Deceived Read online

  We’d take this boat to the next station, and there we’d switch to a hover-train.

  The sides of the boat were glass that extended high above our heads. The ceiling was glass, too. Although we were riding in water, we were completely enclosed in this glass box, which meant nobody was going to get wet.

  “How long will this take?” Paige wanted to know.

  “About twenty minutes.”

  “Then we’ll be at the capital city?”

  “Then we’ll be at the next station. We’ll change to a train there.”

  “Why take a boat at all, then?”

  “This gives us time to talk,” I told her. There were only two other passengers. They were in the front row of seats and they were making out, so they paid us no mind.

  “About what?”

  About what?

  About everything.

  There were things about her I didn’t know. There were things I needed to know in order to keep her safe. I felt myself growing more and more protective of her as time went on. I couldn’t truly explain it except that there was this need within me to care for her.

  Paige hadn’t asked for this. She hadn’t tried to come to our planet. She hadn’t tried to crash her ship. She’d been the victim of circumstance, and even though I owed her nothing, something within me found it necessary to fight for her.

  To guard her.

  She’d been deceived by the people who were supposed to care for her. Jax, her future brother-in-law, should have guarded her. He should have done everything in his power to protect her, but he hadn’t.

  Why not?

  Well, apparently because greed was more important to Jax than loyalty was.

  “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” I spoke quietly, not wanting to draw attention to us.

  “I’m sorry about the bracelet,” she whispered.

  “You tried to contact your parents, didn’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you speak with them?”

  “No. I couldn’t get a signal. At least, I didn’t think that I could. I tried to use it yesterday, and again today. It didn’t work. I figured it must have been because I was so far from civilization...like maybe when we got closer to Tria...”

  Paige’s voice trailed off, but she didn’t need to say anything else. I’d chosen a remote place to live. That much was true.

  “Jax probably disabled your comms.”

  “Why, though?” Paige shook her head. She still didn’t understand it. She was too innocent. Even for a princess, she was naïve. I had the feeling that despite her snarky mouth and her gorgeous lips, Paige was the kind of person who saw good wherever she looked.

  That was part of what made my next question so hard to ask. I didn’t want to be the one responsible for breaking her heart or damaging her dreams. I felt like Jax had already done a pretty good job of that.

  “Paige,” I took a deep breath before I finally just asked her. “You were supposed to be a bride, weren’t you?”

  The question hung between us for a long time. It was the only thing that made any sense. Nobody in their right mind would marry off the younger sister, but not the older one. The older sister was supposed to get married first so she could be the queen. Paige might not know a lot about Malum, but I knew a lot about Gideon.

  That planet loved tradition.

  A lot.

  “Yes,” she whispered finally.

  “What happened, Paige?”

  She swallowed.

  Hard.

  “I was engaged. Piper and I both got engaged at the same time. We’re twins.”

  So, they were twins, but Paige was older. I understood very well what it was like to have a sibling who was destined to lead, and apparently, Piper wasn’t the biggest fan of her sister being the firstborn.

  That didn’t change the fact that Paige wasn’t married.

  So, what had happened?

  “Who was your groom? Why didn’t you wed?”

  It sounded like I was being nosy, but that was never my intention. Paige needed help. She didn’t need someone to be jealous.

  I watched fidget uncomfortably, and I felt bad for the little human.

  I wasn’t upset at the idea of Paige dating another man, but I found myself strangely glad she hadn’t married him. I liked the idea of her being available even though I knew she’d never go for a guy like me.

  I was a Malum alien, for fuck’s sake.

  And she was...

  Well, she truly was a princess.

  “Jax’s twin brother,” she said. “He died.”

  Twins?

  Again?

  What was with the Gideon citizens and their obsession with twins? For a people who struggled to breed at all, their ability to give birth to twins seemed staggering.

  “When?”

  “Six months ago,” she whispered. “We were supposed to have a double wedding, but there was an accident and he died. His ship crashed.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

  “I didn’t think it was related.”

  “Well, I think it is,” I told her.

  “You think Jax blames me for his brother’s death.”

  “Does he?”

  “Maybe,” she whispered. “I don’t know.”

  Paige just looked even more lost. I tugged her into my arms and held her for a minute, enjoying the closeness. I hated the fact that she was hurting, but she had to finish telling me everything she could. It was starting to sound more and more like her ship crashing went beyond simple sabotage. It sounded like Jax, and possibly Piper, had been planning Paige’s demise for quite some time.

  “Why didn’t they find you a new groom?”

  “I didn’t want a groom,” she whispered. “I never wanted to marry Jacob in the first place. I didn’t love him.”

  “Jax and Jacob, Paige and Piper...fuck, your planet is boring with names.” I tried to lighten the mood a little, but it didn’t work. It wasn’t like my own planet was much better when it came to the creative naming of children. I silently vowed right then to never give my own kids horrible names. It would be cool names only for my offspring.

  If I ever had any, that was...

  “I know,” she whispered, shaking her head.

