Bought By The Alien Prince Read online

  I followed her through the auction house and down to the transport pod in a daze. One of the sort-of cars I had seen on the balcony waited beside the curb. Nobody got out to open it, but the door slid to the side as we approached.

  "Does everyone here have a car?"

  “Not everyone, human. Many have no need. Others have poor resources." Ingendia's accent was thicker than Zarbonov's and we sat in silence for several seconds as my brain tried to sort through her words. She leaned back in her chair, letting her braid fall over her shoulder as she turned her back to me in favor of the view out the window.

  That seemed like a great idea to me. It was probably better for everyone if I saved what little energy I had. I had questions, a few hundred of them, but Ingendia didn't give the impression that she wanted to answer them. So, I turned to my own window and watched the scenery.

  We took the same road I had watched from the balcony, the street where I’d watched the cars rise in the air like an invisible giant had picked them up.

  My stomach sank. "Can't we go a different way?"

  Ingendia shook her head. "No other way, human. This is faster. Better."

  The car reached the end of the road before I could object again, not that she would have listened to me anyway. I pressed my hands flat against the seat cushions and prayed that would slow my body down enough if the worst happened. Visions of a watery demise flashed in my mind.

  But nothing happened. The car pod paused at the shore, vibrating softly as I felt the ground pull away from beneath us. I had taken First-Class flights that weren't as smooth a ride.

  The city, V'dal, Zarbonov called it, grew larger as we traveled away from the auction house. The deeper we went into the city, the wider and larger the buildings became until I couldn't see anything but towers and slivers of black sky. What looked like candles to me from the balcony were lights embedded in the sides of the buildings, blinking in a set pattern. Were they there to keep the cars from flying into the buildings at night? I turned to Ingendia to ask her, but the car slowed down before I could get the words out.

  We pulled up beside one of the larger four-story mansions near the far coast of V'dal. A thin sliver of moonlight hit the side of the building, giving it a strange blue shimmer that contrasted with the orange glow from the sconces embedded in the facade.

  Zarbonov's home. My home, if he got his way.

  "Is Zarbonov rich? I mean, does he have a lot of resources?"

  "Kai'ben's family is old. They have never fallen. Blood like his does well here."

  Blood like his, not blood like mine. Not like hers either, although she hadn't mentioned herself since she’d told me her name.

  Both back doors slid open. Ingendia climbed out of the car without a backward glance. I didn't know what it was about me that made the women of this planet hate my guts, but three times in a row couldn't have just been a coincidence.

  "Have I done something to piss you off?" I asked, only half expecting her to answer.

  Ingendia shrugged, continuing her path beneath the front archway into a courtyard dotted with bare trees. The mansion's tower stood at the center, the highest dome the highest point of the building.

  "You are 'Tak," Ingendia said. "Not worth much thought."

  ‘Tak. Zarbonov had used the same word when he offered his compromise. He added it to my name when I refused to tolerate ‘Jan. "What does ‘Tak mean?"

  "’Tak, human," she said, emphasizing the first part of the word. "It is meant for. To be. Not is."

  "That's a title for a person? Someone who isn't?"

  We continued past the tower, and for some reason, I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't get to see the inside. It seemed more interesting than the rest of the building. The layout reminded me of an old castle, impressive but built more to take an attack than to impress the neighbors.

  "Should be but isn't," Ingendia said as she led me toward the far end of the courtyard. "Meant to be but not yet."

  The far wing of the house was plainer than the rest. There were no glimmering orange lights on the outside, no gnarled trees, and no ornate carvings in the stonework, inside or out. If the mansion were a small city, the smaller structure at the back was the slums.

  Ingendia stopped at an unmarked metal door and pushed the screen on the wall. It slid aside to reveal a dark room with bare stone walls. "After dinner, I take you to Kai'ben again. Then you come back here to sleep."

  A room that almost was for a woman who should have been but wasn't. The light sconces switched on as Ingendia crossed the threshold.

