Hale scoffed at the two guards standing right behind him. He was chained to a chair nailed to the floor. It wasn’t as if he could go anywhere. Even his hands were cuffed behind his body. He figured he should take this as a compliment because they must have thought he was a serious threat. All of the compliments in the universe couldn't change the fact that Hale hated being restrained. But he wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of seeing him struggle. One of Hale’s talents was pretending he didn’t care.

The guards had brought him into the visitation chamber of the prison. This was the largest room he had been in since he was arrested. The visitation chamber was divided in half by a glass wall. One side of the room was for the visitors, and the other was for the prisoners. Someone had apparently called to meet with him. There was only one person in the galaxy Hale hoped to see, but she wasn’t the person sitting across from him.

The man sitting on the other side of the glass intimidated even Hale. He was broad shouldered and had a full, immaculate beard of dark hair. He stared at Hale with his dark violet eyes, not wavering for even a moment. Hale wasn’t phased by the intimidation tactics. In fact, Hale returned the gesture by staring back. He was confused on why this man would want to meet with him. Judging his appearance, he was part of the upper class. He was sure the man didn’t work for the prison. He was a visitor with his own security guards. The guards surrounding the man wore the same armor as the palace guards.

Who was this man? Pandora was the only person outside of the prison that he knew. Why would a complete stranger have any interest in him? There was something about the visitor’s presence that was so familiar. He was certain he had never met him before. Hale returned his complete attention back to the man’s violet eyes, almost the same color as Pandora’s but darker.

“Do you know why I’m here?” The visitor’s voice was calm… almost soothing.

Hale continued to hold the same expression, and he didn’t look away. Although Hale thought it was stupid, the first one to break eye contact would be “weaker.” That’s how it usually went. Hale regretted agreeing to this contest, which didn’t prove anything to Hale. He would avoid eye contact with people most of the time because that would often lead to conversation. This time, Hale wanted to play the visitor’s games, regardless of how ridiculous Hale found them. The visitor was probably an authority figure. And of course, Hale usually didn’t give a damn about authority. Except this time.

If he wanted to get out of here ever, he would have to play nice. He knew Pandora would fight for him when she woke up, and he didn’t want to disgrace her character by acting reproachfully. If she woke up. Hale bit his tongue, angry that he would ever doubt her strength. She was going to wake up.

The bearded man cleared his throat. “If I were you, I would answer my questions. I’m your only hope for getting out of here.”

Hale nodded. “I apologize. I don’t know why you’re here. I don’t know who you are, sir.” Hale fought himself to not roll his eyes. He didn’t enjoy addressing men as sir when they treated him as less than. Play nice, Hale reminded himself.

“If it were up to me, you would rot in my prison for the rest of your life. But my daughter would never forgive me. Do you understand?”

Hale nearly lost the strength to breathe. That’s why this man seemed familiar. He was Pandora’s father. The king of Elani. They looked so much alike. How did he not realize it before? Thinking about Pandora, Hale soon lost all sense of reason. “Is she awake? Have you spoken to her? Please, tell me she’s awake.”

He seemed amused at Hale’s behavior. “You don’t look like you’re in a position to make demands, do you?”

“I just need to know if she’s okay,” Hale pleaded.

The king nodded. “You’re at least good at pretending you care about her. But don’t think for a moment that makes any difference to me. Even if you truly cared about her, that doesn’t change how I see you.”

“I understand,” Hale replied.

“I don’t owe you anything and neither does my daughter,” the king stated sternly.

“I never thought that for a moment. All I wanted to do was to bring her home. I don’t want a reward or anything like that.” Hale felt tears beading in the corners of his eyes. “All I ask of you is that you tell me the truth. Is she okay?”

The king pressed his lips into a firm line. Hale wondered why his own concern for Pandora appeared to bother her father. He probably thought it was all a show. His feelings for her were the realest he had ever had. His heart was bruised seeing how her father doubted him.

“She seems to be doing well. She woke up yesterday,” the king answered, having tortured Hale by making him beg for a response.

For the first time since this conversation began, Hale broke eye contact with the visitor. Hale closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He could have cried, if he allowed himself. He was incredibly grateful to hear that she was alive and awake.

Hale opened his eyes. “Thank you for telling me. I’m glad to hear that she woke up.”

