BURIED WITH HER ALIEN MATE

WARRIORS OF THE D’TALI: BOOK FIVE

AVA YORK

STARR HUNTRESS

CONTENTS

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Epilogue: Amber

Are you a STARR HUNTRESS?

Lost with her Alien Mate: Sneak Peek

Rekker

Kazan

Rogue Mate

AMBER

“You piece of shit,” I growled, hitting the metallic panel over and over again. A few D’Tali workers stopped to stare at me, but I ignored them, hammering the metal ’til my arms grew tired.

Then I just started kicking it.

Finally, the damn edges of the panel slipped into place with a harsh click, covering a small part of the hull.

“What?” I stared back at the closest D’Tali worker as he arched one eyebrow. “This is what’s called high-level problem solving. This is how you fix things back on Earth.” The worker grinned and opened his mouth, but I shot him down before he could make some dumbass remark. “If you don’t get it, just move along. I’ve got plenty of shit to get done today.”

“Lunatic,” he muttered.

I made a very conscious effort not to throw the wrench at his head. Instead, I grabbed a metal sheet and tried to fit it over the panel I had installed with my patented ‘kicking-it-into-place’ technique.

I was almost done when I heard a loud snort. I glanced over my shoulder to see a numa’s snout poking out over the edge of the crater where the ship sat. Standing, I narrowed my eyes to see past the afternoon glow of a bright, sunny day. Beads of sweat rolled down my face, the heat almost oppressive, and I wiped them off with the sleeve of my overalls.

“Isabella?” I cried out, my voice ringing throughout the crater.

When she first arrived here, she had been one the shyest women in the group, but her personality truly bloomed once she and Vokar became a thing.

Theirs wasn’t a match I had expected to see—after all, Isabella was a brilliant but shy engineer, and Vokar...well, Vokar was Vokar, always moving in the shadows, a thousand daggers hidden inside his cloak or on his body. Still, it was obvious to everyone that they loved each other. Every time they were in a room together, the atmosphere charged up.

I tensed as one second later Isabella climbed down the crater with the help of the tall, purple D’Tali with golden horns who’d been shadowing her in her workshop for weeks.

Torvok.

His gaze fixed on me, a penetrating and disconcerting blend of annoyance, amusement, confusion and something else. He rarely spoke to me, and I mostly ignored him—and the shiver of energy that swept up my arms whenever he wandered a little too close.

I said tall, but it’s not like there were many short D’Tali around. It seemed like these guys had been fed fertilizer for breakfast during childhood. And this one was not only tall, but massive, the kind of shoulders and chest that reminded me of a walking battering ram.

“Have you brought me what I need for that locking mechanism?” I asked.

“I have,” she replied, now standing right beside the ship. I sat at the top of it, right where the sun felt most punishing, which meant that I had to look down at her. “Torvok is bringing it down.”

She pointed at Torvok, and I looked up to see him enlisting the help of two other D’Tali. Using a couple of ropes and wooden beams for support, they were dragging a thick metal block down the crater’s slope.

“That thing isn’t a porcelain cup,” I shouted at the D’Tali hauling it down. “Are you afraid it’s gonna break, or what? Hurry up!”

Torvok shot me an annoyed glance but didn’t say a thing. He continued leading his slow-ass procession down the crater’s slope, driving me crazy in the process.

“Don’t rush them, Amber,” Isabella said as I climbed down the side of the ship. “What matters is that the piece is already here.”

“And thank God for that.” I wiped the sweat off my face once more, but all I managed to do was get a smudge of grease on my cheek. Oh, well. “I’ve tried opening those damn doors in every imaginable way, and I’m dying to see what might be inside that cargo bay. I really hope that this thing is gonna work.”

“It’ll work,” Isabella said, stepping aside as the D’Tali finally closed in on the ship’s ramp entrance. “The coding mechanism was damaged, which kicked the security locks into place, but with this bypass—”

“Yeah, yeah.” I waved her down, not really interested in the details. Isabella was a genius at what she did, but I wasn’t a fan of going theory-crazy like she did whenever I asked her a question. I was all about making things happen via sheer intuition.

Of course, that didn’t mean I was clueless about my job.

In fact, it was just the opposite.

I’d spent my childhood inside my pop’s garage rebuilding classic cars, and I had been pretty damn good at it. Sure, now I was rebuilding a massive starship, but there wasn’t that much of a difference. I figured that a spaceship was just a mountain-sized version of a 1965 Shelby GT 350, and it didn’t hurt that my methods worked more often than not. That’s why Isabella had placed me here.

“Where to?” Torvok asked Isabella, straightening his back.

His muscles rippled under his shirt, making his forearms seem like tree trunks. He also had a soldier’s sharp jawline, but something about him told me that he wasn’t a warrior. Not that he wouldn’t be able to fight—with muscles like that, he’d be able to punch through a brick wall. His body, though, seemed to have been shaped by something more practical than war.

“Come with me,” I barked at him, leading the way up the ramp. Isabella trailed after me. Soon enough, the grunts of the D’Tali filled the vast hallways of the ship. Shaking my head, I grabbed a heavy-duty dolly and walked toward them. “For God’s sake, put it on here. If you keep pushing it like that, this is going to take ages.”

The D’Tali did as I told them, but Torvok shot me another annoyed glance. “Can you speak softly?” he grumbled, clearly annoyed.

I folded my arms over my chest and stared him down. What, was I too loud and bossy for him? “This is who I am. Got a problem with that?”

“Just my luck,” he muttered under his breath.

I was already cocking my arm back, ready to send a wrench on a collision course with his head, when I felt Isabella lay her hand on my arm.

“Remember, Torvok is our best blacksmith,” she said, her voice dipping into a whisper so that he wouldn’t hear us. “You wouldn’t believe the stuff he’s capable of doing. I don’t understand why you two don’t get along better.”

“Yeah,” I said with a sour laugh, “right.”

I wasn’t known as the gal that got along with people easily and, besides, I hadn’t gotten started on the right foot with this Torvok guy. We were complete opposites. But whatever. It’s not like I was particularly worried about being liked.

Once the metal block Isabella had built was on top of the dolly, I started pushing it through the maze of hallways, leading the entire group to the cargo bay. The massive doors rose in front of us, taunting me, and I stared at them with unbridled fury. It was time this obstacle was crushed into oblivion.

“Now what?” Torvok asked, hands on his hips as he looked from the doors to the piece. Eventually, he found the large hole in the wall, right next to the doors. “Is that where it’s supposed to go?”

“Yeah,” I replied, surprised. “That’s exactly where it’s supposed to go.” We unloaded the piece and, side-by-side, pushed it into position. Once it filled the hole in the wall, I connected the ship’s wiring to it. I immediately heard an electric crackle. “Oh, that sounds promising.”

“What does?”

“There’s a current going through here,” I said, tapping the metal block. “That means there’s a chance this is going to work. The locking mechanism for the cargo bay was pretty banged up, but I think this is gonna solve it.”

I spun around, making a straight line toward the electrical panel on the side. The cover slid aside with the push of a button. It revealed a tangled mess of wires and connectors, but I didn’t hesitate.

I reconnected the wires, then punched the large red button mounted beside the doors. There was a whooshing sound, and the hydraulics started hissing furiously. Just a couple of seconds later, the gigantic doors slid aside, tucking themselves inside a hidden partition within the wall.

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” I exclaimed, a wave of excitement washing over me. Without thinking, I pulled Isabella into me and hugged her tightly. “You, my friend, are a goddamn genius.”

“Let’s check it out,” Isabella said, chuckling as she tilted her chin toward the massive cargo bay. I nodded and strolled inside the large room we had just unlocked. Dim lights flickered overhead, revealing mountains of crates covered in dust.

“I figure there’s at least three hundred of them,” I said, doing a quick count. They were of different sizes and shapes. With some luck, they would all contain things which would make life easier here. Or, even better, things that would help us rebuild the ship even faster.

“I think this might be where the cargo manifest is stored,” I heard Isabella say, and I looked at her, to see her messing with a wall-mounted display. She continued speaking but, once I noticed what was behind her, I stopped hearing.

“Holy shit,” I muttered, unable to believe my eyes. “Is that a…?”

I rushed past Isabella, Torvok, and the other D’Tali, toward the far end of the cargo bay and halted, marveling at the vehicle someone had stored there. It reminded me of a futuristic hovercraft from an old science fiction movie, except this one was real. It appeared to have a cockpit, with engines located underneath the—

“Amber, I’m gonna need you to do an inventory,” Isabella said, laying a hand on my shoulder. “It’s important that we—”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said absently. “Paperwork. Great.”

How could I listen to her?

I enjoyed the process of working in a massive spaceship, but now I had an opportunity to do something I hadn’t done in years. I was gonna tinker with this thing until its engines purred like kittens. Then, I was gonna sit behind the controls and… well, I was gonna drive the hell out of it.

I was in hog heaven.

But first… I’d made a promise to Isabella, and I should get that done first.

I wondered what was in all those crates. I walked over to some shelves along one wall of the cargo bay.

I will have to investigate this stuff if I’m going to give Isabella her inventory list… don’t lie to yourself, Amber, you know you just want to snoop.

Okay, that too.

So, I started snooping, starting with the shelves in the back. I inspected some of the crates, trying to decide which I wanted to open first. Several of them had display panels with different settings.

Wish I could read that. Maybe some of these crates are temperature controlled. That would make sense for smugglers.

I dragged a large crate from the bottom of the shelves so I could reach the smaller ones packed at the top.

Might as well, I’d need help with the larger crates and I wasn’t ready to get anyone else involved. I pulled a medium-sized one over, opening it like a Christmas present. I missed Christmas presents.

I pushed that thought to the side and focused on the here and now.

A glow poured from the crate as I lifted the lid. My eyes went wide as I saw more power crystals carefully packed into it.

Isabella was going to love this! I closed it so I wouldn’t damage them before I could give them to Isabella, placing the crate next to my legs.

I quickly scanned the shelf, looking for the next to explore. This was better than finding a suitcase of money under a floorboard!

A smaller, bright orange crate caught my eye.

Wonder what’s in there…

I pulled it to the edge, trying to be careful. This one was pretty high up. Maybe I should find another crate to step on.

I hefted a sturdy-looking crate onto the large one under my feet. I stepped atop it, used the extra six inches of height to get my fingers on the orange crate, and worked it to the edge of the shelf.

What’s even in this? Seems heavy for something so small. I pulled.

The orange one came down—and brought another with it. I tumbled off my impromptu ladder with a resounding crash and found myself on my back on the cargo bay’s floor, the orange crate cradled in my arms.

I looked over to the crate the orange one had dislodged. It looked like that one was damaged in the fall. It hung open, filled with vials filled with something fuchsia. One of the vials lay shattered on the floor near my head.

Damn, Amber, you did it this time.

Well, I didn’t know what was in it, but, at least, I didn’t break all of whatever it was.

The broken vial’s fuchsia filling lay near my face.

Then the fuchsia thing twitched.

No. That’s creepy. Is it… alive?!

It uncurled, waving what looked like tiny legs attached to the circumference of its segments.

Oh, no.

I tried to push the heavy orange crate off me so I could get away from the little creature, but it was really awkward. Before I could get distance between me and the critter, it crawled right for me.

Hell! That thing was moving fast!

I squealed as it crawled up my head and—into my ear.

TORVOK

I picked up the welding torch and handed it to Isabella. As many times as I’d used that particular tool, I still marveled over it. A portable flame! Incredible heat, the kind I would usually need to build a forge to achieve, at my fingertips. Truly a small marvel.

Isabella had chosen me to assist her because of my talents, but I still had a lot of catching up to do. Despite that, I was proud of how much I had learned about human and Skarg technology. Before the humans had arrived, I was just another blacksmith, but now I had an opportunity to tinker with godlike technology.

“Oh, drat.” Isabella sighed, holding the unlit torch but making no move to use it. She ran her fingers over a spot on the ship’s hull.

“Is there a problem, Lady Isabella?” I stepped closer and looked at the area myself.

Whatever she’d been about to say was cut off by a burst of sound near the rear of the ship. Rattling, clanging, and a loud whirring noise. Isabella and I exchanged looks and began to run toward the commotion.

Before we rounded the corner of the hallway, the source became clear. It was the thing Amber had called a ‘transport’ that we’d discovered within the cargo bay. The huge gray shape careened into view, its back-end flailing like mad.

“Oh my god!” Isabella shrieked and sped up. “What is going on?”

I gaped. I’d never seen anything like the sight in front of me. The hunk of metal was larger than several small D’Tali dwellings put together, yet it hovered off the ground—and moved! Despite its massive size, the vehicle was faster than any numa. I couldn’t believe it.

The transport veered towards us, that deep whirring intensifying as it neared our position. I caught up to Isabella and grabbed her, pulling her flat against the wall. We pressed ourselves back as the transport whooshed by us. We couldn’t relax our guard yet, though. The thing turned away from the wall, backed up, turned again, and backed up more.

Isabella sucked in a breath as the back of the transport almost crashed into the hull of the ship. It skimmed mere inches from the curved metal, to our great relief. That would’ve been a breach that would take weeks to patch up, and who knew what internal mechanisms might have been harmed by such a collision.

The transport finished its many-pointed turn and shot back the way it had come. Zooming past us, it headed back down to the central work site. Isabella pushed herself away from the wall and chased after the vehicle.

