The Princess and her Alien Rogue: Alien Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

about to bring down her family. Had it been Misha’Ha who had convinced her mother that she would never conceive a boy, until it became a self-fulfilling prophesy.
    As they reached the gates of the palace and they passed inside, the Emissars were already gathered, and apart from Rian, she felt as if she was surrounded by people, by men, who wished her harm.
    “Emissars,” she said coolly.
    “Tallia. We have word that you have chosen a husband,” Aleck, the self-proclaimed leader of the Emissars, said.
    “Indeed,” Tallia said. This is Johar…”
    “Where did you meet him?”
    “That is none of your concern.”
    “He is from Limera. That makes it our business. Do you have any idea what he can do?” Aleck looked worried, if not afraid. Perhaps she was wrong to mistrust Misha’Ha.
    “He can give me an heir,” she said coolly. “You forget that I still have a month left to claim the throne as my own, and that you have no say over whom I marry. I have chosen, and you will accept this choice. And when I conceive, you will uphold the bargain struck with me.”
    “Not if we feel it is wrong, or being made under duress.”
    “Duress? Do you think a man could force me to do this? Is that how weak you think I am?”
    “You are a princess, not imbued with the power of a King.”
    “As you have reminded me so many times.” She took a deep breath to steady her voice, which threatened to rise enough to show her anger at these men. “Have I not kept the peace of the city? Have I not vanquished the attack on Harroll by the Garundi? You would have had us bargain for what was rightfully ours, but I took the battle to them. And you call me weak?”
    “The battle cost lives,” an Emissar said.
    “But we kept the sovereignty of Carinia.” She had fought the Emissars every step of the way and wanted to remind them that if it was not for that internal struggle, the soldiers would have been deployed sooner, before the Garundi had mustered their forces together. Yet that argument was of no use; it was as if they were programmed to disregard everything she said and everything she did.
    “We will never know the alternative outcome, never know how many lives might have been spared if you had followed our rule.”
    She wanted to shout at them, to stamp her foot as she would have as a child and tell them to stop being so argumentative. Under her father’s rule, they had given advice, a lot of it wrong, but they had never exerted their will so much. Whereas with Tallia, they disagreed with everything she said.
    “No. We will never know.” She flattened her lips, making herself stop talking, to stop unleashing the tirade of abuse that rolled around her brain.
    “What we do know, is that you have brought this man here.”
    “As is my right. I am to marry Johar; please make the preparations.”
    “You are certain?” Aleck asked.
    “Yes.” She stood with her hand looped under Johar’s arm and stared them down. This was her planet; she had the interests of her people upper most in her head. She would not surrender to men who would increase the accessibility of the slavers. Slavers whom she wished to ban from trading on the planet forever. One new law she kept to herself, or they would use it against her.
    Some of the higher houses in the palace had built their lives on slaves. As had her family, but having Rian as a friend and confidante had made her realize that slaves were people, they had homes and families, and no one deserved to lose that because someone else wanted to get rich. Tallia walked a fine line, both needing the rich families to support her, but also hating what some of them still represented.
    The Emissars didn’t move. An uneasy feeling passed over Tallia. Were they going to defy her, and simply seize control for themselves? They were well aware that if she married and conceived a child, then they would have to wait at least another nine months to take full control, and if she had a boy, they would lose their