  The room was about the size of the honeymoon closet from the auction house, but the silken sheets and pillowcases were blood red instead of teal. There were low cushions to cover the worn floor planks. A dresser, small desk, and chair completed the furnishings. Unlike the honeymoon closet or the Room, my bedroom had a keypad console on my side of the door.

  "He doesn't stay here?" Even as I asked, I wasn't sure what answer I wanted. The idea of seeing Zarbonov again didn't leave me warm and fuzzy, but communicating with him was easier than it was with Ingendia. His voice was nicer to listen to.

  "Kai'ben is in the talajut," she said, pointing toward the tower at the center of the house. "Talajut is only for ‘Jan or ‘Vin. "

  None of the words meant anything to me, but gut instinct told me Ingendia wouldn't explain more. I got the gist of it. If I wasn't going to play the good little slave wife, then I shouldn't expect the perks. Seemed fair enough. More than fair.

  Ingendia pressed the keypad, ducking through the door and into the hallway before it fully slid open. I padded over to the bed and sat down. It was softer than it looked, and the silk felt heavenly against my bare arms. In fact, next to the bath with Blue 3, it was the nicest thing I'd felt in days.

  I closed my eyes. All my life, I'd been Ella Browne, the only daughter of Mayor Richard M. Browne. My dad learned early in life that money covered a multitude of sins, and thanks to that philosophy, I never wanted for much in my life. Now, something as simple as a soft bed felt like the lap of luxury.

  It wasn't fancy, but it had a bed, four walls, and a door I could control. For the moment, that was enough to make it feel like mine.

  Chapter Eleven

  Ella

  "'Tak, wake up!" Ingendia shouted. She tugged on my shoulder so hard my entire body shook. My teeth chattered.

  I groaned and tried to roll away, but midway through the motion, I bumped into something solid that I definitely didn't remember being there before. My eyes flew open as the smell of charred meat and fried deliciousness hit my nose.

  Ingendia reached forward and caught the breakfast tray with both hands, shouting in the alien language. She looked at me as if she expected a response then shook her head and groaned.

  "No time to make you more breakfast," Ingendia said as she set the tray back over the bed. "If it falls again, 'Tak eat anyway."

  Whatever snippy retort I might have had for Ingendia was obliterated in another wave of savory aroma. Three steaming meat patties, each the size of my hand, were stacked in the middle of a square plate. They were flanked on either side by plump juicy vegetables that were the size of tomatoes but looked more like carrots. A pitcher of thick violet liquid, a small loaf of bread, and a hunk of butter took up the rest of the empty space.

  "Please tell me that's for me," I blurted out.

  Her brow furrowed. "'Tak, you make no sense. Of course, it is for you." She moved away from the side of my bed to the window and tossed the shades open, letting sunlight pour in.

  I covered my eyes and groaned as pain shot through my eyes. Wait . . . sun?

  "It's morning?"

  If Ingendia hadn't had the presence of mind to press down on my shoulders, I would have sat up and knocked the tray over again. Thankfully, her reflexes were faster than mine. She was stronger than me too.

  "Calm down, 'Tak," she said, adjusting her grip when she saw me wince. "When I told Kai'ben you slept, he said leave you be."
>
  A sigh escaped my lips. Zarbonov couldn’t be mad that I missed the meeting if he's the one who canceled it. Something told me it wasn't a good idea to piss off the boss on the first day. I pushed myself up in bed, taking care not to jostle the tray again.

  She passed me a fork and walked to the dresser. "Eat quickly, 'Tak. Kai'ben will wake soon. You will meet with him during his breakfast, which is already late.”

  That was one order I was more than happy to follow. I plucked a patty from the plate with one hand and speared a roasted veggie with the fork in the other. I took huge bites out of everything, stuffing my face in a way that would have scandalized my mother if she’d seen it.

  While I ate, Ingendia pulled outfits from the dresser, setting on the smooth surface in piles. I half expected to see more woven gold or see-through lace but was pleasantly surprised to see linen and light fabrics instead. Nothing she pulled out was as colorful or bright as the robe Zarbonov had worn the night before. None of it was as beautiful as the gold dress New Blue picked out.

