Big Blue Valentine: A Sci-Fi Alien Romance Read Online Free

Good day, Errtin.”
    “Good day, princess, and good luck.”
    Luck . Oh if only luck were a commodity to be purchased in Traa’s busy market, she might have never gotten into such a predicament in the first place.
    Minnie crept through the servants’ corridors, not wishing to run into Queen Terwina. Her mother-in-law gave her a disapproving look if she had a hair out of place. She couldn’t imagine how she would react to see her covered in red spots. Picking up her skirts, she rushed up the winding stairs of the last passage. She flung the door open, preparing to make a mad dash across the hall to her chambers. But after two steps, a large body blocked her path.
    A large blue body.
    She gasped and her gaze traveled from his muscled blue forearms up to his equally blue face. She had never seen her husband so displeased. Waves of anger radiated from his massive form, and she tried to slink back into the passageway, but he gripped her shoulders and hauled her forward.
    “What happened to you, Minnie?” She chanced another glance into his eyes, only to find worry had replaced his anger. He looked her up and down and pressed a button on his wrist communicator.
    “No! Don’t call Errtin. He’s already seen me. I’m not sick. It’s just marker.” At his confusion, she clarified. “It’s like paint. I just need a bath. It’s a long story.” She cleared her throat. “You’re, uh, quite blue.”
    His dark eyes narrowed. “And you’re in quite a lot of trouble, wife. Let me guess. You made yourself appear ill so Errtin would contact me in Parliament.”
    “But I don’t have clearance to—”
    “Had I actually gone to Parliament this morning, your efforts would have been too late, and the repercussions would’ve been disastrous.”
    Oh, he was right. She imagined the sequence of events that would occur if he’d turned blue in front of all of Erta’Aklann, from investigations to mocking to possible legal trouble for her once she confessed.
    “Into our chambers, now.” His sharp command resounded through the spacious hallway.
    “Please don’t be angry. Please allow me to explain.”
    He held up a hand, cutting her off. “Don’t speak, Minnie. I have had a trying morning, and I’ve about lost my patience with you.”
    Her spirits plummeted, and suddenly all her initial doubts about their marriage resurfaced. What if the divide between their cultures was too great? What if he didn’t forgive her for today’s naughtiness? Tears blurred her vision. What if he sent her back to Earth?
    She stared at the floor as he guided her toward their ajar chamber door, but before they made it inside, a shrill scream pierced the air. Minnie and Zak spun around.
    A pale-faced Queen Terwina pointed at them and emitted a series of screeches Minnie supposed were words, but she couldn’t make out a single one of them.
    “Mother,” Zak said, approaching her with slow steps. “There’s nothing to fear. Please calm down.”
    The queen wobbled and her eyes rolled back in her head. Zak swooped in to catch her before she hit the floor.
    Minnie grimaced under her husband’s accusing glare. She’d upset the queen plenty of times, but never enough to make her faint. The string of trouble she’d caused today seemed to have no end.
     
    * * *
     
    Zak left his mother in his father’s care in the opulent west wing of the palace. The queen fainted from hysterics on occasion but always made a full recovery, and he wasn’t worried for her health.
    The physician arrived and launched into an explanation of Zak’s blueness and Minnie’s red dots, the combination of which had sent the queen into a spin. Grateful that he didn’t have to linger to explain his mother’s condition to his father, Zak took his leave and headed for his chambers.
    Erta . For Minnie’s sake, she had better be where he’d left her. He’d ordered her to bathe and remove the red dots before he returned to deal with her misbehavior. The surge of fury he’d