Page 42 of Master (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #3)

"You met Marilyn Monroe?" I blinked.

Khaion took that opportunity to express his desire to question Mayor Parlow, so the guys set off for the jail.

At the same time, we girls settled at a picnic table near the edge of the square.

Emmy told the tale of meeting Marilyn Monroe and falling in love with Khaion.

Daisy went next, telling how Daicon, Ewok, and the other children stole her heart.

When my turn came, the story of how I thought Tarook was a client, resulting in us having sex before I knew his name, had all of us laughing.

"You win the meet cute competition," Emmy chuckled, wiping her eyes. "Although me thinking Khaion was an angel is a close second."

"I never thought I'd find love again," Daisy sighed. "The idea of life without Daicon and Ewok is unthinkable."

A tidal wave of joy surged within me, threatening to overflow and consume all other emotions.

Emmy and Daisy deserved every bit of happiness to come their way.

Daisy’s marriage to a cheating turd had left her broken and bitter, while Daisy’s grief over the loss of her husband seemed to break her spirit.

It was as if the universe finally made things right for them to balance out the pain they had endured.

Emmy's expression grew thoughtful. "Did it hurt you… the valakana?"

I shook my head so hard the tips of my hair flicked against my cheeks. "Honestly, I thought I had heartburn."

"Mine didn't hurt exactly," Daisy admitted. "My heart felt full and achy. I thought it was stretching to accommodate Daicon. He's awfully big, you know," she added with a bawdy wink that drew a bark of laughter from me.

Emmy crossed her arms over her chest with a loud harrumph. "Mine hurt like a bitch… felt like a heart attack."

"Why did yours hurt worse than ours?" I wondered aloud, secretly thinking Emmy being stubborn as a mule might be an issue.

"Maybe because Emmy was the first and their goddess wanted to test us human girls?” Daisy's suggestion made more sense.

"Glad we passed." Emmy rubbed the spot over her heart with a smile.

"Me too," I echoed.

"Me too," Tarook said, striding up and sliding onto the bench beside me.

Khaion and Daicon followed suit, the wood groaning under their combined weight.

"How did it go?" Emmy asked. She studied her mate curiously, as though there was something in his expression she didn't like.

"I don't think he knows anything," Daicon snorted with a frown. "Just a greedy bastard who'd sell out his own people for some credits."

A pretty apt description of the mayor, in my opinion.

"He told the same story that he told me and the peacekeeper." Tarook slid an arm around my waist. Every time someone mentioned Parlow's name, Tarook became protective. "He swears all he knew was the Kersak wanted to check out mumje's effectiveness on humans."

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Daisy asked.

Tarook barked a laugh. "I think Daicon scared him too much to lie." His attention turned to the massive male across the table, nose curling in distaste. "Did you really have to make the man piss himself?"

Daicon shrugged, drawing a laugh from his comrades.

"So, the Kerzak are behind drugging the people of Tau Ceti," I grumbled. While excited about beginning my life among the stars with Tarook, I didn't like leaving my new friends and the children behind while danger lurked.

"The planetary scan didn't uncoverindication of Kerzak on the planet." Daicon's words were meant to comfort.Still, I worried.

"Siemba's intel suggests Nansar has been mining mumje for years. Unsubstantiated reports say he has enough mumje to subjugate an entire planet." Khaion said, his eyes growing hard.

During the tale of meeting Marilyn Monroe, Emmy mentioned that her mate Siemba was a species called Stranac.

In appearance, he was a braver, handsomer version of the Cowardly Lion…

and a much better dresser. Siemba ranked as one of the wealthiest individuals in the galaxy…

as well as head of the spy ring the Vaktaire heavily relied on.

"Siemba's married to Marilyn Monroe." Emmy reminded me, waggling her brows excitedly.

I felt kind of bad not coming clean about Elvis.

Perhaps I'd do it once we'd left Tau Ceti to avoid awkwardness for Lula and Buck. I recalled Emmy being a huge Elvis fan in her youth. I also needed to tell them how the Alliance used to wipe abductee’s mind with the assent of our own government.

Not today, though. Today was a happy day.

"Could Nansar plan to use the mumje on Earth?" Daisy's hazel eyes flickered over the nearby villagers who were busy preparing another potluck feast. "There has to be a reason he wanted to test it here."

Nansar was the only son of Duke Ako, the most powerful man in the universe and a leader in the governing Alliance.

Once thought to be a friend to the Vaktaire and supportive of humans, Nansar showed himself to be a complete jackass during a meeting with Khaion and Emmy and now held our friend Willa captive.

