Dane: A Scifi Alien Romance: Albaterra Mates Book 3

by Ashley L. Hunt

  “I will not allow your hormones to bring the demise of the A’li-uud!” he bellowed, slamming his fist again on the table. It rattled against the tile floor, drowning the crackling of the fireplace.

  “And I will not bow to the whims of your hypocrisy!” I roared back.

  Duke leaned forward, placing his palms flat on the tabletop and peering directly into my face. “Then, feel the death of our race in your blood, brother, because you have condemned us all.”

  20

  Roxanne

  “You wish you’d never come?” I repeated, floored. “Why?”

  Emily grinned broadly and draped herself across the chaise like a Greek goddess. “Because nothing will ever compare to this. Earth is like a dystopian hell compared to Albaterra.”

  I felt a swelling of relief in my lungs, though I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why, and let out a whoosh of breath. “But you don’t intend to ever return to Earth, do you?” I asked.

  “Not unless my husband comes with me,” she replied lightly.

  My eyes skimmed down the length of her arm to her hand, seeking a wedding band, but she wore no jewelry. I blinked as realization dawned on me. “You—you married Duke?”

  “Of course I did! He’s the love of my life, although I still don’t quite know how that happened,” Emily chuckled. She tilted her head to study me. “You seem surprised.”

  “I didn’t know humans and A’li-uud could wed, that’s all,” I said sheepishly.

  “Neither did anyone else,” she shrugged. “We were the first to do it, apparently. I mean, there’s Tabitha and Rex over in Campestria, but they aren’t married yet. Tabitha refuses until the A’li-uud get over their issues with humans. She says marrying Rex right now would just lead to more reasons for A’li-uud to hate humans, like our females stealing all their good men.”

  I realized I’d been so engrossed in her that I was leaning forward with my elbows digging into my knees and staring at her intently. I sat back, a little embarrassed, and asked, “Do you disagree with her thinking?”

  Emily frowned, and I could see she was truly giving my question thought. “Yes and no,” she said slowly. “I guess I understand why she’s concerned about damaging the A’li-uud attitude toward humans further, especially since the Council has kind of gone off its rocker. But I also wonder if integrating humans into A’li-uud society would actually help rather than harm. I mean, Duke held me hostage for a month and it was during that time we somehow fell in love. He can’t possibly be the only A’li-uud whose mind can be changed about humans by a little exposure.” She gestured at me suddenly. “Clearly.”

  “Oh, no,” I said quickly, holding up my hands as if surrendering. “Dane and I aren’t the same thing as you and Duke. I’m the Ambassador of Alien Relations; it’s my job to interact with the A’li-uud leaders, and he was the only leader on Earth, so—”

  “I didn’t mean to imply anything,” Emily interrupted. “It’s just that you’re here in the Elder palace instead of in a guarded area. Dane obviously trusts you to some extent, and that never would have happened without interaction between you two. Believe me, the A’li-uud are so paranoid about us that he would have at least had you in restraints, if not thrown in a dungeon completely if he hadn’t developed trust for you, and that could have only happened through exposure. It’s a prime example why I believe humans and A’li-uud could mutually benefit from integration.”

  She was making some excellent points and, given my position as Ambassador, I wondered if I had enough pull to at least bring her ideas to the Board’s table. Of course, before that could happen, I’d have to get back to Earth somehow, and that was a complicated matter in and of itself. Then, I remembered something else she’d mentioned.

  “Wait a minute. Did you say Duke held you hostage?” I demanded.

  Emily nodded. “For a month. His ship landed in the Mojave Desert where I was painting, and he kept me onboard in a cage.”

  “How do you know you’re actually in love?” I asked, leaning forward again. “How do you know it’s not just Stockholm Syndrome or something?”

  She lifted a brow and shot back, “How do you know you and Dane aren’t the same as Duke and me?” I didn’t have an answer for that. Even if I did, I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer that, so I remained silent. Emily smiled and ran a hand through her cropped hair. “The point is it doesn’t matter why I feel the way I do. All that matters is that I feel it.”

