Chapter 5

FIVE

T he wormhole spat them out with all the grace of a toddler's first attempt at spitting watermelon seeds. Tiffany stumbled, her stomach doing an impressive impression of a washing machine on its final spin cycle. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the swirling lights from her vision.

"Well," she muttered, straightening up and attempting to smooth down her hair, "that was... something."

Beside her, Sia let out a whoop of delight. "That was awesome! Can we do it again?"

Gerri Wilder chuckled, looking as poised and unruffled as if she'd just stepped out of a spa rather than an interdimensional portal. "Maybe later, dear. For now, welcome to Nova Aurora."

Tiffany's jaw dropped as she took in her surroundings. The sky above them was a vibrant shade of purple, streaked with ribbons of shimmering gold that pulsed and shifted like living things. Two suns hung low on the horizon, one a brilliant white and the other a soft, rosy pink. The air was thick with the scent of alien flowers, sweet and spicy and utterly unlike anything on Earth.

"Holy crap," Tiffany breathed. "We're really on another planet."

"What gave it away?" Sia teased, nudging her cousin. "The colorful sky or the fact that we just stepped out of a wormhole?"

Tiffany rolled her eyes, but couldn't keep the grin off her face. Despite her lingering nausea and the surreal nature of their situation, excitement bubbled up inside her. This was it – a real adventure just like she'd dreamed of.

"Ladies," Gerri said, gesturing toward an impressive structure near them, "allow me to present the Royal Palace of King Alyx."

The palace was a marvel of sleek metal, crystalline spires, and graceful arches, seeming to grow organically from the lush landscape around it. As they approached, Tiffany noticed intricate patterns etched into the walls, glowing faintly with an inner light.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, running her hand along one of the walls. To her surprise, the surface was warm to the touch and seemed to pulse gently under her fingers.

"The palace is partially sentient," a voice explained, startling Tiffany. She turned to see a woman approaching, her smile warm and welcoming. "It responds to touch and emotion. Right now, it's saying hello."

Despite her regal bearing, there was something unmistakably human about her.

"Gerri!" the woman called out, her face lighting up with a warm smile. "It's so good to see you again."

Gerri rushed forward to embrace her. "Bella, darling. You're looking as radiant as ever. How's that handsome and stubborn king of yours?"

Bella laughed, returning the hug. "Alyx is growly as ever and just as amazing. He still tells everyone about your powers at matching the grumpiest alien lion king with an Earth girl."

"It's what I do best," Gerri winked, then turned to introduce Tiffany and Sia. "Ladies, this is Queen Bella. Bella was my assistant for a while before I brought her here and matched her with Alyx. Bella, meet Tiffany and Sia, our newest Earth visitors."

Tiffany's eyes widened in realization. "Wait, you matched her with King Alyx? As in, the king of this entire planet?"

Bella grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Yep, that's my Alyx. He's on a camping trip with the boys or he'd have been here to greet you guys, but since he only does it once a season, the kids were driving him crazy wanting to go hunting and spending time outdoors."

"So Alyx is getting in touch with his lion side, huh?" Gerri teased.

Bella giggled. "Gerri here has a knack for the impossible. Who knows? Maybe she'll work her magic for you two as well."

Sia perked up at that. "Ooh, does that mean there are more hunky alien kings available? Because I am so ready for my own interstellar romance."

Gerri and Bella exchanged a knowing look, and Bella grinned. "You just wait. I'm so happy to meet you both and have more Earth girls here. We're totally going to start our own Earth girls club."

Tiffany found herself instantly charmed by Bella's easy manner and the hint of mischief in her eyes. "Thank you, Your Majesty. It's an honor to be here."

Bella waved a hand dismissively. "Oh please, call me Bella. ‘Your Majesty' makes me feel like I should be wearing a stuffy gown and waving from a balcony." She leaned in conspiratorially. "Between you and me, I much prefer jeans and having our AI stream some good Netflix. Those documentaries are insane."

Sia laughed delightedly. "A queen after my own heart. So, Bella, what's the 411 on all the hunky alien men around here? Because I've got to say, the view is pretty spectacular so far."

"Sia!" Tiffany hissed, mortified, but Bella just grinned.

