by Mina Carter
“Fenriis is my ma… my husband,” her mom explained, taking her hand. “And Jess wasn’t the only one who was taken by the Lathar. They sent someone to take you as well. I’d lost you both. I was ill and then Fenriis offered to help me find you.”
“Oh. And you fell in love with him on the way?” Lizzie asked, trying to fit the image of a distinguished silver fox Lathar in with the idea of little green men.
“Something like that.” Amanda smiled, patting the back of her hand. Lizzie looked at her mom, really looked. She looked happy, in better health than Lizzie had seen her for a long time.
“So why did they take me as well?” she asked, including Jess in her look. “And what about the guy speaking to me?”
“My husband Laarn is the head doc here,” Jess explained gently. “He’s been treating your sleeping sickness. Perhaps it was him you heard?”
“Hey! Get in there, sis! A doctor. You snagged a good one,” Lizzie grinned. “At least… you haven’t scared him off yet, so you must be doing something right.”
A sound by the door caught all their attention, and they turned, just to see a long-haired guy look into the room. His eyes widened as he spotted the three of them. Then he disappeared abruptly.
“Was that?” Lizzie whispered, leaning against her mom. She was tired, so tired, but it was a bone deep tiredness rather than a feeling like she needed to sleep again. In fact, she wasn’t sure she could ever sleep again.
“Uh-huh,” Lizzie nodded. “That was Ivaas, one of the healers looking after you.”
“He looked so… normal. Human.”
“Well, they are human. Kinda.” Jess smiled, settling herself more comfortably on the bed. Like their mom, she looked happy, almost glowing. She’d put on a little weight, which suited her, but there was something else. Something Lizzie hadn’t put her finger on yet. And it wasn’t just because Jess was in love. That was apparent. It was something else.
“Or rather,” Jess carried on. “We’re Lathar. Humanity are descended from one of their expeditions that got lost. They crashed and forgot where they came from… became us.”
Lizzie’s eyes widened at that news and then widened further when the biggest guy she’d ever seen walked through the door. He was covered in scars and had long, dark hair that flowed over his shoulders. Neither detail held her attention as soon as she saw the little girl in his arms. Tiny and delicate, she had a small hand wrapped in the guy’s long hair, the thumb of the other in her mouth.
Lizzie held her breath as the child looked at her, feeling the weight of an old soul’s regard. Then the baby smiled and held out her arms.
To Lizzie.
She blinked as the big guy walked over, automatically taking the baby as he handed her over. “Welcome to the family, Lizzie. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up for a long time.”
“Uh… hi?” she managed to reply, looking from the child to the alien in front of her, then to Jess, who was beaming.
“Meet my husband, Laarn, and this is Miisan. Your niece.”
2
She was on an alien planet. A freaking alien planet.
Lizzie couldn’t stop looking around, eyes wide at the plants in the garden around her. If she squinted and looked sideways, she recognized almost all of them. They were very similar to plants on Earth. Like evolution here had followed the same paths and ended up with almost the same design.
She wasn’t surprised. It happened on Earth as well. There was a pinnacle for design in each niche, and even in closed ecosystems on opposite sides of the world, evolution created the same basic design, like the wolf and the long-extinct Tasmanian tiger. Same design, same predatory niche, but one lupine and one marsupial.
So the fact that she could almost recognize all the plant varieties around her wasn’t surprising and was actually rather comforting. With a sigh, she leaned her head back against the lounger and closed her eyes, listening to the comforting rustle of the breeze through the branches of the trees. The temperature out in the garden was pleasant, even verging on warm. Perhaps the seasons were the other way around here, like in Australia back home?
Making a note to ask someone about it later, she let herself relax. Her morning had been taken up by Jess’s husband, Laarn, doing tests on her. From what she could work out from his conversation with the other doctors, they had no idea why she’d woken up. It wasn’t anything they’d done.
