Alliance: Cosmic Scandal
by Lyndi Lamont
Futuristic Erotic Romance
Published by Amber Quill Press
Heat Level 3
Fifth in the Alliance series…
When Myrek, heir to the Ziganese throne, becomes ambassador to the planet Mhajav, he hopes to find a cure for his son’s hereditary illness. Then he meets a lovely young geneticist and passion overwhelms his sense of duty. All he can think of is making Khira his own.
Khira is a rarity, a Mhajavi virgin of 25. A child prodigy, she skipped several grades and was underage when most of her classmates went off to sex camp before attending university. Though hopelessly in love with Myrek, she knows their love is doomed. Under Ziganese law Myrek must wed a virgin, but Mhajavi law forbids virgins from marrying.
An erotic encounter in a brothel leads to a fateful decision that defies the laws of two worlds and causes a cosmic scandal.
Available from All Romance eBooks, Amazon Kindle Store, AQP/Amber Heat, and BN/Nook.
What Readers and Reviewers Are Saying…
Blue Ribbon Rating: 4.5… “The fifth story in the ALLIANCE series, COSMIC SCANDAL tells of a man and woman in a cosmic snarl. Author Lyndi Lamont writes with such passion that I wanted to crawl into Myrek’s arms. When he didn’t allow sweet Khira to lose her virginity but instead found other ways to feel close, I had to keep an ice cold drink handy. I highly recommend short story ALLIANCE: COSMIC SCANDAL to my friends who enjoy romantica.” – Kathleen R. Romance Junkies
4 Nymphs… “Cosmic Scandal is another delightful episode in the Alliance series. For the first time, Myrek desires to follow his heart rather than his duty but Khira knows their love is doomed. Lyndi Lamont continues this fabulous saga of two planets struggle to come together with Myrek older brother to Rulik, who was introduced in the first book Diplomatic Relations. This is a very enjoyable series; I look forward to the next installment.” – Chocolate Minx Literary Nymphs
“From start to finish, Alliance: Cosmic Scandal is a well constructed story. The writing is sound, the character motivations clear, and there’s the right balance of sex and angst…” – Patrice F., Joyfully Reviewed
Khira stood just inside the door of the hospital waiting room and watched Prince Myrek talk to the Ziganese woman and child. The news of the ambassador’s dramatic appearance had spread through the hospital like wildfire. A steady parade of staff members walked by, pausing to peek in at him. Of course everyone knew who he was. After all, Mahdesh City wasn’t exactly full of fair-skinned men with golden hair and blue eyes. Since the embassy had opened two weeks earlier, all the members of the Ziganese diplomatic contingent had attracted attention wherever they went.
Especially the handsome and single prince.
The reddish-haired woman and child started to leave. Khira suspected she was a servant of some kind, perhaps the injured boy’s nurse. It was well known in the medical community the boy suffered from a rare blood disease, probably hereditary in nature. Khira had been waiting for a chance to meet the ambassador and speak to him about studying his son’s condition. The chance to compare the DNA of both her people and the Ziganese was a geneticist’s dream. And she might be able to apply her current work on gene therapy to the boy’s disease.
Her heart beat faster. Finding a cure for such an exotic disease would make her reputation as the premier Mhajavi geneticist. And the chance to cure a child of a life-threatening disease would be even more fulfilling.
She straightened her shoulders and walked toward Prince Myrek. A prince. How odd the notion seemed to the democratic Mhajavi way of thinking. It gave him a special status, though, and coupled with his good looks, made him irresistible to many women. Khira smiled to herself, convinced she wouldn’t be affected. But when he looked up and smiled at her, her step faltered and her heart raced even faster.
“Excuse me, Ambassador,” she said. “I’d like to speak to you about your son.”
He jumped up, his expression anxious. “How is he? Is he going to be all right?”
Khira held up a hand. “I’m not treating your son. Not as yet anyway.”
“Can you find out how he’s doing?”
“Of course.” She stepped aside, pulled out her in-house comm and contacted the lab. “Any word yet on Prince Myrek’s son?”
“We’ve finished the exam,” Dr. Udam said. “Would you bring the ambassador back to the lab?”
“Of course.” Khira shut off her comm and turned back to Myrek. “If you’ll come with me, you can speak with the doctor.”
“Thank you.”
He fell into step with her. “Excuse my manners, but I’ve been so worried.”
“Not at all,” she said. “I would like to introduce myself, though. I’m Dr. Khira and my specialty is genetics. I’d like to take a look at your son’s DNA, if you agree.”
He turned his head to stare down at her from his formidable height. “You’re Dr. Khira? I was expecting someone older.”
“You know about me?”
“Yes, one of the doctors who traveled to Zigan for the diplomatic conference mentioned your name. He thought you might be able to help Vilem. I intended to contact you as soon as we arrived, but everything has been so hectic.”
“I can imagine,” she said as they reached the lab where Dr. Udam awaited them. Vilem had been moved to a gurney.
“Will my son be all right?” Myrek asked.
“As I suspected, he’s bleeding into his brain.”
Myrek looked stricken by the news, and Khira squeezed his hand reassuringly. He tightened his grip on hers, as if reaching for some kind of lifeline, and she left her hand in his. From what she knew, the poor man had been dealing with his son’s illness on his own since his wife died shortly after giving birth.
“Don’t worry. We’ll insert a tube to drain off the blood and administer the clotting factor to stop the bleeding.”
“Do whatever it takes, doctor,” Myrek said. “Let me know if you don’t have enough clotting factor. Vilem seems to have developed a resistance to the medicine. It takes more and more of it to stop the bleeding now.”
Khira exchanged a look with Udam. That wasn’t a good sign. The sooner she found a cure, the better. She turned to Myrek. “While Dr. Udam is treating Vilem, will you come to my lab so I can take a sample of your DNA? I’d like a sample of Vilem’s also, for comparative purposes.”
Myrek nodded.
“I’ll see you get a sample of the boy’s DNA,” Dr. Udam said. “Don’t worry, Ambassador, we’ll do all we can for your son.”
“Thank you, doctor. That’s all I can ask,” Myrek said, his voice sounding choked. He leaned over his son’s bed, brushed a blond curl back, and kissed the boy’s forehead. “Come back to me, Vilem. I need you.”
“Come.” Khira took his large, masculine hand and tugged him gently away as Vilem was wheeled out of the room. “He’ll be well cared for.”
Myrek let Khira lead him out of the room and down the hallway, his hand still holding onto hers. Feelings of compassion mingled with her physical attraction to this man. She just hoped Dr. Udam would be able to save his son’s life.
Copyright by Lyndi Lamont, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED