Married to the Alien Doctor: Renascence Alliance Series Book 2

by Alma Nilsson

  Ket thought for a minute and then looked at the man, “Do you know who I am?”

  Frank looked at Ket’s ranking jewelry closely for the first time and then it dawned on him, “Of course, yes. I know who you are and who you are buying for. I can help. Follow me.”

  Ket was relieved that the owner of the Earth Store followed the Contracts and knew about the ban. It wasn’t too difficult as she was the only human who had a ban on her which would make him take interest, but he was still impressed the man did and that he didn’t have to put his trust in blindly choosing something for her or revealing himself to the shopkeeper who could ruin all the romance by telling Drusilla it was him.

  Ket and Dera followed Frank back to an area of the shop with lots of flowers from Earth all arranged beautifully.

  “Human women like to receive flowers from Earth. I know the woman in question would like to receive them.”

  “Which ones are her favorites?” Ket asked.

  “I don’t know, she has never bought any for herself. She always admires them though.”

  Ket had never been without universal credits. It didn’t occur to him right away that she wouldn’t have enough to buy herself flowers. “Maybe something else then?”

  “I think she doesn’t buy the flowers because they are expensive,” Frank said directly. “If she doesn’t like them, I’ll give you a full refund. But trust me, I know this young woman and she would be so pleased to receive flowers.”

  Ket looked at Dera and then at the flowers considering, “What do you think Dera?”

  She shrugged, “I don’t understand it. They are flowers that will die in a matter of days. How is that romantic?”

  “I don’t know,” admitted Ket, “but let’s try it.” He nodded to Frank and wrote the card to her himself.

  Dru had just put on her pajamas and was about to turn her light out when one of the slaves burst into her room with a huge bouquet of flowers. The bouquet was made up of peonies, scabiosa, sweet peas and lilac in a gorgeous ceramic vase that must have come from Earth as it had two swans beautifully painted on it.

  “Are these from Earth?” the slave asked.

  Dru sat straight up, Am I dreaming? “Yes, these are from Earth. How did they get here?”

  “They were sent to you. There is an envelope,” she was handed the small envelope. It was written on thick cream paper and was also from Earth. Before she opened the note, she looked at the flowers, closed her eyes and inhaled their soft fragrances. After a minute, she opened her eyes and opened the card. In the most precise and straight writing she had ever seen was the following note,

  Drusilla,

  I hope the tears in your eyes never fell today.

  She turned the card over and again there was no signature. She wondered if this was from Mr. Mystery or from the man she bumped into today or another man who saw what had happened. All this mystery was beginning to give her a headache, so she decided to finally begin to take everyone’s advice and just accept the gifts without thinking too much about them. She reached out a hand to touch one of the purple lilacs and felt loved for the first time in a long time. Even though the feeling was ridiculous, she didn’t even know who sent these to her, but they cared enough to send her something from Earth, something that meant something to her. She left the swan vase with the flowers on her bedside table and fell asleep looking at the bouquet and dreaming of Earth.

  “Snap,” Dru said as she jumped out of bed. She was late. She had been so excited by the flowers that she had forgotten to set her alarm. Today was a day of rest, but there was a symposium at the medical school about practical medicine onboard the warships. Dru wanted to be prepared if she ended up joining Captain Kara on the Zuin. As such, she had completed many of the military medical simulations with the hologram programs in the library that were most likely to happen onboard the warships in her spare time. Today some of those men would be at the medical school to talk about the changes that they had made to different procedures when actually used aboard a starship.

  Dru quickly threw on her black dress and the necklaces Mr. Mystery and Madame Bai had given her and ran out the door without eating breakfast. Because it was a mealtime, there were considerably less people on the streets, and she figured if she walked quickly enough, she may still have time to eat with everyone else at the medical school. She could have hailed a shared transport, but she didn’t want to spend the universal credits for her own mistake.

  By the time Dru arrived there was only one-minute left of the shared morning meal, so she quickly drank some Alliance tea and then went into the large auditorium. When she entered, she was momentarily shocked by all the men in their black uniforms, strong, tall and handsome, standing around talking with one another. Many gave her glances as she sat down, but no one spoke to her. It had been a long time since she had been to an Assembly and she had gotten used to seeing mostly women in every part of her life. She couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement with so many young men in the room and suddenly she felt alive again. She of course was sitting in her assigned seat, which was close to the front, all the women were sitting close to the front, but if she would have had the choice, she would have rather sat in the back so she could have taken in all the men. For just an instant, she felt some remorse she was not onboard the Zuin with Captain Kara and the rest of her crewmates, naturally serving alongside men, as it was supposed to be. Then she probably would not feel like a schoolgirl who has been let out of the nunnery, as she did now.

  Two of Dru’s classmates were talking behind her and she could not help but listen to their conversation. One said, “The only reason I came was to hear Doctor Ket.”

  The other one laughed, “Let me correct that for you, to see Doctor Ket, and I think most of the women came to see him, especially Rez.”

  The first one replied quietly, “But he won’t court her again. I hear he has a put ban on someone.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “My brother.”

