by Rebel West
“Lock, I do. Tell me.” My voice is fierce and plaintive at the same time.
He looks into my eyes for a long time, then nods. “All right.” He blinks up something on his holo screen, a legal document.
“What is it?” I step in and scan the words. “It’s another contract with my government and the Luminar monarchy?” I read further. “Lock, this says... that I can stay here indefinitely as long as the Luminar government approves. It’s—God, it’s almost like a green card to Luminar.”
I put a hand to my mouth. “And I can continue to work for my job as a liaison to Luminar on neurology as long as I continue to visit Earth each year to help teach and implement any new technologies I learn that are transferable, or spend equivalent time with Earth doctors who visit me on Luminar.”
I turn to him in amazement, then back to the holo. “If anything happens to me on Earth that is even vaguely suspicious, then Luminar will immediately cease trade paths for the rare minerals Earth needs in order to continue their CO2 ablation technology next level. Even if I decide never to come back to Luminar again, that’s still in place. Oh, my God. Seriously? Did... did you do this for me? This is incredible. But it’s also so… defensive. I don’t think Earth will like it. It’s like a huge power play.”
My eyes well up and I don’t know what to think.
He nods. “It doesn’t replace the other contract, your Earth one. It’s an addendum. You still can’t talk about what happened here. But it provides you safety, as much as I can—here and there.”
“But they’ll let me stay here, as long as I want?” My whole body fills with joy, but then I hesitate. “Is that even good for Luminar, with the current sentiment about humans?”
“Our planets are bound to be linked, Cali. You know it and I know it.” He touches his heart. “And our species, as well. Who better to start a public showing of it, than the prince?” He adds quickly, “But I am not suggesting this as a political strategy.” His voice is ragged and he tugs at his hair. “You know that. This is what my heart tells me.”
“I know.” I believe him. “Mine does, too. And I want to stay.”
His voice is rough. “Do you really want everything that will come with that decision?”
I think about it. How lonely I was the first few days, so starved for other humans. Then how excited I was to see this new world, and how fast I fell in love with it all: The animals, the technology, the promise of new ideas and information sharing with Earth. How easy it was to improve a medicine that can be used to help Luminarians and humans alike. And Lock. How I fell for him most of all.
But the terror of being attacked. Can I live knowing that it might happen again? Even if it did not, could I handle being the perpetual outsider?
It wouldn’t be easy. But I’d be more than an outsider: I’d be a harbinger of the future, a future where Luminar and Earth become partners and allies. I’d be on the cutting edge of that process, my knowledge valued and honored. And I’d be with Lock.
I think I can, and then the thought turns to conviction. It’s what I want, and something in my soul clicks into place, like everything in my life makes sense. Easy is long gone at this point, either here or on Earth. And easy isn’t where my passion lies.
“Your government is broken, Cali. I got them to agree by giving them some special allowances for more tech transfer. I don’t think they were planning to hurt you. But I’m glad to have it in writing. And again, that part is binding, even if you don’t ever come back to Luminar. I want to keep you safe.”
“But you want me to stay.” I need to hear it from him.
“I want it more than anything.” He grabs me and looks into my eyes. “But it’s not going to be easy for either of us. You are going to have to really, really want this. The rest of your life will be a challenge.”
“But a good one. One we’ll face together.” I take his hands.
He smiles at me. “Yes.”
“How do I sign this?” My hands tremble with eager emotion and my eyes swim with happy tears.
“You blink accept and add your digital signature and fingerprint. Then it will be sent to the appropriate lawyers and offices on both planets.”
I wrap my arms around him. “This is incredible.”
“Staying with me will be a different thing,” he cautions. “We will be partners. You will become a citizen here, even if you retain dual citizenship with Earth. You will need to accept our customs. Accept the fact that as long as you live, you will be a somewhat new entity on this planet. It will ease but never go away, not in our lifetimes.”
“But I can also help bring the best of Earth here, and the best of Luminar back there,” I argue, even though his face shows me that we’re in agreement. “Which is something I dream of doing. I love this place. There are things about it that feel more like home than they do on Earth. Although,” I add, “I know it’s not the same. Still, I want to do it. I want to be with you, and live here, and make this my home. It feels right.”
“You will move into my chambers, and you will be my mate,” he growls. “And you will work on projects of your liking. Any research you want. But you will have to be under guard when you go out in public, because a royal prince taking a human mate is going to cause an uproar, at least initially. And this time, you will need to really keep yourself safe, Cali. Not just for you, but for me. For the security of the entire monarchy. Yes?”
I nod. “I will.”
“Think on it,” he warns me, although his eyes are full of eager excitement. “This cannot be me forcing you to be safe, or begging you to listen to the protocols. It needs to be you working with me, a team, determining how to keep us both safe, and our planets as well.”
“I understand and I agree.” I hesitate. “But I don’t necessarily dislike all your punishments,” I tease.
“Of course,” he says, “I will not hesitate to punish you per my royal decision when I decree it necessary for other indiscretions.” He laughs. “And reward you when you obey,” he adds, his voice low and demanding, and when I look into his eyes, I melt at the emotion there.
“Gladly.” I tilt my face up for a kiss.
I’m one hundred percent sure that this is the start of a new life, one that is going to be far better and richer than anything I’ve experienced up to this point. So I leap forward, embracing my future, one that holds all the joys of life and love I’ve ever desired.
THE END
Thank you for reading, and I hope you loved this story! More books by Rebel West are available on Amazon in Kindle Unlimited.
Owned by the Alien Warriors: An Alien Sci-Fi Reverse Harem Romance (Luminar Masters Book 2)
Possessed by the Alien Alpha: An Alien Sci-Fi Romance (Luminar Masters Book 3)
Each book is a stand-alone and can be read out of order.
Rebel West co-writes with Renee Rose:
Night of the Zandians:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079Z5MGTC
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Who is Rebel West?
Rebel West is a group of three sisters: Alexis Alvarez, Maria Monroe, and Adrienne Perry. Together we write books as Rebel West set on the planet Luminar. In addition, Alexis writes as Rebel West in her co-written series with Renee Rose, the Zandian Bride Series.
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Rebel West
Alexis Alvarez
Maria Monroe
Adrienne Perry
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Conquered By the Alien Prince: An Alien Sci-Fi Romance (Luminar Masters Book 1)