Page 133 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
Caret’ax pulls a cover off a nearby table, revealing that it’s filled with food and drink. “Breaks every hour, sir. If you agree. This might not last the whole day. I will replenish whenever I can. I don’t trust this food that was provided by the kitchens. Again it is my duty to advise against going out on the balcony. The people can see you perfectly well if you simply stand at the window. That will be much safer.”
Mareliux puts a hand on his bodyguard’s massive shoulder. “Sorry, Caret’ax. They must see us fully. And Umbra will deflect any attack with her sensational Syntric gifts.”
There’s millions of half-crazed aliens out there, and I will be the focus for all of them. And yet I don’t feel nervous. I feel powerful, like I never have before. With Mareliux by my side, there’s nothing I can’t do. I know he’s right. Our Syntrix rings are shining. Right now, nobody will be able to hurt us.
The millions outside are getting impatient. Now they’ve started chanting.
“Um-bra! Um-bra! Um-bra!”The windows shake from the rhythmic roar.
“Here, Your Highness,” Sigise says and hands me two earplugs. “You will be in that noise for hours. Better protect your hearing.”
“Thanks.” I insert them, and Mareliux does the same.
It makes no difference for us. We can still communicate with each other wordlessly through the Syntrix, just pure, unguarded emotions sent back and forth like only Soulbound can.
He takes my hand. “They love you. But I loved you first. And I love you the most.”
My knees almost buckle with the force of his love, a Syntric floodwave. Our rings shine bright.
“We will love each other,” I reply in a voice that only barely carries. “Always.”
Caret’ax and Sigise open the doors. We’re almost blown a step back from the intensity of the cheer. It’s a bone-rattling sound, like ten jet fighters constantly passing directly overhead. I feel the power through my whole body. The crowd still can’t see us, but they saw the doors open and they know we’re close. And now, they’re making the stone floor tremble.
“My love,” Mareliux says calmly. “I present to you: the Khavgren Empire.”
I squeeze his warm hand, putting my ring against his and making them shine.
He bends down and kisses me lightly on the lips.
Then we step out on the balcony.
EPILOGUE
“How do we approach this time?”Mareliux asks. The control room of theGladiuxis dominated by the image of Earth on the main screen.
It feels weird to be back. I can’t really enjoy it as much as I wanted to. Butterflies are having some kind of acrobatic exercises in my stomach. I am returning from an alien civilization, and I am still an officer of Space Force. How will they see me? As an explorer returning with great treasure, or as a traitor who’s switched loyalties to a competing civilization that will be seen as a threat?
“I will talk to them on the radio,” I suggest. “Just voice. They can’t see us yet, I think. We should get so close that we’ll catch their attention first, our side to them.”
TheGladiuxhas had its outside repainted. There’s the vaguely pterodactyl-shaped crest that symbolizes Mareliux and me, there’s a silver Tentacle Throne symbol that shows the ship as belonging to the Khavgren Empire, and there’s the nameGladiuxis both Earth letters and the Khavgrese symbols. OnMareliux’s order, the gun turrets have been carefully painted to stand out. Nobody can mistake this for anything other than a warship. When I protested, he simply said ‘if you don’t want a fight, you have to look like you’d win it’.”
“We’re about to pass through the veil,” Bellatriz warns. “There’s barely any Syntrix on the other side.”
I notice it when we pass. It’s not dramatic, but I immediately lose the warm connection with Mareliux. Instead I reach out to put my hand on his arm. “That’s unpleasant.”
“But not painful,” my husband says calmly. “That’s all we can expect.”
Our rings have gone dark. It’s weird to see them just as brilliant crystals, not shining with an inner light.
Mareliux has a short conversation with the commander of the gunship squadron that’s patrolling the Solar system for flying saucers. I’m not surprised that they are actually here, but it makes me relax a fraction to have it confirmed. Mareliux is as good as his word.
And now we’ll see how wellIcan do.
“Can you get the right frequency?” I ask, fiddling with my jumpsuit. Just for appearance’s sake, I’m carrying a small gun very visibly at my hip, proving that I’m not a prisoner to anyone who might wonder. Mareliux would have put me in a colonel’s uniform, but I doubt I can hold rank in both Space Force and the Khavgren army. At least for now.
“There’s the station,” Dester says. She’s serving as theGladiux’s comms officer, which is a significant promotion for a Messenger. “Radio traffic is increasing greatly, indicating they see us andare communicating with their planet. Anytime you’re ready, Highness. Give me a sign, and anything you say will be transmitted clearly.”
The station looks the same as always. But of course I’ve only been gone for four months and no expansion was scheduled in that time. It’s so small and fragile, spinning through the nothing with Earth in the background.