I gulped. If something happened to her, Vokar would kill me. I ran after the assassin’s mate, hoping to keep her out of harm’s way.

We rushed past the thrusters and into the main clearing, right as the end of the transport clipped a stack of crates. They made a tremendous clatter as they fell and scattered, thankfully all of them revealed as empty.

“Is that… Amber in there?” Isabella pointed at the wedge-shaped front of the transport.

To my horror, I saw what she meant. A blonde head glinted behind the transparent window. As the thing rocketed past us in a wide arc, I caught a clearer glimpse inside.

Amber was laughing. That crazy female was being beyond reckless and enjoying it to the hilt. What was she thinking? I kept myself from cursing in front of Isabella, but only barely.

Amber was mad.

Maddening.

Every time I saw her, I didn’t know what to think. But something deep inside me felt like it knew what it wanted to do.

As I said. Mad.

The triangular front of the transport suddenly detached. Connected to the boxy body only by a hinge on one side, it swiveled so it was almost flush against itself. Both the back end of the vehicle and the driver’s window were now facing Isabella and me.

Then, the rectangular second part swung slowly around on that hinge, until it reattached to the wedge with Amber in it. The vehicle had accomplished a complete turnabout much quicker than it had with the many-step turn we’d seen a few moments ago.

My mind wanted to be impressed by the neatness of that turning mechanism, but my thoughts were too filled by panic. The transport hurtled directly at us. All I could see was Amber sitting in the driver’s seat, glowing with maniacal glee.

We were going to die, crushed by an insane human female at the helm of an impossible invention.

I put Isabella behind me, despite being aware of the futility of the gesture. As I tried to accept my fate, a high squealing noise filled my ears.

Somehow, the transport came to a miraculous stop, mere feet in front of us. It shuddered as it halted, and a side door in the wedged front popped open. Amber leaned out of it, waving happily.

“How cool is this thing?” she shouted down, a wide grin on her face. “I’m naming him Rover!”

AMBER

I leaped down from Rover’s cockpit. Beaming with pride, I headed for Isabella and Torvok. He looked a little like he might barf on me.

Why would he be nauseous? I asked myself. Nobody gets motion sick from watching someone else drive a car.

“Look what I did!” I bounced up to Isabella, pointing back at Rover. “He’s ready to go! He was in great shape, fixing him up barely took any time at all.”

Looking a bit dazed, Isabella didn’t respond. I figured she needed a minute to take in the fact that we now had a high-speed ground vessel. It was a game changer, for sure.

Torvok, on the other hand, had gone from looking queasy to looking horrified. If his skin wasn’t purple, I’d bet his cheeks would’ve been red, which was confusing. What did he have to be upset about?

“Why… were you driving around so much?” asked Isabella, her voice faint.

“I was working out the kinks on how to maneuver it.” I shrugged. “I’ve always been a learn-by-doing kind of girl.”

“Ah.” Isabella’s eyes were still wide.

“Isn’t that turning trick cool?” I grinned, remembering the moment I figured out Rover could do something so fancy. “That hinge mechanism is way more efficient than a three-point turn. Smugglers get the best toys!”

Neither Isabella nor Torvok responded, even though they’d been right there when I gave the hinge a try. Giving them both up as a lost cause, I headed for the cargo bay. Most people didn’t have my enthusiasm for cars—or hover vehicles, clearly. I was used to it.

“Were you not aware of how dangerous a situation you put us in?” called Torvok from behind me.

“You weren’t in danger,” I shouted back over my shoulder. “I’m a terrific pilot, I was in control the entire time.”

Well, except for the little matter of the pile of crates, I amended silently. That was an accident, but Grumpvok over there doesn’t need to know that.

The D’Tali in question was still sputtering in frustration when I dragged the crate I wanted over to them. Isabella’s gaze kept darting between me and Rover. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Opened it again and sighed instead of saying anything.

I decided whenever she figured out what she wanted to tell me, she would. Until then, I had something to show her. I was about to make Isabella very happy.

“Check it out!” I pried off the top of the crate, which I’d loosely reattached for protection once I’d seen the contents. Then I removed the top layer of cushioning. “Power crystals!”

Isabella blinked at me and looked down.

“Oh my god! Amber! This is amazing!” She knelt, staring at the gleaming spheres.

There were three of them, nestled in individual cradles. The material around them was soft, yet molded to make for secure packaging. For all their ickiness, the Skarg had done a good job with this crate. I was impressed that all three globes were intact, despite two crash landings.

Isabella picked up one of the power crystals and examined it.

“I can’t believe you found so many of them,” she murmured. “This is an incredible discovery.”

“It makes sense, actually,” I told her. “If the ship needed a power crystal to work, there’s no way they’d only have one. It’s common sense to have some back-ups for a part that important. I’ve been wondering if we’d find a stash like this.”

“Well, it’s quite unexpected for me!” Isabella replaced the power crystal in its nest and stood, her face animated. “This one crate changes everything. So many of our problems just got solved. What else did you find?”

“I haven’t completed a full inventory yet,” I admitted. “It’s a little difficult to identify everything. Oh! There are a few more things I think you’ll like, though, hang on.”

I dashed back into the dark cargo bay. Surveying the assorted contents, I tried to remember where I’d put everything.

Why is it that I never forget where a single bolt goes in an engine, but lose track of everything else? I wondered, looking at the mess I’d created. Because engines make sense, when not much else does. Especially now that I’m on this alien planet.

My eyes found what I was searching for—a small crate crushed on one side. I went to drag it out, but when I turned back towards the entrance, I saw Isabella and Torvok had followed me inside the ship.

“Come here!” I waved them over. Well, I waved Isabella over, and Torvok followed like a dopey puppy, a cute, but cranky, overly serious puppy.

“What are those?” Isabella peered into the crate.

“Translator bugs!” I plucked out one of the vials and held it out to her.

Gingerly, she took it from me. Lifting it so the light was behind the glass tube, she squeaked. A fuchsia worm with thin tendrils wriggled in the container.

“A parasite?” Torvok drew closer, staring at the segmented shape. “Why would the Skarg carry around parasites?”

“They’re not parasites,” I said, then paused. “Well, they aren’t just parasites. They’re translator bugs, and they work great!”

“What do you mean, they work great?” Isabella lowered the vial. “Amber, did you open one of these up?”

“No! Well, not on purpose. I was crawling around in here, and I knocked over this crate. It had obviously already been damaged in the crash, so when it hit the deck one of these babies popped right out. It shattered—see that mess over there—and a bug crawled right in my ear.”

Once again, both Isabella and Torvok were speechless, gawping at me like I’d just sprouted a new head.

“Never want to do that again,” I shuddered, remembering the bizarre slippery feeling of all those cilia slithering into my ear canal.

“Amber,” breathed Isabella. “You have got to be more careful. What if it had hurt you? Or worse!”

“I didn’t mean to let it in my brain! But I survived! I’m right here!” I tapped my temple. “And now I can read more of the labels on this stuff. Cool, right?”

“That may not be the only effect,” she warned.

“I’m pretty sure it is.” I bent back over the crate and produced the universal instruction manual I’d found—of course, after one of the little buggers had already made me its new home.

“Are those diagrams?” asked Torvok, sounding interested.

“See for yourself.” I held the slim pamphlet out to him.

The D’Tali took it, arranging himself so Isabella could see too. I knew what they were looking at and wondered if they’d find it as instructive, yet hilarious, as I did.

The pamphlet depicted two sad-faced aliens—one with tentacles and one with antenna—trying to talk to each other. Their speech bubbles were filled with scratches and scribbles. In the next panel, antenna-alien was shown sticking a translator bug up its nose. That sounded even worse to me than my ear entry method.

The final panel was the clincher. Post-translator bug, the two aliens had happy faces. Their speech bubbles were filled with small drawings of recognizable things, like a sun, a flame, a spaceship, and inexplicably, a fish.

Do the D’Tali have fish around here? I pursued my lips in thought. I hadn’t seen any.

“I guess this explains that those critters were meant for this purpose,” said Isabella, hesitantly.

“The diagrams are remarkably clear,” agreed Torvok.

“I’d call them cartoons, not diagrams, but whatever!” I rummaged through more crates, looking for the second coolest thing I’d found.

“I do not know this word ‘cartoons’,” Torvok said.

“Simplistic drawings,” Isabella told him. “Don’t worry about it, they’re an Earth thing.”

“So, after the translator bug, I could read what these are!” I hefted the crate of personal communication devices I’d found. I dropped it gently down on another pile so that the contents would be waist-high.

“They look like big coins.” Isabella picked one up. “But are those buttons?”

“Yep! It’s a personal communication device, according to the manifest I found… where did I put that?” I decided to look later. “That light shows you when someone wants to talk to you. You press this button to respond voice only, and this one to open up holographic communications. That third one sends what’s essentially a “call me back later” response. Oh, right, and if you get one of those when trying to contact someone, this other light will come on.”

Torvok and Isabella gaped at me.

“How do you know all that already?” Torvok looked bewildered. It was kind of a cute expression.

“I told you! Translator bug means I can read everything, including instructions. Plus, I tested two of them already.”

Finally, Isabella looked appropriately excited. I was glad to see a grin on her face, and hoped she’d gotten over her anxiety regarding all these alien creations.

“These are amazing discoveries. I had no idea the cargo in this thing would be so useful!” She tossed me a communication device and took another for herself. “What else did you find?”

“Mmm, over here—or maybe over there?—I found some crates of what seem to be medical supplies. They’re a little confusing, though, and don’t have clear instructions. Aliens all have different physiologies, which makes it hard, I guess. One of them—”

“Excuse me! Lady Isabella?” A new voice echoed into the cargo bay.

“I’m over here, Gorvo!” Isabella waved and I flicked on my light. It was pretty dim in here after the sunny outside.

A blue-skinned D’Tali picked his way through the maze of crates. Isabella began heading in his direction, moving faster. They reached each other, and I heard the D’Tali say something I couldn’t quite catch.

Isabella’s response, though, I caught clear as a bell. She stepped back, looking appalled.

“What do you mean, we’re out of metal?”

TORVOK

Alarmed by Isabella’s question, I too began to wind my way over to Gorvo. I heard a clatter as Amber followed me.

“Why didn’t you arrange everything so there was a clear walkway?” I grumbled, half to myself.

“Organization isn’t one of my strong suits!” Amber’s reply was cheerful, unconcerned with the number of boxes we were stepping over.

“Of course it’s not.” I sighed.

“Hey, I used my time way better. I didn’t see you figuring out a bunch of different kinds of alien tech.”

I decided there was no use engaging with this infuriating human. Despite being female, she was as far from the dignity and elegance of D’Tali women as could be.

“What’s going on?” I asked, as soon as I got within earshot of Isabella and Gorvo.

“There isn’t any metal,” responded Isabella, looking upset. “I don’t know how this shortfall caught us so completely by surprise!”

“As I said, Milady, the shipment never came in,” ventured Gorvo.

“Why wasn’t I informed of that sooner, though?” Isabella bit her lip. “I know you don’t have the answer, Gorvo, but I wish I’d known. This is a huge problem. Without more metal, we can’t do any more work on this ship. At all.”

“That is troubling news indeed, Lady,” I said, and was rewarded with a frown from Isabella. I sighed. Why was Gorvo allowed to use honorifics but not me? I would never understand these human women on some things.

“We’re at a damn standstill now.” Isabella shook her head. “That is the opposite of what I’ve been hoping for.”

“At least we have Rover!” chirped Amber.

I sent her a glare for trying to make light of Isabella’s conundrum. Yet Isabella was smiling.

“That’s very true—Rover and the rest of this stuff. Amber, want to give me a ride back to the castle?”

“I thought you’d never ask!” Amber crowed. Immediately, she raced out of the cargo bay.

“Hold on!” Isabella scrambled after her. “We have to load it up with as much of these crates as we can!”

“Oh, right.” Amber skidded to a stop.

“I’ll take back the numa,” I offered hastily. I did not want to be in that vehicle with Amber controlling it. In truth, I didn’t like the idea of Isabella riding with her either, but I knew better than to gainsay my teacher.

“No, no.” Isabella waved her hand, dismissing my words. “There’s more than enough room in Rover for all of us, in addition to the numa. I don’t want us splitting up.”

Lucky for me, Isabella didn’t wait to see my reaction to that. As my face fell, she was already striding outside. I could hear her calling for the guards posted around the ship’s perimeter to come help.

I stood there, my heart sinking. The only creatures that might hate the prospect of getting in that transport more than I would were the numa. They were not going to be happy, to say the least.

Of course, neither was I.

All too soon, Gorvo and the defensive patrol assigned to us had aided Isabella and Amber in finishing the supply loading. I avoided the blonde pilot as best I could, although she tore around faster than I could keep track of.

Right before Amber called the all aboard, I managed to get feed and water for the numa aboard the vessel. There was something of a holding pen in one corner of the boxy cargo area that would do well as a stable, too.

As I went to get the numa, I wondered what that pen might have been for. Would the smugglers have locked extra valuable items in there, perhaps?

Then, I stopped dead. Of course. The human women were here because the Skarg had planned to sell them. That area was for live cargo—for slaves. I shuddered. The aliens this ship had belonged to must have truly been evil, to sell women like chattel.

My thoughts gave me a little more kindness and patience towards Amber. That is, until we boarded the vehicle she insisted on calling the foolish name of ‘Rover’.

“I can’t wait to see how this thing flies,” said Isabella, her tone eager. “I’ve never been in something that utilizes hover propulsion like this.”