  As much as I wanted to hold it against her, I couldn’t. Paige was gorgeous. I could understand why people would make wild and horrible decisions when it came to her future.

  Paige leaned against me, and we rode in silence the rest of the way. There really wasn’t anything else to say, and more importantly, there wasn’t any use speculating. We’d try to get her home as quickly as possible, and as safely as possible, but I couldn’t make any promises about that.

  When the boat jerked to a stop, the couple in front of us kept making out, but Paige and I exited the boat, carefully stepping onto the platform.

  “Where to next?” Paige asked.

  “Next, we’ll take a train.”

  “Hover-train?”

  “Yes.”

  “You know,” she said, looking around. “This place looks like old subway stations on Earth.”

  “I thought you were born on Gideon.”

  She shrugged.

  “Paige?”

  “I was born on Gideon,” she finally said.

  “Then how do you know what Earth looked like?”

  As far as I knew, the king was pretty intent on keeping Earth history to a minimum when it came to his citizens. The Gideon king was kind of a legendary asshole. In fact, his shittiness was something everyone in the damn galaxy knew about. It was rivaled only by his wife, which was why I was shocked they’d managed to create a daughter as kind and innocent as Paige was.

  “Paige?”

  “I sneaked it, okay?” She looked up at me sharply and bit her lip. Shit. I was going to be in so much trouble if I didn’t figure out how to finally tamp down my desires when it came to her.

  “Meaning?”

  “My father had some Earth films in his library,” she whispered. “One day while he was out, I went in.”

  “You watched the films?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was it fun?” I asked, winking at her.

  “Was it...what?”

  “Fun?”

  “Why would you ask me that? I broke a rule,” Paige looked at me like I was the craziest person she’d ever met.

  “So what?”

  “Breaking rules is wrong.”

  “Sometimes,” I nodded. “Sometimes, it’s just how you get things done, darling.”

  Chapter 8

  Paige

  Ryssi was a source of constant excitement, pleasure, and surprise. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been enjoying his company as much as I was, but I was. We’d been traveling together all day, and I knew it must be late by now, but I didn’t want the day to end.

  I didn’t want the journey to end.

  Suddenly, I was filled with the understanding that sooner, rather than later, I would have to return to Gideon. I’d have to go back and take my place beside my sister as we ruled over the planet.

  Only, I wondered what she was going to do about Jax.

  She was enamored with him. She always had been.

  Jacob and I, on the other hand, had both been wildly annoyed when we’d been selected to marry each other.

  Why?

  Well, for starters, Jacob was gay, and he had a boyfriend. What was worse was that his parents knew this. They simply didn’t care. The two of us were in agreement when it came to our parents. We thought they were being horrible.

  Jacob had died unexpectedly, and while I’d been devastated at the loss of our friendship, the pain hadn’t affected me nearly as much as it had affected his boyfriend, Paul.

  Nobody had cared about Paul.

  Nobody had cared about the fact that Jacob’s boyfriend had suffered a great, horrible loss, and that there had never been any answers offered as to what had actually happened.

  Or why.

  “This way,” Ryssi had stopped pressing about my past. Now he guided me up a staircase, helped me climb two different ladders, led me down a staepo lift, and then walked me through a dark tunnel. Everything happened very quickly, but I tried to stay focused and alert.

  Ryssi bought us tickets for the train. Before I knew what was happening, we were seated side-by-side in a private car on the hover-train. We were alone.

  Finally.

  “I will pay you back,” I told him as the train started moving.

  “That’s not necessary.”

  “I have money,” I explained. “It’s just not in your currency.”

  “It’s not a problem, Paige.”

  “I’ll pay you back,” I muttered again, and I was surprised when Ryssi gripped my chin with his hand and tilted my face up toward him.

  He was a beautiful man, really. Did he know that? He had to know that.

  “I said, it’s not necessary.”

  Although the words came across as short and unfriendly, his tone was soft and wonderful, and it did things to me. I couldn’t explain the sort of awakening I was having with Ryssi.

  It was like being around him made me feel all of these wonderful things I was supposed to have been feeling the entire time I was an adult. I was curious, and I was happy, and I was excited.

  When was the last time I was excited?

  About anything?

  I couldn’t even remember.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, and I licked my lips.

  Ryssi’s eyes darted to my lips so quickly that if I hadn’t been watching him, I wouldn’t have seen, but I had been watching.

  And I had seen.

  I wanted him more than I could possibly explain in that moment. The kiss in the forest earlier had been unexpected and wonderful, and even though we were basically on a survival mission, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. He was big and strong, and I liked the way I felt when I was around him.

  I couldn’t tell who moved first, but half a second later, we were kissing. Our lips came crashing onto each other, and I wrapped my arms around his neck, tugging him closer to me.

  A groan escaped my lips.

  I’d kissed people before, and I’d had sex before, and I’d made out with people before, but I’d never, not in a million years, ever felt like this before.

  Nothing in the universe compared to this.

