Chapter 18

Carmen

Rocco woke slowly, and Carmen watched his confusion turn to indignation with some satisfaction. “I am the heir to the throne. Let me go at once.”

“Sorry, no can do,” Sofia said. “Megalomaniacal princes go straight to jail. Do not pass go. Do not collect two hundred dollars.”

“Why would he want two hundred dollars?” Arccoo whispered to her, making her giggle at his honest confusion.

“It’s a reference to an Earth board game. Remind me to pick one up if we ever go home. It’s a great way to destroy relationships and feed that power hungry side of you without actually hurting anyone.” She hummed thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, Rocco might be able to use that. It can be a therapeutic outlet for him.”

“I understood all those words separately,” he said.

Giggling, she leaned on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” After the adrenaline of the battle, she could feel herself beginning to crash now that she knew she was safe. As soon as she got back, she was going to sleep for a week.

Elena was already dozing in her seat while Sofia’s eyelids drooped. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. “Sleep well and know that the Thryal people are in your debt.”

Across from them, Rocco made a disgusted noise. She felt Arccoo’s sigh and knew without looking up that he was rolling his eyes. “Oh, shut up. You’re just jealous.”

“Of that? I’d sooner be jealous of a farmer having relations with his herd of groles.”

She felt him tense underneath her and tightened her grip around his waist, holding him back from lunging at his traitorous, asshole brother. She didn’t know what a grole was but assumed Rocco was comparing their relationship to bestiality. Charming.

“I wouldn’t be so picky,” she replied, not opening her eyes. “Soon, the only action you’ll be getting will be by your own royal hands. The groles might not be looking so bad once you’ve served your time.”

Rocco sputtered indignantly while a chuckle rumbled in Arccoo’s chest. Sofia burst out laughing loudly enough to wake up Elena, who mumbled in confusion over what was so funny. As the laughter died down, Carmen’s breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep.

“Carmen, wake up,” came Arccoo’s gentle voice as he shook her arm to rouse her.

Sitting up, she let out a jaw-cracking yawn. Her neck had an awful crick in it, but she felt better than she had in a very long time. The ship was landing with a crowd circling below them. When it touched the ground, Arccoo took her hand. With her sisters at their side, they walked to the door.

In his other hand, he held up the parantaa, and a hush fell over the crowd. Moving as though in perfect synchronicity, they touched their hands to their hearts and bowed low, a gesture Carmen had come to realize was one of respect, not just directed at their new heir apparent but at her and her sisters.

A high-ranking Thryal approached. Carmen did not recognize him, but Arccoo’s face lit up. “Corrum!”

The official placed a fist over his heart and bowed low. “Your Highness. I see your mission proved successful.”

“And yours has just begun,” Arccoo replied, handing the device to him. “I entrust this to you for the care and protection of our planet. Use it well and only for good.”

Corrum bowed. “I will do as the heir requests.”

Carmen glanced up at Arccoo, who mouthed, “ Later. ” After all the trouble they’d gone through to get it, she had to trust that the parantaa was in the right hands.

The next hour or so was a blur of mission debriefs and visits from Thryal doctors to make sure she and her sisters truly had gotten through the battle unscathed. Arccoo left her once the doctors had given them a clean bill of health. He had other duties to attend to. Finally, she was allowed to change out of her clothes, shower, and relax in her and her sisters’ quarters.

Elena flopped onto her bed. “Well, I can cross ‘epic space battle’ off my bucket list.”

“That was on your list?” Sofia asked, toeing off her shoes and climbing into her bed. “And I thought my goal of being the first to find real proof of Bigfoot was unrealistic.”

“Well, between the two of us, which one’s list just came true?”

“Bigfoot might still be real,” Sofia protested. “Our sister is dating the alien who we thought was a ghost haunting our grandparents’ house. Stranger things have happened than the continued survival of a hominid species in remote parts of the world.”

Elena tossed a pillow at Sofia. “Nerd.”