“You don’t have to wait!” Amber’s eyes sparkled as she jumped into the pilot seat. “Here we go!”

“Hold on,” I protested. “We’re not all situated!”

It was too late. With a nauseating lurch, we lifted off the ground. I heard the numa screeching with terror, and again, felt a kinship to them.

“Oops,” said Amber. “Sorry about that. It’ll be smoother next time!”

“There better not be a next time for me,” I muttered under my breath. As Amber pushed forward some kind of metal bar, we sped up. Through the glass window in the front of the vessel, I could see trees whipping by, far too fast. I felt dizzy.

“I’m going to go calm the numa,” I said, this time loud enough for everyone to hear. Isabella flapped her hand at me, busy gazing at the controls of this barge with fascination. I took that as permission and left.

Back in the cargo area, I muscled together some crates to make a raised feed trough for the numa. I stroked each of their scaly necks, and eventually they stopped shaking enough to notice the food. As I’d expected, eating proved to be absorbing enough they forgot we were flying through the air.

I wished I could forget, too. So did the other D’Tali, it seemed. Our guards leaned against the wall of the bay, looking sick.

Sooner than I thought, we began to slow down. I scrambled back to the front area—what Amber had referred to as the ‘cockpit’. The castle was in view, its solid gray walls looking remarkably comforting.

“May I assist you in any way, Isabella?” I bowed as we came to a halt.

Amber let out a whoop before I could get an answer. Bursting out of the pilot’s seat, she stretched.

“That was a damn blast!” She grinned at Isabella. “What do you think?”

“Efficient and fun,” agreed Isabella, grinning back.

I coughed, reminding my lady of my question. The sooner I got out of here, the better.

“Yes, yes, Torvok, I need you to come with me,” said Isabella. She pressed a button and the door to the outside hissed open. “We have a minister of trade to find.”

After my experience of non-top, uncanny motion aboard the transport, all I wanted was to find a quiet place to sit down for a few minutes. Alas, that was not to be my future. I followed Isabella and Amber out of Rover, quickly waving over a nearby D’Tali guard.

“Can you keep an eye on the numa stabled in there? I don’t know if we need to unload them yet.”

“Yes, sir!” The guard trotted over to the cargo bay door.

“And don’t touch anything,” I threw over my shoulder, breaking into a run to catch up to Isabella and Amber.

Isabella hustled through the castle, both myself and Amber at her sides. With every D’Tali we passed, she asked for the whereabouts of the minister of trade. Nobody could tell us.

“I don’t even know his name,” grumbled Isabella. “That’s what I get for not paying enough attention to the supply chain.”

“You have been very busy with other things,” I said. “And the minister of trade is named Jazav, although it is proper to use his title when referring to him.”

“Thanks, Torvok.” Isabella gave me a measuring look, then led up around yet another corner. “You always know more than I give you credit for.”

“Thank you, Lady,” I said, although I wasn’t sure whether or not to take that as a compliment. It was always better to be polite. Which was something Amber clearly did not understand, as she giggled at my use of the term lady.

I could not wait to get away from her and her madcap approach to existence.

“Milady, you’ve been asking for me?” A deep voice stopped us as we traveled down the hallway between council chambers.

Isabella whirled around. “Are you the Minister of Trade?” she demanded.

“Indeed, I am,” said the teal-skinned D’Tali standing behind us. “How may I help you, Lady Isabella?”

“Are you responsible for the metal shipments?” At the Minister’s nod, Isabella put her hands on her hips. “Well then, where are they? I’ve been told there isn’t an ounce of unworked metal in this castle right now!”

“Ah. Please, step into this room with me.” The minister pushed open a door. Beyond it was one of the smaller meeting chambers, outfitted with a wide table and cushioned chairs.

Once we were all settled, the minister steepled his hands and rested his chin upon them. Amber tipped her chair back so far, I thought she’d collapsed onto her back. I saw her start to put her feet up on the table but think better of it. At least she had the bare minimum of manners.

“The issue, my Lady, is that we import our metal from a single source, as do all in this region. Lukadia. However, our most recent two shipments from them never arrived. Apparently, there is a shortage everywhere. The Lukadians are not shipping anything out these days.”

“Have we sent anyone to their market?” I inquired.

“We sent a delegation out three days ago to inquire, but it could be weeks before we hear back from them,” said the Minister.

“That will take too long. Why would the Lukadians just stop their shipments?” asked Isabella, her voice grave.

“We’ve heard rumors from some of the traders that the Lukadians are suffering some kind of affliction, but, until our delegation returns, I can’t confirm that information as more than rumor. The rumors say this affliction is widespread enough it has disrupted all shipments of metal ore.”

“That’s their chief export, though!” I frowned, surprised by this news. “A massive proportion of the Lukadian population is made up of miners. For them all to be laid low… this must be a tremendous problem.”

“We have to find out exactly what’s going on,” said Isabella, firmly. “Our project of rebuilding the spaceship is too important to let it fall apart now. If you’ll permit me, Minister, I think I have a plan.”

Isabella turned to me and Amber, determination on her face. As her gaze fell on me, I gulped.

I wasn’t sure what was coming, but somehow, I didn’t think it would be good.

AMBER

“Torvok, you seem to have some experience with the Lukadians. Is that correct?”

“I have some knowledge of Lukadia through my blacksmithing. I’ve heard of their customs through metal trading, but nothing direct, though,” Torvok said, like the answer was being dragged from him by wild numa. I didn’t understand why he was so hesitant to answer Isabella’s simple question.

“Excellent. You’re perfect for this mission.” Isabella beamed at Torvok. I watched with interest as his face contorted. He was trying to smile back, but through a mask of anxiety.

Seriously, why is he so freaked out all of a sudden? I wondered.

“Minister, I would like to nominate Torvok for the position of D’Tali Trade Ambassador assigned to Lukadia Mine,” said Isabella. “He’s the only one who understands the advanced technology we’ve been working on, as well as metallurgy and the Lukadians.”

“Of course,” replied the Minister of Trade, bowing his head. “Torvok, consider the title yours.”

“I am honored, Minister, Lady Isabella.” Torvok nodded gravely, seeming to have a better hold on himself now. “I shall assemble a team at once, including a translator. If we leave at dawn tomorrow, we should arrive at Lukadia in three days.”

“We don’t have time for all that,” said Isabella. “One, you’re going to get a translator bug so you can talk to the Lukadians directly. I don’t want technical specifics getting lost in translation. Two, Amber will drive you. You’ll get there much faster and have the space to bring back a load of metal.”

“Woo! Trip to Lukadia!” I couldn’t help myself. I wiggled in my seat and grinned. Nothing like getting to take Rover out on a BIG adventure.

“Ah,” said Torvok, his voice faint. “Would Lady Amber’s talents not be more useful here?”

“Lady??” I snorted in amusement, keeping the rest of my thought to myself. D’Tali are so weird and Torvok is so stuffy.

“Getting our supply of metal flowing is of the utmost import.” Isabella was firm. “This is the best possible application of both of your talents.”

“Indeed,” put in the minister. “I shall assemble an array of goods you may use to trade for metal ore. Both what we had set aside to trade in exchange for the last shipment, as well as a few other items of value.”

“Fantastic.” Isabella shot to her feet. “Torvok, Amber, come on. Let’s head back down to Rover and get this party started.”

“Congratulations on your new position, Torvok,” said the minister.

Torvok nodded his thanks but looked like he might vomit again. I was really beginning to wonder if that was his face’s default expression.

Or maybe it’s an alien thing? I mused. Could be that, what on a human would be a barf face, is really an excited face. Maybe Torvok is super-duper excited!

“Are you excited, Torvok?” I asked, bouncing up to him and Isabella.

“I am—ah—ready to do my duty on behalf of the D’Tali,” he said, his tone mournful.

Okay, alien or not, that’s definitely a ‘no’ on the excitement.

“See you later, Minister,” called Isabella over her shoulder. “Send those trade goods down as soon as you can!”

I was about to head off to find the kitchens and start bulking out our supplies, but then I remembered Torvok had to get a translator bug. I grinned, following him and Isabella. Food could wait, no way was I missing the look on Torvok’s face when one of those worms crawled in his ear.

The scene did not disappoint. Torvok was so squirmy, even patient Isabella got a little exasperated.

“Sit still!” she commanded. “On that crate. Sit still and I’ll release the bug.”

“There are a limited number,” pleaded Torvok. “Wouldn’t these things be better used on others?”

“You’re a fancy trade ambassador now! Who better to get a translator bug?” I pointed out. Torvok gave me a death glare, so I responded with my sweetest smile.

I didn’t know they made D’Tali this cautious, I thought, watching Isabella grasp Torvok’s head with one hand. They’re supposed to be brave and stuff.

The grimace on the guy’s face as the worm crawled into his auditory canal was hilarious. I stifled a giggle as the last pink cilia disappeared into his ear. Torvok sneezed.

“There!” Isabella said. “All done.”

Proving she was a much bigger badass than Torvok, Isabella unceremoniously opened up a vial and dropped a worm in her own ear. She shuddered and wrinkled her nose.

“That is the strangest sensation I’ve ever experienced,” she announced. “But now I’ll be able to work on the ship and the rest of the cargo.”

“Good call,” I agreed. “I’m going to go get supplies!”

“Hold on just a moment,” objected Torvok, standing back up. “We ought to go about this methodically. I’ll draw up a supply list and you can fetch things.”

“I don’t fetch,” I snapped. “And I know plenty well what supplies we need for an extended journey.”

Without waiting for an answer, I stomped off toward the kitchens.

The nerve of that boring, pompous dork. I gritted my teeth as I entered the kitchen. Fetch things? I’m not a puppy. And lists are a waste of time!

Soon, I’d loaded a cart with all kinds of deliciousness. I’d gotten especially partial to the hard fruit D’Tali called pel, which looked like oval purple apples and tasted like marzipan. I made sure to throw a bag of those in.

Back at Rover, Torvok was nowhere to be seen, thank goodness. I didn’t need him moping around while I loaded up.

How can he not see this as an opportunity for a great adventure? I deposited the food and turned right back around to get bedding. I thought everyone has an innate need for adventure! I can’t believe how serious he is.

After running around like crazy and grabbing Gorvo to help me, I’d gotten a ton of things packed into Rover. Next on my list was the fun part: rummaging through the stuff we’d brought from the Skarg ship.

I dug through the medical boxes, sorting out what I knew how to use. Pills and salves were easy, thanks to the translator bug. I could read the labels for ‘burns’, ‘nausea’, and ‘wound infection’ just fine, although I put the jar marked ‘tentacle rash’ aside. So far, I hadn’t met anyone with tentacles.

“Amber! I haven’t seen you in a while. What is all this?”

I looked up to see Camilia’s red hair shining in the sun. I straightened, and noticed she carried a bundle in her arms.

“Camilia! Is that your new little one?” I jumped to my feet, leaning towards my friend.

“Yes, this is Ania.” She smiled proudly, holding her baby out to me. “Would you like to hold her?”

“Oooh, a baby girl,” I cooed. “Yes, please!”

I held out my arms and Camilia placed the child in them. She had a sweet face, and a dusting of golden scales on her cheekbones. I detected a wisp of her mother’s red hair on her head, too.

“Congratulations! Your female infant is a great blessing, My Lady Camilia.” I lifted my head and saw Torvok had returned. He looked like he really meant what he said, gazing at Camilia and the little girl with adoration.

“Thank you,” replied Camilia, graciousness in every line of her body.

“Oh!” I banded one arm around the baby and used the other to gesture at the med equipment I’d laid out. “Do you think you can figure out how to use any of this?”

“Is that medical gear?” Camilia looked intrigued. She knelt and began examining a few of the items.

“Here,” I said to Torvok, pushing the baby into his arms. “She’s sleeping, just hold her.”

The D’Tali looked like I’d handed him a bundle made of thinnest glass. He held her gingerly, eyes wide. Camilia shot a glance at him, but seemed fine with him playing babysitter for a bit.

Between my ability to translate, and Camilia’s nursing experience, we figured out a bunch of equipment, fast. The crowning jewel was a portable med station. Camilia showed me how to take blood samples with it, scan for parasites, and create an internal image of a body part, not unlike an X-ray.

“This is great! I’m bringing it with us,” I said, patting the portable med station. “It’s bulky, but you can never be too prepared on the safety front.”

“Excuse me, but I am here for Trade Ambassador Torvok?” A new D’Tali had joined us, red-skinned and deferential. “Is he present?”

Our eyes turned to Torvok, standing there sheepishly holding a baby. Camilia hid a grin and rescued him, taking Ania back.

“Ah, yes, I am Torvok,” he said, clasping his arms behind his back and trying to look formal.

“I am Bindak,” said the new guy. “I have been sent with this pallet of trade goods by the minister of trade, and I am to join your mission.”

“Good,” said Torvok.

“Lady Isabella says to keep all three numa aboard, in case one gets injured or something.”

“You and Gorvo may begin loading them. Please give me the manifest.”

“What did they give us?” I asked, craning my head to look around Torvok’s shoulder. He stepped away from me.

“The standard, a large sum of money, gold and silver jewelry, armor, numa feed, several crates of pel wine…”

“They make wine from pel?” I exclaimed. “Why didn’t I know that!”

“Two tapestries woven by D’Tali women, very rare, and ah... numa eggs from the king’s stock, sired by our fastest war numa.” Torvok looked impressed.

