Page 1 of I Married Amreth

Chapter 1

Ciara

Ibrought another fancy hors-d’oeuvre to my lips as I gazed upon the diverse crowd around me. I couldn’t decide if amusement or disgust dominated within me as I watched them sucking up to each other. Although their behavior was expected, it still boggled my mind that after having achieved such high levels of expertise in their respective fields, they still had to debase themselves in this fashion.

Then again, I couldn’t blame them. Getting an invitation to the Intergalactic Medicine Symposium pretty much qualified as a lifetime achievement in and of itself. The biggest names in the medical and pharmaceutical fields throughout our sector of the galaxy always attended. This constituted the ultimate opportunity for lobbying, jockeying for a prestigious job, securing much needed funding for a new project or research, as well as sweet talking potential donors into becoming your patron.

Personally, I had no time for this shameful but necessary administrative aspect of the medical field. I was just happyto have earned a ticket so that I could meet my hero. As an epidemiologist with the Interstellar Doctors Organization—a galactic entity similar to Earth’s Doctors Without Borders—I always dreamt of being part of the type of life-changing discovery Dr. Elias Jacobs achieved a decade ago.

During a routine research mission, his team was attacked by a wild beast from whom he derived the revolutionary Simian Serum 12—commonly referred to as SS12. That wondrous chemical transmitter not only stopped but also reversed degenerative diseases for multiple sentient species. Things such as dementia, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s were now a thing of the past. And that included their equivalent among most non-human species.

I just hoped for a chance to get even a five-minute one-on-one with Dr. Jacobs. But that would require me to be a bit more aggressive. Most of my colleagues, current and former, were boldly approaching all the people they wanted to interact with. While I wasn’t the skittish or easily intimidated type, I didn’t particularly care for having to elbow my way through the throngs for a bit of attention. Still, it would be dumb of me to let this once in a lifetime opportunity go to waste just because I didn’t feel like coming out of my comfort zone.

Heaving a sigh, I popped another of those overly fancy—but insanely delicious—amuse bouche, chugged down the remaining two sips of my sparkling wine, dropped the empty glass at the corner of the table, and headed towards the other end of the room where the masses were surrounding Jacobs.

It was slow progress, with so many people of diverse species forming clusters of varying sizes. I politely exchanged smiles, nods, and even a few words with acquaintances along the way. But it wasn’t until halfway through that my steps faltered. The golden and maroon feathers of a tall bird-like male caught myattention. I did a double take upon realizing it was the famous Kayog Voln.

He ran the highly reputable Prime Mating Agency. They specialized in finding life partners for primitive aliens. Unlike most other matrimonial agencies, they had a 100% success rate for all the actual matches they performed. The challenge was actually getting matched. Over the years, they got flooded with countless requests. But it wasn’t like they—although I should probably sayhe—could simply wave a wand to pull out the name of your soulmate. Kayog needed to have met both partners to be able to recognize them as the perfect pair. From my understanding, as an Edal—a rare trait for the people of his species—he could hear the songs of two souls and recognize them as being in harmony.

What the hell is he doing in a medical symposium?!

The question no sooner popped into my mind than the answer revealed itself. One of the many people surrounding him shifted to the side, thus revealing the stunning silhouette of his mate, Linsea Voln. Where he was fully maroon with golden down feathers on his chest and face, with a fluffy, long, white tail, she would compare to a snow owl, with her pristine white feathers and a smattering of dark spots on her chest.

Linsea worked as an ambassador for the United Planets Organization. As such, among the many high-profile cases she got involved in, the Temern female often facilitated collaborations between species when it involved access to rare medical resources, among other things.

I couldn’t help but to stop dead in my tracks to admire the couple. They were holding hands like two young lovers. Every time he would glance at her with his silver eyes, the tenderness—if not adoration—that shone within melted me from the inside out… not to mention stirred a hint of envy. From what I seemedto recall, they met in college and had been married for a little over thirty years.

