THE ALIEN’S RANSOM

DRIXONIAN WARRIORS #1

MEGAN ERICKSON

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Ella Maven

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means.

Copyedited by Edie Danford

Cover design by Natasha Snow

First edition February 2020

DEDICATION

To those who handle trauma with humor

CONTENTS

The Alien’s Ransom

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

The Alien’s Escape

Acknowledgments

About the Author

THE ALIEN’S RANSOM

“Nothing in my life had prepared me for extraterrestrial motorcycle clubs.”

Frankie: I thought alien abductions only happened in movies. But here I am on a strange planet with green soil and a gang of muscled, wicked-horned aliens on hover bikes. All I want to do is go back to Earth, but the alpha male in charge has decided I belong to him. Now I’m on the back of his bike speeding to an unknown destination and super freaked out about liking his biceps and serious scowl. Good thing I have some banked personal days because this might take a while…

Daz: The job is supposed to be easy. All I have to do is deliver a spaceship of living cargo to the vile Uldani and they’ll release my brother. If I fail, they’ll take it out on him. Except the cargo is something I’ve never seen before—human females. The one called Frankie is beautiful and soft, and I’ve already spilled blood for her. Now how am I going to save my brother? Because this human female is mine.

The Alien’s Ransom is a full-length Sci-Fi Romance novel featuring a snarky heroine who tries to find the humor in everything, even when kidnapped by aliens, and a possessive hero with lots of hidden weapons. Big ones.

ONE

Frankie

I couldn’t move my limbs. That was my first indication things were most definitely not okay. Also, my body swayed slightly. Was there an earthquake? Was I dreaming?

I opened my eyes, and instead of the ceiling of my apartment in New Jersey, I was staring at a dome plated with gleaming silver. I blinked and tried to turn my head, but my muscles were frozen in place. My heart began to race, and I screamed except … no sound. My mouth didn’t even open. My vocal cords didn’t vibrate. Just … nothing. Nothing but me lying on my back staring at a silver ceiling.

Okay, Francesca Maria Russo, think, think, think. Don’t panic, don’t panic…

Shit, I was panicking. My breathing sped up, the sound whistling through my nose. I could feel my chest rising and falling as tears slipped down my temples.

A loud beeping blared in my ears and then a face appeared above mine. I used the term face loosely. Pale white skin. One eye. A hole above it which fluttered like a dolphin’s blowhole. And a red slash which must have been a mouth, because it opened and emitted a squeaky voice, “Calm, human.”

I didn’t even try screaming. There was no point. I had to be dreaming. I had to be, and fuck, if my subconscious wasn’t a dick, because I was paralyzed and unable to pinch myself. My brain was cruel if it was doing this in my sleep. That was the last time I’d eat Ben & Jerry’s before bed.

But God, this seemed real, so real. The beeping stopped as the dolphin-faced thing moved its floppy, elbow-less limbs beside me. Something pricked my arm, then warmth flowed through my neck. I tried to move it, and sure enough, I could now turn my head. I couldn’t move my limbs. But my head? Yes.

I was lying on some sort of cot and the creature was beside it, standing at what looked like an ultrasound machine. The creature was … very tall. Like NBA-basketball-player tall, but also so thin I didn’t think it had many organs, or bones for that matter.

He turned around and blinked at me with that creepy one eye. Another loud beeping filled the air, and the creature wheeled his cart away. It was then I got a good look at the space I was in. It was all very sterile, with gleaming silver-plated walls and a floor so clean, its surface was reflective. Lying on about half a dozen cots which filled the room were women, like me, covered in white sheets.

Wow, this was one fucked-up dream. The creature was now at the bedside of another woman. I heard it say the same thing— “Calm, human.”

The bed to my left was empty. I looked to my right and met the deep brown eyes of a woman with skin a few shades darker than mine and hair spread out around her head in curly black ringlets.

“You okay?” she asked.

I smiled at her. “I’ll be okay when I wake up.”

Her eyebrows dipped. “You are awake.”

I shook my head. “Nah, this is a dream.”

Her expression softened. Was that pity? “Sweetie, I promise you, this is no dream.”

“Where the fuck am I?” A voice screeched, loud and jarring, the sound echoing off the metal walls. “Who are you? What is happening?” Her voice dissolved from shrieking to hysterical tears.

I could barely see the woman, but she looked to be around my age—late twenties—and had straight blonde hair. A few more weird creatures entered the room from a sliding silver door. One jabbed a needle in the hysterical woman’s arm, and she fell silent.

I turned back to the woman I’d been speaking to. She was watching me carefully.

“This is a dream,” I said.

“Not a dream,” she whispered. “What’s your name?”

“Frankie and this is a dream.”

“I’m Miranda. I wish this was a dream but it’s not.”

“A dream,” I said again. My breathing accelerated and my heart raced in my ears like a marching army. I glanced around and realized whatever we were in was moving. Like a boat, or airplane, or… Holy fuck, this had to be a bad dream.

“A dream,” I panted, panic inflating inside my chest like a balloon, cutting off my air.

“Frankie, please, they’ll come back—”

“A dream.” I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth, then chomped down on my lip. I ground my teeth into the flesh, hard, until I tasted blood. I opened my eyes and stared at the silver ceiling.

Oh my God.

“This is a dream!” I shouted. “A dream, it has to be a dream. A fucking dream!” The silver door opened and still I shouted. “A dream, a dream!” More dolphin blowhole jerk-faces. A needle prick in my arm. “A goddamn fucking—” My eyes closed, my voice stopped, and it all went black.

There were a lot of things public school didn’t prepare me for. How to balance a checkbook. How to change the oil in my car. The proper way to load a dishwasher.

But public school, most freaking definitely, did not prepare me for how to deal with extraterrestrial motorcycle clubs.

Yeah, you heard me. E.T. motherfuckers on wheel-less bikes that hovered above the ground. The bikes looked a lot like regular motorcycles on top, but instead of wheels, flat circular disks the same circumference as the bike’s body spanned the bottom. The riders didn’t look like E.T. They looked more like giant, horned bodybuilders covered in shiny scales in various tones of blue.

We heard them first, a ground-shaking rumble like a volcanic eruption before they appeared over the horizon like a locust swarm. One rode out in front, the others flanking him. They seemed to be males, but I couldn’t tell for sure until they got closer. They were humanoid, with noses, mouths, and two eyes. Wicked black horns corkscrewed out of the sides of their heads, ending in sharp points. I was probably in shock because I couldn’t do much more than stare.

A warm breeze blew over my skin, which was nice since I wasn’t wearing much. I sat on the ground with six other women, wearing whatever we’d worn to sleep before we’d been snatched out of our beds. On Earth. At least, I was sure that was what had happened. I’d gone to sleep and woken up in that spaceship with no recollection of how I got there. I kept hoping I’d wake up in my apartment to the beeping of my dying smoke alarm because I hadn’t bothered to change the batteries yet. But nope.

As much as I wanted it to be, this was not a dream. After we landed on the planet, we’d been ushered out of the spaceship—an actual spaceship! —by another type of alien… Species? They were easily eight feet tall and wide as freaking Grizzlies, so even if they hadn’t been covered in plated armor and helmets, I wasn’t going to fuck with them. I eyed the gun-like things on their hips and shuddered.

The Dolphin-Hole aliens had taken their stupid ship and left, just zoomed off into the distance leaving us on this strange planet with Armored Bears and the incoming bikers. We seemed to be in a rather deserted area. I would compare it to the places outside Vegas where the mob buried bodies. This planet was covered in a coating of green dirt, kind of like matcha powder, and the vegetation was blue—from the grass to the distant forest-like area where the hover bikes had emerged.

The craziest thing was not only could I see a sun, but also a whole other freaking planet. It wasn’t like I could leap over there or anything; it was probably still light years away. But it was visible and rising over the horizon with a blue-green swirled atmosphere. It reminded me so much of Earth my heart ached.

The biggest biker—I assumed he was the leader—came to a stop and five others followed. The bikes settled, kicking up dirt as they dropped to the ground. The dust swirled around the alien’s tree-trunk legs as they approached. They wore black pants which looked a bit like shiny leather and black boots. Most of them wore no shirts, displaying muscle upon muscle, and their scales were mottled, almost like blue camouflage. A few had ratty-looking vests with patches on them. I didn’t want to know what they had to do to earn those patches. I assumed it wasn’t community service.

Each one had a red armband on their left biceps with a symbol stamped in the center that I couldn’t make out. Oh, and they had tails. About six feet long, their tails were thick at the base and narrowed to a spiked point. Most of them had some sort of jewelry on the tips. Well, less jewelry and more like weapons, such as collars of blades and chains of spikes. Their pants were held up by their tails, with a clasp of some sort at the top, like a backwards belt.

This meeting reeked of a handoff, because the Armored Bears, while tense and alert, did not seem surprised at the bikers appearance. I kept my eyes on the biker leader.

His armband was a little different—the edges trimmed in a gold thread, and he was seriously fucking scary-looking. His prominent brow was ridged in a series of nubs over his black eyes, and as he flexed his arms, a seam split open from the scales on the outside of his forearms. A row of black blades emerged, about six inches long and four inches wide, shaped like shark’s teeth.

I imagined they could slice through anything, including me. As quickly as they rose, they settled back into his skin, and I wondered if that was some sort of display of dominance. I accepted the challenge silently with a shudder. He was dominant. Done. No need for more demonstrations.

His septum was pierced with a thick ring, his black hair streaked with silver hung straight to his shoulders. It blew in the breeze like he was the star of some intergalactic shampoo commercial. Dove for Extraterrestrials on Bikes. Christ, I was delirious. My friend Paris always told me I laughed at inappropriate times, and that was true, because my brain seemed to handle stress with humor.

Something about the leader’s posture, and that of the rest of his crew, made me uneasy. They had humanoid features, and I could tell from their expressions they thought something was wrong. They glanced at each other, murmuring harsh words in a guttural language. The leader’s nostrils flared as he surveyed us, his fists clenched at his sides. His hands appeared to have five fingers, each topped with a pointed black nail.

Most of the women looked away and a few whimpered, but I kept watching him. His gaze landed on me, and a flicker of darker blue flashed over his scales. His tail thumped the ground, and I felt it, like an electrical current speeding through the dirt. Those eyes looked into my very soul, and a fissure of heat licked at my spine.

I looked away first, because what the hell was that? Did magic exist here? Did he cast a spell on me? When I looked up again, he was conversing in muted tones with the head Armored Bear who stood in front of us holding a wicked-looking spear. About a dozen more Armored Bears stood guard over us, as if a bunch of weapon-less women in sleepwear were any threat.

I had on a pair of short shorts and a large T-shirt. I was better off than the girl in the back who wore nothing but a sheer teddy. Pitiful thing. But really, who slept in stuff like that?

About four of the Armored Bears were checking her out with hungry eyes. Well, from what I could see through the slits in their helmets, I assumed they were hungry eyes. Kind of hard to tell because they had no eyelids, just these big yellow eyeballs. Occasionally, an opaque film would descend over them before disappearing again. It was freaking me out.

I stared down at my feet. I’d meant to repaint my toenails before bed but had fallen asleep before doing so. They were a chipped bright pink, and sitting here on a foreign planet, I couldn’t believe I was actually thinking about my stupid, fucking toenails. Who gave a fuck when aliens were going to rape or eat us? I shivered and glanced around, like I’d find evidence of a gnawed-off human arm laying nearby.

My way of dealing with stress all my life had been to just not deal. After my mother died when I was two, my father raised me. He was a fantastic dad, but a little overbearing. He made the decisions for me, and I went with the flow. That had been a fine plan for the most part because my life had flowed on a calm current. Floating in an innertube, I’d been content to let the wind blow me around since I’d never strayed far from shore. When the seas got a little rough, I’d laugh it off and move on. But this? This wasn’t a small storm at sea. This wasn’t even a hurricane. This was Armageddon. My inner tube had popped a long time ago, and I was drowning.

Miranda sat beside me, and although she shot me cautious looks, we hadn’t spoken since I’d woken up. I needed some time to deal with the fact this wasn’t a dream. I’d bitten my lip to hell, and still I was here and not in my bed. I wasn’t waking up in my apartment, grabbing a granola bar to go, and getting ready for my waitressing job. I wasn’t fielding my best friend’s phone calls about when I was going to pick up my bridesmaid dress. The answer was never if I could help it. Peach wasn’t my color. Nope, I was here, on a planet with a gleaming orange sun that seemed so close I couldn’t understand why we weren’t all burnt to hell, and a sister planet that loomed like a threat.

“Hey,” I whispered to Miranda, unsure if we could talk. Some girls were sniffling. Shrieking Blondie sat with her head bowed, hair covering her face, slender shoulders shaking. I wanted to go to her, but the guards glared every time we so much as scratched an itch.

Miranda turned to me. “Hey, back.”

“Sorry for my freak-out back there.” I gestured to the area where the spaceship had landed.

She smiled. “Hey, it’s okay. You didn’t hear me when I woke, up. I did the same thing, but I got it under control before they shot me full of that paralyzing shit again.”

“Yeah, what the hell was that?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged.

“Any idea where we are?”

“None. Another solar system? Some black-hole time warp?” She pointed to where the hover bikes rested on the ground, the sun rays gleaming off the polished metal. “I mean, what are those things?”

“I vote for black-hole time warp. That’s easier than believing this place has existed all this time, and all we’ve accomplished through our space research was dissing poor Pluto.”

Miranda snickered, and me being me, the daughter of a loud Italian chef, I opened my mouth and hooted.

Big mistake. Huge. The guard next to me took one of his massive club hands and swung it at me on a hiss. I didn’t have time to duck or dodge because it was coming at me like a chunk of concrete. I managed to avoid a full-contact blow, but he still cracked me across the cheek. Blinding pain scorched across my face and down my neck as my head felt like it spun three hundred and sixty degrees. I fell to the side, lungs burning as I inhaled dirt and whatever air was on this godforsaken planet. I struggled to stay conscious. Cries surrounded me, and I felt gentle hands in my hair as Miranda spoke to me softly.

I wasn’t in Jersey anymore, Toto. How that blow hadn’t killed me, I wasn’t sure. My entire body ached. Did he know humans were fragile creatures made of flesh and bone and blood? A dark liquid mingled with the dirt beneath me. My blood.

Something thumped the ground, hard enough to make my teeth rattle, followed by a dull roar. Earthquake? Tsunami? Was there even water on this planet?

Miranda gasped, and my vision cleared in time to see the Bladed Blues leader sprinting toward me. I wondered if he planned to finish off the job, and I wasn’t sure I cared at this point. Use me as an example, fucker. I dare you.

Except he was heading toward the guard who’d cracked me. His scales seemed alive, as ripples of varying blue shades shimmered over his body. His forearm spikes unfurled as he raised his arms, and in my head, I heard a metal-like, unsheathed-sword sound effect. He leaped in the air—I swear it was in slow-motion—as his mouth opened to release a thunderous growl. His spiked forearm whipped toward the guard and then fell to his side as he landed with a massive thud, dust surrounding him.

I didn’t understand what had just happened. At least, I didn’t understand until the guard’s arm fell off. The same arm which had clubbed me over the head fell off his freaking body and landed in the dirt in front of me with a thud, the fingers still twitching. With a wheezing, high-pitched squeak, he held his now-armless shoulder, as thick, clotted liquid squirted from his body.

What followed was chaos. I screamed, the women around me screamed, and it was goddamn hysteria as the rest of the Armored Bears went into attack mode to avenge their fallen brethren. The group of Bladed Blues went into a practiced formation. They crossed their arms in front of their necks, spikes out, and fanned out from their leader in a V.

There was nothing for us women to do but close ranks and huddle together as the fight waged around us. I’d thought the odds wouldn’t be in the Bladed Blues favor, as they were outnumbered two to one, but it was obvious I didn’t know much about the alien species on this planet because the Bladed Blues were winning. Handily. It was like watching a herd of elephants stampede through a pack of hyenas.

It became obvious why the Armored Bears wore helmets and armor, while the Bladed Blues didn’t even bother with shirts. In addition to the spikes in their forearms, they also had them on the top of their heads—in three spiky rows like Mohawks—and down the center of their backs. Along with their now-elongated claws and spiked tails, they were chopping Bears in half, slicing through their metal like butter.

When the grunts and dying groans faded, all six Bladed Blues still stood. Most weren’t even breathing hard, and an especially large one with a scarred face and broken-off horn was casually swirling the end of his tail through a pool of green Bear blood. Another took out a piece of cloth and meticulously wiped down one of his horns. This was appreciated, because I’d seen him send it straight through a Bear’s eyeball.

I clung to Miranda. “Oh my God,” I muttered. A Bear took a few last shuddering breaths, blood oozing from an open wound that spanned his torso. “Did the good guys win or the bad guys?”

“I’m thinking there are no good guys,” she answered.

Blondie whimpered.

Eyes narrowing, the leader stood in the center of the carnage. He studied each body, and I followed his gaze. Where was the armless guy? I counted the Bears on the ground and only got eleven. I knew there’d been twelve. Had one gotten away?

The leader must have come to the same conclusion, because he barked a few words at his men, his voice guttural and urgent, before his gaze fixed on me, and he began walking in my direction.

As he got close, he reached for me, and my survival instinct kicked in gear—albeit too damn late. My head throbbed, my cheek ached, and my eye was already swelling shut. I tried to scramble away, hands scrabbling for purchase on the dirt, but there was nowhere to go. Women surrounded me, and I probably had a concussion. Where the fuck was I going to run to? Earth? He picked me up off the ground as if I weighed as much as a kitten.

I lashed out, hitting him with my fists and kicking my feet. My bare toes struck his hard stomach muscles, and I cried out.

“Let her go!” Miranda screamed.

The bikers silently formed a line, cutting me off from the rest of the women, leaving me to struggle on my own against the leader. His eyes scanned me curiously, and then he barked a command at me in a deep voice that reverberated down my spine. But his harsh tone was nothing compared to the sight of his massive, gleaming fangs. Seriously? Bone blades, muscles, and fangs? What intimidating feature didn’t this species have?

I went still with fear and braced for whatever he had planned for me. I couldn’t imagine it was anything good.

TWO

DAZ

This was the last flecking thing I needed.

I held a human female. An actual human female. One of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, but the other was a deep brown, big and round in her pale face, and her long, dark hair hung to the middle of her back, wavy and thick.

She was so small. Did humans have natural defenses at all? I gripped her jaw and squeezed. A shudder ran through her body and her mouth dropped open. I peered inside. Her teeth were small and blunt. How did she eat anything substantial?

Her chest heaved, and her good eye rolled wildly.

“I won’t hurt you,” I said and readjusted my grip.

She swallowed and shook her head. “Uh dohn unnestan u.”

I checked behind her ear. No translation implant, and my guess was that if she didn’t have one, none of the other females in this group would either. I huffed in frustration. A dire situation just got worse.

Flecking Uldani. Now it all made sense. Five rotations ago, they’d captured my brother, Sax. They were holding him hostage until we picked up cargo from a Rahgul ship and delivered it to the Uldani compound. They hadn’t told us what the cargo was, and at the time I hadn’t understood why they’d insisted on holding Sax as collateral instead of just offering to barter. Now I knew why they kept the specifics of the cargo from us. Drixonians would never put females in harm’s way. It was embedded in our very sola.

I prided myself on my instincts and my ability to assess situations before acting rashly. It was what had kept me alive all these sun cycles—through dangerous missions, war, and survival. It was what had kept the males of my clavas alive. They looked up to me as their drexel. They depended on me to lead them, and I’d die before I let them down.

Right now, my instincts battled each other with bloody fists. Failing this mission most likely would cost my brother his life, but everything had changed the minute the Kulk struck this female. I’d felt the blow in my own head like an echo. One glimpse of the female’s blood and I hadn’t been able to think straight. Even now, the thought of those crimson drops on the ground had my scales rippling in anger and my machets twitching to be let free. I could feel the throbbing of her pain like a full pulse in my own temple.

Never before had I lost control like that. I’d wanted nothing more than to make that flecking Kulk suffer for hurting her. As soon as we’d arrived, this human caught my eye and made my cora beat double time. For a brief moment, I’d felt something other than anger and the crippling pressure of guilt. I’d felt hope.

And now… the Kulks were dead. My only regret was that the one who’d hit her had gotten away. I’d intended to finish him off after he suffered for a bit and watched his Defens troop die because of his actions, but he was missing. In the chaos of the fight, he must have fled. I suppressed a growl. I’d find him and finish the job. It wasn’t like it’d be hard to find a one-armed Kulk.

Kulk bodies lay around us, their green blood staining the dirt. They worked for the Uldani as their Defens, and while they weren’t hard to kill, they were plentiful and followed orders. Also around us? Five human females. They wore minimal amounts of clothing and clung to each other, obviously frightened. The one in my arms shook like a scared baby welf. I smoothed her hair, and she flinched at my touch. I gritted my teeth. Didn’t she see all those Kulks my males and I had killed for her? Didn’t she see I was her only hope of survival on this flecking planet?

Fleck, she was fragile. Her skin was soft, and thin, narrow tunnels carrying her blood lay just under the top layer of her pale flesh. What kind of evolutionary fleck-up was that? One scratch of my claws and she’d bleed. I’d never seen a human up close. I had no memory of seeing any female—of her species or mine. All our females had died when I was an infant. And now, I was responsible for this human and five others.

My men would want orders. Answers. Not that they ever needed an excuse to kill some Kulks. They hadn’t hesitated to follow my lead even though they knew there would be consequences. Normally, we didn’t give a flying fleck about a few dead Kulks, but the Uldani held my brother. They had a way to punish us. I clenched my jaw at the thought of what they’d do to Sax. He was strong, but he wasn’t immortal. And he was all I had left of my family.

“Drexel,” Ward spoke from behind me, respectfully using my title and not my name. His voice held a tremor of emotion, a sign of how unusual this situation was. Ward was a stoic rule-follower. “What are we going to do?”

I didn’t know, and that was unacceptable. I’d been the leader of the Night Kings clavas since the Uprising. I’d led us to prosperity and as much happiness as we could have without females and a future. Now, we had females, but was I willing to have them at the cost of my remaining brother’s life?

“We will take them to the hideout and comm the rest of the males at the main camp to go on lockdown. It won’t be long until these dead Kulks are discovered. The one who got away will alert the closest squad to come after us.”

Ward’s eyes searched mine. “What’s happened doesn’t make sense. The Uldani assigned Kulk guards to the females, so why didn’t the Kulks deliver them to the Uldani? Why did the Uldani need us to make the delivery?”

That same question had been like an itch under my skin ever since we’d arrived to find a group of humans being guarded by Kulks. “Something’s not right. And until I know more, we protect these females from harm.”

Ward straightened his spine and nodded, clenching his jaw. “Of course.”

As long as we held these females alive, then we had something the Uldani wanted. And as long as they kept Sax alive, I had a reason to make the delivery. Just the thought of handing over the human in my arms to the Uldani made a growl rumble in my chest.

I had thought Fatas was done flecking with us. We’d already lost all our females and most of our male elders. We’d been betrayed by the Uldani and then lost hundreds of our males in the Uprising, including one of my brothers. Then she’d stranded us on this planet. I hadn’t even thought of her when the Uldani took my Sax.

Fleck Fatas. We’d survive despite her. But now, as I held the pretty human in my arms, and my instincts screamed at me she meant something, that I had to protect her, that she was mine, I wanted to rage at Fatas. I’d had my brother Rex’s life in my hands and flecked that up. I couldn’t have Sax’s life on my conscience either.

When Sax and I were younger and still lived on Corin, we’d found a pack of wild rusters. Sax had talked to them and given them all names, even though he knew they’d be our dinner. When an elder killed the one he’d named Hammy, Sax had cried. The elder had told us never to talk to or name anything we’d have to hurt or kill. It’d been a lesson I’d taken to heart. The logical decision to ensure the safety of my brother and my clavas would be to deliver these humans as promised. Don’t talk to them. Don’t learn their names.

As I stared at the female in my arms, and she stared back at me, I wanted to know her name. I wanted to know what it would be like to have her look at me with respect instead of fear.

That hope in me grew, and I resented it. It could be the end of me. The end of my clavas. The end of my brother. And yet I couldn’t turn my back on these females. I told myself I was holding off on the delivery because I didn’t like being tricked by the Uldani, but this was bigger than that.

I felt as if I was standing at a line. Stay behind it and life would continue as it always had. Or I could cross that line and take a chance. But I could never go back.

“I need to take her to Tark.” Tark was a friend of mine, and a lonas. He’d left his clavas to go it alone, and, because he was a tech genius, we often traded with him. “If he doesn’t have a language-translator implant, he’ll be able to find one. I have to be able to talk to her.”

“Daz.” Ward said my name in a low voice. “Not that I minded slicing into a few Kulks, but normally you aren’t that impulsive.”

“I know.” I kept my gaze on my female as I spoke, worried I’d look away and she’d somehow have been only a dream. “I can’t explain it. The Kulk struck her, and I felt it. I felt her pain in my head. I wanted to kill whoever made her bleed. Did you feel that?”

“I felt only sympathy at her pain. That was all. You, my friend, went straight to killing.”

My jaw ticked, and I had to tighten my muscles, so I didn’t dig my claws into her skin. “I’d do it again.”

“And we’d back you up again as well.”

I nodded. “Grab one female each, put them on your bikes, and get to the hideout as fast as you can. No flecking around.”

He lifted his brows. “You mean watch Hap doesn’t crash his bike, keep Gar from scaring the females to death, and make sure Xavy doesn’t try to ‘show them the scenery’.”

I almost smiled. Almost. “Exactly. Keep them in line.”

“Sax was better at that than me,” he muttered under his breath, and then froze, gaze darting to me.

Thinking of my brother and second-in-command sent a ball of dread climbing up my throat, threatening to choke me, but I swallowed it down. He and I had built this clavas together, working hard to be prosperous while not betraying our traditional Drixonian values. I couldn’t have done it without him. “We’ll get him back. I’ll find a way.”

“I know you will.” Ward’s confidence in me was humbling. “You’ll meet us at the hideout?”

I nodded. “I’ll comm you with updates. Don’t forget to keep them all charged.”

Ward’s gaze drifted toward the glaring sun. “Consider it done.”

After a few quick words to the rest of the males, they each grabbed a human female. Shrieking, screaming, and shouting ensued. My female went wild, reaching for her fellow females. I hadn’t realized they were a pack species, but mine fought my grip to get to the rest of her kind, clawing, scratching, and hollering at me ineffectually.

Ward’s female had yellow hair and looked like she was going out of her mind as she flailed like a chit. Ward growled a few commands at his human, who went limp in his grip with fear. I gritted my teeth at the treatment, but we didn’t have a choice until we could explain to them we meant them no harm. His movements were jerky and irritated as he placed her on the bike between himself and the handlebars.

After all my brothers were mounted, they turned and smacked their bands with their right hands in unison. I returned the gesture before they took off, riding toward the hideout swiftly.

My female was out of breath from fighting me, wheezing, and whimpering. Wetness tracked down her cheeks from her eyes. Was she sick? I wiped at the drops and licked them as she batted my hands away. Salty. Was this normal? I hated I couldn’t ask her. Flecking Uldani. Flecking Rahguls. Flecking Kulks. They’d all pay for this.

I wanted to treat her injuries and get her something to eat and drink, but it was too dangerous to linger here. Once the Kulk Defens team failed to check in, the Uldani would send more Kulks to investigate. They’d find dead bodies.

“Fleck,” I muttered to myself. This entire situation had been suspicious from the beginning, but I was willing to do just about anything with my brother’s life on the line. Except hand over human females.

As I dragged my female to my bike, she shook. Was she cold? The sun warmed my skin effectively, but I didn’t know how her self-heating properties worked. I rummaged in my saddlebags before finding a spare bit of fabric I used for washing up. It was clean, and while it barely covered my chest, it wrapped around her slender body from neck to mid-thigh. She clutched it and eyed me cautiously. “Isss thus beeeig niiis thigg a trrrik?” she said in her language. I was eager to be able to understand her.

I picked her up and placed her on the bike before settling in behind her. At the feel of her plump ass, my cock took notice. I sucked in a breath at the unfamiliar hardening of my shaft. Our libidos had remained mostly dormant since the virus that killed the females of our species about a hundred and fifty sun-cycles ago. But just one look at this female, and every carnal thought I’d never had bubbled to the surface. Fatas was seriously flecking with me.

I started up my bike, a sleek black girl I’d modified to withstand most weapon fire. She wasn’t as light as some of my fellow warriors’ bikes, nor as fast, but she was powerful as hell and could go long distances before refueling. I wouldn’t have attempted the trip all the way to Tark’s on any other machine but her.

I placed my female’s hands on the straight bar in front of her, so she had something to hold on to. As I did so, my arm brushed against her chest. The small buds at the tips of her breasts hardened beneath her top, and she sucked in a breath as her body shivered against me.

Could it be the human female found me attractive, or was her reaction due to fear? I didn’t know much about the males of her species. What kind of warriors were they? What kind of defenses did they have to protect their pretty, fragile females? I snorted. They couldn’t be that strong if they’d allowed the most precious parts of their society to be taken by the pitiful Rahgul. Maybe the human females were better off with us if their males couldn’t guard them properly. On this planet, Drixonians were at the top of the food chain. Only a few other species posed a threat to us, and that was only if we were sick, injured, or alone.

With a flick of my wrist, I gunned my bike, and we sped off into the safety of the tree copse. Already, I could feel a shift in the air. The Uldani would soon discover we didn’t intend to deliver their cargo as asked. Ward’s question lingered in my head along with another—what did the Uldani want with human females?

My female’s long hair rippled behind her, teasing my chest and flooding my nostrils with her scent. Under the smell of her sweat, was a musk that drove me crazy. I had to focus on my riding before I drove this bike into a tree. She was smart and intuitive and leaned with me, helping me keep the bike balanced. We entered the copse at full speed, and my female gasped as the trunks whizzed by. She let go of the bar and clung to my arm where it was wrapped around her waist. Satisfaction filled me that she’d sought out my strength and chose to touch me.

I wanted to put as much distance between us and the ship landing site as possible. The northern hemisphere of Planet Torin was comprised of two massive land masses connected by a thin strip of dense, rocky terrain. Ever since the Uprising, we’d kept to our side while, on the other side, the Uldani fortified themselves in their towers behind their tech and walls.

Before the uprising, all Drixonian males had had access to that tech and had been one of the Uldani’s most prized possessions as their effective Defens. We hadn’t realized we were possessions for many cycles. We’d protected them from invaders and kept their borders peaceful. In return, they betrayed us.

One of my biggest regrets about the Uprising was that we hadn’t worked harder to completely defeat the Uldani, and instead had retreated after we’d gained our freedom. We were now scattered across our own land mass on Torin, each Drixonian clavas an independent community. Busy with survival and fighting for resources, the Drix long ago lost the motivation that had made us work so hard to be free of the Uldani. They had no respect for other beings—we Drixonians had learned this lesson well—and I shuddered to think what they’d do to the human females.

The female’s grip on my arm had loosened. I surveyed the terrain, searching for a stopping place so I could assess her injuries. Suddenly her body went slack in my arms, and she pitched to the side, falling from the bike’s seat. I grasped for her and my hand came up empty.

THREE

Frankie

Everything hurt. My face. My neck. My legs from straddling that massive bike. My stomach from the twists and turns. Motion sickness had always been my weakness, and apparently it was a shit thing to have on other planets as well.

Distantly, I felt a change, like we were no longer speeding through the air at jet-engine speed. I felt a weird sensation, like I was falling. And then my body jolted to a stop. I opened my one good eye to find myself in my big alien’s arms. When had I started calling him my alien?

He’d taken the only thing from me that I knew on this planet—the other women. Were they okay? Why was I singled out? I’d only known Miranda for… Well, I wasn’t sure how long, but she’d been my lifeline. I wondered if I’d ever see her again. Despite the situation, I’d felt some safety as a part of the group of women. Now we were separated, I felt even more anchorless.

Angry at this stupid alien and this stupid planet, I began to struggle in his arms. His grip tightened, but when I kept up my efforts, he stopped walking and gently placed me on my feet. I pushed away from him, seeking distance because his proximity was messing with my already damaged head. Oh yeah and I was pissed at him. I promptly fell on my ass. He exhaled roughly, his black eyes narrowing into an expression that could only be interpreted as patronizing, like I was a child.

“My depth perception is fucked,” I snapped. “I can only see out of one eye, man, so give me a break.” My one working eyeball was wonky. I probably had a concussion.

I squinted up at my alien, helpless. I could try to steal his bike, but where would that get me? I couldn’t just ride into space. The thought of me cruising a hover bike past a satellite and moseying my way into Earth’s atmosphere, maybe crashing into someone’s barbecue, had me laughing. I was concussed.

I snorted as my alien looked down at me, hands on his hips, his brow lowered over his eyes, mouth turned down. He was frowning at me. Yeah, well, join the club. This was why I’d never had a boyfriend for longer than a few months—most of them had found me ridiculous. Maybe at first they thought my habit of acting silly and being in my own head was cute and endearing, but when they realized I wasn’t going to change, they didn’t last.

My alien scooped me up and placed me gently on a small patch of blue mossy-type stuff that was surprisingly soft. I had to admit, it was a nice gesture, and I probably should have let him carry me instead of struggling so hard.

His bike thing rested on the ground near a large tree trunk. The trees here were… familiar, yet not. The trunks were all covered in a blue moss, while the leaves were a variety of blues, teals, and greens. They were stunning. At least I’d been kidnapped and taken to a planet that had some lushness. I didn’t do well with extreme temperatures, so desert and ice planets—if they existed—were on my shit list.

He crouched down and reached toward my face. Unsure why he wanted to touch me, I scooted back. He froze, his scales rippling. I was figuring out I could read his scales the same way I could read a human’s body language. When his scales had rippled quickly—the camouflage moving like wind whistling through leaves—he’d seemed angry, aggressive. Now, in the light of the setting sun, surrounded by quiet, his colors were muted and still. This close, I realized his eyes weren’t black. They were a very deep purple and in the center was a wide black pupil.

“Ch-ch-ch,” he said softly, and I wondered if that was an order for me to be quiet, or calm.

“Are the other women okay?” I asked. Like he could understand me. Fuck. “Where did you take them? Why am I not with them?”

Of course, he didn’t answer me. He had no idea what I was saying. Tears pricked my eyes, which frustrated me because I fucking hated crying.

“Ch-ch-ch.” He reached for me again, and this time I let him. My face hurt, and I was sad as hell and feeling a bit defeated. His skin was weird beneath my palms, smooth, kind of like a snake’s, but also warm from within, so not cold-blooded. Did he have blood? He was like a giant blue-sequined human.

His fingers gently probed the swollen part of my face. His jaw got hard and his scales flashed violently before settling. He was angry I was hurt, I realized. Really freaking pissed. Did he want me to say thank you? He’d punished a thing who hurt me, but I wasn’t sure if this were an “enemy of my enemy is my friend” thing, or if everyone here was my freaking enemy. I should have been terrified, as this alien was clearly deadly as hell, but he held me gently, almost gingerly, and he seemed to be trying to calm me.

“I’m okay,” I said. “I mean, you did defend my honor in a way, didn’t you?”

He tilted his head, like he was trying to understand. His features fascinated me—gorgeous full lips and high cheek bones. Up close, his hair was even more beautiful, shining in the sun. He smelled like leather and fuel, and a little bit of dirt, which shouldn’t have been enticing, but was. Since when did I have an alien kink?

There was a lot going on behind his eyes, so he had to be intelligent. Or maybe I just wished like hell he was intelligent because I didn’t want to spend the rest of my—probably few—days with a dummy. There I went being mean. I was sure he had valuable skills of some sort. He did have a clan, gang, or something. He was clean and well-muscled. But that didn’t explain why he was involved in whatever human-trafficking scheme they seemed to have on this planet.

He rose to his feet and retreated to his bike. I remained on my mossy pad and watched as he unhooked a bag from his bike and returned to my side. He laid the bag on the ground and pulled out a leather pouch, a square wrapped in cloth, and a metal box. He grabbed the pouch and popped off a cork-like top. He held it out to me and said, “Qua.”

Qua. What was I supposed to do with that? “Uh, okay?”

His lips pressed into a thin line. He tossed his head back and upended the pouch above his face. A stream of clear liquid ran into his mouth, and he swallowed. He wiped some drops from his chin with the back of his hand, which was somehow a casually attractive move, and held the pouch out to me again. “Qua.”

I cautiously took the pouch and sniffed the contents. It didn’t have much of a smell. Sure, my alien could drink it fine, but how would it react with my body? But fuck, I was thirsty. My throat was dry from the dust and the screaming.

“Okay, well, here goes. If it kills me, that’s on you.” I took a small sip and smacked my lips. Although this qua looked like water, it had a weird, thick texture and a slight vinegar taste. It wasn’t so bad. I waited a minute, and my stomach didn’t rebel, so I drank more, loving the feel of the qua on my sore throat. I handed the pouch back to my alien, who looked incredibly pleased.

Next, he unwrapped the square cloth to reveal a brown, rectangular block. He bit off a corner and chewed before handing it out to me. “Tein.”

Okay, so this was food, I guessed. It resembled a Larabar or some other kind of protein bar. There were suspicious lumps and weird discolorations, but I was hungry. The qua hadn’t killed me, and I couldn’t refuse food for long. I held the tein between my index finger and thumb and nibbled the end. The taste was… unique. Not sweet. More aromatic and nutty. Also, not terrible. Of course, I was sure cardboard would taste delicious right now, that was how starving I was. My lip hurt, but fortunately I didn’t have to open my mouth too wide to eat the tein. Before I knew it, I’d eaten the entire bar. After another sip of qua, I felt almost normal, except for the massive ache in my face. I touched my swollen eye with the pads of my fingers and winced. My alien scowled and reached for the metal box at his side.

I really needed to start calling him something other than my alien. I cleared my throat, and he glanced up. Pointing to my chest, I said, “Frankie.”

He stared at me. I knew he could talk. He’d held a whole conversation with one of his friends.

“Frankie,” I said again. I pointed at him.

“Fra-kee,” he repeated haltingly, his mouth moving awkwardly over the syllables.

Close enough. I nodded and smiled. I pointed to him.

He patted his chest. “Fra-kee?”

I tried not to be annoyed, but I was tired and in pain, and I just wanted to know his damn name. They did have names, right? I shook my head, and I pointed to my chest again. “Fra-kee.” Then I pointed to him.

He didn’t move for a moment, then he slowly raised his palm to his chest, fingers splayed. “Dazeem.”

I nearly shouted with glee. “Dazeem? Is that your name, or what kind of species you are?”

He only patted his chest again and said, “Dazeem,” because of course he did. Well, whatever. He picked up my wrist, which nearly disappeared in his massive hand, and placed it on his chest, over where a heart would be on a human. “Daz,” he said, quieter this time.

My breath stilled in my chest. He was so close, his scaly skin so warm. He wasn’t so scary now, not at rest, not while his scales glowed a pretty blue, and those arm spikes were nowhere to be seen. “Daz,” I repeated, curling my fingers slightly into his scales.

His mouth did something then, his lips parting and turning up at the corners. Was he… smiling?

And then, just as the almost-smile appeared, it was gone. His head bent, and he flicked through the contents of the metal box. He withdrew a syringe, and I nearly lost my mind. Panic spiked through me, hot and paralyzing. I tried to skitter away from him but only succeeded in slamming my back against a tree trunk. No fucking way was I getting pricked again. Last time that happened, I’d been dumped on an alien planet.

Had he fed me only to gain my trust before he drugged me and shipped me off somewhere? He was making that “ch-ch-ch” sound, but I wasn’t having it.

“No way!” I yelled. “No fucking needle. No needles!”

I tried to crab walk away from him, but Daz was persistent. With disgusting ease, he lifted me up and placed me back on my mossy pad. He held me there with one hand as he raised his other. His forearms spikes lifted, and I began to shake, thinking he was going to punish me with them. Instead, he slashed them across his abdomen. He stabbed himself in the goddamn stomach.

I screamed as a black liquid oozed out. What the hell was happening?

He held the syringe in front of my face, like he was telling me to look at it. With a grunt, he plunged it into the wound.

The broken scales knitted back together. Like fucking magic. I stared as the wound closed, and only a thin line was left, like a mostly healed scar.

I reached out tentatively, and he nodded, encouraging me. I touched the scales, and sure enough, the wound was gone. Healed. The only evidence it had been there was the thin line and the bit of blood that had oozed onto the waistband of his pants. He pulled out another syringe and uncapped it. He pointed to my face. “Fra-kee.”

He wanted to heal me, and I wanted to let him, but I was terrified of that needle. What if it killed me? He seemed so confident though, waiting for me to give him the go-ahead. Did I trust Daz? He hadn’t done me wrong so far, but I’d seen what he was capable of.

I couldn’t go on much longer like this though. My skull felt like it was splitting open. My eye was swollen. It hurt to swallow and eat. If that medicine did half of what it did to Daz to me, then I’d be ecstatic.

