by Lisa Lace
Mrs. Boyko clucked a few times and patted me on the shoulder. I tried to think happy thoughts so I wouldn't look as hurt as I felt.
"I don't know her, but if what you say is true, she seems a foolish woman. She's missing out on a wonderful family and a special daughter."
That made me feel better. A smile broke out on my face.
"I suppose," I said. "I feel like Charlotte has a grandmother in you."
"Stop, Annalee! You'll make me start crying."
I gave her a hug, feeling a little close to tears myself.
"But what about your genetic grandchildren?"
"I try not to make that distinction. I don't talk about real or fake grandchildren. I have blood grandchildren and the grandchild of my heart. Charlotte is not better or worse than the others."
"Do you have any pictures of them?" I wanted to take my mind off how sweet Mrs. Boyko was before I lost control and broke down into sobs.
She pulled out a computer and touched her thumb on the screen, opening the lock.
I put on my 'Technology Consultant' hat for a moment. "It would be easier if you used a retinal scan, Mrs. Boyko. We can set it up tomorrow evening when Jesse and I come over for Sunday dinner."
"Whatever you say, dear." After some fiddling, beautiful pictures for me to admire appeared on her screen. "I will come by at naptime every day and we can teaching you herbalism. I'm happy to share my knowledge with you, Annalee."
It was like I had found the mother I never had before. And there was life after teaching. I would discover another passion and interest in plant life. I couldn't wait to start my new studies.
* * *
I strolled out of the main homestead and into the yard, headed toward the guest house. Unofficially it was my home, but we would always refer to the building as the guest house.
When I reached our steps, I heard a carriage approach behind me. I turned and shaded my eyes from the sun. I saw the profile of Marsaline, the Queen of Yordbrook, poking her head out the window of the carriage.
Charlotte was sleeping in my arms, taking a nap. I hurried into the house and laid her in the middle of our big bed. Jesse's cousin was cleaning the kitchen. I asked her to listen in case Charlotte woke up. The young woman often watched my daughter when I needed a babysitter. I didn't mind leaving my daughter while Marigold was there.
I ran to meet Marsaline emerging from her conveyance.
"Marsaline!" I spoke without thinking and covered my mouth in embarrassment. "I apologize. I mean, your Majesty. Why have you graced us with your presence?"
She looked around to see if anyone was near enough to overhear us. When she had determined to her satisfaction that no one was, she answered me truthfully.
"I want to see him, Annalee."
Marsaline and Porter had been separated for some time. She had been busy, not only changing the laws about science and technology, but also modifying the restrictions on who was eligible to marry royalty. Until they passed new legislation, Porter and Marsaline were pretending they barely knew each other.
"Come with me."
No one in the house had noticed the Queen's arrival. Her driver was rushing to put away the carriage. Without seeing the Queen or her transport, no one would know her whereabouts until she chose to reveal herself.
Porter had a retreat in the woods nearby. He kept himself busy running a technology import business and writing software. Once he had the opportunity, he found out he loved computers.
"How goes your work with the council?"
That was one of the problems with a monarchy combined with a representative democracy. The elected officials were resistant to any change, but Marsaline had royal blood. She was surprisingly effective in getting her way with things that were important to her.
"I believe we have reached an accord." She was barely paying attention to me, focusing on her search of the forest in front of us.
"It's finished? What about the other thing?"
"We can finally get married, if that's what you're implying. Marriage requires two people, however, and I need to find my fiance."
I checked off some boxes in my mental checklist. "What about Controller Kozel?" I wondered if she was still at large.
"We deported the former Controller, Annalee. You don't need to be afraid of her anymore."
I was surprised at how relieved I felt to hear those words. I had recurring nightmares she would find me and exact vengeance even though the Queen had removed her from the position. Now that I had confirmation of her departure, I felt myself relaxing.
In another minute, we were at Porter's quarters. It looked like a huntsman's lodge on the outside, but Porter redid the interior to his specifications. We saw him coming out the door.
His eyes were bright. "The computer said it was you, but I didn't believe it."
Jesse appeared behind him and my breath caught in my throat. I felt like he was only looking at me. He ran to me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Part of me wanted to run away with him, but I couldn't stop my eyes from looking at the scene unfolding before us. I know I should have left. For some reason, I needed to see how the relationship between Porter and the Queen played out.
"The Queen wants to see you." She pulled back her hood, revealing light brown hair in a simple braid. It was nothing like the elaborate hairstyle she wore at the palace.
Porter was mesmerized by the sight of her bare head. He reached out his hand to gently smooth her hair away from her forehead. They spoke as if we weren't there.
"Enough to leave when the parliament remains in session?"
"I did it, Porter. It's finished. We can get married now."
Porter held her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. Jesse tugged on my hand, pulling me away.
"Porter's going to be the Queen's consort," Jesse said with a laugh.
"It's unbelievable," I said. "Too bad he can't be the king. He'll remind her of the days when she was a commoner and keep her relaxed."
"And she'll help him upgrade his style," Jesse added. "They're perfect for each other."
"Just like us," I said, swinging his hand as we walked through the forest.
He stopped and gently tugged my hand, pulling me into his arms. I happily wrapped my hands around his neck.
"I love you, Annalee. But are you happy here? I worry that our lives are too dull, and I know you miss life on Earth." Concern filled Jesse's eyes as he waited for my answer.