“You lot better get going if you’re going to be there by morning.” Isabella emerged from where she’d been inspecting Rover’s thrusters. “Don’t forget to take a personal communication device!”

She tossed one to me and I caught it. Wasting no time, I tucked it into my belt and gave her a quick hug. Then, I scampered toward Rover.

I settled into the pilot’s seat and waited, feeling impatient. Finally, Torvok, Gorvo, and Bindak all climbed into the cockpit. Torvok looked like he was walking to his own execution.

“Strap in, boys!” I told them as soon as the door had closed, programming a route into the computer per the minister’s directions. “It’s time for an adventure.”

I gunned Rover’s engines, and we lifted off. The three D’Tali stumbled, but I figured they’d have plenty of time to buckle themselves into their seats once we got going.

This is going to be the ride of a lifetime, I thought. Sitting in the driver’s seat, things felt right in a way they hadn’t since I’d been kidnapped. Rover was no classic car, but he was beyond cool. Life didn’t get much better than being at the wheel of basically a hovering alien monster truck.

I grinned and opened the throttle, racing into the sunset.

TORVOK

My back hit the sturdy seat with an almighty SLAM as Amber threw Rover into hyper speed and we jetted off into the horizon. The air whooshed out of my body. I looked over and saw that Gorvo and Bindak looked just how I felt—utterly disoriented.

“Slow down!” I bellowed.

Rover’s engine roared underneath our feet. Amber did not respond. She either hadn’t heard me or was feigning deafness. Streaks of sky and earth zoomed past us outside the window. We were flying so fast my teeth chattered.

This was unreasonable.

We were racing about in a metal box that I didn’t understand and couldn’t control, and all because of…

“Amber!” I shouted. That got her attention. When she looked back, her fairylike face was already arranged in an expression of deep inconvenience. She raised her eyebrows in my direction. “Slow! Down!” I managed to get out, though my voice—like the rest of my body—felt like it was being blasted backward with the force of our velocity.

Like a child, Amber rolled her eyes dramatically but drew the accelerator toward her and I felt Rover slow its speed by just a bit. I could now lean forward, but my teeth still rumbled.

“I-i-i-s thi-i-i-i-is h-h-h-how we’re g-g-g-g-getting to L-Lukadia?” Bindak chattered, his jaw clacking together like a musical instrument.

“I’m going to be sick!” Gorvo threatened.

I stole a look in his direction. He did look extremely nauseous. My mind played out the next five minutes if we didn’t slow down more and I felt my own stomach churning.

Without stopping to think, I unbuckled myself from my seat and stood. It was at that ill-timed moment, however, Amber sent us careening around a curve in our route and I nearly tripped and rolled into Gorvo’s lap. I only just managed to save myself by catching the edge of Rover’s control ridge above Amber’s head.

Amber tipped her face up to look at my arm extended above her, gripping on for dear life. She furrowed her eyebrows. “Why aren’t you buckled in?” she asked incredulously.

“Slow down, Amber, or I shall launch myself from this ship!” I yelled.

“I did slow down,” Amber whined, but yanked the accelerator backward by several degrees and Rover lurched to a much more manageable speed.

Behind me, Gorvo gagged.

“That was… highly irresponsible,” I gasped.

“Would you like to get there some time this century?” Amber growled.

“I’d like to get there in one piece.” I straightened and watched over Amber’s shoulder as she furiously punched away at the controls. The woman did not slow down even for a second. I turned and strode back to my seat, only to hear a deafening beeping coming from the pilot’s console.

“What—”

“It’s fine,” Amber snapped. Her fingers frantically punched at button after button on her pilot’s keypad. The beeping came to a sudden stop.

“An aftereffect of your zooming?” I tutted, lowering myself back in my seat and strapping in again.

“No,” Amber replied sulkily, but she did sound slightly more humbled.

I knew from my work with Isabella that the seat I had chosen was more or less in the position of co-pilot. Isabella had shown me all the ways that a ship builds its rank into its very architecture. I had a shrewd suspicion that somewhere near me was an access pad to see the scans and routes on the pilot’s screens.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I found it. On my armrest, exactly where my fingers rested gently at the edge, was a button. I pressed it, and in front of me, a small screen lowered.

“Holy—” Bindak sputtered. “How did you know how to do that, Torvok?”

His exclamation caught Amber’s attention, but I was focused on what was in front of me. Something was all off—we were leagues away from the route Isabella and I had agreed on.

“What are you doing?!” Amber demanded shrilly, unbuckling herself from her pilot’s seat and coming around to face me.

“What are you doing? We’re moving due east—Lukadia is to the north,” I countered.

“Yes, but we’d have to cross the Aetamian ridge to get there,” Amber said, placing her hands on her hips. Her expression of fierce competition ruffled me. What reason did she have for looking so perturbed? It was a challenge to her plan, I concluded. Which automatically annoyed her. And yet, staring at her with open annoyance, I struggled to name a different feeling battling behind my ribcage.

Was it affection? Amusement?

It felt more like… excitement.

I shook off the feeling. Focus, Torvok, focus!

“That’s true, Amber,” I affirmed. “And that’s precisely the route that—”

“Don’t patronize me,” Amber interjected, her voice laced with poison. “I know that we’re all buddy-buddies with the Aetamians now, thanks to Riley and Kator, but this is a gigantic cargo hauler from the Skarg and I don’t think Aetamian farm boys are going to look too kindly to see a giant, foreign metal hulk of a ship blasting over them and not assume that the alliance has crumbled.”

I blinked.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Amber sneered, looking entirely too self-satisfied.

“That’s—that’s not—no, you’re not,” I snapped, tossing aside the straps of my seat belt and rising to face her. Towering over her, she would have looked even more diminutive had her face not been contorted in a smug fury. As I found my footing, so too did I find my argument.

“I appreciate your, ah, sensitivity to the Aetamian alliance, Amber, but what you are proposing nearly doubles our time to get to Lukadia. We’d have to go entirely around the Aetamian peninsula in order to get to the mines.”

“Correct,” Amber said, crossing her arms.

“But—that will take us double the time,” I repeated.

“Which is why I was trying to half the time,” Amber hissed. “But someone made me slow down!”

“You were going to send Gorvo and Bindak into an early grave!” I exclaimed. Amber rolled her eyes again and I found myself sputtering. Who gave her the right?!

I caught myself before I uttered my internal frustration aloud. I took a deep breath and tried to slow my heart rate. It was no use to Isabella, nor the mission, if I angered Amber immediately. I tried to look everywhere but her focused, fierce face.

“Amber, do you really think Isabella would send us on a route to Lukadia that would disrupt the alliance?” I said slowly.

“Isabella is great and all, but I’m not taking any chances. I remember the last war,” Amber replied simply.

“As do I,” I agreed.

“Great, so we’re on the same page. I’ll increase our speed, yes?”

“No!” I exclaimed and was surprised to hear voices other than mine in the mix. Amber and I both spun around and saw Gorvo and Bindak’s anxious eyes darting back and forth between our faces. I turned back to Amber.

“I think I’d better take over the command from here,” I said in what I hoped was my firmest and gentlest voice.

Amber’s eyes met mine. I was shocked to see not anger, not resentment, not sadness—but disappointment. Like a hopeful artist who had suffered a rejection. Suddenly I was awash with discomfort. Had I overreacted?

“Fine,” Amber said stonily, and immediately stomped away from me. She strode over to where Gorvo sat in his chair, terrified and stressed, and unbuckled him before he could protest. “Come over here,” she demanded.

Gorvo sent me a pleading look but was quickly whisked away to the pilot’s seat where Amber deposited him ungracefully and swiveled him around to face the controls. For someone so small maneuvering a D’Tali so large, it would have been almost comical had I not been battling equally strong feelings of guilt and frustration.

“See this?” Amber said, placing Gorvo’s hand on the accelerator. “This is how you go faster.”

Bindak whimpered behind us.

“Or slower,” Amber growled. “Forward is fast, backward is slow. Got it? And this?” she continued, bringing Gorvo’s left hand to a large black knob in the center of the control. “You twist this once to the right, then bring the accelerator all the way down to stop the ship. It’ll dock in midair but you’ll have to do both at the same time, otherwise we’ll just drop to our deaths.”

Gorvo gulped.

Amber stalked away from the pilot’s chair and past both me and Bindak. “Don’t touch anything else!” she screeched as she wrenched the door to the cargo bay open, and slammed it closed behind her. The clang of the door shutting reverberated uncomfortably in the empty silence which followed.

I looked down at my feet. That had felt like the right thing to do… and yet…

“I can’t fly this infernal contraption!” Gorvo exploded suddenly from the pilot’s seat.

“This is madness,” Bindak wheezed from his seat. “We’re up in the air, and the only person who knows how to get us down safely has left the room.”

“Calm down, I can figure this out,” I barked.

“I don’t believe you!” Gorvo shouted. His hands shook as they gripped both the knob and the accelerator. “You go back and get her!”

“No,” I said flatly. I understood their concern, but Amber’s utter lack of discipline and collaboration was likely to get us all killed.

“Swallow your pride and go apologize to the only creature who knows how to land this thing,” Gorvo snapped. “Because I can promise you, Torvok, if it’s up to me, we’ll be dead long before we reach the Aetamian ridge.”

I looked between Gorvo and Bindak’s concerned and anxious faces. They glowered at me. I wasn’t about to hear the end of it unless I did what they said.

Allowing myself a groan of frustration, I turned to leave and heard an audible sigh of relief from the pilot’s seat. Striding after Amber through the door and into the vast, open expanse of the cargo bay, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the dusky light filtering through the small windows at the top of the bay. I squinted and scanned the empty aisles and shelves. Nothing and no one. Only when I looked above me to try and orient my sight did I see it—a pair of leather-clad feet hanging off the catwalk up above my head to the right. There she was.

I was willing to bet that she had heard me come in, and so, was equally sure she knew what was coming next. She was going to make me dance for her forgiveness. I grimaced and started toward the ladder to the catwalk. Amber was so infuriating.

And exciting…

AMBER

The door to the cargo bay opened then slammed shut. We hadn’t taken a nose-dive, so I assumed that the two dopey D’Tali were still out there making it work. I had a sneaking suspicion that Torvok was searching for me, probably to give me a stern talking to.

What was up with this guy? He was so rigid—he seemed to have absolutely no spark in him at all, everything had to be by the book. His brooding seriousness was not a character trait; it was just annoying. Meanwhile, I’d just been trying to help.

Soon enough, I heard the scuffling sound of a bulky D’Tali climbing up the ladder to the catwalk. I looked resolutely down at my dangling feet. I wasn’t going to cry—even though I felt like it. I tried to blink my eyes to clear them. I had never been this affected by someone’s admonishment. What was wrong with me?

“Amber.” Torvok’s voice came out so low it barely registered above the rumbling of Rover’s engine. But I could feel him—his presence, his voice—somewhere behind me to my right. The entire right side of my body zinged and prickled with a peculiar electricity. I felt like I was waiting to feel his hand on my shoulder.

I didn’t respond to him. If I opened my mouth, I was likely to say something I would regret. Something like, you’re a big dumb rule-follower and I’m pretty sure you’re botching this mission.

Hopefully, something a little snappier.

Torvok sighed, but I was surprised that it didn’t feel chagrined, and registered more uncomfortable. Was I making him nervous? Suddenly, my whole body tingled as I felt him approach me. Soon, Torvok had lowered himself to sit next to me and let his legs dangle down into the air. I could feel the heat from his body. I kept my eyes on my feet.

“Are you going to remain silent?” he asked.

He was so direct. I hated that.

“I’m trying not to say something I’ll regret,” I snapped.

A new sound emanated from his body, and it shocked me to my very core. Without thinking, I stole a look at him in surprise. He had laughed. Torvok had chuckled, and when our eyes met, he was smiling in begrudging amusement. Was this funny to him? I was so taken aback that I couldn’t do anything but stare at him.

“What would you say to me if you did not worry you’d regret it?” he asked again, in his typically unnerving manner. Something about the way he held my eyes so plainly and directly made me shiver.

“I’d say that you follow the rules too much,” I shot back flatly. “And that I’m your driver, so you should listen to me. And, also, that your friends out there are stupid, and if you hadn’t yelled at me, we wouldn’t be likely to plunge to our deaths at any moment.”

Torvok laughed again, but this time it was a deep belly guffaw. My eyes widened. When he laughed, his face transformed from stoic blankness to a striking warmth. The transformation was so inviting.

“I don’t think you have much to regret about saying any of those things,” he replied. “I do like to follow the rules. And you are our driver. And our friends out there are a little beyond their depths.”

“Your friends out there,” I corrected hastily.

“Amber,” Torvok said, and suddenly the mood shifted. His face returned to its usual seriousness. I braced myself for a lecture.

“You are right on the mark in your assessment of me. I like to move slowly. I am deliberate. I have always been this way. Together, we must work hard to understand each other. Your way of moving through the world… confuses me.”

Torvok held my eyes as he spoke, but with his last murmur, my face grew hot and I dropped my gaze. Hearing him speak about the way he thought about me with such blunt honesty made me nervous.

“Yeah, well,” I replied lamely, “get used to it, bub.”

“Bub?” he repeated. “What is a bub?”

“Nothing,” I snapped. “Yeah, yeah, I get it—I’m loud, I’m obnoxious. I’m reckless, and impatient, and move too quickly. I defer to your orders now. Are we through?”

