Alien's Bride: Lisette (12 page)

“
Yes, you see,” number four
said, “the humans aren’t of any caste, but surely they can marry
into a caste.” He looked around at them. “If we don’t allow this
then the Etiken will go extinct. It’s no longer blasphemy if we
allow humans to marry into a caste.”

“
I’m putting this to a
vote,” number one said.

“
Wait,” Elentinus
said.

“
Shut up, Elentinus,”
Nayjoor said.

“
Humans shall be allowed to
marry into the Etiken caste. Agreed?”

Numbers 1, 4, and 7 (Matoranis) lit up
at once. Then 2 and 6. Elentinus was leaning back with his arms
crossed. Nayjoor sneered at him and hit his button to light up
number 3. The moment he did Elentinus jolted forward and hit his
own button.

“
Well,” number one said with
a raised brow. “It seems it’s unanimous. Humans shall be allowed to
marry into the Etiken caste. This decision shall be retroactive to
allow Prax-Denay’s marriage.”

Lisette leapt into his arms with a
squeal of joy. Prax-Denay hugged her off her feet and spun with
her. His face became wet with tears. Lisette was so happy she
couldn’t stop laughing.

“
If there are no other
matters than we shall adjourn,” number one said.

“
I have one more matter,”
Elentinus said.

“
Oh, please,” Nayjoor
said.

“
What is it?” number one
said with a twinge of annoyance.

“
Since human women are by
and large our only remaining breeding partners, and since this
council has just made it legal for those human women to marry into
the Etiken caste…”

“
Get to your point, if you
please,” Matoranis said.

“
I would like Etiken
castration to be outlawed.”

The others looked at him in
shock.

“
It is no longer necessary
to continue the practice to ensure the druid Archment’s decree is
followed. It’s barbaric and should have ended centuries ago. It
would be asinine to continue doing something so vile and damaging
to our fellow Dak-Hiliah just for the sake of
tradition.”

“
Oh gods, yes,” Prax-Denay
whispered.

Number one blinked a few times. He
leaned back. “I see your game, Elentinus.”

“
We all do,” Nayjoor said.
His face had darkened with anger.

“
If you object to my
proposal then state a valid reason why.”

The cheery council member at
number four perked up. “Well, I can think of one reason. Eak-Rizot
is going to be fuming mad that the next guy who has his job gets to
keep his
scoligel
.”

Matoranis and number two
laughed.

“
Castration shall further
more be outlawed. Agreed?” number one said.

Elentinus pressed his button at once.
Matoranis, number four and number two followed. Number one pressed
his button then stood and walked away. Number six did the
same.

“
I won’t be manipulated by
you again, Elentinus,” Nayjoor said.

Lisette stood on tip-toe to whisper
into Prax-Denay’s ear. “It’s going to pass six to one,
right?”

“
All votes must be
unanimous,” Prax-Denay whispered back.

“
Doesn’t Rolf-Tem have a
little brother who wants to leave the slums?” Elentinus said.
“He’ll see that the vote failed because of you when this is
reported.”

“
You make me sick.” Nayjoor
punched his button, got up, and left.

“
Fantastic!” Prax-Denay
said. Lisette laughed again.

Elentinus rose. “Adjourned.”

“
That’s not for you to say,”
Matoranis said, but also stood.

“
Adjourned!” number four
said.

The rest of them dispersed.

Barrister Graw emerged from the
audience (where a petulant Jorenkis was ranting to his
peers).

“
I’ve recorded that you’ve
been absolved of blasphemy,” Graw said to them. “Do you need
accommodations in the city?”

Prax-Denay looked at
Lisette.

“
I want to go home,” she
said.

He hugged her against him once again.
“Just deliver us to the spaceport.”

Graw bowed to him. “Of course. And
congratulations. Both on the trial, and on your impending
birth.”

Lisette broke down into joyful tears.
Prax-Denay tipped up her chin with a finger and kissed
her.

***

They had to wait inside the sleek
spaceport for transport to Paggellatin to be prepared for them.
They sat on a bench with a broad window behind them. Prax-Denay
chose to face a large monitor with a newscast rather than watch the
ships. The headline of ‘Etiken Castration Outlawed’ stayed on the
top of the screen. A feminine android was giving the full report of
what happened in the Hall of Governance. Lisette only half
listened. She leaned against Prax-Denay with their fingers
entwined. The weight of anxiety had left her exhausted. All she
wanted was to be back home, in her bed, with her
husband.

Prax-Denay stood suddenly.
“Brother!”

Elentinus and Hor-Denay walked to them.
Prax-Denay went to his much homelier brother and took both his
hands.

