Tess is poised for flight but Khivar blocks her path. He sits her down on a chair and begins to discover the truth about his Queen.

{Practice, practice, practice damn Nesado}

{Moving again. Hate new school. Hate being the new kid.}

{Why can’t I have friends now?}

{Humans are a lower life form. Human emotions will weaken me. Trust only Nesado and my family.}

{Nesado’s mantra I have a family who loves me. Zan my husband, Vilandra my sister-in-law, and Rath my brother-in-law having them I don’t need anyone else especially humans.}

{I have a greater destiny than being on this primitive planet.}

{Zan has been found my love, my life, my destiny.}

{I pour through the pictures of Zan. He is beautiful and he is MINE.}

{I can hardly breathe it’s him! I will him to look at me. If he looks at me he will know me!}

{He won’t look. Who is that brown-haired human he is so intent on? Why is he wasting his time with that…human?}

{He’s going to be my lab partner I’ll just give him a little nudge.}

{In disbelief she watches him run away from her to the human. He kisses the human! Must get rid of the human}

{Perfect set up it’s raining he’ll stop and help me. I stand in the rain-soaking wet. My clothes mold my body. How can he resist? Come to me. He’s here we kiss right in front of the human Liz. That should do the trick.}

{Damn it is there anyway to pry those two apart?}

{The destiny book!}

{He doesn’t believe in destiny? He loves Liz and won’t give her up. He’s choosing a human over his wife? I don’t think so.}

{Liz running away from Max after his mother’s ‘message.’}

{She’s in Florida and he won’t give me the time of day. This is not what I was promised He doesn’t love me hell he doesn’t even like me. They only tolerate me because I am one of them. They will pay.}

{Tess complaining to Nesado. Him telling her of the deal he struck with Khivar. Her agreeing to the terms.}

No real surprises so far in Tess’s memories. Nesado set her up to fail with Max from the beginning. There is something in that time period with the Liz-Max-Tess triangle that I am missing. What could it be?

“If you want to stay Queen you will quit plotting with your son. The people hate you even more than me. You were supposed to be one of the ones to save them instead you betrayed. If given the opportunity they will kill you and your precious son. I think you need to do some soul searching. Guards the Queen isn’t feeling well. Bring her to the special chamber to wait out her illness.”

Tess screams as the guards drag her away. “Khivar NO. Please don’t do this. I’ll be good I promise.”

Antarian Resistance Headquarters-Earth

Max greets Maria and Alex. “Come on Max we need to get to the family quarters. There are quite a few people eager to see you. Ava and Kyle are here too. Ava didn’t know if you would want to see her because of Tess.”

“Isabel of course I want to see her. She is not Tess. Kyle is alive too? This resistance organization is something else. They have somehow saved the people I love the most.”

Isabel opens the door to a room filled with boisterous laughter. Teenage kids are everywhere. One sits by the fire playing a guitar. He notices the arrival and quiets the room. “Thank you Amergin. Max this is mine and Alex’s son Amergin. Amergin your Uncle Max.” Amergin born with his father’s open friendliness pulls his uncle into an embrace. Isabel’s daughters come up to greet their uncle. “Max meet your nieces Mara and Ceara.”

Michael playfully bows with a flourish. “Maxwell may I present Aeden and Mellan to you.”

Kyle and Ava come in with three more teenagers. “Evans!” Kyle embraces Max. “You know my wife Ava and these are our children Declan, Desmond, and Siban.”

“I hate to break the reunion up but the Queen has sent word. She wants to see you, Max, and Isabel in her chambers immediately.” Kyle looks at the adults meaningfully, “He will meet the others after you see the Queen.”