“Hi, pot, meet kettle.”

Carmen stretched out in her bed, letting her sisters’ bickering wash over her. It had been a very long day, and it wasn’t even lunch yet. The gravity of what just happened began to sink in.

The Thryals now had the ability to heal their people from this plague. She, Arccoo, and her sisters did that. It felt conceited to call herself a hero, but she was one. They all were. If someone had told Carmen a year ago that she would fall in love with an alien prince and help save an entire planet, she would have laughed in their face. But this was real.

“You’re quiet, Carmen,” Elena said, shaking the eldest from her reverie.

“Sorry, just tired and lost in thought. Everything feels so surreal right now.”

Elena smiled. “I get it. These last few months have felt like a dream. I keep expecting to wake up in our shitty old apartment.”

“Same,” Sofia said. “Like, how the hell did we become heroes in outer space? I’m a failed paranormal investigator, for God’s sake. Now, I’m living out the dreams of every UFO enthusiast on the Earth. Our lives are so fucking weird.”

“I know I said it before, but thank you both again for coming with me. The parantaa would have been lost without you.”

“Aw, this calls for an awkward sibling hug,” Sofia said. She and Elena joined Carmen on her bed and wrapped their arms around her in a group hug.

The door opened, revealing Arccoo. He stopped, grinning and looking more relaxed than Carmen had ever seen him. “Am I interrupting something?” he asked.

“Nope.” Elena pushed Carmen away from her and toward him.

“Just some sweet sisterly bonding,” Sofia said, getting to her feet. She shot him finger guns before flopping into her own bed. “She’s all yours, chief.”

Rolling her eyes, Carmen got to her feet and joined her love. He pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply, lifting her and swirling her in a circle. “You are amazing,” he said.

She felt the heat warm her cheeks. “You’re the amazing one. I just have to keep up.”

He turned to her sisters. “We all owe you a debt of gratitude. Tomorrow, a ball will be thrown in celebration of your heroism, and we humbly ask that you attend.”

“This is so fucking cool!” Sofia exclaimed. “Of course, we’re coming.”

He bowed his head. “If I may borrow your sister for a bit, I’d like to have a chat.”

“Ooh, a chat,” Elena teased. “Well, don’t let us keep you.”

Carmen rolled her eyes and followed him out of the room. He led her to his private quarters. A spread of food had been laid out on the table in front of a piece of furniture that resembled a couch. It wasn’t until she smelled food that she realized just how ravenous she was.

They both ate in silence for a bit. The food revived her from the exhaustion and feeling of unreality. “So, who was the guy you gave the parantaa to?” she asked once she’d had her fill.

“Corrum. While most can use the destructive aspect of it, he’s one of the few who has studied the device extensively enough to use it to heal.” Arccoo set his plate in front of him and leaned back, looking exhausted. The worry that seemed permanently etched on his face, though, had been relaxed away.

“I’m glad it’s in the right hands now. And Rocco?”

“He’s in prison for now, awaiting judgment for his crimes.”

It was obvious from his tone that he didn’t want to talk more, but she needed to know. “Have you decided what you’re going to do with him?”

“My recommendation will be to keep him somewhere off planet. That way, he will have less access to any remaining loyalists and vice-versa.” He sighed, shaking his head. “Rocco himself would call this weakness, but he’s still my brother, and I cannot bear to have him executed.”

She picked up her head. “Well, your brother is wrong. It takes far more strength to show compassion and mercy in the face of betrayal than it does to inflict that pain on others.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Your wisdom will make you a great queen one day.”

She blinked. “What was that?”

A look of panic crossed his face. “I mean, if you want to, of course.”

Her heart fluttered, feeling as though it would explode into a miniature sun. “Arccoo, are you asking me to marry you?”

He smirked. “I had assumed that you traveling across the cosmos to find me was equivalent to an Earth marriage proposal. Was I wrong?”

She surged forward, catching his mouth with her own. “Of course, I’ll marry you.”

