Maybe that isn't what she's thinking at all, but I can't help it. Ever since arriving here, I have learned that humans are rarely seen without someone considering what use we might be.

The queen takes a step toward me, and the prince moves at the same time. He reaches her before she gets very far and says something else in Valerathic. This time, several of the guards nearby glance at one another.

"God, I wish I knew what they were saying," Nadine murmurs. "Probably discussing which cage they're putting me in next."

"Anna."

"What? I'm being realistic." Nadine gives me a look, but before she can respond, Commander Vaerik begins walking toward us.

My stomach tightens immediately. Nadine moves closer again, and I am suddenly very aware of every story I've heard about women who were matched. Leah was screaming. Three guards carried her out. The empty bed afterward. I had spent months imagining what it would feel like if that ever happened to me. Apparently, this is it. Vaerik stops several feet away. "Anna Bennett?"

I stare at him. "You already know that's me." Something in his expression tightens, but he continues anyway. "You have been identified as the true mate of Crown Prince Kael."

Kael. So that's his name.

My eyes flick toward the prince before I can stop myself. He is still standing where I left him, still keeping his distance, and for some reason, that bothers me almost as much as if he had come closer. “Congratulations," Vaerik adds. I look back at him. "For what?" His expression tells me he genuinely doesn't understand the question. "For your recognition."

"My recognition?" I nearly laugh. "I didn't recognize anything." Behind him, Kael says something sharply in Valerathic. Vaerik turns his head, listens, then looks back at me with an expression that suggests he would rather be anywhere else.

"His Highness has requested that I clarify that you are not required to refer to the bond as yours." I blinked at him. "What?"

Vaerik looks even more uncomfortable now. "The Crown Prince has instructed that until you personally acknowledge the bond, it will be referred to only as his recognition." For several seconds, I just stare at him. That might be the strangest thing anyone has said to me since aliens invaded Earth. Nadine looked between me and the prince. "He said that?"

"Yes."

I glance toward Kael again. He is still watching me. Still keeping his distance. I don't understand him, and I don't like not understanding things. "What happens now?" I ask.

Vaerik hesitates, which is becoming one of my least favorite things Valerathyins do. "Protocol requires that a recognized mate be transferred from the matching center." There it is.

My grip on Nadine's hand tightens. "No." The answer leaves my mouth before I even think about it. Vaerik's expression stays carefully neutral. "Anna—"

“I said no." The murmuring around us grows louder, but I don't care. "I'm not going anywhere with him." I point toward Kael, and a few of the Valerathyin guards look mildly horrified by the gesture. Kael doesn't. His gaze stays on mine, and if anything, he looks more concerned than offended.

Vaerik lowers his voice. "The transfer is required under Valerathyin law."

"I am not Valerathyin."

"You are the mate of the future king."

"I'm an American." The words come out before I can stop them, and for some reason they make my throat tighten. American. Does that even mean anything anymore? Is there still an America? I don't know. Vaerik seems unsure how to respond, and for once, I am glad to have left him speechless.

Nadine squeezes my hand before asking, "What if she refuses?" Vaerik turns toward her, but she doesn't look away. "The bond has been confirmed."

"That wasn't what I asked."

I almost smile. Apparently, I'm rubbing off on her. Before Vaerik can answer, another voice cuts through the conversation. "Anna." Every hair on my arms rises. I know immediately who said it.

The prince.

Kael.

It was the first time I had heard him speak English. His voice is deeper than I expected, and there is almost no accent. I turn toward him, but he still doesn't move closer. "I will not approach you," he says. That is not what I expected. Kael glances briefly toward Vaerik before returning his attention to me. "Commander Vaerik is correct. You cannot remain here."

"Convenient." Something that might almost be amusement touches his face, but it disappears quickly. "I understand why you would think so."

"No, you don't." His expression changes slightly. "Perhaps not." That answer irritates me more than if he had argued.

I cross my arms over my chest. "So you're going to drag me out anyway?"

"No." The answer is immediate. He looks toward the guards surrounding us before continuing. "No one will touch you without your permission." My eyes follow his toward the guards. "That's not how this normally works."

"I know." There is something in the way he says it that makes me believe him. Not trust him. Definitely not trust. But I believe that he knows exactly what happens inside these centers. The king says something behind him, and Kael's shoulders tense, but he does not turn around. His attention remains on me. "You will need to leave this facility, but you will decide how."

"Those sound like the same thing."

"They are not."

"Feels pretty similar from where I'm standing." His mouth moves slightly. Not quite a smile, but close enough that I notice. "I imagine it does."

I narrowed my eyes at him. I don't appreciate him being reasonable. It makes hating him unnecessarily complicated. "What are my options?" I finally ask.

Kael considers the question before answering. "You may walk out yourself. You may remain with your friend until transportation is arranged. She may accompany you as far as security permits. Or I can leave, and Commander Vaerik can explain everything without my presence."

That surprised me enough that I forgot to be angry for a second. "You would leave?"

"If that makes you more comfortable."

I study his face, looking for something. A trick. An expectation. Anything that makes this make sense. I find nothing.

"Why?"

His glowing markings brighten slightly, and I wonder if that is connected to whatever he is feeling. "Because you are afraid of me."

My stomach twists. "I am not afraid of you." One of his eyebrows lifts. I hate that too.

"Fine," I admit. "Maybe a little."

“I would be concerned if you weren't." That shuts me up. Because once again, he isn't responding the way he's supposed to. He's supposed to tell me I have nothing to fear. He's supposed to defend his people. He's supposed to explain that mate bonds are sacred and that I will eventually understand.

Instead, he's standing twenty feet away from the woman his body supposedly recognizes as his mate because she stepped backward when he came closer. I don't know what to do with that. Nadine leans toward me. "Anna." I look at her, but she doesn't say anything else. She doesn't need to. I know what she's thinking. I can't stay here. Even if Kael walked out of this room and never returned, everyone now knows what I am. The crown prince's mate. My life inside this place is over. I close my eyes for a second and took a breath before looking toward Kael again. "If I go with you, Nadine comes with me."

Vaerik immediately begins to object, but Kael cuts him off with a single word in Valerathic. The commander goes silent.

Kael looks at Nadine, then back at me. "Yes." I blink. "Yes?"

"She comes." That was too easy.

Nadine's fingers tighten around mine. Vaerik looks horrified. The king looks furious. The queen looks like she is trying very hard not to react. And Kael? Kael looks at me as though there aren't thousands of people surrounding us. "Anything else?"

I stare at him. I should probably be terrified. I am terrified. But beneath the fear, something else has started to form. Curiosity. Because the prince standing in front of me is nothing like the Valerathyin I expected my mate to be. That scares me almost as much as if he were.