by Zara Zenia
We blinked, staring with bashful awkwardness at our audience. I couldn’t contain my elation. I didn’t care if they saw me passionately immersed in a loving and affectionate kiss with my one true soulmate. Having it confirmed via the scanner’s mesmerizing brightness was just the icing on the cake.
“I’m a match!” I threw my hands up in the air, suddenly hit with the jolting and exhilarating thrill of becoming Darbnix’s princess.
I had been through hell and back, but all the pain and suffering were worth it to come full-circle in this moment of serene bliss.
“I can’t wait for you to be my wife.” Darbnix glanced at me, lovestruck. His eyes glazed over with sheer infatuation. The man of my dreams was swooning, and it was over me.
I never wanted to pinch myself and wake up from this surreal dream. We were not only genetically compatible, but we shared the same hopes and dreams. We both loved animals and a simple life on a farm. I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome, and judging by Darbnix’s cloudy gaze of bliss, I knew he was rocking in the same boat with me.
Prince Akrawn approached Darbnix, nuzzling his dark hair with his knuckles before giving him a fond, brotherly slap on the back.
“I know we just like to tease you, but congratulations are definitely in order. We are happy that you have found your match.” Akrawn gave me a hug. “Congratulations, dear,” he whispered.
“Thank you so much.” I couldn’t help myself. I was beaming, like a blossoming flower that stretches toward the sunlight.
“I love the fact that I have witness accounts to attest to the scanner’s results!” Darbnix declared. It wasn’t lost on me that he flicked his gaze subtly to his older brother, Prince Gardax, who had originally given him a hard time on the subject.
“Yes, indeed.” Gardax rolled his eyes and chuckled politely. “We will have much to celebrate in the coming months.”
“I can’t wait to marry you,” I whispered to Darbnix, snaking my arms around his waist as I gave him a seductive stare.
“My darling, I will give you the biggest, most lavish wedding in all the world,” Darbnix proclaimed with pride.
I wasn’t a flashy person. I wrinkled my nose. “As long as I get to stand in front of my friends and family and vow my undying love for you, that’s what will make me happy.”
“Maybe Slith can be the ring bearer?” Darbnix pondered.
“What a fantastic idea!” I chimed. After all, the beloved watch-lizard pet was the true matchmaker in this love tale. If it wasn’t for his eating the entire pantry, I never would have met Darbnix in the first place.
A knock at the door made us all turn. “Come in,” Darbnix stated cautiously. Since the fateful day of Tia Teller’s explosion, we had all been a little on guard lately.
Davon walked through the door, looking lanky and awkward, as usual. “Hello,” he stated as he nodded with polite acknowledgement around the room. “I hear that congratulations are in order?”
I grinned. Davon didn’t skip a beat, nor did he ever miss anything.
“That’s right.” Darbnix wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed. “We are a proven match by the genetic scanner.”
“It’s official,” I added with a squeak of delight.
“That’s wonderful,” Davon declared, but his expression was all business. “Might I have a word with Prince Darbnix and his soon-to-be princess?” He somberly requested.
“Of course.” Gardax glanced around the room. “Shall we?”
Darbnix’s brothers all filed out of the room, leaving us alone with Davon.
“Have you found anything else out about the Tia Teller situation?” I asked breezily, on pins and needles.
“I have, indeed.” Davon gave me a respectful bow that made me blush. Having power and authority was something I was going to have to adapt to.
“I’m following up on her case,” Davon explained. “From what I have already gathered in her background, I have learned that Julia Morse implanted a bio-bomb into Tia’s arm as a way to both keep tabs on her and keep her quiet about their little scheme.”
“Wow,” I stated. My jaw dropped in shock. “Is that what killed her?”
“It is,” Davon confirmed with a nod. “After some hefty research, it’s been determined that Julia used a bio-bomb of the same type to kill another of her underlings a couple of years ago.”
“That’s horrible,” Darbnix tsked. “Is Julia in custody yet?”
Davon shook his head gravely. “We are still trying to build the evidence against her before any arrests are made.”
“Let us know if you need any help along the way,” I offered. This Julia woman sounded hostile and dangerous.
“So as soon as Julia’s plans or name became compromised or under any sort of threat, the bio-bomb would erupt?” Darbnix asked for verification.
“That’s right.” Davon nodded.
I couldn’t believe it. “Tia was a phony, a fake person, but she probably didn’t deserve to die in that horrible way,” I said.
Darbnix gave me a glance as if he viewed me as a saint, then looked back to Davon. “Let us know if we can offer any aid in the investigation,” he said.
“I will.” Davon smiled, then shook Darbnix’s hand. “Thank you for all the help you have already given us.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse us,” Darbnix said as he delicately placed his hand on the small of my back, “we have some wedding planning to do.”
I blushed with excitement and a leaping heart. “See you later, Davon.” I nodded over my shoulder.
Prince Darbnix had not only swept me off my feet but had saved my life as well. I owed him everything. I couldn’t wait to close this chapter and start a new, brighter future together. Hand in hand, we would change the world into a better place, one day at a time.