Fuck it. Here went nothing. “Yeah. Okay.” I nodded at Daz. “I’m ready.”

First, he wiped my cheek with something that smelled strongly like alcohol, then he plunged the syringe into my cheek. I barely felt the needle prick the swollen skin.

Within seconds, my cheek began to tingle, then the tightness eased. I couldn’t see what was happening with my injuries, but soon I had sight out of both eyes. The pain in my head eased and filled with a nice warmth, like a hot compress.

I blinked at Daz and prodded my cheek with my fingers. It was barely sore. “Damn,” I said. “Who are you guys, and what other kinds of superior medicine do you have?”

His fingers grazed my once-injured cheek. He grasped my chin firmly and turned my head to inspect me. I let him, because, damn it, it’d been a long day, and I felt taken care of in a way I hadn’t ever felt before. My dad had done his best, but he wasn’t affectionate. Love, to him, was telling me what I could wear and establishing a strict curfew.

I reached out and squeezed his biceps. “Thank you.”

His eyes flickered to where I touched him. His lids lowered and his lips parted. Was he going to… kiss me?

Suddenly, his head whipped to the left, and he peered into the dense forest. His entire body tightened, and he inhaled deeply. In the next second, he scooped me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and sprinted toward his bike.

Daz leapt onto his bike and threw me across his lap like a sack of potatoes. A roaring shriek filled the air. Peering through my messy strands of hair, I nearly had a heart attack when a whole herd of tusked, six-legged, hippo-sized things poured into the clearing. Fear slid up my throat and wrapped its icy fingers around my neck.

“Oh my God!” I hollered, slamming my hands on the bike’s handlebars. “Go, Daz. Go!”

FOUR

Frankie

The hippos converged on us, shrieking with what seemed like glee at the sight of prey. Their jaws were wider than their bodies, their teeth dripped with thick drool, and their hides were covered in a dark, wiry hair. With a rumble between my legs, Daz’s engine roared to life. We rose in the air, and I thought we were in the clear until the bike jerked to the right. I screamed as I slid to the side, sure I was going to plunge to my death into the gaping jaws of the hippo creatures.

Daz gripped me with his right hand and hauled me against his chest. With his left hand, he held up a gun-looking thing and began firing at the beasts with what looked like orange laser bullets. The first beast he took out was the one with its teeth clamped on the side of the bike. As it fell away in a spray of blood, the bike righted itself and rose higher, only to jerk to the left when another beast got its teeth into the machine.

Daz lifted his arm and fired again. And again. And again. Every shot was a kill shot, aimed with deadly accuracy. The beasts didn’t stop coming, even as they had to climb over the bodies of their dead. After a final shot, the bike soared out of the reach of the creatures, and we took off into the trees.

I trembled in Daz’s arms, unable to believe I’d come so close to being hippo food. This planet was no joke. Were there other creatures like that? I found myself peering down to catch signs of any other wildlife. I thought I saw some deer-like things with antlers, but it was hard to tell. And hey, on this planet maybe deer were carnivores. I shuddered as I imagined being gored by a ten-point buck. No, thank you.

We rode and rode. At first, I tried to keep track of where we were going, wishing I had breadcrumbs to leave a trail in case I wanted to get back. The landscape didn’t change much. I would’ve wondered if we’d circled back to where we’d started if I didn’t occasionally see some unique rock or landmark. Eventually, I gave up on tracking our path as we twisted and turned, and I merely observed what this new planet was like. Several times we passed buildings that looked to be damaged and crumbling, almost like they’d been purposefully demolished. What I didn’t see was a sign of other intelligent life. What had happened to this planet?

When the sun sank lower, and the temperatures dipped, Daz slowed the bike to a stop and touched down in the middle of a copse of trees.

He placed me on another mossy spot with a tree at my back. I leaned on it with my knees drawn up to my chest, hugging the blanket around me. He inspected his bike, running his hands over it like a rich man checking the body of his Lamborghini. He frowned at a few puncture marks and hissed out a sharp word when he spotted a hole in one of his saddlebags. He reached inside and pulled out a slim rectangle that reminded me of a cell phone. Then shouted, using same sharp word, as he ran his fingers over a crack in the screen. He banged it on the seat and hung his head before tossing it back in his saddlebags.

With jerky movements and a knitted brow, he pulled an intact package from another saddlebag. He made his way toward me, and by the time he crouched at my side, his expression was less thunderous.

He tugged away the blanket from my body. I tried to hold on to it, but Daz didn’t even react, probably because he didn’t notice. Muscle-bound weirdo.

He perused my body, poking at a few of my bruises, his nostrils flaring. Oddly enough, I didn’t feel like he was evaluating me like one would a prize horse. He looked into my eyes every time he found an injury, assessing my pain level as he touched it. He murmured words to himself, and would move on to each new body part with a comforting pat.

I’d been objectified plenty. I was familiar with the expression someone wore when they had no interest in who I was as a person and only in what I could do for them. I considered myself a good judge of character. With Daz? His eyes held mine. He seemed to be trying to read my emotions. His jaw ticked when I flinched in pain, and he would speak to me even though he knew I didn’t understand him.

When his hand slid up my inner thigh, I jerked, surprised by the heat that flooded my face. He took extra-long studying me after that. I looked away and grabbed for the blanket again, hoping he couldn’t see what I was thinking.

He held out the qua to me, and I drank greedily. After that, he unwrapped the cloth package and took out a bundle of what looked like deformed produce. He picked up a greenish ball, which resembled a large white grape. He sliced it in half with his claw, revealing a jelly-like inside. With a grip on my wrist, he dropped one half in my palm.

I stared at him. “What am I supposed to do with this? Just bite into it?”

He held up the other half and opened his mouth. What happened next changed my life, and that wasn’t an exaggeration. He unfurled his tongue. It was blue and long enough to curl around his chin, and in its center was a row of three piercings, each topped with a metal ball. He took that long, pierced tongue and ran it around the edge of the fruit skin, all the way around, carving out the center. And then with a powerful slurp, his cheeks hollowing, he swallowed the entire jelly center in one gulp.

I nearly dropped the fruit I was holding. I nearly had an orgasm. I nearly saw Jesus. Swear to God, I couldn’t move for a full thirty seconds, because I was afraid if I did, I’d find myself trying to hump his face. What else can that tongue do? was on the tip of my tongue.

Daz swallowed, and even his thick throat working was hot as hell. He tossed away the empty fruit skin with a flick of his wrist and gestured with his fingers to me.

My turn. My fingers weren’t long enough to scoop out the jelly center, yet he’d done it with his tongue. I moaned and leaned my head against the tree. I was going to pass out.

Immediately, Daz was in my face, his eyes narrowed with concern. “Fra-kee? Fra-kee?”

I laughed, which turned into an inelegant snort. I patted his shoulder. “Yeah, I’m okay, big guy. I needed a moment. Just a heads up, any human female will need a moment after seeing that tongue.” A flash of choking jealousy rose up my throat at the thought of another female being this close to him.

What the hell? I’d known him all of one day, and I had already come to think of him as mine. What if he had a nice blue wife? Little blue offspring? And here I was perving on him when he probably viewed me as a pet rather than a compatible sexual being.

But when he reached out and cupped my cheek like he was doing now, searching my eyes with those intelligent purple depths, I knew he saw me. And I could have sworn he desired me. I’d never been able to read human male social cues worth a damn. Maybe I’d been destined to be good at… blue alien mating rituals?

I shook my head and focused on the fruit. I couldn’t eat it like Daz, but I did manage to lick it and suck the jelly from the center. It tasted a bit like strawberry pie filling. Sweet and refreshing.

Daz picked up each piece of food, told me the name, and sampled it first. The yellow fleshy fruit that resembled a lemon with an apple center was called trasga. The purple roll was a uhora. They were both damn tasty.

By the time we were finished eating, there wasn’t much light left. The blanket wasn’t protection against the steady breeze that had picked up. I shivered, and anxiety slid up my spine. We were out in the middle of nowhere, alone. Daz’s technical device—whether used for communication or directions—was broken. There were hippo-pig things who could swallow me whole. So far, I hadn’t done much to keep myself alive. Daz had done everything. He’d fed me, saved me from being hippo-dinner, and healed me.

I wanted to trust him completely with my life, but I still had no idea what he planned to do with me. Did he have any intention of returning me to Earth? I could barely think about home without my stomach dropping down to my feet, so I focused on the here and now. Survival. If only I knew if Daz was someone I should trust. He wasn’t even the devil I knew. I didn’t know him at all.

I shook as goosebumps lifted the hair on my arms, and I pulled the blanket around me tighter. His head went up, and he looked right at me.

“Hi,” I said softly. “Sorry, just a little cold.”

His chest heaved, and he gazed upward into the darkening sky. From his waistband, he pulled a handheld tool with a sharp blade attached to the end. I sucked in a breath and braced my hands on the ground in case he came at me with that thing. Instead he walked over to a smallish, young-looking tree, and began chopping. The sounds of the blows filled the air, and in minutes he had several poles stripped of twigs, plus several large, flat, palm-tree-like leaves.

He stalked over to me with these supplies, and using a few vines he’d tugged off another tree for bindings, he proceeded to build a three-sided lean-to. He covered the roof and sides with the leaves. I tugged at one of the poles, finding it surprisingly sturdy.

Damn, if he were on Earth, he’d be Home Depot employee of the month. I added another tally to Daz’s pro column. He’d made me an actual shelter to shield me from the elements. My ex-boyfriend hadn’t even been able to make a shelf with a plank of wood and two brackets. The shelf had been so crooked my succulent had slid right off and landed face down on my carpet.

By the time he finished our shelter, the planet was dark. Distant stars shone bright in the sky along with the faint glow of another sphere. It resembled our moon, with a gray color and cheese-like surface. I wished I could ask Daz if it was, in fact, a moon. As I settled into the shelter, huddled on the ground with my measly blanket, the unfamiliarity of my surroundings reminded me of how alone I was. What would happen if, instead of building a fire and making camp, Daz up and left me here?

Without him, I’d be a goner. I’d been mostly paying attention to all he was doing to keep us alive, but I had to really focus from here on out. This wasn’t the type of situation where I could go with the flow. I had to observe and be responsible for my own survival, especially because I still didn’t know Daz’s motives for helping me.

The fire he made was just big enough for some warmth and light. When he was finished, he rose and made his way toward me. He stopped outside the shelter, and I could barely make him out. He reached around to his back and a click echoed off the trees. A second later, his pants dropped to his ankles.

I didn’t even scream. My breath froze in my lungs as I caught a glimpse of a massive alien cock. One little glimpse was fucking enough. I wanted none of that.

I scrambled to the shelter’s corner and cowered with the blanket over my head. He didn’t want to hurt me, did he? Surely, he knew that huge thing entering my tiny body—no matter the wonders of an elastic vagina—would hurt like hell. For a while, nothing happened. I couldn’t see him through the blanket, but I could feel him looming there, and I could hear his breathing, and a purring that seemed to rumble from his body.

Then, with ease that shamed me, he yanked the blanket out of my hands. I tried to scramble for it as he placed a knee on the ground beside me. “No!” I shouted with my hand out. “No! No P in V, no P anywhere near this V, Daz!”

He stared at me curiously, seemingly unbothered by my alarm. Then he picked me up and, in a swift move, lied down on his side, tucking me against his front as he put his back to the shelter’s entrance.

“Ch-ch-ch, Fra-kee,” he murmured into my hair. “Ch-ch-ch.”

He patted my stomach where his arm kept me in place. I was starting to think there wasn’t a literal translation of ch-ch-ch. Maybe it was more of a calming sound than an actual word. An “everything is okay” kind of assurance. His body was like a furnace, and in a few minutes my entire body warmed. Unable to help myself, I settled into him. One massive hand played with my hair, while the other stayed wrapped tight around my body. I couldn’t ignore the fact he’d placed himself at the entrance, blocking me from potential harm.

He was hard. Absolutely. His cock poked my sleep shorts, but he didn’t thrust against me or try to cop a feel. Occasionally, he would rub his face against my neck or bury his nose in my hair and inhale. His hand on my stomach would flex, but he seemed to be holding himself in check.

Each gesture he made had me letting go a bit more and easing up on my cautiousness. Did that make me weak? Maybe it did.

My gaze drifted from the darkness of our homemade shelter and up through a seam in the leaves. The stars looked hella close. I searched the sky for Earth, for the unmistakable blue, green, and white colors of home. Of course, I didn’t see it.

I hadn’t wanted to let myself think of my life back on Earth, because the memories physically hurt. I didn’t think I’d ever get back. How could I? The spaceship that had brought me here was long gone, and I couldn’t even communicate with the one creature on this planet that seemed to give a shit about my well-being.

But I missed my home. My life. My apartment wasn’t much, and my job wasn’t my dream career, but they were mine, and I was proud of them. Paris, my best friend, would be frantic at my absence. We had a standing Thursday night wine and whine date. Who knew how many Thursdays I’d missed? I didn’t know how long I’d been gone or how much time I’d spent on that ship. If only I could see Paris now, I’d tell her I’d wear whatever color for her wedding that she wanted—peach, plum, fucking puke green.

I even missed my dad, as complicated as our relationship was. I wanted to survive, but I wondered how long I could stay this strong in a place completely foreign at every turn.

“I want to go home, Daz,” I whispered. “You’re nice and all, but I’m a human. I belong on Earth. I don’t belong here.”

His body tensed behind me, and then he lifted his hand and ran it through my nest of hair. I didn’t even want to touch it, but he petted me like I was a cat. He began to talk, and I recognized zero of what he said, but his voice was low and conversational. Despite my sorrow, my eyelids grew heavy at the muted tones of his voice, and finally I had to close my eyes, shutting out the vision of the unfamiliar starry sky.

FIVE

DAZ

I woke up instantly alert. In front of me, Fra-kee lay on her side, her back to my chest. Her breaths were deep, even, and steady. She slept. Yesterday had been a long day for her, and despite her fragile body, she’d handled herself well. She hadn’t run off and done anything stupid, and while she was wary of me, she seemed to be starting to trust me. Or at least she trusted me to keep her safe. When the pivers pack had shown up and nearly thrown her off my bike, I’d kept myself—just barely—from dissolving into uncontrollable rage. The sounds of her screams would be ringing in my ears for many rotations.

I didn’t want to feel this pull toward her. My life was complicated enough already, and now I was risking my life, my brother’s, and the rest of the males in my clavas. All for her. Yet I couldn’t find it in me to abandon her. She trusted me and betraying that trust would break me.

In little time, the human had come to mean a lot to me. I wanted her touch. Her smiles. Her approval and respect. Her laugh reminded me of my brother’s, and I wanted to hear more of it. I wanted to see her mouth split into that wide, open-mouthed grin and hear that excited peal rumble up from her throat again. Sax never held back—when he was happy, everyone knew. His laugh was the loudest I’d ever heard, and even though I usually rolled my eyes or punched him playfully on the shoulder instead of laughing with him, I never tired of hearing it.

My chest tightened. I missed him. Sax was the best of us brothers, or at least I’d always thought so. We’d been through everything together—the virus taking our parents and our females, working for the Uldani, and then fighting in the Uprising to achieve independence. Losing Rex had nearly ruined me, and if it weren’t for Sax, I wasn’t sure what kind of shape I’d be in now. Throughout our lives we’d had to fight, kill, and mourn, but Sax had always been there with kind words or a joke. He grounded me. He reminded me I had a flecking sola.

Now the Uldani had him somewhere secret and wouldn’t give him up unless we delivered these females. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes at the sweet scent of Fra-kee. Her skin was so soft beneath my palms, and her lush lips were parted as she slept. The thought of betraying her and handing her over to the Uldani went against everything I was and everything I stood for. It was ingrained in every fiber of my being to protect females. Drixonian males had a creed of putting females above all else. She Is All. Our father had drilled it into us before we could talk.

But if I didn’t follow through on my agreement with the Uldani… History might repeat, and I’d lose another brother. They’d killed my brother Rex, one of the best Drixonians to ever live. And every life mattered—we had no way to reproduce.

I tried to think logically. That was why I was drexel, because I had always chosen what was best for my clavas and for our species. Choosing Sax, a beloved Drixonian warrior, over a few unknown females should have been an easy decision. Sure, She Is All was our creed, but the concept had been forged when our females ruled Corin, and we were a prosperous, plentiful species. Did She Is All apply now?

Yet, as Fra-kee slumbered in my arms, I couldn’t deny how protective I felt of her. She fit in my arms perfectly, and from the moment I’d laid eyes on her, I’d known she was special. If only I could talk to her and maybe hear her laugh one more time. I ignored the ache in my cora over what was to come, but the Uldani didn’t expect us for another few rotations, so I had time to come up with an alternative plan. Unfortunately, my comm device had been broken when the pivers attacked, so I couldn’t check with my males to ensure they reached the hideout or give Tark notice I was coming.

Tark was in contact with Shep, the oldest living Drixonian. Maybe he’d know something I didn’t about the appearance of the human females. If not, at least he’d give me the ability to speak with her.

Her breathing changed, and her little nose twitched. I held still as her eyes blinked open. Suddenly her body tightened, and she jerked to a sitting position, nearly slamming her head into mine. Chest heaving, she glanced around with wild eyes before focusing on me. Her shoulders dropped, and she placed a palm on her chest, exhaling roughly. “Nut a dreeem,” she said with a crack in her voice.

Her eyes flooded and dripped, and as she bit her trembling lip, I understood her leaking eyes were a sign of sadness. My gut clenched. “Fra-kee.” I pulled her against me, and she came willingly, pushing her face into my chest. I knew what it was like to lose everything I’d ever known. If I could take her back to Earth, I would, but I couldn’t even get back to my own home planet.

I didn’t know what to do or how to soothe her. I didn’t have experience with females or young. I liked the feel of her hair, so I petted it. The action seemed to make her happy, and her body softened against mine.

After a few moments, she pulled back and smiled at me. The sight took my breath away. I was sure—surer than I’d been of anything in my life—that it was my duty to keep her smiling. I smiled back, the ill-used muscles in my face stretching to accommodate the action.

Fra-kee sucked in a breath and slowly reached out a hand. She rubbed my hair between her fingers. “So sufd,” she said.

She ran the back of her hand down my cheek and over my jaw. Her fingertips brushed my lips, and I couldn’t hold back. I stretched out my tongue and curled it around her finger before I licked at her palm. I held back a moan as the taste of her skin burst on my tongue.

My tongue piercings rubbed her soft skin, sparking memories of lessons taught to me by the Drixonian elders. Those who had survived the sickness refused to let us forget our ways. They pierced us when we were old enough—precursors of the pain warriors would have to endure—and taught us the ways of pleasuring females. I never thought I’d use what I was taught, but at this moment I thanked every elder I’d ever come across for not letting us forget the Drixonian pleasure skills. My training was the only reason I was able to restrain from immediately plunging my tongue down her throat.

Fra-kee’s eyes went wide as I continued to taste her, and red tinged the pale skin of her cheeks. When she didn’t jerk her hand away, I ran the metal balls of my tongue piercings around the webbing of her fingers and teased down to her wrist. Fra-kee’s breathing sped up, and she rubbed her legs together restlessly. I flared my nostrils, trying to inhale her scent. Was she aroused?

I’d been taught that a tongue could bring as much pleasure to a female as a cock. I wondered if human females had similar interests. I wanted to taste her and show her all the ways I could make her smile and laugh and scream. During my training, I’d assumed I’d be nervous and unsure around a female, but giving pleasure seemed to be a very part of my sola. I’d never felt surer of myself than I was now, sampling the taste of this female.

Last night, Fra-kee had been wary of me and my size, but this morning she was much more agreeable. I placed her hand on the side of my neck and leaned toward her. At first, she stiffened, but then her lips parted. I ran the tip of my tongue over her lips, and a high-pitched moan flitted up her throat. Oh, she was sweet. Soft. So lush and perfect. My cock hardened to a spike, and I pressed my lips to hers.

She opened on a gasp, and I licked into her mouth, twirling my tongue around hers before sucking on it. Her moans deepened as her hands clenched my hair, and she pressed her body against me from head to toe. I couldn’t stop, my cora racing like a pivers stampede. I wanted to dine on her, make her my meal. Would she ever give me the privilege of tasting the cream between her legs?

She tugged on my hair, pulling my head back. I let her go reluctantly and swiped my tongue over my lips, eager to get every last bit of her flavor. Her eyes were wild, lips red and swollen. “Wholley sheet,” she whispered.

Thank Fatas I wasn’t standing. My head spun, like I’d just drunk some of Xavy’s spirits. I could barely think of anything but her. How did males get anything done with willing females around? All I wanted to do was lose myself in her and watch that pretty red flush darken her pale flesh. I craved more of her moans. How would she sound when I licked between her legs? Would she scream?

Later, I’d realize that she was the reason I’d let my guard down, the distraction that clouded the instincts that had kept me alive for so many sun-cycles. The hum of the charged solar gun was my only warning. I grabbed Fra-kee and burst through the back of our makeshift shelter just before the entire structure exploded into splinters.

Fra-kee screamed, but I didn’t have time to check if she was injured. I bundled her against my chest to protect her as best as I could and sprinted into the safety of the densest brush. Laser bullets pinged into the ground, sending showers of dirt and debris as we ran. The smell of Kulks was all around us, but I’d known it was them right away. Other than the confiscated weapons owned by us Drixonians, the Kulks were the only ones in this region with solar guns—supplied by the Uldani, of course.

I could survive a lot, but a solar gun hit to a vital organ would kill me. I couldn’t imagine what it would do to my female’s delicate flesh. Based on the number of bullets, I had to guess there were about a dozen Kulks. The good news was those weapons would be effective for only a brief time before they needed recharging, and the Kulks were known for wasting their shots. I just had to wait them out. In short-range combat, I was five times as skilled as any Kulk.

A bullet pinged off a tree trunk inches from my head, sending shards of bark over us, and Fra-kee screamed again. Her body trembled in my arms, and I gritted my teeth. These flecking Kulks would pay for scaring her, especially with the taste of her still lingering on my tongue.

As I ran, my cora slamming a warning drumbeat against my rib cage, I formed a plan. The Kulks were trackers. I was on foot, so they’d easily follow my trail. The only option was to fight, and to fight I had to find a safe place for Fra-kee. Her little fingers clung to me, skin white around her knuckles, her pretty face completely devoid of that lovely red flush I’d enjoyed only moments ago.

Up ahead on the outskirts of a small clearing, I spotted a dense collection of numa, the strong, thick vines forming a dome of protection above the ground. The Kulks couldn’t charge through thick numa with their bulk—fleck, I couldn’t either—but Fra-kee could crawl her way into their shelter, giving me enough time to fight before they could lay their filthy hands on her. One thing I was sure of—they wanted her alive.

I slid to halt in front of the numa and shoved Fra-kee through a small space between the intertwined vines. It was a tight fit, but she seemed to understand what I was doing, because she immediately scrambled into the vines’ shelter, curling into a ball, and hugging her knees to her chest.

Free from cradling her soft body, I rose to my full height and unleashed my machets. They rippled up my forearms, over the top of my head, and then down my back. I thumped my tail on the ground just as several Kulks crashed into the clearing. Their useless, uncharged guns hung from their belts. I had to hurry and kill as many as I could before they charged again. I crossed my wrists in front of my neck, lowering my chin and assessing them from between my fists in the battle stance of the Drixonian warriors. The Kulks hesitated a fraction at my position and converged on me at once.

I didn’t draw it out or show off. I went right for the weak points in their armor—their necks and joints. I was faster and stronger. With my forearm machets, I took off a head while slashing the throat of another. One circled around my back and, with a sweep of my tail, I took him off his feet and slammed my tail spikes through the eye slits in his helmet.

I dispatched six Kulks quickly, their oily blood arcing through the clearing as more Kulks arrived to find the bodies of their fellow soldiers. I didn’t give them a chance to advance on me. I charged them. This was taking longer than I wanted, and any time now, their guns would charge, and I’d be in trouble. My gun was still back on my bike.

I wished I had my males with me. While we were physically superior to Kulks, even a Drixonian as experienced in battle as I was would have difficulty defeating twelve Kulks at once.

Fra-kee cried out as one of the Kulks stuck a blade in my thigh, and I roared before twisting my head and plunging a horn into his neck. He died gasping around a mouthful of blood. Before I could take a breath, another blade plunged into my side while a heavy fist slammed into the side of my head. I blinked through blurry vision, trying to assess how many Kulks I had left. I shook my head. No time to count. Just fight.

I lashed out with my machets and luckily connected with a Kulk—his screech of pain telling me I’d made a direct hit. I was tiring, but I couldn’t lose, not with my female to protect. Fueled by pain and the sound of my female’s fearful cries, I fought faster. Bodies fell at my feet. Whistling filled the air, and Fra-kee screamed my name. I arched my back and a turpin sailed inches from my nose.

Flecking Kulks. Turpins were the weapons of choice for the Rahgul—spiked balls charged with energy on the end of a chain. If the blow didn’t kill you, the shock to your system would.

Fra-kee was screaming a litany of words in her language, and I wished I could understand her because something told me she was trying to give me direction. This Kulk was the biggest of the squad, and he swung the turpin like an extension of his arm.

He flung it toward me, and I felt a few spikes slice into my side before I managed to skitter out of the way. He sneered. “Always knew you were only as strong as your pack. Get you like a lone welf, and you’re easily picked off.”

I flung my arm out to the side, gesturing to the bodies littering the ground. “Does this look easily picked off to you?”

He raised the turpin high, and I watched his arms, knowing the weapon was coming at my head any moment now. “Give up the female and I’ll end you quick.”

“Not a chance.” I ducked just as the turpin flew. I kicked my foot out and swept his legs out from under him. He fell on his back with a thud. In midair, I grasped the turpin chain, and slammed it down to crush his skull. Blood splattered, his chest trembled, and he rattled a few more breaths before falling silent.

I stumbled back, wiping his blood from my face, and fell to my knees. Blood spilled from my thigh to coat the trampled grass, and the cut in my side leaked. I fought for breath as my head swam from the blows to my temple.

Around me lay twelve dead Kulks. A whole squad. I pitched forward, bracing against the ground with my fists. I had only one more syringe of medis left in the bags on my bike. I had to make it back there and retrieve it, or I’d be no good to protect Fra-kee from further threats.

A shadow fell over me, and I braced until I inhaled the sweet scent of my female. She collapsed in front of me, wetness dripping from her eyes. She cupped my face, peering into my eyes as her small, soft hands caressed me, running over my shoulders and across my chest. Despite my pain and weariness, my body reacted to her touch. I’d done this for her, and I’d do it all over again. Didn’t she know that?

I leaned into her, my lips seeking hers, and she tilted her chin, offering her sweet mouth. I dove inside with my tongue, licking at her and sucking on her tongue. I clasped her to me, and would have kept going, but she brushed a wound on my side with her delicate fingers, and I hissed at the contact.

She jerked away from me, eyes widening and then narrowing. Her mouth tightened and, with a finger pointed at me, she said, “Nuh keesin huntel we heel wu.” I was sure she was scolding me, but I wasn’t sure why. She stood and tugged upward on my arm. “Cum hun beeg gai. Lehts get sum uv that medisin.”

I stumbled to my feet, dizzy, my body losing blood fast. She slung one of my arms around her shoulders, and then the little female began to march back in the direction of my bike. Her jaw was tight and determined, and despite my bulk, she managed to keep us upright.

I wasn’t sure how we made it the whole way, as I could barely walk on my own strength, but Fra-kee didn’t give up, even as sweat matted the hair around her temples, and her chest heaved with exertion. When we reached the clearing where my bike sat unharmed near a tree, I could have passed out from relief.

I gripped her little face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “So strong. So brave.” She smiled up at me, but I could tell she was exhausted.

I reached for the bags on my bike. I noticed that she watched me, always observing, her intelligent gaze taking in everything and filing it away. I could barely wait to be able to talk to her. After releasing the bag’s clasp with my fingerprint imprints, I pulled out the medis. Hands shaking, I slammed the syringe into my gut. Instantly, the medis worked its way through my body. It caused my blood to duplicate at a rapid rate, and the tissues of my injuries to repair themselves. My wounds closed and my pain subsided. I gulped down some qua and shoved a tein in my mouth.

For Fra-kee, I gave her a monstra, a drink we used when we were fatigued because it had properties that energized us and kept us awake. She eyed the thick, fizzy liquid, and took a sip tentatively. Her brows went up into her hairline and a grin split her face. “Yumm!” she said. “Taests luk coack.”

I turned to dig through my bags for another treat to give her. The hum of the solar gun reached my ears too late, and pain seared my biceps. Fra-kee screamed. I dropped to a crouch and spun to see two Kulks. One had Fra-kee on her knees, holding her by her hair. The other? One of his arms was missing. And, in his remaining hand, was a solar gun pointed right between my eyes.

SIX

Frankie

The Armored Bear gripped my hair so tightly, I was sure I’d have a bald patch. Not that it really mattered, because if Daz and I didn’t find a way to get out of this situation, a little hair loss would be the least of my problems.

Seeing good ol’ one-armed Bear was a bad sign. Super bad. He’d already struck me once and had his arm taken off for it. If he got me alone, I didn’t want to know what he’d do. It wouldn’t be good; of that I was sure.

Daz hadn’t moved from his crouch. In fact, I wasn’t sure he was breathing. His arm bled, but not too much. From what I could tell, the bullet had only grazed him, thank God. He was still, like a blue, marbled statue. Every muscle in his body was tense, and his scales rippled with color. He pulled his lips back, baring those ferocious fangs that had nipped at my lips so gently.

I had to pull my weight here. Well, I’d pulled his and mine back to this bike, but he’d still done all the heavy lifting—er, killing. I should have been terrified of him. He’d smashed that Bear’s head like a watermelon. But he’d done it to protect me, hadn’t he? So, despite the pain in my scalp, I had to think of something. And quick. This was a time to step up for once in my life and change the direction of my own path instead of waiting for someone or something else to do it.

Huddled under that weird dome of vines, I’d paid attention to Daz while he fought. Not only because it’d been utterly amazing, like Beatrice Kiddo taking on an entire house of assassins in Kill Bill, but because I wanted to know what weaknesses the Bears had. I’d discovered that their armor was their only defense—without it, they had about as much protection as slugs. Their skin was thin and easily ripped. So, going after the joints in their armor—as though they were medieval knights—would be the best plan of attack.

I scanned the ground for something, anything, that I could use as a weapon. My eyes landed on a branch nearby. When Daz had made our shelter last night, he’d sharpened the ends of some branches to sink into the ground. That shelter had exploded into bits and pieces scattered all over the clearing. One such branch lay about a foot from my thigh, its sharp point clearly visible. I couldn’t kill the Bear with it, but maybe I could provide enough of a distraction to give Daz an edge.

The one-armed Kulk and Daz were talking. I didn’t know what they were saying, and it didn’t really matter. Daz was still alive, and so was I, so that was enough to give me hope.

The Bear held my hair too tightly for me to reach the sharpened branch. Trying to shift my position, I began to struggle, even though the Bear’s grip hurt like hell. The Bear growled, and Daz tensed, his swirling eyes becoming pitch-black holes. His nostrils flared, and all the blades in his skin lifted. He was a flesh-and-bones barbed wire of fury, and if he weren’t on my side, I would have peed myself with fear.

A fist slammed into my back, and I pitched forward, catching a face full of dirt. This was my chance. I scrambled, whooping in victory when my fingers closed around the branch. I rolled to my back and slammed the sharp point into the space where the Bear’s calf armor connected with his boots. I wasn’t sure if these things had Achilles tendons, but that was what I was going for.

Blood spurted around the stick, and the Bear howled, immediately collapsing in a heap of whimpers and growls. I scrambled away from him in an awkward crabwalk, just as the other Bear spun toward me. He lifted his gun, and then a streak of light zapped through the air. In the next second, the same gun landed in the dirt, the hand that had been holding it thudding beside it.

I shrieked and whirled to see Daz approaching us, eyes ablaze, his gun in his hand. He lifted it again and shot the head off the Bear who’d held me. I continued to shuffle backwards as the remaining Bear, his single arm now a stump, began to roar and scream.

Daz didn’t flinch. He dropped his gun, lifted his forearm, and sliced the Bear’s head clean off his body. I must have been desensitized already, because instead of disgust or fear, relief coursed through my body. The damn Bear who’d been hunting us was dead. He might have come back from an arm amputation, but he wasn’t living through his head being separated from his body.

Daz yanked me to my feet and hauled me away from the bodies, taking us farther into the woods. When we were a safe distance away, he dropped me to the ground, his eyes coasting over my body, checking me, as he’d done before, for injuries. He was murmuring to me fiercely, profusely, and maybe I was reading him all wrong, but I swore he was… proud of me.

I felt a bit like I was watching my body from somewhere overhead. Was this really me? Frankie Russo, who caved to peer pressure after prom and threw up cheap vodka for two days afterward? Frankie Russo, who kept waitressing at a dead-end job because the position had fallen in my lap and it was too much effort to find a new one? That Frankie Russo had just stabbed a freaking alien in the ankle?

I clutched Daz’s broad shoulders and winced at a sudden jolt of pain in my wrists. I’d probably hurt them when that jerk had shoved me to the ground. Except they didn’t feel achy or bruised—they felt burned. I tore my gaze from Daz and looked down at my arms. My wrists were in pain, all right, like a wicked sunburn. And, on the surface of my skin, something was… happening. As if drawn by an invisible pen, black lines ran parallel to each other around my wrists, forming two thin stripes, like bracelets. The burning intensified, and I cried out, cradling my wrists to my chest.

Daz growled, falling to his knees, and easing me onto the dirt. He pulled back and immediately raised his own wrists.

“What the fuck?” I muttered as I caught sight of similar lines forming on his wrists.

He rotated his hands back and forth, staring at them in wonder, his lips parted. He gripped my hand and tugged it, placing it next to his, just as more lines began to appear between the two stripes, creating a pattern almost like filigree. The pain subsided, and the lines lightened until they sparkled like golden tattoos in the sunlight. But what really had my mind in a tailspin was that my new tattoos were an exact match to those on the blue scaled alien sitting in front of me.

Warmth spread through my chest, and it itched, like a healing wound. I scratched at the skin there, but the itch was inside, more of a feeling than anything tangible. I swayed on my knees, suddenly dizzy. My skull seemed to swell, and emotions slammed into me. They were strangely unfamiliar—like I was feeling them, but they weren’t my own, they were somehow separate from me. I lifted my head to meet Daz’s wide-eyed gaze. I instinctively knew the emotions were… his.

I could sense it all—wonder, fear, and most of all, coursing red-hot like a brush fire, was lust. The force of it nearly knocked me flat on my back.

He swallowed slowly, tugging my body against his. I gripped his arms, and he clasped my face, whispering in an awed tone, “Hubra Fatas.”

I didn’t know what that meant, but it sounded like a prayer. Or a curse. He swiped at my cheek, and when his thumb came away, it was streaked with dirt. I was filthy. I hadn’t bathed since the night I fell asleep in my own bed on Earth. And within the last two days, I’d been dragged through the dirt and splattered with blood and muck…

An overwhelming surge of determination flooded my system—I recognized that it was coming from Daz. It was so strong it nearly overpowered the lust. He gathered me in his arms and carried me to his bike. He held me firmly against his body as he fired up the engine. We rose in the air, and as he gripped the handlebars, I stared at his wrist markings, so similar to my own. What the hell were they? Why did we have them? I ran my fingers over the golden lines. They weren’t raised and they had no texture. They felt just like my skin, like a healed tattoo.

We rode away from the bodies and the site of our disintegrated shelter. I inhaled, and the now-familiar scent of qua had me eagerly peering over the side of the bike. There, below us, was what looked to be a small creek. It couldn’t have been more than three or four feet deep—I could see rocks along the bottom through the clear liquid.

We touched down on a bank, and Daz immediately carried me close to the creek’s edge and set me down on a rock. From his saddlebags, he retrieved his canteen and filled it up for me. I drank greedily, not even minding the slight vinegar taste.

Daz returned to the bike and saddlebags, and I took the opportunity to slide into the slow-moving qua and rinse off as best as I could. I dunked my hair and scrubbed my face. I glanced up to see Daz still occupied with his bike. I bit my lip. I had to get clean. I could smell myself and the dirt beneath my clothes was still rubbing against my skin. Fuck modesty. I quickly slipped off my clothes and placed them on the creek bed.

I continued to scrub, watching with satisfaction as two days’ worth of grime rinsed off my body. Feeling lighter and clean, I was nearly giddy. From behind me came a splash, and I whirled around to see Daz standing in the center of the creek, the qua up to his thighs. And he was naked.

I coughed on a mouthful of qua and didn’t bother to hide my stare. His spikes were out, rising along his forearms and head and back, but this time I wasn’t terrified of them. He cleaned them methodically, dipping them in the qua, and cupping his hands to gather enough liquid to toss on his head.

But his spikes weren’t what had me gasping for breath. No, it was his cock. His hard cock. I’d thought his tongue was impressive. It had nothing on the monster between his legs. The shaft was thick, and ridges ran the entire length. The head was angled slightly, and there was a small node at the top of the shaft’s base that seemed custom made to rub against a clitoris. If that wasn’t enough to send a bolt of heat between my legs, the large ring piercing the head of his cock did the trick.

He bent forward, thigh and ass muscles flexing like a stallion. He dunked his head and then flung it back, his wet hair spraying droplets like he was the star of some sort of erotic surfer commercial. Most people were vulnerable naked, but Daz was more powerful with every single muscle and built-in weapon on display.

He turned to me with flared nostrils, like he knew what I was thinking, and I realized with a jolt he probably did. If I could feel his emotions, then it probably went both ways… right?

He lowered the blades in his skin and stalked toward me. I couldn’t run even if I’d wanted to. I knew, with every fiber of my DNA, he wanted to claim what was his. He’d fought for me, killed for me, and bled for me. My wrists tingled, heat raced down my spine to pool in my core, and all I could think about was I didn’t want to just pay him back for all he’d done for me. I wanted to reward him.

He kept coming, and I held my ground, even as my knees started to shake. He picked me up and slammed his lips to mine. I held on tightly, digging my nails into his shoulder as he plundered my mouth. I moaned as lust and happiness hit me like a sledgehammer. Daz’s tongue slid from my mouth to lick down my neck and settle into the hollow of my throat. He swirled it there as he placed me down on the nearby rocks.

In the back of my mind, I told myself this was crazy. What was I doing? But I couldn’t stop it, didn’t want to stop it. Daz felt right, even though my brain tried to tell me this wasn’t right.

He loomed over me, mouth parted and tongue visible between his wicked fangs. His gaze seared into me, finally landing on my breasts. His chest heaved and he lowered his head to latch onto a nipple. He sucked and my back arched. “Daz!” His name left my lips on a moan. I flailed, my hands finally finding purchase on his horns as he rolled the metal balls on his tongue around my nipple. I writhed beneath him. He teased the other nipple which had hardened into a fine point, so sensitive I nearly came from the first hard suction of his mouth.

His hand slipped down my belly, and I lifted my hips into his touch. He cupped my pussy just as his head jerked up. He held my gaze, eyes a vivid purple. His color shifted rapidly all over his massive body, his scales a thousand shades of dazzling blue, like the Earth sky. His teeth bared, and he hissed through gritted teeth. “Neh cora.”

I didn’t know what that meant, and I could barely string two words together to respond.

“Neh cora!” he said again.

I reached for him, running my hands through his silky, soft hair. “Yes.” I nodded, feeling like he wanted reassurance. “Neh cora.”

He exhaled, and his fingers twitched, slipping into the folds of my pussy. I gasped as his fingers grazed my clit. He glanced down, and slowly lifted his hand to his face. Studying intently, he rubbed his middle finger and thumb together, and a flush rose up my cheeks when I realized he was feeling my wetness. The wetness he’d inspired with his tongue on my mouth and breasts.

His long tongue unfurled and wrapped around his fingers, tasting me, and God, that was hot as hell. His eyelashes fluttered, and he dropped to his knees between my thighs with a splash. With his large hands, he lifted my calves on his shoulders, so I was bared and spread before him. His face was inches from my pussy, his breath wafting over my hot, wet flesh. Feeling exposed, I squirmed, and he jerked his head up, this time announcing, “Neh cunt.”

I froze. The word cunt was unmistakable, and while I couldn’t imagine they’d have that word in their language, in my lust-filled mind, it didn’t matter. He was laying claim to me. I could tell by the intensity of his words and the way he looked at me. And maybe these wrist tattoos had addled my brain because I didn’t want to deny it.

“Neh cunt,” I whispered back, and he growled. Without warning, he lowered his head and latched his lips onto my pussy.

I screamed, not even bothering to muffle the sound as his tongue lapped up my entire crease. His swirled his tongue piercings around my clit, and my blood ignited. Everything felt hot and cold at the same time. I shivered as sweat poured from my temples as he drove me mad with his tongue. I was going to come, just from his tongue lapping at my clit with that talented twisting motion. I gripped his hair, tugging hard, which only made him eat at me faster. His fangs grazed my heated flesh, and my body locked up. I opened my mouth on a silent wail as I began to thrust against him, coming like a crashing tidal wave.

