Page 57 of The Alien I Fell in Love with on Walpurgis Night

“You know what would happen. You killed an Alliance woman,” the Empress whispers. “But I won’t have you ruin your life over it.”

“You’re right,” I say after a moment of consideration. I didn’t come here to anger her. “I have a better life than most men. I should be grateful to you and my mother.”

“Exactly. Marry Aru, have a daughter and secure our House’s reign in the Empire.”

“I will consider it.”

“Time is ticking. You only have days left before your 50th birthday.”

“I know,” I say hoping the admiral will release Georgiana to me before then and not add anymore tasks for me to complete.

“Now, come sit next to me and tell me about Earth and our Lost People. Madame Georgiana wasn’t nearly as stupid as I imagined humans. Do you suppose we should cordon off their entire planet?”

I take the seat next to the Empress and tell her everything that happened, omitting my feelings for Georgiana, of course.

So, I skip over all of my emotions, the first time she surprised me with her wit or the first time I looked at her and found her absolutely stunning by the firelight. I don’t mention the deliciousness of her sex as my tongue caressed her into orgasm, or my despair at her being ripped away from me by all the women in my life.

I reflect after I’ve told the Empress everything that happened that all the women I trusted to take care of me have betrayed me.

I close the door to the Empress’s chambers and make my way through the restricted areas of the palace. No one thinks it’s odd that I’m here. Especially not since Georgiana is gone. No doubt everyone thinks it was a misunderstanding. No one like me could want to marry a human.

I soon find myself in a conversation with one of the Empress’s advisors who is also a friend. Then, as if the goddesses planned it themselves, the captain of the guards joins us. He’s as foul as ever, but it’s perfect timing. I activate the poison in my fingertip and stand close enough to him that I touch the top of his gun. No matter what he does today, he will touch the hilt of his gun. And if I’m lucky he will die in his sleep.

This common poison is slow acting. There’s an antidote but once you realize you’re dying from it, it’s too late for the antidote. And because of that, it’s the poison of choice in the Empire. The High Council and GC have tried to eradicate it but it’s too lucrative on the black market for them to be successful.

I retract the poison from my fingertip and continue talking to the men. I’m so used to espionage that I talk for another hour at the Empress’s court before making my way home.

The news that the captain of the guards is dead spreads quickly through the Empire. There is speculation as to who could have done it, but my name is not on any of the public lists complied by his House. Justice in the Empire is almost always a House matter.

Before I contact the admiral, I receive a VM from an alpha ship captain in the men’s language. He tells me where I can meet him. Now I have to keep this secret from my own House, something that breaks my heart, but once I’ve seen that I’ve been living in a cage, I can never go back to believing what I did before. Whether Georgiana will have me or not, I don’t know. But I can’t live with myself never finding out the truth from her.

Some might even call me brainwashed, my former self would have said that about my current state, but it doesn’t matter. I secretly transfer UCs to rent a ship with a crew that has come recommended to me by some of “my new friends” in the fleet. I hope this isn’t the biggest mistake of my life. Tomorrow we will leave to retrieve Georgiana and then it will be up to her what she wants to do. But at least I will have the satisfaction of taking her to Earth myself and saying ‘goodbye.’

Not surprisingly as soon as we clear Space Port One, my sister RVMs me.

“Axl, where do you think you are going?”

“I have something I need to do.”

“With House UCs? No one authorized this.”

“I authorized it.”

“You’re a man!? I want you to return to Space Port One immediately.”

“I’m no longer in the Capital Planet’s orbit so you cannot order me to do anything Lia.”

She purses her lips. “Why are you doing this? Is it about the human? She doesn’t want you. I met with her myself, she wants to return to Earth and she wants to forget all about her alien encounter.”

“That may be, but I should be allowed to hear it from her. Mother gave me seven days of courting and I never got them.”

“You don’t trust me to have your best interests at heart? I’m your sister Axl. No one will think about what’s best for you more than I will. Come back. Don’t throw your life away chasing a human woman who doesn’t even want you.”

“Lia, I appreciate your concern.”

“I know you’ve joined this so-called, ‘men’s equality movement.’ It’s ridiculous. Men have more than their fair share of rights. I don’t know who brainwashed you, but you need to come home. The human woman doesn’t want you. Your family and your Empire need you.”

“I still would like to hear the words from Georgiana’s lips myself.”

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