Lilly's King

Lilly had no idea why she felt so safe in Bor’s arms.

There was something about the way he held her to him, the gentleness in his touch, and the way he looked at her that made her sure that this man, this alien, would never hurt her.

Little by little, the fear she had for going to the ship with him, of being around him and his men, was fading. They had all seen what the men had done to the spinners outside.

She would never be able to understand what Korom had done. How he had changed into a thick fog and why being in his presence suddenly unsettled her so much.

Peeking out from around Bor, she watched the man as he stood with his back to her, speaking to the brothers. There was something about him. An air of unreleased death.

Like he was one step away from losing control of the fragile grip he had on sanity.

“Lilly?” Rose’s soft voice called, drawing her out of her assessment of the huge man. She turned, shrugging out of Bor’s hold to face her sisters.

“What is happening here?” Rose asked, eyeing Bor and his men with concern.

Lilly blushed when Bor’s strong arms slipped around her waist, pulling her against his chest.

“I…I’m not sure.”

She looked up to see Rose glaring at Bor over her shoulder. Lilly could understand her sister’s concern.

There was a lot she didn’t understand and a lot of things that still confused her, but one thing she was learning quickly was that Bor holding her in his arms felt as right as taking a breath.

“The transport is here,” Bor finally said, tearing her out of her thoughts.

She eased out of his grip, moving to Violet on the sofa. She paused for a moment, wondering how they would get her up, but a huge form moving past her answered that question.

Keel had come up to them and carefully slid his hands under her baby sister’s limp body, lifting her to his broad chest with such care. It brought tears to Lilly’s eyes.

They all followed him out of the house, Rose and Tulip gripping each of her hands in a tight squeeze. When they exited the front door, Lilly couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her lips.

Hundreds of dead spinners lay all over the field, their black bodies like a cancer on the soft green grass.

Bor came to her, pulling her into his side. “Do not look at it. They are all dead.”

Lilly tore her eyes away from it, pulling Rose and Tulip closer to her as they moved with Bor toward the front of the house.

As they turned the corner, Lilly felt her mouth fall open at the sight of a sleek silver and gray ship on the street.

A door on its side was open and Tark and Korom were already waiting inside.

It was huge, the size of at least six buses combined, and its smooth surface looked as though it moved, like some kind of living metal.

Bor led them toward the ramp leading inside and Lilly couldn’t help the excitement that filled her. They were going to a spaceship.

Although the idea of aliens had lost its awe appeal weeks ago, the idea of being in space hadn’t.

She waited for Keel to carry Violet inside and pulled Rose and Tulip alongside her. They entered the craft, her eyes seeking Violet.

Keel had laid her down on a thin metallic bed of some kind, his hands working on buttons and screens on the side of the bed.

After a few seconds, a thin film moved over her sister, encasing her in what looked like cling film.

Lilly pushed past Korom, ignoring the chill that ran up her spine at being so close to him, and ran to Violet.

“What are you doing to her? She can’t breathe!”

Keel looked up at her, pinning her in her spot with those deep, rich golden eyes. “This is a medipad. It will keep her stable until we are on the command ship. The medical team on board will see to her health.”

Lilly was about to protest, but Keel leaned forward, his eyes blazing as he said, “Nothing will harm this female.”

The seriousness and promise in his tone and his eyes made Lilly back off a bit. She looked down at Violet, her eyes filling with tears at the pale, deathly look on her sister’s skin.

“Will she survive this?”

Something in Keel’s eyes softened and he nodded. “Yes, she is very sick, and would not have survived the poison much longer.

“But the medical team on the command ship is exceptional. They will heal her. But…it will take time. Her symptoms are very advanced.”

“Oh God,” Lilly mumbled, placing a hand on the thick, clear film that lay over her sister.

Once again, the comforting, warm strength of Bor filled her when he came to wrap his arms around her waist and pulled her back into him.

Rose and Tulip were also standing beside Violet, their tears and quivering bodies a testament to how scared they all were at losing their baby sister.

When Korom came closer, Lilly didn’t miss how Tulip shifted closer to her.

She glanced down at Tulip’s lowered head and was surprised to see her timid sister watching the huge man, despite her having moved away from him.

“It is time to leave the surface. We need to strap into the seats,” Bor said in a soft, calming voice that Lilly was beginning to love hearing.

With one last look at Violet’s still form, Lilly let Bor lead her to a seat in the front of the shuttle.

She sat down by the window and waited as Bor pulled four straps from the seat, effectively pinning her into the chair around her legs, waist, and shoulders.