“Oh God, oh God. Daz,” I said, barely able to form syllables. “Stop. No more. Oh God. Please.”

He didn’t let up, not one bit. Just as my hips sank back down to the rock at the tail end of my orgasm, he shot a look up my body and speared his tongue inside of me. The damn thing reached farther than anything had ever been inside me, and just when I thought I was going to come from that, he began to make his ch-ch-ch sound. This time it was accompanied with a vibration. Of his tongue. When he hit my g-spot, I thought I was going to lose all bodily function.

My vision cut out, my hands flopped around uselessly, and I screamed his name until my throat went hoarse. My body jerked against his mouth, and he kept at me until my noises devolved into pathetic whimpers.

SEVEN

DAZ

I couldn’t get enough of her taste. My head was dizzy with it, and I continued to lick at her, savoring the feel of her cream on my face and her flavor on my tongue. I settled my body between her legs, even as her body stopped shaking and she went limp. When I tapped on her clit, she jerked and pushed weakly at my shoulders. I finally relinquished my treat and looked up at her body, licking my lips and around my mouth.

She stared at me with her lips parted. Her chest heaved, her pretty mounds rising and falling, those peaks I’d ravaged with my tongue wet and shining. I wanted more. I slid up her body to lay beside her, and she made a squeaking sound as I once again paid attention to those pink buds. They’d softened, but they became hard again under my tongue, and I continued at them until Fra-kee whispered in that soft, raspy voice, “Daz.”

I loved the way she said my name. I was respected among my males and had heard my name said a million different ways, but none of them compared to the way Fra-kee formed the one syllable.

She was waiting for something. Her gaze kept shifting down to my cock, which pressed against her thighs, hard and fully grown. I wouldn’t take her yet, though. Not until we could talk. Not until I could promise her I intended to keep her and care for her. The moment our lips had touched, I’d known she was it. She meant something for my future, for my clavas, for my species. The little human had used a weapon against a Kulk.

I had barely believed it, but it’d been the distraction I had needed to fire my own gun. She was a good match for me, a perfect and brave little warrior mate for a drexel. I nuzzled her neck and sniffed at her hair, so proud she was mine. I was honored she let me between her thighs and thanked me with the sounds of her pleasure cries.

Her little brows furrowed when I remained at her side and didn’t move to penetrate her. She ran her hand over my chest, and I prushed for her, the soothing vibrating emanating from my chest. I hadn’t ever prushed in my life. The ability had been there, all this time, lying dormant until I’d met my female.

She smiled up at me, so pretty with her little white flat teeth. Her hand continued to move, and I sucked in a breath as her blunt nails scratched at my lower stomach. She met my eyes just as she wrapped her small fingers around my cock and squeezed.

I prushed louder, the vibrations mixing with a moan. She pulled once, and then began a steady stroke. With her thumb, she pressed on the spur at the top of my cock and I tossed my head back at the sensation. Never had I felt anything like that. On the rare occasion my cock had gotten hard, I’d ignored it and it had softened. I hadn’t known this was possible, this friction and tightness. Her little tongue came out and licked at the corner of her mouth. Her cheeks, already flushed, reddened further, and her eyes shone as she watched me. Sensations slid down my spine, one after another, like a cascade of hot water tickling my nerve endings. My cock leaked with libo, and her hand slipped over the slick liquid.

I arched my back, and my balls tightened. I was going to come. Outside of a cunt. I hadn’t realized it was possible. But her tight grip and rhythmic pulling had me bucking my hips and jerking against her. With a loud roar, I came, pulsing my seed all over her stomach and cunt and thighs. I soaked her, unable to stop as my body released two hundred years of repression onto my pretty human’s flesh.

When my body stopped jerking, I fell onto my back, unable to catch my breath. I’d never felt this tired, not even after I’d fought a dozen Kulks by myself in defense of my female. I’d do it again, just for one taste of her. Hair brushed my chest, and I opened my eyes to see Fra-kee gazing down at me. She smiled, and I would have fought five dozen Kulks for a chance to see that smile.

Her warm, soft hand brushed my cheek. I turned my head so I could kiss her palm. The golden band on her wrist caught my eye, and mouthed at it, licking across the skin. I held up my own wrists and studied the bands. I could barely believe they were there. When my wrists had started burning, I’d sworn I was seeing things. But no, they were still there, golden, and permanent.

I didn’t know what they meant, but it seemed Fatas had decided to connect us somehow. Hopefully Tark would have some answers for us.

Contentment radiated from Fra-kee, her emotions like a soft white glow in my mind, warm and inviting. The feelings blended with mine, and I let my muscles relax. For now, for a few blessed moments, I wanted to live in this warm feeling of rightness.

“Thank you,” I whispered to my human. I wrapped an arm around her and tugged her against me. She hitched a leg across my waist, and I grasped her thigh, squeezing it while I dropped kisses into her hair. Her scent was all around me, and I could still taste her cunt on my tongue. My body was sated, and I wished for once in my life, I had no responsibilities. I could stay on this rock forever with my pretty, brave Fra-kee.

The decision was made, and if I were honest, it was made the first time I saw her: I wouldn’t let her go. I wouldn’t let anything harm her. But how could I promise that with the constant threat of the Uldani over my head? The unfamiliar sensation of real, genuine fear streaked through me. I clutched her tighter, and worry dulled the glow of her emotions in my mind. I forced myself to calm. If I could feel her, she could feel me. And I didn’t want to cause her anxiety.

I focused on Fra-kee’s warm glow, and I made a silent promise to myself and her—I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe, and I’d get my brother back. If not, the Uldani would find themselves in another war. This time, we’d stop at nothing but annihilation.

Fra-kee’s body was warm, and I reveled in the warm, contented glow of her mood in my mind. Her thoughts heated my whole body and relaxed my muscles like a strong spirit.

My hands, almost of their own accord, roamed her body. I couldn’t stop touching her and could barely believe she was letting me. Her breasts were plump and I rubbed my thumb over the pink tip, amazed when it hardened under my touch. Their weight heavy and delicate, they fit in the palm of my hand. I pressed kisses between them as her hand settled on the back of my head, and she sifted her small fingers through the strands of my hair. I rested my head on her chest, careful to avoid touching her with my sharp horns, and listened to her cora’s beat, strong and steady.

We had to get moving, but I was reluctant to leave her embrace and the gentle trickle of the qua stream behind us. Eventually, I sat up, even though my cock had hardened once again. I put aside the memory of her hands on me, so I wasn’t tempted to stay and ask her to stroke me again.

Another time. There would be another time. I promised myself that. And her.

“Come.” I beckoned as I rose to my feet. “We need to get moving so we can reach Tark’s before sundown.”

She blinked at me with heavy eyelids. She blew out a huffing breath through her little nostrils. “Reely? No nap tiem?”

She got to her feet, stumbling slightly on the wet rock. I scooped her into my arms, and she squeaked. “Uh ken wulk. Onessly.”

I helped her into her clothes, mourning the covered skin, even though the clothes weren’t much. She needed more, and soon. These were filthy and crusted with dirt and blood and myriad other things.

As we approached my bike, a rustling in the distance brought me up short. I froze so suddenly that Fra-kee ran into my back. “Wut iz eet?” she asked.

I tugged her against me and clapped my hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide, and fear clogged her glow, turning it gray like smoke. A hissing sound followed, and I gritted my teeth. Rizars.

Keeping hold of Fra-kee, I shuffled toward the shelter of some trees, because the crashing sounds were coming closer. I could take out a few Rizars on my own, but not an entire clan, and certainly not while protecting Fra-kee.

Flecking Rizars. Noisy, dirty, and a nuisance. They were meat-eaters and devoured anything they could get their claws on. They’d see Fra-kee as nothing but a food source. Worse, they were hard to kill. Even if I cut off their limbs, they’d regrow them in no time.

Fra-kee’s fear was like a black, poisonous gas now, nearly blotting out her glow. Her chest heaved beneath my touch, and her legs shook. I glanced around for a place to hide us, and knew the only way was up. With their thick tails and stubby legs, Rizars were too heavy and clumsy to climb trees. I wasn’t scared of Rizars, but in this moment I was terrified of what would happen if I didn’t think smart and get Fra-kee to safety. I whirled around, finding an older tree with a few strong, low-hanging branches.

I directed Fra-kee onto my back, and she scrambled there eagerly, clinging to me like a chit. As the hissing drew closer, I leapt up and grabbed onto the lowest branch with one hand. Fra-kee’s breath was a rapid beat of pants in my ear, spurring me to move faster. I pulled us up onto the branch, and then kept going. Up, up, up, until I was well above the Rizars’ sightline. Luckily, I’d parked my bike behind a massive trunk, and it didn’t seem to be in the Rizars’ path.

High above the ground, I hunched down on a branch, settling Fra-kee in my lap and covering her as best as I could with my arms. My skin camouflaged me against the trunk and leaves, but Frankie’s pale skin stuck out like a macack bird. What was their flora like on Earth? Was it pale like her? How did she hide from predators?

The Rizar clan approached, slicing through the brush with their blades. They didn’t seem to be actively hunting, which was good, because they’d be less alert. They had something strapped to the back of a small wagon. I couldn’t make out what it was, but I assumed it was an antella. Rizars were excellent with a bow and arrow.

Fra-kee trembled, and I shielded her with my body, holding her tight against me so she didn’t have to see the Rizars and whatever their dinner was. It was bad enough she nearly fell into a pack of pivers; she didn’t have to see this.

Rizars had long snouts full of sharp teeth, and three-clawed hands and feet. They walked upright, but hunched over, their scaled backs humped on top with a solid bone that was nearly impossible to damage, even with our machets. Their bodies were covered in hard scales, and while they were small and slow, they roamed in large clans and worked efficiently together to take down prey and defeat animals. They never messed with Drixonians if we were in a group, but I’d heard of an odd lonas or two to falling victim to a pack of Rizars.

This clan must have been a good fifty strong. They stomped and hissed and talked in their craggy tongue to each other. Eventually, Fra-kee stopped shaking and dared to peek down at the clan. She clung to me, her blunt nails digging into my skin as she observed the passing pack.

Breathing, moving, and speaking had to wait until their noisy procession was completely out of sight. I glanced down at Fra-kee, who was still watching the path they’d taken. She trembled, and I smoothed her hair and prushed for her.

She turned to me with a weak smile. “Zokay,” she said. “U prutektud meh. Luk allwuys.”

Maybe she was thanking me. Or maybe not, but either way, I pressed a kiss to her temple. “You did good, my Fra-kee.” She continually proved what a good mate for me she was.

After climbing down from the tree, we boarded the bike. Luckily, we were traveling in the opposite direction that the Rizar clan went. We set off on a fast pace toward Tark.

Tark’s home sat deep in the mountain range that separated the east and west of the Jasper continent. Most of the Drixonians had settled into clavases in the west, while the Uldani remained holed up in their fortresses in the east. We had to leave our bike at the base of Tark’s mountain, as the flora was too tall and dense to ride through. I helped Fra-kee off the bike and squinted at her bare feet. Those would be a problem. I could carry her the entire way, but Fra-kee seemed to always want to walk herself. I dug around in my saddlebags until I found some thick fabric. I tied the strips to her feet and stepped back to admire my handiwork. They wouldn’t last, but they’d do for now.

Fra-kee wrinkled her nose as she picked up her feet gingerly like a baby antella. “Nut goin too wen fashun awurd.”

She didn’t like them, that was clear, but no way was I letting her walk without protection. “I’ll find you clothes at Tark’s, but for now, this is all I can do.”

She studied me and shrugged her thin shoulders. “Gess um redee den.”

I kept my hand in hers as we entered the forest. She was hesitant, her wide eyes darting every which way. I kept my gun charged and ready at my hip, because the wildlife here would put up a good fight against me and would be able to kill Fra-kee.

She shrieked and swatted at a hunner as it buzzed around her head. I grabbed her arms and held them immobile at her sides, so she didn’t agitate the insect. The sting of a hunner would paralyze me for a short time, so I couldn’t imagine what it would do to her, since its body was the size of her hand. Eventually it flew away, but Fra-kee’s glow in my head became dark and cool with fear.

I picked her up and began to prush to soothe her. At first, she shoved at me, a little scowl on her face, but eventually she relaxed and settled against me, her glow lightening with warmth once again.

I trekked up the mountain, stepping carefully around jagged rocks and ducking under low branches. I did my best to shield Fra-kee from the thorny bushes that seemed to reach out, eager to snag her delicate skin.

“Not much further,” I said, hoping my voice reassured her. “There is a purpose to this journey, I swear it.”

Fra-kee patted my chest. “Uh truss u rr takin keer uv meh. Uh tink.”

I’d only been to Tark’s home twice. It sat atop a small cliff, cleverly hidden. Tark was a private Drixonian, a lonas who’d separated from his Red Bone clavas about ten sun cycles ago. Rumor was that he challenged and defeated the former drexel who had been leading the clavas to ruin. Then Tark had handed over his drexel armband—just like the one I wore—and disappeared. He’d never told us his reasons for being a lonas, and I hadn’t bothered to ask. He was a fair trader who was great at scavenging for parts and repairing any tech he could get his hands on. He was my only hope for a translator implant. Unless I busted into the Uldani fortress.

The path that led to his home was marked by a large rock in the shape of a fang. Its jutting tip nearly reached my chest. I wondered what Fra-kee thought about where we were going. Her trust humbled me—she hadn’t struggled or peppered me with questions in her lilting language. She observed everything, her intelligent gaze constantly scanning our surroundings, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been able to return to the bike on her own.

I ducked under a branch and continued down the narrow path. As we drew closer to Tark’s home, the brush became less dense. I took another step just as I heard voices. More than one voice.

I froze and listened carefully, worried that Tark’s home had been found and invaded by any number of enemies. But then I heard Tark’s deep rumble, and there was amusement in his voice, not anger or fear.

“Now where could Bazel be?” he called out.

A high-pitched giggle tittered close to us. Fra-kee went still at my side, her eyes wide and her head tipped toward the sound.

“Oh, you gave yourself away now! There, Enna, she’s there!”

Suddenly, little footsteps raced toward us. “No, Ma!” a soft voice cried out with a delighted shriek. Through the brush raced a small body, and I caught a glimpse of long black hair and blue scales before the creature skittered to a stop in front of us, eyes wide, mouth open in shock. She was a small female chit; her head came up to about my hip, and she wore a small metal stud in her nose, as well as beaded braids in her hair.

“Holy Fatas,” I breathed. “A chit.”

“Ma!” the chit screeched in fear.

A larger figure crashed through the brush. But this wasn’t a blue body. There were no scales.

A small female, with pale flesh and red hair rushed to the chit’s side, her eyes wide with fear before she took in Fra-kee at my side. Then her expression went slack with shock. Her mouth dropped open just as Fra-kee’s body bucked. She ripped her hand from mine and stumbled forward with her arms out. “Ho mah gawd, iz a human.”

EIGHT

Frankie

It had only been a day since I’d seen another human, but it felt like years. Decades. I hadn’t thought I’d see one of my own kind again, and now standing in front of me was a woman. Alive and well.

“Are you real?” I asked her, shaking so hard I thought my legs would collapse. “A real human?”

“Holy sugar,” the woman said in a slight southern accent. The English words were like a balm to my soul. “Yes, I’m real. I’m very much real.”

“Oh my God,” I said again. I surged forward, and she came to me, closing her arms around me as I began to sob. I didn’t know her, but it didn’t matter. She was like me, and she’d somehow survived on this planet, and maybe there was hope for me. She held me, her body shaking as she cried. We were both behaving like blubbering messes when someone else joined our pity party.

Another alien like Daz leapt into the clearing, his blades out, and I screamed, falling backward on my ass, and bringing the other woman with me, landing in a pile of limbs.

Daz stepped forward, growling at the other alien. They barked a few words at each other, and the redhead listened carefully. She wore tight pants that seemed to lead seamlessly into a pair of thick-soled boots. Her shirt hung off one shoulder, revealing freckled skin. She looked healthy. Safe. Well-fed and clothed. She wasn’t chained or bruised and didn’t appear to be a sex slave. I tried to cling to hope.

She turned to me then and hauled me to my feet. “I’m Anna,” she said. “Come. I’ll take you to our home.”

I squeezed her arms, still barely believing she was real and not a figment of my imagination. “I-I’m Frankie.”

Anna smiled as she took my hand in one of hers. It was then I noticed she had the same golden tattoo bands on her wrists I did. Hers were a different pattern. The other alien wore thick leather bracelets on his wrist, but I suspected he had the same tattoos underneath.

“Y-you have these marks too. What do they mean?”

Anna’s thumb rubbed over my marks, her expression contemplative. “I noticed yours right away. I promise I’ll explain and answer any other questions you have, but we should get back home first where it’s safest. The drexel who brought you has questions too.”

A drexel? Was that what he was called? I turned back to see the two aliens no longer angry but discussing something intently. Daz was…more curious than angry, but I did feel a swell of resentment coming from him. “I don’t… What’s going on?”

Anna stopped short and looked me in the eye. “Tark is my mate. He’s hidden us here for ten sun-cycles and is not happy about Daz learning about us. And your Daz… He’s in shock.”

“Because he didn’t know you existed?”

She bit her lip and then dipped her chin to the small child at her side. “Because he didn’t know she existed.”

I was even more confused. “A child?”

“Well, yes, a child. And also because Bazel is mine. Mine and Tark’s.” She swallowed thickly before saying, “I birthed her.”

That was when my legs buckled, and I hit the ground with a thud. A shadow instantly loomed over me, and strong, familiar arms scooped me up. Daz bared his teeth at Anna. Eyes widening, she backed up, shielding her child as she glanced nervously at Tark. His teeth were also bared, and I worried about this escalation of aggressive testosterone. I patted Daz’s arm, drawing his attention. He immediately met my eyes and smoothed back my hair. “Ch-ch-ch,” he murmured and nuzzled my temple.

“I’m okay, big guy. Just shock, all right? And I’d really like to talk to my new friend here so can you not start a battle with her man?”

Tark spoke a few words to Anna in his language, and she nodded.

“Wait, can you understand him?” I asked her.

She tapped the space behind her right ear. “I have a translator implant. He hears my words in his language, and vice versa. I can understand your alien too, even though he can’t understand me. Daz says that’s why he’s here. He wants a translator implant for both of you so you can communicate. He came here because Tark is one of the few on this planet with the ability to build one.”

I stared at Daz in wonder as he held me in his arms, his expression still thunderous and his anger pulsing through me like a living thing, his glow red and vibrating. This was what this whole journey was for? Just so he could talk to me?

I squirmed in his arms, and he gently placed me on my feet. I was steadier now. I decided to deal later with the fact Anna had a child, because I was overwhelmed and could only handle one thing at a time. Daz’s anger dulled somewhat, and he watched me with concern.

“Okay,” I said. “So, I can talk to your Tark? He can understand me?”

Anna nodded, and Tark responded with an affirmative, “Yit.”

“Great, thank you. Please tell Daz that I’m okay. Just a little in shock. I’m probably also hungry and in need of a good nap.”

Tark spoke to Daz, who never took his eyes off me. When Tark was done speaking, Daz’s jaw ticked before he jerked his head in a nod. His emotions in my head calmed, the red settling like an ocean calming after a storm. Anna headed up the path and walked next to her with her daughter between us. Stomping in annoyed silence, the males brought up the rear.

Anna smiled. “Now that that is settled, let’s head to our home. This isn’t how I would have liked my very first hosting on Torin to go, but I guess I’m out of hospitality practice.”

I laughed, instantly liking Anna. Her presence was calming, and her comfort around her alien set my mind at ease. “That’s all right. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you. Shocked, but happy.”

Sadness leaked into her smile. “I didn’t think I’d see a human again. While I’m happy to see you, I can’t say I’m thrilled you’re here. It means the Uldani haven’t given up procuring humans. Are there others?”

I nodded. “Five more of us. We came on a ship piloted by these one-eyed, dolphin-looking things.”

She shuddered. “Rahguls.”

“Who are the Uldani? Who are these guys?” I gestured to the males behind me. “And what the hell were they doing meeting with the Rahguls?”

Anna’s brow furrowed, and she turned around. Tark was frowning at Daz and barking words at him in an accusatory tone. Daz’s fists were clenched as he hissed a few words back at Tark. Black guilt bled into his emotions, slick and oily.

“What are they saying?” I asked her.

She bit her lip, staring off into the distance in front of us. “Daz says he’ll explain later, but it’s not what it seems.”

“And how… How does it seem?” I asked.

Anna blinked and heaved a sigh. “It seems like Daz and his men had planned to deliver you to the Uldani.”

My stomach curled in on itself, and I didn’t dare look back at Daz. The worst part was that I wasn’t scared of whatever these Uldani would do to me. The knife in the gut was that Daz would possibly betray me. Despite not being able to communicate with him, I’d come to view him as the good guy based on his actions and how he treated me. In such a short time, he had become everything to me. So, I was more upset that Daz would turn out to be the bad guy than I was about actually falling into the hands of more bad guys.

Anna placed her hand on my arm, drawing my attention. I didn’t like the sympathy and pity in her gaze. “Don’t worry right now. He said the other females are safe with his men.”

That was a relief. Of course, I wasn’t sure I’d believe it until I saw it, but I’d been worried about Miranda and the other women. “They’re okay?” I asked, just to be sure.

“Daz says he has to check in with them, but his last orders to his men were to get them somewhere safe. And you’re safe here.” She gestured ahead of us. “This is our home.”

The foliage cleared to reveal a house with a log cabin-type feel. The entire structure was made of rough-hewn tree trunks with some sort of black tar-like stuff connecting them and probably providing insulation. The roof was covered in a material with a silver sheen, and I wondered if it was some type of solar panel. The front door hung open, and the windows seemed to be simple square holes in the walls. I wondered if it ever got cold here.

Surrounding the house was a well-landscaped yard. I suspected Anna had something to do with this, because it was so Earth-familiar I nearly started crying. There were a few flowerbeds I’d be interested in checking out later. In one bed, there was even a small birdhouse on a pole, and I wondered about the species of birds or other flying creatures around here.

Bazel skipped ahead. She called out, “Rufus!” and a big, furry, black thing came bounding out of the front door.

“Ah!” I cried out, and stumbled over my own feet, only remaining upright because Daz gripped my arms.

Anna smiled. “I know Rufus looks scary, but he’s a big softie.”

I stared at the little girl roughhousing with the beast. He looked mostly like a bear but acted like a dog. He had no ears and a kind of pug-nosed snout.

“They call them blukas,” Anna said. “He makes a good pet, although he’s a terrible watchdog.” Surveying the yard, she placed her hands on her hips. I could tell she was trying to look at her home through my eyes.

I cleared my throat. “Well, I love what you’ve done with the place.”

Anna snorted. Which turned into an inelegant laugh. That set me off, and before we knew it, we were falling into each other, laughing a bit hysterically. The men stared at us as we wiped the tears from our eyes and finally got ourselves together. It was just all so normal and yet not.

Anna placed her hand on her chest and exhaled loudly. “I hope you don’t judge my interior-decorating skills. I didn’t have much to work with.”

“I promise you the last thing on my mind is critiquing your homemaking.” I said.

She turned to Tark. “I’m going to take Frankie inside and get her some clothes and something to eat. Can you take Bazel?”

He nodded and spoke a few words while gesturing toward a smaller building I hadn’t noticed. It was tucked behind the house and looked like a small shed. He began to walk in that direction, but Daz didn’t follow. He stood still, watching me.

“I’m okay,” I said. “Go do man stuff in your man cave with your friend.”

He cocked his head, and Anna snort-laughed again. “Tark, tell Daz it’ll be okay. She’s safe with me.”

As I turned away from Daz, I felt a pang in my chest. Sorrow.

Seriously? I’d been with him for two days straight. I was finally talking to another human, and I’d be getting clothes and eating food, and yet I felt sadness at being separated from him by a few yards? My tattoos tingled, and I rubbed my wrists.

“That’ll lessen over time,” Anna said.

“What will?” I asked as we walked into her house. I glanced back over my shoulder. Daz still stood in the same place watching me with his arms crossed over his chest. Anna shut the door behind her, and his emotions slugged me like a punch. His red glow in my mind swirled and pulsed. Longing.

Anna was speaking, but I missed what she said. “What?” I asked.

“Your loks.” She tapped her wrists. “They ache when you’re separated from your cora-eternal. But it’s only when it’s fresh.”

“My cora what?” I stood in the doorway in my ridiculous thin and dirty night clothes, feeling like I was missing a huge chunk of information.

Anna wrung her hands. “Shoot, I’m sorry. It’s been ten sun-cycles since I arrived here. Sun-cycles are equivalent to Earth years, I think. So, I forget what it was like to have no idea what’s going on here on this planet. Sit, please. Let me get you some food, and then I’ll explain, okay?”

I swallowed. “Yeah, I’m sorry as well. This is just … overwhelming.”

Gracing me with a sympathetic smile, she said, “I do remember that.” Turning away, she walked over to a counter that lined the side wall. The appliances looked different than what I was used to, but there did seem to be some sort of stove, as well as a basin for cleaning.

I checked out the rest of the house—an open space that included a living and dining area and a kitchen. Two doors led to what I assumed were sleeping areas, as I didn’t see bedding anywhere.

I couldn’t help but be impressed with what Anna had done to the place. It was like an Earth home but with… Well, no Earth materials. Blankets made of fur draped over a couch-like object. The cushions seemed to be a dried leather, although it was a surprising pale pink color like a pig’s skin. In front of it was a short coffee table and smaller tables were in convenient spots around the room. In the corner was an area full of colorful blocks and a few stuffed animals, all rather crude and some a little scary, but all well-loved.

Anna had made a home here. With an alien. And a child. I was in awe. Tears pricked my eyes and I sniffed as I retreated to the couch. I sat down and smoothed my hand over the surface. There were short hairs. I didn’t really want to know what animal this used to be.

I draped the blanket around me. The pelt was soft and thick, and even though it was warm outside, I appreciated feeling covered up for once.

Anna approached me with a pretty plate held in her hands. “Is that ceramic?” I asked.

She shook her head, but her cheeks stained pink with a pleased blush. “Not ceramic, no, but I was able to find a light clay that fires really well and is durable. I make a dye from some of the wildflowers.” She shrugged. “It’s not Fiestaware, but it’s better than nothing.”

I took the plate from her hands and admired the swirls of purple and yellow below the food. “Well, I think it’s amazing.”

“Thank you.” She sat down on a chair beside me and placed a cup of liquid on the coffee table in front of me. “You might have had this drink already. They call it qua, and it’s like water.”

I ducked my head, because yes, I was familiar with qua. I’d bathed in it and orgasmed on the bank of a stream. I chugged some of it to hide my blush.

“So, the food.” Anna pointed to assorted items in front of me. The first was bland-looking beige rectangle. “This is what they call tein. It looks unappetizing but is actually surprisingly good. Really filling. The rest are some local fruits.”

“Daz gave me a tein bar on the way here. It’s not bad.” I sampled one of the fruits and relished the flavorful, moist flesh.

“So,” she said. “How about while you eat, I explain how I got here?”

“Yes,” I said with my mouth full. “I’d love that.”

“I suspect it all started same as you. You woke up on a spaceship, right?”

I nodded. “You got it.”

“This was ten sun-cycles ago, and I don’t think the Rahguls quite knew what they were doing. There were four of us women and three died on the plane, probably from whatever they used to drug us.”

My stomach soured. “Oh no. That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, that sucked, and then it sucked even more when the spaceship crashed.”

My mouth dropped open with food in it. I had never been great with manners. “Whaaa?”

“I managed to survive the crash, but I had no idea what to do or where I was. Then a bunch of Drixonians arrived—”

“Drixonians?”

“Oh, sorry, yes. That is what Tark and Daz are. Drixonian warriors. Drix for short. So, they took me back to their settlement, healed me, and then Tark basically stole me in the middle of the night and the rest is…” She gestured to the space around us. “The rest is history.”

“Wait, wait.” I waved a hand. “Why did he steal you in the middle of the night?”

Her lips twisted bitterly. “The leader of their clavas, that’s what they call their…”

“Motorcycle clubs?”

“Sure, we’ll go with that. Anyway, the leader of their clavas was a jerk and wanted to either sell me or do other, um, nefarious things to me. Tark refused to let that happen. He wanted to protect me, and the best way he knew how was to separate himself from the clavas and keep me hidden.”

“So, you haven’t seen anyone for ten years?”

Anna smiled, but it was strained, and my heart hurt for her. “No. Only Tark and my Bazel. It’s okay. Sure, I’m lonely, but I’m with a man I love and a child who means everything to me. If I’m going to be stuck on a planet with no way back to Earth, I’m happy this is my situation.”

“You love him?” I glanced around and then lowered my voice. “Is he listening? Blink twice if you’re here against your will.”

She laughed. “I know, it sounds crazy, right? To tell you the truth, I started falling for Tark before we could even talk to each other. I thought I was going a little crazy, or it was something in the air. But I can’t deny he’s everything I never thought I’d have. He’s thoughtful and caring and protective and loving.” She shrugged. “I don’t even notice his color or his horns or whatever anymore. He’s just… Tark.”

I wanted to be incredulous, but I couldn’t be. Because I was falling for Daz, wasn’t I? How else did I explain my trust in him or how I let him eat me out in the middle of the wilderness?

“So, Earth.” My voice shook. “We aren’t getting back?”

Anna’s lip trembled, and she bit it as her eyes filled. She shook her head, red curls bouncing around her shoulders. “I’m so sorry, Frankie. Only the Rahguls have the technology. The Drixonians lost all their ships in the war with the Uldani and can’t even fly back to their home planet, Corin.”

I had suspected we’d never get back, but it was still a blow to have someone definitively tell me I’d never see my best friend again, or my dad. I’d never again taste spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce.

I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Maybe there’s hope?”

Anna swiped her fingers under her eyes. “I held onto that hope for a while, and eventually had to give it up. I also could never leave Tark. He’s everything to me. My heart and soul. My cora-eternal.” She pointed to the bands on her wrists. Hadn’t she called them loks? “These? They show we’re mates.”

I nearly choked on a purple ball of bread. “What?”

“Mates. Just like your loks prove you’re mates with Daz. Fatas chose us for each other, and are lives are linked now. Forever.”

Forever?

NINE

DAZ

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the chit. My mind was a fractured thing, separated into so many questions and concerns I swore my head would explode.

I’d never in my life thought I’d see a young Drixonian again. They called her Bazel, and she was a female. A female! A bit smaller than average, with light blue skin and no scales. Her hands were delicate, her tail thin. She had little horn nubs and the cutest face I’d ever seen. A smatter of darker dots splashed over her nose and across her cheeks.

Like her mother. A human.

I wanted to scream at Tark. Hurt him. All this time he’d kept this monumental secret. He knew what I was thinking because he kept glancing at me warily. I held my tongue because Bazel was close by. I wouldn’t make her father bleed in front of her. I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions in private though.

“Bazel,” Tark said, clearing his throat, obviously uncomfortable. “I’d like you to meet one of my friends. This is Dazeem.”

The chit ran right up to me, the blukas galloping behind her. “Hello!” she said and hugged my thigh.

It took all my strength to stay upright and not collapse under the weight of this revelation. “Hello,” I whispered. I held my hand over her head, intending to touch her. I hesitated, glancing at Tark for permission first. With a strained smile, he nodded. I patted her head and her soft hair tickled my palms. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

She pulled back, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I haven’t met any of Dad’s friends before.”

I cocked my head at Tark. “Dad?”

“It’s one of Enna’s words. Slang for father.”

“Does Bazel speak both our tongue and Enna’s?”

Tark nodded. “Drixen and English.”

“Smart girl,” I murmured.

Bazel beamed.

“I need to talk to my friend in private. Stay in the yard with Rufus, okay?”

“Sure, Dad.” She picked up a stick and threw it for the blukas, who ran after it. Bazel followed. What kind of name was Rufus?

Tark met my eyes and led me inside his workroom, which was a separate building from the house where the women—my female—currently sat. I checked for how Fra-kee was doing. She seemed content for now, her white glow fairly warm and content.

“So, Dazeem.” Tark sighed. “Out with it.”

“You kept this a secret.” I tried to hold my temper at bay as I turned to face him with gritted teeth. “You didn’t trust me.”

Tark didn’t back down. He’d always been a confident male, and now he seemed to swell before my eyes. “This had nothing to do with trust. It had everything to do with protecting Enna. The less who knew about her existence, the better.”

“But you bred her. You knew humans were capable of having our chits and yet you still didn’t share this knowledge. Our species is dying!”

“I did what I thought was right!” he roared as he pounded his chest. “I would die for her. I had to kill two Drix just to ensure her safety, because Bult planned to sell her to the Uldani.”

I huffed. “Bult was a coward and a traitor to our ways.”

“There will always be traitors, Daz. Always. And I wasn’t willing to risk her safety. She’s soft and kind and was brought here against her will. The least I could do was protect her.” He gestured to the marks on my wrists. “I see you’ve bonded. So, you tell me. Would you put your mate’s life at risk for the greater good of the species?”

I balked as a firm “no” slid up my throat to lodge behind my teeth.

He stepped forward, his voice lowering. “You’re connected now. Don’t you feel her? She’s in you so deep you can feel what she feels. All her pain, all her happiness. You now share it with her.”

I bared my teeth. “What do you know of it?”

He tore off the bracelets he always wore around his wrists. The golden tattoos shone in the rays of the sun. He held them up on either side of his head. “Enna and I are bonded too. She is my cora-eternal. That is what these loks mean.”

I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t noticed the bands on his Enna, but then I’d been a bit preoccupied with Fra-kee and the existence of a chit. I looked down at my loks and rotated my wrists. Cora-eternal? But that was a myth, only possible on rare occasions and only with Drixonian females.

“How?” I said, my voice a whisper. “How is this possible?”

Anger faded from Tark’s voice as he placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Fatas—”

I shoved his hand away. “I don’t believe this. Fatas has done nothing but punish us. Why would she give us this reward?”

“This isn’t about believing or not. The evidence is there on your skin and in your cora. She Is All, Daz. And it’s up to us to protect her.”

She Is All. The mantra of Drixonian warriors. Protect our females at all cost. When we’d lived on Corin with our females, we’d been successful at defending our home, the most respected and feared warriors in the entire galaxy. But we couldn’t protect our females from sickness—that intangible enemy didn’t care about our guns and knives and machets.

“What did you think these meant?” he asked, brushing his fingers over my loks.

“I didn’t know,” I said. “My mind has been a bit crowded with my female’s emotions. She’s constantly feeling. It’s exhausting.”

He laughed. “You’ll get used to it. It was a lot for me at the beginning too.”

“How did you meet your Enna?” I asked.

“The Rahgul ship she was on crashed. We heard it and went to scavenge the site. We found her. Alive. I knew right away she was mine. Bult scratched her, drew her blood. I felt the scratch like it was etched onto my own skin.”

I remembered the Kulk striking Fra-kee, and how the echoing pain had exploded in my own skull. “Did your loks appear right away? Ours happened seemingly out of nowhere.”

He cocked his head. “What happened right before they appeared?”

“I killed a Kulk who had been tracking us.”

“Any significance to this Kulk?”

“Must you avoid answering a direction question?”

He smirked. “Did that Kulk hurt your Fra-kee in any way?”

“Yes, he hit her.”

“Draw her blood?”

“How—?”

“The bonding process starts when our female’s blood is spilled, and we feel the pain. The loks activate and the bond is complete when we kill the being responsible.”

I sat down heavily on a chair in the corner as I processed what Tark was saying. The one-armed Kulk spilled her blood and the loks appeared as soon as he died. Dead by my own hand. “How do you know this?”

“Shep,” he said. “The elder from my old clavas. He’s taught me much about humans and my connection with Enna.”

“What happens if the bond isn’t finished? If whoever is responsible dies by another?”

Tark leaned against a table full of circuits and wires and crossed his arms over his chest. “That, I do not know.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off my wrists as they lay on my thighs. “My Fra-kee is very brave. Her laugh is like…” I scratched at my chest. “Like sinking into a heated spring.”

“My Enna is also special. Despite her being stuck here, she always has a smile for me. At night and even sometimes in the morning or afternoon—” He grinned. “—she lets me lick her until she screams and then takes my cock.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You think I don’t know how chits are made?”

“I can’t imagine how elders like Shep feel, knowing what it’s like to lay with a female and losing them all with no hope of ever being inside one again.”

“My Fra-kee tastes like nothing I’ve ever had,” I said, the memory flooding my thoughts.

Tark nodded emphatically. “It’s an honor Fatas chose us.”

I shook my head. “But why us?”

“Is something wrong with me?” He feigned offense.

I shook my head. “Clearly you are the right choice, but I…” I sucked in a breath. “I cannot believe I am.”

“Tell me, Daz. Tell me what is so wrong with you? You’re a drexel—”

“I’m only the drexel because the rest of the males didn’t want to lead. They voted me in, and I couldn’t refuse.”

Tark rolled his eyes. “They voted you in because they knew you were the best for the position.”

“Every day, I wonder what I have done to deserve their respect,” I spat. I slammed a fist into my chest. “I led my own brother to his death and yet they still trust me.”

Tark immediately sobered. “You cannot continue to hold yourself responsible for Rex.”

“He entered that building on my orders—”

“If it wasn’t your orders, it would have been someone else’s.”

The guilt clogged my throat and tightened my lungs. “I studied the Uldani’s movements. I was the one who determined it was safe. I was the one who was wrong.”

Tark straightened. “And if another led, then we’d probably all be dead or rotting in the Uldani dungeons. You were responsible for most of our major wins in the Uprising.”

“At what cost?” I said, despair threatening to drown me. “We live in secluded groups scavenging for food and tech. We have no future, and there are males who have rejected our values like Bult. Fatas abandoned me long ago, and now I’m supposed to believe she has given me a female as perfect as Fra-kee who can carry my young?”

Tark didn’t speak for a long time, watching me silently. “I understand you believe Fatas has deserted you, but you cannot deny the bond you have with your Fra-kee. Those loks are on your wrists, and you will earn them or die trying.”

I straightened. “I never said I wouldn’t do everything in my power to be worthy of Fra-kee. I still think Sax would have been a better choice. I should be in that Uldani prison instead of him.”

Tark pulled up a chair across from me and stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankle. “Explain this more to me. So, they captured Sax and are holding him until you make the delivery?”

“Yes. The Uldani didn’t tell us what the cargo was, and I didn’t ask. Imagine my surprise when I showed up to find six females being guarded by a dozen Kulks.”

“So, they assigned Kulks as guards, but you were responsible for the delivery?”

“Yes. Granted, we are stronger and more likely to survive the journey while keeping all the females alive than the Kulks. But it still seems suspicious.”

“When Enna arrived, Shep had heard rumors the Uldani were collecting various female species.”

The base of my horns throbbed. “What?” I hissed.

“They’re either starting a zoo or they are testing them genetically.”

I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply to keep from smashing apart Tark’s work room in anger. “Fleck. Flecking Uldani’s.”

“You see now why I did what I did to protect Enna?”

I rubbed my forehead, because yes, I did understand. I just wished the situation were different. “I understand. I’m still not happy about it, but I understand.”

Tark sat up straight and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “I need to know now. Do you plan to deliver Fra-kee and the other females to the Uldani?”

I leapt to my feet and stood over Tark, growling through clenched teeth. “How dare you ask me that?”

He rose slowly, with zero fear, as he locked gazes with me. “You cannot fault me for asking.”

“You have known me for a hundred years—”

“And Bult used to be an honorable Drix too. But this planet and this life flecks us up. I know you and Fatas aren’t friends—”

“I don’t care about Fatas. These loks matter to me only because they are confirmation of what I already knew. Fra-kee is mine. My female. My mate. My cora-eternal. Nothing will take her from me. I will protect her and the rest of the females until Fatas decides to put me out of my misery.”

He didn’t move. “And what’s your plan after you leave here?”

“Collect my males and the females from the hideout and take them to our settlement. There, safe behind our walls, we’ll have the entire clavas to defend them.”

“And your brother?” His voice softened.

“I will find another way to rescue my brother. But not at the expense of the females.”

Tark’s muscles relaxed, and he shrugged, turning around to pick at parts on his worktable. I glared at his broad back. “So?”

“So?” he tossed over his shoulder. “You have given me all the assurance I need. Now I need time to assemble the translators for the females. Tomorrow, I’ll update yours with all the Earth languages. It’ll probably take all night, so you and Fra-kee can stay here until morning.”

I sank back down in my chair, annoyance replacing anger. Tark loved to test me, the flecking asshole. “Thank you,” I grumbled.

“We have some time before the evening meal. How about I give you a couple of tips about human females?”

“Are they so different than us?” I asked.

He laughed, his deep voice reverberating around the room. “Oh, Daz. You have a lot to learn.”