  "As 'Tak, you dress yourself. If you become 'Jan, I will help." She opened the second drawer and pulled out a leather bodice. "This will go over your dress."

  "I'd rather not. I mean, it's not ugly," I said for fear I offended her. "It's just not really my style, you know?"

  Ingendia grabbed my hand and set the bodice on my open palm. "Is Xiban style. Kai'ben will want to see you in it."

  "Xiban,” I repeated, rolling the word around on my tongue. "What is that?"

  "Our people," Ingendia said. "We are Xiban. It would please Kai'ben for you to look like us."

  She walked toward the door as if the fact that Zarbonov wanted to see me with my waist cinched in leather overrode my opinion. Technically, it did, I guess.

  "At least I get real clothes today," I mumbled.

  Ingendia glanced at me over her shoulder. The sneer on her lips was hard to miss. "Until you are 'Jan, yes."

  When the door slid shut, I undressed and bathed with the water in the china bowl. The selection of clothes Ingendia pulled turned out to all be dresses. I grabbed one from the pile and slid it over my head. The bodice was a chore to put on and made me wish I had an extra pair of hands, but I managed to snap it in place somehow.

  That must have been why Ingendia took the time to tell me she wouldn't help me until I was a ‘Jan. Until I was what she thought I should be.

  I tapped the keypad and the door slid open. Ingendia stood beside it, her arms folded across her chest and her blue eyes gliding over my body from head to toe.

  "This will do. Come." Ingendia marched out of the building toward the center tower.

  The courtyard had been deserted the night before, but a dozen blue-skinned aliens were in it now. Every time I passed one of them, they looked up from their work or paused mid-step to watch. A few of them exchanged whispers in their language.

  My stomach sank further with each step we took toward the tower. Ingendia said Zarbonov had commanded her to let me sleep. He couldn't get mad if it was his idea, right? Maybe a normal person wouldn't, but Zarbonov was an alien who inexplicably spoke English and bought a stranger to be his wife. This whole thing passed normal a few stops ago.

  If any of my growing panic made it to the surface, Ingendia didn't let on. She led me past the group of gawkers into the main tower. Thankfully, the tower was deserted and it had an elevator. It took less than a second for us to reach the top floor.

  I had a sudden urge to ask Ingendia for advice as the door slid open. There was no way for me to know how well she knew Zarbonov, but she would know better than me how to avoid pissing him off.

  The elevator door slid open and Ingendia stepped into the hall. She slid her fingers along a keypad in the wall. A soft chime and a loud voice responded and the door opened. Zarbonov was on the other side, sitting in a high-backed chair behind a breakfast feast that took up the entire table. Grilled meats, stewed grains, and sliced fruits of many vibrant colors covered every inch of every plate.

  Zarbonov wore plain pants and heavy boots instead of the robes and sandals from the night before. His midnight black hair had been slicked back, and it curled just over the tops of his ears. A sturdy leather vest was wrapped around his torso, with heavy stitching that twisted and turned into a pattern. A gleaming silver emblem was pinned to his shoulder. He had worn the same one the night before, attached to his robes in a similar position.

  He looked up at me, grunted, and went back to shoving spoonsful of the mushy wheat into his mouth. Was that approval or disapproval? I turned to Ingendia for clarification. She had already disappeared behind the closing door.

  "I don't think she likes me very much," I said.

  A sharp laugh burst from Zarbonov's mouth. "If you were Kai'jan she would not be so open. But you are Kai'tak, so Ingendia says what she pleases."

  "Don't suppose you could explain to me what I did so I can avoid it next time?"

  He paused, taking a sip from a bowl of what looked like orange milk. "Can a warrior retreat from battle after he draws first blood?"

  As far as I was concerned, yes, but something told me that wasn't the answer Zarbonov was looking for. "I'm not a warrior."

  "But your position is the same," Zarbonov said with a shrug. "You cannot take back actions she objects to. The choices were made."