  “Ryssi,” I whispered, but he bit my lip and kept kissing me, silently letting me know that words were not necessary in this moment.

  That was good because I didn’t have anything else to say.

  I was just filled with this unquenchable need: this wild thirst. A hunger washed over my body, filling me with craving, and I knew deep in my heart that Ryssi was the only one who could satisfy this urge: this need.

  I took off the jacket he’d given me. Despite the fact that the fabric clung to my body, it came off easily, and I tossed it onto the bench beside me and kept touching Ryssi.

  He was big: huge. He was larger than anyone I’d ever known in real life. It was understandable that he’d been trained as a warrior. I wasn’t sure why he’d quit, and I didn’t know if that actually mattered, but I was happy that he was here with me.

  I felt small compared to him.

  Tiny.

  Breakable.

  Somehow, though, I knew that he wasn’t going to break me.

  I moved, climbing onto his lap, straddling him. Even through his clothes, I could feel what was inside of his pants. He was hard: filled with desire for me. That just turned me on even more.

  I wanted this. I wanted him. I wanted to pull his clothes off and have my way with him. I’d never before wanted anything quite so badly.

  Ryssi seemed to be unbothered with this turn of events. He was suddenly no longer my protector, but a challenge for me to overcome. The best way to win this sudden battle growing between us was going to be to make him fall apart.

  I wanted him to come.

  I whispered a silent thanks for the fact that he’d secured us a private room for this journey. We were going to be traveling for hours, he’d said, and having this solitude was going to be quite nice.

  The room we were in had a single bench that floated in the center of the car. It had a back, but that could be removed with the press of a button to turn the bench into a bed. Now, I slid off the bench and stood beside it.

  “What are you doing?” Ryssi asked.

  I pressed a button on the wall. Instead of answering him, I watched as the back of the bench was lowered and the base of the bench, which now looked like a bed, was raised up. Soon, Ryssi was high off the ground. His cock was perfectly level with my mouth.

  “Take off your pants,” I whispered.

  “Paige?”

  “Off. Now.”

  I’d never been bossy in bed before. I’d never told someone what to do or how to do it, but now I needed to do just that. I needed him to do this for me, though.

  I needed it with an intensity I’d never felt.

  For some reason, he listened. Maybe he could feel the need in my voice or the urgency. I wasn’t sure. In a flash, he was completely naked. He sat on the bed and his legs dangled off the sides. I stood there, stepping forward, and then I leaned down.

  His cock was purple. I wondered for a quick second if he was going to taste the way people on Gideon tasted, but as soon as I slid his cock between my lips, all rational thoughts disappeared.

  In this moment, I was no longer running for my life. I was no longer worried and I afraid. I was no longer doing anything except accepting this moment.

  I was accepting him.

  He thrust his cock forward, deeper into my throat.

  “That’s it,” he groaned. “Take my cock, princess.”

  I would.

  I would take it.

  I’d take anything he wanted to offer me, and then I’d take a little bit more. I was losing myself with Ryssi. Every time he touched me, I felt myself growing more and more attached to him, and this?

  Well, this was the kind of thing a girl could get used to.

  Soon I needed more, though, and I pushed him back on the platform bed. I pulled my own clothing off, tossing it carelessly around the compartment, and then I climbed up and straddled him.

  I pressed my hands to his and lowered myself onto him. He watched me the entire time, staring right into my eyes. His eyes flashed different colors as he entered me. It was weird, but kind of intense, too. I liked the way they rotated from purple to gold to red.

  “Ryssi,” I whispered. I closed my eyes for a moment.

  “That’s it, pretty girl,” he murmured. “Take my cock. Take all of it, princess.”

  “It’s...”

  He laughed.

  “Big. I know.”

  “It’s just...”

  It had been a long time for me, and yes, he was big. It was taking me a little while to adjust to the intrusion deep inside of me, but that was okay.

  He was patient.

  I sank down lower, grinding against him as I moved, and Ryssi let go of my hands to grab my face instead. He tugged me close to himself and kissed me. Then he started thrusting deep inside of me, filling me up.

  It was insane.

  I had never imagined that I was the kind of woman who would one day fuck an alien, yet there I was. I had never imagined that I would be having semi-public sex on a train heading to Tria, but there I was. I was doing so many things that I’d never imagined I could do, and I was loving it.

  I was loving him.

  We came together, losing ourselves entirely to the moment. I tried to be quiet, but Ryssi didn’t bother. Apparently, people on Malum weren’t wildly uptight when it came to hearing people having sex.

  Then I collapsed right on top of him, melting onto his chest, and I closed my eyes. Ryssi stroked my hair, teasing it and playing with it, and I choked back the questions that were swirling through my head.

  I wanted this.

  I wanted him.

  I knew that this entire thing was just a fling...it was just a spur-of-the-moment sort of encounter. We were both attractive and available, and we were both on an adventure of sorts. Having sex was kind of inevitable.

  But I wanted it to be more.

  I wanted to be with him.

  And I wanted to know, perhaps more than anything, who Ryssi truly was.