by Maia Tanith
The dawning realization that the universe is a lot more crowded than they ever thought.
But I have made my choice to stay at Khan’s side, and I am happy with it.
I make my way over to his side and take his hand.
Xill is where I belong now.
This is my home.
It seems like half the planet has turned up to celebrate with us. Khan is brought to tears more than once when one childhood friend of his after another returns from exile to give us their best wishes. They are genuinely glad to see him again, and to see him so happy.
No one blinks an eye at Khan’s choice of a human as his mate. Not even though I used to be a slave. I pluck up the courage to ask one of Khan’s boyhood friends, recently returned off-planet with his family, why no one cares.
He puts his head on one side. “We all heard the stories. You attacking a guard with a paring knife, taking messages to the Prince from the rebellion, fighting an ahlakaraptor at his side. You are a hero, and we are proud to have you as our Queen. You have courage and kindness, and you love our Emperor enough to fight for him, and that is all that matters.”
His words bring me to tears, too.
Azr works the room, Delia at his side, intent on getting to know everyone in the room. “Good for business,” he says to me with a wink. “Now every time I meet someone who looks vaguely familiar, I can ask them if I met them before, at the celebration of the Emperor’s mating, perhaps. Instant street cred.”
Hannah bounces around excitedly, telling anyone who will listen all about Earth and extracting promises from them to come visit her. Taark looks on with a faintly amused smile. He, too, is excited about going to Earth, though you would never guess it to look at him.
Hathik’s kits are there too, playing virtual reality games with a group of others their age in one corner. I smile to see them acting like kits again, seemingly without a care in the world. Hathik’s daughter is gradually losing her haunted look, though her fierceness remains.
As the evening draws to a close, Hathik raises his glass in a final toast. “To the new Emperor, Khan. And may he be an improvement on the last one.”
A ripple of laughter runs through the room. There isn’t a single person in the room who doesn’t know that Khan is better than his uncle.
In every way.
Epilogue
Khan
Ruling an empire is hard work. Harder even than I had imagined. I am lucky to have trustworthy lieutenants by my side. Together, we are righting the wrongs that my uncle created. I sit back and stretch in my office chair after another long day of working for peace and prosperity in my corner of the universe.
We have come so far since the Day of Fire, as the city folk call it.
Hathik is slowly restoring the rule of justice rather than the rule of power and greed. My uncle’s former favorites are the only ones who are not happy with this new rule, but so far they have shown the good sense to mute their grumbling. I suspect they do not want to draw attention to themselves and risk a visit from Hathik’s bands of truth tellers, who seek to address the wrongs of the past.
Rodan is proving an excellent Captain of the Guard. Under his watch, discipline among the guard has improved dramatically and no young female Kargan needs to fear walking alone along the palace corridors at any time of the day or night. Meanwhile Litha has set up a new healers’ quarters in the city, where all are welcome whether they can pay for their treatment in credit or only with thanks.
Delia is proving herself quite a master of logistics, and with Azr as her chief pilot, she sources the trade goods that the planet needs most urgently from around the galaxy. Azr’s charm and negotiating skills ensures they always manage to strike a good bargain.
Taark and Hannah have established an embassy on Earth, not far from Hannah’s hometown. Taark occasionally grumbles about the number of small animals that Hannah insists on giving a home to, but even his grumbles are happy ones.
And then there is Faye and me. I know that I have never been happier. She is my true life mate. The other half of my soul.
As if brought here by the power of my thoughts, Faye walks in the door. “You’ve worked long enough,” she scolds me. “Come for dinner.”
“Hungry again?” I ask her, teasingly.
She pats her stomach. It’s only just beginning to show, but there is the unmistakable swell of a baby bump. “I have an excuse now. I’m eating for three.”
I gulp. “Three?”
“I went to see Litha this morning. You, my dear Emperor, will soon be the father of twins. A boy and a girl, Litha says.”
I click my fingers to close down my work and draw her onto my lap. “And everything is going well?” I can’t help but be anxious over her well-being. The breeding compatibility of humans and Kargans has not been tested. We are the first.
“Everything looks perfectly fine. Perfectly normal. And I am as healthy as a horse.”
I look at her, love in my heart. She certainly looks well. Her cheeks are pink and her hair long and lustrous. Pregnancy has filled in the hollows of her body and rounded and softened it. She no longer looks so fragile, as if I could break her apart with one hand. “You will be the best mother ever, little human.”
“My name is Faye,” she retorts. “Or you may call me Queen, if you must.”
“You will always be my own little human,” I respond. “And the queen of my heart.”
Before you leave the world of the Xillian Rebellion…
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maia Tanith is a romance reader enthusiast and avid writer. She has been writing stories for as long as she can remember and is living her dream of becoming a full-time author. Her books feature strong female characters who have real personality. Her plots center around romance (of course!) and feature happily ever afters - with plenty of action and suspense, and a bit of humor, along the way.
A citizen of the USA and currently living in New Zealand, she has travelled widely across the world, but not yet to any other planets in the galaxy. Her characters are the only ones lucky enough to experience interplanetary travel.
When Maia isn't writing, she is busy exploring the local beaches of New Zealand, reading everything she can get her hands on, cooking recipes from the places she has visited and spending time with the love of her life.
Maia Tanith also writes contemporary romances as Samantha Black. These novels feature the same strong, quirky female characters and hunky, human heroes.
Keep an eye out for new releases with exciting adventures and passionate love affairs! For news on upcoming releases, cover reveals, giveaways and special promotions, join her mailing list.