Page 4 of Alien Spare (Cosmic Mates #9)

“You crossed the line this time,” his father bellowed. His mother’s brow furrowed with worry.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Falkor resisted the urge to scratch and shifted his gaze from his parents to Karma.

He could see her legs shaking. He inched closer, putting a buffer between her and his father.

Facing an angry king caused nobles to quake; to a human outsider, it must be terrifying indeed.

He wouldn’t wish this on anyone—not even his nemesis.

Yesterday, after retrieving her luggage and arranging for the removal of her disabled vehicle, they had traveled to the palace in the royal hoverlimo. Arriving at the palace by late afternoon, they’d separated, eager to be rid of the other.

This morning, he’d received a summons to appear before the king. When he got to his parents’ library, he found Karma there.

“You got summoned?”

She nodded. “What is it about?”

“No idea,” he said, neck starting to itch.

Getting called to account for his actions ranked right up there with public speaking.

He wished he could put her mind at ease, but he’d never been called before the king to receive an atta-boy.

But Karma hadn’t committed any misdeeds.

She was a pebble in his shoe, but she comported herself well enough with everyone else.

“Sleep well?” He attempted to make small talk.

“Fine. You?”

“Like a baby.”

Awkward silence ensued.

“The storm blew over,” he said.

“Yes.”

He’d almost been relieved when the tall, gilded doors peeled open, and the king and queen marched in, except his father’s scowl was darker than a storm cloud.

“I warned I would not tolerate another scandal,” his father said now.

Scandal? “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nothing recent, anyway.

In the past, a few romantic dalliances had gone public; he’d unintentionally broken a few hearts and once been caught in a rather compromising position with a nobleman’s wife.

In his youth, he’d sometimes partied through the night.

He admitted he could be more discerning about the company he kept, but it wasn’t like anything he did mattered .

Jaryk would be king, but Falkor had no purpose.

Except he hadn’t done anything to embarrass the king and queen lately .

He had opened a Cosmic Mates account for Jaryk without his brother’s consent.

But that had ended well—his brother met the love of his life.

And—he snuck a glance at his mother’s face—the queen had been in on it.

It had been her idea. So, he couldn’t be blamed for that.

No, he was pretty sure he was innocent of any wrongdoing this time.

But why would Karma be here?

With a wave from the king, the air over the hologram stage began to shimmer and then consolidated into a multidimensional image of a too-familiar Kaldor Celebrity News correspondent.

Double hekkel.

He could have used more discernment when he’d bedded the celebrity gossip reporter.

The brief “relationship” hadn’t ended well.

Since then, Bynti had devoted her life to ruining his.

“The Prince of Scandal is at it again,” she crowed gleefully in the hologram.

“This time, he’s cavorting with his brother’s wife’s sister! ”

Karma gasped.

Bynti disappeared, and a 3-D image of him and Karma materialized. His arm was around her waist, and they leaned into each other. Her face was upturned. They appeared to be hugging.

“That’s not what it looks like!” Karma cried.

On the way up to his hotel suite, they’d had to dodge a drunken conventioneer, and she’d stumbled. He’d grabbed her to prevent her from doing a faceplant.

The image faded away, and a new one appeared—Bynti interviewing a man. Karma muttered a curse, and Falkor recognized him as one of the many men who’d approached her in the hotel bar.

“I saw Ms. Karma Celestina Kennedy in the bar. I didn’t know who she was then. She told me she was waiting for a man—and then Prince Falkor joined her.”

Now, Bynti stood outside the palace gates. “Kaldor Celebrity News has confirmed Ms. Kennedy spent the night in the prince’s hotel suite. So, the only question left to answer is, how long has this affair been going on? This is Bynti with KCN. Back to you in the studio.”

The hologram vanished.

“She’s lying!” It took all his willpower not to scratch furiously at his neck. He was sure he had a full-blown case of hives. He had a sixth sense for when he could talk himself out of trouble, but this didn’t appear to be one of those times. Ironically, he was completely innocent.

“Did you two not spend the night together in the same suite?”

“It wasn’t how she presented it.”

“There was a storm!” Karma explained.

“Her hovermobile broke down. She had no lodging. I had an extra room in my suite…”

“Perception matters as much as the reality,” his mother said.

“This is unacceptable. This is the last straw,” the king said.

“But—but—”

“Silence! You will not speak. You will listen. Your continuous misbehavior has undermined the respect for the monarchy. The people will not follow those they do not respect. This behavior stops now.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” He didn’t dare push his father any further.