To make my point, I stood. Even though I was on my feet, and he was sitting down on the catwalk, I could barely see over him. He was so massive, but when he looked up into my eyes, he seemed small. He seemed hurt.

“Only if you want to be through,” he offered, but the look in his eyes made me stay.

There was a pause, in which the gentle swaying movement of the ship rocked us back and forth. In the silence, I struggled to answer the look of rejection in his eyes.

“I know how I am,” I finally said, my voice cutting through the empty space like a jagged knife. “But I can’t apologize for it.”

“I’m not asking you to apologize,” Torvok said quickly. “I just want you to know why I move slower. Or—rather, why you utterly perplex me.”

I smiled and returned to my seated position next to him. “I perplex you?”

Torvok smiled back. “Of course. D’Tali women are rare. You must know that by now.”

I nodded. “I had a vague sense.”

“We often only know our own mothers,” Torvok explained. “D’Tali women are not so commonplace as humans, and there are far more males than females. Occasionally you will meet someone who has an aunt—but that is so far and few between that it’s practically a myth. Because of this, women are revered and treated like goddesses. They are kept at arm’s length—I’ve rarely known a D’Tali woman long enough to learn particularities about her personality.”

“I wonder how they feel about that,” I said without thinking.

Torvok paused to consider this. “I don’t know,” he answered slowly. “In our customs, to be in the presence of a D’Tali woman is almost like a sacred experience. How they… feel about it never really occurred to me.” He chuckled again and shook his head. “Perhaps I should reflect on what that means.”

I looked out over the dusty catwalk down to the numa stalled in the cargo bay. As much as my ego wanted to be treated like royalty, I could imagine it being a lonely existence.

“Do you understand now, then, why you confuse me so? You are quite different from my experience with any other female,” Torvok pushed on. I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head. “You make me all… muddled.”

My pulse quickened but I didn’t look back at him. This conversation had not gone where I thought it was going to go. He sounded so… intimate when he said that. In my confusion, I froze. Soon enough, Torvok shifted as if he were going to get up and leave. With my heart pounding in my throat, I opened my mouth to get him to stay.

“Not that long ago, I thought I was going to be a slave,” I said.

Whoa. That was not what I thought I was going to say.

Torvok stayed seated.

I shook my head, turning my gaze back to him. “It feels like a happy accident that I’m still here, free to be myself, staring at you.”

He nodded.

“But… am I free to be myself?” I asked. I couldn’t help it—tears were rushing to my eyes. I willed myself to stay dry. “When all around me people are so… composed, so serious all the time, and goggle at me for being who I am… it makes me feel like I’m an exposed nerve.”

Torvok just stared at me. He didn’t move to express how he felt about that. I sighed and turned away. “I guess it doesn’t make any sense,” I said under my breath.

“No,” Torvok interjected, and in his voice had a strange urgency. I looked at him with curiosity. His face was open and full. “Continue,” he urged.

I peered into his eyes, trying to get a sense of what he was thinking. All I could see was genuine interest. “Why should I not live my life the exact way I am? I was so close to losing my whole sense of self—so while I’m here, in this strange place, with these strange creatures… I have to hold on to something of my old life.”

Torvok nodded. “I can’t imagine how torturous and traumatizing the last few months have been for you and the other humans,” he said slowly. “For that, you have my deepest empathy. Truly.”

I breathed deeply as I watched his eyes fill with something I hadn’t seen there before. It wasn’t annoyance, it wasn’t amusement, it wasn’t even sympathy. It was pain. Somehow, in some way, I had the sense that he could imagine the torture of almost being sold into slavery.

And I could tell that he didn’t understand how he felt that way, either.

“Thank you,” I replied, and placed my hand on his.

A vibrant shock of feeling sliced through me. It felt like ice, but also hot urgency. It felt like lightning and also a comforting breeze. It was healing just as much as it made me feel feverish. As our skin touched, Torvok’s eyes flashed a brilliant silver and I felt winded. Something inside of me rang out like a bell and I felt a deep gravity pulling me toward Torvok.

Afraid of where this was going, I snatched my hand backward and leaned away from him. He was gaping at me, equally shocked and disarmed.

“What the hell was that?!” I demanded.

TORVOK

Rover rumbled on, completely unaware of what just happened. Somewhere beyond the steel door sat Gorvo and Bindak, sweating in their seats and worried sick that this monstrous hulk of technology would drop from the sky and kill us. It felt wrong to have so much more information than they. Not just about the ship—but about this human sitting in front of me, and what we meant to each other.

“What the hell was that?!” Amber demanded. The look on her face was panicked and uncomfortable.

My voice seemed to have flown away into the sky. We left it behind the exact moment her hand touched mine.

The universe is cruel. It was the only thought ringing my brain. I had just finished explaining how different we were, how we had to work hard to understand each other. And then—

“Torvok!” Amber shouted.

“What?!” I stammered, wincing at how loud her voice was.

“What the hell was that?”

Amber’s eyes drilled holes through my pupils. The mossy green of her irises felt like soft, warm daggers. I longed to be speared.

Wait—what was I thinking? This isn’t you.

“I, I…” I muttered unintelligibly like an enormous fool.

Amber stood. She was slight, but her anger was so big it filled the entire cargo bay. “If I wasn’t afraid of… that happening again, I would smack you,” she said threateningly. I winced. I believed her.

Answer her! I thundered to myself in my head—but to answer her would be to admit what was actually going on here… instead, I wrenched myself up from the catwalk and staggered backward.

“Are you—are you running away from me?” Amber hissed, her eyes flashing with a rage I hoped never to see again.

“No!” I denied, then hurried down the ladder from the catwalk.

I tried to ignore Amber’s shrill protests behind me and gather my thoughts, but I only really had one thought to gather: Amber and I were Bonded.

Down below in the cool darkness of the cargo bay, I felt steady enough to breathe. I tried to ignore Amber, both in the physical and metaphysical sense. Just as much as I could hear her throwing insults my way and feel the crashing of her feet down the catwalk ladder could I also feel her inside of me. Deep within me, like a bubbling, bountiful spring I hadn’t known was there. I was suddenly so awestruck by the beauty of this recognition I stopped walking and felt tears welling in my eyes. How had I lived so long not knowing this feeling?

And the feeling burbled happily within me as Amber crashed straight into me, making me stumble. As soon as our bodies touched again, my chest beat with a proud, yearning rhythm. Am-ber. Am-ber. Am-ber.

“You had better explain yourself, D’Tali,” Amber said. I turned to face her and saw she looked stricken, but for completely separate reasons than I. And underneath that expression. . . growing realization.

“I think I don’t need to explain,” I said slowly, watching her closely.

Amber looked like she was about to deny my statement, drawing herself up and shaking her head. She paused, as if struggling with what to say. She must know that was the signal from the universe that she and I were fated to be together. That, no matter what I did, no matter how cautious or careful I was… I was forever connected to this brash, insatiable human woman.

This human woman with green eyes so bright I felt like I shouldn’t look directly at them. The smell of her sweat, mechanical grease, and something faintly sweet made me want to collapse. How had I never noticed all this before?

“I feel strange,” Amber said, as shock overtook the denial in her expression. She touched her hand where she had touched mine. “This can’t be happening. Tell me I’m wrong about what I think is happening.”

Somewhere in my own core thrummed an Amber-themed chord. It sent vibrations of fear, anxiety, yearning, and need through my body. She looked as if she was struggling to suppress sudden fear—I should be helping her, but I didn’t know what to say. Shock wove its way around my insides, as well.

My heart sank. I agreed, this was not supposed to happen. I was not supposed to be mated with this irresponsible fairy witch!

“It’s nothing to be afraid of,” I said finally, offering her what comfort I could. The Amber chord was growing louder the longer I remained silent. Her fear was growing unbearable to me. “I promise you that it is, ah, perfectly safe to touch me.”

“If I touch you, will it happen again?” Amber asked, taking a deep breath, a dangerous look of reckless curiosity flashing across her eyes. I knew that look. It was the same expression I’d seen when she slammed down Rover’s accelerator and shot us into the skies with amazing speed.

“I, ah—don’t know if that—the correlation, um…” I trailed off but took a step backward. “It’s not about, ah, touch. Or at least, it’s not about touch anymore.”

Amber’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and she glowered at me. She took large strides to reach me.

I bolted backwards until my back hit up against a steel column. “Wait, wait,” I said desperately, trying anything to keep her from touching me. I didn’t think I could bear it.

Amber stopped just short of stepping into me again. Her face tilted up toward mine and her hands drifted up in front of her face. She examined them closely before looking down to her stomach. So, she could feel it in her core, too.

When she looked back up at me, I felt like my legs were going to give way. Did she have to look so intoxicating like that?

“Torvok…” Amber said slowly. Her pale hands reached out to me. With my back against the column, there was hardly anywhere that I could run.

Her fingertips touched my cheeks and the drum inside me beat with a vengeance. I was both thrilled and terrified. By the look of her quickly reddening cheeks, Amber looked as conflicted as I. Her eyes met mine and all I could do was drink in her flushed face, her fluttering eyelids.

I was helpless.

Our lips found each other and I was melting into her. Amber’s mouth opened wide to my kiss and a trembling heat like I had never known was spreading through my body like hot lava. The bond inside of me rejoiced. Trumpeting fanfare was occurring somewhere around my navel. My hands were in her hair, her arms wrapped around my neck—never mind that I had to stoop low to reach her, never mind that, just fifteen minutes ago, I was ready to cast her off this ship—

Rover quaked. It felt like the ship took a deep dip through the air but righted itself before causing any alarm. Somewhere beyond the door to the cargo bay I heard Gorvo shout, “We’re alright!”

The shock of Rover’s sudden movement wrenched us apart. I turned back to Amber to see the denial slam back down over her expression.

“What?” I said quickly.

“Torvok, did you drug me?” Amber asked quietly, her voice laced with a delicate rage.

“No!” I exclaimed, horrified. I stepped out from around the column and strode past her. “Of course not! Amber! How can you make such a baseless accusation? You know what this is.”

She shook her head furiously. “This can’t be real. I can’t believe that as often as we’ve been around each other, one day this—this can just happen.” She snapped her fingers, desperation crawling across her face. “I—I touch you, and all of a sudden my body just—it feels like it’s—like it’s—”

“Like it’s not your own?” I finished for her, trying not to sound too morose. Some of my anger drained. She was coping, struggling with the same sense as I that everything for us had completely altered, forever.

“Exactly!” Amber narrowed her eyes and she cast me a shrewd look. “You feel it too?”

“Of course, I do,” I snapped. “Why else would we have kissed? It’s not like we were exactly thrilled with each other, Amber.”

Her mouth dropped open with fury. “Oh, do you think I wanted to kiss you?” she sneered. “I’m pretty sure I can find someone more fun to swap spit with, thanks. You know, someone who can loosen up a little?”

She put her hands on her hips. She looked so dangerous and endearing when she did it. I wish she hadn’t.

As if we were synchronized, Amber and I slid back together like a zipper. I scooped her up into my arms, our lips connecting again and picking up exactly where we had left off. I groaned into it—she tasted like spring, like the feeling of being steady, like a twirling frenzy that didn’t scare me no matter how fervent it became, like heaven, like—

No! I found myself yelping in the smallest part of my brain. No, no! This was not supposed to happen!

Ungracefully, I broke the kiss and dropped Amber down to the deck where she collapsed in a heap at my feet.

“Hey!” she snapped, speaking as if we hadn’t even kissed and our fight had continued as before.

“I—I need to think,” I whispered, mostly to myself. Amber shot a quizzical look up at me. “I can’t do this right now.”

I stumbled backwards toward the hallway leading off from the door to the cargo bay. My heart and brain were pounding. I didn’t know which to listen to. The only law in my body was confusion.

“Torvok, wait,” Amber said, suddenly serious, approaching me with a quiet calm that was so unlike her it made me want to stay. But that only made me feel more wretched. How miserable was fate to bring me to the one human woman I was so positive would drive me mad? How completely unacceptable this was. I demanded justice. I demanded a different outcome. I wanted to see a different reality. Amber could not be my mate.

Without a word, I turned on my heel and strode away.

AMBER

“Where the hell are you going?” I called after him, but Torvok didn’t even look back. He marched away from me like a soldier called to arms. I watched his hulking figure disappear into the shadows, my heart hammering against my ribcage.

We didn’t even like each other that much, so how in the world had something like this happened? Had I been tipsy or something? I got it—even though our personalities clashed, there was no denying Torvok was attractive. Probably more attractive than any man—or D’tali—I had ever seen.

But the way it happened… yeah, I just couldn’t explain it.

I felt drawn to him, almost as if we had two magnets trapped inside our bodies—and the way his eyes had glowed. I knew what the hell that was about. Once or twice, I’d overheard the girls talking about it, but I’d never really paid much attention to their gossip. Whenever the conversation steered toward love, I usually tuned out. Love just wasn’t as interesting as a custom-built engine.

Then again, maybe I wouldn’t be in this position if I had made an effort to understand the D’Tali. Was it meant to just happen out of the blue like this—shouldn’t there have been signs?

I raked one hand over my face and sighed, trying to calm the storm raging inside my head. It was impossible. The taste of his lips still lingered on mine and, even though that was totally unexpected, I found myself wanting more.

