by Geri Foster
“Oh dear,” Penelope said, “I do hope you haven’t upset her.”
He looked at Penelope and tilted his head. “Why would I offend her? I simply spoke the truth.”
Penelope pressed her fingers to his lips. “Shhh. She can hear you.”
“It does not matter.”
“Of course it matters. Are you insane?”
The space alien was quiet for a few seconds and then he said, “I don’t think so.” He shook his head. “Back to you and the prince. You must come with us.”
“I already told you. I wouldn’t marry that man if he were the last one on Earth.”
Picking up the mug, Altair took a sip and smiled. “This is delicious.”
“I know,” she said, flatly. “It’s coffee.”
“Back to Ronic. I don’t understand this last man on Earth. There are millions of men here. I doubt there will ever be a real shortage.” He took another swig. “But you did agree to marry him. Now it’s time to live up to your bargain.”
She cradled the warm cup in both hands. “I don’t know how to make this clear to you, but I’m not the Mystic Star you’re looking for. Like I told you last night, I just use the name to tell fortunes.”
She wasn’t about to spill the beans about Gonzales or explain why she was hiding. Nothing about the man hinted that he might be lying, but not being able to read his mind bothered her. She had no real idea who she was dealing with.
“You are the Mystic Star we’re looking for and I can prove it.”
She wrinkled her brows and wondered how he’d pull that rabbit out of the hat. “How?”
“Please take down your trousers.”
Her heart paused briefly in her chest. “What?”
“There is a star on your right hip,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Oh, my God. You’ve dropped off into fantasy land.” She slammed the cup down on the counter. “I refuse to show you my ass.”
He smiled and her throat nearly closed up. The man was gorgeous and beyond sinfully sexy. She licked her lips and looked away.
“And it’s a very nice ass, I assume,” he said with a light tilt to his voice.
She crossed her arms and glared. “You’ll never know.”
He stepped back. “I’m sorry to have offended you. Soon you will be married to my friend and I didn’t mean to treat you with disrespect.”
Satisfied with his apology, Penelope asked, “How many wives does your friend have?”
“On our planet, a man may only marry once.”
Curiosity climbed up her spine. “But you don’t have a wife. You told Topper you’d never been in love.”
He backed up. “That’s correct, I am a warrior, a High Commander. Those in the military are not allowed to marry.”
“Really? Why not?”
He chuckled and her senses stood up and took notice of his deep, tenor voice. “We don’t usually live that long. Besides, with so few women on my planet, there isn’t really enough to go around.”
“So, you’ll never marry and have a family?”
“I wasn’t bred to have a family. I was created in a scientific laboratory then sent to be trained in the military, like all my soldiers.”
Her chest tightened at the lonely life he must lead. “That’s sad.”
He came closer, where she captured his scent, the maleness of him called out to her like a siren. And no one could deny that his body was definitely designed to wage war, as well as making love. Or that he was a great looking guy.
“It’s not really sad. It just is.”
“So, there is no love on your planet.”
“I can’t say for sure. If a man loves his wife is not my business.”
“Love is such a wonderful thing.”
He thought for a few seconds then he lowered his head. “I don’t think I was given that emotion when I was created. It would probably interfere with my ability to fight.”
“Oh, I see,” she said. “Fighting before females.”
“It’s not that we don’t enjoy women, as you call them. It’s not important we spend our lives with the same one.”
She jammed her hands on her hips. “Are you a robot?”
He laughed and spread out his arms. “Of course not. If you cut me, I will bleed.”
She nodded toward the door. “What about the prince out there. Does he love anyone?”
“I don’t know. I assume he’ll have great respect and admiration for you once you are his wife.”
“You’ve never been in love and your prince hasn’t either, I bet.” She crossed her arms. “No wonder the future princess ran away. Who would settle for a life like that?”
Chapter Fourteen
ltair had no idea what to make of the woman before him. She was so beautiful he had difficulty breathing in her presence. In all his thirty-four calendars he’d never felt so drawn to a female before. He wanted to reach for her, pull her into his arms and taste her rosy lips. They called to him like a far off lover.
Troubled, he averted his gaze. He’d never experienced these emotions before and, in all honesty, he never thought he possessed them. Now, he knew he wanted the prince’s future wife. How wrong was that?
How could he be a part of this? Ronic was her promised husband, yet the thought of them together broke off a piece his heart and deepened his hunger to have her for his own. Those thoughts were high treason, and he could be exiled from his home planet, stripped of his rank, or even executed for such imaginings.
His pulse raced and all his training couldn’t bring it under control. Strangely enough, he didn’t want to. How could he betray Ronic, his king and the future of his planet? One glance at her beautiful golden hair and magical green eyes and for once in his life, he was lost to something stronger than his willpower.
His patience at an end, Ronic burst through the door without knocking. “I want to know what’s going on. Is she coming or not?”
Mystic Star stepped closer. “No, I’m not going anywhere.”
“But you must,” Ronic exclaimed, “it’s your duty.”
“Nonsense. I’ll have no part of this.”