“Everyone was. Especially me. I do acknowledge what you did for my daughter. And she has a fondness for you. I don’t understand it, but I am here for her. What were your intentions for helping her?”

Hale grinned. He thought about the first time he saw her. It felt like a lifetime ago. As soon as he caught that very first glimpse of her, he knew somehow he would end up talking to her. And when their eyes met for the first time, he wanted to know her, in every way possible. She had power over him that no other could match.

“Well?” The king pressed.

“She is the most wonderful person I have ever met. She treated me with kindness that I didn’t deserve. I wanted to get to know her better, which meant we needed time. But that’s only part of the reason I helped her. It’s honestly difficult to completely explain. Your daughter’s ability to persuade is incredible.” Hale could feel his face flushing as he said aloud how amazing he knew she was.

“I only know that too well,” the king huffed. “That’s truly the reason why I’m here.”

“She called the shots even with me,” Hale recalled fondly. That was actually true. Her ability to control him so well enraged him at first. Until it didn’t… because he had fallen for her.

“Tell me, what are your intentions with my daughter?”

Hale narrowed his eyes. “You asked me that already.”

“No. I asked you why you helped her. That is another matter entirely, isn’t it?”

Hale was scared to answer that. Because the king was right: his intentions with helping Pandora and his intentions with her were two different things entirely. “I’m afraid I can’t answer this question directly, sir. Pandora and I haven’t talked about it. But I would never harm her. I want the best for her. And at this point, I can’t say confidently that’s me.”

“So what you are telling me is that you care more about my daughter than yourself,” the king mused.

Hale hung his head. “I—I don’t. I don’t know. It’s complicated. I don’t want to hurt her though.”

The king nodded and continued to stare at Hale. It was strange to have someone this intent on making him feel uncomfortable. Hale kept silent. There was no way he would consider speaking unless he was asked a question. He hadn’t been concerned about what came out of his mouth in a very long time. But this his was Pandora’s father. His opinion of Hale was already ruined by Hale’s record, but Hale still wanted to try to act respectfully. Otherwise, he would certainly never see her again.

“She obviously cares about you. And you say that you care for her, but you never talked about the future?”

Hale looked at the floor, accepting defeat. “I’ve never thought far ahead. I’m just thankful for each day she wants me in her life. One day, I figured she would wake up and realize that she could do better.”

“I still have faith that she will,” the king noted. He had absolutely no regard for Hale’s feelings. But Hale was used to that.

Pandora was the only one who cared how he felt. That was enough for him. He’d rather her care about him than the entire galaxy. Right now, he wanted only her love.

The king’s eyes were firm. “Do you know what happened to Pandora while she was on Coran’s base?”

“You mean did he harm her?” Hale asked, hoping to determine exactly what he was wanting to know.

“Did he?”

Hale shook his head. “She managed to escape before anything happened. You absolutely can’t trust Coran. But I think that Pandora would have said something to me if he hurt her.”

“My castle has one of the most effective security teams in the galaxy. How did he manage to capture my daughter so easily?”

Zaya. That was the true answer to his question. Zaya was incredibly skilled with breaking into or sneaking into places. Coran hired her for that exact reason. She could do anything she put her mind to for the most part. But Hale wasn’t going to mention her name to him. Zaya’s life was dangerous enough with Coran after her. He didn’t want to cause more problems for her.

“I wasn’t there so I can’t really give an answer. All I know is that Coran hires people who are perfect for the job. My advice is end your involvement with him completely. He will betray as many times as you allow him to.”

To Hale’s surprise, the king for the first time looked away from him. He seemed to be unsettled by what Hale had said last. Hale could have pressed Pandora’s father for more information because Hale knew there was something he was hiding. A dark secret. Hale was afraid to uncover it. He didn’t want to mar the image of perfection that Elani was in his mind. Again, Pandora had risked her life for this planet.

“Thank you for answering my questions. I will get back to you on my decision on what I plan to do with you,” the king stated emotionless. He stood up and quickly left the visitation room.

Hale didn’t have a chance to say anything more. Nor did he want to. He had never felt that self-conscious before. In the presence of Pandora’s father he had no other choice but to act somewhat respectfully and answer his questions honestly because he needed to see her at least one last time.

* * * *

Pandora wrapped her wet hair up into a towel so that it wouldn’t drip all over her room. She had gotten out of the bath only a few minutes ago and was wandering around her room in her bathrobe. The bath helped her renew her mind and feel entirely relaxed. She spent too much of her time worrying about Hale.