  "So back to my original question, then." I rubbed my forehead to keep the headache at bay. Zarbonov was the only person on the entire planet I could talk to, and every conversation with him turned into a wrestling match. One I could never win. "What did I do to her?"

  "You are not Ella jan Zarbonov."

  It took a second for his words to sink in and then a few more for them to make sense. Of course I wasn't Ella jan Zarbonov. I was Ella Browne, and would be for as long as I could help it. Why would that matter to Ingendia?

  "Would she like me if I were a ‘Jan?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded as it left my lips. It shouldn't matter to me if Ingendia hated my guts, but it did.

  He paused mid-bite, drops of thick pale slop dripping from his spoon back into his bowl. "Does that matter to you?"

  "Kind of . . .?"

  Zarbonov's eyebrow quirked. "Why?"

  "In my experience, it's a lot easier to live in places where there isn't a target on your back."

  He laughed again, and this time, the sound didn't scare me. "Humans may be wiser than I thought. No, Ingendia would not like you more, but she would behave better. If she has hurt your feelings, I will correct her."

  I shook my head. "That would only piss her off more. I can learn to live with it."

  Zarbonov looked at me, his azure eyes suddenly fiercely intense. "I said I will correct her, Ella tak Zarbonov."

  His tone didn't leave room for argument, but that didn't mean I had nothing to say. "What makes you think she will listen to you when it comes to me?"

  "Ingendia is Xiban," he said, rising to his feet. "She knows her place."

  The words stung more than I expected them to. In my first morning on my new planet, I had managed to annoy the only two people I could communicate with. Every chance I had, I reminded myself of whom I had been, clinging to it like a life preserver. But I would never be that Ella again.

  Zarbonov's patience would eventually run out. Sooner than later, if I didn't find some way to learn the rules of their people. One of us had to bridge the gap.

  "Will you teach me your language?" I asked.

  He looked at me, his eyes narrowing for a moment. "No."

  "What? Why?"

  "You will learn it when I say, not before." He stepped away from the table.

  I stepped in his way. "You mean you don't trust me yet."

  Zarbonov stared down at me, folding his arms across the bulging muscles of his chest. "If those words carry more weight, yes."

  I pressed my lips together and suppressed the urge to say I felt the same way. "Last night, you said I'm here to learn, right?"

  "Yes, to be Kai'jan."


  "How am I supposed to do that if I can't talk to anybody? How am I supposed to learn your culture if I don't understand anything? It'll take more than shoving me into your clothes."

  Zarbonov lifted his chin. "The answer is no."

  Every conversation with Zarbonov turned into a battle, and somehow, I was never quite sure which of us had won. If I couldn't get him to teach me, my life in his house would be long, hard, and lonely. I'd lived that life before once, back on Earth. I'd been dreading going back to it when I was stolen. Now, here it was, staring me in the face again.

  I moved to my knees in front of Zarbonov, holding his gaze as I lowered myself to the stone floor. He eyes widened, but he didn't look away or move.

  "Please, Kai'ben, I know I'm causing you trouble. I know you are trying to be kind. But I can't be whoever I'm supposed to be here if I can't understand the world around me. I'm begging you. Let me learn."

  He stared hard at me for a long while, his chest heaving with each breath. But Zarbonov wasn't looking at my eyes. I followed his gaze down until my eyes landed on the soft curves of my breasts, perfectly visible above the linen dress and leather bodice.

  As I crossed my arms over my chest to cover myself, my eyes landed on Zarbonov's straining bulge. A flush crept into my cheeks. "Um . . . I'm sorry. There's no mirror in my—"

  Zarbonov bent down until his head was near mine. "You refuse to let me touch you, then pose like this and use these words?"

  "I . . . don’t know what it means." I leaned back, shifting my weight onto my rear end to put distance between us. "Ingendia used it."

  He groaned in frustration and stood up again. "Of course she did! It means . . . you have proven your point. We start tonight, after dinner."

  Zarbonov turned and strode toward the door, leaving me cowering on the floor like a child. I could only imagine how our first lesson would go.