Alone (Akina POV)

I walked back to the room they had arranged for me, alone. It's a little unsettling without Serco next to me but I know he has to talk to his dad.

"You lying skank." I heard from across the hall. I looked to see the pale girl from earlier, she had snow-white hair, that was slightly wavy. Silver eyes, plump pink lips a turned-up nose, and rosy cheeks. Her eyes were red as if she had been crying.

"You're the girl from earlier. Hi." I gave her a wave then turned to leave,

"There's no Lofton family in the entire kingdom! I don't know how you're doing it but if you're tricking Serco, you will regret it!" She threatened. I decided to ignore her and enter the room without responding but she grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door back shut. "How..." She then stopped, sniffed me, and covered her nose "Are you human?!" I opened my mouth to reply but before I could she started laughing hysterically.

"Oh thank God! He'd never get serious about a human! What a relief." I... think I hate this girl. While she was laughing to herself I went ahead and entered my room. I played games on my phone but couldn't use Wi-Fi or data... must be the whole, not being on Earth thing. A few hours later Serco came to visit me. He looked tired and his hair was a bit disheveled. The curls draped over his face. He combed his hair back with his fingers then he forced a smile because he noticed me looking at him.

"I missed you!" I blurted out as soon as our eyes met. I was not expecting to say that out loud and now I can feel my face going red. I hope he doesn't notice.

"Aww, you're blushing." He commented, which made it worse. "I missed you too," Serco added which only intensified the rush of emotions I felt. He sat down next to me and laid his head on my shoulder. I wanted to embrace him, so badly that my entire body was tingling but for some reason, it was hard for me to move so I sat still. I also wanted to ask him what he and his dad discussed but dismissed that thought, I don't want to be nosy. "Will you marry me, Akina..?" I had already figured out this trip was an official engagement party but his asking still left me stunned. I was frozen and couldn't get my lips to move but my mind was screaming

"YES!" Serco grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers.

"On Infaniya we live long, and when we find a partner we know very soon what that person means to us, their intentions, and if they truly... reciprocate our feelings. I have no doubts of your loyalty or love and I know I want you by my side, now and centuries from now. Forever." He then lifted his head, I turned to look at him and we locked eyes... "How do you feel?" He says he trusts that I love him yet his voice still revealed to me that he was afraid I'd say no, "I can wait... if you want to finish school or travel... I can wait for you." After admitting this he could no longer hold eye contact and looked away from me.

"Yes... I want to marry you." My mind finally allowed me to speak. Serco gently squeezed my hand then he turned to me and smiled, like someone who just got the present they've wanted for a long time.

"Good because I got you a gift and it would be extremely awkward if you turned me down." He held up my hand that he'd been holding and I noticed a ring on my finger. There was a large iridescent oval crystal, surrounded by 10 smaller crystals, each one a different color, the band was silver. "This ring is made from my energy. even when I'm not around it will protect you and it will let me know where you are if you need me." he extended his finger revealing a band with the same rainbow of tiny crystals around it. "You will also know where I am... if I need you... if I miss you is more accurate." If he can feel each time I miss him, that's going to be pretty embarrassing! I miss him whenever we're apart. I don't think I can handle that.

"It's beautiful," I stated then leaned in to kiss him. I had been paralyzed for so long, it was a relief to move. He kissed me back, holding my cheeks and smiling. Five kisses later he stood up and said,

"I am glad you like it... I will let you sleep. I know it's late." I grabbed his wrist.

"I don't want to sleep yet." Serco stared at me blankly after my statement then said,

"Then I will stay. By the way my parents like you."

"I'm glad," I replied, I had actually been worrying about the impression I made on them.

"I should tell you... if... no when we get married our souls will be bonded. You will adopt some of my flames, and become like me."

"I'll be an Infaniyan?" I had hoped there was a way to extend my life... so I wouldn't need to worry about leaving him but changing species seemed too farfetched.

"You will be similar to one, you can wield fire... and your days will be greatly lengthened. You will also become much stronger, physically. Even if you were Infaniyan already you would gain some power in joining with me but because you are human the change will be much more.... dramatic." I squeezed his hand,

"Why didn't you mention this before?!" He raised his eyebrows.

"I wasn't sure how you would feel... and I didn't want it to affect your answer." Serco tilted his head, "Your response is different than all the possible ones I imagined, why?" I cleared my throat before answering,

"I was worried about you... choosing me... I know I'd likely max out at 100 years and I wasn't sure how you'd feel about being with me after 50... even if you stayed with me through my wrinkled and weak years, I didn't want to leave you. It's scary to think about it and I know it's far away but I was afraid of leaving you behind. I'm just glad I don't need to worry about that anymore!" Serco scoffed mockingly, "What was that for?"

"I am just shocked by my stupidity and how adorable you are." I blushed, "I love you, Akina."

"I love you too, now shut up please" I covered my face with my free hand to help ease my shyness then Serco leaned in and whispered directly in my ear,

"I love you, you are so cute, Akina...hey, Akina are you listening to me? I said I love you."

