The voices coming from my wife’s sleeping mouth are troubling. No two are the same, and there seem to be five distinct voices.

One is a voice with reason behind it. That one sounds the most like Kataline’s. It's soft though and the other voices seem to mostly ignore what it has to say.

The loudest is a crude talker. A lot of cursing and a lot of ugliness comes from it. It’s deep, and it has velvet undertones. That one is the most frightening of them all.

The other three are negative, taking the dominating voice’s side in all arguments. It’s the freakiest shit I’ve ever heard.

I suppose her DNA is to blame. Or perhaps she’s been infected with something eating her brain. With no equipment to see what’s going on inside her, there’s no way to tell or help her until we get back home.

Even then, we’re coming into a damn uprising situation, and things won’t be easy to get to. We have a royal medic for our problems that come up on occasion.

Broken bones, genetic defects or abnormalities, and resets of teeth which come in wrong are what the medic takes care of. We don’t have soft tissue diseases like they do on Earth.

Bringing her to my planet may have been a mistake. But there is the fact I can take her back to Earth to seek medical help if there is no medic on my planet who can help her.

“He has to die,” the deepest voice says as it comes from her sleeping lips.

The reasonable voice chimes in, “He is Kerr’s father. It will hurt him if we kill the King.”

My heart stops. I knew she had to be talking about him. But now I know for sure. And I have no idea what to do about it. Short of taking her life.

I don’t feel capable of doing that. Not when I have real hope for getting her help once we reach Euthenia.

One of the other voices says, “What about the ones who will try to stop us?”

I listen hard. Because I will be the one who will try to stop her. “He is listening to us all. Shhh… No more.”

How did she know that?

Looking hard at her, I can tell she’s asleep. Her breathing is slow and steady with little snores here and there. Her body is limp, and there is no way she’s awake.

Fuck!

Her eyes just opened, and she’s looking right into my eyes, only those are not her eyes. They’re black and seem to be looking right through me.

I place my hand on her wrist, and it burns, but I hold tight anyway. Her chest rises, and then the dominant voice speaks, “If you choose him over her you will die as well.”

Her eyes close and I let her wrist go and find I’m shaking. My eyes move to the place I was holding her. Her wrist is red as if it has been burned.

What the hell is happening to her?

Her hands go to either side of her head, and she holds it and starts to scream. “Make them stop! Make them be quiet! I can’t take it! I can’t take the pain any longer!”

Jumping off the bed, I grab the pink sedative and pour some in a glass. I move quickly to her side and pull her up. “Baby, quick drink this to ease the pain!”

Her eyes open and there are her gorgeous blue eyes. Her lips are quivering as is her entire body as she tries to drink from the glass I’m holding to her lips.

The first attempt has her choking, and she shakes her head. Then with a determined look, she takes the glass in her hands and downs it. Then she leans her head back against the pillow.

“Thank you, Kerr. The pain came back with a vengeance.” Her breath is raspy, and she seems to be short of it.

“Is it helping you?” I ask as her eyes have already closed again.

She nods. “Thank you.”

I watch as she slips back to sleep and turns away and wipes a tear. There’s no time to feel sorrow, I have to focus on how to help her.

A soft knock comes at the door. “It’s Bet.”

I walk towards the door. “Come in.”

The door slides open, and my wife’s handmaiden steps inside. “The King asked me to come and get you. He needs to talk. I’ll stay with my lady.”

I give her a nod but turn back. “Bet, please do not repeat anything you hear her say. She’s not well.”

Concern etches her face. “She looks to be asleep. May I ask why you would say such a thing?”

With a weak smile, I say, “You will see.”

I leave and go to my father. He’s in the courtroom and has a drink in his hand. “You asked for me, Father?”

He turns back to me. His face is pale, and he looks unwell. “I did. We must discuss your wife.”

I hold my hand up. “Father, I will keep her in our quarters. When we get to Euthenia, I will get her some medical attention.”

“Son, she is a risk to us all.”

I hold my tongue as she is much more a risk to him than any other. “I have control over her, and I will not be overruled.”

“If there is no fixing the bewitched woman then what?” He takes a drink of the amber liquid.

“Then I will take her back to Earth and see if they can help her. She is my wife, and I love her with everything in me.”

His laughter fills the air and makes me angry. “You love her? Are you mad? You barely know the woman. You love fucking her. Just say that.”

Now my blood is boiling, and I see red. “Father, do not speak about my wife that way. I will not tolerate it!”

He takes a seat on his overstuffed chair and looks out the window at the blackness dotted by the far away stars. “What has happened to us, Kerr?” He places the empty glass on the table beside him. “You and I have always gotten along pretty well. With this woman’s arrival, things have gone sour between us.”

“I am stuck in the middle, Father. I know you mean well. The fact is she’s mine to care for and deal with, and I am doing all I can to do that. Let me alone to do what is mine.” I pace as I try to think about what can get him to understand my feelings for her.

“Am I to close my mind to the fact she is looking to destroy us all, Son?” He refills his glass with the decanter next to his glass on the table top. He fills another glass as well. “Come, have a drink with your father and let us talk like gentlemen. Like we always have.”

Doing as he’s asked, I take the glass and take the seat across from him. “Surely you understand I do have real love for Kataline. She is a wonderful woman. You held love for my mother after all.”

His eyes dart up to mine. “Still do.”

“Of course.” I take a sip of the tangy drink. “Still you hold love in your heart for her. No one would dare to say anything different.”

“Her death was a horror to me.” He takes a long drink. “Wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. Not even the Earthling.”

