Page 34 of Elias

Diadora’s sigh sounded like she was close to snapping. “I’ve checked your work schedule with Vegas, and everything is in order. Sinead and Kendra will cover your matchmaking duties while you attend to your work with Professor Grenville. Don’t let me down, Hayley. I expect great things from you.” She nodded and glanced at the door.

That was her cue to leave. Hayley turned and hurried out, her stomach churning and her heart pounding. This was a nightmare, and she had no choice but to face it. She had to face the asshole who’d taken her virginity, failed her on her course, and gotten her kicked out of college.

Chapter 14

“Is everything okay?” Vegas’s expression grew concerned as she looked at Elias. “Do you know this princess personally?”

Elias took a step away, trying hard to maintain his composure. “I do. Well, I am aware of every member of our royal family. It’s a surprise she’s here.” He’d just won the award for understatement of the decade.

“I’m as surprised as you,” Vegas said. “When we first got the request from Princess Isolt, we did not take it all that seriously. I mean, she’s royalty and beautiful and can most likely have her pick of suitors. However, the timing seemed perfect. We were considering branching out into this kind of pairing, and when we ran the profiles and found such a good match, it seemed like fate.”

“Her match is willing to be with her?” Elias asked cautiously.

“They were almost perfectly paired. We ran the profiles several times because we need to make sure this will go well.”

How could this pairing possibly go well? “You know Princess Isolt is a traditionalist?” Elias stared at the Class One ship as it edged through the docking bay doors.

“We have discussed that with her. She assures us she is open-minded and looking forward to progressing the traditional elements of Retar couplings. We believe this will be an enormous success.”

Elias couldn’t tear his gaze from the ship. Could that be true? Had Princess Isolt changed her thinking when it came to mating? If so, maybe she wouldn’t be angry with him for abandoning her. She might have seen that it wasn’t the right thing to do and begun exploring other opportunities.

“Excuse me.” He turned and hurried away from Vegas, his mind in turmoil. He still had a chance to run, but then everyone would know something was wrong. And if he did that, he’d lose everything he had here and would have to start again. If he stayed and Princess Isolt recognized him, he could be arrested and shoved in front of this committee to answer for his crime.

Elias sloped to the back of the docking bay, where he was out of sight. He needed to make a decision. Run and get away or brave it out and hope he wasn’t recognized or that Princess Isolt had changed and no longer approved of the traditional way of mating. If that was so, he could have been worrying all this time for nothing.

Elias shook his head. It was too much to hope for. The Retar royal family was far from progressive. Princess Isolt could have lied when she’d submitted her request for a mate through My Single Alien. If she had, then whoever she was coupling up with would be in for one hell of a ride.

The Retar guards returned to the docking bay and talked to Vegas. They all nodded in agreement. Commander Thean spoke into his wrist comm.

A moment later, the enormous ship slid the rest of the way into the docking bay and over to its allocated slot.

Elias watched, feeling helpless and anxious. A part of him knew he should never have run from his responsibilities. He’d known what he was getting into that night with Princess Isolt. Why should he think he was different from everybody else when she’d mated with him? He’d known what she wanted that night, the taste of his flesh in her mouth.

He could throw himself on her mercy and beg her forgiveness. But royals did not forgive easily. He’d humiliated her, and the way she’d ruthlessly hunted him after he’d fled that night showed she didn’t forgive easily.

Elias checked the docking log as he noticed a smaller ship waiting to enter Prodigy. He jumped as a hand clasped his shoulder and turned to see Tegor behind him.

“What’s up?” Tegor asked.

“Who’s on the other ship?”

“Some eager beaver who won’t wait for his allotted entry slot,” Tegor said with a sigh. “I overheard Vegas talking. The ship is carrying some professor from Earth. He’s involved with the Retar female who just docked.”

Elias shook his head. “I’m amazed a human would want to mate with her. He must know about our practices.”

“Me too, but that’s what I heard from the beautiful pregnant lady,” Tegor said. “He’s some super brain from a fancy college. Apparently, he’s open to new experiences.”

“Earth men must have balls of steel if he wants an experience with a member of the Retar royal family.”

Tegor laughed. “Maybe he has cyborg balls. Hey, I wonder if they get cold. And it wouldn’t matter if someone kicked you in the nuts. Cyborg balls would break a bone. That princess can chew on them for as long as she likes. He’ll walk away with nothing but a smug look on his face.”

Elias smirked and shook his head. “I doubt he has cyborg balls.”

“Come on. Think about it. Literal balls of steel,” Tegor said as he warmed up to the topic. “I wonder if there’s a demand for them. Mind you, you wouldn’t get that satisfactory slap against a woman’s ass with your metal balls bouncing about. In fact, they might leave bruises on a woman’s backside if you go at it too hard.” He reached down and cupped his own balls. “I’ll stick to the real thing. Much more fun.”

Elias barely heard him. His attention was fixed on Hayley, who’d hurried into the docking bay. She looked anxious, wringing her hands together as she dashed over to stand with Vegas.

Hayley looked around the docking bay as if seeking someone. Her gaze met his, and Elias was startled when she smiled at him. Had she forgiven him? The last time they’d met, disappointment had pulsed out of her. Something must have changed her mind.