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Chapter 57: No More Excuses
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2021-02-16 23:15:30“A few women from the planet have mated with Zotheans in the past but not many. I don’t know if she will bear any children either. There are stories of princesses being forced into marriages and mating, but I don’t know if they resulted in pregnancies.” Logan brought his daughter to rest on his best and put his arm around her. Isabella purred and yawned, getting ready to nap. “He offered to support us against the revels. His planet is rich and used to war, so they have ships, weapons, and soldiers that he could give us if we agree to the match.”
Ellis closed her eyes. She understood the strain in his voice now. If they united with the planet, the war could be over quickly. Thousands of lives could be saved.
“If it were my happiness and life that needed to be sacrificed for the people, I would do it without thinking,” Logan said softly. “It would kill me, but I would do it. But I can’t put that on my children.
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Laurel spent the night on the bed beside Ellis. Ellis knew for a fact that she didn’t get any sleep because Ellis woke up several times to check on the babies and Logan and found Laurel sniffling each time. She laid back down in the bed and stayed away from Laurel, giving her friend the privacy to cry, be angry, and grieve.She knew how Laurel felt, especially having run away from her mate herself. It would be hell and everyone would judge her. Not Ellis, though. Not Ellis.“Laurel,” she shook her awake. “Let’s go take a bath,” she hissed. How the roles had reversed.“Oh, go away!” Laurel groaned. She had gone to sleep in the early morning, so she was beyond tired.“Get up! I’m taking revenge for all the times you dragged me out of bed. Moreover, don’t you want to see the royal bath?” She tried her hand at enticing.“When you put it like that…” she grumbled.
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“I have nothing to say,” Mitch responded to the question being asked by the reporters that surrounded him. “The human whore is determined to destroy our culture and societal rules. What she did not count on was the loyalty the Kolns have for us. They were a part of our family and loved us. So, do not fear any uprisings and disregard rumors you hear about Kolns running away,” he said. His tone was deeply sarcastic as if the idea of the Kolns would willingly leave their slavery was too ridiculous to even consider.“One has to be impressed with a guy who can lie so well,” Ellis said, clicking off the tab. “His background could have plumes of smoke rising or bombs dropping and he could still make people think there was nothing worth seeing.” She shook her head. “And he can lie with a straight face, too.”Laurel, Isabella, and Ellis were in the storage rooms, packing up boxes of Logan’s father’s clothin
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Ellis shook her head. “It does me no good to go on a show right now. I don’t know what I would say either.”They gathered the clothing and Ellis and Laurel set off for the Koln shelter. Some of her own clothes were in the bags, as well. A handful of women had come with some of the Kolns. Some were widows who had fallen in love with the Kolns who served them. A few had left behind husbands, a dangerous situation which would require palace guards to be present.When they arrived at the shelter, Ellis was swarmed. Nin hadn’t exaggerated when she said the Kolns loved Ellis. They wanted to touch the hem of her clothes and Ellis had to bear stoically. Nin, too, was surprisingly gentle as she moved the crowd back a few feet away from the Empress.Ellis and Laurel were passing out the clothing. A man and a woman knelt in front of her and Ellis automatically held out a woman’s tunic to her. Ellis was surprised to see a face she knew…a
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As Laurel was otherwise occupied, Ellis stayed with the children. She sent a message to Logan that she wanted to speak to him when he could spare a moment and then flopped down next to the babies.She gently nudged Little Isabella’s tail out of her mouth and made a mental note to tell Logan that the chip insertion appointment had been made. She must have dozed off because she awoke to Logan settled behind her, nuzzling her neck.She put out a hand and it met with empty pillows. She jolted up, only to be pulled down. “They’re will Laurel and Dorian,” Logan said quickly.“Are Dorian and Laurel doing okay?”“They appeared to be deep in conversation and Laurel wasn’t leaking. So, that is a positive sign.”“Crying,” she corrected, hiding her smile.“I got your message. Sorry it took so long for me to return. There were forms and meetings I needed to tend to…” he
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Laurel pulled Ellis's hair back from her face and clipped it at the back of her head, and then applied Ellis's makeup with a light, deft touch.Logan hated it. He peered at her face curiously and then rubbed his finger on her cheek, examining the smudge of makeup. “Why do you have paint on your face?”Laurel dabbed the spot he had touched. “To counteract the strong lights,” she explained."Her lips are not normally that color," Logan said. "It is deceptive to paint her different colors than she really is." He tilted his head, his brow furrowing. "What did you do to her eyelids?"“Trust me on this,” Laurel insisted.They had set rules for the interview. It was to be conducted in the Palace with Logan and Nin in attendance. (Logan still didn't trust the man completely, despite his apparent conversion.) There were to be no questions regarding religion, or miracles, or Ellis's deification.At breakfast, Ellis
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Logan put out an announcement that tonight would be a state dinner and so the temple dining room was packed with people, all of them speculating as to the cause. He and the empress rarely had them and when they did it was usually for a special announcement. The last had been to announce the empress was expecting Prince Edward and the one before that, to announce that Nessie was being appointed to the emperor's Council.Izzy ate mechanically. She wasn't hungry, but Aunt Cristine was right: she had to make sure the baby got what it needed. Drake was alight with excitement and impatient for the meal to end. The entire extended family was seated around the table, all of them wearing their finery. Her mother wore the glow stone tunic she'd worn to her own mating ceremony and Aunt Laurel was dressed in a purple tunic so bright that it hurt the eyes to look at it. Leo kept flirtatiously tickling Cristine's neck with his tail and then looking away innocently whenever she looked up fr
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"I saw a doctor less than an hour ago." Izzy unwound her tail from her leg with effort and gnawed on the end of it anxiously.Her father stood and without a word, headed for the door."Daddy, wait, please!" Nessie pleaded. "I'm so sorry! Talk to me.""I can't." Logan's eyes were on the door and his tail lashed in either agitation or anger; she couldn't tell which."Please," Izzy pleaded. "I need to know what you're thinking. Do—do you still love me?""Of course, I do," Logan said tightly. He twisted the doorknob."Don't leave," Izzy begged."Sweetheart, your father just needs a little time," Ellis interjected. "Let him go, and we'll all talk over this later."Goddess, didn't her mother understand that her anxiety was increasing exponentially every moment? She wouldn't survive a wait of a few hours. "Daddy… please.""You want to know what I'm thinking?" Logan turned from the door and marched back to stand in