Frankie

For the first time since I’d been taken from my home, I was in a nice bed. The mattress was more like a big padded pillow, and I gripped the fur blanket where it wrapped around my shoulders. Anna had taken Bazel to sleep with her and Tark, so I was given Bazel’s room. Daz had never returned from the workroom, so I didn’t know where he was sleeping. I didn’t want to admit it, but I was a little peeved he hadn’t checked on me or said goodnight.

My body ached with fatigue, but my mind wouldn’t rest. Not for a moment. I’d spent a long time with Anna, and while she did her best to explain our situation to me, it was so overwhelming I was having a tough time processing. I shifted under the blanket, relieved to finally be clean. Of course, that had been an interesting experience, just like everything on this planet. Anna had showed me to something called a cleanser, where I stood in what looked like a shower stall. When Anna flipped a switch, a blast of balmy air rushed over me. She’d said she still wasn’t sure how it worked, but the air was charged with a purifying property, and in seconds I was clean, my hair shiny. They called their toilet an expeller—it was a seat with a hole, a bit like something found in an outhouse. What was interesting was that it cleaned me after with a warm jet of air—like a waterless bidet.

She’d loaned me a long T-shirt-type piece of clothing and a fresh, new pair of underwear. She’d sewed everything herself and told me she’d managed to find a plant that resembled cotton.

All evening, Daz’s feelings had burned in the corner of my mind, a little hard to detect. I noticed sometimes he went dark. I could still feel him alive and whole and not in pain. But he turned himself off, blocking all his emotions like a dam. I didn’t get the feeling he was hiding them from me. I felt more like he was hiding them from himself.

Anna had said Tark would work all night to assemble the translator implant I’d need to be able to talk to Daz, and my stomach was a riot of nerves. I was eager, anxious, and excited. All of which was a lot to handle. What would Daz say? In my head, I’d been assigning him words. Kind words. What if he ended up being a major douchecanoe? What if we didn’t get along? What if he thought I was annoying as hell?

I groaned as my heart raced, and my mind ran like a hamster on a wheel. I’d never get to sleep at this rate, and then I’d be a mess of exhaustion and anxiety and slurred words when I finally got to be able to talk to this big Drixonian alien who apparently was my mate.

Then there was this Uldani business to think about. I didn’t want to consider Daz might betray me and sell me to some other freaky aliens, but what if he did? In such a short time, he’d come to mean a lot to me. He’d taken care of me, he’d killed for me, and now he was giving me the ability to communicate with him. If he ended up being the bad guy, it would be like a stab in the back with all his sharp blades.

A board creaked in the house and I sat upright, staring into the darkness. A figure loomed in my doorway, backlit by a low light in the front room. I knew right away it was Daz. I could tell by the breadth of his shoulders and the long fall of his hair.

“Daz?” I whispered.

His feelings, which had been dark, flooded with red light. My heart swelled. He’d missed me. He slid onto the bed and gathered me in his arms. He chanted for me, “Ch-ch-ch,” with a low humming in his chest. I didn’t even pretend I didn’t want him. I turned in his grip and buried my face against his chest. He smelled like dirt and starlight. He’d been outside, but he’d come to me when he felt me losing my shit. His hands slid through my hair and down my back. The more he hummed for me, the more my muscles relaxed.

“Please, please be the good guy, Daz,” I whispered into his scales. His humming paused for a few seconds before resuming.

I lifted my head, and met Daz’s gaze, which glowed a warm purple in the low light. He cupped my cheek, and said, “Fra-kee, tua mach soundel neh cora-eternal.” His voice was a fierce whisper. Determination bled from Daz and on its heels was lust. The bulge in his pants was unmistakable, and he was holding himself back, his muscles taut and his jaw clenched.

I pretended his words were a pledge to keep me safe. Tomorrow, maybe the entire illusion I’d built in my head of Daz would be shattered. But for now, he was my Daz. My protector. My mate.

Tonight, he’d be the same male who ate me out until I screamed. I wanted to feel him, to be connected to him before all the nonsense of words. What would it feel like to take him into my body based only on our colliding feelings in our minds?

I tilted my head and pressed my lips to his. At first, he remained frozen, and I loved I had taken him by surprise. But that didn’t last long. With a growl in his throat, he kissed me back, sliding his tongue into my mouth. His kiss. His kiss. I’d never forget it as long as I lived. He plundered me. I shifted my legs restlessly, vaguely aware of the growing wetness staining my new panties.

He growled again, and the sound spurred me on. With my foot planted flat on the bed, I rolled him onto his back and threw myself over his body. As he was so much taller than me, I straddled his waist, and his eyes widened with surprise before narrowing in hunger. He licked his lips as his hands clenched my thighs.

He was gorgeous, his black hair spread out on the light pillows, blue shiny scales almost ethereal in the light. I loved how they felt under my hands, almost like a hard velvet.

I crossed my arms in front of me, gripped the hem of my shirt, and tore it off. I tossed it to the floor and sat back on down. Daz’s cock throbbed beneath my ass, and his eyes hungrily took me in. His hips bucked and I loved the feral curl to his lips, like he was barely holding himself back.

He raised his shoulders, and with a hand on my back, he lowered his head and latched onto a nipple. He sucked, tongue piercing working some magic on the sensitive skin and sending bolts of electricity straight down to my clit.

“Oh God,” I murmured, burying my fingers in his hair, and pulled him tighter against me. He ate at my chest. Lips, tongue, and teeth. Metal and flesh. A near constant rumble from his chest vibrated between us, and I wondered if I could come just from this, grinding against his rock-hard abs.

His presence in my mind glowed white-hot with worship and want. I knew the feeling. I felt like I could write sonnets based on his nipple-sucking talents alone.

He pulled away and reached behind his back. I heard a click and then his pants seemed to almost inflate with air and come away from his skin. He kicked them off in one fluid motion. He cupped my pussy with one hand and gripped my neck with the other. He brought our foreheads together. “Yit es nit?” he asked urgently, his voice a broken whisper.

I could’ve been wrong, but I swore he was asking permission. “Yit,” I whispered back. “I want you, Daz. Yit.”

He tore my panties off, shredding them beneath one extended claw. I yelped, because damn it, Anna had worked hard on those, but in the next second I forgot all about my destroyed undergarments.

He lifted my hips and plunged me down onto his engorged cock. I shrieked at the sudden invasion, but I was so wet, he slid right in, despite his size. He was slick too, leaking a fluid similar to pre-come. It seemed to heat and pulse inside me. I could have sworn I was made for him as my inner walls expanded and clenched around him perfectly. I fell forward, bracing my hands on his chest. His nostrils flared, and his lips pulled back to reveal his sharp fangs.

“Neh cunt,” he spoke urgently. “Neh cunt, neh Fra-kee cora-eternal.”

“Yes,” I breathed, still gritting my teeth through the burn of his massive cock spearing me. “Neh cunt. And just so we’re clear, this is my cock too. Goes both ways, big guy.”

He began to fuck me, and I held on for dear life. So much for being on top because I wasn’t in charge. Not at all. Not in bed with Daz. He held my hips as he thrust up forcefully. I finally got the rhythm and began to give as good as I was getting. I slammed my ass down onto his cock. Again and again. My ass shook and my breasts jiggled. Normally I would have been a little self-conscious about it, but now I reveled in the way my body moved while Daz fucked me.

His chest wasn’t the only thing vibrating. His cock was too, and I cried out as the vibrations sped up. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore; something latched onto my clit and began to tug. I cried out and glanced down to see the nub had opened to suck on my clit, like another freaking mouth.

My body bucked as sensation after sensation rolled through me. My pussy clenched, my clit was a riot of nerves, and Daz’s eyes—his eyes held me, a whirlpool of purple I was drowning in.

“Daz.” I shuddered, my body on overload, every inch of skin sensitized so that even a brush of his fingers sent a bolt of heat to my core. “I’m going to come, Daz. Holy shit.”

With a shout, he rolled us. I found myself flat on my back, Daz above me. His hair caressed my face, each strand alive and touching me like deft fingers. He pounded into me, neck corded with muscle and strain. The base of his horns seemed to pulsate, and I reached up to grip each one. He bucked into me harder, his cock accessory tugged at my clit, and I threw my head back as I came.

I saw stars. The moon. Maybe Earth. My skin tingled and my heart raced as every hair stood on end. My body shuddered and shook as I came on a never-ending orgasm. I couldn’t even shout as I gasped for air.

As the aftershocks flitted down my spine, Daz slammed into me, froze, and then roared. He bucked a few more times and I felt every single pulse of his cock as he unleashed inside of me.

When his arms began to shake and he collapsed at my side, my arms were open to accept him. He gathered me against his body, still trembling. His hair continued to move, and I wondered if I was seeing things as it tickled my ears and neck.

“Neh Fra-kee,” he whispered. “Neh cora-eternal. Suy gurunidum excillior.”

I melted into him, his presence in my mind settling into a warm, contented red. This Daz I could live with. And I hoped this was the Daz I got tomorrow when I could finally understand the words he whispered in my ear.

I didn’t get up, even as I felt his release slipping from my body. He rolled onto his back and hefted my thigh over his body. He curled his arm around my shoulders and held me tightly. Wrapped up in Daz, feeling his smooth skin beneath my palm and his steady heartbeat in my ear, my mind finally rested.

It was only as I was in that twilight between awake and sleep that I remembered that in the room next door was proof Daz and I had could have just done something irreversible.

We could have made a child.

TEN

Frankie

I woke up to blue arms encircling me, hot breath sliding down my back. My hands were stretched out in front of my face, and Daz’s thick fingers twined with one of mine. I’d seen his claws extended, black talons that could shred anything from skin to underwear. Now, they were retracted beneath his skin with only a tip of black nail visible.

Light shone through the one window in the room, and the sun’s rays were so like our Earth’s sun I could almost believe I was waking up in my apartment with a boyfriend. Except this boyfriend was blue and had a tail, and I needed a freaking implant to talk to him.

Our wristbands glowed golden in the morning light. I hadn’t had a chance to sit down and inspect them, so I took the time now. While Anna and Tark’s pattern was more geometric, the design Daz and I shared reminded me of a bit of damask. Very regal looking, which made sense because if I was correct, Daz was the leader of his band of merry men. I snorted to myself. I doubt he’d find that funny. He was so serious. Did he laugh? Would I be able to make him laugh once we could talk to each other? I wasn’t a comedian or anything, but I liked making people laugh. I had to admit the loks were pretty. They would have made excellent bracelets, but the permanence freaked me out.

Daz made a sound in his sleep, and his hard cock poked my ass. I immediately pushed back into him, without thought. What the hell had gotten into me? I had never been a prude, but I’d never sought out sex like this. Although, I’d never had sex this good. Like, ever. I hadn’t realized this kind of sex was even possible. That clit-sucker thing? His pierced cock which hit all the right places? His tongue and mouth? Jesus Christ, he was made to please a woman.

And that brought up the question—where were their women? That was a question I wanted to ask Daz directly. I had a list already in my head. 1. Do you plan to betray me? Check yes or no. And 2. Do you have a wife somewhere? I’m not into being a concubine or whatever.

Maybe I didn’t want to talk to him. Maybe I just wanted to live in this pretend dream world where he was something good on a scary-as-hell planet. Shit, I could feel my anxiety spiking, my mind racing, and Daz rose behind me swiftly. With a push on my shoulder, he rolled me onto my back and loomed over me. His tail lay on one side of me, while he braced himself on his elbow on the other side. I was caged in, and I was shocked to realize it was calming.

Also, hadn’t he been in a deep sleep only seconds ago? He didn’t even look groggy. His eyes were clear, alert, and of course, the asshole’s hair was perfect. All straight and shiny and not a hair out of place. Which reminded me how it had seemed to come alive last night. Had I imagined that?

He cupped my face, and his deep voice cauterized my nerves. “Yoana neh Fra-kee. Husha ba musta aberian.”

The words didn’t matter. The tone mattered, soothing and careful. He must have felt me freaking out and was doing his best to calm me.

“I’m okay.” I reached up and scratched the base of his horns, and he leaned into my touch, his eyes falling half-closed. “I’m just having my normal morning freak out. It’ll pass.”

“Neh Fra-kee,” he whispered. “Gua suspire.”

“Sure,” I said. “Back at you.”

“Daz!” Tark called from outside our room.

Daz’s head went up, and he barked out a few annoyed words. I laughed a little at the change in his tone.

Tark answered, sounding just as annoyed, but with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Daz blew out his breath like an agitated bull. He planted a kiss on my forehead and rose from the bed. He hurriedly pulled his pants on and gestured to the door.

“Yeah.” I waved. “Go ahead. I’m gonna enjoy this bed a little more.”

He held the door open and looked back at me like, You coming?

“Shoo,” I said, and rolled to my side with the covers over my shoulders. I closed my eyes. “Let me sleep in.”

He didn’t move for a few moments, and then with a muttered, “Neh Fra-kee ista playusta,” he left.

“Did he just call me lazy?” I asked the empty room. “I escaped hippo things and took out an Armored Bear. Oh, and then there’s the little fact that I realized I’m never getting home, I can have blue, horned babies, and I can’t seem to stop myself from letting Daz put his body parts inside me.”

The empty room did not answer or acknowledge my rant. I pulled the covers around me tighter and closed my eyes.

Sleep did not come. In fact, I was wide awake. I lay there for a while, probably too long, as voices from the front room finally faded. I wasn’t too keen on wandering out there in nothing but a T-shirt to face a nice little family and my… alien boyfriend. Or whatever.

I slapped my arm over the side of the bed and blindly groped for my T-shirt. When I found it, I sat up and pulled it on. I glanced around the room, thinking this was a really lovely place. The smell of wildflowers came through the open window, and the bedding itself was beyond comfortable. Anna even had a little vase of purple flowers on a side table.

Hauling myself out of bed, I stood awkwardly at the end of the bed evaluating my next steps. I needed to pee. And clean myself up a bit. Fuck, I had no underwear, and I was still a bit sticky. I tiptoed out of the bedroom, thinking I’d just sneak into the bathroom. It was attached to the side of the house, so I had to go through the main living space to get to it.

Too bad I didn’t get far. Anna was in the kitchen, stirring something over her stove-like appliance. She turned and greeted me with a large smile. No judgement. No, How dare you have sex with your big alien in my bed. Just a charming smile.

“Do you need the bathroom?” she asked.

I nearly wept. “How did you know?”

“Because you’re crossing your legs.”

I glanced down, and immediately stood up straight. “Sorry.”

She waved a hand. “No need to apologize. Head on in. I’ll have clean clothes for you when you’re finished.”

“Anna, you are an actual saint.”

I quickly did my business and used the cleanser to get clean. After I stepped out, I found a small pile of clothes waiting for me on a bench. There was no underwear. I didn’t think she intended me to put my dirty ones back on, so maybe these clothes were meant to go commando in? We’d see. I ran my fingers over the fabric of the pants, marveling at the way the light bounced off the shiny black material. I pulled the pants on, and while they were baggy at first, as soon as they touched my skin, they molded to me like shrink wrap. They felt like leggings, but so light I could have sworn I was naked. I did a couple of squats and jumping jacks. Sure enough, they stayed in place. “Huh,” I muttered to myself. As for the shirt, it was similar to what I’d worn last night. It fit well, which made sense as Anna and I were about the same size.

I pulled on the boots, which fit like the leggings, although the soles had some weight to them.

I walked out into the main room to find Anna placing a plate on the table.

“Good morning,” she said. “I made you breakfast. Those are taranta eggs. They don’t taste like eggs from home, but they’re good. Meatier, I’d say. And that—” She pointed to a steaming mug sitting to the top right of the plate. “—is pula. It’s not coffee. Nothing here is like coffee, but it’s like a tea and has some natural energy-boosting properties.” She wiped her hands on a cloth. “One thing I had to come to terms with was that I wasn’t going to be able to replicate Earth things. I couldn’t make a coffee or a Danish. I had to learn new routines and flavors.”

“That makes sense. I’m sure that was a hard realization though. Because damn, I could go for a vanilla latte right about now.”

She laughed. “It was hard. But it was also fun using new foods to produce recipes.”

I sat down in front of my plate and smiled at how the place setting was properly set. A napkin was tucked under the fork to the left of my plate, while my knife was on my right. “This is so nice. Thank you.”

“Stop thanking me.” She sat down across from me with a steaming mug.

I shoved a forkful of the eggs in my mouth. They were chewy, and she was right, a bit meaty, almost like chicken, but delicious. “Mmm, this is good!”

She beamed and took a sip from her mug. “I’m so glad you like them.”

“They don’t taste like scrambled eggs exactly, but they have the same consistency.” I pushed them around the plate with my fork. “I need to deal with the fact I’m not getting home.”

Anna reached for my hand. “Hey, it’s not something you can get over in hours or a day or even years. I still miss plenty about Earth. Sometimes I can almost taste my blueberry pie until I remember there’s nothing like that here. And I’ll never taste it again. It’s a process that never ends, I think. Isn’t that what grief is like? Mourning can last a lifetime.”

My chest ached, and I rubbed at it. “You’re right. Sorry if I brought it up.”

Anna smiled. “No, it’s fine. I look at this as another stage in my life, but I don’t pretend Act 1 never existed.”

“So, this is Act 2?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“What’s Act 3?”

Anna hummed as she leaned back in her chair. “To be determined.”

“I guess I’m okay with Act 2. At least it’s not a tragedy so far.” Anna giggled. I noticed she still hadn’t fixed herself a plate. “Are you going to eat?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I already ate with the men. They are out in the work room with Bazel finishing up the translator implant.”

Nerves twisted and rolled in my stomach, and I poked the hunks of fruit on the side of my plate. “I can’t believe I’ll finally be able to talk to him.”

Anna blew on the surface of her steaming brew. “I remember the feeling. Except I didn’t know what was happening when Tark gave me the translator. He just stuck this thing on my head. It hurt at first, and I couldn’t understand why he was hurting me. But the pain only lasted a few seconds. And as soon as I heard him speak, I forgot all about the pain.”

Had she heard us last night? She must have. Last night, I’d thought only of Daz and what we were doing together, but in the light of day, I realized how close the two rooms were. Add to that, I’d ruined a precious piece of her underwear. “So, uh, last night…”

“They’re amazing, right?” she said.

I glanced up sharply. “What?”

“Drixonians. They are apparently known in the galaxy for being excellent lovers. The tongues, the piercings.” She inhaled and fluttered her lashes. “Hard to resist even when we’re scared out of our minds on a strange planet.”

I sagged back onto my chair in relief. “Oh, thank God. I thought you were going to scold me or tell me to ‘think of the children!’”

Anna laughed. “I’d never. Plus, the loks… They increase our sex drives. Both males and females.”

I glanced down at my wrists. “Really? That makes sense because I was wondering what came over me.”

She nodded. “I wasn’t very sexually active on Earth. I’d had one boyfriend and only had sex once. I wasn’t even that into it. With Tark…” Her cheeks pinked. “I can’t get enough.”

“Yeah, well, most men can’t find our clit with a magnifying glass, and these guys have a whole extra appendage that latches on like a heat-seeking missile.”

Anna’s eyes went wide, and she leaned forward, placing her hand over mine. “The first time I saw Tark’s tongue, I thought I was delirious.”

I fanned myself. “Those things are a work of art.”

“Well, no worries. And no judgement.”

“Thanks, but, uh, I do have to confess the underwear you lent me are… indisposed.”

She quirked an eyebrow and pressed her lips together with amusement. “Indisposed?”

“Uh, ripped.”

“Ripped, huh?”

“Shredded, actually.”

“I see.” She hid her smile behind her mug as she slurped loudly.

“I didn’t do it!” I cried.

She gasped in mock outrage. “You’re throwing poor Daz under the bus?”

I shoved a mouthful of eggs into my mouth. “Yes, I am. Don’t tell him.”

Finally laughing, she squeezed my hand. “It’s fine. I don’t wear underwear often anyway because the fabric we use works better without them.”

I plucked at my pants. The fabric stretched and immediately snapped back into place. “How does this fabric work anyhow?”

“They use a special technology that infuses heat-molding properties into the fabric. Crazy, huh? Tark made me the machine out of parts he bartered and traded for. I imagine all the Drix he trades with thinks he’s an amazing seamstress and cook but—” She pointed to herself with two thumbs. “—it’s all me.”

“Wow,” I took a sip from my mug and swallowed the hot brew. It did taste a bit like tea—earthy and fruity. “I can’t get over all you’ve done here.” My insecurity bubbled to the surface. Anna was like a superhuman. And Daz was apparently stuck with… me. “I don’t know if I would be as successful.”

“Look, I was a librarian from a small town in South Carolina. I feared everything. My idea of exercise was walking to the local farmer’s market which was two blocks away from my apartment. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when faced with impossible odds.”

She had a point. Even now I could hear the crunch of bone as I’d stabbed the stick into that alien’s heel. I’d done that. Me. The woman who refused to kill the ladybugs that tried to live rent-free in her home. Still, that had been temporary insanity. That wasn’t me, and it’d only be a matter of time before I let myself down. And Daz.

“I guess so,” I murmured. “I certainly did some things on the way here I would never have thought I was capable of.”

Anna’s brow pinched with sympathy. “I’m sorry. I’ve been sheltered here for many years, but I remember the violence necessary to get to this place.”

“Can you… Can you feel Tark?” I felt crazy, but I had no know if I was imagining things. “In your mind?”

“Yes. We call it our auras.”

“Aura,” I murmured. “That’s a good way to describe it. Because he’s always there.”

“And now that we have Bazel, I can feel her too.”

“Can you tell me about Bazel?” I asked. “I’m so curious.”

Anna’s face lit up, and her pretty green eyes shone. “Oh, my sweet Bazel. She’s my purpose. As much as I love Tark, I was never quite protective of him, at least not the way he was with me, mostly because he is just so capable. But I get it now, why he is the way he is with me. Because that’s how I am with her.”

“She’s beautiful. Did you … did you know you could get pregnant?”

“An elder—Shep, from Tark’s old clavas—told us we could, but neither of us really believed it would happen. Until it did.”

“And the birth?”

She exhaled and looked out the window. “That is maybe another story for another time. When we have more time. All I can say is that I’m here now, and female bodies are rather amazing.”

I opened my mouth to ask more questions, to tell her I wanted to find a time to hear about it, but the front door flew open. Tark strode inside, Daz on his heels. In his hands, he held a small circular device. It seemed so plain, so innocuous. Not capable of anything great.

“Vara goran,” Tark announced to Anna.

She turned to me and swallowed. I could tell she was trying to hide her nerves. “It’s time, Frankie. The translator implant is ready.”

ELEVEN

DAZ

“He can hear you now,” Enna said to my Fra-kee. I refused to look away from my cora-eternal. Her eyes were huge, and the same emotions she’d been trying to hide behind a locked door all morning were now pouring out. “All Drix have implants already. He just had to have English downloaded onto his.”

Fra-kee glanced nervously at Enna and rubbed her hands on her thighs with trembling fingers. “Oh. Well, hello, then.” She waved, but her uncertainty speared me like a knife.

“Why is she so afraid?” I barked out. “What is wrong? Does she not want to speak to me?”

Enna’s eyes went big, and Fra-kee jumped at my voice. Tark placed his body between me and the women, his glare menacing. “Watch your tone.”

“What is wrong with my mate, then?” I asked again, trying to remain calm.

“She’s probably nervous, you asshole,” he said, spitting the insult at me. “She’s about to have an implant installed in her head. Humans are very particular about their bodily autonomy and scared of tech that is new to them.” He frowned and said in a lower voice, “Something about big brother.”

“Big brother?”

“Oh, just get on with it,” Enna said, standing with her hands on her hips, tapping her foot impatiently. “She’s nervous overall, okay? I told her it hurts a bit.”

“It hurts?” I roared at Tark. “She’ll be in pain?”

He threw up his arms and whirled away. “Holy Fatas, I can’t handle this male.”

Enna stepped into my space and placed a gentle hand on my arm while Tark muttered about me being an impossible bastard. “Daz,” she said softly. “It will hurt just a little, like a sharp prick, and it’s only temporary. I get you’re both nervous, so let’s just get this over with, and then you two can have all the time to discuss whatever you want to discuss, okay? We have a hot spring not far from here. You can take her there with Tark’s bike. For some privacy.”

Beside us, Tark crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe I don’t want him to take my bike.” he huffed. “Maybe I think he can take his attitude and shove it up his—”

“Tark!” Enna cut him off. He grunted but remained silent.

“Can we please do this already?” Fra-kee finally spoke from behind us. “Men!”

Tark glanced at me with one raised brow hub.

With a sharp inhale, I nodded. “Go ahead.”

We’d already turned on and tested the device in his workroom. Tark approached her as Enna began to give Fra-kee instructions. “Okay, so just sit still, and remember the pain goes away, okay?”

Fra-kee nodded, her gaze shifting from Enna to lock onto mine. I stayed where I was, because I didn’t trust myself to come closer while another male loomed over her. Tark touched her. Drew her hair back over her shoulder. Whispered a few calming words. I clenched my fists at my sides.

He pressed the device behind her ear. At first, nothing happened. No one spoke. Then Fra-kee began to scream. I surged forward, scooping her into my arms as she cried out in pain. I sat down on the chair and cradled her in my lap as her eyes filled with liquid.

I turned on Enna. “I thought you said it only hurt a little bit!”

She winced. “I might have lied.”

“What? Why?”

Enna was not scared of me at all as she narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger at me. “Because if I told the truth, she’d never want that thing burrowing into her skull. And you’d be impossible.”

“Is that what it’s doing?” Fra-kee screeched, gripping her hair on either side of her head and tugging. “I swear to God, Anna, this thing better work. A little pain, my ass!”

My stomach bottomed out as I jerked, nearly losing my grip on Fra-kee. “Fra-kee,” I whispered. “Can you understand me?”

Fra-kee went still and her mouth dropped open. She stopped flailing in my lap and slowly dropped her hands, straightening until she sat upright. “Daz?”

“Yes,” I said. “It’s me.”

She didn’t speak. Her mouth closed and opened again. But no pretty words rose from her throat.

I glared at Tark. “It doesn’t work. Why doesn’t it work? She can’t understand—”

“I can understand you,” she said softly. “I can understand you fine. I think, for once in my life, I’m a little speechless.”

I relaxed back in my chair as relief coursed through me. “Okay, that’s all right. I’m being too greedy. I’ve been so eager to speak to you.”

She touched my face like she was seeing me for the first time. “You wanted to speak with me that badly?”

I nodded and spoke huskily around a curious lump in my throat. “More than anything.”

I was grateful to Tark for lending me his bike and giving Fra-kee and me some privacy. We had a lot to discuss, and it was difficult with Bazel hovering and Enna shooting us concerned glances.

We arrived at the hot spring by late morning. As we entered the clearing, I could see why Tark had chosen this area for his home. The hot spring was gorgeous, a paradise tucked into the side of an unforgiving mountain. Steam rose off the small pool of qua, and lush vegetation grew along the banks. I spotted a few fruit trees which would supplement the food Enna had packed us.

I touched down and helped Fra-kee off the bike. She took in our surroundings with wide eyes. “This is beautiful.” I still couldn’t get over her voice. Hearing her in a way I could understand made my blood heat and my cock stir. She turned to me with her hands clasped to her chest. “How long do we have here?”

“As long as you’d like,” I answered.

With a radiant smile that tightened my chest, she turned and skipped to the edge of the water. After slipping off her shoes and rolling up her pants, she made to step into the water. Her foot hovered above it before she drew it back. “Wait, is this safe? Can we get in?”

“Of course, it is. You think I’d bring you to a poisonous hot spring?” I asked with a slight smile.

She rolled her eyes as she shucked her pants down her legs. Her pert, pale ass was distracting, and I really had to focus to listen to what she was saying. “I don’t know. I mean, no. I mean…” She exhaled roughly, and her face fell. “I don’t really know you, Daz.” She drew her shirt over her head and then held the fabric to her chest. It covered her from neck to the very top of her thighs.

“Yes, you do,” I insisted, stepping closer to her. I tapped my breastbone. “You know what’s in here because you feel it. You feel my intentions through the bond, just like I feel yours.”

She tilted her head, studying me. “Sure, I can feel your intentions, but just because you believe what you’re doing is right, or just, doesn’t mean it is.”

I took another step closer and watched a slight spike of fear cross over her face. I went still as my stomach clenched. “Are you scared of me?”

She had nowhere to go. Behind her was the spring, so she couldn’t back up anymore. Stuck between me and the qua, her chest rose and fell. Still, she stood with her back straight and chin up. My brave Fra-kee.

“You’re nearly twice the size of me. Your biceps are as big as my waist. You have freaking blades under your skin, and a tail with spikes. Oh, and fangs. You could do whatever you wanted with me, and I wouldn’t be able to do a thing. Of course, I’m scared. I’d have to have zero self-preservation not to be!”

“After all we’ve been through,” I said through gritted teeth. “All the blood I’ve spilled to keep you safe. Never mind the sacrifices—” I cut myself off. I wasn’t getting into my brother’s situation now. I stepped right up into her space and ripped the shirt from her arms, tossing it to the ground near her shoes.

“Hey!” she called out as I gripped her around the waist and hauled her up against my body.

She growled, a cute little rumble in her throat and scratched at my shoulders while I continued to speak. “You think I’d ever let anything happen to you, the first female who ever let me taste her cream, who ever took my cock into her sweet cunt?” She froze in my arms, and her mouth dropped open. I wasn’t done. “You think I’d dare disrespect our bond and these loks? Fatas hasn’t done a flecking thing for me, but she gave me you, and I don’t intend to let you go, my brave Fra-kee.”

She blinked. And blinked again.

“Speechless again?” I asked. “Twice in one day? Maybe I need to show you, my cora-eternal.” I reached down and cupped her between her legs. Her flesh was hot and growing wet. “Need me to show you? Do you need proof this is my cunt?”

“Oh fuck,” she said in a breathless voice. Her hips surged against my palm, and her pupils blew as lust flooded her glow in my mind.

I nuzzled her neck as my cock thickened more. “You do.” I mouthed at her neck. “My greedy mate needs proof.”

I’d waited so long to talk with her, but a large part of me felt smug I’d rendered her speechless. She’d been so eager to feel the hot spring, she’d feel it with my cock inside of her.

I kissed her, thrusting into her mouth, loving the way her taste exploded on my tongue. With one hand, I reached behind me and unbuckled my pants. I stepped out of them, along with my boots, and entered the qua. She sucked in a breath as the heated spring swirled around us. I slipped a finger between her folds, massaging her from her clit to her entrance. She moaned and wrapped her arms around me, bucking her hips. I retracted my sharp claws so only the soft tips of my fingers remained and plunged one finger inside of her.

She gasped, and her eyes popped open. “Oh shit,” she said. “Your fingers. So long.”

“I have something that’s longer,” I growled against her lips.

“Yeah, I know from experience,” she murmured.

Her lips quirked up into a seductive smile. I had intended to draw this out and spend time first with my tongue between her legs, but I was too eager. My libido was awake and raging. There’d be time for that later. I propped her against the spring’s bank, my tail supporting her. Her legs wrapped around my waist.

“Well, it’s my job to make sure you never forget,” I lined up my cock at her entrance and thrust inside.

She threw her head back. “Oh gawd!”

I planted my hands on either side of her. “Daz,” I growled as I pulled out and thrust into her again. “Your Daz.”

“Yes,” she said, one hand sifting through my hair. “My Daz.”

I thrust again and again. Her body jolted with each drive of my hips. Her breasts shook, and I bowed my back so I could draw one hard stiff peak into my mouth. As I swirled my piercings over it, her inner walls rippled around my cock. My subcock lengthened and latched onto her clit. She screamed as the suction started. The water around us was bubbling and frothing from our movements, and yet I continued to mate my female. She needed to never forget me, and, or what we were. Ever.

Her mouth was open, lips red and swollen from my kisses and her nibbles. “I’m going to … oh fuck, I’m going to come, Daz. Never … never felt like this.”

“It’ll always feel like this,” I gripped her chin and forced her to look into my eyes. “Because I’m the only one who’ll ever be in this cunt again.”

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she shuddered. Her cunt milked my cock, squeezing it until I could no longer hold back. I came on a roar with a final slam inside her. My cock pulsed over and over, filling my female until the qua around us calmed, and I fell forward, trapping her between the spring’s edge and my body.

Her chest heaved beneath me, and she still clung to me with her blunt nails. “Daz,” she murmured.

“My Fra-kee.” I nuzzled her hair and her neck and ran my fingers down her spine, memorizing the feel of her.

“Our first fight and first make-up sex,” she said softly as her fingers traced the patterns on my scales. “And what a doozy it was.”

“I’m not sure what some of those words mean,” I pulled back. “Come on, let’s get clean and then we’ll eat and talk.”

She smiled up at me, her body pliant and loose now. “Okay.”

I paused and looked at her, but she only tilted her head back and closed her eyes. All it took to make her soft and agreeable was my cock. I smiled to myself. I looked forward to when she was disagreeable again.

While she enjoyed the sun’s warm rays, I washed her with a soap powder Tark had given me. We used cleansers to clean usually, but hot springs were a nice alternative, and felt much better for sore muscles. I admired her limbs and delicate little wrists and ankles. I turned her around and scrubbed down her back.

On her left shoulder was a strange black mark. I frowned at it. “What’s that?”

Fra-kee cocked her head to the side. “Hmmm?”

“This black shape.” I touched it, but it wasn’t raised, like a scar. Had someone branded her? “Who marked you?”

She huffed out an annoyed snort. “Some guy named Skull at Marked 4 Life. Who clearly was only a day past his apprenticeship based on his skill—”

I spun her around so fast, she nearly fell in the qua. I clenched my jaw. “Who is this Skull? Why is his mark on your body?”

Her brows dipped in anger before her expression cleared and she said, “Oooh.”

“Oooh what?” I barked.

She patted my chest in a patronizing way. “You should calm down first.”

“I’m calm!”

“I guess we have different definitions of calm,” she muttered. “Look, this is a tattoo. Tons of humans have them.”

“How is it done? Why did Skull choose you?”

“I chose him.” She paused. “Okay, let’s stop talking about Skull.”

“What—”

“Let me finish!” She slapped my chest with her wet hand. I shut my jaw so forcefully that my teeth clacked. She huffed out a breath through her nostrils. “Thank you. Damn. Okay, so there are tattoo artists. It’s a job. I go to a guy, like Skull, and I say I want this design, and they draw it on my skin. The design is my choice. It’s not his mark. Does that make sense?”

I still didn’t like it, but it was making more sense. “I think so. What is the mark?”

“It’s supposed to be a shark fin.”

“Shirk?”

“A shark. It’s a fish who lives in the ocean. In a qua-like lake. But huge. Like massive. I love the movie Jaws, but that’s a whole other topic for another time.” She waved a hand. “Let’s get you clean.”

I decided to let it go. She was mine now, and this Skull was two galaxies away. Of course, if he ever showed up here, I’d kill him.

TWELVE

Frankie

Daz cleaning himself was an erotic show I never expected to be into. But my Lord, he was a specimen and a half. His hair didn’t really get wet, and it reminded me a bit of an otter’s fur—a pelt infused with oil to protect it from the water. The qua dripped off his hair and most of his body in beads. He seemed entirely rainproof, which made me jealous because I was about two minutes away from being a prune.

His cock, even soft, was something to behold, and I could barely believe that thing, and the massive piercing at the end, fit inside me. His thighs were corded with muscle, and his scales rippled over his abdominal muscles as he cleaned them. I didn’t understand one iota about genetics, but I was infinitely curious why—or how—his body was similar to a human’s and yet so different. He’d retracted his claws completely so he could, uh, finger me. His massive black bone blades which slipped through slits in his skin lay dormant. They made me wonder if his bones were black as well.

When he was finishing cleaning himself, he waded toward me. I had to ignore the hungry look in his eyes because I was a little sore. And hungry. If he were going to keep fucking me like that, he’d need to nourish me often.

I was finally getting used to his aura in my mind. When he’d been angry about my tattoo, the red had flared and heated. Right now, it was a contented, soft glow with a red tint. He gathered me in his arms, tenderly, and dropped a kiss on my nose. He even smiled somewhat, and I noted Daz was much more pleasant after he’d had an orgasm. That was one thing he had in common with human males. His kisses continued down my face until he stopped to nibble lazily on my neck.

I was still stuck on what he’d said before he ravaged me. “I have a question.”

“I should have answers,” he murmured against my skin.

“You said I’m the only female you’ve ever mated.”

He stopped and pulled back. His tender look was gone. Profound sadness crept through his aura, dulling it like a grayscale thief. “Yes.”

“I don’t understand that.”

“How so?”

“You’re… you look like you do. And you’re in a position of power, right?”

His chest puffed out. “I’m the drexel of my clavas.”

“Right, so I would think… I would think your females would be eager to nail— Er, be with you. I’m sure they will be none too pleased little ol’ me is your mate.”

A vein in his neck throbbed. “Maybe so, if there were any around.”

I frowned. “What?”

He sighed heavily, and that sadness heated until a burning ember of anger glowed in his aura. “All our females are dead. One hundred and fifty sun-cycles ago, we lived on that planet.” He pointed to the twin planet, visible over the tree line. “But then a virus swept through our civilization. It killed all our females and most of our elder males. There are several thousand of us males alive on this planet, and as far as we know, we are all that is left of the Drixonian species.”

I could barely process what I was hearing. His whole species was nearly wiped out? I couldn’t imagine that level of devastation. I felt tears prick my eyes. “Daz, that’s… I’m so sorry. I’m so terribly sorry.”

He swiped a thumb under my eye, gathering a drop of wetness. “What are these?”

I sniffed. “They’re tears.”

He cocked his head. “Why do you tear?”

I hiccupped a laugh. “No, I cry. Uh, the action is crying. And I cry tears. That is what this liquid is. Tears.”

He brow furrowed. “You cry when you’re sad?”

“Yes, yes I do.”

His aura brightened, and I couldn’t decipher the reason for the shift in color. “You are sad for me.” His voice was low, nearly a whisper.

“Of course, I’m sad for you.” I swiped under my eyes. “For your species. I can’t imagine how devastating that would be. So, your mother…”

“I watched her die.” His voice was flat, and a black wall descended over his aura, hiding it from me. “She coughed up blood for several rotations until I could feel every bone in her body beneath her skin. I was the oldest of my brothers, so I remember. They do not. And they are better for it.”

I tried to imagine a little Daz standing by his mom’s deathbed, stroking her pale skin as she drew her last breaths. I brought a shaky hand up to my mouth. “How did you get over here to this planet?”

He blew out a breath. “Let’s get out of the spring and let me feed you. I will explain then. It’s a long story.”

We disentangled ourselves from each other, and both dressed quickly. Wiping my hands on my pants, I looked around and then spotted a familiar object between two tree trunks. “A hammock!” I squealed. I picked my way over the wet rocks until I reached the hammock. I assumed this all was Anna’s doing, especially because Daz was approaching the knitted web of vines as if it were a poisonous snake.

With a frown, he gently touched it. “This netting is a…?”

“A hammock,” I stretched out the edges to display how it was made. “See, it makes kind of a bed, suspended off the ground.

He looked even more incredulous now. “I’m supposed to lay in that?”

I eyed him and then pushed down on the vines. They seemed to be strong. “Well, since I assume Anna and Tark made this—probably at Anna’s direction—then I’m also going to go with the idea they made it strong enough for, uh, one of you big guys.”

He mimicked my action, pushing down on the vines with the flat of his palm. “Hm.” He sounded skeptical.

“Watch,” I hoped to hell the vines didn’t twist and dump me on the ground. I had never been called graceful. With my hands bracing the sides, I hopped off the ground and turned to plop my ass down in the hammock. It swung but didn’t flip me around. I ran my hands over the vines. “You can sit in it. Usually it’s something you lie on though.” I settled back and threw my arms out. This hammock was massive. Anna and Tark had so fucked in this thing. “See?”

“And I’m supposed to get into that with you?” he asked before glancing around. “Or is there another one?”

I laughed and patted the space beside me. “Come on in. Just don’t dump me. Keep your weight distributed.”

He eyed me, and then with a quick leap, settled his body beside mine. Of course, he’d managed the moves easily because he was basically an Ironman. He crossed his arms behind his head and blinked up into the sky. I had no choice but to roll into him, which wasn’t a hardship. I hauled my thigh over his waist and laid my head on his biceps. “Cozy, huh?”

“Cozy,” he murmured.

He closed his eyes, and for a moment, I thought he planned to sleep, until his lids lifted, and he began to speak.

“After our women died, our civilization was in chaos. You must understand that our females did everything for our society. They held positions on our council. The only male member who served on the council was a representative for our military. The women farmed and made goods to barter and trade. They were the machine and the oil of our species. Our planet’s resources and our females were coveted, and our military was robust. At an early age, all males began to train and were sorted in categories. Some were pilots. Others formed squads that were sent out on missions. And the majority remained on planet to train for defense.

“We were good. Exceptionally good. We protected our homes and our females well. But the virus that took our females had no face and could not be killed with our blades and guns. When they died, our society collapsed. I’m not sure any society could have been prepared for something that devastating.”