  “Oh well, your brother isn’t a reliable source and we know most of the reasonable eligible women and I don’t know anyone who has a ban on them, do you?”

  “Hairy,” the other said loud enough for Dru to hear and then continued, “But I doubt he would contaminate himself with a human. Admiral Tir has always been an enigma, but Doctor Ket, no way. He is true to the Empire through and through.”

  “But Dera,” the other continued and then they stopped abruptly.

  Dru wished they would have continued but they halted when Dera sat down in a seat, not her assigned seat, next to Dru and smiled. She whispered, “Hello friend, I know Zuna isn’t coming so I thought I would sit here with you.”

  Dru smiled at her friend in reply. She knew Dera could do what she wanted. She outranked everyone in the room and she just followed the rules when she felt like it.

  Dera turned around to look at the women behind them, “And if my brother had a ban on anyone, I doubt the woman would be so low that either of you would even know her.”

  The women just smirked at Dera but didn’t dare to say anything back to her insult.

  Dera turned to Dru and asked with a smile, “New hair pin?”

  Drusilla couldn’t help but touch her hair then, “It came with the other one and the barrette,” then she mouthed the words, “Does it look okay?”

  Dera smiled at her sweet human friend, “I can’t read your lips because you are speaking a human language, but I know what you were asking. Yes, it looks good. You look like one of us. Is that why you were late?”

  “I wasn’t late. I made it in time for tea,” Dru smiled back. “I forgot to set an alarm.”

  “Did something distract you last night?”

  “Mr. Mystery saw me yesterday or someone who knows him saw me in a distressed state and sent me flowers. Flowers from Earth,” she blushed. “I was so touched, I put them next to my bed and fell asleep looking at them, not realizing that I hadn’t set my alarm.”

  “Do you remembe
r seeing anyone yesterday?”

  “I ran right into a good-looking man outside the school gates, but he didn’t say much to me, only apologized.”

  “But all the men know who put the ban on you so, no doubt, he told the other man. Maybe they are friends? Who did you run into? Did you recognize him?”

  Dru shook her head, “I don’t think so, but something did seem familiar about him.”

  “Is he any of the doctors here today?”

  Dru scanned the panel and then stopped on Ket, “Yes, third from the left.”

  Dera followed her eyes and then briefly described her brother, badly, “One long plain braid in the back, strong jaw and little grey eyes.”

  Dru nodded, “I wouldn’t describe him that badly,” she smiled at her friend and then added, “And I just realize I recognize him from a holographic simulation I did last week. He is on the Tuir.”

  Before Dera could reply the presenter came out and they had to stop their conversation.

  Ket had felt eyes on him and then looked at his sister and Drusilla and wondered what was going on. He could not help but look at Drusilla. She was just as beautiful as she was yesterday, and he was pleased to see in a better mood today. It was taking all his control not to stare at her through the others’ lectures.

  Dru could not keep her eyes from Ket. She knew him from the holographic simulations and from yesterday, but she kept thinking something else was very familiar about him too, but she couldn’t remember.

  When he stood up to give his lecture, Dera wrote on her tablet and showed it to Dru,

  That is one of my older brothers. I see you two looking at each other. I will introduce you after.

  Dru blushed at what Dera had written but she could not deny that she had been looking at this man as much as he had been looking at her. Dru’s heart had begun to beat faster when she read Dera’s note. Then Dera wrote something more,

  Control your thoughts, friend.

  And Dru blushed again but put her complete mind on lockdown. She had forgotten for a moment and then everyone who was telepathically listening heard that she was excited to meet Dera’s brother. Embarrassing. But then she thought, Oh but he won’t talk to me, the ban. She wrote,

  The ban.

  Dera shrugged in response.

  Dru knew this was either because her brother would probably outrank whoever put the ban on her or because maybe her brother, like Dera, cherry picked when he would follow the rules. Madame Bai had lectured them again and again, ‘Know everyone’s rank for they will know yours and treat you accordingly.’ She knew that Dera was of the Imperial House so her brother was obviously equally high ranking and so if he spoke to her, she knew her Mr. Mystery would be below him.

  Now she focused on Dera’s brother, taking in his good looks and confidence as he took a lot of cutting questions from some of the doctors here who had come up with the procedure to only have it changed by him and his team in practical use. Dru suddenly felt that she was in elementary school again and it was the boys versus the girls, except in the Alliance, it seemed to her that the girls always seemed to win, and she could not put her finger on how the boys really felt about that, yet. It made Dru uncomfortable the way some Alliance women immediately assumed men acted on instinct alone and needed to be directed at all times. Equality between the sexes and the Contracts was constantly talked about on the Capital Planet, but in practice, Dru saw very little equality.

  Ket almost lost his train of thought when he heard Drusilla’s thoughts about meeting him. He was ecstatic. He didn’t even care that the head emergency doctor was cutting his ideas and methods down, even though, he knew they worked better, What did she know about being in a war? How long these men stayed at their posts and what could and could not be expected of them when they finally arrived in sickbay.

