by Zara Zenia
I could not let my first days with Kelly begin that way. At dawn, I summoned my assistant and told her to arrange another press conference, this time with David Yadav of the UEG. I kept busy after that compiling a list of the less offensive reporters from the previous round of interviews. Unfortunately, the cleverest of them all was asleep in my bed, and she hadn't really been a reporter at all.
Of course she wasn't! The fact I wanted to spend more time with her should have given her away.
When Kelly woke hours later, I was still working. She fished my discarded tunic off the floor and slipped into it then padded over to me in her bare feet.
"You're not seriously going to work today?" she asked. "We almost died yesterday!"
"And I have to make sure the same thing doesn't happen to any of my brothers or their potential matches," I said, scooping her into my lap. "This part won't take long."
She glanced down at my pad and wrinkled her nose. "I recognize those names, Lortnam. What are you planning?"
Even when the woman scolded me, I loved the sound of her voice! Now that our match had been confirmed, I never had to be far from it, or her, again.
"Nora cannot be allowed to go to ground," I said, stealing a kiss from her cheek. "The only way to protect ourselves is to shine a light on her misdeeds."
Kelly nodded. "Let me get my clothes and I'll come with you."
She made to slide off my lap, but I caught her by the waist and pulled her back. "No, my love. You will stay here and have a lazy breakfast in our bed. Then, when you are ready, take a team of guards back to your apartment and gather whatever you want or need."
"You might need my help," she argued.
"I will absolutely need your help. But we need to secure your safety first," I said, taking her hands in mine. "Our tasks are equally important, love. They just can't be completed together."
"Your duty is to our people," she said.
"And yours to our family." My brilliant Kelly. Even when she should have been trying to trap me, she had learned. "Unite our households, while I put our enemies on notice."
"On one condition," she said as she slid out of my lap. "Both of us have to be back here before dark. I don't want to eat alone tonight."
"You have my word." I grinned.
Kelly and I separated after breakfast. A team of guards escorted her and a storage vehicle back to the apartment. Their orders had not changed from the day before. They had not changed since the night of our first date. If Kelly were ever in danger, they were to protect her with their lives.
My transport arrived at the site of the press conference with twenty minutes to spare. Nora's ambush and the deaths of the Corbins happened while the case was under my authority. That made it my job to let the Humans know what happened and how badly we had failed them.
David Yadav stood beside the building, a slightly oversized suit on his lanky frame. I would have to remember to give him official permission to forgo the suits when he worked in the palace. He never seemed comfortable in them.
"You don't look heartbroken, sir," David said, hiding a smile behind his mustache. "I take it that's good news?"
"The news will be best when we've brought Nora Morse to justice," I said. "Did they all come?"
"All of them and a few you didn't invite besides," David sneered. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"The legend isn't worth the cost to maintain it. That secrecy almost got my Kelly killed. It almost got both of us killed."
David scratched the back of his head. "And Morse is using it to her advantage. This whole time we were trying to connect her to Jake. Kelly and Mei Ishikawa did it in an evening. But this is going to piss her off and I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't warn you before you did it."
"I consider myself warned," I said, clapping him on the shoulder. "But not dissuaded."
My staff had invited twenty-four of the better reporters from the interview junket to return for the press conference. All twenty-four sat in their seats, their eyes darting around the room, searching for a sign that I had arrived.
"They've been told you won't take questions, but someone always asks," David said. "It will be up to you whether you answer or not."
I nodded my thanks to David for his help and approached the microphone.
"As all of you interviewed me quite recently, I won't bore anyone with introductions," I said. "Because the matters I am about to discuss remain unresolved, I will not be answering questions."
A grumble of disapproval rolled through the audience, but none of the reporters were so offended as to get up and leave. For one last morning, I was a big enough story on Earth to command attention. It was time to make it count.
"Yesterday, with the help of Special Agent David Yadav of the UEG and a small coalition of Human Union citizens, my household completed its investigation into the hostage incident at our cultural center." I continued. "We have reason to believe the Corbin brothers were not radical idealists but hired men. We believe their main task was to cause destruction and loss of life in an attempt to sow dissent between our people."
This time, the gathered reporters rushed to interject questions into my speech, exactly as David predicted.
"Our investigators, in conjunction with UEG investigators have determined that the source and mastermind of the attacks was ultimately one person, a woman who currently goes by the name Nora Morse. On her orders, a second, smaller hostage situation was staged yesterday on the outskirts of Baltimore. While no innocent Human Union citizens were directly at risk of harm, the situation culminated in the deaths of Jake and Blue Corbin and the escape of Nora Morse. After this speech, my staff will distribute packets which contain the information we believe we can legally share with the public about Nora Morse. She is armed, dangerous, and has proven herself as willing to kill a Human as much as a Trilyn. She wants you to believe being Human will protect you from her violence. It will not. I beg you, if you know something, come forward. If you see Nora, tell her to turn herself. If you love her, suggest she end this. If you are helping her, seek mercy. That is all."
The reporters clamored again, obviously unsatisfied with being the mere vessels of my message to Nora. I didn't expect a Human woman as cold and calculating as Nora to take my bait, but it let her know that our family wouldn't be challenged without a fight.
"Prince Lortnam," one voice shouted above the crowd. "Does that mean you're putting the marriage hunt on hold?"