Unfortunately, Torvok had decided to act like an asshole and just stormed out. But why the hell would he do such a thing? While I contemplated this development, I decided to check on Gorvo and walked to the cockpit.

I was pretty damn sure that the kiss hadn’t been a bad one, so that couldn’t be it. But then what? Could he be one of those guys who’s afraid of intimacy? Or was he some sort of alien virgin? No, that couldn’t be it. Someone that looked the way he did probably had more experience under his belt than I could even imagine. Of course, I couldn’t ignore the fact that there weren’t that many D’Tali women around...

I leaned into the cockpit. Gorvo concentrated on the map, monitoring our progress.

“Gorvo!”

Both of the D’tali in the cockpit jumped, spinning their heads my way. “Yes, Lady Amber?”

“How are we doing?”

“We seem to be making excellent progress. I never thought I would travel this quickly, but I’m feeling confident.”

“So, you are good to continue piloting?”

Gorvo nodded. “Yes, Lady Amber. I am honored to continue with this task.”

“Excellent. Let me know if anything comes up.”

“Yes, Lady Amber.”

“Alright, enough of this wishy-washy bullshit,” I muttered under my breath, leaving the cockpit. Thinking in circles would do me no good. I had a shitload of questions wreaking havoc inside my head, and there was only one way to solve that problem—I needed to get some damn answers.

I mean, you didn’t get to kiss me and then storm off.

That’s just not the way things were done.

I gave myself an encouraging nod, then marched down the cramped corridor.

Where would he be?

After all, a quiet guy like him would probably want some privacy after such a dramatic walk-off.

“Are you hiding in there, Torvok?” I asked, banging my fist against the closed door of the nearest cabin. From inside came a low grunt, which I didn’t need a translator bug to decode as an annoyed ‘yes’. “Let’s hope you’re decent, ’cause I’m coming in.”

I should’ve given him a minute, but I didn’t. I just pushed the button mounted on the side, and the door slid up into a hidden partition. Much like I had predicted, I found Torvok sprawled on a top-bunk bed, staring at the ceiling with a frown on his face.

“Get down from there,” I demanded, tapping my foot against the floor.

Reluctantly, Torvok swung his legs off the bed and jumped down. My breath caught in my throat once he was standing right in front of me, and my heart did a quick, but dangerous, somersault inside my chest. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me, but I certainly wasn’t acting like my usual self.

Even more surprising than that was the fact that I didn’t mind it. There was something exhilarating about this whole thing. After all, had this been just a random event I could forget, I would’ve never gone after Torvok. But I had, hadn’t I? And now here I was, standing inside a cramped cabin with the handsome D’Tali who had just kissed me.

“What are you doing here?” he grumbled, folding his meaty arms over his chest. I had to make a very conscious effort not to look at the way his chiseled muscles rippled under his shirt. God, I felt like a teenage girl trying to chat up the school’s quarterback. Except I wasn’t here to chat up Torvok... was I?

“What do you mean?” I countered, mimicking him and crossing my arms. Just so my performance wasn’t a completely mirrored version of his, I pursed my lips and threw back a lock of my hair. Rather dramatic, I knew, but it’s not like I was used to awkward situations like these. “Do you really have to ask?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He furrowed his brow, clearly annoyed, but a light still remained in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it or not, but I could almost swear there was still a dim glow in his irises. “You’ve done enough, Amber, so why don’t you just let me—”

“I’ve done enough?” I repeated, my fascination with his biceps suddenly replaced by righteous anger. “You’re the one who kissed me out of the blue! Twice!”

“I… I didn’t kiss you,” he stammered, the purple in his cheeks deepening. “You kissed me.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it,” I snapped, barely believing what he was saying. He was deflecting my questions, and that meant that he was hiding something. Well, tough luck. I wasn’t going to let him off the hook without getting some answers. “Care to explain what happened back there? Why you ran?”

“Fine.” He let out a heavy sigh then sat on the bed, the mattress groaning under his weight. He leaned forward, so that his head wouldn’t hit the topside bunk, and propped his elbows on his knees. “Do you know what a mating bond is?”

“Of course. Sofia and the others talk about it nonstop,” I said, shrugging. “It’s a lovey-dovey thing. Like, falling in love with someone—”

“It’s not as simple as that,” he interrupted, although I couldn’t help but notice some hesitancy in his voice. “And, no, I haven’t fallen in love with you.”

“Then what are you trying to say?”

“You can’t control the mating bond,” he continued. “Some of our elders see it as an ancient magical force that binds soulmates together, but I’ve also heard Camilia say something about ‘genetics’. I don’t know what it is and, truth be told, I don’t particularly care. But I repeat… you can’t control it. Once a D’Tali touches his mate for the first time, he immediately knows it.”

“That’s why your eyes glowed like that, right?” I said, remembering how amazing it had felt to be under that gaze of his.

“Yes,” he admitted, even if begrudgingly. “You are my mate.”

“I am your mate,” I muttered, my thoughts crashing against each other as I tried to process his words. This was just crazy. How could I be Torvok's mate? We didn’t even get along.

“Yeah.” He sucked in a deep breath. “I wish I could control it, but I can’t. For better or worse, I have a bond with you. I wasn’t expecting it. That’s why I… ran. I needed time to think.” There was no enthusiasm in his voice. It was as if he was telling me he had been sentenced to life in a supermax prison.

“I still don’t get it…” I insisted. “According to what you’re saying, we’re supposed to be mates… doesn’t that mean we’re destined for each other or something? What’s there to think about?”

He looked down at his feet, his eyebrows knitted together, and shook his head. To say that he was struggling would be putting it lightly. Whatever was going on inside his head, it was driving him crazy.

“I don’t know what to do,” he stood and began to pace, his voice dipping into a low whisper. “Nothing prepared me for this.”

And there it was.

He didn’t hate me, nor did he feel repulsed by the idea that we were mates. He was just at a loss here. From what I’d seen, D’Tali were lonesome figures, and it was rare for them to have a mate. How could Torvok have expected something like this to happen? He couldn’t, and he hadn’t.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, taking a step forward. By now, we were no more than a foot apart. Slowly, he lifted his gaze up and looked straight into my eyes. “You don’t have to worry. I know what to do.”

With that, I laid my hand above his beating heart, feeling it kick and punch against his ribcage, then I went on my tiptoes. My eyelids fluttered, a pleasant heat spread across my body, and…

We kissed.

TORVOK

It was happening again.

That feeling of tightness inside my chest, numbness that took over my fingertips, and the feeling of losing all control… if I’d still had any doubts, they had just been pulverized into dust. Amber was my mate.

Involuntarily, I grasped her hips, my fingers molding to her curves. A growl rising from the back of my throat, I spun her around and pinned her against the wall.

Our kiss deepened as our tongues danced, my body hardening. My blood simmered inside my veins, only seconds from its boiling point. But I couldn’t let that happen… or could I?

My knee-jerk reaction to those doubts wasn’t the best. I broke our kiss and stepped away from Amber so fast you’d think she had just caught on fire. She blinked at me in surprise, annoyance on her face.

She held her breath as she returned my gaze, her cheeks reddening fast, then looked down and cleared her throat.

“I don’t know what came over me,” she finally said. She sounded embarrassed, which I wasn’t expecting. Amber was a force of nature, and to see a chink in her armor like this… well, that was surprising. “I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“I shouldn’t have done that, either,” I agreed, although my voice remained tense. I still wasn’t in total control of my body. But how could I be? Even though I had stepped back, I could still feel my hands on her hips, my lips on hers, and…

Get it together, Torvok, I admonished myself. If I let my thoughts run free like that, soon enough I’d have absolutely no control over anything. As it was in all that I did, I knew I had to be cool-headed and logical. After all, just because we were mates, that didn’t mean we had to be together. And that would be for the best—if we became a pair, we would just drive each other crazy.

“Let’s just pretend that this didn’t happen,” Amber said, finally looking up at me. Her complexion was already returning to normal, as was the strength in her voice. “That’s probably for the best.”

“Agreed.” I nodded my head, trying to keep my composure. “This didn’t happen.”

“Yup.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I still hate you, just as much as before.”

“Well, I still hate you, too.”

“Alright then!” she cried out, her voice rising in pitch. “We hate each other. Great.”

“Lower your voice. Why do you always have to be so damn loud?”

“I’m loud?” She rolled her eyes at me and laughed. “Why don’t you take a look at yourself, Mr. I’m-Always-Quiet? Because the way I see it, I’m not too loud. You’re the one who’s too quiet all the freaking time, like you’re some sort of mummy.”

“I’m not a mommy,” I snapped. Why the hell was she calling me a mother? Was that supposed to be some kind of insult back on Earth? “I don’t even understand why you’d call me a—”

“I said mummy.” Her laughter became even louder, and my annoyance increased to match it. “God, Torvok. You can be pretty thick at times.”

“I still don’t know what a mummy is supposed to be,” I said, but Amber didn’t have time to offer an explanation. Someone banged his fist against the door, then spoke in a loud voice.

“We’ve arrived at Lukadia, sir!”

“Coming,” I replied, and only noticed that Amber was already on her way to the door when it was already too late. We reached for the button to unlock it at the same time, and my hand fell right on top of hers. I pulled back as if I had touched a burning piece of coal.

“I’m not gonna bite, ya know?” she said with a grin, clearly enjoying herself. When she opened the door, we squeezed through the doorway and into the corridor. We made our way straight to the cockpit, and I smiled as I saw the sight of Lukadia taking over the horizon.

Even though I’d been here before, it was still an amazing sight.

Most people called it a mining settlement, but Lukadia was so much more than that. The Lukadians had burrowed deep into the earth, and out of the rock they had carved a flourishing city. There was a certain energy to it, so much that it spilled out from the cavernous main entrance—which was, in essence, a massive cavern’s mouth—and into the arid surroundings.

The market was the first place we saw, its tents and stalls stretching before Lukadia’s main entrance. Perched on the mountainside were also other buildings, rising up from the rock as if they were stalagmites.

“That’s quite a sight,” Amber whispered, and I couldn’t help but smile. She could be terribly confrontational, but she didn’t let that stop her from letting the little things fascinate her. That was endearing.

“It’s even more impressive on the inside,” I told her. “At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“Can’t wait,” she muttered, taking over Rover’s controls. She sank into her seat and grinned as she gripped the controls. Her posture was comfortable, like that of someone perfectly at home. Before she started driving, she glanced back at me. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to drive like a maniac and crash into that market.”

I frowned.

“Really funny,” I said. “Ruin their market and they’ll kick us out of here faster than you can say ‘commerce’.”

Thankfully, Amber remained true to her word, driving toward our final destination without turning into a racing maniac. The moment we reached the market, though, she was forced to kill the engines and park Rover a hundred yards away from the first outcropping of tents.

The Lukadians had never seen anything quite like Rover, and they had all dropped what they were doing to watch our arrival. Most were curious onlookers, but I noticed a couple of guards gathering behind the crowd, spears at the ready.

I gave the guards a polite wave, but that didn’t impress them. They just shifted uncomfortably, refusing to lower their spears. I sucked in a deep breath and looked out of the cockpit, taking in the crowd before I decided what I needed to do.

Suffice to say, it was an odd crowd.

“Let me announce ourselves before they start throwing those things as us,” I said, already making my way out of the cockpit. I opened Rover’s side door and jumped out, my boots kicking up a small cloud of dust as they hit the soil.

“Who are you?” a burly guard asked in a low tone, pushing his way through the crowd. The tip of his spear glinted as he lowered it toward me. “Identify yourself.”

“I’m Torvok, Trade Ambassador for Tahkath,” I said, infusing my voice with strength. I was here in an official capacity, after all.

“Trade Ambassador?” The guard arched his eyebrows, then glanced at Rover. “What is that beast you tamed? And why were you inside of it? Did it swallow you?”

“That, my friend,” I said, letting go of all formality, “is a long story. Suffice to say, we come here in peace. What you see here,” I waved at Rover, “isn’t a beast, but a machine. It’s a vehicle.”

“A vehicle,” the guard repeated, almost as if he didn’t know what to make of it. “Trade Ambassador, you said?”

“That’s correct,” I said. “We came here on business, and we mean no trouble.”

“Very well.” He lowered his spear and, moving as one, the other guards did the same. “Just keep out of trouble while you’re in the city.” He clicked his heels together and disappeared into the crowd, but not before throwing Rover one last suspicious glance.

I smiled.

That had gone well.

Straightening my back, I looked over my shoulder to see Amber and our two companions standing beside Rover.

“Bring out the numa,” I ordered, and the numa clambered out from the cargo hold just a few minutes later. They stomped their feet and stretched their backs, dazed from the trip. To put them at ease, I stroked their snouts, and they responded with happy snorts.

“Why only two?” Amber asked. “What if we find a bunch of stuff we like?”

“Then we’ll just have to make a return trip.”

“What happens now?”

I scratched my chin. Then, I turned to the other D’Tali.

“I’m going to need you to stay behind. The Lukadians are good people, but something like Rover is going to make them curious. We don’t need people carving off parts for souvenirs.”

“Does that mean it’s just the two of us?” Amber asked.

A cold shiver ran up my spine. I answered her with a simple nod, but felt my insides twisting into knots. Maybe I should’ve left her behind and asked one of the other men to accompany me. After what happened in the ship, was it a good idea to have her tag along?

I was still thinking of that when Amber hopped onto one of the numa. She smiled, clearly excited to do some exploring. I just sighed—it was too late to backtrack now. I climbed onto the numa’s saddle and gripped the reins.