What wouldn’t I give for someone to look at me the way he did her after such a long time together?

Despite the stiffness of his beak, he was warmly smiling at Demetra Stamos. I didn’t need to be within range to know she was telling him about her romantic woes. The poor woman had been married and divorced more times than I could count. Unfortunately, she was one of those who tended to be in love with the idea of love more than with their actual partner. For her, being single for even a day meant that somehow, she failed as a woman. It saddened me to the extent that Demetra was otherwise a beautiful, extremely smart, and delightful person. She just kept settling for the wrong guy. A compliment and a seductive smile sufficed for her to be swept off her feet.

Hopefully, Kayog can give her the happily ever after she desperately seeks.

Just as I was going to turn away and resume my arduous journey towards Dr. Jacobs, Kayog suddenly frowned. His smile faded, and he jerked his head to peer at something towards the back of the room to his right. His frown deepened as he stared intently in that same direction. Curious as to what prompted this odd reaction, I followed his gaze.

It took me a moment to realize what had caught his attention with so many bodies moving about. A woman I didn’t know was leaning against the wall for support, her brow creased. She took in a couple of deep breaths then straightened, casting discreet glances around her as if to make sure she hadn’t brought any attention to herself. I narrowed my eyes at her, looking for any signs that she might require an intervention. Although she outwardly looked fine now, one look at Kayog indicated that his concern had increased.

As if in response to that thought, the Temern excused himself to his mate and Demetra and made a beeline for the woman. Without thinking, I followed. The swarm of people made my progress challenging. But I no longer focused on Kayog. Beads of sweat were appearing on the woman’s forehead as she once more winced. Understanding she had something likely too serious to just wait out, the woman headed towards the exit.

Having attended many of these large events where a variety of alien foods were served, I’d grown used to at least a handful of people getting sick and feeling embarrassed about it after eating something they shouldn’t have. But where else would you get such an opportunity to sample as diverse a selection of off-world cuisine?

The woman exited the room a good minute before either Kayog or I managed to reach the door of the massive reception hall used for the event. Just as he was about to step outside, the Temern suddenly jerked his head to the left to look at me over his shoulder. For some stupid reason, my stomach dropped, as if I’d been caught red handed committing a crime or stalking. He locked eyes with me, tension visible in his.

“Are you a doctor?” he asked as a greeting.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Good. Follow me. This woman is unwell.”

Without waiting for my response, he turned around and rushed outside the room. He wasn’t running, but his long strides had me half jogging to keep up. His massive wings partially blocked my view as we exited into the large promenade of the humongous vessel the event was taking place in. From here, we could look at the four stories above us as well as glimpse at the three more below. Each level had its own balcony which grew narrower the higher up you went, giving almost the illusion of the promenade being an amphitheater. Various sets of elevators at each end, and in the middle of each side provided a quick wayto the other floors. However, majestic staircases also provided a more casual access.

I finally spotted the woman a short way ahead. She appeared wobbly on her feet. I couldn’t tell whether she had intended to go to one of the hygiene rooms, back to her quarters, or to the Infirmary. Whatever her plan, she clearly wasn’t going to make it.

With everyone busy inside, none of the handful of people loitering on the promenade appeared to notice her distress. A soft gasp escaped me when, with two powerful flaps of his wings, Kayog suddenly lunged forward. Barely a couple of seconds later, the woman collapsed. Swooping in, the Temern caught her right before she would hit the ground. I ran towards them, my movements impeded by the formfitting evening gown I was wearing as well as my high heels.

That didn’t stop me from typing a few instructions on my bracer to activate my medical scanner. The Temern turned around to face me just as I was reaching them. He didn’t say a word, content to hold her like a bride while I ran my scanner over her. The woman was moaning in pain, more beads of sweat dampening her forehead.

“Looks like she’s having an anaphylactic reaction,” I said, glimpsing at the scan results populating the holographic screen that projected off my bracer. “We need to get her to the med bay at once.”

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