I listened to him talk with a growing blackness in my soul. I couldn’t imagine what that must have been like for him.

“We had never had much interaction with the Uldani. They mostly kept to themselves. After the virus, they noticed we were adrift with many young, and asked the remaining males to work for them as Defens—their army and bodyguards, as well as law enforcement. We accepted, because we knew how to do that, and they offered their females to help with our young. That went fine for about a hundred years until they betrayed us.”

“How so?” I asked.

“We were very protective of the males we had left. We learned the Uldani had been capturing some of our males and performing experiments on them. We don’t know why or how, but we know that many died.”

I gasped. “What? Experimenting?”

“We assume it has something to do with our genetics, but it was unacceptable to us. When we found out, we began meeting in secret. After several tense meetings over many rotations, we voted to rebel against their rule. I’m not sure any of us realized just how much they’d subjugated us. The fight was bloody. The Uldani closed ranks and hid many of their people behind the walls of their main settlement. They destroyed anything they could to prevent us from hiding, but they were no match for a species who’d been bred to fight.

“We won our independence but lost our ships and our ability to get off this planet. The Uldani still live on the eastern half of the continent, and the remaining Drix formed clavases and appointed our own drexels. That’s how we have lived ever since.”

While traveling on the bike, I’d remembered seeing crumbling buildings with large holes in them and top floors missing. “So, there are more groups like yours?”

“Yes, we are called the Night Kings.” He gestured to his armband, which I hadn’t looked at closely until now. Stamped into the red-tinged metal was the outline of a jagged-edged crown. “This is called a tag. We never remove it, and if we do, we’re considered lonas, like Tark. He was a former member of the Black Bloods.”

“Why did you separate into separate groups?”

“Many of us had varying ideas of how we should live. Some have lost our values and trade with the Rahgul and even the Uldani. Others, like us, have allied with other clavases for information and supplies.”

“So, what you’re saying is you’re not friendly with all of your kind?”

His jaw clenched. “That is correct.”

“Where do you live now?”

“In former Uldani settlements. Most were damaged in the Uprising, but we’ve rebuilt them.”

This was where I had to ask about his plans for me and the other women from the spaceship, to find out if he or his clavas had ever been involved in human trafficking. If his answer were yes, I couldn’t forgive him. I swallowed as goosebumps raced down my arms. “If you’re one of the good guys and no longer trade with the Uldani, why were you there to collect us humans? Anna mentioned that was a job the Uldani asked you to do.”

His lips pressed tight, and he took a while before answering. “They have something we want and told us we’d get it if we delivered the Rahgul cargo to them. We had no idea the cargo was human females.”

I propped myself up on my elbow and gazed down at him. His aura was still dim, that black wall only open a crack. My stomach dipped. I remembered how he’d looked at Bazel, like she’d been an alien to him. “Did you know humans could have your babies?”

His chest heaved and he turned to face me. “I had no idea.”

“But now that you know…” I let my gaze drop as I contemplated what I was going to say next. “Now that you know, I guess you won’t be handing us over to the Uldani, huh?” I tried to smile but being used for your womb wasn’t exactly exciting. “Because we can give you babies.”

He grabbed me and hauled me on top of him. His tail held me in place, and he gripped my face in both hands. “No, Fra-kee. We won’t be handing you over to the Uldani, but it’s not because you can give us young. I cannot lie and say it’s not a big deal, because it is. It’s huge. But from the first moment I saw you, I knew you were meant to be mine. And as soon as you fought that Kulk and ripped open his ankle, I knew I’d claim you. That is the truth, Fra-kee.”

His eyes searched mine, nearly pleading. He wanted me to believe him. I felt that in his aura, and in my own heart. But damn it was hard. “Okay, Daz.”

He didn’t like that answer. He flinched like I’d hit him. “Please tell me you believe me.”

“You think that’s the reason. But I also felt your reaction when you saw Bazel.”

“I cannot be faulted for finding out that my species—which I thought would go extinct—now has a chance to prosper again.”

I conceded that point. “You’re right.”

He must not have liked my tone, because he frowned and the door to his aura flung open. The glow was a billowing stream of red, nearly choking me. “Fra-kee, I want you and need you as my cora-eternal whether my seed takes root in you or not.” A muscle in his jaw ticked. He was irritated, but not at me. “I will prove it to you in action if my words are not enough.”

“I don’t want to fight, Daz,” I said. “I’m sorry for bringing this up—”

“Is this fighting?” he quipped. “I thought it was a discussion. And I don’t want you to hide things from me. If something bothers you about me, you need to tell me. How can we fix what is silent?”

I smiled at him. God, did I dare believe he was real? What if we got back to his settlement with all his buds and he started doing dumb shit to show off, like smacking my ass and telling dick jokes?

I had to stop comparing him to Earth males. They weren’t the same. Daz had experienced a Spartan-like upbringing. He wasn’t a lazy asshole who didn’t know how to separate laundry.

“I do believe you, Daz. But it’ll take time for me to stop worrying that you’ll change your mind or—”

“But the loks—?”

I placed my hand over his mouth, and his eyes narrowed into slits. I was sure he wasn’t interrupted often. “On Earth we wear rings or even tattoos to show we are committed to those we’ve chosen as mates. People still get divorced.”

“Deefors?”

“Divorce. Separate. Go on to have other, uh, mates—”

“Dishonorable,” he spat out the word. “Never. How can you ever trust?”

“Well, plenty are also faithful and mate for their entire lives. Divorce isn’t all bad either. Sometimes two people just don’t work. What I’m trying to say is it’s about love, not some symbol.” I held up my wrist.

He blinked at me like I’d grown another head. “Luff?”

“Love,” I repeated.

“Love,” he said softly. “And what is this love?”

Oh Lord. “Well, I think love means different things to different people. We love our parents or our brothers and sisters in a different way than say … our mates.”

A shadow crossed over his aura, but it quickly cleared. “Is this a mark on you?”

“No, it’s a feeling. I guess love means something different to everyone.”

“Tell me about someone you love, so I understand,” he said.

I couldn’t tell him about a man I loved, because I had never loved a significant other. “Um, okay, well I have a friend I love very much.” My heart ached at the thought of never seeing her again. Damn, this was hard. I cleared my throat. “Her name is Paris. I love her because she’s caring. When I was fired from a job, she showed up at my door with wine and cake.”

“Wine and cake are things you like?”

“Very much so.”

“Okay, so she gives you gifts.”

I blew out a breath. “Well, no, it wasn’t really about the wine. Or the cake. It was that she was there for me. She sat on my couch with me, and we talked, and she made me laugh, and I forgot all about how bad my day was.”

“She gives you herself, then.”

I thought about that. “Yeah, that’s an effective way to put it.”

He nodded. “What else?”

“Well, she remembers my birthday, and she makes me laugh. I love that she’s really outgoing and can make any situation fun. It’s never a dull night with Paris. And the thing about friendship is that I want to reciprocate. I like giving her myself when she’s having a difficult day.” I shrugged. “I guess loving someone means giving yourself while expecting nothing in return but knowing you will get it, because the other person loves you the way you love them.”

He seemed to think about that for a while. I liked how he didn’t fill the air with needless words. He processed what I told him, internalized it. I could almost see all his little brain parts working behind his eyes. “Okay, and what about a mate love?”

“I’ve never experienced that, Daz. I never loved a man like that.”

His chest inflated. “You will love me like that.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, so confidently, that I burst into laughter. “Is that so?”

“It is so.”

“You are very sure of yourself.”

“I might not know about this love, but I will learn. I will love you, expecting nothing in return. Eventually, you will give me yourself because you want to, not because you feel like you have to.”

I went still. I hadn’t known I wanted to hear those words. But I had because my heart skipped a beat, and my skin warmed. Of course, they were just words, and I needed the action, but in a few minutes’ conversation, he seemed to understand love, or at least the love that I needed, better than anyone else I’d ever met.

“I think… You are lovable, Daz.”

His grin was cocky, but I allowed it. “Loveable, huh? Yes, I guess I am.”

THIRTEEN

DAZ

I stood in the middle of Tark’s property, staring at the comm he’d given me. It seemed to be working, but I’d tried—and failed—three times to connect with Ward. I willed myself to stay calm, but my cora raced. It wasn’t like Ward not to answer. He was my most responsible male.

“Fleck,” I spat.

Fra-kee stood nearby, petting Rufus. Her head went up at my curse, and her aura trembled with anxiety. In my mind, her glow was golden. Sometimes it sparkled, and other times it soured to a pale yellow, like now.

If I couldn’t contact Ward, then Gar was my next option. As Ward’s brother, he was just as dependable, although a bit rough around the edges. In the Uprising, he’d sustained head injuries, leaving him with scars on his face and only half a left horn. The horn was now a jagged thing he refused to file down. He cut an imposing figure.

Signals in the western half of the continent were spotty. The Uldani had tried to destroy all their towers to cut off our communication, but we’d anticipated that move and saved as many as we could. Taking out satellites would be their only hope for completely shutting down our comms, but they didn’t touch those because that would mean cutting off their own communication system as well.

When Gar answered my call, his image was blurry, and his voice garbled. Eventually, the signal strengthened. He glowered at me, angry, but I could also see relief passing through his eyes. “Where have you been?” he barked.

“My comm was destroyed by a pivars pack.”

“How the fleck did that happen?”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m leaving Tark’s soon with enough implants for the rest of the females. Status, please.”

He made an annoyed huffing sound, the rings in each of his nostrils shifting with his breath. “They are alive and well. Eating and drinking. They have locked themselves away in a room and will only let Hap inside to deliver their daily rations.”

“What?”

“The one with darker skin punched me in the ear.”

Fra-kee clapped her hands over her mouth, but I didn’t miss the bubble of laughter that escaped.

I frowned at Gar. “If you laid one finger—”

“They are unharmed.” His voice rose, indignant. “She just doesn’t like me, and that’s fine because I don’t like her either.”

Fra-kee made another undignified noise.

“And one is missing,” he added, his voice lower and his words rushed together like he hoped I wouldn’t notice their meaning.

“What?” I roared. “How was that not the first thing you mentioned?”

“Missing?” Fra-kee squeaked, her nails digging into my arm.

I shushed her. “Explain,” I barked at Gar.

“Ward had her on his bike. The one with yellow hair who yelled a lot.”

“Shrieky blonde,” Fra-kee murmured. “Oh no.”

“We stopped to give the females some qua, and she took off while Ward was taking a piss.”

I pinched the bride of my nose. “Go on.”

“Ward took off after her. During the last communication we had with him, he said she was taken by a Rizar pack, but was still alive. He planned to track them and rescue her when he was able. We haven’t heard from him since, and all attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful.” Gar’s expression and tone didn’t change. If anyone had just met him, they would have assumed he didn’t care about his brother’s silence. I knew Gar, and I knew he cared more than he’d ever admit. This had to have been tearing him up inside.

I didn’t try to soothe Gar with soft words. He wouldn’t want that. “Ward is one of our best. He will return to us whole with the female. You know he will.”

Gar’s jaw ticked almost imperceptibly before he jerked his chin in a stiff nod.

I glanced down at Fra-kee’s big eyes. “We are leaving soon.”

“That would be good,” Gar said. “These females say a lot of things, and I’m sure they are all insults. I’d like to be able to insult them back.”

“Gar,” I admonished.

He hmphed. “I know. I know. She Is All,” he muttered.

“They’re okay with Hap?”

“They smile at him. One pinched his cheek while another squeezed his biceps.”

I rolled my eyes. “Hap could charm a piver.” He was the youngest of all of us. He’d been born to one of the last living females during the end of the virus’s rampage. During the Uprising, we hadn’t let him on the front lines, which he resented. But there was something about his innocence we all instinctively wanted to preserve. “I will be at the hideout in two rotations, maybe. We will move fast.”

“Travel safe,” Gar grunted.

“Always.”

I cut off the signal, and Gar’s image blanked out. I blew out a breath and turned to Fra-kee. She twisted her hands together and ignored the blukas nudging her leg. “So, one female is missing? What is a Rizar?”

Fleck. Maybe giving her the ability to understand Drixonian was a bad idea. “The pack we saw when we were hiding in the tree.”

Her eyes went wide. “What? They were eating raw meat. Will they…” Her pink cheeks drained of color. “Oh my God, would they eat her?”

I couldn’t lie. Why bother? “They most likely would. Yes.”

“Daz!”

“But Ward is our best tracker. Out of all my males, he is the best to rescue her.”

Her eyes filled with liquid and her lip trembled. “I can’t imagine how scared she is.”

I placed my hand on the back of her neck and squeezed. “There is nothing we can do. Ward had not checked in, so we don’t know his location. But I promise he will do everything in his power to save her.”

“But he doesn’t know her or care about her.” Fra-kee was working herself up into a panic. She was so caring of others, my mate. When I saw her reaction to my species devastation, I knew I couldn’t tell her about my brother. Not yet. Her reaction would be extreme and visceral. She continued to babble beside me. “What’s to say he won’t just give up and return home—”

I gripped her shoulders and gave her a firm shake. Her teeth clacked together. “Fra-kee, listen to me. I don’t know what your males are like, but Drixonian males are honorable. As his drexel, I gave him the order to protect the females at all cost, and he will do it. It’s in his breeding, in his blood, to put the lives of females above his own. That might be hard for you to believe, and I understand that, but it’s the truth.”

She swallowed, and studied my face for a long moment, before slumping in my grip. “Okay.”

“Okay,” I murmured, drawing her into my arms and pressing her slender body against mine. I dropped a kiss on top of her head. “It’s time to say bye to Enna. We need to be going. At least you will have a chance to see the rest of your humans.”

She nodded, her hair brushing my bare chest. “I’m sad to leave Anna, but I’m excited to see the other women. Are we traveling to your home?”

I shook my head. “Our home is much farther away. We have a hideout closer by where we will meet up with my men before taking all of you to our settlement. We will be safest there with lots of males to protect you and a defensible structure.”

“So, all the women will be safe? You will protect all of us, and not just me?”

“All of you,” I said. “I promise.

The smile she aimed my way made my cora beat rapid-fire in my chest. “That is what I’ve wanted to hear for days.”

Tark emerged from the workroom with a package in his hands and Bazel at his side. “Go to Enna in the house,” I told Fra-kee. “I need to talk to Tark.”

She nodded and with a pretty smile and a kiss to the inside of my wrist, she trotted off.

I turned to Tark, but as it had since we first arrived, my attention diverted to Bazel. She was enchanting. Her features so human-like, yet her skin and horn nubs giving her away as part Drixonian.

She skipped up to me, and I dropped to one knee as she held out a braided length of fabric. “I made this arm band you!” she said, placing it in my palm. “I tried to match the colors to your drexel band. I hope you like it.” Her little voice fluttered around me and her featherlight touches tickled my skin.

The band was red and black, woven together with a few stems of the silvestra flower. “Thank you. This is the best gift anyone has ever given me,” I said. And that was the truth.

Bazel beamed and looked up at her father, who smiled at her with so much devotion my heart ached. “That was nice of you, Bazel.”

I held it out to her. “Can you wrap it around my arm?”

She inhaled sharply, and her cheeks flushed. She nodded eagerly, and with careful hands, wound it around my biceps just above my drexel band, before tying it off. I held my arm out, eyeing my new accessory. “I think the rest of my males will be jealous, don’t you agree, Tark?”

“Absolutely,” he said.

Bazel’s face dropped, and she clapped her hands on her cheeks. “Oh no! Should I have made more?”

Tark and I laughed. “No,” I said. “I want to be the special one and brag to them that I got to meet the beautiful and kind Bazel, as well as earned her favor.”

Her expression immediately lifted, and she giggled. “Will you visit us again?”

I glanced up at Tark. His expression was distant, and a small frown marred his lips. “I’m sure,” I said to her. “We will meet again. Don’t you worry.”

“I’m going to go say bye to Frankie now,” she said, tugging on Tark’s hand. “I have a gift for her too.”

Tark nodded, and she ran off toward the house.

I rose to my feet. Tark kept his eyes on the back of his retreating daughter. “What are you thinking?” I asked.

He didn’t speak for a moment, and his shoulders seemed to droop with an invisible weight. He rubbed his hand over his forehead. “Times are changing. More humans are arriving now, it seems, and I’m not sure the wisest decision will be to keep Enna and Bazel so isolated. I’d do it forever if it were up to me, but I must think about them, and their well-being. I see how they have responded to you and Fra-kee…” He shook his head and shuffled his feet. “I think I might need to reconsider how we’ve been living.”

“You are always welcome with us,” I said. “Always. You know we will protect Enna and Bazel until the last male is standing.”

His smile was distracted. “I appreciate that more than you know.”

“I have Fra-kee now. I understand.”

“Yes, I’m sure you do.” When he smiled again, his expression was lighter. “Anyway, I know where to find you. Until then…” He handed me the package. “Inside are a dozen implants and several updaters. I’ve accumulated a lot of scavenged parts over the years, and I also built a machine that replicates QR chips.”

“You’re a genius, Tark,” I said.

He shrugged. “I like the word resourceful.”

“Well, you are that.”

“Please keep me updated on your progress. If there’s anything I can do, any way I can help Sax get his freedom, let me know. When do the Uldani expect their shipment?”

“Three rotations,” I said, the reminder of my deadline looming like a descending blade over my head.

Thoughts of my brother washed away the warm feelings I’d had since Bazel gifted me with the handmade armband. “There is so much ahead. The females. Sax’s rescue. The missing human. I have to take one step at a time, or I feel as if I’m drowning. My first mission is to get Fra-kee to the hideout safely. The rest I will deal with on a new day.”

Tark stepped forward. He clasped my neck, and I did the same to him. We brought our foreheads together. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me,” I said. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

“You can repay me by taking care of you precious female and the rest of the humans.”

“Always.” I smiled.

“She Is All,” he whispered.

“She Is All,” I returned.

Frankie

Anna bent over a pack made of a rough canvas-like material. “I packed some food for you. I make a special spiced antella jerky that’s different from what the men make, so I wanted to make sure you had some. Antellas are kind of like deer, did I tell you that? Well, now you know.” Her words rushed out of her mouth, like one long stream of consciousness. “Anyway, I packed you as many clothes as I could for you and the other women. This pack should fit over the back of Daz’s bike, although I’m sure he’ll complain about it, since Tark always does. I also packed some extra fabric. It’s not much, but I think someone with decent sewing ability could get a few shirts out of it. I’d pack boots for them all, but I don’t have enough.” She straightened without looking at me, frowning at the pack. “Shoot, I should have made some more special muffins. They are a great morning protein and—”

“Anna,” I said, interrupting her sweet yet ongoing babble.

She stopped talking and her shoulders trembled slightly. She glanced up and blew a stray red curl out of her face. “Yes?”

I took a step toward her. “Thank you.”

She waved and turned away, but not before I caught her eyes glistening. “Of course. I’m sure anyone—”

“I don’t think that all women would have welcomed me and helped me the way you did. Without hesitation, you opened up your home and family to me at a time where I had nothing but an alien who couldn’t understand me.”

Anna sniffed, and her shoulders shook as she tried to hide her tears.

“I can see why Tark treasures you so much. Not just because you are a human female who can give him children, but because you are caring and so very capable.”

“That’s so kind of you to say.” Her voice was soft.

My own insecurities bubbled to the surface. “I don’t know what I have to offer Daz but my womb. I can only hope I’m half the woman you are—”

This got her to whirl around. “Don’t say that!” She jabbed a finger at me. “Daz is… not like Tark. He’s harder, and his entire demeanor is tougher. He’s intimidating, and I can’t imagine what kind of emotions you’ve been going through. Plus, Tark told me how you helped defeat the Kulks that were tracking you.” She smiled and took my hands. “I can see that Daz is enamored with you, and he probably was before the thought of a mate ever entered his mind.”

“I hope so,” I wanted to believe what she said was true. Would Daz and I have a partnership and a home like her and Tark? I admired her little family. “I’ll get to see you again, won’t I?”

She squeezed my fingers. “I hope so. I’ll talk to Tark. He’s very protective, and he’s worked so hard to keep us a secret here.”

“I understand,” I said. “It’s dangerous and scary out there. I would protect you two if I were him.”

She gave me a wobbly smile. “I can’t tell you how much I loved having you here.”

“You’re the best hostess on planet Torin. I can say that with utmost confidence.”

She hiccupped a laugh and hugged me to her chest. I breathed in her scent and wiggled my nose when her hair tickled the tip.

A hand patted my back, and I turned to find Bazel behind me. “Oh! Hey there, Bazel.”

“I have a present for you.” She held up a braided length of rope—red and black with a pretty silver thread running through it. “It’s a necklace.”

I bent at the waist and took the gift from her. I ran my hands over the braid, admiring the uniformness of the pattern. This had to have taken a while for her little hands to do. “I love it so much. It’s absolutely my most favorite thing I own.”

Bazel clasped her hands in front of her and twisted side to side from the waist, beaming. “You’re welcome.”

“You did a marvelous job. Will you put it on me?”

Bazel nodded eagerly. I held up my hair so she could tie the necklace at the back of my neck. I let my hair fall and held my hands out, rocking my shoulders to show off my chest to Bazel and Anna. “What do you think?”

“It’s lovely,” Anna said. “Bazel, that was very thoughtful of you.”

“Thank you so much, sweetheart,” I said.

“Will we see you again?” she asked.

“We will see our friends again.” Tark’s voice filled the home. He entered the doorway, Daz on his heels.

I saw that Daz an armband that matched my necklace. “Did Bazel give you a gift too?”

His eyes landed on my chest, and he smiled as he touched his armband. “She did. I told her it was the best gift I’d ever received.”

Bazel looked like she was going to explode with happiness.

“Fra-kee,” Daz said. “I’m sorry, but we must leave.”

“I know. I know.” I pointed to the pack on the floor. “Enna made that up for us. She said it’ll fit on the back of your bike.”

He eyed it, and fortunately for him, he didn’t complain. “Thank you for the supplies. As soon as we reach our settlement, I will repay you in whatever goods you want.”

“I know you’re good for it,” Tark said, clapping him on the back. “Ride safe, my friend.”

When it was time for final goodbyes, both Anna and I cried. Bazel cried. Rufus barked. The men tolerated our blubbering for a long time before Daz nearly dragged me back down the mountain. I finally got myself together halfway to the bike. As much as I’d miss Anna, I was looking forward to seeing Miranda and the other girls again. Now that I was less scared of Drixonians and could understand their language, I was also a little excited to meet Daz’s family.

Daz told me the journey to the hideout would take two rotations, and he wanted to get there as fast as he could. I didn’t quite understand what he meant until he started up his bike and we hurtled forward at what I logically knew wasn’t warp speed, but what surely felt like it.

We stopped for the night, and although I was exhausted and so was Daz, he didn’t let either of us rest before he’d eaten me out until I came twice and then fucked me into a coma. An entire pack of those hippo things plus an army of Kulks could have invaded our camp that night, and I wouldn’t have woken. I was sure of it.

The next day, he hauled me out of precious REM sleep to drag me back onto the bike. I dozed on and off as he drove. Anna’s jerky was, in fact, delicious. I didn’t know what spices she used, but it had a barbecue flavor to it. The woman was perfect.

Maybe I’d be a homemaker wonder too in the future? I didn’t have much to bring to the table. I reminded myself Anna had ten years to get used to things on this planet. I pondered this as I chewed on my jerky, and we flew through the air.

I spotted several settlements that looked like they’d been through a war—houses with walls missing and barren fields. Daz explained the Uldani salted much of the farmland to ruin it for crops so the Drixonian wouldn’t have food. “So, we cut down trees and made new farmland,” he said with a shrug.

The next night even Daz was too sore to do much. He tried, but fell asleep with one hand up my shirt, tenderly holding my breast, while the other was down my pants cupping my pussy. So, naturally, he woke up, fucked me on all fours like he had something to prove—he proved it—and then we were off.

I shifted on the seat and winced as he took a turn around a grove of trees. “You know,” I yelled over the rushing wind. “You could have held off on the ass smacking until I didn’t have to ride on a damn bike for hours.”

His arms tightened around me, and I could have sworn something like a laugh rumbled from his chest. I whirled around, but his expression gave nothing away other than a slight smirking curve to his full lips.

He said, “It is not my fault your flesh looks so pretty beneath my hand.”

“Yeah, well,” I grumbled. “How about I smack your ass and then make you straddle a hunk of metal for an entire day.”

The bike wobbled. “You wish to smack my ass?”

His blue ass was round and tight. Corded with muscle. “Or bite it.”

“Bite me?”

“Yeah, anyone ever tell you that you have a biteable ass?”

This time he did laugh. I saw it happen. He threw his head back, hair flying, and boomed a laugh into the sky. It was magnificent. He was magnificent.

“You are the first, my cora-eternal,” he dropped a kiss on my head. “My first and only.”

FOURTEEN

Frankie

I turned and tapped Daz on the shoulder. “I have to pee,” I yelled over the wind rushing past our faces.

Daz frowned. “It can’t wait?”

“Uh, no, this isn’t exactly a smooth ride, and my bladder is screaming.”

He huffed out a breath and found an area to touch down his bike, an annoyed expression on his face. He’d grumbled about every interruption to our journey. It was such a normal-feeling interaction—like one I could have had back on Earth with any boyfriend on a road trip—and the thought made me smile.

I trotted off behind a tree and did my business. When I returned, Daz was leaning against the bike, arms crossed over his chest. He stared at the ground, his expression contemplative. As I approached, he didn’t look up.

“Daz?” I asked.

His raised his head, and when his gaze met mine, his expression lightened somewhat. He held out his hand. “Come, Fra-kee. It’s good we stopped. I need to talk to you.”

I walked slowly, not liking the sound of this. The last time I’d had The Talk with a boyfriend he’d told me he’d been sleeping with his secretary and wanted to know if I was interested in a threesome. I wasn’t.

I took Daz’s hand, running my thumb over the calluses on his palms. His chest expanded with a deep breath. “As you know, I’m the drexel of my clavas.” After my nod, he continued. “When we worked for the Uldani, we were split into separate units with unique jobs. During the Uprising, we fought with those same units, and after the war was over, we stayed together. All drexels are voted on, and it’s a huge honor and responsibility.”

“I understand,” I said, my nerves on edge. He was so serious. Fear snaked its way up my spine to clog my throat.

“You are my mate.” He pulled my closer and cupped my cheek. “My cora-eternal. I believe with every beat of my cora that you belong with me. You have proven yourself brave and smart.”

“Daz, these compliments are nice, but where is this going?” I asked.

His eyes closed briefly. When they opened, the purple was swirling. “I don’t like putting this responsibility on you, but I have no choice. You will need to be a leader to the females. An example. You have to help show them that we don’t mean them harm and that they can trust us. I’m sorry to ask anything of you, but I can’t do this without you.”

The fear withered and slid away as a warmth filled my chest. “You want my help? That’s what this talk is about?” He nodded solemnly. “Of course, I’ll do this. I would have anyway. I’m sure they’re terrified, but I’ll talk to them, and it will help immensely once they can communicate with the other males.”

His face softened, and his full lips turned up at the corners. “You are the perfect mate,” he whispered. “Worthy of being queen to the Night Kings.”

I squeezed his wrist as he slid his nose up the length of mine. “Daz.”

His lips pressed against each eye, and then brushed across my lips. “I wish I had time to worship your cunt.” Oh damn. I pressed my thighs together. He pulled back an inch and grinned wickedly, a rare sight for the solemn alien. “Maybe I’ll play with you on the bike. Would you like my fingers in you, my cora? My bike vibrating between your legs while I make you come on my hand?”

I was out of breath and squeezing his wrist so hard I could feel my fingernails digging into his scales. “Stop.”

He nipped the end of my nose before smacking me on the ass and stepping back. His pants sported a massive bulge, and he adjusted himself without shame. “Hop on, Fra-kee.”

I shivered as I lost his warmth. Glaring at him, I hauled myself on his bike with trembling legs. “Cruel, cruel man.”

He slid in behind me and started up his bike. His hand slid around to my belly, and he tugged me against him as we rose into the air. As his lips teased the rim of my ear, he said, “I’m a tease, but I’m not cruel.” His hand fingers slid under the waistband of my pants. I sucked in a breath as the tip of his smallest finger teased my curls. “I wouldn’t leave you hungry.”

I held on to the body of the machine with white knuckles as his hand descended lower and he brushed my clit. “I’m not hungry,” I murmured.

“Your cunt is hungry,” he said in my ear as he slipped two fingers inside me.

I gasped and tossed my head back onto his shoulder. He grunted and pulled his fingers out only to plunge them back in with a toe-curling slide. I should have been nervous he was steering this massive machine with only one hand, but I was too turned on to worry about it.

“See?” he said. “This greedy cunt is sucking me in.” His thumb pressed on my clit and my vision swam. His kissed down my neck and bit my shoulder. “You’re soaked for me. This’ll have to do until I can give you my cock. Will my fingers satisfy your hungry cunt for now?”

I couldn’t stop myself from bucking into his hand as his fingers curled inside me, filling me. “Oh Daz.”

“Is this enough?” he asked again. “Or do I need to stop and fill my greedy cunt?”

“E-enough,” I stuttered on a breathless moan. “Th-this is enough.”

His only answer was a grunt as he worked me with his fingers and flicked my clit with this thumb. I thrusted into his hand, riding it for all I was worth as the bike vibrated beneath me and my hair swirled around me. Being finger-fucked by an alien on a hover bike had never been on my bucket list, but I mentally wrote it down and checked it off with a flourish.

“Come, Fra-kee,” Daz rasped in my ear. “Let’s feed that cunt.”

He pinched my clit, and I came like a geyser. If his forearm hadn’t been pressed against my stomach, I would have fallen off the bike. When the aftershocks were still rocketing through my body, my muscles gave out, and I slumped back against Daz, exhausted.

He pulled his fingers out of my pants, licked them off with that talented tongue of his, and grinned at me. Then he placed both hands on the handlebars like he hadn’t just blown my mind.

For a while, I remained in post-orgasmic bliss. I enjoyed the scenery and the way the sun heated my skin. But as we rode on, Daz’s words began to filter through my mind. Nerves flitted in my stomach like a hummingbird. I’d never been a leader in my life. I’d been a follower, the comedic relief.

From what Gar had said, the women hadn’t much warmed to the Drixonians. Would they think I betrayed them? It had only been a few days, but so much had changed in that time. Everything had changed. I’d had to adopt an entirely new worldview and plan for my future. My life on Earth now felt like a whole lifetime ago, and in a way, it was.

I was the Drixonian mate of a drexel. I had to be the example, but what if… What if the women didn’t trust me? What if they thought I was brainwashed or blackmailed? We weren’t sheep, and no matter what I said, they had their own minds and opinions. Even I had a tough time believing everything that had happened over the last few days, and it had happened to me. Should I have questioned Daz more? Been less trusting?

I could feel him pulsing in my mind, and there was no deceit there. How the hell did I explain that to the other women in a way they could understand?

Worse, what if I failed him? The way Daz looked at me… the way he called me brave… it felt like he was talking to someone else. I wasn’t sure I could deal if he looked at me with disappointment.

It felt like only minutes later that Daz slowed the bike. “We are nearing the hideout,” he said with a pat on my thigh.

I sat up and paid attention. I thought we were heading straight into a thicket of close trees, but at the last minute, Daz banked the bike and we shot through a small space among the dense foliage. Leaves slapped my arms, and I closed my eyes as the wind caused them to water. When I opened them again, Daz was slowing the bike. Up ahead was a one-story building, about the size of a small ranch-style home on Earth. There were a few square cutout windows but no glass.

It looked deserted and decrepit, but as Daz brought the bike to a stop, I saw a face peer out of one window. I stepped down off the bike, cautiously approaching the building. A high-pitched voice shrieked and a few seconds later a stampede of feet sounded from inside the building. The door flew open, and Miranda raced outside. On her heels followed four more women.

Miranda threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I clung to her, unable to stop the relieved tears from coursing down my face.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” She pulled back and held me at arm’s length. She shook her head and firmed her lips, but I didn’t miss the tears in her eyes. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

“Yes, I do, because I was worried about you! I only just found out you were safe.”

“Why’d they separate us?” Her wide-eyed gaze darted over my shoulder and I watched fear pass through her brown eyes.

Daz stepped to my side. “She has no reason to yell at you.”

I turned to find him watching our interaction curiously. “She’s not yelling at me,” I said. “She was worried.”

“Her tone and words are aggressive.”

“Aggressive? Excuse me, warrior, but your default setting is aggressive, so you don’t have room to talk.”

I turned back to Miranda to see her staring at us with huge eyes. “C-can you understand him? And he lets you talk to him like that?”

I pointed to the implant behind my ear. “I have a lot to tell you, but yes, I can understand him. I have a translator implant, and we have enough for all of you.”

A tall white woman with a black bob crossed her arms, her posture defensive. “An implant? Does it have a tracker in it? Can it read my mind?” Large gauges hung in her ears and there were remnants of winged eyeliner at the outer corners of her eyes. Before I could answer, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. I don’t need to know what these blue bastards are saying.”

“She will get the implant whether she wants it or not,” Daz barked.

The woman flinched at his tone, and I was thankful that she couldn’t understand what he’d said. I smiled at her. “He said it’s your decision.”

“I did not!”

A voice boomed across the clearing. “Daz!”

A massive Drixonian filled the doorway to the building, and even I took a step back at his harsh voice and imposing figure. The left side of his face was a spiderweb of scars, and his horn was broken, the end sharp and jagged. Each nostril was pierced with large golden rings, and his hair hung in braids past his shoulders.

“That one hates us,” Miranda said, standing beside me as the rest of the women seemed to shuffle behind us, like we were their shields.

“I don’t think he hates us,” said a short woman with pale skin, freckles, and long, brown, wavy hair.

“He doesn’t hate you,” I said. “They don’t… These aliens don’t hate females.”

“I’m starting to strongly dislike some of them,” Daz muttered.

“What?” I snapped.

He ignored me, which was probably for the better, and walked to greet his warrior. The two clasped each other’s necks and then brought their foreheads together before separating. I’d seen Daz do the same thing with Tark, so I assumed it was a common greeting for his species. After a few murmured words, Daz reached into a pouch at his waist and took out his implant updater. He aimed it at Gar’s implant. The big alien made no reaction to the update, but his eyes did shift to me for a moment.

Wait, I was Daz’s mate. Why was I hanging back? My place was at his side. I didn’t feel like I’d earned my place there, but “fake it ’til you make it,” I guessed. I marched ahead and planted my feet next to Daz. I noticed only Miranda followed me, but she hung back.

The large, scarred alien looked at me down his nose, and then gave me a small, almost imperceptible nod.

“I take it communications with the females did not improve?” Daz raised an eyebrow.

“That’s correct,” the alien said.

Daz clasped my neck. “This is Fra-kee, my mate. Fra-kee, this is Gar.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said.

He grunted at me in response.

Another alien flew out of the front door. He was shorter than both Daz and Gar, and he looked younger. His faced was unlined with scars or wrinkles, and his eyes shone a pretty light purple. He saw Daz and skidded to a halt as he bowed his head slightly. “Drexel.” He tongued the corner of his pierced lip nervously, and when his gaze landed on the group of women, his shoulders dropped with relief. “I was preparing their meal and went to deliver it and they were gone.”

“Yes,” Gar growled. “Because you insisted we didn’t lock them inside, so they saw Daz’s female and ran out to greet her.”

“Frankie,” I said.

His head whipped to me. “What?”

“I’m Frankie.”

“That’s what I said.”

“No, you called me Daz’s female.”

He threw up his hands. “I’m done.” He turned and stalked into the house, muttering under his breath.

I winced at Daz. “Uh, oops? Did I make him mad?”

“You said my default setting was aggressive?” Daz said with a raised eyebrow nub.

“Okay, I didn’t really mean that—”

“Well, Gar’s is hateful.”

“He kinda hates everything,” the young Drix muttered, shifting his weight from side to side.

I bit my lip. “Oh.”

Daz beckoned to the new alien. Daz updated his implant, and the other alien winced and itched his ear before shoving his hands behind his back.

“Fra-kee, this is Hap,” Daz said, pointing to the younger Drixonian. “Hap, this is my mate.”

“I heard!” Hap’s face lit up, and I now understood why the other women would only interact with him. He had a kind disposition. Everything about him exuded gentle and positive energy. He was like the opposite of Gar. He bowed at the waist awkwardly, and it was all extremely cute. “I’m so happy to meet you. I’m, uh, at your service.”

“Please, stand up straight.” I laughed as he jerked to his full height. “It’s nice to meet you, Hap. I heard you’ve been taking care of the women well.”

“I have tried my best,” he said, and his blue cheeks darkened. “I’ll be able to understand them now?”

“Yes, but they won’t understand you until we install their implants,” I said.

He nodded. “I’ll do anything I can to help.”

“Daz, I think I need time alone with the women,” I said. “I have a lot to explain to them, and it might take some time.

His gaze shifted over them. “Right. I’ll place the bag Enna packed in their room so you can distribute the supplies as you see fit. Hap, is their food waiting for them?”

He nodded. “Yep, it’s all there.”

Daz leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. The women began to chatter quietly, and Miranda whispered, “The fuck?”

“Let me know if you need anything,” Daz said, ignoring everyone around us and meeting my eyes.

“I will. Thank you.”

After observing the kiss, the other women gave me a wide berth as we made our way into the house. Miranda was giving me big eyes, the other two shot me curious glances, and Justine, the one with black bob, was openly distrustful. I understood. I really did. I’d worn a long-sleeved shirt on purpose, so they hadn’t seen my loks yet, and I wanted to pat myself on the back for that foresight, as I’m sure that would have caused a whole scene. I was starting to wonder how the hell I was going to explain everything that had happened since I last saw them.

Uh, yeah, so this guy? He’s my mate. He’s really, really good in the sack. Oh, and we’re stuck here. Forever. Get used to blue!

This wasn’t going to be easy.

FIFTEEN

Frankie

The building wasn’t large. We entered a common room, which had a table, chairs, and fire pit along the far wall. At the back was another room, and since the door was open, I could see it housed a cleanser and expeller. To the right was another open door, and on the floor, I could see bedding and blankets. I assumed that was where the women had been staying.

Other than Daz, Gar, and Hap, there were two other Drixonians. I vaguely remembered them from back at the spaceship landing site, but that had been a hectic time, obviously, and to me they’d all looked scary and non-distinguishable. Well, except for Daz. He’d stood out right away.

Daz introduced me to Xavy, who wore an ever-present smirk and his black hair in a mohawk. His nipples were pierced, and he wore a lot of gold rings on his thick fingers. Oh, and he winked at me, which earned him an ear-cuff from Daz.

Nero, who wore his hair short and had a gold ball pierced below his lower lip, gave me a polite nod as he sat and tinkered with the implant updater now that all the Drix had updated their implants to understand English.

The women didn’t linger or socialize, and I imagined that was how it’d been for days. No one could understand each other, but there seemed to be somewhat of a tentative truce among the two species. Miranda had clearly taken the lead, and Justine seemed to keep to herself.

The room where the women had been staying was primitive but considering the situation it could have been worse. They each had a bed—made from what appeared to be the male’s bedrolls. I was pleased to see they’d given up their own comfort for the women.

The food was plentiful. On the table was a massive tray of fruit and fresh meat and even a few round discs that looked to be a cookie or dessert. Of course, the women had no clothes other than what they’d arrived on this planet with, but some had fashioned togas from animal-pelt blankets.

In the women’s bedroom, I dug through the bag Anna had given me and began to pull out clothes. As soon as they saw what I was doing, it was like a Nordstrom Rack sale. Hands grabbed and voices squealed. Shortly after, try-ons began. For a moment, I could almost pretend we were all shopping together. A spunky woman with lots of curves and purple hair named Tabitha pretended she was on a runway and executed a nice twirl in her pants and top. We all clapped.

“It feels so good to wear clothes again!” said Tabitha, who didn’t look a day over twenty-one. She was one of the women who’d taken to wearing a blanket like a towel, knotted above her full breasts.

Miranda was still digging in the bag. “Any weapons?” She held up the cloth bag of implants and shook it next to her ear like it was a Christmas present. “What’s in here?”

I snatched the bag from her. “Okay, I have a lot to explain, so I’m going to need you all to sit down. Probably.”

Miranda sank down onto her mattress. Naomi, the short, quiet woman, and Tab sat next to her. Justine, who at first stood with her knees locked like a stubborn cat, eventually plopped down and blew her bangs out of her eyes.

“I promise to answer questions, but I’m going to ask all of you to keep an open mind.” I blew out a breath. “Here goes.”

I started from the beginning, explaining how the Kulks had tracked me and Daz and how Daz had protected me. I then talked to them about how we visited one of Daz’s friends—I left out Anna’s existence at this point—and how he installed an implant behind my ear so we could communicate. I gave them a brief run-down of the Drixonian history—how they lost all their females and recently gained their independence from the Uldani.

“I know they seem really intimidating.” I tried not to stumble over my words, but the women were all staring at me like I’d lost my mind. “I saw them fight just like you did, but they have very strict morals and ethics about how they treat females.”

