Protected by the HERO (10 page)

“I guess I’ll have to be positive about it and just make the most of this,” Freya agreed with a sigh. “It’s the fault of those modern meditation machines and virtual yoga sessions! If not for them, I’d still have a lot of students in my studio and everything would have been fine.”

“I agree with you that it’s still different when you actually do it the old-fashioned way,” Lia said. “But it was bound to happen because of all the technological advances over the years.”

“Yes, I must really accept that,” Freya concurred. “Thanks so much for always being there for me.”

“Hey, anytime!” Lia said in a cheerful voice. “So hang in there and just try to enjoy it, okay? When all that political mess is over, you and the king can get a divorce or something.”

“Do they have that here?” Freya wondered. “I didn’t even sign anything, but they said that the crowning ritual was considered a sacred matrimonial rite. Well, whatever. I’ll find a way to get out of it when the right time comes. Soon, I hope.”

Lia gave her a sympathetic smile. “Yes, I’m sure you’ll find a way. Anyway, I really need to go now and cook breakfast for Bonx before he leaves for work.”

They said their goodbyes and Freya reluctantly turned off the chat function and the tablet. She set it aside and strode out the sliding doors toward the pool area which was designed like a top-notch resort. It actually looked like a secret lagoon, partially hidden in the midst of a sprawling garden with abundant clusters of trees, shrubs, and colorful, gigantic, odd-looking flowers that she’d never seen on Earth. As she explored the natural beauty, she began to relax. The place was certainly impressive, adorned with large, expensive-looking sculptures and a marvelous fountain in the center.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Freya whipped around at the sound of the voice. She saw King Zaino in a simple gray shirt and a pair of faded jeans, looking like an ordinary human man. He was definitely stunning even in such plain clothes. In broad daylight and up close, she could see how his unique ocean-colored eyes seemed to glimmer and dance with sparks of silver. They were certainly mesmerizing.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come home last night, my queen,” he said teasingly.

Freya snapped out of her semi-trance and immediately glowered. “It’s a job that I didn’t even agree to,” she reiterated. “So I don’t care where you go or what you do, so long as you pay me. Since I’m here already, I decided I’m staying for the money.”

Her bluntness seemed to amuse the king. A smile played on his lips, before it turned into a smirk. “I see,” was all he said. Then he stepped forward, making her gasp and instantly step back.

“You can’t come close,” Freya commanded in a firm tone. “Rule number one—you are not allowed to touch me!”

King Zaino laughed. “Are you scared you’ll eventually fall for me?”

“What?” Freya asked incredulously. “That’s crazy! Rule number two—don’t be rude, conceited, and assuming. Just because you’re a king doesn’t make you superior over everybody.”

King Zaino’s amused expression suddenly turned into a scowl. “I don’t like your attitude at all, much less be attracted to you even physically,” he told her. He looked her over then with a demeaning stare. “First of all, you’re not at par with my standards so you don’t have to worry about any advances from me. If Patrix had not set this up, you would have failed the very first screening to be my queen. And second, you don’t call the shots. As long as you’re here on our planet, you bow down to me. Third, as a queen, you actually need to serve me.”

Freya’s eyes widened in disbelief. “I can’t believe—”

She stopped mid-sentence when he suddenly raised a hand and caressed her cheek, his eyes seeming to drill a hole into hers. “You wouldn’t want to test me,” he jeered. Then, he turned around and walked away, leaving her fuming after him.

The rest of the day turned out to be okay. Grailey had actually sent maids to bathe her in milk! She’d accepted the milk bath, wanting to experience it in the luxurious tub in the king’s bathroom. But she was certainly not comfortable about strange women scrubbing her naked body! She wondered then if they were also in charge of bathing the king. She imagined them touching him all over and speculated if it aroused him.

Shut up, Freya
, she told herself angrily as her thoughts began to wander to the king and indecent images started to fill her mind.

She also got to enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet in the royal dining area, while Grailey had kept her company. They got to know each other better, which made her feel more at ease. The friendly, chatty woman was like a motherly figure, comforting her when she found out about the truth of the situation.

She was then given a tour of the palace grounds, during which she got to know many of the aliens working there. A lot of them actually had high regard for the king. He seemed to have a good reputation within the palace, but of course they were being paid and were probably afraid to say anything negative about him.

Everybody bowed down to her and fussed over her, which was sort of flattering. She was actually beginning to enjoy the attention and authority. And when Grailey brought her to the official dressmaker to be measured, she became excited. According to them, they were going to make a whole lot of dresses for her to wear, to make her look more like a queen. She could, however, choose to wear her own clothes when she was within the east wing which served as the private housing of King Zaino.

There wasn’t anything else left to do afterward. She found herself aimlessly strolling across the field on which the flying pod had landed. She had sent Grailey off to enjoy the rest of the day with her children who lived just outside the boundary of the palace.

A couple of alien warriors were taking a break from their rigorous training, obviously exhausted. She overheard them talking about Patrix who was ostensibly a ruthless leader who drove them unreasonably. “He’s too ambitious,” one of the warriors uttered. The other one agreed and said, “He always kisses the king’s ass too much!” They all chuckled, but then stopped immediately when they saw Freya approaching. They stood up straight and bowed to her. She simply smiled and pretended she hadn’t heard anything.

As evening began to fall, Freya set up her yoga mat on the deck beside the pool. As the sun set, painting the sky with multiple vivid colors, she started to stretch and slowly shift from one position to another. She didn’t know how long she did it, but when she was done, she felt a lot calmer and happier.