If you liked this one, then you will love the next book in the Trilyn Alien Fairy Tales series, Beauty And The Alien Beast here!
Preview of Beauty And The Alien Beast
Chapter 1
Andromeda “Andi”
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“Get back! It’s a bomb!” the squad leader shouted.
“Father!” I grabbed his hand, pulling him from the front door of our small home.
“Take cover, Andi!”
His words were loud in my ear as we ran together and crouched behind a dark grey bomb squad cruiser.
“We need a drone defuse now!”
The words echoed over our heads as the bomb squad tore into our neighborhood. I watched it all in slow motion. This could not be happening. But in the back of my mind, I knew that he had to be the one to plan this. He was just the kind of man to do such a thing. If he were in front of me, I would spit in his face.
“It’s the HFT. It has to be.” My father pulled me close. Worry occupied his dark eyes and his hands were shaking.
“Maybe not, Father.” I squeezed his hand and knew that I was lying as soon as the words came out of my mouth. The HFT stood for Humanity First Terrorists and they had been after my father and his work for years. However, they hadn’t ever been this successful before. Was it just coincidence that Jake had recently joined HFT and now this?
“I am sorry, Andi. I have failed you. They won’t get to you. This I can promise. I’m going to fix this. I will take you someplace secure and safe and you will live.”
Watching my father’s eyes water with tears of anguish wasn’t what I was expecting to see at a time like this. He was sometimes a fool, but he was strong and didn’t let emotion get the better of him. Something told me that this was his breaking point.
“Dr. James LaBelle?” A swat team member in dark blue crouched down next to us in the midst of the chaos unfolding all around us.
“Yes, that’s me and this is my daughter.”
“I’m afraid you two are going to have to come with me. We have an armored truck waiting to transport you out of here and to safety. You are endangering the entire neighborhood by staying here since you are
the target.”
“Yes. Right. Will you take us somewhere secure?” my father asked wiping the tears from his face.
“Yes, sir. The most secure place in New-New Orleans.”
“Good. Andi…” My father grabbed my arm and gave me a look of encouragement.
I nodded my head and together, we ran alongside the swat team member. I didn’t know if we would be shot at any moment. If the HFT went through enough trouble to plant a bomb, then why not a sniper?
I held my breath waiting for the blow to come at any moment until we climbed into a clunky armored truck. The sound of the metal bulletproof doors closing felt like safety, but also like the sound of a prison cell closing.
Panic took hold of me as I sat on the metal bench across from my father. I realized that I would never go home again. Would they allow us to go back and gather some things? I couldn’t blame my father for this. The blame was as much mine as it was his.
Yes, he had been a target of the HFT because of his work as a xenoanthropologist, studying and working closely with the Trilyn alien race. But it was also my line of work too, and I was the one who brought a future HFT member into our home, and into my bed.
Sergeant Jake Marsh was a military man, the kind of man that was my particular weakness. When I first met him, he was the muscular strong type and it seemed like he could protect me in the world and dominate me in bed. I fell hard for that. Then he turned out to be more than just military strong. He was a monster.
The truck jerked forward and we were on our way. Twenty minutes later, the vehicle stopped and the door opened. The bright sunlight hurt my eyes as I jumped down then helped my aging and chubby father out of the truck.
“The guard,” he said as we both looked up at the massive iron gates surrounding us. The guard was the police force in the city and we were now at their headquarters. In front of us loomed a black archway as high as any monument in the city.
“This way,” the swat officer stated.
We followed him through the arch heading toward processing, but as we did so, we weren’t greeted with kindness by those who passed us.
“Trilyn lover,” one of the guard muttered as we passed, giving us a dark look.
“Traitors. Humanity first…” another whispered, staring daggers at us.
I felt my back burning as we passed.
“It is not safe here. HFT has infiltrated all establishments, even the guard,” my father whispered in response to these mutterings being thrown our way.
“This is Dr. James LaBelle and his daughter in for processing,” the swat officer said to a woman in a black suit.
She had blonde hair slicked back into a bun. She nodded as the officer left us to the officials. “Dr. LaBelle. Here we are again. Your run-ins with the HFT are costing the guard quite a bit of money and—”
“I wish to speak with Prince Manzar in the name of seeking asylum,” my father blurted out.
“Father!”
“It is the only way you will be safe, Andi.”
“But… where is this coming from? Shouldn’t we discuss this first?”
“No,” he stated bluntly. Then he continued speaking with the woman, “Today, if possible. Can you arrange it?”
“I can arrange to put in the request, but the Prince is often busy. You may stay here in the lodgings until his response.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. If the Prince accepts, then you will be his problem and not ours any longer,” the woman said with a smug smile and walked away with a snap of her fingers, which summoned another young woman.
“This way to lodging,” the new woman said.
My face was flushed red as I looked at my father with anger. I couldn’t believe he would ask for such a thing without discussing it with me. This is my life too!
“Right in here. Food will be brought to you and you will find all that you need on the shelves. These are the locks. I suggest you use them,” the young woman said looking at my father.
