Though no breeze moves the air, I feel a chill. The chill of change.

My wife sleeps in my arms, and I hold her tight as she does. My father may well convince the others she needs to be put to death.

Her gifts are powerful, and though I know she’d never use them on anyone she loves, others will not see it that way.

They will see only a woman. One who could force things upon them. I agree with her about getting rid of the hook and the strap. I agree with her about making women equals on our planet.

Only, not many other men will. It’s them who worry me. Her life may be in constant danger once we get home and she starts the process of change.

I worry too that my father will make her so mad she hurts him or worse, kills him. No one could save her if she did that. Even if he weren’t the King.

Murders are punishable by death on Euthenia. Even if you are a royal. The only way to cause death without paying the price for it is when you’re the King or the Queen, and you order an execution. Which hasn’t been done in a hundred years or so.

There is no way I will allow her to be killed, but I may have to allow some type of sedation to keep her under control if she gets out of hand.

I hope that never happens, though.

I move her dark hair off her shoulder and place my lips on her soft skin. My heart swells with emotion for her.

It’s hard to believe so little time has gone by since I first saw her coming down the aisle to join me in this life. If someone told me all this would happen, I’d have said they were lying and would have called them crazy.

My mother keeps flitting through my mind these last few days. She’s always there in some form or fashion. Here of late though she’s in it more often than not.

It has two effects on me, and they are conflicting. It gives me the idea that my life is on the right path by accepting the award of Kataline by the Earthlings. The conflicting feeling is that this was a very bad thing to have accepted.

Change is evident. I look forward to it. But will my people do so as well?

If I was to ask Kataline not to force her hand about the changes, would she see fit to do as I bid her to?

Would I be wrong to even ask that of her?

If my mother were here, the changes would’ve already been made. Perhaps that’s why her memory keeps stirring in my brain.

I had a dream the last time I was asleep that felt so real it was even painful. Someone was trying to take over our world. Someone from within.

Could that have been a premonition about Kataline sometime in the future? Is she going to change herself with this power she has? Will it turn her into something she isn’t right now?

I’m both excited and terrified at this moment. Anything could happen. I know that.

“Kerr?” Her voice sounds weak.

“Yeah, baby.”

She turns in my arms and looks at me. My finger runs over her high cheek bone. It’s red where she was lying on it.

“They’re all going to be afraid of me, aren’t they?” Her eyes glisten with unshed tears.

“I’ll try hard for that not to happen. You know, show them how you’re going to protect them, not harm them. I just have to be louder than my father, that’s all.” I kiss the tip of her nose.

She looks unsure of what I’ve said. “Kerr?”

“Yeah,” I say as I brush the hair back off her face.

“What if they are so afraid of me and they do call for my execution?” Her eyes search mine.

My heart aches. I swallow hard as I have thought about this too. Then it comes to me. “Then you and I will leave the planet together.”

She blinks and takes in what I’ve said. “We could do that?”

“You and I can do anything we want to. Some other planet would allow us to live there. You might not be allowed to use the powers you’ve acquired, but we could live together.” My hand runs over her exposed breast, and I roll her pink nipple between my thumb and forefinger.

“You’d give up your place as Prince or even King to be with me?” Her head shakes slightly. “I could never let you do that.”

“You could let me do that. And I would do that. You are my life, Kataline. I would choose you over anything else.” I push her back and move my body over hers.

Her hands run around my neck as I press into her. Her breath comes out in a sweet sigh. “You really love me that much?”

“I do,” I say then press my lips to hers.

Softly I touch her lips as I run my hands down her sides. Chill bumps pop up on her skin, and she moves her body to accommodate me better.

The way I feel when I’m inside her is phenomenal. I would leave with her. I would give up the throne for her. I’d do anything for her.

This beautiful woman who looks at me with deep blue eyes full of love is my life.

It seems impossible to me that I could be so ready to give everything up for someone I didn’t even know a little over a week ago.

The pressure of her hot, wet walls on me feels beyond amazing, and her beauty is beyond compare. “You will always have a home in my arms, Kataline. Wherever you and I are together is where home is. Whether I rule there or not. My place is with you, always.”

Her breasts press against my chest like pillows, and everything about her ignites something in me I never knew I had. A different purpose for this life than I’ve thought it was about thus far.

This unique woman was meant for me. She needs my protection against the people who won’t understand her and fear her.

It will be up to me to make sure she is accepted into my world. Her legs move up mine, sliding her silky skin against them. It stirs me, and I kiss the soft skin of her neck.

Her moan fills my ears, and her hands move to tangle in my hair. “Kerr, you always know just how to touch me.”

I nip at her neck and let out a growl. She giggles and bucks a bit.

Moving my hand down one of her legs, I draw it up and place her knee near her head. My thick cock moves into her deeper, and she moans with the feeling, “Harder.”