The next day, she and her sisters stood outside the doors to the ballroom. Her shimmering violet gown matched the shade of Arccoo’s eyes, and her hair had been intricately braided with precious gems woven into her dark locks. Elena wore a sky-blue gown that matched the blue of her eyes while Sofia wore a black gown with gold accents that shimmered when she moved.

Her sisters had never looked more beautiful, and Carmen never felt lovelier. Someone inside announced their names. She took their hands and wished her parents and grandparents were here to see this. The doors opened, and the three stepped into the ballroom.

The dancers stopped. Putting their hands over their hearts, they bowed and parted, allowing Arccoo to walk through. He wore intricately embroidered robes that seemed to shift with every movement as though the fabric itself was alive. Given the wonders of Thryal, she wouldn’t have been surprised if the embroidery truly was a living thing.

He took Carmen’s hands in his and kissed her knuckles. Then he turned to the crowd. “Please give a warm welcome to my fiancée, the wondrous Carmen Flores, and my future sisters-in-law, Sofia and Elena Flores, the women responsible for ending this plague and apprehending the traitor prince. We are all in their debt.”

“Back up,” Sofia whispered. “Did he just say fiancée?”

Carmen grinned. “He did.”

Her sisters squealed with delight and hugged her as the crowd erupted into cheers.

And then the music began again. Arccoo took her hand and led her out to the dance floor. The first song had a sort of waltz beat, something slow and rhythmic, so she showed him the simple Earth dance.

“I rather like the closeness of this one,” Arccoo whispered in her ear. He had gotten the hang of it quickly, and soon they were dancing their way across the floor.

She grinned. “Remind me to teach you the tango. It’s like a waltz but much sexier.”

“Is that so?” he purred. He twirled her out and brought her in again.

She hooked her leg around his, forcing them even closer in a move borrowed from the tango. “So much sexier.”

He pecked her lips before they started moving again. “I look forward to learning more of your Earth dances.”

“And I want to know everything about Thryal dances. That and everything else about your people.”

“And we have a whole future ahead of us to do just that, my love.”

They took turns teaching each other dances from their respective cultures. When they were thoroughly out of breath, they went to sit and watch the rest of the partygoers.

Searching for her sisters, she spotted the youngest first. Elena was with the tech crew, clearly trying to learn as much as she could about the holograms of animals that would soar above the party. They seemed surprised that one of the party’s honored guests would speak to them so eagerly, but they humored her questions.

Sofia had been ducking and weaving through the crowd so much that it took longer to find her. Arccoo leaned in toward her ear. “If you’re looking for your second sister, she’s with Maron, the royal historian. She’s the keeper of both historical facts and the legends that make our people who we are.”

Carmen followed his gaze to where Sofia stood with an older Thryal woman. They seemed to be in deep conversation. Her middle sister was gesturing enthusiastically, and the historian looked delighted to have an eager listener.

Sofia was adventurous and a truth seeker, but more than that, she loved the stories that came with the supposed ghosts and cryptids people encountered. She collected them like others collected coins or stamps and was always ready to recite a myth or legend. When it was her turn around the campfire, everyone paid attention.

“I hope you weren’t put off by my announcement,” Arccoo said. “I wanted them to know in case any of Rocco’s loyalists came for you. There’s a difference between coming for a prince’s consort and coming for a future queen.”

Carmen arched an eyebrow. “And here I thought you did it because you wanted to show me off.”

“Well, that too, of course.”

She pecked his cheek. “Of course.”

“The wedding might not be for some time, though. Between Rocco and the plague, the planet needs some stability before we have a massive wedding that breaks typical Thryal conventions.”

She took his hand and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “I don’t mind a longer engagement. In fact, I would prefer it. That way, I’ll have more time to learn your ways and ingratiate myself to your people.”

“That’s probably wise.”

“But enough talk about that.” She pulled him to his feet. “Let’s just dance and enjoy the moment.”

“As you wish, my queen,” he said as he let her lead him onto the dance floor once more.