  “Fair enough,” I agreed simply.

  “Anyway, I understand Tabitha’s point of view,” Emily continued. “But, from what I’ve learned since the astronauts returned from the resource mission until now, avoidance is the reason this whole mess started in the first place. I think continued avoidance will only perpetuate the hysteria of the A’li-uud. Which is a shame, really, because they’re actually a pretty wise, grounded bunch in day-to-day life.”

  I couldn’t help but be impressed with Emily’s analysis. Next to her, I felt inadequate as Ambassador, but I was not one to sulk in self-deprecation. Instead, I made mental notes as she spoke. It was possible she was telling me the key to ending the war in that very moment.

  “There is one thing I still can’t fully grasp,” I confessed. “And that’s why they came to Earth in the first place. I can understand why they bombed the Paragon when it got too close to Albaterra; human militaries don’t tolerate when boundaries are crossed. I can even understand why they don’t want us to know about them: security. But why would they come to our planet, where our numbers could swallow theirs in an instant, and go straight to destroying our race without even attempting non-violent methods of alliance or co-existence?”

  She shrugged, a response I felt was much too casual for the severity of the topic. “Your guess is as good as mine,” she said. “But I’ve gathered the Elders are in a panic because they know the potential for A’li-uud extinction at the hands of humans is highly likely if humans were ever to decide they wanted Albaterra for themselves. And, if we’re being honest, they’re not wrong. If humans want Albaterra, the A’li-uud are sitting ducks. Their best defense is a strong offense, and I think they were hoping they’d have that by a surprise attack on Earth. Of course, this is just what I’ve put together from overhearing Duke.”

  “Where does he stand on everything?” I inquired.

  Emily frowned. “I thought he was in favor of ending the war when we left Earth, but now I’m not sure. The longer we’ve been here, the more he seems to become just as paranoid as the rest of the Council. He’s been waiting for Dane to return with the rest of the fleet so he could fully step down from Elderhood, and I think it’s best he does because he’s so warrior-minded that it seems too easy for him to accept the rash decisions the Council’s been making.”

  I swallowed hard. Dane, too, was once a warrior, and if he were to accept Elderhood completely, he would be in exactly the same position Emily was hoping Duke would escape. The thought that Dane could become as irrational as the other Elders rattled me. He’d been loyal to his orders, certainly, and had been willing to attack humans to protect his race, but he had also opened his mind up enough to consider the possibility that the Council could be wrong. He had the ability to think freely—he just needed to exercise it before he was sucked into the vortex of madness like the others.

  The rumble of voices suddenly pricked my ears, and I saw Emily’s head snap slightly as she listened too. It was clear the voices were angry, but I was unable to decipher which was Dane’s and which was Duke’s. Emily and I met eyes and waited, trying to make out the words. They weren’t speaking A’li-uud, but I was still unable to pick out anything they were saying. After several minutes, the rumble died, and everything was silent once more.

  “What was that about?” I wondered aloud in a whisper.

  “I don’t know,” Emily replied, also speaking quietly.

  We sat there for a moment more, and then the bedroom door opened. Duke stalked in, his fan of white hair flowing out behind him an
d his face contorted in anger. I watched as his features softened slightly when they fell on Emily and felt a jolt of emotion at how just seeing her soothed him. She stood up.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, resting her hand on his forearm.

  He didn’t answer her. Instead, he turned toward me. “Dane and I have finished our discussion,” he said. He spoke coldly, and I immediately felt uncomfortable beneath his hard gaze. “You may return to him.”

  It wasn’t an offer. It was a command. I got to my feet. “Okay,” I said awkwardly. I glanced at Emily, who sent me a small, sympathetic smile. “Thanks for the talk.”

  “Anytime,” she responded.

  I left the room. The moment the door closed behind me, I heard Duke say vehemently, “She will be the death of us all. Just you wait.”