Interesting. For all their high-tech medical knowledge and gadgets, including the holographic scanner machine they’d had her in earlier, they didn’t know everything. That in itself was comforting. Aliens were discomforting enough, and hot aliens were even worse. But hot alien know-it-alls... That would flip Lizzie’s bitch switch quicker than anything.
And, at the moment? It wouldn’t take much to make her flip out.
She’d been playing catch up all morning. She’d known Jess had been taken by aliens, so to find out she’d married one was no surprise. Jess was clever, easy to talk to, and beautiful… all the things Lizzie was not… so the fact Laarn had fallen hard and fast didn’t surprise her. And her niece, little Miisan, was utterly delightful.
Her mom being married though? That was a surprise. Apparently Fenriis was away on a mission at the moment but would return soon. Her stepdad was an alien. Fuuuuuck… That would take some getting used to.
But for now, she was on her own. Laarn had called a stop to the tests for now and had ordered her to take some time to relax in nature. Seemed the Lathar doctors—sorry, healers—advocated a lot more communing with nature than human ones did. Again, no surprise. They were massively more technologically advanced than humanity.
A sense of being watched made her open her eyes. Laarn had brought her out to a secluded area, setting a lounger for her under the shade of a tree with a good view of the gardens and, in the distance beyond the big walls, a sprawling city. Her very first alien city.
But, while she might have the view, she hadn’t seen anyone since Laarn and his attendants left. She’d been surprised about that until she realized the lounger itself was monitoring her.
Sitting up, she looked around, trying to spot whoever was watching her. There… in the bushes.
“Hey!” she called out, standing. Her legs were still a little unsteady, the result of being in bed for so many months, so she gripped the back of the lounger to steady herself. “Hey… don’t be scared. You can come out. I won’t hurt you.”
The bushes stilled, but she’d definitely caught the sense of movement behind them. They were high and thick, though, so even squinting, her gaze couldn’t penetrate them to reveal whoever it was.
“Would you come out?” she asked. “Please? I’d like someone to talk to…”
More silence. She was about to give up, sighing in disappointment and moving to sit down, when the bushes rustled again.
An alien man stepped through, freezing the breath right there in her throat. He was almost as big as Laarn, broad-shouldered and heavy with muscle but without the scars. Pale eyes studied her levelly as he rose to his full height. She bit back a whimper, her knees going weak.
He was the most gorgeous man, alien or human, she’d ever seen.
Annnnd… she was staring.
She shut her mouth with a click and looked up at him. “Hey.”
“Hello.”
His deep voice hit her like a shuttle at light speed and she gasped. It was him.
Before she knew it, he was across the space between them, his arm out to steady her.
“Lady Lizzie? Are you okay?” he asked, a look of concern on his handsome face. “Should I call for a healer?”
“No. No, it’s okay,” she managed, looking up at him in wonder. “It’s you. You’re him. The man from my dreams.”
A smile crept across his lips and she lost the ability to think. With dark hair bound back at the nape of his neck and pale eyes, he was gorgeous. Smiling? Yeah, no red-blooded woman stood a chance.
“You honor me, my lady,” he dropped his gaze for
a second, the little inclination of his head hinting at manners that were courtly and old-world.
“No. I mean I remember you,” she said, her hand spreading out over his arm where he held her. “Your voice, I mean. It was in my dreams. When I woke up, everyone told me you were a figment of my imagination. A dream person. I knew they were wrong. I knew you were out here somewhere.”
Suddenly she became aware she was clinging to him. The sheer relief of something familiar from her slumber, his voice, had made her lose all sense of acceptable behavior.
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she murmured, certain he didn’t want her all over him. With the way he looked, he could have the pick of the women from Earth. Probably already had, she thought, coming down to Earth with a bump. Okay, not Earth, she reminded herself, but back to wherever this place was with a bump.
“No apology needed, my lady.” He smiled and let go as she straightened up, but he stayed close. He was probably worried about her face planting in the grass. “I am Saal. One of the… caretakers in the hall.”
He motioned for her to sit down again, pulling up a small bench to sit opposite. “I did read to you, yes. Lord Healer Laarn said it was possible that you could hear us all even through your slumber and… I didn’t want you to feel alone.”
