I’d sliced through her skin with the blade as she spoke, hoping that she’d been distracted enough to not feel as much pain. And as she bled, I held out my hand, Grindeem soon placing a white cloth in my palm. I took my time wrapping her wound, enjoying the feel of her arm underneath my fingers, the warmth that seemed to constantly emanate from her frame.
And then I offered my arm out to her in return, waiting for her to slice me with the blade.
Rachel sobbed again as she gently brought the blade down on my forearm, its edge barely leaving a mark on my skin.
“Harder, little warrior,” I instructed, keeping my eye on my forearm. “You have to make me bleed. Just like you.”
“I don’t know if I can—”
“Yes, you can,” I interrupted her, with a wide grin. “Do not forget that I’ve seen exactly what you can do, little warrior.”
Rachel closed her eyes as she took in a deep, shuddering breath. And then she brought the blade down against my forearm for a second time, this strike drawing blood within seconds of the blade meeting my skin.
“There you are, little warrior.” I smiled as I watched Grindeem hand Rachel a white cloth.
And by the time she opened her eyes, she was already wrapping my wound, too. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”
“What are you apologizing for?” I asked. “This mark is how you know you are mine.”
“This just isn’t how we do things where I come from,” she replied. “Marriage ceremonies are a lot less blades and blood, and a lot more expensive wedding dresses and steak dinners.”
“Steak dinners?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter.” Rachel sniffled as she moved away from me, the cloth firmly wrapped around my skin.
“You are now wed.” Grindeem beamed back at the both of us before he motioned toward the church door. “Now, be on your way. And may the light of Xelxar’s moons shine upon your union for the length of a thousand suns.”
Chapter Four
Rachel
Married.
I was fucking married.
Marsha was going to be so disappointed in me.
It was the only thing I could think as Wexxon walked us back to his home; or at least, I assumed we were going back to his home. I was still wearing the heavy robe from the ceremony, even though I wanted nothing more than to pull it away from my skin. My messenger bag was concealed underneath. Just in case.
I was so tired of the heavy feeling that came with everything related to Xelxar, everything related to Wexxon, too.
Although as Wexxon stopped in his tracks, a few feet away from a wide, silver structure so large and so tall that the very top floor of the place seemed to brush against the clouds, my thoughts suddenly changed their focus.
Huh.
It looked just like a castle.
The more I stared at the structure, the more it reminded me of all those fairytales my mom used to read to me when I was just a little kid, hoping and dreaming about marrying a handsome prince and maybe being able to live in a castle of my own someday, hoping that her and my father would be able to live there, too.
“Is this…” I started and stopped my sentence, my attention so taken with the building. “Do you live here?”
“Yes.” Wexxon nodded before he flashed me a small smile. “It is customary that the greatest warrior on Xelxar inherit the largest of homes.”
“…So, you live here all by yourself?” I murmured.
“No,” Wexxon replied, a look of remorse rolling over his features. “Which is why I wanted to prepare you for entry.”
“What’s there to prepare me for? How to figure out the floor plan?” I tried making light of the situation, even though I was starting to feel absolutely nauseous about everything.
“There are…” Wexxon paused as he tilted his head to the side. “There are other females who live here with me, but they are not like you. They are not my wife. There are warriors who live here, too, others I feel would be useful for protection in case there is ever a time of great trouble.”
“And the other women are married to the other warriors? Or…?”
“They are all unmarried,” he answered, almost under his breath. “They are…mine.”
“What do you mean? They’re yours?” I frowned. “What? Like sex slaves?”
“I’ve already told you that Xelxar does not engage in slavery,” he growled. “We are not barbarians.”
“But if they’re not slaves, how are they yours?”
“They’ve pledged themselves to me,” he explained. “It was their choice. I assume they imagined that I would select one of them as my wife someday. And in the meantime, they rose to the occasion whenever I needed to meet my physical needs.”
“Oh my God.” I felt my stomach flop as Wexxon’s words sank all the way in. “So, what you’re saying is that there’s a castle full of females who are going to hate my guts as soon as I step inside? Just because you decided to marry me?”
“It is only envy,” he suggested. “It will pass in due time.”
“Wexxon,” I groaned as I brought my hands up toward my face. “Is this seriously how I’m going to die? A bunch of jilted alien women are going to rip me to shreds?”
“No one is going to hurt you,” he replied, his palms calmly moving my hands away from my cheeks. “You have my word, little warrior.”
“Can we just…” I pulled my hands away from his own before I started heading toward the castle. “Let’s just go inside, okay?”
“I’m grateful for your eagerness,” Wexxon said as he caught up with my stride.
“I just want to get it over with,” I admitted, taking even larger steps as I spoke. “And I want to change into something more comfortable, because I’m pretty sure if I keep this robe on for too much longer, I’m going to end up drowning in it.”
“If you ever happened to drown, I would fight the sea until she gave you back to me,” Wexxon commented, his tone casual.
And I caught myself smiling at his strange response, the way he’d just threatened to take on Mother Nature on my behalf, despite the fact that we barely knew each other. I couldn’t deny that there was something slightly charming about Wexxon, even though I had zero intention of sticking around to figure out exactly what made him so different from the other aliens that seemed to terrify me on sight.
Because as soon as I could, as soon as I was left alone for even one, single minute, I was going to find a way back home.
And no one, not even Wexxon, was going to be able to stop me.
“Wexxon!” An alien with fiery red eyes greeted him as we stepped inside the castle.
“Aldvirion.” Wexxon grinned in the stranger’s direction. “You’ve finally returned from your journey across the planet?”
“It was no journey. It was simply a favor.” Aldvirion waved off the description. “Although it is a favor that I should be being repaid for tonight in Furlata’s chambers.”
Aldvirion then paused for a moment, his expression turning serious. “That is, of course, if you didn’t intend her for yourself tonight, Wexxon. I would never overstep my boundaries—”