Page 26 of Possessive Alien Mate

Alissina drew in a deep breath. “Oh, it’s only that his heart was broken long ago. Has he not mentioned this to you at all?”

“He told me he lost someone he cared about because of the Xieandans, though he did not elaborate. Is-is that related?” Her heart raced at the prospect as her suspicions started to grow.

“It probably isn’t my place to tell you,” Alissina said, though her voice remained cheerful. She wasn’t upset that Tyra had been prying. “He will likely tell you more about it when the time is right. But know that it happened many years ago, long before we even traveled to your solar system. I doubt he’s still grieving the female’s loss, especially now that he has you.” Her tone was warm and motherly. She patted Tyra on the arm and then beckoned her down a narrow street.

“Where are we going?” she asked, even as she continued processing Alissina’s admissions. Not only had Rem had his heart broken by a female, but it appeared that same female had perished because of the Xieandans.

“There’s a new dress shop down this way. They have the most fashionable gowns.”

Tyra glanced at her wrist comm. Rem had told her it would also permit her to make purchases, she simply needed to allow a shop owner to scan it. He’d also told her to buy whatever she wanted and not to worry about the cost, jokingly warning her that his mother would probably push the most expensive clothing items upon her, as the older woman had a taste for more refined items. She appreciated that Rem had allowed her to spend the day in the city with his mother, though she still felt a little strange over the prospect of spending lots of his money, even if Alissina had claimed he was affluent.

Over the next few hours, Alissina whisked her into shop after shop. At first, Tyra tried to protest how many items the woman was insisting she buy—she wasn’t used to having so many new things and had never owned a brand-new dress before—but eventually she gave up and decided it was easier to go along with Alissina’s picks. They rented a hovering cart that followed them through the stores, a marvel of technology that left Tyra repeatedly amazed. It never bumped into anything and stayed about five feet behind them. She noticed several other shoppers being followed by the floating carts too.

The market area was colorful and filled with a mix of Marttiaxoxalian males and human females, as well as the occasional Marttiaxoxalian female. The males typically wore black or gray, and the females wore bright clothing, usually long elegant gowns made of layers of sheer fabric.

As Alissina guided Tyra into a bakery for a quick treat, someone called out their names from across the shop. They both turned to see Princess Esmay seated at a table with another human female.

“It’s good to see you both!” Princess Esmay called out. “Please, won’t you join us?”

“We’ll be right there!” Alissina replied, then she turned to Tyra. “I take it you’ve met the human princess?”

“Oh yes. Rem has taken me to the palace twice now. She’s made me feel very welcome. I do not recognize the woman she’s sitting with though.”

“Neither do I,” Alissina said, “but I love making new friends. Come, let’s put in our order and take a seat.”

As they stood in line, Tyra noticed Chexxa and Frinik seated at a table nearby. Both males smiled and waved at her, though Alissina didn’t notice them, as she was too busy studying the baked goods in the large glass display case. Not wanting to be rude, Tyra smiled at them very briefly as she returned their wave, then she joined Rem’s mother in looking into the display case as she tried to decide what she wanted.

They both ordered fruit pies and tea, then ventured over to the princess’ table. Introductions were made and Tyra learned the other human female’s name was Kenzie and she’d been on Mars for two months now, having come here from Zone 26, which was the area on Earth formally known as Italy.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Tyra said, smiling warmly at Kenzie. “Does your mate work at the palace?”

Kenzie nodded. “Yes, he’s one of King Vaath’s new advisors, though he’s currently on Earth helping with some new political appointments. Apparently, King Vaath is getting ready to appoint new governors for every zone on Earth.” She flushed and looked from side to side, as if worried someone might overhear them.

Princess Esmay waved a hand in a dismissive manner. “Oh, it doesn’t matter if anyone finds out about it, Kenzie. The new governors will be announced in several days.”

“Wow, new governors for every zone? That’s… shocking. Has something happened?”

“Well, as you probably know, many of the governors have raised taxes so high in their respective zones that it is impossible for most human families to make ends meet. This is one reason so many women have left Earth recently to come here—because by becoming a Martian’s mate, their family’s debts are forgiven and they receive that one-time payment of ten thousand galactic credits,” Princess Esmay said, tucking an errant strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “That’s certainly what brought me here.”

“Me too,” Kenzie said.

Tyra drew in a deep breath and prayed none of the women asked why she’d come to Mars. She’d been a bit nervous Alissina would ask her about her time on Earth and why she’d wished to leave and become a mail order bride to a Martian, but luckily, she hadn’t broached the subject.

Thankfully, a server arrived with Tyra and Alissina’s order, briefly interrupting their conversation. The four women sat in silence for about a minute, sipping tea and eating pie, until Princess Esmay cleared her throat and picked up where they’d left off.

“After King Vaath came to power, he started taking steps to help mend relations between Earth and Mars. In addition to installing new governors who are not corrupt like their former counterparts—all of whom were installed by King Vaath’s banished father—my mate intends to take a look at the mail order bride program. I believe he will soon start allowing Marttiaxoxalian males to create personals that women on Earth will answer, rather than the current system that sees desperate women fleeing Earth for one reason or another, only to be randomly matched with a Marttiaxoxalian male.”

Tyra’s mouth nearly dropped open as she listened to the princess talking about all the changes that would soon happen. It reminded her of the list she’d made that included all the known criminals in Bismarck. She had planned to share her list with Rem soon, in hopes that something might be done to quell the corruption and lawlessness that had often resulted in the innocent being preyed upon. She made a mental note to speak to Rem about what she’d learned today from the princess and Kenzie soon, as well as finally share her list with him.

“So,” Tyra said, “the new model for human mail order brides will be sort of like a dating service?”

“Yes, kind of, though the human women won’t get a chance to meet their prospective mates in person before they agree to travel to Mars to become their mates, but they will get to send one another messages, as well as speak via a video comm if they wish. The details are not all ironed out yet, but I am hopeful that the king will take my advice on the matter.” Princess Esmay’s eyes shone with mischief and she smiled. “I have a good feeling he will listen to me, though.”

Tyra was stunned. Circumstances were about to change on Earth. If new governors had been installed before her twenty-first birthday and law and order restored, which she hoped might happen in all of the zones if the new governors were indeed not corrupt, she might not have had to come to Mars in the first place.

But she’d been stuck in Bismarck, unable to afford a bus ticket out of the city. She had considered trying to report her uncle to the authorities, but he’d frequently bragged to her that most officers, including some Martian enforcers, were in league with his business practices. Since she’d seen uniformed enforcers come into his bar on occasion and speak to him in a friendly manner, she had assumed he was telling the truth, even though she had never been able to confirm it for herself.

If she wouldn’t have been forced to leave Earth though, she would have never met Rem. Her heart ached at the thought of being parted from him. As the conversation turned to safer topics, Tyra let her mind wander as she considered the difficult circumstances that had led her to Rem.

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