Close Remembrance (41 page)

“What is it?” Mia asked, unbearably curious.

“She has been trying to figure out how humans and Krinar could have biological offspring together . . . and she thinks she finally has a solution.”

“A solution?” Mia whispered, hardly daring to believe her ears. “Are you talking about human-Krinar babies?” Her husband seemed to be frozen in place, staring at the other K in shock.

“Yes,” Kellon confirmed. “The process is far from perfect yet, and Ellet has a lot of kinks to work out, but she’s been able to figure out how to combine the DNA from both species in such a way as to produce viable offspring. A few more years and the two of you may be able to have a child – if you’re so inclined, of course.”

“Is she sure?” Korum’s voice was calm, but his eyes were nearly yellow with strong emotion. “Is Ellet absolutely sure about this? If this is just some simulation she ran –”

“No,” Kellon said, “she’s sure. She’s run at least a hundred simulations, and every single one of them produced the same results. For the first time ever, it’s going to be possible for charl and cheren to have children together.”

“Thank you, Kellon,” Mia said thickly, “and please thank Ellet for us. This . . this is the best wedding gift we could’ve received.” She felt like she would burst into tears at any moment, and she looked away, blinking furiously to hold back the moisture that filled her eyes. A child with Korum! It was beyond her wildest dreams.

“Yes,” Korum said softly, “please convey our most sincere thanks to Ellet. She has our gratitude.”

Kellon inclined his head respectfully and walked away, melting into the crowd.

As soon as he was gone, Mia turned to her husband. “A baby! Oh my God, Korum, a baby!” She grabbed his hand, squeezing it between her palms in excitement.

“A baby,” he repeated, and there was a strange expression on his face. “Our baby.”

Some of Mia’s excitement waned. “You . . . You do want a child, right?” she asked uncertainly. “I mean, I know it would be partially human and everything –”

“Want one?” He stared at her like she had just grown two heads. When he spoke again, his voice was low and filled with intensity. “Mia, my sweet, I love you. A child who would be part you and part me? How could I not want that?” Covering her hands with his other palm, he drew her toward him, his eyes gleaming. “I want it very, very much.”

Mia beamed at him, feeling like her heart would overflow with happiness. “If we had a daughter, we could call her Ivy. I’ve always loved that name. What do you think?”

“I think I like it very much,” he murmured, bending his head and giving her a deep, passionate kiss.

They decided to share the news with their families after the wedding. There were simply too many people around right now for such an important – and private – announcement. Still, Mia couldn’t get her mind off Ellet’s gift.

“Do you think the procedure will be perfected by the time I’m thirty?” she asked Korum as he led her back to the dance floor. “I’ve always wanted to have a baby before I was thirty –”

“Thirty?” Her husband laughed. “Mia, darling, your age is irrelevant now. Our child could be born when you’re thirty – or when you’re five hundred and thirty. It really doesn’t matter –”

“It matters for my parents,” Mia said quietly. “I would want them to see their grandchildren, to know them in their lifetime.” It was the one thing that worried her: the fact that they still had not received an answer from the Elders.

Korum started to say something when the music suddenly stopped. All the noise died down, a deathly silence descending out of nowhere. Everyone seemed frozen in place, staring at the entrance.

“What’s going on?” Mia whispered, stepping closer to Korum.

“Hush, my sweet,” he said quietly, putting a protective arm around her back. “It looks like Lahur is here.”

Mia barely suppressed a gasp. From what Korum had told her, the Elders never came out to socialize with the other Krinar or to attend any public events. They were essentially loners, holding themselves apart from the general population. And now Lahur, the oldest of them all, was here at their party?

The crowd slowly parted, and Mia could see a tall, powerful man making his way toward them. As he approached, she recognized the hard features of the Elder she’d spoken to in the forest. He was dressed in formal Krinar clothing, like all the other guests, but the fancy outfit did little to conceal his predatory nature. Even among other Krinar, he seemed more savage somehow, a panther roaming among house cats.

“Welcome, Lahur,” Korum said calmly, inclining his head toward the newcomer. “We are pleased you could join us.”

“Thank you.” Lahur’s deep voice held a note of amusement. “I’m not here for long. I came to give you a wedding present. That’s a custom of yours, isn’t it, Mia?”

Mia stared at the Elder in shock. “Yes,” she managed to say. “It’s a human wedding custom.” She was surprised she was able to speak at all, with her heart beating as hard as it was.

“Well then,” Lahur said, his dark eyes trained on her, “I would like to tell you that we have granted your petition. Your family will be given all the rights and privileges of those we call charl.”

A shocked murmur ran through the crowd at his words, and Mia inhaled sharply, her eyes filling with tears of joy. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking at the dark visage of the ten-million-year-old alien in front of her. “Thank you so very much . . .”

“Yes,” Korum said, his arm tightening around Mia’s back. “Thank you for a wonderful wedding present. My wife and I are truly grateful.”