“Yeah, but we aren’t their females,” Miranda said.

“We aren’t their species, no, but it doesn’t matter to them,” I said. “We are females, so we must be protected. In their old society, women ran everything, from the government to the farms. All the men joined the military and protected the planet from invasions.” I sighed. “Tell me, did any of them hurt you?”

“They’ve been really nice,” Naomi said in her soft voice, fingers picking at the hem of her new shirt. “The one who’s been giving us food… I think his name is Hep?”

“Hap,” I said. “His name is Hap.”

Tab nodded. “He’s sweet! I told him he looks like an alien Tom Holland but of course he had no idea what I was saying and just nodded.”

Justine rolled her eyes.

“That’s what I mean,” I said. “They have a motto. She Is All. They repeat it to each other.” I dug my nails into my palms. “And that’s not all.”

I explained about Anna and how she’d come to this planet. I described her relationship with Tark, and then I mentioned they had a child. Even Justine was listening with rapt attention at this point.

“Wait, so they’re together? Like they fuck?” Justine asked.

“Well, yeah. They have a daughter. She’s extremely sweet. She made me this.” I plucked at my necklace. “And she made Daz a matching armband.”

“Frankie,” Miranda said. “Why did Daz kiss you?”

The room went silent. I held out my hands. “First, I need you to understand I’m on your side. I’m human. I’m still me.”

“Oh God, see? That implant brain-washed her,” Justine announced triumphantly, like she’d figured out a mystery.

I shook my head. “No, this happened before the implant.”

“What happened?” Tab looked very confused.

“Frankie,” Miranda said again, her eyes never leaving mine. “What’s going on?”

“We’re mates,” I blurted. I shoved up my sleeves to show my loks. “These appeared on our wrists a few days before we met Tark and Anna. Daz has matching bands.”

Justine went pale, and Miranda made a choking sound in her throat. “You let him tattoo you?”

“No, they appeared. On their own. I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it with my own eyes.”

They were skeptical. Of course, they were. I didn’t blame them. “Here—you can touch. Not a tattoo. It’s like… beneath my skin and glows through. Anna and Tark have them too. All patterns are unique to mates.”

All but Justine crept forward, and with feather-light touches, inspected the loks on my wrists. I tried to do my best to explain how they worked based on what Daz had told me. He had killed someone who drew my blood, and it confirmed our bond. I also explained how I can sense his emotions and he can sense mine.

“Can you communicate in your heads? Like tele… tele… What’s the word?” Tab asked.

“No, we can’t. I can feel him there all the time, but we can’t speak to each other.” I held up the pouch. “These are the implants. We have enough for all of you. They will translate the Drixonian language so you can understand them. And, heads up, their implants—they’ve all had them since they arrived on this planet—have already been updated. If you go out there and start calling them big blue bastards, they can understand you.”

“So, did you ask them how we can get home?” Justine said. “I’m not trying to build a life here. I had one on Earth, and I’d like to get back there.”

All the women turned to me with expectant, hopeful eyes. This was soul-crushing to have to tell them the truth.

“We can’t go back.”

“What?” Justine snapped.

“They don’t have spaceships. They can’t get to their home world which is the twin planet we see every day. They have no way to get us home to Earth.”

Tab’s nose wrinkled. “But we got here—”

“Yeah, we got here on a Rahgul ship, and they were paid to bring us here. They aren’t taking us back home.” My guts churned at the devastation on their faces. “I’m sorry. I had some time to process that I’ll never seen Earth again. And I’m sure I’ll be mourning that for a long time. Do any of you have kids? Husbands?”

Three voices murmured a “no” and Justine was a “hell no.”

I couldn’t imagine that was a coincidence. Did the Rahgul search out women with no attachments? Why would they care? We were all from different states, so it seemed we were targeted.

“I have a twin sister,” Naomi said softly, fingers brushing delicately over her pants. “We live together and have a business together.”

“I was up for a promotion at my firm,” Miranda said. “I’m a criminal defense attorney.”

“I’d just had my birthday party,” Tabitha said. “I turned twenty-three and drank a whole bunch of Long Island Iced Teas until I couldn’t feel my face.” She smiled dreamily. “It was great.”

Justine huffed. “I’d planned on smoking a whole bowl when I woke up and honestly it felt like Christmas Eve. Shit’ll go to waste now until my roommate sniffs it out.”

We sat in our memories and regrets until the air thickened with choking silence. I thought of Paris. And all the times I’d told myself I’d call my dad later. Now there’d never be a later.

Miranda slid to her knees in front of me, her expression serious. “I want an implant.”

“What?” Justine screeched. “Just like that? What if these things are just ways to control us?”

“I trust Frankie,” Miranda said. “I’m not doing it just like that. But I’m sick of not being able to understand these Drixonians. I’ll decide if I trust them on my own, but in order to do that, I need to be able to communicate with them.” She nodded. “Go on.”

I had to bring in Daz for the implant procedure. This wasn’t something to mess around with, and I didn’t want to scramble anyone’s brains, if that was possible. I called to him, and he came in immediately. Hap followed on his heels and puttered around the room, swiping imaginary dust off the window frames. He seemed nervous for the women, and even gave Tab a hug when it was her turn. Miranda took the implantation like a champ, barely flinching when I’d been rolling around on the ground like a child. Tabby screamed like her head was going to pop off. Naomi whimpered and sobbed.

Finally, Justine threw her hands in the air. “Ah fuck it. Go on and infect me or whatever.”

The first time I saw weakness in her was when the implant dug in. Her eyes filled with fear, and she gripped me, her lips trembling.

“It’s okay,” I said, stroking her arm. “I promise it only hurts for a little bit.”

She panted through the pain and eventually released her hold on me. She blinked, and in a flash, all traces of vulnerability left. Her expression went back to that snarky, distrustful mask. I didn’t judge her one bit for her attitude. This was scary as hell. We all had pasts that colored how we handled trauma. I was surprised when she gave me a short nod and a tight smile with a muttered, “Thanks.”

I smiled back. “Sure.”

After that, we ate. Hap stayed with us, sitting cross-legged on the floor while the rest of the males retreated to the main room.

“It’s good to finally be able to speak to you,” Hap said to us. “I guess we’re kind of scary to you.”

“Well, the other guys are,” Tab said, smacking her lips as she sucked on an orange-like fruit.

She was oblivious to the way Hap puffed out his chest. “I can be scary,” he muttered.

“You were so sweet to us,” Naomi said. “Even though we couldn’t understand you, we knew that you were doing your best to make us comfortable.”

He beamed at that and his cheeks darkened as he bowed his head. “I tried.”

“So, what’s next?” Miranda asked. She gestured around the room with a flicker of her fingers. “This isn’t their permanent home, is it?”

“Oh no,” Hap spoke up before I could say anything. “We live in a settlement with many more males. We’ll be traveling there soon.”

“Wait, more males?” Justine asked. “Like how many are we talking?”

“In our clavas? Probably about sixty.”

“How many other groups are there like yours?” Miranda asked.

“A lot,” Hap answered. “Over a hundred, maybe. It changes often because some split up or others merge.”

“What about Reba?” Naomi asked.

I frowned at her. “Who’s Reba?”

“She’s the one who ran away,” Justine said. “Big Grumpy Blue took off after her, and we haven’t seen them since.”

“Ward will find her,” Hap spoke firmly. “When he does, he’ll take her to our settlement.”

“I hope she’s okay.” Naomi bit her lip. “She was terrified. I mean, we all were. Daz took you away and we… We didn’t think we’d ever see you again.”

“I know,” I said. “I didn’t think I’d see you again either.”

“What happens when we get to the settlement? Are you going to auction us off?” Justine’s lip curled. “Have some weird claiming ritual?”

“I think you watch too many scary movies,” Tab muttered.

“Sorry, rom-coms aren’t really my thing,” Justine snapped.

Hap shook his hand frantically. “No, you’ll be our guests. We’ll protect you. We’d never force a mating. Ever. It goes against everything we believe—”

“You keep saying that,” Justine said. “But do all of you feel the same way? Is every male honorable? Because on Earth we surely don’t believe rape is right but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.”

The venom in her voice lashed at me like a whip. “Justine.”

She didn’t look at me, and Hap’s eyes were huge. “Daz is our drexel. He believes in our values and anyone who doesn’t fall in line is exiled. He’s exiled warriors before.”

Justine eyes cut to me. “And you say Daz is a pure gentleman, right? Perfect and respectful.”

The scorn in her tone singed my nerves. Tension swirled in the room, thick, ugly, and choking. Miranda’s jaw was so tight, I thought she’d crack a molar, and Tabitha wrung her hands. I’d been patient with Justine, but I was a hair’s breadth away from the end of my rope. “Daz has proven to me he won’t harm me, and he never forced himself on me.” I couldn’t keep the caution out of my tone, a sign to her she was treading on thin ice.

She clenched her jaw and brought her knees up to her chest. When she spoke again, the fight had left her, and her voice rang hollow. “Well, they never start out assholes, do they?”

I took a deep breath and spoke as plainly as I could. “I’ve seen some scary things on this planet. I was almost dinner to a pack of hippo-looking things that terrified the shit out of me. You saw what that Kulk did to me. He nearly punched my face off. So, if you want to take your chances out there, you can go, Justine.” I pointed behind me. “There’s the door. All I know is that I met a woman who has lived with a Drixonian for ten years, and she’s happy, well-fed, and clearly loved and in love. I’m not saying you have to be the barefoot and pregnant mate to any of these guys. But I do want you to be safe. And these guys are our absolute best shot on a strange planet.” I lowered my tone. “I can tell you’re independent, so this is probably killing you. I’m sorry for that. I’m terribly fucking sorry, but this is our situation, and I’m just trying to survive. I want you to survive with me.”

For a while Justine didn’t move. Hell, she barely blinked. Even I was shocked at my own words. Had I really said all that?

She studied me with wide eyes and parted lips. Finally, her chin dropped to her knees and she heaved a shaky breath. I didn’t miss the way she rapidly blinked and swiped at her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said. The tension in the room deflated liked a popped balloon. Tabitha scooched a bit closer to Justine and stroked her palm.

I sighed “Don’t apologize—”

“I’m being a bitch. I know I am. I’m scared and tired and I just want to go home, okay?” She ran her hands through her hair, sending her bangs haywire. “I didn’t mean to make you angry, Frankie. You’re being sweet. Hell, if I were you, I would have smacked me five minutes ago.”

“I’ve had more time to think about this stuff than you,” I said. “Because I’ve had plenty of situations where Daz has proven himself to be trustworthy, and I’ve also had more time where I’ve been able to communicate with him. I don’t judge you, Justine.”

She nodded. “Thank you. Hap has been sweet, and the rest of the guys haven’t hurt us. I’m not taking my chances on my own. I’ll be fine right here. I’ll try to be more open-minded.”

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being cautious,” Miranda said. Then she grinned. “You can remind us all to keep our wits about us when we get too trusting. How’s that?”

Justine smiled, and when she did, her whole face shifted. Dimples indented her cheeks and her eyes crinkled. “Sure, that’s a job I’ll be great at.”

The women continued to eat, chatting with Hap, as the atmosphere in the room lifted with optimism.

Miranda plopped down next to me. “So,” she said as she nudged me with her elbow. “I guess we did happen to run into the good guys, huh?”

I laughed as I turned and caught Daz’s eye in the other room. “I guess we did,” I said softly. “I guess we did.”

I felt my body being jostled, and I awoke with a start, immediately alarmed. I calmed at the scent of Daz and the familiar strong arms around me. The last thing I remembered was lying down while the women continued to talk around me. I must have fallen asleep as night had fallen.

Daz carried me from the women’s room to a smaller room at the back of the building. I rubbed my eyes and blinked them to see a lone bed pad on the floor. He lowered me onto it and immediately covered my body with his.

He didn’t bother with words. After kissing me, he slid down my body. I wore only one of Anna’s loose sleep shirts, and he wasted no time hauling it up to my waist and settling himself between my legs. “Mmmm,” he hummed, brushing my clit with the tip of his nose. The ring in his septum was cold, and I jerked at the contrast with his hot breath. “Thought of this all day.”

“You were just down there this morning,” I murmured groggily.

“What’s your point?” he asked before he lapped at me.

I laughed breathlessly. “You’re right. I have no point.”

“Did my mate enjoy her female time?” He hummed against me.

He wanted to talk now? I gripped his horns at the base where I knew they were sensitive. “Yes, I did.”

His tongue stopped. “Are you trying to rush me?”

I squirmed under him. “No.”

He blew a stream of cool breath on my hot, wet folds. “I think you’re lying.”

“Daz,” I whined.

“Greedy,” he murmured as he licked me. “So greedy.”

His fingers joined his tongue, slipping inside me on a slow glide as he teased my clit. My back arched, and I held onto his horns like handlebars, urging him on. His tail snuck up, and the tip tickled my nipples. Drixonians didn’t have prehensile tails like monkeys, but they were surprisingly agile.

“How did you get so good at this?” I murmured. “You lick me like you have experience.”

“Our elder males made sure we all learned ways to please females,” his voice rumbled against my pussy. “It’s a part of us we couldn’t let die.”

“God bless your elders.” I sighed. I let him work me over until every inch of my skin felt sensitized to the point of near pain. When I came on a shout of ecstasy, he slid up my body and plunged into me in one fluid motion. I gasped, my breath leaving me in a rush as he speared me with his thick length. His piercing raked the sensitive tissues inside me, sending me soaring and extending my orgasm into one long lightning rod of pleasure.

I gripped his shoulders and shuddered around him as he fucked me fast and hard. His hair swirled around me, tickling my eyes, ears, and nose as he huffed like a prized bull. A beautiful, muscled prized bull.

He didn’t speak, and I didn’t either, too overcome with welling emotions. Inside my mind, his aura swirled like a tornado, picking up all my scattered thoughts and centering them on him. Only him. I could only feel, see, and smell Daz as he took from my body what I readily gave. What I’d always give.

Another orgasm slammed into me, and his cock plunged inside me wetly as he roared and pulsed, coating me with his release.

When his elbows gave out, he fell on me and then rolled to his side to relieve me of his weight. His back heaved and sweat slicked our skin between us. He was still inside me, still half-hard, and I found I didn’t want him to leave.

“I’m starting to believe in your Fatas,” I whispered into the dark. His body went still, and his breath stalled. “Nothing has ever felt this right in my life. It’s almost too good to be true.”

He blinked at me and shifted so his cock slipped from my body. He pressed his heavy thigh against my core in a way that made me suck in a breath. His big thumbs brushed my cheeks and his nose brushed mine. “I’ll destroy anything that tries to take you from me. You know that, right?”

I nodded, and his head descended to the pillow beside mine. His fingers sifted through my hair, and the gentle tug soothed me. Still, I thought of his words. He could make those promises, but there were things that even Daz couldn’t fight. The past had proved that. What would the future hold? Those were my last thoughts before sleep claimed me again.

SIXTEEN

DAZ

I didn’t want to leave the warmth of Fra-kee’s embrace, but now that she was asleep, I had to talk to Gar and the rest of my males. I made a promise to her, and I wouldn’t let her down. Not even over my dead body.

I slipped from her arms, and she remained asleep, dead to the world. It had been a long day, and she had cried her tears many times. The women had asked her a lot of questions, and I couldn’t imagine talking as much as Fra-kee had today.

Still, she’d been brilliant. The other women trusted her and respected her from what I could tell, and I knew Fatas had chosen wisely for me. Fuck Fatas, I’d have chosen Fra-kee regardless of the loks.

I pulled on a pair of pants and buckled them over my tail. I left the bedroom, closing the door behind me softly before striding into the main room. Gar, Xavy, and Nero looked up from where they lounged near a small hearth fire.

“Where’s Hap?” I asked, taking a mug from Xavy’s outstretched hand. I had missed his spirits. I took a gulp of the strong brew and relished the heat sliding down my throat.

“Sleeping with the women,” Gar grunted.

I turned toward the closed door. “What? Why?”

“He always does. He takes his protection duty seriously.”

I shrugged and took a seat on a bench along the wall. I stretched out my legs in front of me. “As long as the women are okay with it.” I drank more. Fleck, it’d been a crazy few days. Had it only been a few days? I glanced up to see all three males watching me. “What?”

Xavy tongued the corner of his mouth. He tipped his head toward the door that Fra-kee slept behind. “You were not quiet.”

“No?” I raised an eyebrow nub.

Nero snorted while Gar continued to glower into his own mug.

“I was taking notes. For when it’s my turn.” Xavy grinned. “A question. After she screamed her pleasure the first time, what did you—?”

“For fleck’s sake, Xavy,” Gar said. “Shut up.”

Xavy didn’t even flinch. “You can’t tell me you weren’t listening.”

Gar flared his nostrils at me. “I have been stuck with this asshole for too long. Tell us what our next steps are and please say it involves killing someone.”

Nero let out a long-suffering sigh. “It’s been like this between them for rotations.”

I swirled the spirits in my mug. “The Uldani expect a delivery of six human females in two rotations.”

The mood in the room immediately shifted. Even Xavy brooded as he stared into the fire.

“We only have five females,” Gar said.

“We have none,” I growled. “We will not be giving the Uldani even a hair on any of their heads.”

“And what do you plan to tell them, then?” he asked.

“We can tell them the females died,” Xavy suggested.

I’d already told them about Tark, and how some of the females on Anna’s ship had died. “Then they will abduct more. And we will be asked to deliver those.”

“So, what are we going to do?” Xavy asked. “They are holding Sax.”

Sax was Xavy’s best friend. They were nearly inseparable, and Xavy blamed himself for Sax getting taken. I tapped my fingers on my mug. “I don’t have all the answers yet, but I need to make it clear that the females are not a bargaining tool. We will keep them safe. I need agreement from all of you.”

Xavy, Nero, and even Gar nodded immediately. We’d seen the aftermath of what the Uldani had done to some of our kind. The thought of them picking apart females was unimaginable.

“Let’s go over again how Sax was captured,” I said.

“He said he’d found salibri tracks,” Xavy said. Salibris had thick coats we used as blankets. “I told him I’d go with him, but he left without me because he’s Sax.”

“Impatient and impulsive,” I muttered.

“When I followed the tracks after him, I found where there had been a fight. At first, I thought he’d tangled with a salibri, but Sax wouldn’t be stupid enough to battle those skilled predators one-on-one. After that, his tracks disappeared. I returned to the settlement and that was when we received communication from the Uldani that they had Sax.”

Remembering that call made me grind my teeth. He’d been bruised, but still smirking, as they’d tugged his head back roughly and held a dagger to his throat. My brother. My last living blood relative.

I dropped my empty mug on the floor and braced my elbows on my knees, hanging my head. Moments ago, I’d been inside Fra-kee while my brother was still locked away. The ever-present guilt I carried tightened my chest so that I could barely breathe. “Fleck,” I said.

“I’ve been studying the recorded video,” Nero said. He held a comm device and on the table were a few scribbled notes. “And the Uldani gave more clues than we realized.”

I tried not to be too optimistic, but then Nero was just as talented as Tark at tech. “And?”

“Let’s not do that suspense thing, Nero,” Xavy said. “Out with it.”

“They want us to believe they have him at a super-secret hideout, right? That was what they said in the call. But I don’t think they do. I’m not even sure they have any hideouts. I think they have him right inside the Alazar.”

I straightened. “The Alazar?” That was the main building housing all Uldani royalty and their military. It was surrounded by massive stone walls, and the only way inside was through fortified gates. “Explain.”

He tapped his notes. “The walls behind him. That is unmistakably quazal stone, and the quazal stone on this planet is in the Alazar.”

The Uldani had mined all the quazal on this planet. Unless they found a new quarry, which was doubtful, then Nero was right.

“And they didn’t move him.” Xavy glanced at me. “We received another message when you were gone.”

I leapt to my feet. “Why didn’t you tell me this yet?”

“The women were awake, and you said no business talk until dark,” Xavy said.

I scrubbed my hands down my face. Everything was complicated. I hadn’t told Fra-kee about my brother yet, because I could still picture her face when I’d told her about the Drixonian past. She’d been that upset for my people. How would she react when she learned about my brother? She’d be heartbroken. So, I wanted to tell her my plan for how we’d get him back. That is, when I had a plan. Right now, I had a whole lot of nothing.

I strode over to Nero and stared down at the comm. “Show me.”

Nero and Gar exchanged a look before he played the video. The screen flickered and then Sax came into focus. I inhaled sharply. Both of his eyes were bruised and one of them had a cut beneath it. He flicked his tongue over his lip rings and black blood oozed from a split in his lower lip. I curled my hands into fists to keep from throwing a chair into the fire.

“He’s still alive,” a nasal-y Uldani voice came from off camera. It was a voice I recognized, and pure rage sparked inside me, roaring to life like a cornered salibri. “Four more days until we expect the cargo. If it’s not delivered, then we’ll start sending him to you in pieces.”

Sax rolled his eyes, and a Kulk hand entered the frame to knock him in the temple. Sax absorbed the blow and let his head drop between his shoulders. His long, braided hair swirled, and the colors on his skin shifted. He was angry and in pain.

The same Kulk hand gripped his hair roughly and jerked his head back awkwardly. “Want to plead for your brother to save your life? Anything else you want to say?” the Uldani said. That voice.

I dug my claws into my palms until pain streaked up my arms.

Sax’s chest heaved, and his eyes focused on the recording device. For a moment, I thought he would plead, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to take my proud brother begging. “Yeah,” he said. “There is something I’d like to say.” Dread filled me, but then Sax’s lips curled into a smirk. “You Uldani are the ugliest flecks on this planet and—”

The screen went dark, and my knees gave out. I braced myself on the back of Nero’s chair. “Fleck,” I said. “Fleck, fleck, fleck.” Rage simmered under my skin, and my machets itched to be released. I wanted my brother safe in front of me, annoying me with his smirks and his pranks. I wanted—

“Daz?” Fra-kee’s voice sounded in my ears, and I thought I was imagining it for a second until it came again, firmer. “Dazeem, turn around.”

I turned and found her standing in the doorway, legs braced shoulder-width apart. She gestured toward the comm device with a flailing arm. “What the hell was that?”

Frankie

Yes, it was sneaky as hell to listen to the Drixonians talk through a crack in the door. But I didn’t regret it. Not one bit. Because Daz had been keeping something from me. Something huge.

“Tell me I’m mistaken,” I said, as Daz stood frozen while the rest of the males pretended that the fire was fascinating. “Tell me I didn’t hear that the Uldani are holding your brother—and hurting him—” Shit, my voice cracked as I remembered the male’s bruised face. “In exchange for us.”

I’d heard every word. I’d woken up when he left the bed. He wasn’t going to hand us over to the Uldani, even if it meant losing his brother who they held hostage. I tossed my hair as furious tears streamed from my eyes. “Daz, he’s your brother—”

“You think I don’t know that!” he roared, coming unglued from his spot and slamming his fist down on the table. Nero jolted in his seat. “What do you propose I do, then, hmm? You want me to march you and your friends to their gates so they can perform their twisted experiments on you?” He stalked toward me, the colors on his scales shifting rapidly in anger. “Do you want to know what they did to some of us?”

Oh shit. I’d waved a red flag in front of the bull. Maybe I should have reconsidered my approach for this confrontation. “Daz,” I whispered as I backed up a step.

“They cut off our machets so we couldn’t defend ourselves. They stuck us full of hormones until we grew hard and they milked our cocks until we were husks. What do you think they’ll do to you? Why do you think they want females?”

The pain in his voice made it seem as though the vile things he’d described had been done to him. I knew they hadn’t, but I understood Daz took every injury to his species—every affront—personally. “Daz,” I gasped. I couldn’t take another step away. My back hit a wall.

He stopped inches from me and leaned down so our noses nearly brushed. “They want wombs. That is it. That is all you will be to them, and who knows what they’ll do to you or the life they manage to grow inside of you. I can guarantee this—you will not last long.”

“I know that!” I shouted back, wiping at my tears with furious swipes. “But we have to do something. We can’t let them kill your brother. I never had a sibling, but I’m sure you’re close and—”

Daz turned his back on me, his massive shoulders heaving as his hands tore through his hair. I tried to touch him, but he flinched away. I looked hopelessly at the other males, but only Xavy met my eyes. His leg shook with nerves and he swallowed heavily.

His gaze darted to Daz before returning to me. “Daz’s other brother was killed in the Uprising,” he said quietly. “Sax is all he has left.”

Gar slammed his mug on the table and stalked out the front door. Nero followed, and with another sad look at me, Xavy walked out, closing the door behind him.

Daz didn’t speak for a long moment, his aura was a thick, dense, foul fog. I couldn’t wade my way through it. Finally, he sank down on a chair and stared into the fire. I padded forward on my bare feet, wearing nothing but my T-shirt, and perched on the edge of a chair next to him. He didn’t look at me or acknowledge my presence. His aura shifted to a putrid yellow and the guilt emanating from him nearly crushed me with its suffocating weight.

“It’s my fault Rexor died,” he said, his voice monotone as he continued to watch the flames lick at the stone. “I am the oldest, then Rexor, then Saxis. Rexor was a natural soldier. He followed orders, and he was good at what he did. He led a whole battalion of Drixonians in a major battle that turned the tide of the entire Uprising in our favor…” He blew out a harsh breath. “He was injured but not too severely. He wanted to keep fighting. I told him to rest. He didn’t listen, so I sent him on a mission I thought was merely reconnaissance.” His hands shook and he clasped his fingers together. “It was not. He died in an Uldani ambush.”

“I’m so sorry, Daz,” I whispered. “You’re not responsible for what the Uldani did.”

“He followed my orders to his death,” he whispered.

I took a chance and slipped from my chair. I slid onto the table in front of Daz. He jerked, and his lips tightened as he seemed to resist my intrusion on his personal space. I spread my legs and reached for his face. He held back, and with wild eyes and flared nostrils, all he allowed were featherlight touches to his cheek. Then his lids fell to half-mast and with a sigh, his shoulders slumped. He fell forward, and I cradled his head in my lap.

The amount of vulnerability he displayed in his position slayed me. I’d offered comfort, but that didn’t mean he’d take it. I couldn’t force him to accept anything I had to give. But now, with his face pressed against me, he let himself be petted and soothed.

He all but gave me his weight as his arms came around me. He squeezed tightly, and there was a desperation to the way he clung to me. I dropped kisses in his hair and rubbed around his horns where his scalp was sensitive.

“My time with you has been the best of my life,” he said. “And it’s killing me that the cost is my brother’s pain.”

I closed my eyes as more tears leaked out. “You’re not giving up, right?”

“No,” he said softly. It was a long time before he spoke again, his voice muffled against my thigh. “We think we know where he’s being held. I will stop at nothing to get him back.” He raised his head. “But you also have to understand, Sax would never, ever forgive me if I handed over females for him.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“He’s my brother. My blood. In fact, he’s a better Drixonian than I am. Better than most of us. And that is why we will find a way to get him back. But not at the cost of you and the other females. Not at the cost of any female.”

His aura glowed a fierce fire-engine red with conviction. He meant it. Every word. I brought his face up to mine and kissed him. He smiled at me and brushed away the tears on my face.

“So, you think he’s being held… where?”

He explained to me about the Alazar—the main building of the Uldani fortress.

My mind spun with ways I could help. When I’d seen Sax’s face on the comm, I’d known I wouldn’t rest until we had done everything we could do get him back. “Okay, and where would you have delivered us? There?”

“Yes, to their gates.”

So, I was their ticket to get inside. My expression must have mirrored my thoughts, because Daz’s eyes went wide. “No, no no—”

“Take me.” The words were out before I had a chance to fully realize what I was saying. Me, leading some rescue mission? Yet, as I spoke, I knew this was what had to happen. It was the right call. I wouldn’t drift on this planet’s current like I’d drifted on Earth. I had to stick that engine in the water and motor my way through in the direction I needed to go. I straightened my back and imbued as much confidence into my voice as I could. “Give me some cool techy stuff. Weapons. Lock picks or whatever. Grenades. Deliver me, they’ll release Sax, and then I’ll escape.”

He sputtered for a moment. I’d actually rendered the great Daz speechless and aghast. “Do you even understand how impossible that is? What if they drug you?” He shook his head and his aura pulsed. “That’s not an option. Nope.”

“Then what’s your plan?” I demanded. “You have two days. We’ll tell them all the other women died. That’s plausible based on Anna’s story. So, all they get is me. Maybe they’ll take better care of me and keep me alive longer that way.”

He growled. “Fra-kee—”

“It’s a great plan!” I pleaded. He glowered at me. “Okay, I’ll concede it’s not a great plan, but it’s the best one we got. If he’s there, I’ll find him. I’m crafty, I swear. I stayed alive this long and managed to bag you, so I have to be doing something right on this planet. On Earth, I was a fuckup, but here I seem to be doing pretty well for myself, all things considering—”

Daz cut me off with a slice of his hand and whip-strong words. “I said no.”

“You know what?” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I don’t care what you say. You either help me or I go there myself.”

He jerked to his feet and slammed his fists onto the table on either side of my hips, nearly crashing his nose into mine. “Over my dead body.”

Now I wanted to win just so I could prove myself. “Then you’ll have to chain me up, but fair warning, I’ll scream the building down. Those are your options. Help me or I do it on my own. I would say my success rate is three percent on my own, but that’s what an ultimatum is.”

He fisted his hair. “I swear to God, female, you’re infuriating.”

I swung my legs and stuck my nose in the air. “Maybe but being infuriating is going to save your brother.”

A throat cleared, and we turned to see Nero with his head stuck through the window. “Hello. Couldn’t help but overhear since you are both very much not quiet. If I can make a suggestion since our fearless leader is not thinking clearly and is clouded with emotion for once in his life—”

“Nero,” Daz warned.

“Tell the Uldani we’ll meet them on neutral ground. I didn’t like the idea of us going near their gates anyway. They’ll bring Sax and you’ll act like you’re handing over Fra-kee. I’ll take out the Uldani and Kulks with my long-range gun and we get the fleck out.”

“There are so many things that could go wrong,” Daz growled.

“Then we sit down and perfect it as best as we can,” I said, my palms pressed together. “Nero has the beginnings of a good plan.”

Daz’s nostrils flared, and he stabbed a finger at Nero as he sneered. “I’m going to strangle you with your own tail in your sleep.”

Xavy appeared beside Nero, munching on a tein bar. He patted Nero on the shoulder “Daz has threatened to do that to me no less than ten times. He never follows through. You’re good.”

He walked away and Daz yelled after him. “I’ll take your tail and shove it up your—”

“Daz,” I snapped. “Focus.”

“Focus?” he said incredulously. “Focus? I think I’m the only who is focusing. On reality. They’ll anticipate we don’t plan on playing nice.”

“But they don’t know about Bess,” Nero grinned.

“Who’s Bess?” I asked.

“The weird fleck named his modified long-range solar gun,” Daz said. “I don’t like this. I don’t flecking like any of it.”

“You don’t have to like it,” I said. “But it’s going to happen. You’re either on board or you’re not, but I’ll be straight with you. I want your support, Daz.” I looked him in the eye and nearly begged. “Believe in us.”

His eyes drooped, and sorrow soured his aura. “I do believe in us, my cora-eternal. It’s the Uldani I don’t trust. They don’t play fair.”

“Well,” I said. “Then we won’t either.”

SEVENTEEN

Frankie

“This is insane.”

“Mmm-hmm,” I answered Miranda distractedly as I ran over the plan in my head for the hundredth time. Well, maybe not hundredth, but that was my goal.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing Nero did was explain I was going to have to do a little acting. I couldn’t let the Uldani in on the fact I had any connection with Daz. Tomorrow, I’d accompany Daz to meet with the Uldani. The butterflies in my stomach had morphed into something nasty with beaks and teeth, but I ignored them. This was crazy. I was crazy. But damn it, I’d already turned my boat in this direction and there was no going back.

“Frankie, look at me,” Miranda insisted.

I sighed heavily and swung my gaze to her. The setting sun beamed off her skin, coloring it a smooth mahogany. We were outside, which the males barely tolerated as they preferred us safe and secluded behind the walls of the building. Hap stood guard nearby, munching on some fruit, while Xavy leaned against the building, sharpening several wicked-looking blades on a whetstone.

Daz, Gar, and Nero were inside. Plotting.

Miranda stabbed the rock we sat on with a stick. “I’m sure there’s another way.”

I wished I could make everyone understand that it was important to me—and my future—to do this. On this crazy planet, I wanted my big blue alien. For life. There was no way we could be happy with his brother’s death hanging over our heads. Dax’s last living relative. His mother had died in his arms. His other brother had been blown to bits—something Dax blamed himself for. Sax had to come home. There was no other option.

“There probably is another way,” I said. “But we don’t have time to devise another plan. You didn’t see the condition of Daz’s brother in that video. I did. I cannot live with myself if I don’t help. The Uldani are terrible assholes who want us for our wombs and are torturing Daz’s brother to get what they want.”

Miranda narrowed her eyes. “But this isn’t on you. We didn’t ask to come here.”

“Okay, you’re right. But we’re here now, and I’m not going to sit back and do nothing. I sure as hell can’t look Daz in the eye for the rest of my life knowing his brother died and I did nothing. He wants his brother back, and I want that for him.”

She wrapped her arms around her shins and tucked her knees to her chest. “I hate this.”

I snorted. “It’s not like I’m excited about it.”

“Can’t we just dress Hap up to look like you and send him along with Daz?” Miranda peered at me from under her long lashes and smirked.

I laughed. “Imagine how much foundation that would take.”

“He’s kinda pretty though. He could pass as human.”

“He has a tail!”

She chewed the inside of her cheek as her eyes danced. “Oh, I forgot about that.”

Hap popped up beside us. “Did you say my name?”

With his dimples and full lips, he really was adorable. His wavy hair blew in the wind like he was on stage for a rock concert. I only wanted Daz, but I also couldn’t help but notice Hap had a Captain America-level ass.

Miranda eyed him. “Shit, I forgot about the horns too.”

“Foundation ain’t gonna cover those,” I said.

Miranda giggled.

Hap frowned. “I don’t get it.”

“Earth humor. You wouldn’t understand,” Miranda said.

“Oh my god, I want my own bike and that slogan as a bumper sticker,” I said, which sent us into a fit of giggles again.

“You’re supposed to be resting.” Daz’s deep voice sliced across the clearing like an unleashed arrow.

Miranda and I both jumped, and Hap jerked to his feet so fast that he stumbled. “I am resting,” I said.

His nostrils flared. Oh, he was not amused. At all. “This isn’t a game, Fra-kee.”

I wanted to snap at him, but he was right. “I know, Daz,” I said softly.

His expression softened a fraction. “Dinner is ready. Come inside and eat.” His gaze swept across the clearing, taking in Miranda, Hap, Xavy, and me. Then he retreated into the building.

Miranda huffed beside me. “I know he’s not going to hurt us, and it’s clear he’s utterly devoted to you,” Miranda said. “But Daz still scares the shit out of me sometimes.”

“Yeah,” I muttered. “He has that effect.”

I made to heave myself off the rock, but her hand on my arm stopped me. “Hey,” she bit her lip and then reached behind her neck. She fiddled with something there before dropping her hands, her necklace clutched in her fingers. At the end of a black cord was a wire wishbone. She placed it in my hand. “My mom gave me this when I turned sixteen. I consider it my good luck charm.”

“Miranda—”

“I want you to borrow it.”

I tried to give it back to her, but she shook her head. “I can’t. This is yours. Something your mother gave you…” The words hung in the air between us. You’ll never see her again.

Miranda swallowed. “Please take it. For me.”

I curled my fingers around the necklace, realizing what a gift this was. “Put it on me?”

With shaking hands, she fixed the clasp behind my neck and brushed her fingers over the wishbone where it lay flat on my chest. “I hope it brings you luck.”

I hugged her. “I hope so too.”

After dinner, Xavy broke out his “spirits.” The women hadn’t had any yet, because Xavy hadn’t been able to communicate what it was. Now we knew, and we all decided when in Torin, right?

“I’m sure I’ve swallowed worse stuff than alien hooch,” Justine said, swirling the liquid in her mug. She sniffed it. “Smells okay.”

I gave it a whiff. I could definitely smell the fermentation—it had an underlying fruity scent. “I’m moderately terrified of ingesting this, but I could also really use something to take the edge off my nerves.”

Tab held up her mug. “To Frankie being a badass bitch tomorrow.”

“To Frankie,” the rest of the women echoed.

“Cheers,” I said and threw back a gulp of the brew. Effervescent bubbles popped on my tongue, and the cool spirits slipped down my throat to settle in my stomach. Warmth followed, a pleasant burning that only alcohol could provide.

“Tastes like hard cider,” Tab said, smacking her lips. “I love it!” She turned to beam at Xavy. “It’s delicious.”

He grinned at her and puffed out his chest. “Thank you.”

“Refrain from complimenting Xavy too much,” Nero teased. “His head is nearly big enough to float us all back to Corin.”

Xavy lifted his chin haughtily. “Well, I know one less male who won’t get a ticket aboard the Xavy Rocket.”

We drank. And drank some more. The girls and I showed the men how to arm-wrestle. As typical males, they jumped right into the competition. Gar ended up coming out on top after beating Daz in the championship round, three to two. He celebrated by chugging his entire mug.

All my limbs felt loose and disconnected. These spirits were strong, and I certainly wasn’t the only one feeling them as Naomi danced in a corner to a song only she heard. Gar watched her like a hawk and several times, he reached out to steady her as she tripped over her feet with a giggle. Every time, he huffed in annoyance but that didn’t stop him from hovering over her to prevent her from getting more than a bruise.

I skipped into the bathroom with Tabitha, because apparently even on alien planets, us women needed to pee in groups. We spent a long time complimenting each other’s hair before doing our business and stumbling back out into the main room to catch Xavy in the middle of a story.

“And then,” Xavy said, his eyes glowing with mirth, “Gar comes flying out of the room roaring, ‘the small one is dying!’”

Having given up on her dancing, Naomi sat cross-legged on the floor laughing so hard tears leaked from her eyes. “I was coming back to wash the bedding.”

“So,” Xavy went on. “He finds Hap and Naomi in the expeller with bloody clothes on the floor and loses his flecking mind.”

“I’m so glad you all find this funny,” Hap said with his arms crossed. “Meanwhile I thought he was going to rip my head off.”

“So, Gar picks up Hap and tosses him out of the expeller,” Nero said, his cheeks ruddy with the effects of the drink. “Seriously, I was sitting here minding my own business, and I just see Hap’s body flying through the air.” He pointed to a dent in the wall. “Hap’s shoulder did that.”

“For fleck’s sake, Gar,” Daz murmured.

“She was bleeding,” Gar grunted. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“While Hap is moaning on the floor,” Xavy said, “Gar sprints out of the expeller with Naomi in her arms. And I hear her trying to talk to him, but he’s out of his mind.”

“I didn’t understand what was going on,” Naomi said. “He was so angry and frantic. I finally got him to put me down, but how the hell did I explain that this bleeding was normal?”

“Oh my God, Naomi,” I said. “I’m so sorry that happened to you when you couldn’t explain.”

Naomi shrugged. “I was embarrassed at first, and then got over it. It’s biology and natural. Even an alien planet doesn’t prevent my body from working like clockwork. I just didn’t want him to think I was diseased and toss me out to be eaten by some… thing.”

“How did you get through to him?”

“Justine and Miranda helped formed a sort of protective wall in front of me. Gar raged like a bull while Tab helped me strip some of the bedding and make pads. It certainly wasn’t fun, but we made it work. I think once Gar realized we weren’t panicking, he calmed down. Sort of.” She eyed him, but Gar stared into the fire. “He still wouldn’t let me out of his sight, afterward.”

“So now you know.” Justine glared at all the males. “We bleed from our vaginas once a month. It’s normal. The only reason we don’t bleed is if we get pregnant.” She crossed her chest with an X. “And I’m closed for business, so don’t even think about it.”

I laughed but felt the hair on the back of my neck lift. I raised my head to find Daz watched me carefully. He ignored the chatter around us, and I realized he hadn’t participated much at all. For Gar that was normal, but not for Daz.

I stood up and walked over to where he sat. Perching in his lap, I fingered his hair. “Hi,” I said softly.

He smiled at me, but his aura bled a thick and cloying sadness.

“You’re worried,” I said.

“Of course,” he whispered. “Aren’t you?”

“I am.”

His hand slipped up my thigh to rest on my stomach. “Until this last conversation, I hadn’t even imagined you could be carrying my chit, but you could be. Right?”

My heart lurched. I hadn’t let myself think of that. There’d been too much going on. I swallowed. “Yes, I guess I could be.”

“Tomorrow, I’m supposed to meet my enemies with my cora-eternal at my side.” The muscle in his jaw ticked, and the tendons in his neck pulsed. “I don’t even want them to look at you.”

“But it’ll work out,” I said. “We’ll get your brother and return and be happy.”

“Your optimism is encouraging but also naive.”

I frowned. “That’s not nice.