Of course, she knew who he was, the entire city knew about the disgraced xenoanthropologist. She closed the door leaving us in a modest room with two beds, a table, chairs, and a small kitchen area. The small door in the back I could only assume led to the bathroom facility, but I had no interest in a house tour.
“Father! Why did you ask for such a thing? Prince Manzar? I am all for Trilyn rights as well, but this Prince isn’t known for his kindness. He is said to be a brute – an animal!”
“It is the only way I can think to protect you, Andi. Do you not think that I regret every day that my choice in work has put my own daughter in danger? If I could take it all back, I would. I would be a regular paper pusher and keep my head down just so that you could be safe, not a target.”
It was the first time I’d heard my father admit such a thing and it was then when I realized — the bomb in our house had shaken him to the core.
“I don’t blame you, Father. It is what it is. The world is crazy, but I still want to make my own choices. Seeking asylum with the Trilyn Prince means we might have to stay in his palace forever. I don’t want that.”
“I’m sorry. I did not think of it in that way. I was only thinking about the safest place from the HFT, and this place is not it. There in the palace is the safest place in the city from them. Now… I need to rest my nerves for a bit,” he said moving toward the kitchen and opening cabinets. “Perhaps there is a nip of whiskey in one of these…”
A heavy sigh escaped me. There was no use. My father had put in a request to seek an audience with the Prince and now, there was no taking it back.
I sat on the bed and laid back for a quick rest. Exhaustion suddenly came over me as the events of the last hour took hold of me. The bomb in our home had been a chilling discovery, but not so much of a surprise. My father’s work as an activist against the xenophobic government of Louisiana had always garnered attention.
It had been years since the alien race known as the Trilyn had come to Earth. They wanted nothing more than to live in harmony with humans. Well, that… and human females. They themselves had undergone a plague that had ravaged their population and now they wanted to repopulate their planet with a hybrid of Trilyn and human.
The first response to this was shock and soon Earth was divided on whether to allow the Trilyns to stay. But when the aliens offered advanced technology never seen by humans, they were permitted to stay in exchange for access to the technology.
“Do you think he did it?”
My father’s voice caused my eyes to snapped open. I sat up on the bed. “Who? Jake?”
“Yes, Jake. Is it just a coincidence?” He stared at me while sitting at the table, drinking water.
“No, I don’t think it is, Father. He knew our home well and our schedules. Jake is the most likely person who would find it easiest to sneak into our home and do such a thing. Plus, a bomb like that requires military expertise.” I stood up and paced the room with my gears turning.
“Which Jake has...” Father commented.
“Yes, he does. I’m sorry, Father. I brought him into our home and into our lives.”
“It’s alright. Love is blind. You didn’t know.” He gave me a look of understanding, but I didn’t think I deserved it.
“That wasn’t love. That was something else,” I said recalling just how abusive Jake had turned after a month of dating him. It had taken a month for him to show me his true colors.
As I paced the room, I wondered if Jake had sought me out. He couldn't have suddenly just turned into a Trilyn hater out of nowhere. When he met me, he knew that I was a photojournalist with a successful website covering all things Trilyn culture – like father like daughter.
Jake knew I spoke fluent Trilyn and of course, who my father was. Was he playing me from day one? Was this his plan all along? I leaned my head back in disbelief. How could I have been so stupid? It wasn’t because love was blind. It had been more like lust in those first few weeks.
“You will see
, daughter. The Prince knows my work and he will give us asylum at the palace.” He sat down on the bed ready to lie down. “Get some rest. We don’t know when they will summon us and it is better to be rested and have our wits about us.”
“Yes, Father.” I gave him a small smile.
I grabbed a blanket and covered him. Sometimes, I felt like the parent. He swiftly dozed off, but I couldn’t. Though I felt tired, I was trying to reacquaint myself with all the facts that I knew about Prince Manzar. A young Prince, the same age as me, twenty-four. He was the ruler of the Lirian continent, a training ground and manufacturing center for military equipment.
I’d never seen him in person but knew what he looked like from photographs. He was the most Trilyn looking of all the princes, fierce, like a beast without the more human-like features of his brothers. This made humans fear him even more, and now I would be coming face to face with this beast.
The opportunity came swiftly. The very next day we were taken by armored truck once more from the guard headquarters to the palace of Prince Manzar.
Chapter 2
Manzar
“I think it is time that I returned home, brother,” I said to my brother, Prince Gardax who stared at me from the communication screen.
“But you have not yet found a human female match. You cannot leave Earth,” Gardax replied.
This was his usual lecture, and it was no surprise to me. “I am not asking for your permission, brother, I am merely informing you,” I replied, feeling anger rising inside of me.
“And yet, you should be seeking my permission because I’m the eldest brother out of all of us,” he said getting heated as well.
My fists pulled into a ball as they rested on the arms of the chair I sat on inside the communications room of my own palace ship, parked in New New Orleans.
I had grown tired of this room. I had grown long past grown tired of Earth and this place they called Louisiana, very wet and soggy Earth everywhere. But most importantly, I had grown tired of being alone. I felt that this project to come to Earth and find human females who were genetically compatible with our own Trilyn race in order to procreate was a waste of time.