“You will fix this.”

He would if he could, but how? He couldn’t erase what had happened.

“You and Ms. Kennedy will marry.”

He choked, and Karma gasped, “No!”

“Father, I don’t think—”

“No, you don’t think, and that is the problem,” the king interrupted. “This is not negotiable. The marriage will take place forthwith.”

“Father, with all due respect, we don’t get along. We don’t like each other.”

“He’s right.” Her head bobbed in agreement. “We hate each other.”

She hated him? He didn’t realize her animosity went that deep. But that would be all the more reason not to get married. If he married her, he’d lose the chance of meeting the love of his life. He couldn’t do this—could not be tied to a virtual stranger who hated him.

“You will marry tomorrow.”

“I’ll go back to Earth,” Karma said.

The king’s blue brows arched. “And how do you intend to get there?”

“I—uh—” Panic flashed on her face as the realization hit.

She would need help to book a space flight. She probably didn’t have the means to pay for it, and without the king’s permission, she couldn’t leave the planet.

“Let her go. This isn’t her fault,” he argued. They were both innocent victims here, but if not for his less-than-discreet past, he doubted his father would be doing this.

“Leaving would cause an even greater scandal,” the king said. “They’ll think you used and discarded her, and then we tried to get rid of her.”

“I don’t care about that!” Karma said.

“But I do. It would reflect badly on the crown. My decision is final. You two will marry, and that will be the end of the scandals.”

Mother, please. With a silent plea, he looked to the queen, the only person who could change his father’s mind. Help!

For a heart-sinking moment, she said nothing.

Then she said, “Kaldoran marriages are forever. There is no such thing as divorce. Karma had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I feel partly responsible. If I hadn’t suggested she see more of the planet, she wouldn’t have gotten snared in the scandal.

For her sake, may I suggest a compromise? ”

“What kind of compromise?” the king asked.

“Instead of a Kaldoran ceremony, they could marry through Cosmic Mates. The marriages are provisional—they spend one year as husband and wife, and at the end of the period, they may annul the union.”

“I’m not in Cosmic Mates,” Falkor said.

“Karma is. And I’m sure with a request from the king, Cosmic Mates would agree to send an officiant to perform the ceremony.”

“That’s still a year of my life!” she protested.

“I can accept that,” the king said.

“I can’t,” Falkor said.

“Me either,” she said.

“Those are your options. A permanent marriage or a Cosmic Mates one. The ceremony will take place tomorrow.” The king dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

This is bad. Worse than bad. My life is ruined. He and Karma fled the library.

“He can’t really force us to get married, can he?”

“I’m afraid he can,” he answered glumly.

* * * *

“Are we doing the right thing?” Rullok asked when they were alone. “They seemed adamant about not wanting to marry each other.”

“They doth protest too much. They’re crazy about each other. They just haven’t admitted it to themselves yet. And it’s high time Falkor settles down. He’s not getting any younger.”

Queen Myka had been wondering how she would get those two to recognize their disagreements resulted from chemistry and not animosity when the Gods of Kaldor intervened. Falkor and Karma caught “together” by KCN provided Myka with the excuse she needed to nudge them in the right direction.

The scandal would pass. It always did; people had gotten used to her younger son’s indiscretions. But as soon as Myka saw the news report yesterday afternoon, she realized they could use it for their son’s benefit.

“I will trust your decision, then,” Rullok said. “You are often right about these things.”

The queen stroked her husband’s cheek. “We’re a good team.

” He played the role of the angry monarch, she the conciliatory one.

Their strategy never failed. Rullok acted like the bad guy, but he was, in fact, the biggest softie.

He would have spoiled their sons terribly if not for her.

Their children had no idea she was the one with the will of steel.

“I love you so much,” the king said.

“I love you, too. I will contact the officiant and confirm the ceremony for tomorrow.”

“When do Jaryk and Kismet return from their honeymoon?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

“Perhaps we should delay the ceremony until then. The sisters are close. Perhaps Karma would like Kismet to attend the wedding.”

“You’re right! I should have thought of that. And I’m sure Jaryk would like to be there for his brother.” She smiled at her husband affectionately. We are a good team. Jaryk and Kismet showed the same potential, and she had high hopes for her younger son and Karma.

She’d thought of Cosmic Mates the instant she’d seen the news report. Their son’s happiness ranked paramount. On the rare chance she was wrong about the couple’s feelings for each other, she did not wish to force them into a permanent marriage. Cosmic Mates offered the perfect solution.

A trial marriage would give them the time to come to their senses.