Iris's eyes flickered amongst the faces of the new arrivals, as she tried to quickly assess her current situation.

There were three...aliens, she decided was an appropriate category.

Two of them appeared to be men, and one, a woman.

The woman was standing in front of the other two, her stance assertive and commandeering, despite the drastic height difference and varied muscle disposition.

Her black hair was braided elaborately, with many braids, small and large, shaped to form a French braid that rested neatly against her back.

But what stood out the most to Iris was the sheer number of markings that covered almost every inch of her exposed skin.

She was only donning a thin fabric, which covered her top and bottom halves, leaving nearly nothing to the imagination.

Iris decided then and there that every person of this species was undeniably attractive because she had yet to encounter someone who didn't remotely resemble that of a Greek God.

She watched on in confusion as Niklaus and the woman exchanged words in a language which sounded like a series of clicks and whistles, before he took a few steps forward to approach the small group.

The human withheld a gasp of surprise as the two men dropped to their knees in an instant, their heads lowered and their bodies frozen in such precision, Iris wondered if they were even breathing.

But she was the most unsettled watching Niklaus become embraced by this woman.

The affection shared between them was evident by the way the woman squeezed her arms around him and raked her fingers through his hair. It was even worse when he appeared comforted by her touch and welcomed it.

After a brief moment, Niklaus pulled away from the hug and lowered his head to the black-haired beauty, who placed a chaste kiss on his forehead, before mumbling what could've been a few words or an entire phrase in her native tongue.

Iris bit the inside of her cheek as she watched on, her stomach churning painfully as if she'd eaten something bad and it was disagreeing with her.

She hated that she was having such a visceral reaction for someone who was essentially a stranger to her. This infatuation she felt was slowly but surely consuming her, so much so that she felt what could only be considered hatred for a girl she didn't even know.

"Niklaus..."

Was the only thing she could muster as she tried to get a handle on her emotions.

At the sound of her voice, his head turned towards her, but another pair of eyes followed too, as if they just realized that she was there.

The woman's golden eyes, that were rimmed and lined with kohl, stared at Iris' hazels with a questioning but guarded gaze.

She took a step towards the human, but Niklaus grabbed her arm, preventing her from moving any closer.

"Don't. She's harmless."

Iris' ears caught the English syllables that fell from his lips, and she realized that he could control what he wanted her to hear.

At his objection, the woman rose a brow, but this time when she spoke, it was understandable.

"Where did you find this thing? What is it and why did you bring it here?"

The human took slight offense to being referred to as an 'it', but she was much too intimated to counter.

"Please don't be rude, sister. I will explain everything when we are with family."

Iris felt her muscles loosen at the news that these two were related. She was his sister.

The girl didn't have siblings so a familial connection such as this was foreign to her, never less the fact that they looked nothing alike.

The woman's demeanour appeared very dark and jaded whereas her brother was much more of a relaxed and light spirit. Granted, she was only basing this conclusion on the little time they've spent together so perhaps she was wrong. Perhaps the two siblings were more alike than not—she had just yet to find out.

"Fine. But father will not take well to this."

A few more whistle notes were sounded before one of the kneeling men stood up and picked up the prey that Niklaus had carried for their entire journey.

Iris watched as the man's thighs shook with strain as he hoisted it over his shoulders where he achieved proper balance. Of course, her mind reminded her that the alien prince had picked up that same animal more times than she could count, and he did it with such ease, she had started to believe that it didn't weigh a thing; this however, made her think otherwise.

"We're leaving now." Niklaus interrupted her staring with similar haste in which she had questioned him about the female warrior.

His hand rested against the small of her back as he gave her a slight push to move forward, and the girl stumbled over her own two feet at the shockwaves that pressed against the dimples of her spine.

"Don't touch me." Iris whispered harshly. Her eyes searched in paranoia to see if anyone had witnessed her fumble, but thankfully everyone was already several steps in front of them with his sister leading the pack.

Once she confirmed that the coast was clear, she turned face Niklaus, but her heart squeezed at the frown on his face.

"I apologize," he murmured dejectedly.

The look on his face alone had Iris eating her words, and she placed a comforting hand on his bicep, all the while trying her absolute best to ignore the sparks that sent her body into overstimulation.

"No, I'm sorry, that was mean. I just can't...control...myself around you, really. It's like everything is heightened or something—don't you feel it too?"

His eyes flashed down to where she was touching him before flickering back to her questioning gaze.

He knew that she was struggling with the effects of their bond, and he assumed it was worse to endure than usual because she was human. But her body would adapt to accommodate what she considered foreign. He had seen it before.

While inter-species relationships were rare, they did happen; after all, his kind are not the only inhabitants of this planet.

"I do feel it, but I welcome it. I understand that is hard for you to do given the circumstances, but you really will feel better if you stop resisting it. The more you resist, the harsher the bond will respond."

Iris' breath caught in her throat as her hand that was once on his arm became enclosed by his large palm, basically swallowing it whole.

"Please, let me convince you to stay. I'm the only one that can help you through this."

His eyes softened as he looked at her, and she felt herself melting at the sheer sincerity held in his words, along with the safe and protective feeling that suddenly surrounded her.

"I-I...I'll have to see Niklaus."

Was what her mind forced her to mouth. If she was listening to her gut, her words would've been much more of an affirmative, but she was still too weary to give herself over to instincts.

But the alien seemed more than happy with her response, probably because it wasn't a negative, nor was it a no.

~

In no time, the group arrived at the entrance of an elegant castle, making Iris realize the three aliens had intercepted them at the boarder of what was presumably their land.

Her hand still laid comfortably in the alien's possession, and she had to admit that the overwhelming tingles that she usually ran from had calmed to be much more bearable.

The two warrior men who had accompanied them had split off a bit earlier, probably to do whatever it was they do with giant dead animals.

In an instant the large, double doors were opened by two guards, who gave a salute. Not a single pair of eyes dared to wander anywhere that wasn't straight ahead.

Iris followed Niklaus' lead as they entered the castle, her steps hesitant as she ventured into unfamiliar territory.

But her hesitance quickly morphed into awe, the further she ventured, her eyes eagerly soaking up the bright and earthy appearance of the interior.

She had expected something more medieval as from the outside, the structure appeared to be a tower of stone.

But upon being indoors, she couldn't have been further from the truth.

The ceiling of the castle was made of clear glass; light from the one sun that had yet to set, shone bright from above, illuminating the space and displaying its beauty.

The largest and most eye-catching piece was the giant fountain that was placed in the centre of the front foyer. It truly illustrated how big the space was, as it looked dwarfed by there surrounding walls despite its actual size.

Iris found herself slipping out of Niklaus' hold as her curiosity urged her to walk further, the gold rimmed hallway inviting her in.

"Bellamy, please show Niklaus his room and see that his...guest...has proper accommodations."

She turned as she heard his sister speak, her golden eyes holding nothing but judgement as she scrutinized her appearance.

"Maybe draw her a bath as well."

Iris flushed in embarrassment, her arms wrapping self-consciously around herself as if to hide from the eyes that were now wandering all over her to find cause for such a statement.

"Aspen, stop." 

Niklaus gave his sister a disapproving look, which merely elicited annoyance from the girl who resorted to rolling her eyes.

"Just be ready to have this conversation with mother and father."