She looked at him in surprise and then smiled, a bolt of pleasure rolling through her. “That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.”
She ducked her head, tucking her hair behind her ear. The way he was looking at her… he wasn’t hiding the interest in his eyes and his very nearness made her stomach feel like it was filled with butterflies. “I heard you,” she admitted softly. “Your voice made me feel safe.”
It was just a small admission but his expression… it was like she’d given him the world on a silver platter. “I am glad. You—”
“Saal.”
A deep voice laced with disapproval and anger made Lizzie and the big alien warrior whirl around. So deeply involved had they been in their conversation, neither had heard Laarn approaching. He stood behind them, his arms folded across his broad chest and his face like thunder as he looked at the other warrior.
“Don’t you have duties to attend to?”
Saal was on his feet in a heartbeat, his expression tight and controlled.
“Yes, Lord Healer.” He turned to Lizzie and bowed low. “My lady, an honor to meet you.”
And with that, he was gone.
“Why did you do that?” Lizzie demanded, turning on Laarn as he approached. His face was a hard mask as he used some kind of computer mounted on his wrist bracer to connect to the lounger she’d been resting on. “We were just talking.”
“As long as it was just talking.” Laarn shot her a direct look. “Lizzie, I appreciate this is all a big shock to you and you’re having to adjust rapidly. But never make the mistake of thinking that because we look like you that we’re human. We are Lathar. Saal is Lathar… and that means he is very dangerous indeed.”
“He was nice to me. He didn’t look dangerous.”
Laarn squatted down next to her.
“Every male can be nice when they want something. After... ” He shrugged. “Saal is a good warrior, and I trust him… up to a point. Don’t be alone with him again and never agree to anything, even if it seems harmless. Not until you understand our culture more, or you could well find yourself mated to a male you don’t want and there will be nothing I nor your sister can do about it. Understand?”
She blinked in surprise. “Just talking though? That can’t be dangerous. Surely?”
Laarn inclined his head. “Depends what you’re talking about, and what promises you make without realizing it. Hells, agree to a dance in some parts of the empire and you could find yourself in a multiple marriage.”
Her eyes widened. “Okay. Not dancing. Promise.”
He smiled. “Good. Now, since you appear to be a little more recovered, I’ll talk to Jess and the other ladies about getting you some lessons. So you don’t get yourself into trouble.”
* * *
It turned out Laarn hadn’t been kidding. Latharian culture was way more complicated than Lizzie had suspected. Lizzie laid her head down on the table and groaned after her first lesson. It was now stuffed with more rules and protocol than she’d ever dreamed possible. Using the right knife and fork at a state banquet back home on Earth had nothing on the Lathar. It seemed even looking at a guy in the wrong way could get a girl into trouble here.
“Plants are easier,” she moaned as she sat up, heartily glad that they’d repaired to the terrace overlooking the gardens for lunch. Learning always made her ravenous.
Jess, settled on the plush chair next to her with her sleeping daughter in her lap, chuckled. “Hey. Think yourself lucky. When we all arrived, there were no lessons. No integration period. We just had to muddle through.”
That shut Lizzie up. Compared to her twin, she did have it easy. Jess and the other women on the Sentinel Five base had been kidnapped and kept prisoner, not woken up after a months’ long nap in a comfortable private hospital room.
She sighed and turned her attention to the lunch that had been set out for them. Like with the plants, everything was sort of familiar, if you looked sideways and squinted a bit. There were small sandwiches, with what looked like cheese and tomato on them, but the bread looked more like pita bread than a baker’s loaf. It was crumbly though, more like a biscuit. Very odd. Tasty, though, she decided as she nibbled on one.
The sandwiches were accompanied by some kind of sparkling drink that her nose wanted to tell her was floral but her taste buds swore was more berry-based. Sliced fruit that looked like a cross between a watermelon and an orange was set on a plate in the center of the table.