Altair stepped closer to the couple. “I don’t think we’re going to settle anything today.”
“But...” Ronic started to say.
Two strangers came in and Altair turned to greet them. One was an older man, and the other was obviously not of this planet.
“Now, everyone just remain calm. I’m Theo, Magic’s sheriff.” He casually pointed to the man standing beside him. “This is Frost. We’ve been keeping an eye on her and I knew you two were up to no good.”
The younger, nice looking man stepped over. “Like he said, I’m Frost. Why are you here?”
Ronic spoke up. “I’m Ronic, Prince of Vion.” He pointed to Penelope. “She’s my betrothed and I intend to take her back to my planet.”
“Now hold on,” the sheriff said. “She’s not going to marry you.”
“She agreed to,” Ronic said calmly.
“I did not,” Penelope stated, her hands balled into fists. “And I’m not from another planet.”
Frost held up his hand. “Wait, she speaks the truth. She’s an Earthling.”
Altair cocked his head. “But her name is Mystic Star.”
“I’m sure she told you her real name. It’s Penelope Stubblefield and she’s from Sedona, New Mexico. Not far from here.”
A grimace twisted Ronic’s face as he spat out her name like an insect had flown into his mouth. “Penelope Stubblefield?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Wait,” Altair said, “she did tell me that was her name. I’m confused. According to our information department and all our data, Mystic Star is here in Magic.”
“This is a very busy time of the year,” the sheriff said. “The town is full of tourists.”
Ronic gritted his teeth. “You’re sure she isn’t the princess?”
“Positive,” Frost replied. “She’s here because she witnesse
d a murder and she’s the only one brave enough to testify against the man responsible. Lacey and Topper put a protective spell around her. It would be difficult for anyone to get her out of Magic.”
Altair looked at Frost. “What are spells?”
“They’re magic.”
“Like turned you into a frog or something like that?”
Frost laughed. “I’ve been turned into many things.”
“Does that work on all aliens?”
Frost thought for a few moments. ”I think so. Why do you ask?”
He walked out of Penelope’s home with Ronic and Frost following. He didn’t want her to hear what he had to say. The sheriff looked confused, but he refused to leave the house.
Outside in the bright sunlight, away from the hearing of those passing by, Altair turned to Frost. “I don’t know if you’re familiar with the planet Mortarian, but two of their worst are on the way here.” Altair looked at Ronic. “We think they’re coming to kidnap Penelope because they also think she’s Mystic Star.”
“What I’ve have heard of that planet wasn’t good.”
“I want to protect her,” Altair said, “but I’m not sure we can. Besides, like I told the lady with the purple hair, I don’t believe in spells or magic.”
Without warning, an abnormal feeling came over Altair. His stomach churned a little, then he looked down at his hands and saw two hooves. His arms were covered with short, white hair. He looked imploringly at Frost, who bit back a chuckle. Quickly, laughter filled the air.
Altair tried to speak, but the long tongue in his mouth made it difficult. “Wat hepened?”
“It looks like someone is teaching you a lesson,” Frost laughed. ”You’re a Llama.
“A LMamaa?” Altair muttered. “Hos?”
Ronic looked at him with disbelieving eyes, then a chuckle popped out of the prince’s mouth. Soon, everyone around them was staring.
A strange sensation came over Altair. He looked down and suddenly, all appeared normal. He quickly patted himself to make sure he was back to his usual self. Nothing even close to that had ever happened before.
Ronic continued laughing and pointing. “You should’ve seen yourself. You turned into some weird animal, and you talked funny.”
Altair straightened. He glared at Frost. “Exactly what was that and who did it?”
Trying to at least hide his amusement, the alien said, “In Magic, all kinds of weird and wonderful things happen. It helps if you just go with the flow.”
“I can’t walk around being turned into crazy animals. Why are you not able to think clearly?”
“If you’re here very long, it will become second nature.”
“Never,” Altair insisted. “I must find the Earthling responsible.”
Frost held up his hand. “Don’t worry. It was probably Topper just being a little ornery. She’ll leave you alone soon enough.”
“But we’re in danger. Doesn’t she understand that?”
Frost frowned. “Perhaps, but Lacey and Topper are very good at what they do. We can depend on them.”
“If she is so safe, explain to me how Ronic and I managed to arrive here and walk right up to Penelope’s home?”
Frost turned away. “You don’t actually mean her any harm, but I’ll check it out. When are you expecting the intruders?”
“Soon.”
“Okay, we’ll prepare.”
Frost hurried away and Ronic looked at Altair, his gaze somber. “So, if the princess isn’t here, why would we stay? We should be out there looking for her.”
“First we have to stop Akan and Ulia. Those two might very well kill Penelope. If we were mistaken, they might be also.”
“The other alien said this Lacey and Topper were protecting the girl?”
“I want to be here should she need me.”
Ronic held out his palms. “Why?”
The relief of knowing that Penelope wouldn’t be marrying Ronic made Altair so happy it was all he could do to keep from bursting into her house and capturing her. “Because I care for her. Very deeply.”