When she thought of him, she almost believed she could feel his pain and his loneliness. And here she was thinking about him again. Pandora purposed to think about anything else, something unimportant.

She walked up to her large closet and opened the doors. Since it was almost midnight, she did need to change into night clothes. There were around one hundred different outfits inside the closet, each completely different from one another. Most of them were fancy evening gowns. On the far right side of the closet was her nightgown section. Some were made out of soft cotton and others were made out of a shiny silk. Her nightgown collection had a variety of colors and styles. She chose a light pink cotton nightgown that touched the floor and had lacy sleeves. Pandora let Lia and Kara go home before she took her bath so she was responsible for preparing herself for bed. Of course, she didn’t mind. Sometimes she felt as though her handmaidens did far too much for her, but she would always be thankful for their efforts.

Once she changed, she removed the towel from her head and brushed out her damp hair. With all of her tangles gone, she lay down on her bed to sleep. She curled up into a ball and closed her eyes.

Her mind could only think about one thing, one person. She wished he was here so that he could hold her. She remembered feeling safe in his arms. In her life before him, she didn’t realize how lonely she was. Because she knew what it was like to have Hale, being apart from him was almost unbearable.

Pandora didn’t have a chance to start crying like she wanted to. She heard the door to her bedroom slide open. She sat up immediately, wondering who it could be this late at night. The only light in the room came from the city lights shining though her window and the light streaming from the door. She saw the silhouette of a tall man. Her first assumption was her father. But as she stared at him longer she realized that she was wrong. This man was much leaner than her father was. Her heart trembled as she traced along the silhouette with her eyes because she became more sure of who he was with every passing second. He walked slowly towards her bed but maintained a comfortable distance.

“Hale?” Pandora whimpered.

He moved his hand near his face, and a small flame flickered from his palm. From the firelight, his blue eyes glowed in all of their brilliance, as he grinned smugly. Pandora ripped the sheets off her body, crawling to the end of her bed, and nearly launched herself at him. She cupped his face between her hands, recognizing how the shape of his jaw felt against her palms and his cheeks against her fingertips. Pandora cried, this time tears of gratefulness.

“It’s you. I can’t believe it,” she murmured. She ran a finger over his lips and stood on her tiptoes to get closer to him.

He said nothing and traced over the curves of her body very slowly. The sensation of feeling his touch again overwhelmed her. He slid his hands around her back and pressed his body against hers. She moved up to kiss him, but he placed a gentle finger to her lips.

“But,” she whispered in protest. She had waited too long for his kiss.

Instead, he kissed her cheek. “Not yet,” he murmured into her ear. He stepped to the side and held her hand. He pulled her to the doorway of her room. She realized why he wanted to wait, even for a kiss. They weren’t alone.

Her father waited in the doorway. Pandora’s face flushed in horror. How long had he been standing there? Not that she did anything inappropriate, but she felt awkward being affectionate with Hale in front of her father. They all stood in silence and stared at each other.

Pandora eventually mustered the courage to say something. She couldn’t take the awkwardness of the situation anymore. “Dad, did you let him go?”

Her father smiled, but she could see the fear in his eyes as he looked at them together. “Yes. I did. However, He is wearing the same device you have on your wrist right now. His not only tracks his heart rate at all times, but also his location.”

Pandora was too happy to see Hale to think about what that device might mean for them. She couldn’t believe her father had released him. She let go of Hale’s hand and ran to her father. “Thank you.” She hugged him. “Thank you so much. Can Hale stay here?”

“He will be staying in the castle of course. I had a room prepared for him.”

“You’re the best, Dad.” Pandora wanted Hale to stay with her, although that would be inappropriate. She was surprised her father would be allowing Hale to stay in the castle at all.

He patted her on the shoulder. “I just want you to be happy.”

Pandora returned to her position beside Hale. She placed her arm around him and leaned into his side. “Have a goodnight!” She hoped her father would give them some time alone.

“Goodnight, my dear,” the king said back. “Come along, Hale. I will show you to your room.”

“Wait! Can’t he stay for a little while?” Pandora asked.

Hale hugged her. “Now isn’t the time to argue with him,” Hale whispered to her. “Try to get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved goodbye and left with her father.