“No, it’s not, but you told me not to hide things from you.”

“There’s something called a white lie,” I said under my breath.

“What?”

I held his face, watching the flickering flames reflecting in the dark pool of his irises. “They won’t lay a hand on me.”

“If they do, I’ll battle every fleck in the Alazar. You know that, right?” His aura shifted, burning a bright red, but the feeling was different than the white heat of his anger. This was something else, all-consuming, and explosive.

“I know you will,” I pressed a kiss to his lips. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”

Daz

I entered my mate on a smooth glide, and her wet heat gripped my cock, pulling me in. Her mouth opened, her eyes fell closed, and she arched her back, so her full breasts drew closer to my mouth. I didn’t miss a chance to lean down and latch onto a nipple.

“Daz,” she whispered, and her hands slipped through my hair. I let my name—spoken in a husky rasp—wash over me. I’d done that to her, made her breathless enough that she spoke my name with such reverence. I committed it to memory and let it soak in my bones.

Everyone else was asleep, but I wouldn’t let either of us rest until we came together one more time.

I swirled my tongue, flicking the hard bud with my piercings. She squirmed beneath me, and her inner walls clamped down on my cock as her body shuddered. Her body jolted with each thrust. She tossed her head, and her dark hair fanned around her. Every time she gifted me with her cunt, I felt reborn. Her aura glowed in my mind, lightening until it shone golden like the sun, like the loks on our wrists.

Suddenly, her eyes popped open. She blinked a few times and undulated her hips, moving in time with my strokes. Her hands clasped my wrists which were planted near her head.

She didn’t speak, and neither did I. I wasn’t sure I could. Because her aura was changing. No longer content to remain in place, tendrils shot from it like sun flares, forming vine-like threads that braided themselves into my thoughts and emotions. I shook my head, unsure of this warmth in my chest and the blooming sense of union with another soul.

“You—” Her eyes went wide. She clung to my wrists, her nails digging into my skin. I bared my teeth and slammed into her harder, forcing a moan from her lips. “Your aura,” she gasped. “It’s… it’s changing.”

“Yours…” I panted on a broken syllable. “Yours too.”

Her body shook, and I knew she was closer. The smooth walls of her cunt contracted around me, and she cried out. She bucked against me, and I gritted my teeth, determined to watch her find her pleasure before I let myself take mine. Tears streamed out of her eyes, and the tendons in her neck strained against her pale throat.

“That’s it,” I said. “Come for me. Come on my cock, cora-eternal. Squeeze me with that perfect cunt.”

“Oh fuck,” she whimpered. Her body bucked one last time before her limbs went loose.

My balls drew tight, and my cock swelled in her channel. I threw my head back on a roar and released inside of her. My vision swam with pretty golden threads shining into the darkest recesses of my mind where the guilt and sadness lurked.

I pulsed inside of her repeatedly while she whispered my name, her small hands stroking my chest and my neck. When I’d emptied myself and my muscles let me know they were through, I dropped to the bedding beside her and drew her into my arms.

Her gold was so bright in my mind I wondered if she could see it shining through my eyes. I lay there, blinking at her, unable to put into words what was happening. She stroked my face and my hair, humming to herself with a soft smile on her face. “Your aura is always red, but tonight it changed, and I couldn’t figure out what why. It was expanding, but not angry.” She shifted closer, so our noses were nearly touching. “It’s bright and bold. Like a protective crimson army in my head.”

I finally found my words. “Yours is a bright golden vine weaving around my mind, refusing to let my guilt and anger fester in the dark.”

While her aura had always been strong, its place in my mind had been separate. No longer. Now she was everywhere, her golden threads weaving through my anger and my pain, dulling them. My happiness had been a tiny nugget amongst my thoughts, but her golden threads wrapped around it, feeding it, nurturing it. I cupped her face and gazed into her eyes.

Her lower lip shook, and she tucked it between her white teeth. “Tomorrow…” Her voice cracked, and she swallowed thickly. “Your Fatas… She wouldn’t take this away from us, would she?”

“Do you want me to tell you one of your white lies?” I whispered.

Tears leaked out of her eyes, and she bit her lip savagely before nodding her head.

I focused on her bright golden light and said, “She wouldn’t dare.”

Fra-kee hiccuped a sob. She tucked her tear-streaked face into my neck, and we fell asleep like that, so intertwined that for a moment I could pretend nothing would ever separate us again.

I hated this idea. I hated it with every bone in my body. My bike vibrated between my legs while Fra-kee’s ass was snugged tight against my groin. Nero and Xavy flanked us. We’d left Gar and Hap back at the hideout to guard the remaining females.

I’d woken up this morning feeling like my muscles were water-logged. Every step was a struggle, dread weighing heavily on me. Fra-kee tried to be brave for the other women, but her short answers and strained voice told of her nerves. Several times, I considered turning around and driving back to our settlement despite what would be her vehement protestations. I’d tie her to my bed and never let her go. But she’d never forgive me, and I’d never forgive myself for leaving my brother to rot.

I wrapped an arm around Fra-kee and smelled her hair as it whipped around us. She slipped her fingers through mine and squeezed. We were traveling through the mountainous range separating the western and eastern halves of the Jasper continent on Torin. We had some more rough terrain to cover and then we came close to the flatlands where the Uldani made their home.

We stopped once for a meal and just as the sun began to dip past its highest point in the sky, signaling the end of midday, we reached the agreed upon meeting area. If we’d continued further, to the bottom of the mountainous range, we’d have reached the Uldani fortress. The position made it easy to defend. There was only one clear path to get down the mountain, and at the bottom was an open stretch of land with zero cover for protection or hiding.

Through the trees, I could just make out the tall buildings of Alazar. The Uldani kept their entire remaining population secure behind fortified walls. Below ground were the slums—the poor, homeless, and neglected who dug for fuel and mined for garmin. After the Uldani mined all the quazal, they’d resorted to using the lesser-valued garmin for all their building supplies.

The ground level was the working class. They farmed the land and worked the livestock that provided food for the Uldani. In the high-rise buildings were the elite, living luxuriously on the backs of the poor and working class. The royalty lived in airpods that floated above the skyscrapers, casting shadows on the people below.

Nero hung back out of sight and in the best vantage position he could, and Xavy was with him to guard him. So much depended on Nero’s ability to kill as many Uldani guards and Kulks as he could, because I would have a tough time fighting while protecting Fra-kee and a most likely injured Sax.

For now, the clearing was quiet. The Uldani hadn’t arrived yet. I gripped Fra-kee’s face and turned it toward me. She was trying to be brave. Her shoulders were tense, her aura swirled with anxiety, and fear swam in her pretty brown eyes. “I’m sorry if I made you think this wasn’t brave,” I said. “I do. I have seen what you’ve done since you’ve arrived here, and I’m in awe of you, my cora-eternal.”

Her eyes watered, and she tried to shake her head out of my grip, but I wouldn’t let her. “I’m not sure if I’m brave or insane, but I do know this is something we have to do.”

“And you’ll do it, my brave mate.”

The sound of approaching footsteps reached my ears. With a last kiss to her forehead, I gripped her arm and hardened my face. Fra-kee was under strict instructions to look terrified of me. We both wore bands on our wrists to hide our loks, and we’d updated her implant with the Uldani language. Luckily, her hair covered the device, so hopefully the Uldani wouldn’t see it. I hadn’t bothered to tie her up, because the Uldani were aware a human wasn’t a threat to me.

Finally, an Uldani entered the clearing, flanked by a dozen soldiers. I didn’t bother to hide my sneer at who they’d chosen to meet me. Trupa Cornic, the head commander of the Uldani army. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet braced apart.

I hated his guts as much as he hated mine. He was the very being responsible for blowing my brother Rex to bits. The thought of Trupa laying a hand on Sax nearly had me blind with rage. It was his voice I’d heard in the video. I should have prepared myself to see him. I should have known they’d use him to try to get a rise out of me. I breathed through my nostrils, controlling the urge to slice his head from his shoulders.

Sensing my need for calm, Fra-kee shifted her weight ever so slightly and bumped me with her hip. Her golden threads glowed, and I focused on them despite the white-hot anger threatening to take over.

“Dazeem Bakut,” Trupa said, taking a step forward. “I’m surprised to see you here. Don’t you have males beneath you for an errand like this?”

“I don’t consider retrieving my brother a simple errand,” I said. “And unlike you, I don’t live on top of warriors I think are less than me.”

He laughed, and Fra-kee shivered next to me. “Right, right. Well, that was the downfall of your species, wasn’t it? This all is equal mess? Now you’re living like pivers, in bombed-out buildings.”

Fra-kee’s anger simmered, the golden thread sizzling. I hadn’t come here to be goaded. “I have your cargo. Now where’s my brother?”

Trupa’s light eyes shifted to the human at my side. “I see… some of my cargo. Where are the rest?”

“They didn’t make it. This planet’s air does not agree with many humans.”

“The Rahgul reported them all delivered and healthy.”

“Delivered yes. Healthy, no. They didn’t make it two rotations.”

“But this one happens to be special?” he mocked.

I gritted my teeth. “Where is my brother?”

Trupa tapped his two fingers on the hilt of his solar gun. “We have also lost contact with two Kulk squads who were sent to guard these women. Do you know anything about that?”

“Nope. Like you said, it’s rough out west.” I grinned with my teeth bared. “Anything could have happened. We live like pivars, remember?”

Despite his desire to obtain the females, Trupa had barely glanced at her. His gaze took me in from head to toe in a way that made my machets itch beneath my skin. Something wasn’t right. I kept my hand on Fra-kee’s arm and tried to calculate how long it would take me to sprint with her back to the mountain. And where was Sax?

“See, here’s the thing,” Trupa said. “You Bakuts fascinate me. Sax has been quite the entertainment.” He glanced back at his soldiers and grinned. I wanted to rip out the tongues of the few Uldani soldiers who laughed. “I hadn’t expected the great Dazeem to deliver the females yourself, but here you are. My plan has worked better than I could have imagined. Why do you think I wanted you to deliver the females instead of the Kulks?” He grinned again, and Fra-kee sucked in a breath. “We’ll keep Sax. And we’ll take you too.”

I didn’t even get a chance to lift my machets. A whistling pierced the air and a sharp prick pierced the skin of my neck. I reached for Fra-kee, but my limbs wouldn’t work. Why couldn’t I lift them?

Fra-kee screamed, Trupa shouted an order, and the entire world went black.

EIGHTEEN

Frankie

This was bad. This was really, really fucking bad.

From the moment I’d met Daz, he’d been larger than life. Invincible. And now he sat slumped and unconscious in the corner of the cell next to mine, his wrists bound to the wall with shackles and chains. Floor-to-ceiling bars separated our cells, so while I had a view of him, I couldn’t get near him.

Also bad? I’d given away how much he’d meant to me. When his big body had crashed to the ground with that dart in his neck, I’d lost my shit. I’d screamed his name and shook his shoulders. An Uldani asshole tried to tear me off him and had received a solar bullet to the forehead for his trouble. Nero had taken out as many Uldani as he could, but the remaining used Daz’s big body as a shield, the cowards. Nero couldn’t get a shot off without injuring his leader.

As they carried us away, I’d flailed and kicked and punched, anything to get back to Daz. I was surprised they hadn’t drugged me too. I should have been agreeable like a good little scared human, but instead I’d gone hog wild. They’d taken us inside the gates in a sort of hover car, through a marketplace and small shack houses, until we reached a massive military like structure near the back wall of the fortress. We’d descended so many steps into this dungeon I lost count and felt like we’d reached the center of his hell hole planet.

This was all my fault. All my stupid fucking idea. I was responsible for bringing Daz to his knees in chains. I’d known all along I was an imposter acting all brave at his side. I’d led him right into a trap. I hung my head.

They hadn’t bothered to chain me in my cell. They’d stripped me bare, my precious clothes given to me by Anna ripped from my body. I’d been sure they would violate me, and I’d gone into a crocodile death roll, but instead they’d given me a gray, shapeless dress to put on. One thing they hadn’t bothered with was my necklace. The wishbone remained between my breasts; the wire warm from my heated skin.

I had free rein of the ten-by-ten foot area but I stayed huddled in the back corner because I didn’t want to get anywhere near the Uldani who stood outside my cell, watching me like creepers. There wasn’t anything in the cell but a metal bucket in the corner. I knew what it was for, but I’d burst my bladder before I lifted my dress in front of these fuckers. I sat against the back wall with my knees pulled up to my chest, trying to look as small as possible. Outside my cell was a narrow hallway, and on the other side of me a stone wall.

The head Uldani—the one who’d taunted Daz—stood outside the bars to my cell, looking at me with a knowing smile. “I see the Drixonians haven’t lost their ways with females,” he said to the Uldani standing next to him. They hadn’t discovered my implant yet, so they didn’t know I could understand them. “I’m honestly surprised Daz had it in him to charm his way between her legs.”

I’d expected the Uldani to be ugly, because… Well, just because. But the Uldani, while not humanoid, didn’t strike me as unattractive. They weren’t covered in slime, toothless, or anything like that. They walked upright on what looked like a horse’s rear legs, except instead of hooves, they had three toes covered in a thick skin, almost like an elephant. I knew this because they didn’t wear shoes. Their arms were long and muscled. On their hands were two fingers and an opposable-thumb-like digit. Their faces were flat, and instead of ears or nostrils, they had small slits. Their eyes were round, and their high cheekbones cut a sharp shadow on the lower half of their face.

“You think they’re bonded, Trupa?” the other Uldani asked.

“If they’re not bonded, she’s at least attached to him. Not sure she understands he sold her out for his brother, but then I don’t think human females are that bright.”

Oh, I wanted to hit this Trupa. So badly.

“But if Daz, with his terrible personality, worked that fast, imagine how many females Sax could impregnate.”

I wanted to defend Daz, but there was no point. So, I sat and stewed.

Trupa’s golden eyes shifted to Daz, and he jerked his chin toward the cell door. “Wake him up. I want him to enjoy the entertainment.”

The Uldani picked up a bucket and tossed the contents through the front bars of Daz’s cell. Qua splashed over Daz and his head jerked up. He sputtered, his eyes immediately seeking me out. He surged forward on a lunge, but the chains yanked him back, his feet flying out from under him, so he crashed to the hard ground. He roared and tried again, straining against the chains as his machets unleashed from his skin. His muscles bulged and quivered, and his face grew ruddy and dark with effort. His aura flashed like a strobe light, frantic and manic, and my head ached from it.

I slid to the bars separating our cells. “Daz!” I yelled. “Stop! You’re going to hurt yourself.”

He didn’t stop struggling, but he slowed his efforts. “Fra-kee,” he gasped. He took in my body, now clothed in the gray sheath, and his aura detonated like an explosion. For a moment all I saw was red. “What did they do? Where are your clothes?”

“I’m okay.” I gripped the bars of the cell. They weren’t metal, or at least not metal I was used to, but they were cool and had a chemical smell to them. Daz’s chains looked to be made of the same material. I wondered if they were impervious to his machets because no matter how much Daz struggled and slashed at the chains, they didn’t break. “They just took my clothes and put me in here. I swear.”

His chest heaved and he sliced his eyes toward Trupa. “What the fleck?”

Trupa didn’t say anything. He only smiled as he made a motion to the Uldani next to him. The Uldani walked down the narrow hallway in front of the cells. I couldn’t see how many there were, or where he was walking. Once he was out of sight, Trupa only smiled wider, and my stomach clenched.

“You have no honor,” Daz spat. “You can’t beat us in battle, so you resort to under-handed tricks.”

“Honor is overrated,” Trupa said. “And it doesn’t sound like you have much either. Actually handing over a precious female in exchange for your brother?” He tsked. “Doesn’t matter anyway. Soon you’ll have a chance to meet all the females you like. Any species. Take your pick.” He grinned. “Because you and your brother will be my breeding stock.”

The words were a punch to my solar plexus. Air left my lungs on a rush.

“Like hell I will,” Daz growled.

“You won’t have a choice,” Trupa said. His eyes cut to me, and I wished I were invisible. “Just like she won’t have a choice. You like Drixonian cock? Well you get a two-for-one deal.”

From a distance came a clanking sound, like a doorway opening. Growls filled the hallway. Feet shuffled. Voices shouted. The sounds of a struggle drew closer, and I kept my gaze locked on the hallway until a large blue body appeared. His hair hung in his face, but the horns were unmistakable, as well as the chiseled body—he was Drixonian.

Uldani guards were on either side of him, holding straight, solid poles connected to a collar around the Drixonian’s throat. His machets were out, but the poles ensured against damage from his blades.

“Sax,” Daz whispered.

The captive growled. One black eye peered through his long hair and connected with Daz’s.

Other than that, Sax didn’t acknowledge his brother. He seemed out of his mind, nearly feral, fighting the guards the entire time. They passed the entrance to Daz’s cell and came straight to mine. With dawning horror, I realized they intended to put this growling beast of an alien in my cell. With me. Only me.

I had no Daz to protect me. Nothing. And even if I had a weapon, how could I injure Daz’s brother? The alien had been through enough.

“Why don’t we just let Daz mate with her if she’s so attached?” one of the Uldani asked.

“Because.” Trupa sneered. “He’s got to learn he’s not going to get what he wants. And she has to learn she’s nothing but a womb.”

My cell door opened, and with quick movements, they unclipped the poles from Sax’s collar and shoved him inside. The door closed behind him with a resounding clang.

“Sax!” Daz roared, renewing his struggles. “Brother! Listen to me!”

I could only see one eye through the long, matted hair covering Sax’s face. That eye was scary. Whatever they’d done to him, or given him, had flipped a switch. Daz had told me about his fun-loving, playful brother, the one who loved to laugh and tell jokes and wrestle with Xavy.

This Sax was a wild animal. He stood, breath heaving, at the front of my cell, his hands fisted at his sides, his arms corded with muscle. He wore only a pair of thin, ragged pants that ended below his knees. His feet were bare and caked with dirt.

I had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. My only weapons were my hands. “Daz, what do I do?” I cried as Sax took one step toward me.

“Tell your human to play nice,” Trupa ordered Daz.

“Fleck off,” Daz snarled.

The Uldani motioned to one of his guards with two flicked fingers. They extended a pole through the bars of Daz’s cell and slammed it against the side of his neck. Crackling filled the air. Daz’s body went rigid, his eyes bulged, and his mouth opened in a silent cry of pain. His aura quivered and flashed a bright white. His scales flickered in color like a TV losing a signal. Pain skittered down my spine in what was surely only a ghost of what Daz was going through.

“No,” I screeched, and ignoring the hulking alien in my cell, flung myself at the bars separating my cell and Daz’s. “Leave him alone! What are you doing to him?”

The Uldani took the torture stick away and Daz collapsed. I thought he was passed out, but he lifted his head, his body trembling. Saliva dripped from his mouth, and I choked out a sob. “Daz.”

“She mates with your brother,” Trupa said. “She does it now, or we’ll shock you until your brains scramble. I only need your cock, not your mind.”

My knees gave out, and I hit the ground with a thud.

“D-don’t,” Daz’s body shuddered as his words came out raspy and broken. “Fi-ight.”

“I can’t fight your brother,” I sobbed. “He’s your brother.”

“He’s not anymore. What that is … in your cell … not my brother.”

I turned to look at Sax. His hair had parted, and I could see both of his eyes. They shifted, and for a moment, I thought I saw recognition in his gaze. Emotion. But then they went dark and dead again. All the hope I’d felt only this morning vanished. I was left with an impossible choice. I couldn’t let Sax rape me, and I couldn’t kill him either. Either one would be a betrayal to Daz.

“D-don’t g-give i-in,” Daz slurred.

He wouldn’t be able to take another shock. Even now, the smell of burned flesh filled the air and the scorch mark on his neck oozed with melted flesh.

A growl filled my cell. I turned. Sax slammed into me, taking me down hard. I landed on my back, and the wind was knocked out of me. I fought for my breath as his hands held mine over my head. I screamed and arched my back as Daz roared in the cell next to me, his cries full of pain, agony, and heartbreak.

Sax leaned down, and I thought he intended to bite my neck, but then he spoke in my ear, his voice clear and urgent. “Don’t fight me,” he whispered.

I froze, unable to believe I’d heard him.

“We’re going to fake this.” He brought his knee up between my legs violently and slammed my hands down on the ground just as he let out a feral growl. “But if you keep fighting me, they’ll hurt Daz.”

I sobbed, and I didn’t have to fake that. I was going to have to trust Sax because that was the only option I had. I went limp as he tugged down the front of his pants. My heart slammed against my ribcage so hard I thought it would burst.

“Ah, look at that. She must care about you, Daz. Look at her lying nice and quiet for your brother’s cock.”

Daz swore and flailed, and I wanted to tell him to stop, that Sax was going to get us through this, but there was no way I could tell him.

Sax turned me over, bringing me to my hands and knees. I trembled so hard, I nearly face-planted, but his hands were sure and strong. Suddenly he stopped and turned to growl at the Uldani watching us. They didn’t move, and he roared, louder this time. He leapt to his feet and rushed the bars, slamming his palms against the cell like a raging animal.

“He won’t finish with us watching,” one of the guards said to Trupa. “In our tests, he refuses. I think it’s his alpha instincts to protect his mate and young.”

Trupa glared but finally backed away from the bars as Sax continued to growl and pace. “Fine. Remain out of sight and make sure he finishes. If he hasn’t mated her, shock Daz.”

“Yes, sir.”

With one final look, he turned and walked away. The guards shifted away from our cells, but I knew they wouldn’t go far, following Trupa’s instructions.

Once they were out of sight, Sax’s entire posture changed. He no longer stood hunched over. He rose to his full height and swept his hair away from his face. His head turned slowly, and he looked at his brother.

Daz’s mouth dropped open when their gazes connected. He blinked a few times then nodded. Daz immediately glanced at me, offering silent support with his gaze. His aura beamed with comfort. When Sax swung to me, his purple eyes were clear. He pressed his finger over the seam of his lips, showing me to be quiet.

He slid to his knees in front of me and whispered quickly. “Be convincing.”

The next minute was awkward and weird and terrifying. We sat across from each other, not touching. I cried and yelled. Sax growled and grunted. Daz roared and swore. And finally, Sax moaned long and loud, while I whimpered and fake-sobbed. Truthfully, we all should have won an Oscar for our acting abilities.

Shortly after, footsteps sounded in the hall. Sax shoved me in a corner and curled himself around me. When guards appeared in the hallway outside my cell, he growled.

“He’ll be possessive for a while. We can leave him in there,” one said.

“With any luck, he’ll mate her again,” said the other. With that, they left, and we heard the distinct clang of a door down the hall.

Sax immediately uncurled from me and gripped the bars facing Daz’s cell. “You stupid, flecking idiot,” he snarled at his brother.

Daz stretched his neck and groaned. “Missed you too.”

I shoved my face between the bars as far as I could. “Are you okay?”

Daz blinked at me and while his eyes were dark and his body tight with pain, he gave me a small smile. “I’m fine now I know you’re okay and my brother isn’t out of his mind.”

“What are you doing here?” Sax hissed. “Why would you deliver a female to them? What were you thinking?”

Daz’s nostrils flared. “Watch your tone.”

“Oh, fleck you.”

Daz pulled against his chains to glare at his brother. “I was thinking you’re my only brother. I was thinking that I wasn’t sure I could live with the guilt, because while you rotted away in here, I was the happiest I’d ever been because I’d found my cora-eternal.”

Sax went still. Slowly his gaze swung to mine. His eyes narrowed and he grasped my hand. Without warning, he tugged down the leather bands around my wrist to reveal my locs. He sucked in a breath, and his eyes widened with wonder.

“Fatas hasn’t forgotten us,” Sax whispered.

I pulled up the bands and waved with an awkward smile. “Um, hi. I’m Frankie.”

The corner of Sax’s mouth lifted. The gold rings in his nipples sparkled in the low light of the dungeon and through his hair, I could see the outer shells of his ears were pierced with rows of metal studs. “I’m Sax. Hate to meet you under these circumstances.”

“Yeah, same,” I muttered.

“So, what was that?” Daz asked.

Sax’s anger seemed to melt, and he slumped with his back against the far wall. “That was me outsmarting the Uldani as best as I could.”

Daz narrowed his eyes. “Explain.”

“They think they found a drug that turns me into this feral horny beast who’ll fleck anything with holes. The only thing it does is get me hard. The rest I pretend. Because as long as they think they’ve found a drug that works, they won’t keep working on something that will work. Because that thing I was? That’s what they want us to be for them, Daz.”

“So, they just want to use you to breed females?” I asked. “But why?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know that. They’re careful what they say around me.”

“Wait,” I said. “How can you understand me?”

Tapping his implant, he said, “They updated my implant with most major Earth languages. That was why I wasn’t surprised to see a human.” He frowned at Daz. “And why I’m furious with you. Have you forgotten all we stand for?”

“It was my idea,” I said.

Daz’s eyes met mine and then dropped.

I wrung my hands, feeling like the anger swelling in the two cells was all my fault. “I overheard him telling Gar that you were held here. I saw the video of them hurting you.”

“It was nothing,” Sax sniffed. “I heal fast.”

“But you both already lost a brother!” I cried. “I couldn’t let him lose another.”

Sax studied me carefully, his face tilted in the low light. He stayed silent.

“I intended to rescue you,” Daz said. “But Fra-kee insisted on this plan, and I had to admit, it was the best option. We were running out of time.”

Sax’s head whipped to his brother. “What plan?” He tugged on the bars in frustration as he curled a lip. “How is this plan going so far?”

“We never intended them to take me,” I said, guilt gnawing at my insides like a starving rat. “We were going to get you, and then Nero was going to shoot all the Uldani. But they drugged Daz and used his body as a shield. Nero couldn’t get a shot off.”

“Should have shot through me,” Daz growled.

“Don’t say stuff like that,” I snapped.

“This is not your fault,” Sax barked at me, and then whipped his head to Daz. “This is on you. You agreed to let her be a part of this.”

“She said she’d come on her own if I didn’t help her—”

“You’re a Drixonian!” Sax roared. “Lock her up. Restrain her. Do whatever you have to do to ensure her safety, but—”

“Brother,” Daz barked in a tone I’d only heard him use with his males. “I long for the day you meet your cora-eternal and have to tell her what to do. It’s not so easy. And until you know what it’s like, don’t lecture me.” His lip curled. “In case you forgot, we’re both trying to save your life.”

“I will not be saved at the expense of a female’s life, or yours!” Sax roared. “Rex didn’t die, and I didn’t put up with these Uldani flecks, just for you to suffer at their hands. Dazeem Bakut in chains!” Sax slammed his palm on the cell bars with enough force to bend normal metal. “And your female at their whim!”

“These chains are breakable,” Daz spat. “And my female answers to no one.”

His last words were spoken with reverence. “Daz,” I whispered. How did he still hold so much reverence for me despite the position I’d put him in?

He lifted his chin, and despite his shackles, he was the picture of a king with his broad chest and confidence. “I thought Fatas abandoned us. Abandoned me. But you, my Fra-kee, are proof she didn’t leave us. This situation couldn’t be much worse, and yet I have faith, for once in a hundred and a fifty sun-cycles, that she will see us through this. Even Fatas can’t ignore that you are the perfect mate for me, and I’ll spend my whole life being the perfect mate for you.”

My heart swelled, and I wished for nothing more but to be close to him. I reached through the bars. “I wish I could touch you.” Instead, I pressed a kiss to my palm and blew it toward him.

He cocked his head. “What was that?”

“I blew you a kiss. It’s an Earth thing.”

He smiled. “I like that Earth thing.”

Sax was watching us curiously, and then his gaze dipped to my chest.

“What?” I asked.

He reached out and withdrew Miranda’s necklace. He brushed his thumb over the wishbone. “What is this?”

“One of the other women gave it to me. It’s a good luck charm.”

“Good luck charm,” he murmured. “What does that mean?”

“Well it’s just a superstition…uh or a belief that an object can make things go in your favor.”

He snorted and dropped the necklace. I shoved it under my dress.

“Well,” he said. “We sure need some things to go in our favor, huh?”

I rubbed the wishbone beneath the scratchy fabric of the dress. I was never one for superstitions, but I was hoping on every wishbone, four-leaf-clover, and rabbit foot my mind could conjure. “We sure do.”

NINETEEN

DAZ

“So, what do you know about their plans?” I asked Sax as we waited for sundown. “Why do they want us to reproduce when we’re their enemy?”

The guards hadn’t returned. Sax said they’d be posted outside the cellblock’s entrance. For now, we were alone and could talk freely.

Sax paced the cell he shared with Fra-kee, occasionally dropping for a few pushups or sit-ups. Curled into a tight ball on the cold stone floor, Fra-kee dozed. I hated the sight of her behind bars with only her small hands as a pillow for her head. I’d get her out of here or die trying. I’d take a fleck of a lot of Uldani with me too.

Sax stopped and braced his hands on his hips. “We weren’t always their enemies. We used to be their good little soldiers. They want that back. And the way to do that is to grow us themselves.”

They’d taken his tag, and the sight of his bare left biceps set my teeth on edge. That band of metal had symbolized his identity and everything he stood for as my second-in-command of the Night Kings. I grimaced. “What have they made you do?”

“When I first got here, they were focused on smacking me around and using me as collateral to get the females. I don’t think they ever intended to release me. They planned to get the females and then use me to get them all pregnant. Of course, it was clear pretty quickly I wasn’t going to do what they told me. That’s when they brought in this sick asshole with needles and began shooting drugs into me. It’s ridiculous to put these females through this when they aren’t even Drixonian. I can’t impregnate them anyway—”

“You can,” I interrupted.

Sax flinched. “What?”

“We are compatible to breed with humans. Tark…” I swallowed. “Tark has a chit.”

He didn’t move for a moment, and then he lunged at the bars, eyes blazing. “What did you say?”

I explained how Tark met Anna, and that I’d seen Bazel with my own eyes.

Sax’s nostrils flared and his chest heaved as he slumped to the floor, eyes wide and unfocused. “No,” he whispered.

“Yes,” I said back.

“My only hope was they wouldn’t succeed. That eventually they’d realize it wouldn’t work and just kill me, but…” He grabbed at his chest and clenched his jaw. “They don’t know for sure yet,” he said softly. “But they’ll figure it out, won’t they? It’ll only be a matter of time before they get one of us to impregnate a human in their lab or find a way to harvest our seed. They’d take our offspring and use them for whatever they want.” He gripped the bars until his knuckles were pale blue. “If they knew about Bazel, they’d stop at nothing to get her. If…” His gaze drifted to Fra-kee. “Could she be carrying your chit?”

I watched my mate slumber in the corner of the cell. She didn’t belong here. She belonged surrounded by her females and my warriors. So much had been going on, I hadn’t let myself think much about what could be growing in her belly, but I was forced to face it now. “Yes,” I said, my voice cracking. “Yes, she could be.”

“Dazeem,” Sax whispered.

“She’s so brave,” I said. Her nose twitched in her sleep and she mumbled something. “A Kulk had a solar gun pointed between my eyes, and she distracted him by slamming a sharpened stick into his comrade’s ankle.”

A grin lit up Sax’s face, and for a moment, he was my brother again—before the wars and the death and the violence. “I would have loved to see that.”

“Within the first few moments that she met us, we had to take out a squad of Kulks. She saw all that and still managed to trust me. I couldn’t imagine how terrified she was of this planet, of me.” I huffed a laugh. “She yelled at me about saving you. She wouldn’t hear anything else. And this plan would have worked if the Uldani weren’t dirty liars.”

Sax yawned. “They were always dirty liars.”

“I know, but I can’t regret coming here. If all else fails, we’ll get her to safety, and at least I’ll have been able to be with my brother one last time.”

“Since when are you sentimental?” He laughed. “That’s usually my job. You were the grumpy one and Rex was the quiet one.” He tapped his fingers on his knee, and a serene smile crossed his face. “He idolized you.”

Pain sliced through my chest. “Stop.”

“He did, and if Rex was going to leave us, then following your orders for the Uprising is how he would have wanted to go.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as I remembered Rex’s determined face and his last grip on my neck. His forehead had touched mine before he turned and strode off on his last mission. “I said stop, Sax.”

“He would have been a great uncle. The one who made sure your chit learned his letters, huh? I would’ve been the fun uncle.”

“You will be the fun uncle,” I murmured, even though the words felt more like a wish than a promise.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Yeah, I will be.”

We both spoke our wishes into existence, and my chest tightened at the thought of Fra-kee pregnant, my chit never knowing his brave Bakut uncles.

We were quiet for a moment, letting our wishes hang in the air like smoke, knowing as soon as we spoke again, our breaths would whisk them away.

The only words worthy of taking those wishes were words of Rex, thoughts that had lurked in the dark for so long, only brought to light by Fra-kee’s golden threads. “I miss him,” I whispered into the silence of the cells. “I miss him, and I blame myself every day for his death.”

Sax’s smile was warm. “He’d want you to miss him. But he wouldn’t want you to blame yourself.”

“The intel I studied—”

“Holy Fatas, fleck the intel,” Sax huffed. “Honor him by getting out of this hellhole, protecting your female, and giving Drixonians a future.”

I let my head fall against the wall with a thud and smiled. “Ah, I missed you Sax.”

“Missed you too, you big asshole. Now eat the rations the guards gave us. I’m going to get some beauty sleep so I’m sharp and handsome for when we come up with an escape plan.”

Frankie

I woke to hands grabbing for me and chaos. I flailed, blinking in the dim light of the cell just as fingers wrapped around my hair and yanked. I screamed as I was dragged from the cell. Two guards stood with Sax, their poles attached to his collar, holding him back as he fought them. His machets flashed brilliantly but ineffectually.

“Daz!” I screamed as I kicked out, catching my foot on the cell bars. A bolt of pain shot up my leg.

He was roaring and pulling against the chains, swearing at Trupa as the man stood outside the cell, watching the scene with a sick smile of satisfaction. I tried to get to my feet, but my ankle wouldn’t support my weight.

I didn’t know where they were taking me, but Sax and Daz struggled, their muscles bulging and machets gleaming. I tried my best, but I was no match for the massive guard. He manhandled me, and I felt a strain on my neck before something popped. I watched in horror as Miranda’s necklace, my good luck charm, sailed to the dirty floor of the cell. The doors clanged shut, the guards took their poles off Sax, and I was dragged down the hallway away from the raging Drixonians who were my only hope.

With Trupa leading the way, I limped along between two Uldani guards who held my arms. There was no sense in me fighting them. They were seven feet tall and three times as strong as I was. We left the cellblock area, went up a few sets of stairs and through a set of doors that Trupa unlocked with a pass of a ring on his left hand. I noticed the guards had similar rings.

I tried to keep track of where we were going, because I hadn’t studied this part of the Uldani fortress. We turned down two more hallways. One left and one right before my brain began to get jumbled. What I wouldn’t give for some breadcrumbs now. If my hands were free, I would have torn out strands of hair to mark my way. But for who? Daz and Sax weren’t coming to rescue me.

We passed through two more doors before we entered what looked like a laboratory. Beyond a large glass wall, the room was full of metal tables and machines and wires and lots of monitors.

There weren’t many Uldani inside, only one who appeared to be female and a male who looked older, with wrinkled skin. His face stretched into a wide grin of delight when he saw me, but it was the type of grin that plunged my heart down into my feet. It was the sick look of a master proud of his creation.

I didn’t get a chance to study the room as I’d liked, because the guards led me toward a rather daunting-looking metal table with shackles on either end. My instincts kicked in. “No!” I pulled on the arms holding me, but it was no use. With embarrassingly little effort, the guards shoved me onto the table. Immediately, metal braces locked around my wrists, ankles, and neck. I couldn’t move, and I could barely breathe. As much as I tried to remain calm, panic set in. My heart pounded in my ears so loudly, I could barely focus on what was going on around me.

“Test her,” Trupa said.

“How long ago did he mate with her?” Old Uldani said.

“A few yoras,” Trupa said.

“It might be too early, but I’ll check her,” he said.

Check me for what? I wanted to scream, but I didn’t want to let on that I could understand them.

He pricked my arm with a needle, and I squirmed as much as I could until I realized he was taking blood, not injecting me with something. Still, I watched as my blood, mine, filled a small vial. This asshole was removing something from my body without my permission. With the rush of anger came despair, and I willed myself not to cry, not in front of these pricks. Daz’s aura billowed with rage, and I knew he was responding to my emotions. I closed my eyes, inhaled, and tried to slow my racing heart. I didn’t want to make Daz feel my fear and panic any more than he already was.

Old Uldani removed the needle from my arm and grinned as he held my blood up to the light. He turned away from me, and I slanted my gaze sharply to the side so I could see what he was doing. He sat down in front of a monitor, and after dripping my blood into a small bowl, shoved it into a small door in a square box and flipped a switch.

The monitor blinked awake and a soft hum filled the room. What were they doing with my blood?

“How early can you detect pregnancy in humans?” Trupa asked.

Pregnancy? How I didn’t shout was a mystery to me. That was what they were testing me for?

“With their own kind, it’s much longer. Seven to fourteen rotations. If I’m right, Drixonian sperm reacts differently and much more quickly with her reproductive system.”

Oh my God. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God—

His machine beeped. The screen flashed. Old Uldani gave a whoop of joy that sent my stomach and heart into a tailspin. “She’s pregnant!” he announced, spinning his chair around with a clap of his three-fingered hands.

I wanted to throw up. A life. Daz’s baby. The future of his species. And I was stuck on this table, a possession of some sick fucks.

Trupa stepped toward me with his eyes wide. “Are you sure?”

“Positive,” Old Uldani said. “Her blood carries the hormone her body produces to care for her fetus.”

“How long will she gestate?”

“That, I’m not sure of. Normal pregnancies for humans are nine months. Drixonians are twelve, so maybe somewhere in the middle.”

I was going to pass out. I was having a heart attack and none of them knew. Trupa looked to his guards and gestured to a small cage in the corner. “We can’t take her back to the males. Put her in there until tomorrow, and then we’ll get her set up in her new home for approximately…” He grinned at me, and I glared. “Nine to twelve months.”

Fuck you, I thought. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.

I fought the guards as they removed me from the metal table. I fought them as they shoved me inside what was basically a large dog crate. I swore at them and spat at them. They slammed the door shut, and I continued to hiss like a pissed-off cat.

My heart ached for Daz. This was my fault. All my fucking fault. Would he ever meet his child? Would I ever feel his arms around me again? I placed my hands on my stomach, wondering if the test was right. I’d had sex with Daz for the first time less than a week ago. Was it possible to tell this quickly I was pregnant?

I had tried to remain strong since we’d been taken, but now, sitting in the small cage with a possible life inside me I would be responsible for, despair set in. Tears dripped from my eyes, and I sobbed as silently as I could as Trupa and the guards left the room. Old Uldani still sat at his computer, oblivious to my sorrow, tapping away happily on his machine. I itched to smash his face right through the screen.

Eventually, he yawned and stretched. He turned his machines off and approached my cage. I slid to the back corner, and he smiled and crouched down. “The life inside you will be my greatest achievement,” he whispered. I bared my teeth at him like I’d seen Daz do. “Yes,” he murmured. “You are perfect.”

He reached his fingers through the cage, and I snapped at him like a struck dog. He yanked his hand back with a laugh, and after turning off all but one dim light near his machines, he left me alone in the lab.

I cried for a while. Even if I could miraculously get out of this dog crate, then where would I go? I couldn’t get through those sealed doors back to Sax and Daz. I didn’t know where I was in this stupid building.

My mind spun and spun. I wasn’t tired—I’d napped in the cell for a while—but I was hungry. The guards had thrown us a few food bars that had tasted like cardboard and given us a measly bit of qua. I wanted to go home. I wanted Daz. I wanted to be anywhere but here. I’d been so brave back at the hideout, but now, faced with despair, I felt like an imposter. Once a fuckup, always a fuckup—why had I thought otherwise? I’d brought down two great males with my terrible ideas. I dropped my forehead onto my knees and closed my eyes.

I sat there feeling sorry for myself for a long time. I must have dozed off, because when Daz’s aura entered my body like a second heartbeat, I jerked upright, disoriented.

What was that? He’d been a raging ball of anger since we’d been captured, but now his aura rolled and crested like a crimson tide, barreling over my sadness, blotting out everything in my mind until all I could feel was an invading army of red energy.

The energy came closer, and my head seemed to inflate near to bursting. I choked on a relieved sob when two blue faces pressed against the glass window of the lab’s door. The door opened, and they sprinted inside. Daz was free of chains, and Sax no longer wore his collar.

“Fra-kee,” Daz murmured, sliding to his knees in front of the bars. His jaw clenched. “They have her caged like a flecking welf.” In his hands he clutched Miranda’s necklace, but the wishbone was no longer a wishbone. He’d twisted the wires into two sharp prongs. “What the—?” I began.

“Lock pick,” he announced as his hands went to work on the cage’s lock as Sax fiddled with something at the machine. “It took what felt like forever, but we were able to use it to free ourselves.”

“I can’t believe it,” I said. “It really is a good luck charm.”

