Page 29 of My Monster, My Choice

“Pfft. You didn’t hurt me, love. Bad dream?”

“In a way. Good and bad.”

“Want to tell me about it?”

“It was my first love, Carlton.”

His brow furrows. “Your mate?”

“No, not Tera’s father. He was Lyle Garrett. No, this was the man I was supposed to marry. The man I wanted to marry. Carlton Faillon. He died before he came of age and I…well, I was a year older and had missed my first season waiting for him. I ended up being third wife to Lyle because…I guess I just needed to get away from the memories of Carlton’s death.”

“I am so sorry, Christina.”

“Thank you. It was a long time ago. I think being happy tonight with you reminded me of being happy with Carlton. But I noticed one thing in the dream—he was so young. And maybe I was too, though I couldn’t see myself. Then he started to disappear, and I wasn’t ready to let him go.” I realize how awful that sounds, to tell a lover that I can’t let another go. “I mean, he’s been gone a long time now.”

“I understand,” he says simply. “Never apologize for loving someone. It makes you who you are. You love big and everyone who basks in your love benefits from it.”

This man is absolutely perfect. This man, I could love.

ChapterTen

ELEX

Six Earth months fly by at the speed of light.

I was looking forward to the arrival of Tera and Relion because with their return, it cements the relationship between Christina and me. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to tell them right away. From the moment Tera emerged from the portal, there was unexpected drama. She was swollen with their firstkish.

Her choke collar—which we, along with the Brits, suspected was alien technology—had deactivated with the pregnancy and not with the end of her contract like we’d assumed. It was a call signal to a race of aliens who didn’t belong to the alliance that the Britonians and we do. The Leondratsins.

President Eric Montgomery promised them thekish. What he didn’t count on was thekishlingcarried by the humans were also half Adroki and our species is protected under the Interplanetary Alliance of Protected Planets, or IAPP.

In the Leondratsins’ fury, they dragged the president off as payment for the collars he’d accepted so long ago. He was promised a slow, painful, horrific death.

After the shocking incident, we all gathered at the main house for one of our usual barbecue get-togethers, though this time isn’t a joyous occasion. The crowds are split into tiny groups, some people explaining to the others of the community what had happened.

Some of the females, like my mate, are just in shock, along with my boy, Kenny. He hasn’t left my lap since the incident. I continually stroke his back and he tries to hide when his little shoulders tremble. The Britonians remain, along with the Adroki who escorted Tera and Relion through the portal. The medic, Calbin, is in the middle of injecting each dancer with a dose of pregnancy hormones, which kills the parasitic collars. They have decided to surgically remove the collars once they are dead.

We also discovered the whereabouts of Anya’s sister, Portia, who had disappeared after Jaire refused the mateship with her. She had been kept by the president and had shown up in a choke collar also.

Lilaina approaches our group. “I imagine since we’re all going to have to figure out what happens next, we’re going to need more room than you all have here. Why don’t we get the collars removed and all head to the Presidential House to stay? We’ll have a big ole slumber party. Kenny? You ever stay in the Presidential House?” she asks.

“No.” He shakes his head seriously. “No, ma’ham. I don’t thinkaso. Did I, mum?”

Christina shakes her head.

Lilaina grins. “Then it’ll be a treat for sure. You want to invite your friends?”

His face lights up. “There’s Uween! An’ there’s Jinny. Sammy. Sushi.” He turns and points to Relion. “Ree! You know Sushi, right?” He goes on without a pause. “An’ Simon, an’ Aaron, Wose—but sometimes she kindas a lil stinky so’s she hasta taka shower first. Just a lil bit. Smells like worms…and vanilla.” He shrugs. “Poor gril tries.”

Lilaina laughs. Hell, we all chuckle.

“It’s good to be home,” Relion says. “I missed this crazy little planet.”

Tera turns in his lap. “Have I ever thanked you for tricking me with the whole ‘teaching me to flirt’ scam?”

He snorts. “It wasn’t a scam.” He puffs his chest out. “Best teacher ever. I was a catch. Every female in the Adroki clan wanted me at one point. So well qualified to teach others.”

“At one point, I believe it was only Elex’smamanthat wanted you,” Stratek says wryly, his arm looped casually over his sister-in-mate, Lilaina.

---