"My search is over because a candidate has been found," I said quickly. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Good night!"
The reporters yelled questions and I rushed away from the microphone. I wouldn't answer any of them. The Human version of public life was too suffocating for me. I preferred the solitude of my wild country back home. I couldn't wait to get back to it. I couldn't wait to show it to Kelly.
I couldn't wait for the day when she and I, and our children, would make our home there.
Epilogue
Kelly
The clock on the sitting room mantle chimed sweetly. If my guess was right, and it only was half the time, Lortnam would be home any minute with his dinner surprise. If I were wrong, I would have to take my seventh orange from the pile leftover from breakfast. The vibrant fruits only grew once a year on Trilyn and our supply rooms were already running low.
It took nearly a month for me to give a full account of everything I knew about Nora Morse and the Corbin brothers. The gentle snow of early winter had given way to heavier storms and fatter flakes by then. I watched them fall for hours from the window in the sitting room, with the fire, a mug of tea, or Lortnam's arms to keep me warm.
My life had changed completely. I emptied and closed up my apartment, giving the landlords the number of Lortnam's account manager to cover any penalties. I gave notice at my agency, giving them David Yadav's number in case of emergencies or requests related to old cases.
Once our households were merged, I turned my attention to documenting everything I
knew about Nora down to her distaste for trendy restaurants. With a proper profile in the hands of the UEG and Trilyn Security Forces, maybe Nora's operation wouldn't have so much success hiding in the dark.
When we weren't trying our damndest to catch Nora, Lortnam and I spent most of our time learning about each other, in bed and out. He loved Kelly Grant even more than he had Kelly Fillmore. I thought because, in the end, the real me fascinated him more than the bare sketch that I'd created to catch his attention did.
The sitting room door slid open with a soft whoosh. Lortnam strode through, balancing a white cardboard box in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. I recognized Mr. Mustache's bright red scarf from across the room.
"Yes! You read my mind." I climbed to my feet and padded over to my Prince, raising on my toes to peck him on the lips. "I've been craving a slice for days."
"You and half the palace," Lortnam said, rolling his eyes as he nuzzled my cheek. "The guards wanted one. My assistant wanted one. Even Jinurak wanted one! I had to leave it with him when our meeting ended."
"What can I say, a perfect pie is a hard flavor combination to beat." I took a deep breath, savoring the scent of spicy tomato sauce mingled with Lortnam's scent. Taking the box from his hands, I turned and set it down on the table. "I'm surprised David and Jin didn't wiggle their way into eating dinner with us."
"They tried," Lortnam said. "But I told them both we had more important matters to discuss."
"Like what?" I asked.
I turned back around, eyebrow raised, when Lortnam didn't respond. He must have thought the image of him on one knee with a ring box in his hand spoke louder than his words could.
"I... this isn't how Trilyn normally propose, is it?" I said in disbelief.
"There has been nothing normal about our courtship by any people's standards, my love," he grinned, "why not break a few more conventions on our way to forever?"
The smile that came to my lips as I slid into his arms was very genuine. All of my smiles were genuine now. For four years, I had been afraid of the fortress in Federal Hill Park. Now it was my home. Now it was so much more.
We were so much more.
"Forever in a fortress in the stars," I whispered as he slid the gleaming ring onto my hand. "I like the sound of that."
Make sure to sign up to my VIP Reader Club here to find out when the next book comes out! And check out book 1 in the Trilyn Alien Fairy Tales series if you haven’t already, Alien Prince Charming here!
Or check out my other series, Alien Auction House, starting with Sold To The Alien King here!
About Zara Zenia
Zara Zenia writes steamy, sexy, and suspenseful sci-fi romances! You will find her writing alien romances from intergalactic planets, bionic romances, superheroes and time travel romances too.
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Also by Zara Zenia
Trilyn Fairy Tales Series:
Alien Prince Charming (Book 1)
Alien Prince’s Mermaid (Book 2)
Beauty And The Alien Beast (Book 3)
Alien Aladdin (Book 4)
Aliens of Dragselis Series:
Zaruv: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 1)
Karun: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 2)
Ragal: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 3)
Pavar: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 4)
Rizor: A Sci-Fi Alien Dragon Romance (Book 5)
Royally Blue - Celestial Mates:
Blue Alien Prince’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
Alien Gladiator’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
The Blue Alien’s Mate: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
Blue Alien Prince’s Captive Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
Blue Alien Prince’s Mail-Order Bride: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Celestial Mates)
Reverse Harem Romance Series:
Fire, Blood, and Beauty (Book 1)
Fangs, Flames, and Allure (Book 2)
Alien Abduction Series:
Alien Zookeeper’s Abduction (Book 1)
Alien Mate’s Abduction (Book 2)
Alien Captive’s Abduction (Book 3)
Alien Auction House Series:
Sold To The Alien King (Book 1)
Bought By The Alien Prince (Book 2)
Owned By The Alien Prince (Book 3)
Warriors of Orba Series:
Benzen: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 1)
Jarick: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 2)
Voland: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 3)
Draygus: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 4)
Ethazol: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance (Book 5)
Khargals of Duras Series:
Rock My World
Diablo Falls
First Fangs
Standalones:
Bionic Outlaw’s Baby: A Secret Baby Sci-Fi Romance