“Interesting,” someone remarked. Freya knew who it was even before she turned around. She ignored him as she rolled her mat and wiped the sweat off her face, neck and arms. It was the king.

“You need to come with me,” he said, blocking her way back inside the room.

She had no choice but to look up and face him. She almost gasped when she saw those intense blue-green eyes again with their flickering silver streaks. He looked so damn handsome too now that he was clad in a black tuxedo. She felt so drab and dirty next to him.

“Where are we going?” she asked guardedly.

“A dinner party,” he said impassively. “You must look your best. Grailey’s on her way here now with the stylists and grooming experts.”

Freya just nodded and simply sidestepped him to get inside the bedroom.
This is it,
she told herself, taking a deep breath.
Our act officially begins.

*****

It was an intimate dinner party in a lovely mansion on top of a hill, owned by one of the richest aliens in Tryptin. Everybody who was anybody on the planet was present, which made Freya even more nervous than she already was. She didn’t really have any problem mingling with the rich and famous, whether alien or human. It was also easy for her to act as if she were a regular socialite from another planet.

What was truly problematic was to pretend that she was in love and happy with King Zaino. Apparently, it was a very big deal for the king to marry a queen for love and not just for convenience. This was the very reason that made her current position a challenging one.

After dinner, they went out into the garden to watch the fireworks that the host had prepared for them. King Zaino actually put an arm around her as they looked up at the sky. It would have been a romantic moment, if it had all been real.

“Thank you,” he whispered to her, rubbing her shoulders.

The simple gesture was too good to be true, and yet Freya felt that he meant it. She met his eyes and smiled, before turning toward the sky again. Inside, she was melting and she could not understand why.

Suddenly, toward the end of the fireworks display, his other arm slid onto her waist and he slightly twisted her to face him. Before she could even do anything, she felt his soft, moist lips on hers. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and savored the sweet kiss.

When she opened her eyes again, she noticed a tall, muscular alien staring at them. Now she knew why the king had suddenly kissed her. He had not just gotten carried away by the moment. He had not suddenly developed an attraction toward her. It was all part of the act. She felt disappointed, her pounding heart slowing down and being replaced by sheer discontent. She knew it came with the job, though, so there was nothing she could do about it.

Throughout the evening, every sweet gesture and smile from King Zaino made Freya want to cringe. She had never been comfortable pretending to be someone she was not. But what bothered her even more was the fact that she was so affected.

When it was finally time to go, the alien that had been observing them during the fireworks display approached them to say goodbye. He said, “You are really lucky to have a real relationship going on. I was wondering where you met?”

Freya hesitated, her heart beginning to race wildly.

King Zaino was also caught off-guard, but he managed to answer with composure at the same time that Freya gave a reply too. “Planet Earth,” was his short answer while Freya had blurted, “Here.”

The alien looked fascinated. “Where is it, really?” he asked in a meaningful tone.

“We met first when I visited the Earth a few years back,” King Zaino said smoothly. “But that wasn’t when we started our actual relationship. It was when she worked here in Tryptin.”

“Aahhh, interesting.”

Freya gave him an odd look, knowing very well that he did not buy it completely. She had a bad feeling about this alien.

“You know, Jecksel, we’d love to stay and chat more but unfortunately, we have many things to do tomorrow,” the king told him. “We need to rest now.”

“Of course,” the alien called Jecksel said, slightly bowing.

Freya gave out a sigh of relief once she knew they were out of earshot. But she could still feel the alien’s eyes on them. Perhaps King Zaino also knew it because what he did in the next few seconds was something she was truly not prepared for.

A transport pod landed in front of them to pick them up. Zaino paused for a moment, and then took Freya in his strong arms. He kissed her passionately and she found herself responding eagerly too. As their lips locked, Freya’s heart hammered. She felt the heat growing from deep within her and rising to the surface, making her wrap her arms around his neck and actually feel for just that instant that they weren’t just pretending.

He was the first one to pull away after a while, giving her a smile and then leading her into the pod. They were silent on the way back. In the compact space of the pod, close to the king, Freya could not shake off the mounting desire of her body. She yearned to be kissed and touched by this man whom she had detested just earlier that day.
What’s wrong with me?
she asked herself.

In the confines of their bedroom, her longing increased even more. He hadn’t said a single word to her since the passionate kiss they had shared, and she had absolutely no idea what was running in his mind or how he was feeling.

She sat tensely on the edge of the enormous, deluxe bed as he vanished into the adjoining bathroom. “Stop it, Freya,” she said just under her breath as she tried to calm her nerves and get rid of the escalating craving of her body.

But when he came out in just a pair of cotton shorts, she couldn’t help gawking at his broad shoulders, the little hairs on his bulky chest, and his set of fine, solid abs. “You’re going to sleep like that?” she asked in astonishment. “Beside me?”

Suddenly, Zaino broke into a grin. He sauntered over to where she was sitting. “What’s wrong with this?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Freya muttered, turning her head away. “I’d better get dressed for bed.” She stood up and found herself standing so close to him she could feel his breath on her face. Before she could even move another inch, he placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her on the lips.

The sexual tension between them that they had been trying to ignore grew as their kiss intensified. He immediately slid his tongue into her mouth, which she let in willingly and met with her own tongue. Their French kiss and pressed bodies made her desire escalate even more.

A loud beep made them suddenly jump apart. Zaino looked irritated but nevertheless answered the call coming from the wall-mounted screen phone. He, however, instantly shut off the video and speaker feature with a remote and opted to put on the headset that was connected to the device. He walked out into the deck to take the call, which seemed to be about more politics.