He sat down beside her, doing the same to his own straps.

When Lilly turned around to find her sisters, they were both being assisted by Tark.

Korom was sitting in the very back, but his eyes were fixed in front of him, his gaze almost burning a hole into the back of Tulip’s head.

When the shuttle shook and began to move, Lilly gripped the armrests with a bruising hold, squeezing her eyes shut.

A gentle brush on her cheek made her throw open her eyes and look at Bor.

“Breathe, mate. We are taking off.”

“I…I hate flying,” she choked out, her eyes locked onto his.

He smiled, a warm, soothing glow filling his stunning eyes. “It will be over soon.”

Lilly gave him a shaky nod and looked out of the window. They were already above the clouds. She watched the light outside grow darker, and before she knew it, they were in space.

“Oh…my…god…,” she mumbled as she took in the view of the planet below. From up there, it looked peaceful and calm. No sign of the devastation caused by the spinners. A soft white and blue glow emanated from the orb, leaving the breath caught in Lilly’s chest. It was magical.

Several long minutes later, Bor was unbuckling her belts and reaching out to help her stand.

The shuttle had flown into the belly of a ship that Lilly didn’t get to see, and now they were waiting for the landing bay to pressurize and fill with air, according to Bor.

As soon as the door opened, Lilly’s heart stumbled at the sight of many warriors milling around the space.

As soon as Bor led her off the shuttle, Rose and Tulip not far behind them, all the men paused what they were doing and bowed their heads to them.

It was a nice show of respect to their captain, despite the blush that crept onto her face when they all eyed her with curiosity.

Bor turned behind him and then spoke in a loud, clear voice.

“Take the female to medical. Have Oris send me hourly updates on her condition. Keel, take the other females with you to medical. I want all of them checked by Oris.”

Keel gave him a sharp nod before Bor turned to look at her.

“I must go to the command center,” he said, his voice soft again. He raised a hand and brushed the back of his fingers over her cheek, sending goosebumps springing up all over her skin.

“Okay,” she whispered, not sure what else to say.

“I will not be long. Let my medical team care for you, mate. Once I am done, I will take you all to get a meal. Then we may speak.”

Lilly nodded, feeling an almost uncontrollable urge to lift onto her toes and kiss his lips. But the sound of Rose arguing with someone behind her made her take a step back.

Bor gave her a sweet smile and turned to walk away.

Lilly had to take a breath to steady herself. What the hell was going on with her? He was an alien.

He was different, and she wasn’t naive enough to think that he wasn’t deadly, but yet, her heart ached at the sight of him leaving the landing bay doors and falling out of sight.

She turned back to Rose, who was still giving Keel shit for something, and went to find out what had happened.

“What’s going on?” she asked, going over to Tulip and Rose as they stood by Violet’s strange bed.

“They want to take her to some pit!” Rose almost growled out, blocking anyone from getting close to their sister.

“What?” Lilly said with a frown, spinning to glare at Keel.

“It is the regeneration pit. It is a pool of healing gel that will help her recover from the poison. It is not a…death pit…as the female thinks.”

“I’ll go with her,” Lilly said, moving to block Violet with her body.

Keel let out a long sigh. “Lord Bor instructed me to take you all to medical. I will watch over the female while she heals.”

“Oh, hell no, buddy! If she goes, then I go with her. I’m a doctor and I will keep an eye on her healing,” Lilly barked out, not once breaking eye contact with Keel.

He mumbled something in his language before sighing and nodding. “Very well. You will accompany me to the pit. But the other females will go to medical. Korom can escort them.”

Rose was about to protest, but Lilly knew which battles to fight and which to surrender to.

“Rose,” she said, turning to her sisters, “go with Korom to medical. Keep an eye on Tulip for me. I will go with Violet and make sure they don’t do anything…weird to her.”

“But…,” Rose began, but Lilly cut her off.

“Rose, we need to think logically here. We’re on a spaceship. Bor gave us his word that we would be safe, but I would rather none of us be alone.

“You go with Tulip and I will go with Violet. If anything happens, we do the Monroe move and get the hell out of here, okay?”

Rose’s eyes took on a more devilish look, telling Lilly that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

Over the weeks since the attack by the spinners, it wasn’t always the monsters from the sky they had to worry about.

“You better be right about this, Lil,” Rose said, the hint of fear in her voice clear.

Lilly nodded, unable to make a promise she wasn’t sure she could keep. She had no idea what she was doing. For all she knew, they could have just traded one alien threat for a much more dangerous one.