Banging into her, I do as she’s requested and her breathing changes to panting in no time. Her nails scratch my back as I fill her over and over until she’s screaming my name.

I can’t stop, I keep going as she writhes and twists as she comes undone. “Kerr!”

The sound of shattering glass makes me pull my head up, leaving her neck neglected of my bite. I look over and find the decanter of some purple liquid has busted into pieces and has spilled all over the white surface of the table it sat on.

The sound of her voice draws my attention back to her. “Come, Kerr!”

My body jerks and does as she’s said. I was nowhere near ready for that, and it surprises me as the intensity takes me over.

A loud groan comes out of me as I climax. The sensation begins to fade, and I see her looking at me. “Wow, did I make you do that?” she asks.

Taking in a deep breath, I stare into her eyes, golden sparks look as if they’re making little explosions in them. “You did.” I feel numb all of a sudden as a smile creeps across her glowing face.

“Did you like it?”

How do I tell her that I fucking hated it?

I look into her eyes instead of answering her. The sparks of gold slowly subside. “Well?” she asks.

“Not really,” I say.

She looks away and pushes at me to get off her. I roll off and lie on my back as I run my hands through my hair in frustration.

“Sorry! I won’t do that again. I didn’t mean to do it anyway,” she says as she gets out of bed and disappears into the attached washroom.

A sudden guilt flows through me, and I get up and go to her. Her body is shaking as she showers. She’s crying, and now I feel awful.

“Baby, I’m sorry.” My arms enclose her quivering body.

“Kerr, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

The warm liquid flows over us and should be comforting the way it's designed to be. It's bringing me no such comfort as my wife cries in my arms.

I kiss the top of her head. “I shouldn’t have said I didn’t like it. It’s just that it was kind of taken from me rather than me giving it to you. You know?”

“I know. I do!” Her cries go into full blown wails, and her body is shaking even more. “What’s wrong with me?”

I have no idea what to say to her. “We’ll just have to work on this thing you have going on, that’s all. We’ll figure it all out. With time, we can figure it out.”

I trail kisses over her shoulder as she continues to cry. The water stops and I pick her up and carry her to the dryer. In moments we’re dry, and I take her back to bed.

While we were on Ulta Minor, I had Bet go purchase some of the Earth food they sell there. I have a bag of what they call cheeseburgers in the food storage area.

Lying her on the bed, I prop her up with some fluffy pillows and give her nose which is now red from crying a little tweak.

“I have a surprise for you, baby.” I make my way to retrieve the food, and when I come back she’s stopped crying, and her tears have dried.

“What’s on the tray, Kerr? I’m really not in the mood to eat.” Her eyes look away from the tray.

I’m sure she’s afraid it’ll be some of our food and be moving about on the plate.

I pull the lid off, and her eyes dart to the steaming cheeseburgers. “Not even for this?”

“Kerr!” Her arms are thrown around me, and she kisses my cheek. “You’re the sweetest man alive. Do you know that?”

“So does that mean you like what I got for you?” I ask with a laugh.

She laughs, and the sound fills my heart with joy and love, and I never want to hear her cry again.

It seems to take a little piece of my soul when she does.

Pulling a small chunk off the round sandwich, I place it to her lips. She readily accepts it and moans. “It’s really good. I love it. Thank you, Kerr.”

She takes the rest of the burger and takes another huge bite. I laugh and go to find something to clean up the spilled purple stuff on the table and get the broken glass thrown away as well.

As I look at the mess, it doesn’t skip my attention that it could be some type of foreboding sign. The purple representing royalty and the bursting of the glass which contained it our hierarchy.

Then again, it could just mean her power got away from her, and it means nothing.

I know one thing. I’m sure as hell not mentioning anything to her about it either way.

She looks content munching away on the food I gave her. That alone fills me with happiness.

To think I could find joy seeing her happy over a little thing like a greasy cheeseburger is nearly overwhelming.

What else would I do for her?

A wiggling little piece of me wonders if she’s manipulating my thoughts. Then I push that down and remember what my aunt and I talked about.

She told me love makes you feel completely different. And I do feel different. That’s for sure.

“That was delicious, Kerr.” I turn to see her licking the last bit of ketchup from her lips. “Bet told me there’s a man who works in the kitchen at the palace who knows how to make Earth food. Please tell me you’ll allow me to eat it.”

Her eyes sparkle. As if she needs me to allow her to do anything. It’s fucking obvious I will have no control over this woman.

And just like that, I feel my body being pulled and I just shout it out at her, “Stop!”

She looks up at me as she was putting the tray away. “What?”

“You were pulling me to you. I need you to stop doing that.”

“I was?” She looks confused. Genuinely confused.

And now I wonder if I can really deal with all of this.

An entire life of this?