"Oh honey, you ain't seen nothing yet. Just wait until you meet some of our warriors. Let's just say there's definitely something in the water here." She winked at Tiffany. "And speaking of hunky aliens, wait until you meet Zakhar. He's almost as handsome as my Alyx – and that's saying something."

Before Tiffany could respond to that intriguing tidbit, a small whirlwind of energy came barreling down the palace steps.

"Mama! Are they here? Are they the Earth ladies?" A little girl, no more than six or seven, skidded to a stop in front of them, her golden eyes wide with excitement.

Bella laughed, scooping the child up into her arms. "Yes, sweetheart. This is Tiffany and Sia. Ladies, meet my daughter, Princess Avery." Bella kissed her mini-twin. "But I call her munchkin."

Avery beamed at them, revealing a missing front tooth. "Hi! Do you really come from Earth? Do you have dragons there? What about unicorns? Ooh, do you want to see my cookie collection?"

Tiffany couldn't help but laugh at the rapid-fire questions. "It's nice to meet you, Avery. And I'm not sure if we have dragons or unicorns on Earth. But we might since I'm learning new things every day. And yes, I'd love to see your cookie collection."

Avery's face lit up. "Really? Come on, I'll show you! I have cookies shaped like flowers and stars and even some that look like Daddy when he shifts!"

As Avery tugged on Tiffany's hand, leading her into the palace, Tiffany found herself relaxing. The warmth and humor of Bella and Avery had done wonders to ease her initial nervousness about being on an alien planet.

The interior of the palace was just as impressive as the outside. The walls seemed to shimmer and change color as they walked, responding to their presence. Avery chattered away, pointing out various features and telling stories about life in the palace.

"And here are your rooms," Bella announced, stopping in front of two ornate doors across from each other. "Tiffany, you're on the left, Sia on the right. Gerri, your suite is just down the hall as usual."

Tiffany stepped into her room and gasped. It was easily twice the size of her entire apartment back in New York with a bed that looked like it could comfortably sleep a small army. The walls pulsed with a soft, warm yellow light.

"The walls adapt to your mood," Bella explained. "Looks like you're feeling pretty optimistic right now."

"This is incredible," Tiffany breathed, running her hand along the silky fabric of the bedspread. "Thank you so much for your hospitality."

Bella smiled warmly. "It's our pleasure. Now, why don't you all take some time to rest and freshen up? We'll have dinner in a few hours, and there's someone I'd like you to meet."

As Bella and Avery left, Sia flopped dramatically onto Tiffany's bed. "Can you believe this? We're on an alien planet, staying in a palace, about to have dinner with royalty. It's like every fairy tale come true."

Gerri chuckled. "It is rather magical, isn't it? But I suggest you both get some rest. Wormhole travel can be quite draining, and we have a busy evening ahead."

Sia pouted but nodded, heading to her own room. Gerri followed suit, leaving Tiffany alone to explore her new surroundings.

Despite Gerri's advice to rest, Tiffany found herself too keyed up to sleep. After a quick freshen-up in the bathroom (which was more like a personal spa), she decided to explore the palace gardens she could see from her window.

The gardens were a riot of color and scent, filled with plants unlike anything Tiffany had ever seen. Flowers that glowed with an inner light, trees with leaves that chimed softly in the breeze, and bushes covered in what looked like living gemstones.

Drawn to a bed of particularly beautiful luminescent flowers, Tiffany knelt to examine them more closely. Without thinking, she began to talk to them as she often did with her beloved Fernie back home.

"You're absolutely gorgeous," she murmured, gently stroking a petal. "I wonder what your name is. Something elegant and alien, I bet. Maybe Starlight Bloom or Cosmic Whisper?"

"Actually, we call them Sweet Bells," a deep, amused voice said from behind her. "And they can understand every word you're saying."

Tiffany yelped in surprise, nearly toppling into the flower bed. She spun around to find herself face-to-chest with the most impressive specimen of male she'd ever encountered. Tilting her head back…and back, and back – good lord, he was tall – she met a pair of golden amber eyes that sparkled with humor.

The man – no, shifter, she corrected herself mentally – was easily over six and a half feet tall with broad shoulders and muscles that seemed to ripple with every small movement. His skin was a warm bronze, and his black hair looked soft enough to run her fingers through. A tribal tattoo wound its way up his right arm, disappearing under the sleeve of his fitted tunic.

Tiffany swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. "I, uh... they can?"

He nodded, his lips twitching as if fighting back a smile. "They can. And they're quite flattered by your compliments, though they think ‘Cosmic Whisper' is a bit pretentious for their tastes."

Heat flooded Tiffany's cheeks. "Oh god. I mean, not God, because you probably have different deities here, if any, and I'm totally not trying to impose Earth religions on your culture, and... I'm babbling, aren't I?"

The shifter's deep, rumbling laugh sent a shiver down her spine. "Don't worry, the flowers won't hold it against you. They're usually quite forgiving unless you say something truly offensive."

"Well, that's a relief," Tiffany said, finding her footing and her sense of humor. "I'd hate to be exiled from the planet for inadvertently insulting the local flora. Although, come to think of it, that would make for a pretty unique line on my resume."

His eyebrows rose. "Resume?"

"Oh, you know, a list of job qualifications. ‘Tiffany Whitlock: History teacher, amateur gardener, interplanetary plant offender.'"

To her delight, he laughed again, the sound rich and warm. "I see Earth humor translates well to Nova Aurora. I'm glad to see you're settling in, Miss Whitlock."

Tiffany blushed and smiled. "Call me Tiffany. Miss Whitlock sounds old and crabby."

"It's absolutely my pleasure to meet you, Tiffany," he replied smoothly. "Especially when a guest is as intriguing as yourself."

Was he... flirting with her? Tiffany's heart did a little flip in her chest. Before she could formulate a response, he glanced at the sky, where one of the suns was starting to dip below the horizon.

"I should let you get back to your room. I believe Queen Bella has arranged for some traditional Nova Auroran attire for dinner tonight."

"Oh, right. Dinner. With royalty. No pressure or anything," Tiffany muttered.

His expression softened. "You'll do fine. Just be yourself – the flowers certainly seemed to approve."

She nodded and quickly walked away, trying to stay steady on her wobbly knees. She got back to her room in a daze.

Back in her suite, Tiffany found Sia already there, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Tiff! You have got to see these dresses they left for us. It's just a sheet. They're incredible." Sia held up a fabric that seemed to shimmer and change color as it moved. "The fabric is intelligent or something. It adapts to your body shape and can change styles. How cool is that?"

Tiffany ran her hand over the sheet, marveling at the way it seemed to respond to her touch. "That is pretty amazing. Although I'm not sure I'm ready for my clothes to be smarter than I am."

A palace assistant helped them into their dresses, which molded themselves perfectly to their bodies. Tiffany's dress settled into a deep burgundy that complemented her eyes, while Sia's shimmered between shades of purple and blue.

"So," Sia said as they put the finishing touches on their makeup, "spill. Did you see any hunky alien men while you were out exploring?"

Tiffany felt her cheeks heat as she remembered her encounter in the garden. "I, uh, might have met one. In the garden. He was... impressive."

Sia's eyes lit up. "Ooh, details! Was he tall? Muscular? Did he have any cool alien features? Extra arms? Tentacles?"

"Sia!" Tiffany laughed, throwing a pillow at her cousin. "No tentacles, thank you very much. But yes, he was tall. And muscular. And his eyes were this amazing golden color."

"Sounds dreamy," Sia sighed. "I hope I run into some eye candy soon. Maybe at dinner? Speaking of which, we should probably head down."

As they made their way to the dining room, Tiffany's stomach fluttered with a mix of excitement and nerves. She wondered if she'd see the mystery shifter from the garden again.

The dining room was a marvel of crystal and light with a long table that seemed to be carved from a single piece of iridescent stone. Gerri was already there, chatting animatedly with Bella.

"Ah, there you are." Gerri beamed at them. "You both look lovely. Now, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Tiffany turned, and her heart skipped a beat. Standing in the doorway, looking even more impressive in formal attire, was the shifter from the garden. His golden eyes met hers, and a small smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Tiffany, Sia, allow me to introduce Zakhar Larkana, the panther king of the Larkana Forest Kingdom," Gerri said. "Zak, this is Tiffany Whitlock and her cousin, Sia."