“Really?” When Alex nodded, Selene slowly licked her lips. “Well, chicken cacciatore does sound good, and I’ve never tried your cooking before…”
“So you’ll stay, right?”
“Um.” Selene didn’t seem capable of saying “yes,” so she settled for nodding.
“Great!” Alex smiled. “In that case, why don’t you and Gabrielle head into the living room, while I get started on dinner? Alice should be showing up soon, too, and Jasmine is coming with her.”
“Okay.”
“Yay!” A cheerful Gabrielle pumped a fist into the air, and then grabbed Selene by arm, dragging her into the living room. “Come on! There’s this holoshow that I want to watch about a magical space girl fighting evil!”
“Um, okay.” Selene, unable to get out of Gabrielle’s grip, simply let the alien princess drag her along.
Seconds later, the sound of the holovid turning on reached Alex’s ears.
It seems everything has returned to normal.
Smiling, Alex made his way into the kitchen.
That chicken cacciatore wouldn’t cook itself.
INTERLUDE
SISTERS
King Lucifer was called the most powerful man in the galaxy, not just because he controlled over three-fourths of the galaxy itself, but also because of his undeniable power and unique abilities that only members of his bloodline possessed.
However, at that moment, King Lucifer was bored. Ever since the end of the Unification War, there hadn’t been much for him to do. Much of the day to day affairs that came from running the galaxy were taken care of by his generals and administration office. When something came up that required a delicate touch, his three wives were the ones to handle the matter, and in fact, they generally insisted that he not do anything, which meant he had very little to do these days.
He sat on his large throne, observing the mostly empty room from the raised dais. He had no subjects wanting to speak with him that day, so the room was devoid of life.
The marble columns running along the walls appeared lonely, even as they stood with their brethren, gleaming in the overhead lights. A highly polished floor revealed reflections of the mostly blank ceiling overhead. It was a grand room, but because it was so big, the room always felt empty when no one else was present.
I wish something would happen to keep me entertained.
His mind went to his eldest daughter, Gabrielle Angelise. He wondered what she and her chosen candidate were doing right now. He’d already received reports on how Alexander had dealt with several of Gabrielle’s marriage candidates, proving that, if nothing else, the young man knew how to protect himself and his girl. That was good, but it also meant he couldn’t find any entertainment there. It just wasn’t fun watching someone who didn’t struggle.
A beeping on his console alerted him to someone trying to open a communication line. He hit the button on his throne’s armrest and leaned back.
A screen appeared before him, or rather, a hologram shaped like a rectangle. The image being projected showed one of his seven generals, Azazel, standing at attention, his bearing and posture perfectly straight, just as he expected from a career soldier.
“Ah, Azazel,” he greeted amicably. “You’re a little early to be delivering your bi-monthly report. Does this mean that something has happened to Gabrielle’s chosen candidate?”
“I do not believe so, Your Majesty. The Groom-to-be is perfectly healthy and whole. I could not ascertain anything wrong with him or Princess Gabrielle when last we spoke.”
That was disappointing but not unexpected, considering who Alexander was. Speaking of, he should be getting a report from his wife, Ēostre, soon.
“Then for what reason have you to speak with me? You’d better be quick. I have a lot to do today, and I would hate to have my time wasted.” He really didn’t have anything to do today. He just wanted to mess with Azazel.
“Your Majesty.” Azazel snapped to attention. “Princess Gabrielle has brought a matter to my attention that she would like me to discuss with you.”
“Oh?” Now this was interesting. King Lucifer shifted in his seat, adopting a much lazier posture than his subordinate. “And what matter does my eldest daughter want you to bring under my scrutiny?”
“Princess Gabrielle and Groom-to-be Alexander have befriended someone. This person has recently done something to earn her the ire of the police forces here on Mars, and she is currently being pursued.”
Curiouser and curiouser. King Lucifer was beginning to see a more clear picture. It was obvious what Gabrielle wanted from him.
“She wants me to place this person under my protection.” It wasn’t a question.
“Indeed, Your Majesty.” Azazel bowed his head. “She has requested that you formally place her friend under your protective custody.”
King Lucifer deliberated on what to do—for a second, at least.
“I don’t have a problem doing that.” He paused, thinking, and then nodded to himself. “That is what we shall do. I will send you a direct audio recording of my command, placing my daughter’s friend under protective custody. I want you to have Sandolphon’s son take the missive to whoever is in charge.”
Azazel nodded. “Very good, Your Majesty.”
“By the way, Azazel, just who is it that I am placing under my protective custody?”
“Her name is Nyx, Your Majesty.”
“Nyx, huh? Thank you, Azazel. You may go.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
The holographic image disappeared, and King Lucifer leaned back, his mind whirling. He had heard that name before, of course. If he was not mistaken, Nyx was the name of a famous assassin who had appeared in the galactic underworld some years ago.
He did not believe in coincidences. There was little doubt in his mind that the Nyx his eldest had befriended and Nyx the assassin were one and the same. He chuckled. It seemed like things were getting very interesting on Mars. Maybe he would get his entertainment after all.
