Royal Hearts Read online

“I’ll try. But it’s hard.”

  “At least remember you are allowed to kiss me without asking first when I’m wearing the crown, okay?”

  He nodded and kissed her. “I better see if anyone else has arrived.”

  “Alright.”

  He bowed then headed for the doors.

  Maybe if they’d met under different circumstances, he would understand just how human she was, even when she was wearing the crown.

  Chapter Two

  Cincinnati, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  William was amazed at how little the average person knew about computers. Installing various hardware components into the machine was easy. But since so few people felt comfortable doing it, it gave him a job so he wouldn’t complain. He made a decent enough wage and had good enough benefits. Too bad his ex-wife refused to remarry so he could stop paying alimony, but that was his problem for not marrying better.

  Pushing aside his aggravation, he glanced at the older man as he finished installing the new hard drive. “You’re all set.” He stood up from the man’s computer desk and reached into his pocket to pull out the business card his employer gave him. “If you have any more problems, don’t hesitate to call.”

  The man took the card and smiled. “Thanks for coming all the way out here to fix the computer. It’s hard for me to leave my shop during business hours.”

  “That’s what we’re paid to do.”

  After collecting the payment, William went to his car. He used to drive a brand new Ford Mustang, but after his divorce, he had to sell the car and move into a cheaper apartment to satisfy Carol’s materialistic tastes. Judges were obnoxiously sympathetic toward the women in divorce cases.

  He got into his car and slammed the door. Carol was a big mistake. He didn’t know why he even married her. He shouldn’t have. He should have gone with Ann to the planet called Raz that she went to rule. He should have been a king. A king was a lot better than a computer repairman. Even if he made a decent wage doing this, he’d be rich if he was a king. Then he’d never want for anything.

  Why didn’t he insist on going with her? Why had he given up so easily? Those were questions he asked himself over and over, and he still didn’t know the answers.

  He reluctantly started up his car and checked over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming. He was ready to pull his car into the street from his parallel parking spot when a sudden flash caught his eye. Startled, he slammed on the brake. Something had flown by his car and landed somewhere in the alley next to the shop he had been in.

  Curious, he shifted into reverse and backed up into his spot. He turned off his ignition and jumped out of the car.

  “Hey! I thought you were going to move,” an old man complained from his jeep.

  “I changed my mind,” William replied, not caring to discuss the matter with him.

  “Great. Now I’ll have to circle the block again and hope someone else leaves,” the man yelled after him.

  William decided to ignore him. He had more important things to check out. He walked down the vacant alley. Several dumpsters lined the brick walls, and a few pieces of trash blew around in the cool breeze.

  He scanned the area, trying to remember what he’d seen flying in here. Unfortunately, the thing had moved so fast, it was hard to do. A rat scurried away from one of the dumpsters, and his eyebrows rose in interest. He walked over to the dumpster and saw a newly-formed hole in the side of it. The hole was just big enough for him to put his hand into. He tried not to gag as he reached into it. Fooling around with garbage wasn’t his idea of a good time, but he had to know what he saw. His arm accidentally brushed the edge of the hole.

  “Ouch!” he screamed, yanking his arm out.

  His gaze went to the large welt already forming on his skin. It stung. There was no denying that, but his curiosity got the best of him. He had to know what zoomed by him.

  He gingerly put his arm back through the hole, careful not to touch the edges of the hole this time. His fingers touched something made of steel. Too late did he think it might be best to put something on his hand to protect it, in case the object was just as hot as the edge of the hole. But there was no need for concern. The object was surprisingly cool to the touch. He grabbed it and pulled it out.

  It was no bigger than a cell phone. He studied the object, wondering what in the world it could be. Its blue buttons seemed to glow in the dark-gray steel casing. He didn’t recall seeing anything like it before, and he kept up-to-date on technological developments.

  Well, he would take this thing home and see what he could do with it. Perhaps he could hook it up to his computer and find out how it worked.

  Decision made, he left the alley and headed back to work, eager for his shift to be over.

  ***

  Outside the Royal Palace

  Planet: Raz

  Ann and Hathor decided to take Katherine in a stroller after their evening meal. Ann loved these moments when she didn’t have to worry about tending to her duties. As much as she enjoyed her role as queen, she enjoyed her role as wife and mother even more.

  And that was exactly what she was thinking as she pushed Katherine’s stroller into the garden behind the palace. A variety of flowers sent a sweet aroma through the air. Even after living here for two years, Ann was still amazed at how it was spring all year round.

  As she pushed the stroller by some daisies, Katherine giggled and reached out to touch them. Since Hathor bent down to pick one up, Ann stopped and watched him hand it to Katherine. The girl squealed in delight and grabbed it.

  “You know she’s going to try to eat it,” Ann mused.

  “Yeah, but for a few moments she’ll behave.” He winked.