  21

  Dane

  I heard Roxanne before I saw her. Her feet shuffled along the hallway to the overhanging loft, and, when her silhouette came into dim view at the top of the staircase, she hesitated. I could barely see her outline, which meant she probably couldn’t see a thing at all since A’li-uud vision was keener than human.

  “Stay there,” I told her, moving toward the stairs and beginning to ascend them. “I will help you down.”

  She blindly held out a hand, which I took when I was near enough, and we clambered back down step-by-step until we reached the bottom. Even when we were on flat ground again, she didn’t let go of my hand, and I didn’t pull away.

  “Come,” I said.

  “Where are we going?” she asked. She sounded strained, bothered, but she didn’t elaborate beyond her question.

  “To my house.” I tugged her gently to urge her to walk, and I opened the front door. Light spilled into the foyer, revealing its grandiose height and rustic architecture, but I didn’t allow her a moment to admire it. Instead, the moment she stepped out onto the mountainside and snow crunched beneath her boots, I closed the door with a snap, wrapped my arms around her, and leaped into the wind.

  We touched down on another mountainside, this one much gentler in its incline and nowhere near as tall. In front of us, there was the quaint, pleasant cabin I’d called home for so long. I felt my discontent from the argument with Duke beginning to ebb away as I took in the sight of the familiar smooth log walls and high-pitched roof. The wild grain of the wood seemed to smile at me and welcome me back, and the logs’ deep, burnt-orange hue hinted at a hot, snapping fire within. Frankly, as I looked at the cozy house, I wondered if I’d prefer living here over the regal but cold Elder palace.

  “I thought you didn’t live here anymore,” Roxanne said breathlessly. She was pressing a hand to her chest, recovering from the unexpected wind travel.

  “My brother kindly pointed out that I am not a true Elder until I have completed the Council ceremony,” I replied, a shadow of bitterness lurking in my tone. “It seems he has kept up residence in the palace. I would prefer to be in my own home until my status is finalized one way or the other.”

  I opened the door and stepped back to allow her entrance first. She crossed the threshold, still panting slightly, and looked around slowly. I followed her inside.

  “Wow,” she commented lightly. “I never would have taken you for a cabin kind of guy.”

  Chuckling, I closed the door and moved for the fireplace. “What kind of guy would you have taken me for?” I asked, piling logs into the empty hearth.

  “I don’t know. A high-tech, modern apartment kind of guy with a fully-equipped gym.”

  My chuckling turned into outright laughter as I knelt to arrange the logs in a neat triangle. She was behind me, but I heard her beginning to walk cautiously around, presumably to examine the house more closely. Once the fire was lit, I stood back up and turned to face her again.

  “Are you hungry? I could prepare something.”

  “No, thank you.” She placed a small pouch of healing herbs back on the shelf where she’d found them and looked at me. Her expression was serious. “What happened between you and Duke? I heard you shouting.”

  I frowned. “You need not concern yourself with matters of sibling rivalry,” I answered dismissively, sidling over to the padded bench near the fireplace and motioning for her to join me. She obliged, but it was evident by the downward twist of her mouth that she was nowhere near finished questioning me yet.

  “You’re really going to pretend it was about who took whose toy?” she asked doubtfully, her dark brows lifting toward her hairline.

  “No, but you do not need to be bothered with Duke. Your concern should be with the Council.”

  “Why should I be concerned about the Council? I’m here to propose a peace treaty. They’ll either accept it, or they won’t.”

  I smirked and said, “You are awfully cavalier about the peace treaty. When I did not want to discuss it, you had me thrown in a cell.”

  “I did not!” she cried, affronted. “You would have been there whether you had talked to me about it or not! What, did you think the government was going to put you up in a Radisson after they captured you?”

  Her strong reaction endeared me into a grin. “What is a Radisson?”

  “Never mind,” she quickly dismissed, flicking a hand. “The point is that I’m not worried about the Council because I can only do so much. The rest is up to them.”