Another loud beep alerted him to a new person trying to communicate with him. He opened the new channel and watched as another holograph appeared, this time of a woman with green hair, rabbit-like ears, and a mischievous smile.
“Hi, Lucchi! (^_^)”
Lucifer smiled at his second wife. “Ēostre, I’m guessing you’re calling to tell me about Alexander?”
“That’s right! XP I did as you asked and tested him. It looks like the seal I placed on him is breaking. He got extremely aroused while helping me heal Nyx.”
“Hmm… this is an interesting development.”
“Should I reapply the seals?”
“No,” King Lucifer decided. “A new seal is only going to prolong the inevitable. Let’s adopt a wait and see approach. I’d like to discover what happens to someone who has both angelisian and daemon blood flowing through his veins.”
“You mean you want to know if it’s possible for someone to combine both powers (-_-),” Ēostre stated.
“Yes.”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll let things develop naturally. We’ll have to be careful, though. Alex is going to have a hard time. :p”
“He has Gabrielle with him, so I’m sure he’ll be fine,” King Lucifer said.
“I guess so! Welp, I gotta go. I need to check on Nyx’s condition. Bye, Lucchi! Love you! (^_^)”
The hologram disappeared as King Lucifer leaned back in his seat. He stroked his chin and contemplated the situation.
So, Alexander’s two halves were awake now. That was going to be problematic, but it would also provide him with more entertainment. Still, perhaps he should send his other two daughters over to Mars. Ariel was well-versed in the ancient Angelisian languages. She might be able to ease Alexander’s suffering once it was time for him to fight for supremacy over his body. Then again, she might make the situation worse.
“Was that Mom?” asked a voice.
King Lucifer turned his head, eying his second daughter
, Michelle.
“It was indeed. Your mother was just telling me how Gabrielle’s marriage candidate is doing.”
Michelle looked nonplussed. “Marriage candidate?”
“Indeed.” He grinned. “Did I not tell you? Gabrielle has chosen her own marriage candidate, a young man living on Mars named Alexander S. Ryker. Azazel has spoken quite highly of him, so I have given him the opportunity to prove himself.”
Michelle looked at him for a moment longer, and then looked away. “Now I understand why she has not returned home yet. If you will excuse me, Father…”
He watched his daughter leave, chuckling at her agitated gait. All of the pieces were falling into place. Now he just had to sit back, relax, and watch the entertainment that would undoubtedly happen.
Alexander Sachiel Ryker… I wonder if you will be as entertaining as your father.
1
Michelle Ostara Angelise walked into her sister’s bedroom, her mind awhirl with thoughts and ideas.
She ignored the mess all around her, the various items strewn across the pink carpet, and walked over to the desk sitting on the far wall, a small pink desk with an equally pink chair, which she sat down in. Outside of the just as messy bed, the just as messy closet, and a door on the far side that led to a private bath, this place was fairly empty. It had no decoration, though plenty of clutter.
The sound of running water let her know that her sister was enjoying a bath.
My honorable sister has selected her own marriage candidate.
She hadn’t thought such a thing would ever happen. Her honorable sister was always adamant about not marrying anyone—or at least, not marrying one of the candidates that her father had selected.
That left either one of two possibilities: either her honorable sister was using this boy to get out of marrying one of her thousands of marriage candidates, or she actually loved this person and wanted to marry him. Michelle wondered which one it was.
It would be interesting to find out.
The water turned off and a hiss alerted her to the opening of a door several minutes later. Michelle looked over as her sister walked out of the private bathroom. Ariel had one towel wrapped around her thin body and was using another to dry her hair.
Despite being sisters, she and Ariel looked very different. Their hair both had a silvery sheen, but while hers was a light green, Ariel’s was a silvery pink. Where Michelle was already gaining a voluptuous and womanly figure, Ariel was depressingly flat. Where Michelle’s face appeared gentle and soft, like her mother’s, Ariel’s was more angular… like her mother’s. Even their eyes were different, with hers being purple and Ariel’s being a pale blue.
It’s probably because we have different mothers. Gabrielle looks different from the both of us.
“Sis, how many times have I told you not to enter my room unannounced?” Ariel asked with a grunt.
“I don’t know,” Michelle admitted. “I lost count years ago.”
Her sister growled as she stomped over to her dresser, where she dropped her towel, opened the drawer, and selected a pair of panties to wear. “So, what did you come here for? Or are you just here to bother me?”
“Did you know that our sister has selected her own marriage candidate?” Michelle asked in response to the questions thrown her way.
“Really? That’s nice,” Ariel said absentmindedly as she began pulling her panties up her legs. Michelle waited exactly three seconds for her sister to properly register the words. When that happened, the panties that she was pulling up ripped as she jerked up and stared at Michelle. “WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”
“Keep it down, will you?” Michelle grimaced. Her sister could be so loud sometimes. “I said that—”
“I know what you said,” Ariel snapped. “What I meant was how did this happen? When did this happen? Who’s our big sis marrying?”
“She’s apparently marrying a boy from the planet Mars,” Michelle informed her. She typed a few keys on the console embedded into the desk, which brought up a holographic display of the Milky Way Galaxy. She did a word search for Mars, which caused the image to zoom in on one particular quadrant of the galaxy, and then it zoomed in further to one particular planet. “Here it is.”
