Artruo came with her, and she smiled at his protective attitude. Once he saw Kreatha and her laughing together, his loyalties had aligned with her in seconds.

“What will you do on Rohul? Do you have plans?”

She smiled slightly. “I have no idea. My skills are not really commercial, so I will have to find a way to make my living.”

“Have you considered ruling one of the provinces?”

She stopped and he paused, turning back with a smile on his broad face.

“I can’t step into a position of authority on a world I don’t understand. That is arrogant, not to mention stupid. All your female rulers have to have certain genetic traits, do they not?” She took a few steps toward him.

He waited and shrugged. “There is some leeway in the requirements. You need to be a fertile female, you must have the ability to rule, and of course, you must have a psychic power. I believe that you meet all three of those criteria. Think about it. There is always room for another competent queen.”

Amylia didn’t ask why her. There were few women who met those criteria on Rohul. It was what made Kreatha so precious.

The Preskiat had settled on Rohul after centuries of war on their own world. With their original home in ruins, they set out to start again, and this new world had everything they needed. The one problem was that their birthrate had dropped tremendously. Fighting wars for available breeding partners had caused more problems than it solved, so the women got together and elected a queen. The criteria were as Artruo had stated. They had to have power, be fertile and able to lead. If there wasn’t a qualified female, the area simply became a province and a male of a nearby queen’s line was selected to rule. He could be supplanted by one dainty foot in his province.

“I will consider it.”

Artruo smiled. “Excellent. If you do decide to take a throne, my brother, Gyrion, is an excellent choice as consort.”

Her cheeks pinked. “Uh, I will take that under advisement.”

“Do. I am sure that I can find a few ladies who can vouch for his skills as a lover.”

Her voice was strangled. “Not necessary.”

They joined Kreatha for lunch. She looked at them, checked the chronometer and shook her head. “He didn’t even last an hour.”

Amylia sat next to her friend and poured tea for all three of them. “He doesn’t have the constitution for it.”

Artruo glanced at her. “And yet you lasted for days.”

She shrugged. “I knew it wasn’t going to end until I died, so I tried to put that off as long as possible by letting the machine run in full cycles. The longer I could draw out my orgasm, the longer it would leave me alone.”

Kreatha stared at her. “You had a strategy for your climaxes?”

“Sure. I didn’t have anything else to concentrate on. I gave in to the machine, and I made it do all the work.”

She offered Kreatha the first selection on the tray, and when she declined, Amylia dove in.

Artruo cleared his throat. “I have offered Gyrion to Amylia if she will have him.”

Kreatha was about to take a sip of tea, and she paused. “That is an excellent idea. It is a neighbouring province, and he is an exceptionally handsome male. It would be a good match. Contact him, and let him know you have sacrificed him on our family honour.”

Artruo drank his cup of tea, inclined his head and departed.

“Where is he going?” It was becoming normal to have a meal with two faces covered in tiger stripes on either side of her.

Kreatha smiled and started to fill her plate. “He is going to tell Gyrion that he is engaged to an alien. I am sure he will be honoured when Artruo explains you. My husband is one of your admirers.”