  “And if they reject your proposal, you will smile politely and thank them for their time?”

  Roxanne shot me a look of slight irritation that I found more arousing than intimidating and replied loftily, “No. Emily brought up some things I think would be great for both A’li-uud and humans, and they are preferable to this war on both sides.”

  “Oh?” I asked, intrigued and amused at the same time. “What things did Emily suggest?”

  “Integration.” Roxanne turned on the bench to face me directly, suddenly brimming with excitement and nearly bouncing with energy. “She said the Elders were afraid humans would wipe out the A’li-uud if they ever decided they wanted to take over Albaterra. But if the two cultures were integrated, there wouldn’t be this fear about takeover because both races would be mutually benefitting from the other!”

  “Just because two groups work together, it does not mean one cannot dominate the other,” I pointed out.

  “No, but if each relies on the other, then everyone needs one another equally!” She was speeding up, her words spilling from her mouth faster and faster until they were practically running into one another. Her body was inching toward mine as she talked and her efforts to convince me grew in earnest. “Albaterra could host colonies of humans, Earth could host colonies of A’li-uud, and the Council could get a grip because there would be no more fear of the unknown!”

  I absorbed this, turning it over in my mind. “Why do you believe A’li-uud could benefit from humans?” I asked rather dubiously.

  Her jaw set and her eyes darkened. “A sense of reason, for one thing,” she snapped. “A lesson in not attacking an entire planet just because you want to be left alone.”

  My instinct was to stiffen and become defensive, but I resisted the urge to snap back at her. Instead, I calmly said, “I agree with you that the Council acted impulsively and brutally, but the intent behind it was only to protect our people, and, for that, I cannot fault them.”

  “You can’t fault the people who ordered a mass assault on an entire race, including women and children because they were scared?” she demanded. Petals of pink heat began spreading across her ceramic cheeks, and even her hair seemed electrified by the brewing storm within her.

  “I said I cannot fault their intent, not their decision,” I replied, my voice rising slightly.

  “The intent is irrelevant.” Her grass-green eyes had become clouded jade in her anger. “If you intend to shoot a deer and you accidentally shoot your friend, the innocent intention doesn’t make the friend any less dead.”

  “It changes the nature of the crime.”

  “I can’t believe you’re defendi
ng them!” Roxanne cried. She sprang to her feet, clipping the bench with her heel, jostling me, and stared at me like she had never seen something so repulsive. “Apparently, you’re just as entwined in their cult-like ways of thinking as your brother!”

  I rose to my feet as well, though I did so much more slowly than she. “We have already established that I disagree with the Council on the matter of the war. When the order was first given, I fulfilled my role as a warrior fighting for my people. I will not be condemned for doing what I was commanded to protect my race.” My voice was very low and dangerous, and my gaze was fixed immovably on Roxanne’s furious face. “Furthermore, I will do my part now to bring about the peace you are here to enact. But I will not turn against my own because, for the first time in our history compared to the umpteenth in yours, a poor and uncompassionate decision was made.”

  Roxanne was nearly panting with rage. Her shoulders lifted and fell with quick, shallow breaths, and her cheeks had filled entirely with crimson. Instead of sniping back, however, she spun on her heel and stormed from the house, slamming the door behind her.

  22

  Roxanne

  If I’d been angry at General Morgan when he’d humiliated me in the ship’s cafeteria, it was nothing compared to the anger I felt now in the wake of the argument with Dane. Irate venom pulsed through my veins as swiftly as blood, and I was unable to stop my fingers from trembling. Even as I left the cabin and the crisp mountain air smacked my skin, my whole body felt so hot I would have believed it if someone told me I’d just been dipped in scalding wax.

  Maybe the fears that had arisen when Emily told me about Duke’s change in attitude were justified. Maybe there was something about being on Albaterra that completely altered rational thought. Maybe, the longer he was here, Dane would eventually believe all humans were evil and needed to be eliminated—and that included me.