“As of now, yes.” His smile became grim. “We’ll know for sure when we get out of here safe and sound.”

Suddenly Sax straightened and his head whipped around. His eyes connected with mine. On the screen, I saw a jumble of symbols. I didn’t know what they meant, but I was sure Sax did. I shook my head, trying to tell him that I didn’t want Daz to know. Not now. Not yet.

Sax’s shoulders heaved, and his hands clenched at his sides. He gave me one short nod and then tapped a few keys on the machine. The screen went blank just as Daz finished his task and the lock to my cage popped open.

Daz hauled me out of the cage and into his arms. He pressed a quick kiss to my lips before touching his forehead to mine. “We’re breaking out of here. Now.”

TWENTY

DAZ

The clothes they’d stolen from Fra-kee were on a table in the lab. She tore off the shift they’d given her and put on her shirt, pants, and boots.

“I feel more like myself already,” she said, twisting her hair up into a knot on top of her head using the necklace cord. The mangled charm at the end slid between the strands of her hair. “Let’s do this jailbreak.”

After she’d left, Sax had found her necklace on the floor and fiddled with it until he managed to take his collar off. After that he’d busted out of his cell, into mine, and finally freed me from my flecking chains. We’d killed the guard who’d been stationed outside the cell block and taken his keyring. Sax hadn’t been sure where Fra-kee had been taken, but he’d guessed she was being seen by an Uldani called Borhan. Sax had said his name with a snarl that had set my teeth on edge. If this Borhan had harmed my mate…

But even though she’d been locked in a cage like a welf, she was alive and mostly unhurt. With her ankle swollen, Fra-kee couldn’t run and could barely walk. I placed her on my back, so my arms were free, and we followed Sax toward freedom. We ran through the dark hallways of the Alazar fortress, hoping to escape before anyone noticed the dead guard and missing prisoners.

Sax often liked to play the jokester, but his survival skills were unmatched. He had a knack for technology, and his memory was second to none. I wasn’t surprised he knew the Alazar well. He would have paid attention every time the Uldani moved him, committing the building’s layout to memory. All he’d needed was a keyring and a way out of his collar.

We sprinted down hallway after hallway, and we’d just ascended a flight of stairs when an alarm blared, and lights flashed. A countdown started, the words robotic and monotone over multiple speakers. “Thirty, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…”

“Fleck,” Sax cursed, running faster, and taking a corner at breakneck speed. “They know we’ve escaped. When the countdown ends, all the doors will seal and only a master key will open them. Only Trupa and the upper-level commanders have them.” He held up our stolen keyring. “This will be useless.”

“What do we do?” Fra-kee asked, squirming on my back.

“Keep going,” I panted. “Outrun the countdown. How far are we, Sax?”

“Close,” he yelled over his shoulder. “This is the last door!”

“Twenty-one, twenty, nineteen…”

I heard shouts and the thudding of running boots. They were searching for us. Fra-kee clung to my back as we neared a metal door. Sax opened it with the keyring, and I glanced back, expecting to see a mass of Uldani at the end of the hallway with guns raised, ready to pulverize us into oblivion. But no one was there. We still had time.

Sax waved us through the door, and I raced past him. Up ahead, the hallway ended with a ladder leading up to another level. Hopefully, freedom.

As I ran toward it, Fra-kee pounded on my shoulder with her little fists. “Daz!” she shouted. “Sax isn’t following us.”

I whirled around to see my brother standing in the doorway, an unreadable expression on his face. Was he hurt? “What are you waiting for? We can hear them. Come on!”

Sax’s body swayed, but he didn’t move. “I’m not coming.” His words were so low, I barely heard him.

“What?” Fra-kee screeched. In shock, I loosened my grip on her legs, so she slid off my back to her feet. She wobbled on her bad ankle. “What do you mean you’re not coming?”

We didn’t have time for this. What was he doing? “Don’t be a flecking idiot!” I growled. “Let’s go!”

“Thirteen, twelve, eleven…”

Sax shook his head. “Follow this hallway to the end, and then climb up the fire escape shaft. I’m staying. I’ll distract the guards while you get away. It’s the only way to buy you time.”

“Are you flecking crazy?” I roared, spittle flying from my mouth. Rage and confusion bubbled in my blood.

“I might be,” he said with a sardonic snort. “But what I saw in that lab…” His gaze flitted to Fra-kee, and his nostrils flared. “I have work to do here. I don’t know what it is, but Fatas is telling me I can’t leave.”

“That makes no sense!” I tore my fingers through my hair. “Get on this side of that door now. I won’t leave here without you. You’re the only family I have left!”

“No, I’m not.” He gestured to Fra-kee. “She’s your family now. I’ll always be your brother, but I am not the future. You are. And so is your Fra-kee.”

“Five, four…”

“No!” Fra-kee wailed. “You have to come with us!”

Fleck this. He wouldn’t play the martyr. I’d carry him kicking and screaming. I raced toward the door just as Sax held up his hand. The keyring on his finger flashed. I saw in his eyes what he planned to do.

“Nooooo!” I roared, launching myself at the closing door.

Sax blinked slowly, his lips turning up in his signature smile. “I love you, brother. She Is All.”

“Two, one.”

The door slid shut, and the last vision I had of my brother was him blowing me a kiss. I slammed my body into the door repeatedly, roaring and shouting for Sax. I cursed him; I cursed the Uldani. I collapsed onto my knees as my heart felt like it had burst. It wasn’t until I felt Fra-kee’s soft hands on my back I realized my fists were bloody.

I stared at them, and then into Fra-kee’s eyes. Tears coursed down her cheeks. She sobbed, her shoulders shaking. My sweet Fra-kee, mourning my brother even though she’d only just met him.

I had to keep going. Sax, curse him, was right. Fra-kee was my future. Despite the ache in my heart and the heaviness in my shoulders, I hauled myself to my feet and wrapped my arms around my weeping mate. I cradled her, and I started to run.

Shouts sounded from the other side of the door, and then they faded. Sax must have been leading them away to get them off our trail. I couldn’t think about him now. For the first time in over a hundred and fifty rotations, I decided to put my faith in Fatas. My Fra-kee was proof she hadn’t abandoned the Drixonians.

We reached the end of the hallway, and I peered up the ladder to determine where it led, but it seemed to disappear into darkness.

Fra-kee wiped her eyes and sniffed. “What is this?”

“I don’t know,” I confessed. “But Sax said this was the way.” I shifted Fra-kee and directed her to cling to my back.

She wiggled. “I can climb.”

“No, you’re injured, and I don’t trust your ankle.”

She sighed and didn’t argue which told me she was in pain. With her arms locked around my neck, she gripped me with her thighs.

“Don’t let go,” I said.

Her breath ghosted over my neck. “Never,” she whispered.

I placed one hand on a rung, and I began to climb. And climb. Hand over hand, foot over foot. I ascended until the light from the hallway below us was but a dot. Fra-kee trembled, and her hands slipped a few times on my sweaty skin.

“Fra-kee,” I warned.

“I’m trying,” she insisted. “You’re slippery. And my arms feel like they’re going to fall off.”

“I can—”

“No, you’re doing enough.” She clung tighter with her thighs. “Just keep climbing.”

So, I did. I climbed until my arms burned and my legs screamed, until sweat matted my hair. I climbed until the ladder ended and my head slammed into something hard.

“Oh!” Fra-kee said. Her hand rubbed the top of my head. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” I grunted.

I banged on the object over my head, and a solid metal thunk echoed around us. After a few more hits, a small crack of light appeared. Moonlight.

“Oh my God!” Fra-kee screeched, and her little heels dug into my ribs. She lifted her fists and hit with me, both of us pounding until the metal hatch flew back. Warmth flooded the shaft and stars gleamed in the sky. A small burst of orange glowed on the horizon, signaling the coming dawn.

“We made it!” Fra-kee scrambled up over my head and launched herself on the grass. On all fours, she kissed the ground with loud smacking sounds. “Never thought I’d see you again, blue grass.”

I hauled myself to the ground next to her and shut the hatch behind us. “We can’t linger. I’m sure it’ll only be a matter of time before they figure out where we left.”

She nodded, her expression darkening to grim determination. It took me a minute to get my bearings. The halls we ran through had taken us just beyond the walls of the Uldani fortress and the shaft had brought us to the surface. The stone rose high and forbidding beside us, sheltering us in its shadow. There was still the large swath of open land to contend with until we were free and hidden by the dense foliage of Torin.

I had no protection other than the dim dawn sky. I had to run now and hope Fatas blessed us with escape. I had no other choice. If we stayed where we were, they’d find us.

I picked up Fra-kee in my arms, gathered my strength, and began to run across the open field. It would either be our salvation or our downfall.

Frankie

I clung to Daz as he ran. His boots pounded the ground, kicking up small clouds of green dirt. He ran so fast I swore I was in a car on the highway. The field was a blur. He was like Usain Bolt on steroids. His breath heaved and his heart raced against my ear. I felt useless, but with a fucked-up ankle, I would only have slowed us down.

I didn’t glance behind us, but I listened for the sounds of solar guns, shouts, whistling blades. I heard nothing, and I started to believe that maybe, just maybe, we could pull this off.

My hope was dampened by thoughts of Sax. I didn’t want to think about what the Uldani would do to punish him. I only knew he was strong, so extraordinarily strong, and smart. I had to have faith he’d survive and return to us, because the alternative was too painful to comprehend. I’d only known him a brief time, but I cared for him and sensed his duty and honor. His bond with Daz showed me a whole other side to my big alien, and I despaired I’d never see it again.

Daz didn’t slow down as the protection of the forest drew closer. He kept going, past the first line of trees and deep into the foliage until the ground inclined, and he began to ascend. He ran for what felt like hours, digging his toes into the terrain, and powering us up out of danger. My head spun and I fought not to lose the measly contents of my stomach from all the bouncing.

He probably could have kept going, but when we heard a qua stream trickling nearby, he slowed down. I was shocked to see that while he breathed heavy, he wasn’t nearly as exhausted as I would have expected him to be. By now, the sun was over the horizon, lighting up the small stream so the clear qua sparkled. He set me down on the bank. “We are out of immediate danger, but not far enough away yet to relax. We can’t rest here long, but I want you to drink.” He frowned and glanced back in the direction we’d come from. “That seemed too easy.”

With a shake of his head, he took off my boot to asses my injury. I grimaced. The joint was swollen, the skin purple and discolored. I could move it, but barely. “I don’t think it’s broken, but I definitely sprained it.”

“This happened when you fought the guards?”

I winced as my ankle throbbed. “I hit it on the cell doors when they were taking me away from you.”

“The rage I felt then…” His jaw clenched. “I can’t even describe it.” He cupped some qua in his hand and helped me drink. “I wish I had food for you.”

“I wish we had food for both of us.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m fine,” he said dismissively as he splashed some qua over his face and hair. “That run was nothing.”

“I’m not talking about the run,” I said delicately.

He went still, muscles taut. “I’m not sure I can think about him right now. That is for another time.”

“Do you think he did the right thing, staying back?”

“That is a complicated question. He believed he was doing the right thing, and I have to trust that.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “This is my fault.”

He tilted his head. “How so?”

“This was my idea—”

“Yes, but I went along with it, and so did the rest of my males. We made it out. And even if we hadn’t, being brave doesn’t always mean being successful. Taking this risk to save my brother was…” He shook his head. “I’m in awe of you. I got to see my brother again, even if it was for the last time. And I now know he’s there with the belief that Fatas is behind him. I will mourn him, but my cora is at ease. And that’s thanks to you.”

Daz was right. He’d had the chance to say goodbye. And Sax had the opportunity to stay and see what Fatas had in store for him.

“I want to be a good mate for you. I’ve never been a leader or someone that others looked up to.”

“Well, you are now,” he said. “The women look up to you. I look up to you. Maybe on Earth you were a follower, but here, you are a queen.”

Me, a leader. I thought back to all I’d done since I arrived on Torin. From stabbing the Kulk to carrying an injured Daz to being a leader to the women and finally to forming a plan to rescue his brother, even if it resulted in him only getting a chance to say goodbye. I hadn’t fucked up quite as badly as I’d thought. And he was right. Bravery didn’t mean success. I wasn’t an imposter. I was queen to the Night Kings. “I guess you’re right. Strange I had to come here to finally step up and direct my own life.”

He grinned and brushed his thumb across my lips. “Thanks Fatas.”

My stomach rumbled. The reminder of my pregnancy no longer filled me with absolute terror. “Did you agree with what Sax said about me?”

He frowned and sat back on his haunches. “Explain what you mean.”

I nibbled my lip. “He said I’m your future—”

“You are.”

I rolled my eyes. “You asked me to explain but then you interrupted me.” He huffed out a breath but kept his mouth shut. “I’m asking…” I tapped my fingers on the stream’s bank. “Are we your future because we can continue your line? Give you babies?” I couldn’t keep the trembling out of my voice. I clenched my fist, so I didn’t wrap it around my belly.

His eyebrows dipped in anger, and he opened his mouth. I braced for a harsh bark, but then he stopped himself, and his face cleared. “Oh, my Fra-kee,” he murmured and gathered me into his arms. He petted me gently, and his heart beat sure and strong under my ear. “Your womb is not all you are to us,” he said. “To the Uldani, yes, but to us… Females mean a purpose. We Drixonian males were born to protect. That duty is woven into our sola. We are warriors and without females and a life to defend, we have been aimless.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “If you never give me a chit, you are still the most important being in my life. You are my purpose.”

His aura expanded, the red rich and bursting. I looked up into his eyes and reflected in them were my own, nearly amber instead of their normal dark brown.

“Your aura,” he spoke in awe. “The gold is… so beautiful, so bright, that it shines through your eyes.”

“Your aura is a bright red, lush and powerful.” I stroked his cheek and he leaned into my touch. “It’s been like this since the night before we left. I think—” I swallowed. “This is what love feels like.”

His body went still, and he pulled away from me slightly so he could study my face. His nostrils flared, and the ring in his septum glittered in the light of the rising sun. “This is love?” he whispered. “Your aura’s golden threads are woven all through my mind, bright and beautiful. And when I think of you, I feel powerful, like I can do anything, and that I will do anything to keep those golden threads of yours alive and gleaming.” He brushed his lips against mine. “If this is love, then it is the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced in my life.” His hands clasped my hair and tugged my head back so I could do nothing but look into his swirling purple irises. His voice deepened into an emotional rasp. “And if this is not love, then we are what love wishes it could be.”

I opened my mouth to him, and he swept inside, his tongue invading me like his conquering red aura. I surrendered. His words spread throughout my limbs, warming me to the very tips of my fingers. What we were couldn’t be defined by a simple four-letter word.

I ended the kiss long enough to whisper, “I think I’m carrying your chit.”

He jerked back and gripped my face. His expression went blank for a moment before his chest expanded, and his eyes widened in wonder. “What did you say?”

I nibbled on my lip. “When they took me to that lab place. They tested my blood. The older Uldani said I was pregnant.”

His large palm spanned my belly. “Here? My seed took root and you grow our chit here?”

I nodded. “I didn’t know what it was, but for a few days now I have felt another aura. Faint, but it’s there.”

He stared at my stomach in wonder. “You have already blessed me enough, and now this … this is almost too much for me to believe. After so much sadness…” A brilliant smile lit up his face as his gaze connected with mine. “A new life and a new purpose.” His smile dimmed. “I wish I could give you and your females back your home, but I am also not sorry, because giving you up would kill me.”

I placed my hand over his. “My home is here now. Or wherever you are.”

His eyes fell closed for a brief moment. “Sax,” he said. He focused on me again. “He was reading the monitor while I freed you. Did he see? Did he know?”

“I think he did.” Tears spilled over my bottom lashes and I swiped at them. “He gave me a look and… he knew.”

“That’s why,” Daz breathed. “That’s why he did what he did. While you slept, we talked, and he worried the Uldani wouldn’t stop, that they’d find a way to get their filthy hands on our chits. I have to believe…” He sighed. “I have to believe they will not kill him. I have to believe Fatas has plans for him and that he has a purpose at Alazar.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so, so sorry.”

He kissed me with a soft smile. “There is nothing to be sorry for. He made his choice, and I have to accept it. We tried, and now I know he’s there with a mission and a duty. Sax will complete that duty or die trying, and both of those are honorable.”

He squeezed my waist and then patted my ass. “We need to keep moving. It will be a long journey on foot. I will have to carry you.”

After fashioning an ankle brace with some leaves and a few vines tightly wrapping around the joint, I tested my weight on it. I tried to hide my wince of pain, but Daz saw it and immediately scooped me into his arms.

“You can’t carry me the whole way there,” I said.

“Oh?” He raised a brow nub. “I can, and I will.”

He turned with a smile. It immediately dropped from his face when he saw, standing in our path, an armed Trupa with an evil grin. Behind him stood four Uldani guards.

“Should have kept running, Dazeem,” he said. “You Drixonians. Your love for your females will forever be your downfall.”

TWENTY-ONE

DAZ

“You didn’t wonder why you made it across our open plain so easily? Of course, we saw you. But I couldn’t risk hitting your female in my quest to kill you. So, we tracked you here. More fun to make it personal, anyway.”

Trupa pulled his gun from his waistband and pointed it at my head. Fra-kee trembled in my arms. My pregnant mate—scared and in danger.

This was the second time since I’d met her I’d had a solar gun pointed at my head, but the situations were drastically different. Then, I was panicked, enraged, and fearful for Fra-kee.

But now… Time seemed to slow to a crawl. I was aware of every sound. The soldier’s heavy, tense breaths. Fra-kee’s rapid heartbeat at my back. The rustling of the wind through the leaves in the trees. Even the distant sound of an antella call, followed by a welf howl.

I tilted my face up to the sun. Fra-kee’s arms tightened on my neck. The soldiers shifted uneasily.

“Not going to charge us?” Trupa mocked.

“No.” I stood with my feet braced apart, body taut. “I’m not.”

“Why?”

“Because by the next time you blink,” I said softly, “your soldiers will be dead.”

Trupa cocked his head. I heard a distinct click, and I smiled.

A laser bullet entered my vision to the left, piercing the head of the first soldier, sailed through the remaining three, before slamming into the trunk of a tree, sending the branches crashing to the ground.

Blood sprayed the air. Trupa whirled around to find his men dead on the ground behind him. Fra-kee screamed. Xavy appeared at my side and stripped her off my back just before I rushed Trupa. He fumbled with his gun, but it was too late. I was on him before he could lift his arm. I knocked the gun from his hand, and it sailed into the air. Xavy caught it with one hand as he held a flailing Fra-kee in the other.

Trupa was no ordinary Uldani; he could fight. He shifted out of the way quickly, brandishing a blade in each hand. I unleashed my machets and crossed my arms in front of my neck as we circled each other.

“Shoot him!” Fra-kee reached for the gun that Xavy held.

“No, cora-eternal,” I said. “This is a fight I intend to finish face to face.”

Trupa stumbled. “What did you call her?”

I unwrapped the leather band from around one of my wrists. “She is my cora-eternal. Our matching loks prove it. Even with all your tricks and your machines and your chains, you are no match for a Fatas-granted union.”

His face drained of color, the silvery gray turning a sickly off-white. “But she’s pregnant—”

“With my chit,” I spat. “Sax never bred her because your drug doesn’t work. He’s a good actor, isn’t he?”

Trupa’s eyes fired. “No. No, this can’t be.” His jaw clenched. “You’re mindless warriors, and you will be brought to heel, in this generation or the next.”

“I doubt that,” I said. “But either way, you won’t be around to see it.” With a roar, I charged him. He dodged out of the way and brought his blade down across my back. It skittered off my machets, and he cursed.

I slashed with my forearms and delighted in the zreeep of his shirt ripping and his pained cry as blood bloomed from a cut on his chest.

He staggered back, chest heaving as blood coursed down his stomach to stain his pants. I came at him again, now with my fists. I wanted him to hurt. I wanted to watch him bruise and bleed as payment for what he’d done to Rex and to Sax. For chaining me in a cell. For scaring my Fra-kee.

My fist landed on his cheek, and bone crunched beneath my hand. My other fist connected with his side. He gasped for breath and fell to his ass on the ground. He scrambled away from me, dust swirling around his body as he fumbled for his fallen blades. I stomped him in the stomach, and he curled into a ball.

“This isn’t a fair right,” he spat, blood flying from his mouth. “You’re a trained Drixonian warrior with machets. And even if I beat you, your man has a gun trained on me.”

I kicked him again, and he cried out. “I don’t give a fleck about fair. Was it fair when you killed Rex? Was it fair when you stole Sax? Was it fair when you tricked me and chained me, then tried to use my mate as your incubator?” I stomped him again before slapping him across the face with the end of my tail. His head whipped to the side.

I kneeled on his chest, and he gasped for breath. “You can take your fairness and shove it up your ass, you prick.”

I brought my forearm across his neck, opening a jagged wound. Blood poured out and his eyes went wide. He knew this was the end. I didn’t move because I wanted to be the last thing he saw before he died.

But of course, Trupa couldn’t go out quietly. “You’ll never know,” he gasped. “You’ll never know… who’s responsible… for the loss of your precious Drixonian females.”

I gripped his chin and squeezed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. A virus was responsible.”

“And how… how did they get that virus?” The life in his eyes was fading.

I shook him as the blood continued to ooze from his mortal wounds. “Explain!” I barked at him.

“You’ll never know…” He grinned through blood-stained teeth. “And you’ll also never know…” He heaved a breath and then let out a sick laugh. “You’ll never know what actually happened to your precious Rex.”

I picked him up by his ruined shirt and shook him. “What do you mean? Rex is dead!” Trupa’s breath rattled. He opened and closed his mouth, but no other sounds came out. He coughed one more time before his eyes went dark, and his body slackened in my grip.

I continued to shake his limp body while hollering at him until Fra-kee’s soft hands touched my shoulders. I turned to her, needing her comfort and her love. I wrapped her in my arms, and she held on tight, clinging to me. Her tears wet my hair and her golden threads soothed me with their soft, warm glow.

Two shadows fell over us. Nero held his modified long-range solar gun over his shoulder. I’d heard the hum of the weapon right before Trupa had begun speaking, so I’d known I wasn’t alone and had backup. I’d never been so happy to see my males.

“You two saved my life.”

Nero shrugged with a small smile. “You’ve saved ours more than we can count.”

Xavy toed at Trupa’s body. “What the fleck was he on about?”

I gritted my teeth as I stared down at the Uldani body. “I don’t know.”

“He might have just been talking, trying to get a rise out of you,” Fra-kee said. “He knew he was defeated and dying.”

“Maybe so, but maybe not,” Nero said. “The things he said about the virus…”

My mind spun. We’d always assumed the virus was just that, an infection brought back unknowingly by one of our males from a neighboring planet. To think there was more to it…

Fleck Trupa. Fleck him and his loose, lying tongue.

“I can’t.” I shook my head. “I can’t question the past right now.”

There’d be time for that later. Nothing would return the thousands we lost, or Rex.

I quickly explained to Nero and Xavy what had happened with Sax, and how he’d stayed behind because he felt like he had a mission with the Uldani. “He said Fra-kee is my future, and that’s what I have to focus on now.” I rose to my feet and gripped Fra-kee’s hand in mine. “We can’t change the past, but we can continue to live with a purpose and protect the females Fatas has blessed us with.” I smiled down at Fra-kee, who watched me with tears in her eyes. “Plus, I have a pregnant mate to look after and a chit on the way.”

While Nero grinned, Xavy hooted his joy to the sky. He picked up Fra-kee and spun her around, while she sniffled and laughed and leaked tears.

“Put her down before you make her vomit!” I punched Xavy in the arm with a laugh and he passed my mate to me. I gathered her in my arms and pressed my forehead to hers. “Ready to go home, cora-eternal?”

“I’m ready to go wherever you go,” she said. “Because that’s where home is to me.”

Frankie

I jumped off Daz’s bike before it had fully stopped descending and hobbled toward the hideout building, ignoring the twinge in my injured ankle. Daz yelled a reprimand, but I was on a mission. A shout went up from inside the house, and then three women sprinted outside. Miranda was in front, her arms wide and braids flying. Tears streaked down her face as I leapt at her. We met with a smack and then two more women joined the fray. The four of us went down in a pile of limbs and laughter and tears.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” Tab sobbed, her pretty face splotched with tears.

“Thanks for your confidence in me.” I laughed.

Miranda squeezed my arm. “Hey, you made it back to us once. I thought you could do it again.”

“To be honest, there were times I wasn’t sure we were going to make it back, but we did.”

Naomi squinted at the group of males who watched our sob fest with concern. “Where’s Daz’s brother?”

I reached for her hand. “He isn’t with us.”

Her eyes darted to me and went wide. “What? Is he okay?”

I loved how much these women already cared for these males, and Daz’s brother who they’d never met. “He was alive when we left him, and I have faith he’s still alive.”

“What happened?” Miranda asked.

As we rested together in the grass, I gave them a rundown of how the Uldani wanted to use us to breed little Drixonians who would grow up to be Uldani slaves. Justine’s lip curled, Miranda’s face went to stone, while Naomi and Tabitha curled themselves closer to me, like I’d protect them.

“Sax sacrificed himself to help Daz and I get away.” I placed a hand on my stomach. “I’m, uh, pregnant, according to the Uldani.”

“What?” Miranda screeched.

Justine whistled. “Holy balls.”

“I don’t know a thing about babies, but I’ll babysit when you and Daz need a date night,” Tabitha piped up.

I burst into laughter. “Yeah, I’m sure we’re going to need plenty of time to travel into the city and get caviar.” I fluffed my hair with a dramatic toss and grinned.

Miranda linked her fingers with mine. “Are you sure?”

“I’m not sure. The Uldani said I was, and I have had a feeling, like another aura has been inside of me, for a few days now.” I bit my lip. “I know that sounds crazy.

Justine raised a thinly arched eyebrow. “Crazier than blue aliens with mutant blades in their arms and magical wrist tattoos?”

“It’s all crazy,” I admitted. “I guess we’ll see if I start to show or not.”

“Are you nervous?” Naomi couldn’t seem to take her eyes off my stomach.

“Terrified,” I admitted. “But I feel a little better knowing Anna has gone through it. I can’t imagine how she felt going through it all alone.”

“I want to meet her,” Tabitha said. “She sounds awesome, and she can sew. And cook.”

“She’s pretty much all-around amazing,” I agreed. “And Bazel is the cutest.”

I turned to Miranda and reached inside my shirt. Her eyes widened when I pulled out her mangled necklace. Even though the clasp had broken, Daz had tied the string around my neck so I could wear it home. I wasn’t taking any chances. “I’m sorry for how it looks,” I said. “But you have to know, this saved our lives. It’s the luckiest charm I’ve ever had.”

By the time I finished explained how Daz and Sax had used it to pick the locks and rescue me, tears streamed down Miranda’s face. When I tried to hand it back to her, she shook her head. “No, you keep it. I can’t tell you how happy I am that it helped you. But I think it’s yours now.” She smiled. “I’ll find a new lucky charm.”

“Thank you,” I said, choking around the lump in my throat.

She squeezed me tightly. “Anytime,” her soft voice whispered in my hair.

The men, who’d been talking quietly, approached us. Daz helped me to my feet. “I want you to catch up with your females,” he said. “But you need food and rest. We journey to our settlement at sunrise.”

Excitement filled me at the thought of finally seeing Daz’s home. “How far is it?”

“About three-quarters of a rotation’s time.”

I nodded and turned to find Gar barking at Miranda. “I told you not to leave the hideout until I gave you the all-clear.” His tone was sharp, and I immediately stiffened. Were they still not getting along?

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Ah yes, how could I forget I needed your permission to breathe?” She smirked at him, clearly not afraid of his harsh words. “Am I allowed to eat now? Can I pee afterwards? Should I walk starting with my left or right foot?”

Gar’s lips lifted into a what I assumed was a smirk, even thought it was lopsided and slightly terrifying. “Yes, yes, and right.”

Miranda hooted a laugh. “Smartass.”

“Pain in my ass.”

They walked beside each other toward the building, but I also didn’t miss the way Gar’s eyes slid over Naomi’s body before focusing ahead.

“What the hell is going on?” I asked Hap.

He grinned. “Miranda and Gar are finally getting along. They bicker like brother and sister.”

“Ah, okay.”

Hap cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “Xavy said Gar had an older sister he was close to, and Miranda reminds him of her.”

My heart ached. “Oh Gar.”

“And with Ward still missing…” Hap shook his head.

“We still haven’t heard from Ward?” Daz asked.

“No, nothing.”

Daz frowned, and his aura darkened. “Fleck. That’s not good. When we get back, we’ll send out a search party. I’d start now, but we need our females safe.”

I clasped his hand. “Then we need to get home soon. Can we leave now?”

He glowered at me. “No, you need rest.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but then stopped. Daz probably needed rest. He’d been drugged and shocked. He’d carried me on his back for what felt like miles. He lost his brother, and he’d killed his enemy. Sure, he was superhuman, but he wasn’t invincible.

So, I swallowed my disagreement and followed my mate into the hideout to do what he asked.

The next morning, my heartbeat fluttered nervously, and as I looked at the other women, I could tell I wasn’t the only one anxious about what was to come. We’d grown used to our aliens and knew we had to meet dozens more. Would they all be as nice and protective? Anna had spoken of Tark’s old drexel, who had been cruel. I had to trust that Daz was a strong drexel and led by example.

Last night, Daz had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the bedding. This morning, I’d woken him up with my lips wrapped around his cock. He’d been so surprised, he’d lifted his machets, but calmed down when he saw it was just little ol’ me trying to give him a blowjob. I couldn’t blame the guy; it wasn’t like he’d ever had one before. Once I’d blown his mind, and then he’d blown mine, we’d had to get the hell up before Gar started pounding on our door.

I sat on a rock munching the last of a tein bar as the men loaded the last of our supplies on their bikes. I squinted into the sun and turned my head to get a look at Corin, Daz’s homeland. It was gorgeous with its green land and clouds and blue patches of water. I wondered if there was an ocean on Torin. A beach? I could so go for a beach day. I’d have to ask.

As much as I missed Earth and my life there, I hadn’t ever felt like I belonged. Maybe it was because all along, Fatas had plans for me here. There was the looming threat of the Uldani and the unknown creatures who would make me their dinner. But there were threats on Earth too—war, car accidents, brown recluse spiders. I shuddered.

On Torin, a lot of the threats were unknown, so I’d have to ask questions and learn about my new home. I couldn’t be some whimpering, ignorant mate. I had to be a leader to the other women. And it was possible the Rahgul would try to dump more on this planet. Something told me we weren’t the last shipment.

A shadow fell over me, and Daz crouched down on the balls of his feet. His hair was pulled back this morning into a low ponytail and I missed the way it swirled around his shoulders, all black and shiny. I brushed a stray hair out of his eyes, and he grinned at me. It seemed like years ago when his fangs terrified me.

“Hey,” he said softly.

“Hi,” I responded.

His warm palm covered my knee. “It’s time to leave.”

“I know,” I sighed. “I’m just saying bye to this place.”

He frowned and glanced at the hideout. “Really?”

I nodded. “It’s where I fell in love with you.”

He sucked in a breath and blinked a few times. His full lips parted, and he tongued the corner of his mouth. “I think… this love… it happened for me in bits and pieces. I’d have to say bye to the place where your laughter first charged the air around me. I’d have to say bye to the place you gave yourself to me and I first got a taste of your cunt.” I blushed, but he wasn’t done. “I’d have to wave bye to where you showed your bravery in stabbing the Kulk. And then where you showed your smarts in the Uldani cells—”

I placed my hand over his mouth as my eyes burned with tears. I smiled through my blurred vision. “Okay, I get the point.”

He tossed his head and dislodged my hand. “I’ll say bye to this place too, because this is where my Fra-kee wrapped her golden threads around me and lit up the darkest parts of my soul.”

I choked out a sob. “Now I’m crying, you mean bastard.”

He laughed and swooped me off my perch on the rock. He nuzzled me before placing me on his bike. “Wipe your eyes and get used to it, cora-eternal. I plan to never let you forget how much you mean to me.”

I swiped under my eyes. “Fine. I’ll tell you too when I’m not mad at you. Like I am now. For making me cry.”

He swung his leg over the seat and settled behind me. His lips tickled my ear. “Hold on tight, Fra-kee. We’re going home.”

He started his bike, and I gripped his thighs as they surrounded me. The steady thrum of the bikes filled the air as the rest of the Drixonians mounted their bikes with the rest of the women. We lifted into the air and I smiled at my friends. Daz pulled into the front of the formation and we were off to a new destination. A new home. “I’m never letting go.”

Thank you so much for reading The Alien’s Ransom! Interested in Tark and Anna? Get their story FOR FREE and get loads more bonus content when you sign up for my newsletter.

The Alien’s Ransom is my first foray into the SFR genre and writing about my Drixonians has been so much fun, it should be illegal! I am grateful you took a chance on my book. Consider leaving me a review on Amazon or Goodreads!

Want to know what happens to Sax? Find out in

THE ALIEN’S ESCAPE.

Read on for a sneak peek!

THE ALIEN’S ESCAPE

Excerpt from Chapter One of

THE ALIEN’S ESCAPE

Sax

The small creature in the back of the cell screamed, and I remembered now. That was the sound that had woken me up. I blinked as I got a good look at my new cell mate. Long yellow hair. Pale flesh. Two blue eyes and a lush pink mouth. That scream? The uneven breathing? They belonged to a human female.

She sat huddled with her knees tucked tight to her chest. Her wide eyes took in my machets, and stark fear drained her face of color. Fleck, of course she was terrified. I slowly rose to my feet and let my machets slip back under my skin. She didn’t look any less scared as she tracked my every moment.

Anger roared to life inside of me, swift and scorching. The last thing I wanted the Uldani to possess was a human female. I knew their plans for her, and the one fact that had been keeping me going since waving goodbye to my brother was that the Uldani didn’t have a human female to manipulate and use. Now, they did. She sat in front of me, all long hair and pretty skin and soft curves. The most precious object in the galaxy huddled in a dirty cell in a torn dress.

My machets itched to lift again, to rage and fight and burn down this entire flecking city to make every last Uldani pay for putting this creature before me behind bars. The human whimpered, and it was then I realized my scales were rippling, the colors shifting and rolling over my skin as a sign of my inner turmoil.

Willing myself to calm down, I lifted my hands up, palms out. She wouldn’t be able to understand me, but I hoped my tone conveyed my words. “I won’t hurt you.”

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her skull, and her whole body jolted. She balled her little fists on top of her knees. “Oh my God,” she murmured. She shook her head. “I-I don’t know what to think.”

I tilted my head and studied her. I could understand her words as the Uldani had updated my translation implant with all the major Earth languages after they’d stolen me. I spotted a familiar bulge over her left ear from under her hair. “Did they give you an implant?” I asked her. “Can you understand me?”

Her fingers drifted to graze the implant near her ear before she jerked her hands back to her knees. “I… yes. I can understand you.”

In an attempt to look less threatening, I crouched down on the balls of my feet. She didn’t cringe at my movements and I considered that a victory. “I’m sorry you’re here.”

Her gaze drifted to my beaten chest before returned to my face. “I’m sorry you’re here, too.”

Her soft voice soothed the rapid beat of my cora and tempered the heat of anger in my blood. Her voice didn’t belong here in this dank and hard cell. What would her yellow hair look like when the sign shone on it? Would her eyes crinkle when she smiled?

“My name is Sax,” I said. “I’m a Drixonian warrior, originally from planet Corin.”

“Those words…” she nibbled her lip. “I don’t know what most of those words mean.”

Of course. My brother, Dax, had told me humans weren’t aware of any other life other than what resided on their Earth. “It means I won’t harm you. What’s your name?”

“Valerie. Well, Val. You can call me Val.”

It was then I realized she clutched bloodied scraps of cloth in her hands, and that the hem of her dress had been ripped. The soothing tone of her voice was all but forgotten as the rage inside me renewed. “Where are you injured?” I barked, sliding on the floor toward her. “What did they do to you?”

She jumped at the sharp crack of my voice, and dropped the scraps of cloth as she held her arms out like she intended to defend herself. “I-I’m not injured,” she stuttered.

I snatched the cloth and shook it at her. “Then what is this?”

“It’s—”

“Why is your dress torn?”

She slammed her fists down on the ground. “Because I used it to clean your cuts!”

I froze with the cloth straps swinging between our faces. Color flooded back to her cheeks, deepening them with a red flush. Her bright eyes flashed at me like glittering gems. I dropped my hand from between us. “You cleaned me?”

“I’m a nurse,” she announced with a slight upward lift of her chin. “You were unconscious when they threw you in here with me. I can’t see someone injured and bleeding and not do something.”

“What’s a nurse?”

“Someone who takes care of sick or injured people.”

“A healer?”

“Yes, sure. I’m a healer.”

I narrowed my eyes. “But you didn’t know if I was an enemy or not. I could have woken up and killed you.”

Some of the bravado left her strong gaze. “I never said it was the right choice. But it was the one I made.”

“You can’t trust anyone in this entire fortress except for me. Do you understand?”

Her eyes glistened. “I don’t even know that I can trust you.”

“You can.”

She scoffed. “Of course you tell me I can trust you, but trust doesn’t work that way. You have to earn it.”

“I trust you.”

“Well then you’re crazy.”

I tossed my head back. “I will earn your trust then.” My voice came out as more of a growl than I intended.

She flinched and watched me carefully before speaking again. “I’d like nothing more than to trust you,” she said. “But it’s a little hard based on everything that’s happened to me since I’ve gotten here.”

Anger sparked in me. “Tell me.”

She took a deep breath, and then she did. She told me about waking up on the spaceship and arriving at the Uldani fortress of Alazar. I explained to her that the silver aliens were Uldani, and the armored guards, called Kulks, worked for them. My machets lifted as she spoke of Borhan prodding her in his lab, the sick fleck.

“They know when I will ovulate next and that terrifies me.” She wrung her hands. “Why do they need to know that?”

“What is ovulating?” I asked.

“It’s when I’m fertile… when I can get pregnant.”

The words were like a punch in the gut. I’d known all along that was why they wanted her, but to hear her confirm it still knocked me down. I collapsed back on my ass and dropped my forehead into my hands. “Fleck,” I muttered.

“Do you know what’s going on?” she asked, her voice closer. When I glanced up, she had crawled toward me on her hands and knees. Her unrestrained breasts swung free in her thin dress. Her pert little ass rose in the air, and I imagined my hands on her soft, lush hips. My mouth on her stiff nipples. My tongue licking the cream between her thick thighs.

My cock stiffened, but on the heels of lust rode panic, swift and sick. I skittered away from her, retreating to the far side of the cell with my arm out to ward her off. “Stay away from me.”

Her mouth dropped open, and the utter devastation on her face took my breath away. “W-what’s wrong?”

I closed my eyes, but I could still see her supple form and pretty lips behind my eyelids. “I can’t… stay away, Val.”

She sucked in a breath at the sound of her name. “Please just tell me what’s going on.” A sob left her throat, and the sound choked me.

I opened my eyes to see large liquid drops leave her bottoms eyelashes to splash on the floor, mingling with my blood. This pretty female who’d known nothing about me but had still risked cleaning my wounds cried… and I felt helpless. She deserved an explanation and to know what was going on, no matter how flecked up the truth was.

“They want to know when you’re fertile, because they want to breed you,” I said.

She pressed a hand over her mouth, but a pained cry escaped her. “The Uldani want me to bear their children?”

I shook my head. “No, sweet Val. They want you to bear mine.”

Check out THE ALIEN’S ESCAPE on Kindle Unlimited!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I can’t write these acknowledgements without first and foremost thanking my cover designer Natasha Snow. I have used her work for my books in the past, and I’m always blown away at what she creates. I had already begun drafting this book when she released this cover as a pre-made for sale. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I knew that the alien on the cover was Daz, and this cover would be mine. And as I wrote, I made this cover my backdrop on my laptop. It inspired me every day. So thank you, Natasha, for creating beautiful covers that inspire writers. You are truly one of a kind.

Thank you also to my copy editor, Edie Danford. I am constantly amazed at how you make me look better! Your insight is amazing and this book is better because of you. I can’t thank you enough for kicking butt with every weird world I throw at you. You are one of a kind!

Major thanks to Del’s Diabolical Editing for fast and thorough service. One of the best proofers I’ve ever worked with.

Huge thanks to Patty for beta-reading for me and ensuring me I’m not crazy and others will want to read my world!

As always, thanks to family and friends for supporting me in this new venture. I couldn’t do it without your support. To my husband, you are amazing. Your push for me to do this, your interest in the data I presented, and your trust in me to commit is what made this possible. Thank you. I love you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ella Maven is the pen name for a multi-published USA Today Bestselling author who decided to finally unleash the alien world that had been living in her head for years. (Is that weird? Probably). Her books feature dominant, possessive aliens who are absolutely devoted to their humans.

She lives on the East Coast with her completely normal husband and two spawn who sure seem alien some days.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

The Alien’s Ransom

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

The Alien’s Escape

Acknowledgments

About the Author