Libra Ascending: An Epic Urban Fantasy Romance (Zodiac Guardians Book 1) by Tamar Sloan (adult books to read .TXT) 📗

Brielle shakes her head. “No, but it’s not like I’m the easiest person to get a hold of with no cell phone. For all I know, there’s a message waiting for me at the orphanage from them.”

“I’m sure you’re worrying for nothing and your dinner will go off without a hitch,” he says, his tone lighthearted. “If this couple are smart, they’ll see you for the sweet, intelligent, captivating girl that you are.” His eyes turn turquoise as they bore into her, like he can see right through her.

He’s not just saying these things to flatter her, she can sense it. He really means it.

She lets go of her bag and puts her hands firmly in her lap. “Tristan, why do you like me?” Might as well be blunt.

He blinks a few times. “What?”

“You’ve only just met me,” she clarifies. “And yet right from the first moment, you’ve shown way too much interest in me, and I want to know why.”

He leans closer, and she gasps, unable to lean away. “I know you feel it, too. That pull. It’s not something I can explain, or resist.”

Brielle is both paralyzed and trembling at the same time. The intensity in his blue eyes, the truth she can feel in his words, it’s all completely overwhelming, and her resolve is all but shattered. There’s only a tiny whisper of doubt keeping her from diving in head first.

She forces herself to swallow to reawaken her motor skills. “That thing you said, about aliens. You were serious. You truly believe it, don’t you?”

He looks down, his eyes darting over the grass around them, as if he’s debating something. Then his eyes return to hers, and she tries to deny that under his gaze is her favorite place to be.

“I don’t just believe it, I know it,” he says, voice filled with conviction. “I have lived it every day for the past seventeen years.”

“And you came here looking for others like you,” she adds. “What makes you think there are others?”

He takes in a long, heavy breath. “Zarius, the man I call my father, was actually a palace guard and right hand of my real father, King Pharis of Gemini I, the Gemini Guardian. During the celebration of my birth, the space station we were on was attacked. All the other Zodiac Heirs aboard the station, princes and princesses like me, were sent in pods to Earth for their protection. I was lucky, sent with Zarius, who raised me with the truth of my lineage. But there are twelve other heirs on this planet, one for each sector of the universe, most of whom likely have no idea who they are. One of those princesses is the other Gemini Heir, my perfect match. My soulmate... My family and I have been searching for them my whole life, and so far, you are the closest we’ve come.”

His story is completely unbelievable, the stuff of epic science fiction movies. Under any other circumstances, Brielle would never even entertain such a fantastical story. But how much more unreal are aliens than visions and curses? She knows her curse exists. Maybe other so-called fictional things do, too. And Tristan isn’t lying about any of it, so he’s either right or insane. She’s not sure which one she’s hoping for. Both come with their own dangers.

“What makes you think I’m one of these alien princesses?” Saying it out loud feels so surreal, like she’s in a dream. And the possibility of being the soulmate he’s looking for? Pure fantasy!

His eyes narrow at her slightly. “You’re different. I can’t explain it. I just sense it. Maybe the same way you can sense when someone is lying.” He flares his brows, giving levity to the tension.

She nods. “And if I am one of your missing alien princesses, what then?”

“You get to know who you really are and where you really came from.”

“How will you know for sure?” She’s in so deep that she doesn’t know if there’s any going back, pretending this didn’t happen.

“There’s a test.” He looks over both shoulders, as if making sure they aren’t being listened to. “I can’t go into detail, but it’s a simple test. Not a question-and-answer or biological test. More like how they find out if a child is the Dalai Lama.”

Her pulse spiked when he said test, making her imagine having her blood drawn, so she’s relieved to hear that it’s something more abstract. Holy cow, is she actually considering this?

“Why don’t you come over to my house some time?” His invitation spikes her pulse once again. “You can meet my parents, ask them questions, or we can just hang out, eat something awesome my mom will make. And if you really want to know, you can take the test.”

She takes a moment to respond, pondering. “And what if I take the test and fail?”

Tristan frowns, as if he hadn’t even considered this possibility. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it, but I’m certain you won’t fail.”

She nods and looks down at her still unopened lunch bag, whose contents she’s nowhere near wanting.

“Does that mean you’ll come over?” he asks.

Her heartbeat drums a cadence in her ears that gets louder and louder until she finally says, “Sure. Why not?”

All the colloquialisms she’s ever heard ring in her head: down the rabbit hole, not in Kansas anymore… All she’s ever wanted was to be adopted, to have a normal life with a family, a home, maybe a dog, and no bigger worries than school assignments or the latest celebrity gossip. Now she’s actually considering going along with this whole alien thing.

She didn’t expect to be as drawn to someone as she is to Tristan. The connection between them is so much more than a run-of-the-mill high school fling. And she’s scared by how much she wants to explore it, to pass Tristan’s test and be the girl he thinks she is.

Can she have both? A normal family and a whirlwind alien romance? Or will