was their leader.
He could be nothing else.
In addition to the armor the other two wore, a long black and gold cape hung from this male’s shoulders, billowing behind him as he walked in a precise clip. His eyes were an entrancing blue-green hue…then they were yellow, then an astonishing hue of violet…to her shock, Danielle realized that his gaze changed with each moment that passed. His hair was one long, navy colored braid that hung straight down his back, his presence intense and commanding. Like his brethren, he hosted ears that came to a point at their peaks, and he had the same ethereal, intangible beauty – but this man was harder.
More powerful.
Despite the fullness of his mouth, his lips were pulled into a tight, unyielding line, and every movement he made spoke of the strength and authority proclaimed by a thin band of gold that encircled his forehead.
He was magnificent – in every sense of the word. And even as she felt she should be absolutely terrified of him, Danielle felt herself drawn to his immense figure and the obedience he commanded with every errant glance of his multi-hued eyes.
He was advancing down the row of women, pausing every so often to assess one. More often than not, they cowered beneath his gaze. One or two fainted, and others tried to show a brave face, only to end up trembling as he stared down at them, unblinking.
What the hell was going on? If this was the leader of the race that had come to visit them, what was he doing here, with this small group of women? As he drew closer and closer to her, Danielle found herself growing progressively more nervous. What was he looking for? What did he want?
On her left side, directly in the prince’s path, was a dark-haired girl that appeared to be a few years younger than herself. Her eyes and skin spoke of Indian or middle-eastern heritage, and despite being extremely pretty, she seemed on the edge of bolting. Danielle glanced over at her when the girl’s antsy movements started to become more agitated. She had something clutched in her right hand – something that glinted beneath the fluorescent lights.
Danielle looked from her to the towering figure moving ever closer to them and in an instant, she understood what the younger woman meant to do. Her heart leapt into her throat. Was she absolutely out of her mind? Danielle was fully aware that there were a large number of immunes who were less than enthusiastic about being plucked from their lives and spirited away into the great beyond, but if this girl was planning on attacking a man she knew nothing about, she had to be pretty desperate.
“Don’t.” She whispered softly, barely audible. A pair of large, frightened brown eyes jerked to her and Danielle shook her head incrementally. “Don’t do it.”
The aliens drew ever closer to their positions in line. Soon, they would be upon them. The hand with the metal implement in it began to shake, and Danielle’s eyes widened. Whether through some language barrier, or sheer force of fury, the girl wasn’t going to listen to her. Her gaze was locked on the approaching trio – and there was murder in her eyes.
The foreign leader paused for a moment to take in a trembling red-head who looked like she was on the verge of a scream – and the girl beside Danielle leapt into action.
With a wild cry, she lunged for him – but Danielle was right behind her. Who knew what these people would do to the younger woman for attempting to hurt them? Who knew what the human government would do to her? She’d obviously lost all rational thought in an attempt to destroy something she feared.
Danielle’s hand closed over hers as she struck at the alien ruler, and she immediately winced as its sharp tip punctured her palm. Luckily, she had close to a good fifty pounds on the girl, who couldn’t have been a day over twenty one. When she threw that weight into her lunge, it knocked the younger woman off balance. She stumbled, and Danielle