The Alion King(21)
At least five inches taller than Bella, the blond woman had golden eyes that flashed with anger. She curled her lip in disdain. She was young, possibly in her late teens, early twenties, which meant Bella was at least fifteen years the girl’s senior. “My name is Nadeeya. I am the king’s cousin.”
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“I’m Bella. Gerri’s assistant.” The other woman’s eyes narrowed farther. Her porcelain skin grew dark with an angry blush.
“You’re human,” she said, like that was a crime.
“Really? I had no idea. Thanks for clarifying that for me. Seeing as I’m probably the only human on this planet, it’s so good to know.” Bella smirked.
“I don’t tolerate insolence,” Nadeeya hissed.
“Maybe you should try not being insolent. Practice what you preach. Grow up in manners before you try acting like an adult. The first step is learning how to speak to people.”
“You stupid—”
“Bella!” She heard someone yell. She turned to her right, and the man from Gerri’s video, Karel, was a few steps away from her. “So good to see you in person.”
“Hello.” She grinned. “Nice to see you in life size.”
Karel nodded, offering her his hand. She shook it, and he stepped next to her, forcing Nadeeya to move away from Bella. Karel glanced at Nadeeya, his lips forming into a tight line. “You’ve met Alyx’s guest, I see.”
“She’s here with the matchmaker,” Nadeeya spat, her lip curling and displaying perfect, white teeth. “There’s no need for her. Alyx knows—”
“Enough!” Karel roared. Bella’s eyes widened. A vein throbbed in the side of his cheek. “What the king decides is none of your concern, Nadeeya. Remember that.” He turned to Bella with a smile. “Have you seen the garden yet?”
Whoa, boy. There was some serious tension in that castle. No matter what planet you were on, there was always going to be drama when you brought in bitchiness. “No, but I was about to go that way.”
“Allow me to escort you,” he said, motioning for her to move ahead of him and completely dismissing Nadeeya.
As they walked away, she glanced over her shoulder at the blonde. The woman stared at her with enough hatred to make her uneasy. “She got a problem with humans?”
Karel shook his head. “She’s got a problem with not getting her way. She’ll learn soon enough that Alyx has a mind of his own.”
“The Alion king,” Bella said. “In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight,” she singsonged. “I wonder if he looks anything like our lions.”
“Alyx does look like a larger, stronger, fiercer version of a lion on Earth. Three times their size. Faster. Angrier. And an all-around pain in the ass.”
Bella laughed as she walked. “You sound like someone who knows him well.”
Karel sighed. “Alyx and I grew up together. I’ve been his best friend and head of security for as long as I can remember.”
“Does that mean you’re a lion too?” she asked, curious.
“I am actually born of the Yagura tribe. Your humans call us jaguars.”
She gasped. “You’re a jaguar shifter?”
He nodded.
“I thought jaguars were solitary animals?” she asked, confused and interested to learn more.
“They are on your planet. Here, we have a high tolerance for living in groups. My parents and Alyx’s parents were best friends. Naturally we grew up together. We are best friends. I became his right hand. His security chief.”
“Charlotte and I are like that,” she said, thinking of her best friend. Since they were little girls, they’d been there for each other. “She’s taking care of my cat while I’m here. She’d love to come visit…” She sighed. “She loves adventures. Maybe one of these days Gerri will give me permission to bring her along.” She glanced around the open courtyard that led into the garden. “This place is so magical. I love the fact everything is so colorful. The trees are purple. Purple! And your flowers are every color of the rainbow,” she gushed, glancing at the different flowers on their path. “Some of these are several colors. How’s that even possible?”#p#分页标题#e#
He laughed and shook his head. “I couldn’t tell you. This is how it’s always been.”
She followed him down a path that had taller plants with flowers the size of her head. “I’m usually allergic to certain flowers, but so far, I don’t feel anything bothering me.”