“
Gods it’s good to see you
again,” Prax-Denay said.

“
I can’t believe what you
accomplished,” Hor-Denay said. “You’re a hero to our race once
again.”

“
Lord Elentinus is the
hero.”

Elentinus stared at Lisette. She met
his gaze.

“
You’ve a glow about you,”
he said. “I see the same in Maritza when she’s
pregnant.”

Lisette pursed her lips.

“
You don’t need to fear me.
I was only harsh toward Prax-Denay so the others would vote in his
favor.”

“
I know,” Lisette said. She
smiled. “Thank you.”

He bowed his head to her.

“
It’s just as I planned all
along,” Hor-Denay said. “We’ve ended castration and ensured the
continuation of our people.”

“
What did you have to do
with it?” Prax-Denay said.

“
I told her to pursue you.
She was merely obeying my orders.”

Prax-Denay looked at Lisette. “Is that
so?”

A mischievous smile formed on her
face.

“
What a foolhardy thing to
do, brother! You could have ruined everything. How dare you
interfere?”

“
How dare I? You should
thank me. You’re happy, aren’t you?”

Lisette stood and put herself under
Prax-Denay’s arm. She beamed a bright smile to both Hor-Denay and
Elentinus.

“
Yes,” she said. “We
are.”

***

“
Jorenkis,” Celia-Denay
said.

Lisette peeked into Jorenkis’ office
while her pale blue four-year-old daughter stood beside his
desk.

“
What is it?” Jorenkis
said.

“
Mommy wanted me to give you
this.” She placed a spitty piece of candy in his hand.

“
Gah!” Jorenkis threw it
against the wall.

Lisette laughed from the doorway.
Jorenkis was appalled.

“
Would you get her out of
here? I’m trying to get some work done.”

Lisette came in and plucked
her daughter up by her armpits. “It’s
Saturday
,” she said.

“
No. No Saturday. Saturday
is an Earth thing. There’s no Saturdays here. We work every
day.”

“
You don’t work every day,”
Celia-Denay said.

“
Hey! Would you just—get old
enough to marry or something?”

Lisette made a disgusted face. The
suggestion would have made her furious just a few years ago.
Thankfully the spoiled aristocrat had started to grow up. If he
continued improving there just might be a chance at her future
blessing (though it was unlikely).

Prax-Denay came out of the nursery
beside the lab and scooped Celia-Denay out of Lisette’s arms. He
draped the spry child over his shoulder while she squealed with
laughter. “Emma’s asleep, but Hor’s awake,” he said, speaking of
their toddler daughter and infant son. “Do you want to try to feed
him?”

Lisette tested the weight of her
milk-laden breasts with her hands. Finding the supply adequate she
said, “Mm-hm.” She patted her daughter’s leg. “This one needs to be
put down for her nap.”

“
I’m not tired!”

Prax-Denay carted her upstairs anyway.
“If you don’t sleep you’ll never grow horns.”

“
I’m growing them. I felt
bumps, daddy!”

“
Where? Let me
see.”

Prax-Denay came back down later to sit
with Lisette while she fed baby Hor-Denay. He caressed the bald
head of his son first, and then kissed her.

“
Do you remember when you
first came to the lab and we had to fix the damage the Instajant
vaccine did to hybrid DNA?”

Lisette nodded.

“
Celia’s as perfect a little
girl as I could imagine. I would say we were
successful.”

“
On that…and a lot of
things. Everything worked out for the best.”

“
Even Jorenkis has become
less annoying.”

“
That’s because he wants to
marry our daughter one day.”

Prax-Denay’s brow twitched. “Is that
so? Remind me to kill him later.”

“
No.” She lowered their son
back into his crib. “That would change things.”

Prax-Denay stood beside her and
caressed her hair. Lisette gazed into his eyes.

“
Our world is perfect…just
the way it is.”

***

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Alien’s Bride universe. Speaking of Alien’s Bride…

Read the story of Elentinus and the “traitor”
Maritza! Now available as one complete three novella set.

Alien’s Bride Box Set

Kind-hearted Maritza is
transported thousands of years into the future to be a bride for
one of the malevolent aliens who has conquered earth.

Get all three searing
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Don’t forget to also get
Bride Games
,
another story in the Alien’s Bride universe!

Bride Games (Alien’s
Bride)

Ex-soldier Lenora is determined to escape an
alien slave colony no matter what the cost. Her disobedience angers
her male alien overseers, who are trying to breed humans so they
can intermarry with them. Lenora, and willful women like her, are
sent to the Bride Games. If they win they will be granted their
freedom. If they lose they must accept marriage to an alien
nobleman.