  When the questions were finished, Ket took his seat again and looked over at Drusilla. She was making some notes. He tried to hear her thoughts again, but she had completely closed herself off. He must have looked at her too long though because it was not long before she looked up at him and they held eye contact for some time, too long. Enough for Dera to whisper something to Drusilla to break it off. Curse younger sisters, he thought.

  Drusilla was curious about Dera’s brother and she found herself wanting the lectures to end so she could talk to him. She had not felt this way about someone in a very long time. Her mind began to wander then, Do I want to speak to him so much because it had been months since I have seen any eligible men? Or have I finally become so accustomed to Alliance people that I find them attractive? Or was this really what they called love at first sight? Or lust at first sight?

  When the lectures finally ended, and people got up to talk to one another. Dera and Dru stood up and before either could say anything, Ket was standing in front of them. “I wanted to come and speak to you before I missed the opportunity,” he explained looking at his sister, but the words were meant for Drusilla.

  Dera did not miss that, “Drusilla, let me introduce you to my older brother Ket. Ket this is Drusilla.” Then she looked at them both looking at each other dreamily and said while walking away, “I will see you at home, brother,” but she doubted either one was listening to her.

  Dru was surprised Dera just left like that. She looked at Ket, to see if he was surprised, and if he was, he didn’t show it. His face was unreadable to her. But she couldn’t stop looking at him. He was tall, she barely came up to his shoulder, strong and she found his strong facial features very handsome.

  Ket found Drusilla so attractive. Her hair was braided today and held back with one of the pins he had given to her. He longed to remove it and unbraid her long red hair. After a long minute of just looking at one another, Ket said, “I’ve heard a lot about you from my sister. It’s impressive that the first human to attend medical school is also the best in her class.”

  Dru blushed, she didn’t know why, “I’ve a lot of time to study.”

  Ket smiled thinking about her studying in the private room he provided for her, “But when you finish school, you’ll stay on planet and not join your captain?”

  “For the moment, that is the plan, but I can’t say for certain.”

  “What would change your mind?”

  Oh, gods did he really just ask me that. I need to stop my mind from running away, he is not my Mr. Mystery, although I wish he was. He is just making conversation. I need to put my panties back on. “A good position here, I guess.”

  Ket had no idea what panties were but picked up that thought from her and almost smiled that she was flustered enough to accidently project it. He would look that word up later in the database. “Well, I hope you find a good position then.” With me in a bed, he thought. She smelled so divine and her pink lips looked so inviting.

  “Are you on planet for long?” You god of a man. I’m sure you have naked pictures of yourself on social media which I will definitely be looking at later, she thought.

  “Only until tomorrow. However, I’ll return for the Year Assembly. Do you attend the Assemblies?” Ket didn’t think that he could talk to her much longer without running his hand down the side of her face. She looked so soft. He longed to touch her smooth creamy skin and see if she felt as soft as she looked.

  “Of course, I wouldn’t want to risk any punishments.”

  “You don’t like being whipped?” He enjoyed the surprise in her big green eyes that changed to desire at the thought.

  He asked her that in such a seductive way she thought he was offering to do it himself and if that were the case she didn’t know if she would say ‘no’. Then she thought, Get a hold of yourself. You are so starved to talk to a man you are just pouncing on the first one. Hold back. “I’ve never been whipped so I can’t say, but it seems like something to avoid.”

  “Possibly,” he said purposely with a lilt of seduction.

  She looked into his grey eyes and thought, If you ask me to just leave with you I will. Oh, snap did I project that? S
he was searching his face.

  He stood so close to her that his hand briefly touched hers at her side and sent shivers down her back. Then he whispered in her ear, “You did project that, but I don’t mind. I feel the same.”

  Dru’s lips parted. She wanted this man. He just came out of nowhere and suddenly she couldn’t imagine not knowing him.

  Everyone was watching Drusilla and Ket. All the men knew that Ket had put the ban on Drusilla and for the women they were still guessing, because of Ket’s high status he could talk to almost anyone, but bets were now in favor of him having put the ban on her. And everyone, except for Rez and a few others, found their interaction truly romantic. It was obvious that it was love at first sight for both of them.

  Then Ket said, “Unfortunately, there are many people I need to speak to here, but another time I’m on planet, I’d like to get to know you better.”

  Dru was completely charmed, even though she was disappointed their conversation had to end now, “Of course,” she didn’t want to say, ‘I have only one friend and live alone so I am quite free,’ so instead she said, “I can make time for you.”

  Ket smiled, “Good and goodbye for now Drusilla.” He was reluctant to walk away; she was more enchanting in person than he had ever hoped to imagine she would be. And her reaction to him was more than encouraging.

  When she arrived home, she skipped dinner and looked through all the information she could find about him, which there was a lot. He was considered an eligible bachelor and he, of course, had a naked picture of himself and she blushed and berated herself for not recognizing him before when she realized she already had a nude image of him saved. He was the doctor from the article she and Rachel had found of the Alliance’s Most Eligible Bachelors. And because of that, she did not think he was her Mr. Mystery. He was high ranking and that is why he was able to speak to her. She decided if he had been her Mr. Mystery, he would have acted differently or completely revealed himself as such today. Dru was disappointed but consoled herself in that at least she had a new friend.