After Ariel discarded her now ripped panties and put on a different pair, along with a large shirt, she wandered over to Michelle’s side and leaned over her sister’s shoulder.
“Mars is a planet inhabited by six-point-five million humans. The planet consists of sixteen large domes protected by a physical barrier and a lightwave barrier. Mars City is the capital and has a total population three million. There has recently been some minor upheaval with the drug Redline hitting the black market…” Ariel continued to read silently for several seconds before scowling. “So Big Sis’ husband is there?”
“Seems like it.” Michelle twirled a strand of hair between her fingers.
“I don’t like this,” Ariel said. “I don’t like this at all.”
Michelle wasn’t sure how to feel either, but she believed that her concerns and Ariel’s concerns were different.
As her sister ranted and raved, Michelle tried to think of what she should do with this information.
I wonder if it would be possible to pay our honorable sister a visit?
They couldn’t do it now, of course, but at some point, she hoped that escaping from this dreary palace would be possible. She would love to check out her honorable sister’s marriage candidate.
Perhaps in time…
CHAPTER 5
PAIN OF A GUILTY HEART
Alex sat in bed, thinking about everything that had happened these past few days. Meeting Nyx, offering her a place to stay, finding out that she was an assassin, nearly getting killed because she’d come to assassinate him, Karen trying to incarcerate Nyx for execution, rescuing Nyx and what transpired during that time… all of that had happened within just two short days. It was a lot to take in.
He stared out the window. Even at night, Mars City remained active, unlike the suburbs of the Outer District. While the area around him was dark, lit only by the occasional street lamp that he could spot from his window, Mars City remained a bright point. The lights from the city were like a beacon.
Just then, a door slid open. Alex turned his head and was nonplussed when he realized that it was his closet door. What’s more, Gabrielle was walking out of that door, causing him to sigh.
“So that’s how you kept sneaking into my bedroom, even though I changed the lock on my door six times already.”
“Tee-hee.” Gabrielle rubbed the back of her neck and stuck her tongue out at him. “You caught me.”
Alex sighed. On any other occasion, he probably wouldn’t have cared if she tried sneaking into his bed. Lord knows she did it enough. However, on this particular night, he didn’t feel like sleeping with her.
Nyx’s soft cries of pleasure echoed along the room as his hand rubbed her naked breast…
“Are you okay, Alex?” Gabrielle asked when he pressed a hand to his face, all in an attempt to keep her from seeing his guilty expression.
“I’m fine,” he muttered softly. “Listen, Gabrielle, would you mind if I slept alone tonight?”
Gabrielle pouted at him. “But I want to sleep with you.”
Alex gave her a weak smile. “Heh, I’m sorry, truly, but I… I would really like to be alone right now.”
Gabrielle didn’t say anything for the longest time. She walked over to him, sitting down on the edge of his bed, her brilliant gem-like green eyes observing him. Alex didn’t know what she was looking for, but whatever she found there caused her to reach out and place a hand over his.
“You know that you can tell me anything, right?” A gentle smile crossed her face at his confused look. “I know you think I’m just using you to get out of having to marry one of Papa’s suitors, but the truth is I really do love you.”
“O-oh…”
Alex knew he should feel happy. Gabrielle just said that
she loved him. While Alex didn’t know if what he felt was love, he couldn’t deny that he really liked her. She was a great person to spend time with, she was fun and loved inventing things, and she had a kind and generous personality. If it wasn’t for how childish she acted and her naiveté when it came to relationships between the opposite sex, he would have asked her to be his girlfriend by now.
Yet he didn’t feel happy—or rather, he did, but that happiness was eclipsed by immense feelings of guilt. They weighed him down.
He didn’t deserve to be loved by Gabrielle. He didn’t deserve to be loved by anyone. Not after what he had done to Nyx. Someone as revolting as him did not deserve the love of such a wonderful person.
The smile he wore was strained, a reflection of his guilt. “Thank you, Gabby. It means a lot to hear you say that. I’ll tell you one day, but for right now, at least, I’d like some time to myself.”
“Oh...” Gabrielle’s ears drooped. Even her wings dropped as though reflecting her depression. “Okay.”
Alex tried not to feel bothered as Gabrielle stood up and slowly walked back through the closet. He looked out the window again.
The lights from Mars City continued to taunt him.
1
Gabrielle frowned as the secret entrance she built into her closet wall, connecting her to Alex’s closet, slid closed. She leaned her back against it and looked at the ceiling.
Something was wrong with Alex. She could tell that he felt guilty about something, but she didn’t know what that something was.
Feeling more down than she ever had before, she walked out of her closet and slowly crawled under the covers of her bed. Sleep would not come to her easily that night.
And I didn’t even get to show him my new outfit, she silently lamented.
2
Nyx’s return to consciousness was surprisingly slow. She would have frowned, were she capable of such movements.
Whenever she woke up, it was always instantaneous, the result of being in near constant danger every second of each day. That her body took more than a split-second to come back online bothered her.
A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol 4 Page 20
