unacceptable

"What did you think?"

He had just left the refreshing chambers and was donning a clean uniform.

"Tell me all of it. Come on, tell me about your match."

The grey candora went on quickly and was efficient. Grey was the color of royalty. Frick wore black. Military. It was the perfect garment. Warm when he needs to be warm. Cool when he needed to be cool. It was easy to move in, easy to fight in. His boots were lightweight and durable.

"You must have some thoughts."

He was used to his friend's need to talk. It had been the same since they were children. Frick talking and Kellum listening.

He had just finished his training then his workout. Next, he had a meeting with his advisors.

His bodyguards and his family had been asked to join in on the first half of the meeting.

Invading a planet consist of a lot of meetings. His life consists of more meetings than he cared for.

"Was she pretty?"

"Does it matter?"

His guards were waiting outside the door along with his sister. When he stepped out of the room, he fell into place at the lead of the group.

"Kellum is once again being a wealth of information. Pensley, you met her, what did you think?"

"I reserve judgment."

"I liked her. She has a very caring soul. She is in a lot of pain."

"The session was shown to me," Kellum replied.

"Ninety-eight percent. Only one other person has received higher."

"The numbers are more than we had hoped for."

Pensley and Frey were the highest up to now, the highest in ten years, at ninety-five. Ninety-five or higher is considered a perfect match.

"Who do you think has it worse? Savion or me?"

"You will find a match, Frick. Others are coming every day."

"I win then. Has anyone done the math yet? Savion must wait twelve long years. Never mind, I decided he wins. He is worse off."

"Why are we speaking in this language? I do not care for it."

"It is still new to us and we need to know it as well as we know our own."

"Godrick, sounds like a fool. Use your tongue more."

Godrick, gave him a shove.

Nothing ever fazed Frick. "Kellum, stop being the future king for five minutes and tell me what you thought about the girl."

"She is acceptable."

"She is acceptable? Pensley, when you found out Frey was your mate, how did you feel?"

His look said it all.

"We have wondered our whole lives if there would ever be anyone for us and all you have to say is, she is acceptable? At this point, she could have one eye and have hair over ninety percent of her body, and she would be acceptable."

"Frick, remember who you are speaking to."

"I am speaking to my friend. Ease up, Kar. No one is believing your tough guy act. I am not afraid to be myself around him. He was my friend long before he was the future king."

Four years. That is how long he has been the future king. Four years since the virus killed the real king and eight others, including his father, and made him the future king.

For four years, all his people have had for a king is him. He could not be a real king until he had a mate.

Until yesterday at two pm in the evening, there had been no mate in sight. Since then he has been given everything, they had on the human Jessalynn.

He did not know what to think about the girl who is hoped to be his mate. He had been within a few feet of her, but his mark had not burned. His heart had given no signs that it now belonged to another.

The door opened, and he went inside.

As king, his place should be on the throne on the raised platform. Two elders on each side of him. It remained empty now. As future king, he received a chair across from the king's throne. Across from his advisors.

Frey and Pensley sat on his right, Alric, his brother, sat on his right. Frick, Godrick, and Kar stood at his back.

"Today is a day for much rejoice."

"It is. Savion, you do your people proud today." Demetruisu was his eldest advisor and a royal. "He is only the first of many."

"I had my doubts about this planet, but my worries have been laid to rest. These humans are nothing to fear." Birkett was middle age, military, and now the only advisor in need of a mate.

Klax was government. He has also had his doubts and had done the most complaining. After studying the humans, he had found little he liked about them. He had voted to leave the humans to die while they tried to find another more agreeable planet.

Kellum had worked long and hard to get his other advisors to side against Klax.

The humans were compatible. The humans needed them as much as his people needed the humans.

There were doubts though. How could there not be? How could a planet so far away, so different, be the answer? What his people were looking for was a miracle.

"Savion, did you look at the mark? Is it an identical match?"

"It was difficult getting to her. She is protected and guarded well but yes, I studied it and even had the image sent to Dezrick."

Klax did not like the sound of that. "They would think to protect her from you?"

"That's logical. They do not know of our ways. Did you not use your gift to get to her?"

"I did. It was most strange. The human Jessalynn appeared unaffected by it. Since she was riled up, she kept upsetting the sister."