Lahur inclined his head, acknowledging their thanks. Then he turned around and walked away, the crowd parting again to let him through.

The music started up again, and the party resumed. Running up to Mia, Marisa gave her and Korum a hug, sobbing with happiness, and her parents embraced each other, tears running down their faces. Connor shook Korum’s hand, and Mia could see that her brother-in-law’s eyes were glistening too.

For the first time in history, an entire human family would be given immortality – a gift more precious than anything they could’ve ever imagined.

Looking up at her husband – her beautiful K lover – Mia smiled through her tears. “I love you,” she told him softly. “I love you so very much.”

“And I love you,” he said, watching her with warm amber-colored gaze.

Their happiness was complete.

Epilogue

Lahur stood in the forest clearing, feeling the warm breeze on his face. The others were gathered around him, their faces as familiar to him as his own. These people – the ones known as the Elders – were among the few whose company Lahur could tolerate for more than ten minutes at a time.

“So what now?” Sheura asked, watching him with her calm dark gaze.

Lahur looked at her. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s time,” she said quietly. “I think we have to do it.”

“I agree.” It was Pioren, Sheura’s partner in the experiment. “We can no longer stand by and observe. The project has succeeded all too well. They’re like us. Our best and brightest are now mating with them.”

“Yes,” Lahur said, “they are.” Seeing the curly-haired human girl by Korum’s side had been a revelation. She wasn’t the first human he’d met, but something about her had touched him, penetrating the layer of ice that encased him these days. For a moment, Lahur had been able to feel the powerful bond that existed between her and her cheren, to bask in the love they had for each other.

Out of all the young ones, Lahur found Korum to be among the most interesting, probably because he reminded Lahur of himself in his youth. Same drive, same willingness to do what’s necessary to achieve his goals. Lahur had no doubt that Korum would succeed in building a Krinar empire, taking them all on an unprecedented journey.

A journey that Korum planned to undertake with a human girl by his side.

There could be no clearer sign that they needed to wrap up the experiment.

“Let’s do it,” Lahur said. “You’re right. It’s time. We need to share our technology with them, to give them all what we gave only to a select few. Their evolution is complete.”

And as he looked around the clearing, seeing agreement on the other faces, Lahur had only one thought:

Nothing will ever be the same again.

Sneak Peeks

Thank you for reading
Close Remembrance
, the third book in the Krinar Chronicles series! I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, please help other people find this book by leaving a review or mentioning this series to a friend.

While Mia & Korum’s story is over (for now), there will be many more novels – and potentially other series – set in the Krinar world. I am also working on some non-Krinar books, including a contemporary romance and a dark erotica novel that might appeal to fans of Kitty Thomas and CJ Roberts. If you’d like to know when the next book comes out, you can sign up for my new release email list
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Thank you for your support! I truly appreciate it.

And now, please turn the page for sneak peeks into my upcoming works . . .

Excerpt from 
Twist Me
 

Author’s Note
: This is part of my
Heed the Warning
line of books that deal with topics some readers may find disturbing. Please heed the warning! It’s also a bit different from my other books in that it’s written in first person. The excerpt and the description are unedited and subject to change.

* * *

When eighteen-year-old Nora Leston catches Julian’s eye, her life changes in an instant. Kidnapped and taken to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, she must satisfy the whims of her sadistic captor – a darkly enigmatic man who is as cruel as he is beautiful . . .

Warning
:
This book is dark erotica, not a romance. It contains a young and virginal heroine, disturbing scenes of dubious consent, captivity, power play, and graphic sexual content, including anal sex and mild BDSM. This is a work of fiction intended for a mature, 18+ audience only. The author neither endorses nor condones this type of behavior.

* * *

* * *

It’s evening now. With every minute that passes, I’m starting to get more and more anxious at the thought of seeing my captor again.

The novel that I’ve been reading can no longer hold my interest. I put it down and walk in circles around the room.

I am dressed in the clothes Beth had given me earlier. It’s not what I would’ve chosen to wear, but it’s better than a bathrobe. A sexy pair of white lacy panties and a matching bra for underwear. A pretty blue sundress that buttons in the front. Everything fits me suspiciously well. Has he been stalking me for a while? Learning everything about me, including my clothing size?

The thought makes me sick.

I am trying not to think about what’s to come, but it’s impossible. I don’t know why I’m so sure he’ll come to me tonight. It’s possible he has an entire harem of women stashed away on this island, and he visits each one only once a week, like sultans used to do.

Yet somehow I know he’ll be here soon. Last night had simply whetted his appetite. I know he’s not done with me, not by a long shot.

Finally, the door opens.

He walks in like he owns the place. Which, of course, he does.

I am again struck by his masculine beauty. He could’ve been a model or a movie star, with a face like his. If there was any fairness in the world, he would’ve been short or had some other imperfection to offset that face.