No matter how much I ask, he just cannot stop himself from keeping his tongue still where my wife is concerned. I swallow another drink and look out the window.

“She saved us all, Father.”

“And she will end us all, Son.”

“How do you know this to be true?” I look directly into his eyes.

“I’ve seen it.” His tone is solid, and he seems to believe the words that just came out of his mouth.

“You accuse her of being bewitched, yet you have seen her end us all?” My foot taps as I wait for his answer.

“I may have some of that primitive blood coursing through my veins as well. It often gives gifts of that kind to Earthlings. With the fever, I saw your wife ruling over Euthenia.” Another long drink empties his short glass.

“That is the first time you’ve admitted what everyone knows. That’s a step in the right direction, Father. And if you did see that in the future, it could be true. She is my wife and as such will one day rule by my side.” I get up and go to pick up a morsel of sustenance off the tray on the table.

Popping a black beetle into my mouth, I crunch it up. My father clears his throat. “You were not there. It was only her.”

“And that was a fevered dream, Father.”

“She has the mental power to do it. You know that to be true, Kerr.” He gestures to the platter. “Bring your father a tasty morsel, Son.”

I take the tray to him and offer him a bite. He chooses the largest one on the plate and eats it. My stomach lurches as it breaks in half and the white insides glob down his chin.

He wipes it away, and I wonder why I had that reaction. Then my head goes light, and I go to sit down quickly. My father eyes me. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I’m not sure. I got dizzy, and my stomach felt odd for a second.” I lean my head back and look up to steady myself.

The room seems to be spinning. “Father, what was in the drink?”

His laugh has me worried. “A little something I like to call evening the odds.”

He gets up and walks away as I watch helplessly. I cannot move, and he is walking toward the corridor that leads to the rooms. “Father, do not go to her. She will kill you.”

My words stop him. He turns back and looks at me with question etching his expression. “How do you know that? Has she threatened my life? For that, son is treason and you damn well know it.”

“She’s more than capable of killing you without ever touching you. Stay away from her. I have her in our room for your safety.” I close my eyes and try to move my body, but I can’t.

He walks back to me and looks down at me. “Answer my question, Kerr. Has she threatened to kill me?”

“Not while conscious, no.” I look up at him. “If you value your life, you will stay away from her. She’s not entirely herself right now.”

“What is she?” His eyes are dark, and I know he’s intrigued.

“Something inside her is fighting for control. I suppose it’s the thing that gave her the power to stop the lasers from destroying our ships and turned them back to where they came from. She is not well. She needs to be left alone. Once we get back home, I will have the medic run her through the scanner to find out what’s happening to her brain.” My fingertips begin to wiggle, and I can feel the effects of whatever he put in that drink wearing off.

“We could poison her, Son.”

My heart stops as I see my wife walk in wearing a white robe. “I know you’re talking about me. My ears burned and woke me.” Her voice is even, and it's deep. Her eyes are black and void of emotion.

It’s not her.

I try to move and can only make feeble attempts to get up. “Father, get behind me. She will kill you.”

He turns. His finger points out at her. “You are an abomination.”

With not even a flick of her wrist, my father flies through the air and hits the wall.

“Stop!” I manage to get up and stagger toward Kataline. “Kataline, stop! It’s treason.”

I take in a deep breath and feel stronger. I scoop her up in my arms and take her back to our room. Her body shudders and her black eyes roll back in her head.

Then she is still, and her arms go around my neck. She blinks, and she’s back. “Kerr? What happened?”

Into the room, I take her and see Bet shivering in a corner. She hauls ass as we come in. No words need to come from her. I know what frightened her.

Lying my wife on the bed, I hold her to me. “Are you okay, Kataline?”

She holds tight to me. “I feel myself again. What did I do?”

“Something that could get your head taken from your body.” I kiss her lips softly. “And I very much like your head where it is. I will deal with my father. I am still technically in charge here.”

“Kerr, something’s really wrong with me.” Her eyes look frantically into mine.

“When we get home, we can get you help. If you can try to hang onto yourself until then, we can get you all better.” I kiss her again.

“What if they can’t make me better?” Her bottom lip is quivering, and she’s about to cry.

I place my finger to her lip to steady it. “Then we will travel back to Earth and see if they can help you. I will not stop until you’re better, baby. I swear that to you.”

A smile moves slowly over her beautiful face. “What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful man?”

“Rest now. In a few hours, we’ll be on Honra to recharge. It’s a beautiful planet. Waterfalls abound, and the sun always shines there. Sweet little primates swing through the giant trees and come to play with you at the sides of the springs.” I tweak her adorable nose.

“Sounds like paradise.” She pulls me to her and leaves a kiss on my lips. “Are you taking me to paradise, Husband?”

“Seems so,” I say with a smile and kiss her again.

It seems that when I hold her in my arms, she’s better. She’s herself. Without letting her go, I climb on the bed with her and hold her tight as I look into her eyes.

Her kind, sweet eyes have so much love in them for me. Not a glimmer of the black that clouds them when that other thing comes out in her.

She cuddles into me and sighs. As I run my hands over her back a thought creeps into my head that she may have been implanted with something to make her kill the King and make it possible for Earthlings to take over Euthenia.

A device like that could be activated by either a remote or a timer. And that’s exactly what it seems like it’s happening to her.

Not to her knowledge, but done by the rulers of Earth to make sure they have a fighting chance at taking our planet. If we just had the scanning system on the ship, we could find out in a millisecond.

Instead, I have to try my best to keep her from killing my father until then. Looks like I’ll have to stay wrapped around her to keep her with me until we get home.

After all, there are worse ways to spend the next week.