“Just so you know, I would try not to be so loud,” I warned her. She immediately opened her mouth to protest, but I continued speaking before she could say a thing. “I mean it. It’s a matter of courtesy around here. The Lukadians speak softly. They’re miners, you see, and they’ve all learned to fear cave-ins. Loud noises can dislodge faulty tunnels and—”

“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered. “I’ll be quiet.”

With that, we rode into the market.

AMBER

At first, I didn’t have to remember to speak softly, because I was plumb out of words all together. My mouth hung open as I tried to take in the Lukadian market.

The jumble of stalls and huts was huge, sprawling, and busy. From far away, it looked like a messy patchwork blanket had been laid over the ground. Closer up, it still seemed like there was no real organization—not that I could perceive, anyway.

The streets were congested so we dismounted and walked our numas past shop after shop. One had shelves filled with bolts of fabric, a few choice samples spread out on a counter in front. The next displayed all manner of wooden items, from cute whittled animal toys to what looked to me like practice swords.

I had to trot my numa to keep up with Torvok. Well, more like every time I paused to ogle something, he kept going, meaning I’d lose him if I didn’t scramble to catch up.

How can this dork not be distracted by any of this? Has he even been here before? I don’t think I could visit here a hundred times and see everything this place has to offer.

I sighed, drawing abreast of him once more. My mind kept flicking back to that moment when he’d explained his reaction to the mating bond. It had seemed right to kiss him at the time, but afterward I wasn’t so sure. Thinking of how he’d insisted he wasn’t falling in love with me hurt a little.

I’m very lovable, okay? I huffed a little, trying to push away thoughts of all my relationships on Earth. I guessed I really didn’t know if I was lovable, because I’d never kept any of those guys around long enough to find out. None of them had held my interest, so why bother?

Thankfully, before I could descend any further into overanalyzing my former dating habits, we rounded a corner. In front of me was a stall with all kinds of gears.

“Oooh,” I breathed, darting up to it. There was already a Lukadian customer there, talking to the proprietor in low tones.

“… I just don’t know what to do,” the Lukadian was saying. “Do my son and I keep working in the mines? Without any money coming in, we’re in trouble. But if we get sick—”

The conversation broke off as I approached. The two Lukadians stared at me, eyes widening. I grinned and gave them a friendly little wave.

“Hi! I’m Amber. What are you selling here?” My ‘hi’ was a little loud, but I managed to lower my voice for the rest of my words. I felt proud that I’d managed as much, given all the stimuli around me.

“Uh… time… timekeepers, Honored Lady,” stammered the owner, his voice as quiet as Torvok had suggested it would be. “For when one is below and cannot see the progress of the sun.”

Honored Lady?

I decided not to comment on the weird title, although I couldn’t help my nose from wrinkling. Instead, I moved closer, examining the display. Yet before I could pick up one of the devices, Torvok caught my arm.

“Excuse us,” he said smoothly. “We will leave you to your conversation. Thank you for satisfying my companion’s curiosity.”

“It was my pleasure,” said the Lukadian vendor, bowing low. His customer said nothing, just continued to stare at me.

“Amber, let’s stay focused and not draw too much attention to ourselves,” Torvok muttered. He steered me away from the timekeeper stall and back into the flow of people headed deeper into the market.

“Draw attention to ourselves? This market is swarming with activity, no one is going to notice us,” I pouted. I’d been excited to see how Lukadian clocks worked.

“On the contrary…” Torvok jerked his head towards a group standing to our left. It was made up of Lukadians, as well as a bunch of other races I couldn’t identify. I thought I detected an Aetamian, but I couldn’t be certain.

“What are you trying to show me? There are clearly individuals from lots of kingdoms around here. I’ve never even seen the guys with the spine spikes before! We don’t stand out.”

“Amber… you are one of only a dozen humans on this entire world.” Torvok gritted his teeth. “Do you not think that might make you rather remarkable?”

“Oh.” I realized that Torvok had been trying to point out that the loose grouping of shoppers was watching us, murmuring among themselves. “Are we in danger?”

“No, no,” Torvok assured me. “Nothing like that. The Lukadians maintain strict neutrality so that their trading may flourish uninterrupted by the squabbles of surrounding territories.”

“Okay.” I stopped in the middle of the walkway and put my hands on my hips. “Then what’s the problem? Why couldn’t I look at the clock thingies?”

“One, if people get too curious and start asking you questions, it will slow us down. And two, we must not seem like we are idle shoppers. The Lukadian government is deep underground, and outsiders are rarely permitted. If we are to receive an audience with anyone remotely of status, we must present ourselves as worthy and noble emissaries.”

I rolled my eyes. I could tell Torvok was trying very hard not to get exasperated. It was kind of funny, but I did hear the truth of his words. I decided to follow his lead for the time being, and hope I had a chance to explore more later.

“Why don’t we ask someone for directions?” I suggested. “If we have to seek an audience, we should figure out where people make that kind of request.”

“Indeed.” Torvok nodded. “I am looking for a suitable person, ideally a merchant rather than a craftsman selling solely his own wares… ah. There.”

Torvok made his way toward a narrow booth. It was smaller than the shops around it, but finely decorated. An elegant Lukadian male, his skin many shades of gray, sat behind a counter, drinking from a delicate metallic teacup.

“Good day,” said Torvok, inclining his head. “May we trouble you for some information, citizen of Lukadia?”

“I would be honored,” said the Lukadian, his words low but crystal clear. He sent us a broad smile and set down his beverage. Standing to greet us, he bowed slightly. “I am Venik, a member of the Merchant Guild.”

“I am Torvok, Trade Ambassador from the D’Tali Kingdom of Tahkath. This is Lady Amber, also of Tahkath.”

Venik’s eyes gleamed. I could tell he thought we were quite the opportunity. That seemed like a good thing, as long as we could get him to be helpful in the way we needed.

“I am honored to meet one of the mammalian females I have heard spoken of.” I stifled a laugh as the merchant reached out to take my hand. He pressed a kiss to the top of it. “Rumors of your people’s beauty have already travelled this far, and I am surprised to find not a single one was exaggeration.”

“Uh. Thanks?” I took my hand back, uncertain.

Flowery speech is not my forte, I thought. Between having to whisper everything and trying to be all fancy, my tongue is going to be in knots.

“I am, of course, also honored to make the acquaintance of Tahkath’s Trade Ambassador,” Venik told Torvok. “I confess, it has always struck me as strange that there is no standing trade agreement between our peoples. I am grateful to meet one of the D’Tali.”

“Our thanks for your welcome,” replied Torvok. “We are fortunate to have your assistance.”

“Of course! Please allow me to serve as your local guide for the duration of your time here. Anything you need, I shall help you find.”

“Excellent.” Torvok looked pleased. “To begin, we simply have a few questions…”

Someone coughed behind us. I turned to see one of the aliens with a ridge of spikes down his back standing there.

“Ah, Frrzt! We did have an appointment.” Venik frowned, but only for a moment. “Lord Torvok, Lady Amber, perhaps you might dine with me this afternoon so we can discuss your needs in private?”

Torvok hesitated for a second, then nodded his head in agreement.

“It would be our pleasure. Where shall we convene?”

“Here.” Venik took a scrap of parchment from underneath his counter and scribbled on it. “This is the name of a place where we can enjoy some quiet conversation. I’ll join you there in an hour.”

“We look forward to it.” Torvok took the piece of paper and we walked away from Venik’s booth. Behind us, I heard the spiky guy say something about his ore shipment being half as much as agreed.

I caught a lot more of that kind of talk as Torvok and I wandered the market, getting our bearings. It seemed like every conversation I eavesdropped on was either about the ore shortage, or ominous mutterings about the strange illness that had befallen the miners. I began to worry that we weren’t the only ones angling to negotiate for some metal.

Torvok kept scribbling on the back of Venik’s parchment. I craned my neck to see what he was doing and saw he’d created a tiny diagram of the market we’d seen thus far. A kind of minuscule map.

Okay, I admit it. Sometimes he is ridiculously cute.

Mindful of the instructions to not look frivolous, I stayed away from all the goods being sold, even though I had to clench my hands not to reach out and touch some of what was on sale.

Finally, it was lunchtime. We met Venik as agreed upon, at a restaurant buried behind a long line of shops selling scrolls and books. Torvok almost missed it, the place was so discreet. When we arrived, Venik wasn’t alone.

“May I introduce my cousin Anlek?” Venik said.

The person standing next to him was slightly shorter, with a wide chest and smug expression.

“My father is the elder son,” Anlek said, “I understand you are here regarding trade?”

“Uh. . . yes,” Torvok said. Why did the birth order of their fathers matter?

“Anlek is exploring his opportunities, and it’s my month to introduce him to the work I do. He won’t interrupt,” Venik added, giving his cousin an irritated look, then turned an apologetic gaze on Torvok. “Family duty, you understand?”

I coughed. Sounded like someone’s wastrel cousin was being fobbed off. As long as he didn’t get in the way, I didn’t care, though the sidelong look Anlek was giving me was beginning to grate. The kind of half-speculative, half-insolent look common to entitled men across galaxies, evidently.

“All right, my friends,” said Venik, settling into a cushioned seat. “Tell me all your hopes and dreams for your time in Lukadia.”

“The illustrious and fancy nation of Tahkath needs metal,” I said, whispering as loud as I could. I winked at Torvok, who just looked resigned.

Venik laughed. “Tahkath and every other city state within hundreds of leagues,” he said. “As you may have noticed, there is a shortage.”

“We are aware of that,” said Torvok, fixing his eyes on Venik. “Our mission is in part to find why that shortage exists… and what can be done about it.”

“You’ve come to the right people,” Anlek interjected. “My cousin focuses on problems, but I’m a man who comes up with solutions. For the right price.”

“It’s premature to be talking about prices,” Venik said, his expression stiffening. “Why don’t we order something to drink? Something strong.”

TORVOK

“It’s simple,” Venik said, after he’d taken a long swig of the clear liquid in front of him. I watched Amber sip hers and grimace.

Anlek smirked at her. “Perhaps we should order tea for the female. This isn’t a drink for mammals, or the weaker gender.”

Amber glared at him, picked up her glass, and downed it, before slamming it back down. I almost winced.

“This has nothing on tequila, bud,” she said.

They fermented this stuff from a stubby flowering bush that grew in the desert. Watching Venik’s body language, I would guess he’d gone through a steady supply of this stuff since being saddled with his cousin. Watching Amber, I considered buying a case for myself, as well, before we headed back home.

Venik gave Anlek a dark look, then turned towards me, ignoring his cousin. “There’s an illness making the rounds, and it’s affecting most of the mining workforce. No workers, no ore. The demand keeps on increasing but, without enough miners to extract the ore from the deep mines, there’s no way Lukadia can meet that demand. That’s why you’ve seen ore rise in price.”

“The foremen are weak,” Anlek snapped. “A few miners complain of fatigue and fever and all of a sudden it’s a disaster. If I were in charge, I’d demonstrate the effective way to handle those who want to get paid for no work.”

Venik gave me a strained smile. I wanted to tell him don’t worry about it. Conducting a rational discussion with this scorpion in tow was going to be challenging, but it wasn’t Venik’s fault. But if he kept looking at Amber that way, she was going to explode. I slid a little closer to her—in case I had to intercept her.

“That doesn’t seem like a simple situation to me,” Amber said, but Venik didn’t seem fazed by her comment. He just shrugged, a rueful smile spreading across his lips. It seemed like this wasn’t his first time going over this story. He was a merchant, so he probably had to explain the situation to his customers every single day.

“I agree,” Anlek said condescendingly. “The situation might not be easy or simple, but the reason for the ore shortage is that illness. So, if you think about it, it's a simple enough explanation. And, fortunately, I have the answer.”

“We agreed not to talk about that,” Venik said through gritted teeth.

“About what?” Amber asked, making an effort to continue speaking in low tones. I could tell she was struggling. Besides, I was so used to her being loud that it now felt as if she was constantly whispering. Maybe she would eventually figure out that I was right—it wouldn’t hurt if she toned it down a little.

You like her just the way she is, my inner voice chimed in, but I locked my jaw and silenced it. I was trying to make things happen. I needed to focus on what really mattered, not on this mating bond madness.

THERE WAS SILENCE. Then Amber said, “Are you holding out on us? If you have ore, then—”

I interrupted. “Venik?” I’d been watching his face turn colors.

“I value our relationship with the D’Tali,” Venik said, each word precise. “I cannot vouch for the existence of the mine, or indeed, for the quality of the ore since—” he turned a glare on his cousin “—no one has actually seen it.”

Anlek waved a hand. “My contact is a person of unblemished reputation and faultless credentials. All the paperwork is in order. His only request was that I be the one to broker any trade deals, since operations have only just begun and he does not want to be overwhelmed by demand.”

“He must have a lot of trust in you,” Amber said.

Anlek smiled, his chest swelling. “I am the only member of my family he approached. He is meticulous in who he chooses to broker deals with.” He leaned forward. “I shouldn’t tell you that the initial price he set on the purchase of the rights to the trade route was at a premium, but I haggled him down mercilessly. No one else has seen the mine and I knew I had to seize my opportunity first.”

Venik closed his eyes.

“Um, wow,” Amber said. “Aren’t you the big boy?”

