EPILOGUE

That was a year ago, and now it was time to reap the benefits of Daryus’s hard work. Xandros and Ashley were given the honor to fly to Colynth and arrest King Crough.

Tensely, Daryus, Garth, Silla, and I watched on holovid as Xandros and Ashley approached Crough in the throne room and read the charges to him.

“I still don’t know why he got to go and not I.” Garth pouted for the hundredth time.

“He will be gone, that’s all that matters.” His wife Silla nudged him. It didn’t surprise me that Garth wanted to do the honors himself. From what I had been told, the Cryons had done some kind of experiment on her that changed her skin color and almost cost her life.

“That is outrageous,” King Crough screamed at Xandros, as he abruptly stood up from his throne.

Cryon guards pulled their weapons and I grabbed Daryus’s hand. We had known that it wouldn’t be easy to arrest the king, but now that weapons were drawn on Xandros and Ashley, things had become too real.

“May I remind you that you are all members of the Pandraxian Empire and your loyalty is to Emperor Daryus, not King Crough?” Xandros called out coolly to the guards, his head moving slowly from guard to guard.

“And just in case that isn’t enough, the entire Pandraxian fleet is hovering above Colynth right now, prepared to turn this place into ashes should you refuse to come, King Crough.” Xandros turned his attention back to the king, ignoring the blasters still directed at him.

More and more Cryon guards began to sheath their weapons though, looking uncertain at each other and their king.

“Am I to believe that you would have your fleet destroy Colynth with you here? You and your mekarry?” Crough put extra emphasis on mekarry, raising his chin.

“Ashley and I made our peace with the gods,” Xandros replied evenly, meeting Crough’s eyes calmly. The king must have read something in them that made him raise his arms in surrender. “Fine, I will accompany you to this mock trial. But be aware that the GTU will be watching.”

He walked down the steps and a few guards followed him to Xandros’s waiting transporter. Once they were seated and the transporter lifted off, Xandros leaned over to King Crough, his expression cold. “You forget that the GTU has no say over internal judicial issues between members of the Pandraxian Empire, Crough. You will be terminated for what you did.”

It took Crough a moment to work Xandros’s words out and his face turned a few shades lighter gray, ashen, as the truth of how Daryus had outmaneuvered him became clear to him.

“You can’t…” he began to object.

Xandros stared at him coldly. “We can. We did. And we won. Your reign of terror is over.”

While Xandros, Ashley, and Crough traveled back to Pandrax, preparations for the trial were being made. Another lord protector journeyed to a planet called Cronack, where many months ago Lady Madeema discovered that the Cryons were testing a new species they were planning to turn into super soldiers via some kind of larvae.

What he found was damning enough to take it to the GTU if we had to, but thanks to Daryus’s genius we didn’t, and the secret of what the Cryons were up to would die with us, which was a safer solution given what the lord protector discovered. Nobody could ever find out about it. The power of it was too great to ever set it in motion.

Another lord protector had been left on Colynth to reign as a proxy king until a new one could be selected. He also oversaw the freeing of the humans and their transport back to either Earth, Astrionis, or Pandrax—whatever they chose, or wherever they might find family members or friends, thanks to the database Silla had organized.

On the day of the verdict, which unsurprisingly called for Crough’s termination, a feast was held in the great hall. Only the second one I had presided over since becoming empress. The first had been after my coronation, and honestly, I didn’t remember much of it. I had been too intimidated and in awe of the ceremony.

Now that I had grown into my role more, I was determined to enjoy the feast. There was so much to celebrate.

Presiding over the great hall, staring at all the people around me, still made me a bit dizzy. I had grown used to seeing the oversized Pandraxians, but today there were so many other aliens present, some of which truly looked alien, that it brought home my new role even more vividly to me. Each of these aliens belonged to a world housing billions, if not more, and Daryus was their ruler and responsible for them—meaning that by default, so was I.

What touched my soul though, was the sight of all the human faces dotted in between. Lovingly doted on by their partners. Our races were truly growing into something new and I would play a big part in it.

Something else caught my attention. A little farther down, I saw Commander Noctus with his wife, and between them sat a little girl. It took me a moment before I recognized the cleaned-up street urchin who had saved me. Serthia!

“Commander Noctus and his wife adopted her. According to him, he just couldn’t bear unloading the responsibility for the little, scheming crindat on anybody else,” Daryus filled me in when he realized where my eyes had traveled.

Alarmed, I looked at the massive Noctus, more intimidating than any man I had ever seen, and the little girl next to him. She was so slender and small. I knew she could be a brat, but she had also saved me and I felt responsible for her.

Daryus laughed. “Don’t look so worried, the little crindat has Noctus and his wife wrapped around her little finger. They adore her and by all accounts so does she them. Noctus will put her wily nature to good use.”

Just then, Serthia said something to Noctus and he laughed out loudly, his giant hand moved forward and cupped the little girl’s face who looked adoringly at him.

“Oh Daryus, I’m so glad.” My fingertips brushed lightly over his exposed forearm and, as always, my insides quivered at the hardness of his muscles underneath.

I didn’t understand how such a tragedy of aliens attacking Earth could have come to this moment of happiness, but I was glad for it. I swore I would appreciate every single day that had been granted to me to try and make up for all the days the many dead would never get to see.

It was over now though. Earth was being rebuilt, humans were spreading through the universe, many adventurous souls were finding their new destinies, and I was happy at Daryus’s side.

Never in a million years would I have thought to find such happiness with a man. A husband and kids had always been part of my future plan, but what I felt for Daryus was so much more than I would have ever felt for a human husband. I knew that the mekarry bond wasn’t working only on the Pandraxians. It was just as strong for us humans.

“I love you,” I told Daryus, “more than I would have ever thought possible.”

He looked pleased at my admission. “And why wouldn’t you?” he joked.

I boxed his arm and his expression turned from amused to sincere. “I love you more, Heather.”

****End of Book in the Pandraxian series. ****