"For the last time, I didn't enjoy my modern life. I worked too hard. I was lonely. I have more time to relax here, and I've got you..." I cupped his cheek with my hand. "And Charlotte. Mrs. Boyko is more of a mother to me than mine has ever been. And everyone. I love my life and my new job."
"I don't know. Is there anything else you want?" His eyes twinkled.
I locked my eyes on his.
"Let me think." I tapped my head, pretending to consider it. "How about an hour alone with you and we'll call it even?"
"Mrs. Boyko has been asking me why we don't let her watch the little one. It seems like a good time to call in the favor."
My body hummed with anticipation at the thought of spending time alone with my husband.
"Charlotte is napping," I said.
"Come on, Annalee. I know what we can do with our free time."
"Whatever you desire, husband," I said. My face flushed, and I dropped my eyes as if I were a demure Yordbrook wife.
"I know a place where we can go to be alone."
"Alone?" I said. "I'm never alone with you, Jesse."
It was the truth. I wouldn't want it any other way.
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My Alien King
Prologue
"They're at the gates! We have to move the king!"
"There's no time. They'll be on us in seconds if we go through the door. Is the king secured?"
"He is."
"Then we have no choice. He always knew it would come to this. I think somehow we all did."
Asher was very small, but he was very smart. He knew what the bangs and crashes at the gates meant. He knew that the thick smell of smoke in the air came from the fire blasters of the enemy and that his home was burning around him. He knew that the end was near, and he was afraid.
He was tucked in a corner, watching the guards dash back and forth, helping people through the holes in the floors that led to the tunnels where they would hide for who knew how long.
Luckily their spies had warned them about this attack weeks ago, and they had been preparing ever since. The tunnels were stocked with food and tech, enough to last them hopefully, until the end of the siege.
Many people had already evacuated the planet. Hopping in transporters to take their chances elsewhere.
Asher was a prince. His mother was the king's sister, and he didn't know where she was. He didn't know where anyone was, and all he could hear was the screaming.
"Young prince!" came a harsh cry, and his nanny was scooping him up. "Your mother has been worried sick about you. Come with me at once."
"Are we going to the tunnels, Mynee?" he asked her, clinging to her shirt. Mynee was one of the hybrids, looking mostly human with a few features that showed that she had some blood of the more beastly of their kind in her. She had been with him since he was born, though, so he was used to the horns that curved out of her head and back into her hair.
"No," she said sharply. "And shush now. Say no more until we get you to your mother."
Asher fell silent, looking around with wide eyes. They passed the place where he had liked to sit and watch the meteor showers with his mother, now a crumbling ruin. The sound of the fighting was fainter as they moved deeper into the compound, but there were signs all around that things weren't right.
It hurt to see, and he was afraid.
As soon as they were through the door to the rooms where his family lived, his mother was pulling him from Mynee's arms and squeezing her to him.
"Where were you, kithroi?" She asked tearfully. "I was so worried they had killed you or worse. Do not run off like that!"
"I'm sorry, Mother," Asher said, burying his face in his mother's hair. She was a full blooded member of the upper class. Her features completely human, smooth and beautiful. Her hair was a fiery red, and Asher loved how it smelled like jasmine and something spicy. "The guards are looking for Uncle," he murmured to her.
"I know, kithroi. They want to take him to safety."
"But not to the tunnels?"
Over his head, his mother and Mynee exchanged a look. "No, my son. Not to the tunnels. There is no guarantee that the tunnels will stay safe, and they do not want to risk him being captured or killed. The king is the savior of our people and we are to protect him at any cost."
"Because he's the most important," Asher said, remembering how people seemed to worship his uncle.
His mother nodded. "To some, yes. The king is my brother, but he's not the most important to me. You are, kithroi, my beloved. If anything were to happen to you, I don't know how I would survive."
"We don't have much time, Your Highn
ess," Mynee said. "They will be coming."
"Of course. Asher, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that for Mother?" She pulled back her hair so he could see her face. Never before had he seen her look so serious, no trace of laughter or happiness in her golden eyes.
"Yes," he whispered, suddenly even more afraid than he had been before.
"Good boy. They are sending your Uncle to Earth. It is one of the only places in the galaxy where the Shaddoc have not spread. It will be safe for him there. For him, and for you."
"For me?"
"Yes. You are the heir to throne since your Uncle has no children, Asher. You must survive if our people are to continue. Within you is the potential to keep us from falling like so many others have before. We need you, my son."
He swallowed hard. He was very small, but he knew the value of duty. "But you're coming, too, aren't you, Mother?"
She shook her head, hiding her face with her hair for a moment. "No, kithroi. I must stay here and help the people."
A sob bubbled up in him at the thought of going anywhere without his mother. "Mother, you can't! You have to come! You said... You said..." If it wasn't safe, how could she stay here? How could she not go where he went?
She pulled him close once again, pressing kiss after kiss to his head. "My boy. My precious baby boy. I can't go with you. The people can't be abandoned completely. One of the duties of royalty is to see to the people. Do you remember me telling you that?"
Asher nodded. He remembered his lessons well. "A king is not a king without his people," he recited tearfully.
"Good boy, yes. And someone must stay with them. It will be my duty and my honor. And you will live, my son. You will go to safety and grow strong. You are proud, good and smart. You will come back to take your place. Promise me."
