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She stepped out of the Duran, shoulders pulled back, presenting a dignified woman who would have one day been the voice in the ear of the king, his consort, and queen.
“I don’t know your name,” Jenna said when the male got closer. He was dressed in a suit she was sure cost more than she made in a month. The black pinstriped suit looked good on him. When she tried to focus on his ears, her eyes slipped by them. Yep, he was Tan-ge, but most people would never notice or think it was strange they couldn’t focus on his ears.
“I didn’t offer my name.” He gripped her arm hard and started pulling her behind him. Jenna stumbled and fell to her knees. He smacked her across the face, busting her lip. There was a low snarl beside her that made her heart race. She looked around, praying Kala hadn’t followed her. If anything happened to him, she wouldn’t be able to take it.
“Get up and don’t fall again.” Jenna struggled to her feet.
“Don’t pull me like an errant disobedient child, then I won’t fall.”
“You have the wrong idea of what’s happening here. You’re nothing but a means to the end. With your death comes that of the one who aspires to wear the crown. As it will be at the hands of a human, it will also leave this planet deserted and in the hands of the enemy.”
“How long have you bastards been planning this?” Yep, there was no longer a filter about her ability to curse, especially when she was faced with vermin. He slapped her again. Pain blossomed on her cheek while the blood coming from her lips flowed heavier.
“All you need to worry about is satisfying Jeffrey.” He picked her up and threw her into the back of a van with blacked-out windows.
Why had she read that letter?
Chapter Twenty-three
SaKura pushed through the heavy, dense fog of sleep. It was a slog to approach consciousness. He sent his senses out to search the room. The first thing he noticed was his mate was missing.
She was gone. His heart was in his throat as he sent his enhanced senses through the house. There was no one there, including Cleo. The air was heavy and damp with dread. There was a problem, and he knew it centered on Jenna. He forced himself to sit, refusing to open his eyes. There was no sense looking for what wasn’t there. Instead, he sent his senses farther out, looking for Kala. He searched the entire property to find him. There were traces of where he used to be. Most notably was at the Duran. That was where he picked up the highest concentration of his mate and Kala’s presence.
Leaning against the headboard, last night flew through his mind like it was a reel to a movie. The heaviness of an unnatural sleep came over him. This time he was skating on the surface, not drowning under the heaviness of sleep. He could feel Jenna as she woke, and unfathomable sorrow flowed between them. Her soft steps were almost soundless, but there was still a faint swish as her naked feet walked over the solid wood floors. A brief smile touched his lips as signs of his mate taking on some of his characteristics made him proud.
He opened his eyes and looked towards the crown that he had been driven to lay out last night. He thought of presenting it to her the way one presented a present to his queen. That thought fled when he felt compelled to leave it for her to find this morning. Something he had done in his sleep without conscious thought. He studied the crown, gaining the ability to breathe. She picked it up and placed it on her head. Lifting should have been enough, but wearing it took all doubt away. Casting his eyes around the room, He spotted a piece of paper on his nightstand that shouldn’t have been there. Reaching over, he picked it up, feeling the thickness of the paper as his heartbeat slowed with dread.
Clickbait,
Did you know your father put your picture up on a website? He wanted you from that moment forward. When you moved next door, he (Jeffrey) convinced himself you were his. You avoided him at every turn and now he’s tired of waiting. He’ll kill everyone in your life to get what he wants. Your sister and that abomination she carries along with the monsters. They may be strong, but no one knows the earth like we do. Maybe your mate will die, or you could survive. If you don’t come tomorrow to this address, I can assure you he will die.
Humanity against Monsters
SaKura dropped the letter like it was on fire. The earth shook, rocking the bed and the pictures on the wall from his anger. The red in his eyes spread until that was all there was. His claws lengthened and shortened, becoming sharper with each flex. He stalked to the bathroom, taking his time to wash. When he came out, the modern-day Diza, who could rule a world, was gone. All that was left was the pagan warlord, who would fight for what was his.
He reached for a loincloth that was handed down from one ruler to the next. His papan held onto it until he knew who would become the next ruler of their planet. On earth, they may have called him the high king. Not that the government needed that information.
He walked outside to find his brother waiting for him. When the earth shook, Rakha knew it was a result of SaKura’s anger.
“Where’s Bella?” SaKura wanted to make sure she was safe after reading the note left for Jenna. He didn’t know how she got it without him knowing about it.
“Bella is home with Thad watching over her. She cannot leave without going through him.” SaKura nodded. His brother wasn’t hard, but would not allow harm to come to his mate.
“You should be home with her.”
“I should be by my brother’s side. He who would be king will one day have me as his most trusted advisor.” SaKura couldn’t fault the logic. One day, his brother’s position would be second to that of him and Jenna.
How would Diza change when a mated pair ruled the planet? He often wondered after meeting Jenna in her dreams. His father was a good king, but pleasure sharing took too much of his time with multiple females until… He shuddered at the thought as pain sliced through him. He refused to allow the Tan-ge to take one more female that was Diza, even if it was through mating.
“They die.” It was as easy as ordering lunch. Rakha inclined his head upon hearing the proclamation that anyone involved in Jenna’s abduction would be killed. His king spoke. His words could not be dismissed or broken.
“Your mate’s Duran is missing.” Sakura’s smile was evil.
“Yes, she is.” He assigned gender to the Duran, never thinking of it as an inanimate object.
“Why am I not surprised that you brought a fully functional AI-enabled Duran to earth?”
“Because you know me?” Rakha’s shoulders shook as he tried to suppress his laughter.
