Page 26 of Royal Alien Mate

“I’m sorry,” her father said the second his face appeared on the screen. “Esmay, my sweet child, forgive me for speaking to you so harshly yesterday.”

“I’m sorry, too,” her mother said, offering a tentative smile. “We’ve had some time to think about what you did—the sacrifice you’ve made for your sisters especially—and we are sorry we didn’t thank you for what you’ve done when we last spoke. We can only imagine what you must be going through right now.”

Esmay took a deep breath and returned their smiles. “You don’t need to apologize, you guys, and you also don’t need to worry about me or feel sorry for me. I love you all and that’s why I came to Mars.” She paused and briefly glanced down at the tablet, which still displayed the image of the stunning Alaskan village they would soon call home. “Vaath showed me where you’re moving. It’s beautiful. Carmen and Lilly are going to love it. Have you told them about the move yet?”

“They’re still sleeping,” her father said. “A representative from Martian Affairs knocked on the door at four in the morning.” He chuckled. “We thought it was the landlord asking for his late rent again. Imagine our surprise when the woman standing on our doorstep told us the real reason she’d woken us up. She introduced herself as Vivian and told us she’d been the one to process your mail order bride application.”

Esmay’s smile widened. “That was nice of her to stop by. I imagine Vaath requested her specifically in hopes that it would comfort you guys.”

“Anyway,” her mother said, “Vivian told us more about the mail order bride program and more about Martian mating customs, and it helped us feel a bit better about your departure. She said Martians mate for life and that they never cheat on their mates. She also promised us that Martian males treasured their females. Vaath hasn’t hurt you at all, has he?”

“It’s all true and no, Vaath hasn’t hurt me. He’s been very sweet, actually.”

Her mother glanced into the screen, allowing her gaze to sweep around the room. “Is he nearby right now?”

“No, he stepped out of the room, but he’ll be back in a little while to take me to lunch.”

“Your new house is very fancy,” her father said. “Do all Martian houses look like that?”

She looked over her shoulder at the view he was seeing. There was a large table carved from wood with a sparkling chandelier hanging over it. The walls were decorated with paintings of landscapes, which she thought were depictions of Vaath’s original home planet. A sculpture of some sort of bear-like animal was also within view. The open balcony behind her was also in sight, revealing the blue sky and the spires that rested atop distant buildings.

“Oh,” she said, fumbling for an answer. What should she tell them? Apparently, they hadn’t yet realized Vaath’s identity, even though the last time she’d spoken with them they’d commented that his name sounded familiar. Should she get the unpleasantness over with and confess the entire truth right now? “Well, Vaath is wealthier than most Martians.” She gulped hard and returned her gaze to the screen. Her parents didn’t appear convinced.

“I’m not trying to start another argument,” her father said in a cautious tone, “but I feel like there’s something you’re not telling us. Something important. Please, Esmay, don’t hide anything from us. We’re your parents and we love you with our whole hearts.”

Shit. She couldn’t very well lie to his face. Not after that little speech. She drew in a deep breath and looked from her father to her mother, praying they didn’t freak out.

“Vaath is the Prince of Mars,” she blurted out, wincing as though she’d just ripped off a bandage. “That’s why this place looks so fancy. I’m in the palace in the capital city of Ressiktron. Vaath is next in line to the throne. He’s the only son—the only child, in fact—of King Verruik.”

Her mother gasped and covered her mouth. Her father paled and appeared downright shocked. She’d never seen him look so worried before, and it aged him terribly. For the first time in her life, Esmay noticed the deep wrinkles on his forehead and the smaller age lines surrounding his mouth.

“Prince Vaath led the final battles against Earth,” he said after a long silence.

“I know. I know what he’s done, and I won’t lie and say I wasn’t shocked when I first learned who he really was, but I’m trying to see the positive side of this—and I’m not just talking about the kindness he’s showing my family by giving you more galactic credits than you’ll ever be able to spend and moving you all to the safety of Zone 5. I’m talking about the influence I might eventually have upon him. I-I think I can make him understand that Martians are needlessly repressing humans, making life more difficult on Earth than it ought to be. It is my hope I can help our people in some way.”

“Oh, Esmay,” her mother said. “Please don’t put yourself in danger. You need to take care of yourself right now. You mustn’t do anything to anger Vaath. Do you have any idea what he could do to you?”

“I will die before I harm your daughter,” came a deep voice from behind Esmay.

She turned to see him walking through the door. He crouched next to her, though even in this position he was taller than her. He reached for her hand, brought it to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss upon her knuckles. Then he looked at her parents, both of whom appeared uneasy at his arrival. Esmay’s stomach flipped. Despite his promise that he would never harm her, she wasn’t sure how much of this conversation he’d overheard. Did he know about her plan to influence him to loosen the Martians’ grip on Earth?

She glanced over at him, trying to think of something to say. She turned back to her parents. “I-I promise Vaath has been treating me well.”

“Why are females so scarce among your people?” her father asked, leaning forward as he stared at Vaath. “Did something happen? We’ve heard rumors on Earth, of course, about disease or an enemy attack or even an unknown cause, but I would like to know. I hope there is no continued threat to my daughter or any other human women who become your mates.”

Esmay sensed Vaath’s sudden sadness, even though his expression didn’t change at all. She found herself squeezing his hand, out of her parents’ view, as she offered him comfort.

“Before I was born, our enemies, the Xieandans, tainted the water supplies on our home planet of Marttiaxoxalia. It took us many years to realize what they had done, as our scientists didn’t discover the cause until most of our females had died. We learned the Xieandans wanted our world for themselves and had intended to poison all of us, male and female alike, but the compounds they used weren’t harmful to the males of our species. Only female Marttiaxoxalians of noble birth survived, as well as those mated to guards who lived at the palace, as the water supplies used in the palace came from deep underground, where their poison hadn’t yet reached.”

“These enemies of yours, the Xieandans, where are they now?” her father asked.

“Most of them are dead, though some managed to flee our solar system. While few are left, several elite teams of Marttiaxoxalian warriors are hunting them down. They will never harm another Martian female again, nor will we allow them to harm our human mates,” Vaath said, casting an affectionate glance at Esmay.

“I’m glad they are no longer a threat to your people,” her mother said, “though I’m sorry for what they did to you.”

“Thank you,” Vaath replied.

“So you left your home planet to come in search of an alien race with whom you would be sexually compatible?” her father asked, his brows narrowing in concentration. Bleak as the current topic was, Esmay was glad her parents were having a somewhat cordial conversation with Vaath.

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