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Royal Directive

...a sci-fi romance with adult content, published under the pen name S. K. Fero as monthly chapters until a completed novel at Bethany's Woodshed.

Excerpt

“Captain Valtron,” interrupted a young, green-skinned Ithinian crewmember as he stepped beside her at the Zarian cruiser’s control seat. “Commander Zantrose would like to see you in his office.”

He shifted uncomfortably and pressed, “The Commander was insistent.” Then he cocked his head, looking awed and curious. “Your father, King Alzamar, has sent a Royal Directive.”

Now he had her full attention. Koriana sucked in an alarmed breath and all but forgot about the repair being made. She faced the younger man all the while attempting not to let him see her distress. Her heart raced. A Royal Directive?! Although it was possible that the message had gone to the commander, her lover, for reasons pertaining to the ship, in her gut she knew it had to do with her. She hadn’t communicated with her father since she’d left Arronda to join the Intergalatic Peace Mission over two years ago. Partly because this ship had spent most of that time in the far part of their galaxy. Mainly because she remained angry with him and the Ruling Council over a Royal Decree that she strongly opposed. She’d never planned to return to Arronda, but things hadn’t worked out like she’d thought they would. And now they were headed back to her home planet and its capital of Carldonia for an overdue short period of R and R time and some minor ship repairs before they headed out again. She’d been struggling to come up with excuses not to leave the cruiser during that time, but Dante had been countering each of them, wanting her with him when they left the ship. Now, with this Directive, she feared her entire new life could be destroyed.

“I didn’t know you were an Arrondian princess,” the Ithinian broke into her thoughts, all but dancing in delight. “A real princess! Oh my. Does anyone else know? Besides the Commander, I mean? Was it a secret?”

She didn’t correct him, didn’t tell him that the Commander didn’t know her true identity. Oh, this is bad. Really bad. Dante will be so angry with me. She just hadn’t known how to tell him. He had never been happy with the limited information she’d given him concerning her family, which was almost nothing. Certainly she’d never come close to revealing that her parents were the rulers of Arronda. He had been angry enough when he’d learned she had basically stowed away on his ship.

All too soon she stepped into the doorway to Dante’s office. He looked up. His dark lavender eyes had darkened with his irritation and warned the situation was as bad as she’d expected.

“I received a Royal Directive from King Alzamar. Your father.”

She’d hoped over time that her father would just accept that she was gone and out of his control. She’d never intended to return to Arronda, had planned to find a spot on another cruiser at some point. But then she’d fallen in love with Dante.

“The Directive states that King Alzamar has ordered you to report to the palace as soon as we dock. It further states that you must answer to him and the Ruling Council for having ignored some kind of Royal Decree when you left Arronda two years ago.”

He drew in a deep breath and blew it out. “I am beyond angry with you at the moment. You have gravely disappointed me with your apparent deception.”