Shocked, Ronic’s mouth opened and then closed. “You can’t.”
Careful to not offend the Prince, Altair said, “Evidently, I can.”
“But you’re not designed to do that.”
“I can’t help how I was bred, anymore than I can help how I feel for Penelope. I want to be with her.”
“My father would never allow you to take a wife. That’s been our law since the beginning of time.”
“She belongs to me, Ronic.” He placed his hand of his heart. “I feel it here.”
“You mean you’re in love with this human?”
“Yes,” Altair said softly. “I don’t know how I can tell that, and I admit I feel out of control and torn about the whole situation.”
The touch of Ronic’s hand on his shoulder comforted him. “I think that woman, Topper, put a spell on you.”
“No, why would she?”
“I’ve heard on some planets Witches can do magical things to people, like turn them into rabbits, frogs, and things of that sort.”
“I’m not under any spell.”
“How do you know? She turned you into that thing Frost called a Llama.”
“That was a mistake. It won’t happen again.”
Shaking his head, Ronic said, “I’m only saying.”
Altair raised his hand. “Let’s stop talking about Witches and spells and find the real Mystic Star.”
Ronic shrugged. “Check again and see if there is an update from Vion.”
“If there were, they would’ve notified us immediately.”
Ronic let out a rough breath. “And everything points to my future wife being here in Magic.”
Altair looked into the sky and couldn’t believe his eyes. Two young boys, looking identical except for one wore a tall black hat and the other white, streaked across the sky in a strange looking vehicle.
Ronic followed his gaze. “How does that stay in the air?”
“I have no idea. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Ronic and Altair’s gazes clashed. “This is a strange place indeed,” the prince said. “I wish to leave as soon as possible. I fear these things called spells.”
“I don’t believe in them. Frost appears to be fine.”
Ronic paced the sidewalk. “I can’t imagine why he didn’t return to his own planet.”
Suddenly Altair couldn’t move, except for his eyes. Looking at Ronic he saw that his prince was wrapped in a sparkling purple satin rope with a funny bow tied at his throat. What the hell?
Topper, whose hair was now orange with yellow stripes, approached. When she stopped in front of them, Penelope hurried to her side. “Topper, I don’t think you need to restrain them.”
“One never knows.”
Looking around, Penelope grinned. “While they are both very pretty presents, people are laughing.”
“Let them laugh. I’m not letting them kidnap you.”
“That’s not our intent,” Altair said, surprised he could speak. “The prince just wanted to try to convince her to return to our planet, that’s all.”
“But,” Topper said, “you didn’t believe her when she told the truth.”
“Yes, but since speaking to Frost, we realized our mistake.”
Brows lowering dangerously, Topper glared at him. “And you’re leaving?”
“We can’t,” Ronic said. “The real Mystic Star is here and she’s in danger. As much as I’d love to leave this place, Altair is correct when he says we have to protect both females.”
“How? You’ll never find her,” Penelope said. “She could be anyone.”
Squirming around like a caterpillar, Altair asked, “Didn’t you say you could read minds? Can you read mine?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Perhaps that’s how we’ll find the princess. We simply have to come across a woman whose mind you can’t read.”
Penelope
let out a frustrating huff of air. “Really, that’s absurd. Didn’t you say you were short on time? It could take days for me to come in contact with everyone in town. Besides, have you considered that she might be hiding out somewhere and doesn’t want to be found?”
Altair looked at Penelope. “What do you propose?” He turned his gaze from his red wrappings to Topper. “We can’t do anything tied up like this.”
Instantly, the ribbons disappeared and they could both move about freely.
Ronic nodded to Topper. “Thank you very much. We don’t have plans to harm anyone.”
Topper shook her finger dangerously close to his nose. “Make sure you don’t.” She swirled her finger, said, “Ta ta.” Then disappeared.
Finally able to breathe normally, Altair placed his palm on Penelope’s arm. A shock of excitement rushed through him like nothing he’d felt before. He stepped back and lowered his hand.
“I have to tell you something.”
She smiled up at him. “What?”
“I have certain feelings for you.”
“Oh?”
“I told you that warriors on my planet don’t marry or fall into this thing you call love.”
“Yes,” she replied softly.
“Well, something has changed.” He pressed his fingertips to his chest. “In here.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You are meant for me,” he fought to explain. “I think I’m in love with you.”
“You realize we’ve barely spoken.”
He shook his head, hoping to clear his mind. “I know what it is and I can’t explain, but I feel I must have you.”
She snapped her fingers. “I knew it.” She stared at him. “Topper has put a love spell on you.”
He rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know how I should proceed. I’m not sure what to do or say. Only that I want you.”
“What you’re feeling isn’t real. Besides, didn’t you say Vion doesn’t allow that? You said you could never marry.”
“I know. It’s insane.” He turned to Ronic. “Can you help me explain it better?”
“No,” The Prince replied, “I have no idea what you’re experiencing. I only know that my father is going to be furious. He’ll probably dispose of you.”
Penelope put her hands on her hips. “Now that doesn’t sound fair, Ronic. Can’t you stand up for your friend?”