"I know what you said!" I shouted out, feeling like the embarrassment was gripping my heart. "I love you too..." Serco then kissed me again.

"My father divorced the woman who raised me... to be honest the person he's married to now is half Afarion, with her citizenship still tied to Afaria." That's unexpected! "She is my real mother... and Smoke is my only full-blood brother." That explains why they look the most alike.

"Why are you telling me this? It sounds like a deep royal secret." Serco put his arm over my shoulder and said,

"You are family to me now... you deserve to know why... there may be tension between her and my brothers." He took a deep breath before continuing, "My mother is King Striton's third wife... the second wife he divorced insisted on staying in the castle to help raise the new prince, which would also lessen the disgrace her family faced after the Divorce. My Dad also had to work hard to instate the current queen as his wife so the former queen took over raising me most days. Tiren is the son of the first wife of my father... Nebura. She died in the war." The king's life seems full of drama and I've only heard a glimpse of it! He looked so calm, though... maybe it was just a string of bad, luck. "He and the former queen were having an affair, that's why she begged for a divorce."

"What?!" I could no longer remain silent at that point. Tiren was having an affair with his father's wife?! Serco laughed,

"Yeah... it's old news to me now... but she always hated me and tried to keep me weak so Tiren would have a chance to become king." It looks like she failed in all her efforts...

"Where is she now?"

"After I was sent to Earth, Tiren backed out of the agreement to marry her. He also revealed their affair so she was banished from the country and her noble titles were stripped away." As he said this Serco gazed up at the ceiling and then sighed. "I felt like you should understand some of the history... and issues this family has... but if it is all well with you, I would like to change the subject to anything else." I nodded and after a few moments of thought I told him about a book I'd been reading and in response he told me about something he'd been studying, it was too complicated for me to understand, but I liked hearing him talk. He sounded so enthused, that it warmed my heart. After a while of talking, I fell asleep and Serco left.

The next morning I jolted awake and looked around the room frantically... okay yesterday wasn't a dream...I then held up my hand to admire the beautiful jewel that adorned my ring finger. I'm really engaged... There was a knock at my door.

"Come in!" I yelled cheerily, but it wasn't Serco, it was Tiren

"I appreciate the warm welcome." He stated while closing the door behind him.

"I also have a cold goodbye for you," I stated while pulling the covers up to my shoulders. I feel too exposed in my nightgown, and I don't like having him here... I feel sick.

"Please, do not be like that... I just want to talk." I didn't respond but held the covers tighter around myself. I heard the lock turn on the door and I could sense something change in my room, a heaviness, "I told you not to come here." His tone changed, it terrified me and I began to shiver. I blinked and before I knew it his hand was over my mouth and he was on top of me. His other hand groped my breast and I panicked and began hitting him with all my might. "It's okay... you won't remember anything... and I know you don't hate me that much."He whispered and I tried to wiggle free, my knuckles stung from punching, and my legs couldn't move, he had them pinned between his. He then leaned down and pressed his face into my hair. I protested as loud as I could behind his hand and when his lips touched my neck I heard a sizzling noise and he jerked back. His lips were charred black. "$!@T he screamed jumping off me, his hand that had been touching my breast was also burned up to his shoulder, and his shirt was in tatters now. "You... I guess he's even more serious about this than I thought..."

"Get out, now!" I screamed, I could feel the heat rising around me, and then I noticed my engagement ring was glowing, and a moment later Serco came in, holding a golden sculpture...

"I have a key..." He announced, showing it to his brother. Tiren started to say something but Serco's fist was in his face before any words could come out, 2 of Tiren's teeth flew across the room. They fell to the floor with Serco on top of him, Tiren tried to guard his face with his arms before the next hit struck and Serco punched those, breaking through both his arms as if they were toothpicks and then repeatedly punching him in the face until there was a pool of blood on the floor. vines wrapping around Serco's wrists but they shriveled and burned instantly, not holding him back even 1 second. I had seen Serco fight before but this was different he was mad... "How dare you touch her." He repeated over and over, not in a loud voice but in a calm corrective tone. Tiren whimpered and created a stone barrier around his upper half to stop his younger brother's attacks and he shouted

"I just wanted to beat you at something... I don't even want her." Serco rapidly punched the stone barrier, so fast I couldn't see all his movements and it crumbled like a cookie. then he connected one last hit to his brother's face, knocking Tiren out before standing up.

"Then you shouldn't have touched her!" Serco looked behind us that's when I noticed we had an audience, all of Serco's brothers were watching with stone-cold expressions... "Enjoying the show?" Serco asked, as he snapped his fingers which ignited Tiren's body on the floor. I screamed because it surprised me. Tiren's cries were louder than mine, even so, Serco ignored him and approached me saying,

"... He'll live.. don't worry." Tears came from my eyes and Serco held me. "I'm sorry... did I scare you?" I squeezed him tight.

"No." Serco held my cheeks, gently wiping my tears away with his thumbs,

"So... would it be fine if I hit him again?" His question made me laugh, relieving my anxiety. Then we kissed, and that's when Striton shouted from the doorway,

"What the h*ll happened?!"