But the food didn’t hold her attention for long. As always when there were plants nearby, her gaze slid to the garden and she sighed in happiness, feeling a calm settle over her. She’d always liked to be close to nature, and it seemed even nature on an alien planet would do the trick.
That was until Saal wandered into view and all sense of calm fled the scene like a bank robber with a bag full of swag. She hadn’t seen him since Laarn had run him off yesterday. Trying to conceal her interest from her sister, she kept a calm expression on her face and swept her gaze over the gardens. But her eyes kept wandering back to the tall, broad-shouldered alien as he began to trim one of the hedges that bordered the many paths.
He knew what he was doing, she realized, wielding a large pair of shears like a pro. She wondered idly why he wasn’t using a chainsaw or the like, instead of the more labor-intensive manual tool. But she couldn’t argue he made for an appealing sight, the heavy muscles of his shoulders and arms bunching to cut the thick foliage.
“Close your mouth, sister dear,” Jess commented. “You’re drooling.”
“Am not!” Lizzie shot back, but she couldn’t resist the automatic swipe under her lips to check.
“Gotcha!” Jess chuckled, rocking Miisan gently. The baby snuffled and cooed, her hand wrapped around a lock of her mama’s hair.
“Bitch,” Lizzie snorted. She’d given herself away so she only had herself to blame.
“He is quite appealing though. Isn’t he?” Jess winked. “Never tell Laarn I said that.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. And, yes, he is.”
Saal was more than “quite appealing.” The guy was drop-dead gorgeous. Lizzie sighed and looked away.
“Laarn already warned me off him though. Said he was dangerous.”
“Oh, he did. Did he?” The light of battle entered Jess’s eyes as she sat up a little.
“Hey! Saal!” she called out. “Come up here. I’d like you to meet my sister.”
The tall warrior turned gardener looked over his shoulder but then put down his shears and made his way toward them. His booted feet crunched the small stones of the path underfoot. Lizzie tried not to notice he was shirtless, but it was impossible. All that satin skin over hard muscle demande
d attention and every feminine instinct she had sat up and took notice.
“Lady Jessica.” He bowed as he spoke, his deep voice sending shivers up Lizzie’s spine. “Lady Lizzie.”
He straightened and flashed a small smile at Lizzie. “I have already had the pleasure of meeting Lady Lizzie.”
Lizzie smiled back but Jess answered. “As far as I understand it, my husband got involved. Said you were dangerous. Isn’t that right, Lizzie?”
Lizzie almost spat her drink out but managed to choke it down rather than spray the delicate tablecloth in front of her. Tears in her eyes, she nodded. “Words to that effect, yes. Said I should be careful around him. Not be on my own with him.”
“Utter bullshit! Saal’s not dangerous at all. Are you, Saal?” Jess demanded, soothing the fretting Miisan as she woke up.
Saal’s expression twisted a little, but almost instantly smoothed out again. “Begging your pardon, my lady, but he was right. I am dangerous.” He looked directly at Lizzie. “Your sister’s mate gave you good advice. Be careful around any warrior whose intentions you don’t know.”
“Huh,” Jess commented, standing to rock her daughter. “Well… I guess he’s right. All Lathar are dangerous. But Saal won’t hurt you. I trust him with my life. Have trusted him with my life. Isn’t that right?”
Lizzie’s eyes widened. “Really?”
She tried not to edge closer as Saal, invited by Jess’s motion toward a free chair, sat down. She’d been dying to ask about Jess’s time with the Lathar and how she’d ended up married to an honest-to-god alien prince, but so far she’d only gotten the bare bones from her twin. Her time was eaten up with her roles as an imperial princess and a mother. It would be nice to ask someone who’d known her during that time. The fact that he was also as handsome as hell and made her stomach do flip-flops was purely a happy coincidence.
“Really.” Saal shot Jess a look but relaxed a little. “It was more the other way around,” he admitted to Lizzie. “She covered for me when the emperor and his forces were prepared to execute me for purist leanings. Mind you, she had just blown up the main labs, so I don’t think anyone fancied arguing with her.”
