Page 67 of Badass Alien Boss

“She’s Prellim. Korsan told me. Right before I walked in here.”

Mama?The woman who loved cooking and feeding people? The self-appointed matchmaker? The formerLuturnan defense minister? And if so, how would Korsan know? What kind of trouble had he gotten into? And for stars’ sake, why wouldn’t he have reported it? The Prellims didn’t just run a galactic criminal syndicate, they were terrorists.

Michaela reached out and grasped his hand. “So, what happens next?”

“My colleagues on Oberia will get to work on developing a serum,” Dr. Kurur said. “Because the nanocyte invades the host’s own cells, the challenge is to eradicate it without killing the host.”

Me. I’m the host. The good news is, the treatment was a success; the bad news is, the patient died.

“If they can neutralize the nanocyte, you’ll be notified right away. In the meantime, you must abstain from sexual intercourse.”

If. If. If.The word reverberated in his brain. This could affect them for the rest of their lives. He loved her. No matter what, he wanted to be with her, but the idea they might never be able to be physically intimate devastated him.

“How long will it take before they can develop a serum?” Michaela asked. “Are we talking weeks? Months? Years?”

“I can’t say. This case has the potential to affect the entire planet, the galaxy. Authorities have deemed this a biowarfare issue, a planetary and galactic security concern. But I’ll be honest, while I’m hopeful, success is not assured.”

“Could we, um…use a barrier method in the meantime?” she asked.

“Barrier to what? I don’t understand,” the doctor said.

“Could we have sex with a condom?”

The doctor frowned, looking as confused as Ruyn. Condom? What was she talking about?

“A prophylactic. People on Earth use them to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. A sheath fitting over the penis contains the ejaculate.”

“Ah. IntheoryI suppose thatmightprotect you, unless the antigen is capable of passing through the membrane. And if the sheath broke? One more exposure to the antigen will kill you. Of that, I’m 100 percent certain.”

Ruyn flinched, and Michaela inhaled audibly.

“Is it…is…it because I’m human that I react to the antigen? Or would he have the same effect on Luturnans, too?”

“All indications are, it would occur with anyone he is intimate with.”

She looked like she was fighting tears, and he felt gut-punched by reality as their future evaporated right before hiseyes. Without him, she could lead a normal life, enjoy a normal intimate relationship. Holding her to the promises they made wouldn’t be fair to her. He wanted to howl, pound the wall, but he had to let her go. She’d probably already reached that conclusion herself.

“Which leads to one more thing,” the doctor said.

Phuk. What now?Every time the doctor opened his mouth, the situation got worse.

“An agent fromGalpolis waiting to speak to you both.”

“The Galactic Police Organization is involved?” Her voice rose.

“Michaela and I need to…confer…first,” he said. “The news you delivered is…disturbing to say the least.”

“The situation is far from hopeless,” the doctor said, and Ruyn almost laughed. Thus far, everything he’d said had been devastating. “As I said, Stratos is a genius. If anyone can figure this out, he can.” Dr. Kurur stood up. “I’ll have my nurse take you to a quiet space where you can have your conversation, and I’ll direct the Galpol agent to meet you there.”

The nurse-tech’s woeful expression, meant to be sympathetic, made the bleak situation worse. Again, he’d become an object of pity, only this time, he’d dragged the woman he loved into his doomed life.

The quiet space turned out to be a hexagonal serene blue-gray room with low padded benches facing a niche with a figurine of a cross-legged Luturnan in a state of meditative bliss. Wall sconces cast a flickering light, and hidden diffusers scented the air with the essence ofkalmur, an aromatic herb supposed to have a relaxing effect on the nerves.

He wanted to smash the diffuser against the statue’s contented, peaceful face.

“Stay as long as you like,” the nurse-tech said and left.

Michaela’s quivering lip and teary eyes almost undid him.Say it before she does.“You need to live your life without me. Go home to Earth. Forget me.” Pain squeezed his chest in an iron grip.