Rylee grinned at me.
“That ‘business’ wouldn’t happen to be getting into a certain half Braxian-half Naggian man’s pants again, would it?”
I blushed again and lifted my chin.
“None of your business.”
She laughed and waved a hand at me.
“Go on—enjoy yourself. I know how much you crave your mate when you’re first Joined. Just be sure you’re at the feast tonight.”
And she signed off, leaving me to go find Vik’tor…
The feast that night was fabulous and the Empress and Emperor looked radiantly happy. I was so glad for them because I truly understood their joy—I was happy and overjoyed myself just being with Vik’tor and I was proud to have been part of bringing the Tangellan people back together.
It was interesting to look around the crowded feast hall because I could see which of the males and females had already Joined with each other. That was because the Tangellan men who had joined with a woman immediately lost their “darkness”. That is, the black tint swirled into their skin disappeared, leaving clear jewel tones behind.
The women who had joined with them were also jewel toned instead of pastel. So it was easy to see who was still single and who was taken, which I thought was going to be a huge advantage for the entire society. I certainly wished we had something like that on Earth!
Speaking of Earth, we all went there after we finished on Tangella Alpha-Prime. We had to be careful sneaking down to the surface but luckily The Imperial Scout ship that Rylee and her guys were in had shielding tech so we were able to land in my parents’ back yard undetected.
Once there, we called everyone for a family reunion and introduced our new husbands. Just like in my dream, some people were shocked at first but when they got used to the idea, my family loved Vik’tor and Drace and Lucian. Of course, my Mama and Daddy were so happy I was safe and not missing anymore, I think they would have loved anyone who brought me home to them. They were a little heartbroken when I told them I had to leave again, but we promised to come and visit often, especially if there were any “grandbabies” on the way.
After that, Vik’tor and I went back to O’nagga Nine for a short time while he settled his business. Vik’tor actually wound up hiring his butler, Daw’snx, to run most of the company for him in his absence. He was also half Braxian, as it turned out, and he’s the most organized man I’ve ever met. Vik’tor said he knew his company would be in good hands with Daw’snx at the helm, and I totally agreed with him.
Oh, and if you’re wondering if Ass-licks got what was coming to him—well, yes he certainly did. There was a trial—which went a lot faster than the trials on Earth—and Ass-licks was tried for corruption, embezzling, and attempted murder. (Since I was now Vik’tor’s legal wife, I counted as a citizen and it was against the law try to harm or kill me. So that was good, at least.)
Anyway, Ass-licks was convicted and sentenced to a life of hard labor, wading through the sewage system to loosen clogs—a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Well, anyone excepthim. His prim and proper wife divorced him and married his brother instead—(which I thought was kind of weird but apparently not uncommon on O’nagga Nine)—and that was the end of that—at least for Ass-licks.
After the visit to O’nagga Nine, we headed back to Femme One and I finally got to meet the woman whose voice had been in all my visions. The Goddess Empress—aka Charlotte—was as sweet and kind as Rylee had told me she was and I got to meet some of the other La-ti-zals too. It was a fun visit and Vik’tor and I agreed that if we ever decided to settle down, Femme One was the place to do it. Just for now, though, we’re going to keep on traveling the galaxy.
But I can hear you saying, wait—there’s one more loose end! What ever happened to Gumpas, the so-called Eloim merchant who kidnapped me not once buttwice?Well, unfortunately, I kind of have bad news there. When Rylee and I told Charlotte that he had the same equipment as the Commercians and he was running around abducting La-ti-zals to sell to the highest bidder, she was really upset.
“We can’t have this!” she exclaimed. “I’ll send out several fleets of my best Imperial guards to track him down at once!”
Only that was months ago, and no one has been able to find him. Vik’tor thinks that Gumpas may be keeping a low profile. Or maybe he sold the wrong merchandise to the wrong buyer or abducted the wrong La-ti-zal and got killed for his trouble. I know he certainly would have been dead if Vik’tor and Drace and Lucian could have gotten their hands on him!
So I’m sorry I can’t wrap that part of the story up for you. All I can do is warn you—please be on your guard and watch out for shiny surfaces. You never know if you might be the next one taken by Gumpas or the Commercians for their AMI and sold to a hot alien male.
And once you get abducted, you just don’t know where your adventure will take you…or how it will end.