  Sure enough, Katherine brought the daisy up to her mouth. He gently took it from her. When she started to cry in protest, he weaved the stem through her curls so that the daisy stayed in her hair. She seemed content with this, so they continued their walk.

  “You’re a good father,” she told him. “It’s nice to watch you and Katherine together.”

  He beamed at her words. “I’m the luckiest man in all the galaxies.” After a moment, he asked, “Do you miss Earth?”

  “Not as much as I used to. It was hard at first. Being here, so far from everything I grew up with. But I got used to being here. It’s home. And now when I think of Earth, I don’t miss it. I think of the good memories, but it’s with a thankfulness that I had the chance to live there.”

  “I still can’t imagine what there is to like about Earth. Except for you.”

  Amused, she rolled her eyes. “I know. Earth is boring to you, but I assure you, it does have its good points.”

  He didn’t seem convinced, but then, he never did.

  “It’s alright. If I had grown up here, surrounded by magic, I’d probably think the same thing,” she said.

  “So you don’t regret leaving?”

  “No.” She stopped walking and slipped her arm around his waist. “If I had to do it all over again, I’d come to Raz. Though it would be nice if I could skip the whole Palers wanting to kill us thing.”

  He chuckled and hugged her. “Come on. It was an adventure.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Thankfully, nothing like that has happened since. And God willing, it never will.” She kissed him then continued their walk.

  ***

  Cincinnati, Ohio

  Planet: Earth

  William’s mind was so preoccupied with the strange device he’d found earlier that day that he could barely concentrate at work. He nearly ran through two red lights on his way home. He used all of his energy to not speed more than five over the speed limit. He had enough speeding tickets as it was, and he knew the cops in this area kept a close watch on how fast people drove through here. He also knew they wouldn’t pull him over for doing five over. They were more interested in the serious speeders.

  When he pulled into his parking spot, he nearly jumped out of the car before he turned off th
e ignition. There was something significant about the device he found in the dumpster. He just knew it. All he had to do was figure it out. He was good with figuring out electronic items, and since he didn’t have to work tomorrow, he had all night to work on this thing.

  “Mr. Nichols,” his landlady called out to him as he entered the building.

  He inwardly groaned. He really didn’t feel like talking to her right now, but he was late on his rent again so he couldn’t afford to be rude. He stopped and turned to her. “Hi, Mrs. Garheart. My paycheck comes in on Monday. I promise to have the rent for you first thing in the morning.”

  “This is the fifth time this year that I’ve had to go easy on you,” she stated with a pointed look.

  “I know and I’m sorry. I had to pay my ex her alimony.”

  “That’s right. You’re divorced. My daughter is about your age. I think you two would make a good couple.” She winked. “If you’re interested, that is.”

  He glanced at the overweight woman with her mustache and three big moles on her face then shivered in disgust. He had seen her daughter, and they looked a lot alike.

  “I’m still healing my broken heart,” he lied. “Carol was my whole life.”

  “Time will heal all, sweetie. Just give your heart time.”

  “Bonnie, where’s dinner?” her husband called out from their apartment.

  She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes divorce isn’t such a bad thing.” Turning to her apartment, she yelled, “It’s coming. Just hold your horses!” She faced William again. “I’ll expect that rent on Monday. First thing.”

  “First thing,” he said.

  As soon as she turned back to her apartment, he ran upstairs to his. He didn’t care for her, but she was the only landlord who let him get by with so many late rent payments without charging him a fee. He had already been kicked out of two apartments, so he couldn’t afford to lose this one. His credit looked bad enough as it was.

  He hated Carol for what she did to him. He couldn’t wait for her to marry again so he wouldn’t have to give her money every month.

  His life should have been different. It could have been so much better. He didn’t deserve this. Again, his thoughts drifted to the one person he could have been happy with. The girl who was meant to be queen of a place called Raz. He would find a way to see her again. He had to.

  He glanced at the device in his hand. Maybe this thing would be the answer to his problems. There was something different about it that he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  “Let’s see what secrets you hold,” he whispered.

  ***

  William sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. It was three in the morning and he had been trying to figure out the device for ten straight hours. He didn’t even listen to his growling stomach. He only took breaks to grab more coffee and go to the bathroom.

  The computer in front of him was hooked up to the device. That task alone took him a couple of hours. Now he was telling the computer to open the device’s contents, but no matter how hard he tried, it didn’t seem to know how to do that.

  He slammed his fist on the computer desk, upsetting the coffee in his cup, which spilled over. He didn’t care. He could always clean that spill later.

  Taking a deep breath, he stood up, stretched his weary back and walked over to his bookcase where he kept Ann’s junior high school picture on display. He supposed that he should move on with his life, but he had run into so many disastrous relationships after she left that only one person could satisfy him.

  And she was on another planet.

  Another planet….

  An idea gently prodded its way into his mind. The device was so foreign. He had never seen anything like it before. He wondered…

  “No.” He shook his head. “What are the chances that it would be alien?”