"This bit of news is disturbing. Are we sure our gifts work on humans?"

"I believe so. It was working on all of them except for the human Jessalynn."

"Most peculiar."

"Frey and Pensley, any more problems out of your gifts?"

"No, advisor Demetruisu."

"She was not immune to us. She heightened our gifts. What we saw and felt, she saw and felt."

"Most peculiar."

"Are you dismayed by this, our future king?"

"No." He would have said more but with Klax he had learned a long time ago to be point blank with him. That advisor could not be pleased.

"I am not worried as well. It is something I think we should study more. Tell me, Frey. What were you thinking when your eyes were leaking?"

If Klax was the impossible to please one, then Demetruisu was the curious one. His mind never rested.

Birkett wanted to tackle a problem and then quickly move on to the next one. Savion was young to be an advisor. Quiet when he could be, thoughtful and rational.

Sometimes Savion was the only thing standing between him and losing every vote.

"I do not know how to put it into words. It was horrible and beautiful at the same time."

"Horrible yet you wanted to experience it again."

"Yes, advisor Klax."

"We have decided that all of you will attend school. It has been deemed the best place to interact and socialize with your mates. It will also aid you to learn all you can about these humans."

"All of you may leave now."

Klax barely waited for the door to come down before he addressed Dezrick. "Show him the images from a few hours ago."

One screen showed the images while another pulled up test results for a human Clay Anderson. His outcome was negative.

"He did not pass any of the lie tests we gave him. He seems most threatening."

"What should we do with him?"

"Cure him and send him on his way." Kellum answered.

"He has corrupt intentions toward us. If we send him on his way, his beliefs of us will spread to others."

Kellum wanted to rub his tired eyes but refrained. "What do you advise we do, advisor Klax?"

"I do not know but it seems unwise to let him go."

"We are a peaceful people. We cannot hold him against his will or silence him. It seems to me, the only thing we can do is send him on his way. I do not see how these people can harm us. All nuclear weapons have been destroyed, and it is just a matter of time for all their weapons to be removed from their reach. We have a shield up around the three cities that none of their weapons can penetrate."

"I agree," Demetruisu replied.

He only needed one vote.

"Then is it not unwise to be sending out our warriors?"

"We have no choice. There are too many in need of our help."

Klax frowned. "Do these humans not worry you?"

For the most part, they did not. They were hurt and weak. They offered no real threat to them. Their weapons were barbaric. Their intellect crude and heavy-handed. He could not tell Klax this or the other man would question why they would want to mate with such people.

Kellum's answer to that would be that the numbers do not lie, and they are compassionate. That answer would have them here all night. "No."

"Future King, there is also the matter of the human Jessalynn's car. All vehicles have been deemed dangerous to us and the planet. They are to be destroyed. Your match has made it very clear that this will make her most unhappy."

"She is a ninety-eight percent match for you, and we do not wish for her to leave. Nor, I am sure, do you."

With all that has been on his mind, the last thing he has been worried about is a car.

She was adamant about it and after witnessing her session with Frey and Pensley, Dezrick had advised him on things of sentimental value. "Let her keep it."

"Should we let all of them keep them? Next, it will be their weapons."

Klax was not a bad advisor for a king to have. A good king needed to be able to hear from all points of views.

To a future king, he was very difficult.

"Take it apart. No engine. No gasoline, and it is no longer dangerous to us or the planet."

"Good decision, my future king."

"Thank you, advisor Demetruisu. I will call an end to this meeting so we might all go partake of the meal, if it pleases you."

"It does."

"Very well."

"Yes, my future king."

"As you like."

He should not have been surprised to see Frick waiting for him.

"You know I dislike it when you are keeping things from me."

"Do you not have any chores to see to?"

"You need to talk to someone who is not trying to prove you wrong or is not bowing to you every five minutes. If it was not for me, you would never get a break from all this constant worry on you. Remember when all you had to worry about was.... that is right, you had no worries."

"I had the same worries. The same as we all do."

"We will not fail. Tell me what you thought of her."

"My thought was that she is not a queen."

"You do not believe she is the one? How is that possible with those numbers?"

"Then she started talking to the human April. Now, I am not so sure."