"I don't know," Khaion mulled. "Just in case, we will contact the Alliance to be on alert and send another battle cruiser to guard Earth, as well as have one sent to protect Tau Ceti."

"Do you really think Duke Ako doesn't know what Nansar's up to?" Tarook asked, brows gathered in thought.

"Duke Ako lost his mate to a Kerzak blade. He would never ally himself with the creatures nor stand by if he knew of Nansar's affiliation." Khaion's opinion brooked no opposition.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Daisy glancing about to make sure Ewok didn't linger within earshot. Her expression held the determination of a mother intent her adopted child did not suffer from an unfortunate birthright. After meeting the little male, I couldn't agree more.

"I still can't believe Nansar is working with the Kerzak," Emmy huffed. "His own mother was human."

The overload of information took a lot to keep straight.

"Nansar? The guy mining the mumje who kidnapped Willa had a human mother?" I needed clarification.

"Yes," Khaion nodded. "Nansar's mother was the Duke's first human concubine—a woman named Helene.

It is said the Duke cared for her a great deal.

" The Chieftain's hand went to the back of Emmy's neck, fingers undulating in a slow massage.

Daicon's arm surrounded Daisy's shoulders, his lips perched on her temple.

At my side, Tarook's hand slid in a slow massage up and down my thigh.

Duke Ako wasn't the only alien male to care deeply for a human woman.

"What happened to her?" If the Duke cared for his human female only a fraction of how much these Vaktaire warriors cared for us gals...

"It must have been something bad to make Nansar hate humans." Daisy postulated.

Khaion's eyes glanced at where the alien children played joyously. "It is said she took one look at Nansar after his birth and felt so disgusted at giving birth to a half-Aljani youngling that she ran from the Duke, never to be seen again."

"So… mommy issues," Emmy grunted.

"We reported Nansar's suspected involvement to the Alliance," Daicon added. "It remains unclear if anyone informed the Duke.”

"We think Nansar may take Willa to the Duke as a peace offering," Emmy said, rolling her eyes. "Apparently, the Duke has a proclivity for human females."

"The communication from Charick two days ago reported he landed on planet Ajaxiuan, near the citadel, but hasn't sighed Nansar or your friend yet," Daicon offered more intel.

“If Willa is to be a gift from Nansar to his father, he will most likely present her at the Duke’s birthday celebration." Khaion postulated.

The idea of what could happen to my friend caused a deep, whole-body shudder. Tarook shifted, tightening the arm around my waist, drawing me close against his side.

"What about Pearl and Agnes?" I asked, even though every single fiber of my being dreaded the answer.

"Jutuk, the Bardaga's navigator, located Pearl on the Ardeese Valout space station.

He's keeping her safe but hasn't figured out a way to escape yet," Emmy explained.

"The Baron that bought Pearl is hosting a celebration in the next few weeks.

Jutuk hopes to use it as a diversion, but for now, she is watched too closely. "

"Security on the Ardeese Valout is tight," Daicon added at my frown. "Jutuk won't make a move until he knows he can get Pearl safely away."

"And Agnes?"

No one met my gaze.

"Is she okay?" My stomach bottomed out as the words left my tongue.

"For now." Daicon sighed. "Our healer Hakkar located Anges on planet Vestra. She's alive, but the beings holding her are Ulkommanian. They use humans for… experimentation."

Daisy had tears in her eyes. Emmy avoided my gaze altogether.

"What kind of experiments?"

"We don't know," Emmy answered, her green eyes shimmering with wetness.

"Hakkar is the best healer in the Alliance fleet," Khaion announced with equal parts confidence and defiance. "Whatever Anges suffers, he can heal her."

Tarook's pressed his lips against my temple, and Isighed with dread, resting my head on his shoulder. His attention was comforting, especially as my heart squeezed with fear for my friend.

"Hakkar plans to liberate Agnes tonight. But he compromised his ship upon landing. He and Agnes must make it to a small outpost several hundred kilometers north, where we can safely extract them." Daicon added, sweetly cupping his mate's cheek in his palm while she gnawed her lower lip worriedly.

Daisy's eyes flickered from Daicon to where the children bonded with their new families amid casseroles and fried chicken. "When do we leave?"

"Bartuk will have the ship prepped for hyper-drive in a few hours." Khaion's voice was gentle, knowing his words were upsetting as well as exciting.

A few hours.

My heart wrenched as my gaze turned toward the town square and the newly made friends we would leave behind.