  What were the chances Ann would be destined to be a queen of another planet? A million to one? More than that.

  He glanced back at the device lying on the desk. He had popped the case off, and he watched the circuits in it moving around, as if it was trying to communicate with him.

  “Could it be…?”

  He hesitated to ask the full question. What if the device was trying to communicate with him? He eagerly sat down in his chair and typed in a command that he hadn’t used yet. He sat back and waited for the computer to display a message on the screen.

  He dreaded another error message, and as he waited for a full minute, he began to think that was all he was going to get. But it didn’t happen this time.

  Greetings from Pale. You have activated Omin’s transmitter.

  He slapped the top of the desk in victory, and more coffee spilled out of the cup. “Success!”

  This was a sign. He knew it. Things just didn’t happen. It was fate. He and Ann were meant to be together.

  He quickly typed into the computer. “What do you know about Raz and the queen who rules there?”

  A humming sound coming from the transmitter told him that it was processing his question.

  He tapped his fingers on the desk. Please know something about her, he silently begged.

  Ann Kerwin. Next queen of Raz. Must not succeed. Must go back to Earth.

  He didn’t care about the ominous meaning in the words. His attention was drawn to the fact that she “must go back to Earth”.

  How can she get back to Earth? he typed.

  Activate Alternate Plan Alpha located in the Omega Files in this transmitter, it answered.

  Activating the plan will send her back to Earth? he typed.

  Yes. But not to the current time. She must go back to the past. Before she knew anything about Raz. Raz will be her weakness.

  She will have no memory at all of the things that happened to her?

  No. She must not.

  William debated the possibility that this thing was capable of manipulating time. Nothing on Earth could, but it was possible aliens would have access to this kind of technology. Can you send me back to the past? he typed.

  Yes, but you are activating the plan. You will remember everything in your future.

  Will I be the age I am now, or can I go back to another year in my life? It would be too weird for Ann to date a twenty-four year old.

  You select your age. The rest will be taken care of through the plan.

  William couldn’t believe his good fortune. This was too good to be true!

  Find Omega Files, he typed.

  You must find those files. I have not been programmed to do that.

  William groaned. But he refused to let this unfortunate setback bring him down. Not now. Not tonight. Things had suddenly changed for the better, and he was going to take advantage of it. No matter how many hours or days it took, he would find those files. Then he would be back in the past when he and Ann were dating. Soon, he told himself. Soon he’d get to do it all over again, and this time he wasn’t going to lose her.

  Chapter Three

  Location: Alpha Head I

  Planet: Pale

  Galaxy: Enchanted

  Deep within Alpha Head I, the main headquarters on Pale, was Omin’s clone. Omin-2 was stuck in a frozen capsule, waiting for the time when Omin’s transmitter would be activated. The wait was over. Omin’s clone opened his eyes and peered at his surroundings with newborn interest.

  He was in a small room, a room hidden behind a wall. He moved, his muscles aching from lack of use. He slowly inched his way along the hidden corridor, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. He knew the way out. He knew his mission. Go to Earth and destroy the queen of Raz.

  She would be there as soon as the Omega Files were opened. He didn’t have much time.

  ***

  Ann and Hathor’s Bedroom

  Planet: Raz

  Ann was sound asleep when Hathor woke her up.

  “What…? What is it?” she asked as she fought to open her eyes.

  “It’s an emergency. On Pale,” he said then gathered her clothes and l
aid them on the bed. “Leader Paff says it’s a matter of life and death, and it involves you.”

  “Me?” Suddenly she was wide awake. She jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. “Did he give you any details?”

  “He just said that Omin had a clone he called Omin-2. This clone was in a secret place no one knew about. Knowing Omin, it’s not surprising that this clone wants you dead.”

  “Wants me dead?” She didn’t like the sound of this.

  “That’s why this is urgent.” He paused for a moment and looked at her, as if realizing the seriousness of the situation. “I should go with you. It will only take me a few minutes to notify Athen and Naomi. They are trained to take care of things around here in case I have to accompany you somewhere.”

  It would be comforting to her if he was there. She knew the Palers and Laxes would do everything in their power to protect her, but with Hathor, she felt safe all the time.

  “I would like you there,” she admitted.

  He smiled widely. “Done.” Then he ran out of the room to make the necessary arrangements.

  After she got dressed, she crept into Katherine’s room to say good-bye. The girl was curled up on her side, her blanket tucked around her.

  “Sleep well, little princess,” she whispered and gave Katherine a light kiss on the forehead.

  Katherine shifted in response but did not wake up.

  Ann marveled that Katherine might be the next queen of Raz. If Ann had more daughters, then the planet could choose one of her siblings. The oldest did not necessarily inherit the throne on this world. But Ann felt better knowing that if something did happen to her, then at least Raz’s future was secure with her daughter safely here.

  Ann slipped out of the room, careful not to wake the baby, and met Hathor in the hallway.