I interjected hastily as Anlek paused, squinting at her. “We should still focus on the problems of the mine here. It’s established, and D’Tali don’t abandon their allies. I’m sure your negotiation skills, are, uh…”

“Stellar,” Amber said with a straight face. “Epic. In fact, if I had a bridge, I’d sell it to you too. One of us would make a killing.”

I tossed her a desperate look, feeling the conversation slipping through my fingers like grains of sand. A bridge? What nonsense was that?

“The miners,” I said. “Their illness.” My voice sounded plaintive. Venik met my gaze and we shared a moment of complete understanding.

“Let’s talk about how we can help with the current situation.” I leaned forward, propping my elbows on the table. “Maybe we could help with something? The D’Tali have resources. And more than resources, we have knowledge we can share.”

Venik leaned forward, and I could almost see the gears turning inside his head. I was pretty sure that he was playing an angle here, but maybe it was an angle that could benefit both sides of the equation.

“You seem like well-intentioned folk. Maybe I could get you an audience,” he said. “With some luck, I might be able to arrange a meeting with the Deep Council of Elders.” I perked up, but Venik raised one finger so that I would remain quiet, then glared at Anlek when he began to open his mouth. “But!”

“But?” I repeated.

“You’ll have to promise to take me along as your chosen Trade Liaison,” he said. Anlek inhaled sharply. Venik leaned towards him and whispered something in his ear, and whatever it was, Anlek subsided, mouth turning down in a sulk. Venik turned back to us. “You do that and I’ll take you to meet the Elders. There, maybe you can strike a deal, and offer your help to Kradoc Kravom and Lady Lanah.”

“Who are they?” Amber asked. Anlek gave her a contemptuous glance.

“You don’t know?” Venik seemed genuinely surprised. “Kradoc Kravom is the king of the Lukadians, and Lady Lanah is the queen and seer of Lukadia Mine. They’re the ones who run things around here.”

Venik leaned forward and lowered his voice even more, so much that I could barely hear him. Acting as one, both Amber and I leaned in, hunched over the table as if we were part of some vast conspiracy. “They’re our grandparents.”

And now I understood why Anlek had emphasized the birth order of their fathers. They were royalty, and in a thin sense, Anlek outranked Venik.

The words hung in the air for a moment, then we all leaned back, settling in our seats. Venik seemed cautiously pleased with himself, and I could tell he was just waiting for my agreement. If he was being honest about things, he had it.

“If you can make it happen,” I said, “then you have a deal. Arrange that meeting with your Deep Council of Elders and you’ll be our Liaison of Trade.”

“Perfect.” Venik clapped his hands. “How may I contact you?”

“We came here in a landship.” Amber pointed in the general direction of the ship. “We parked it outside of the market.”

“A… landship?” Venik’s eyebrow ridges shot up.

“Yes,” I said. “It’s a large metal vehicle. Impossible to miss. I’m sure you’ll hear all about it before you step foot out of the market with the way rumors travel.”

Venik nodded. “This might take a day to arrange. I’ll let you know once I hear back. In the meantime, enjoy the city.” They rose to their feet but before leaving, Venik gave us a nervous glance. “Just don’t shoot me when I’m riding out to your ship.”

“We’ll try not to,” I replied with an amused smile. “I appreciate your help.”

“And if there is anything else you need,” Anlek interjected, much like a merchant trying to push for an additional sale, “I can assist you. My cousin is busy. I am at your disposal. My Aetamian contact will be in town soon, and—”

“Well, we have a lot of trade supplies we’d like to sell,” Amber said. I almost choked. “Maybe you could lend us a hand with that.”

Anlek laughed, although Venik made a motion for him to lower his voice. It was amazing how conditioned the Lukadians were when it came to loud noises. It was as if they were afraid the entire city would fall on their heads if they talked too loudly.

“See?” Anlek said. “I knew our relationship would be a fruitful one.” Slowly, he reached inside his vest and grabbed a small leather purse. He threw it onto the table, and I heard the jingle of coins inside. “I’ll help you offload your wares. In the meantime, to seal the deal, here’s a small advance.”

I looked at Venik, who sighed and nodded. “Thank you,” I said, grabbing the purse and weighing it in my hands. It was surprisingly heavy, even more than I had expected. Anlek liked throwing his weight around, it seemed. “We appreciate the trust.”

“I’m just doing what’s good for business.”

Venik smiled politely. “And now we must depart. Enjoy the market, my friends. Try things out, and see what you want to trade for. I know the D’Tali have interesting wares, so I’m looking forward to helping you.”

With that, he gave us a small bow and disappeared, Anlek swaggering behind him.

“Well, that went well,” I muttered, still eyeing the purse in my hands. I turned to Amber. “Why did you encourage him?”

“Anlek? It will give him something to do to keep him out of our hair. Did you get the same feeling about him and his trade deal that I did?”

I grimaced. “Someone swindled him, and Venik is stuck childminding. If there is really an Aetamian mine, I’ll eat my tools.”

“Only with Tabasco. He’s not going to want us to solve the miners’ problem, you know. He’ll think he’s losing out on a fortune.” She rolled her eyes. “Best to keep him busy. Let me see.” Moving fast, Amber snatched the purse from me, the coins inside weighing down her hands. We didn’t know much about Anlek’s competence, but one thing was for sure—he wasn’t stingy. “We have money, and we have time. You know what that means, don’t you?”

“What?”

“It means we’re going shopping.”

“I suppose we should check out the market.” I gave her a nod and a smile. She merely blinked, clearly not expecting my reaction. I figured she was half-expecting for me to fight her on this. Except, instead of arguing and protesting, I led the way out of the restaurant and into the market. “Just promise me you’ll stay quiet. The first time you get too loud and offend a Lukadian, I’m taking you right back to Rover.”

“Yes, Dad.” She rolled her eyes at me, but I noticed a smile tugging at her lips. I snuck a glance at her, and a pleasant warmth spread across my chest as I saw that look of wonder and fascination on her face. She was taking in her surroundings like a child excited to be let out of the house. Of course, I was doing the exact same thing. Lukadia was a true wonder, and it was worth soaking it all in.

Even though the Lukadians were as quiet as I had heard, there was a kind of frenetic pace to the marketplace. The vendors didn’t shout, but they gesticulated with fast movements, their arms moving like windmills as they pointed at their wares.

There were hundreds of tents and wooden stalls, the paths between them narrow and cramped. Still, we pushed through without bumping against anyone, almost as if the Lukadians had been trained to navigate through crowds since birth.

Surprisingly, there were more than just Lukadians here. I saw a couple of Aetamian merchants haggling with a vendor and at the next stall were a couple of rough D’Tali trying to buy swords. Of course, there were also other men from different races around, but not ones I was familiar with.

“People come here from a lot of different cities and states,” I explained to Amber, noticing her puzzlement. “The Lukadian market is pretty well known.”

“Do you really think we’ll be able to make a deal here?” she asked me, eyeing the two D’Tali I had noticed before. The merchant was explaining that the swords he had available had risen in price, and that the ore shortage was to blame. I looked around and realized that every three stalls or so, a merchant was going through the same motions, explaining the ore shortage to some unaware customer.

Much like Venik had explained, the shortage wasn’t the only thing the Lukadians worried about. Here and there, I noticed old women in rags trying to buy ointments and medicinal herbs. They talked in hushed tones about their husbands, who had fallen ill to that strange illness that was ravaging the Lukadian workforce.

For all the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, there was also a permeating undercurrent of anxiety. Even though this was my first time here, I could tell that wasn’t normal.

“We’ll have to try.” I shrugged. “Isabella is counting on us to get this done, so one way or the other, we’re going to get it done.”

“Well, at least you’re confident.” Amber rolled her shoulders back and sucked in a deep breath, taking in the frantic atmosphere. “Now, let’s focus on what really matters here.”

“And what’s that?”

“Shopping!”

AMBER

I didn’t even know where to look.

There were too many tents and stalls for us to visit, and the merchants tugged at my sleeves mercilessly, doing their best to catch my attention. I felt like a kid in a candy store, hopping from place to place while being drawn to the next shiny object I laid my eyes on.

Torvok didn’t seem to mind.

I initially thought he’d follow after me with a frown, eager to get back to Rover’s quiet, but it actually seemed like he was having fun. Instead of behaving like the stereotypical trapped-inside-a-shopping-mall husband, he behaved like someone who knew how to have fun and let his hair down.

Not that he had any hair, mind you.

“What the hell are those?” I asked, pointing at a stall’s counter. It was littered with wooden skewers, each one carrying at least a dozen pieces of meat. They smelled amazing, so much that my stomach was already growling. When was the last time I had eaten?

“We’re about to find out,” Torvok said, grabbing a copper coin from inside the purse and flicking it at the merchant. Once I had my skewer, I bit into the block of meat at the top, its juices dripping down my chin. I let out a pleased moan and closed my eyes, enjoying the taste as it coated my tongue.

“Holy shit,” I said, my mouth still full, “this tastes amazing.”

“Burrow-lizards,” Torvok said. “That’s what the guy told me it is. They don’t come near the surface, and the miners snag them so they can earn some extra coin.”

“Neat. This is my first burrow-lizard.”

We spent the next half an hour walking through the maze-like market, pointing at all the different fabrics, foods, and parts the Lukadians had on display. Everywhere I looked, it seemed like there was an explosion of color. There was just so much to see.

“Would you look at that?” I exclaimed, only remembering to lower my voice once Torvok shot me a glance. I pointed at a massive stall, its three counters littered with metallic parts and gears. A sign announced an imminent price-hike, but it seemed like the prices were already too high for most people—the burly merchant sitting behind the counters was busy trimming his nails, not a single customer in sight.

I hurried up to the stall, curiously grabbing a few parts and holding them up. There were a lot of gears here, but most of them were primitive. It seemed like the Lukadians were more advanced tech-wise than the D’Tali were before we crash-landed on the planet, but they still had a long way to go. It wasn’t like they could catch up to the D’Tali anyway—Tahkath had gone from being a small, medieval-like kingdom to a powerful state with tech far beyond what anyone on this planet could even begin to imagine. I mean, we had a freaking spaceship.

“It looks like they use most of these for pulley systems,” Torvok said, grabbing a small cylindrical part. “Makes sense. Even though the Lukadians are natural at digging, they had to develop some kind of tech to assist them.”

“How deep have they dug into the earth?” I asked.

Torvok shrugged. “No idea. They’re not exactly secretive, but they don’t like sharing, either. It makes sense—after all, Lukadia needs mining to survive, and they don’t want to give their competitors an edge.” He paused slightly and smiled. “But if you wanna know what the rumors say, the Lukadians have apparently dug so deep that they’ve run out of soil. Some say they use special scaffolds in order not to fall off into the skies below.”

“Man, those rumors are wild,” I said, remembering just how far behind everyone on this planet still was when it came to basic science. Apparently, some people believed the Lukadian miners would be able to dig their way into outer space, with nothing but a set of scaffolds to protect them. Maybe now, with an actual spaceship on the planet, the D’Tali could shatter some of those old notions.

We spent the following two hours exploring more of the labyrinthine market, so much so that we only realized the passage of time when the orange glow of a setting sun spilled over us. By then, we were already carrying an insane number of bags, making us look like beasts of burden.

Slowly, my legs already feeling sore, I followed Torvok toward the place where we had left our numa. We loaded them up with the bags and made the short ride toward Rover. When we got there, there was still a crowd of surprised onlookers surrounding it, but most of them were now young children, fascinated with the hovering metallic beast which had brought us here.

Reaching inside one of his bags, Torvok threw a handful of candy at them. They were small squares of some fudge-like paste but, even though they weren’t as tasty as a Reese’s chocolate, the kids seemed to love it. They grabbed the candy in mid-air, cheering and clapping their hands as they shoved it into their mouths.

“That was sweet of you,” I told him. When he looked back at me, my heart skipped a beat. It was insane, but only now did I realize we hadn’t argued a single time while we were exploring the market. Instead, we had just clicked, like two matching pieces of a puzzle.

“Took you long enough,” I heard someone say, and I narrowed my eyes to see our two D’Tali companions sitting under Rover’s shade. They were playing with a set of wooden pieces; a D’Tali board game I had seen being used around the palace.

“Don’t worry,” Torvok said, grabbing the leather purse and taking a few coins from the inside. He threw them into the air, and one of the D’Tali men grabbed them. “The market is just as good during the night as it is during the day. Live a little. Have some fun.”

The two men exchanged a glance and, before Torvok could get a word in, they grabbed their own numa and set off toward Lukadia.

“Well, they sure were excited to have the night off,” I said with a laugh, helping Torvok lead the numa inside Rover. Surprisingly, the creatures didn’t protest. After a long day in the sun, they were probably looking forward to having some undisturbed rest. Truth be told, I wanted the exact same thing.

Once the numa were tucked away, I unloaded the bags and set them aside. We had brought some food and trinkets for our companions, but they had been in such a hurry to leave that they hadn’t even noticed it. Stretching my back, I started ambling toward the cabin, and that’s when I became painfully aware of Torvok. He was trailing after me, his footsteps heavy and loud.

“Tired?” he asked once he noticed me looking.

My heart tightened inside my chest. Again. Even though we had decided we’d pretend nothing had happened between us, I was having a hard time doing so. How the hell could I forget about that kiss? And the way he had manhandled me inside the cabin… God, how the hell was I supposed to rein in those thoughts?

“Yeah,” I replied, abruptly freezing so I could turn to face him.

He crashed against me, my head sinking into his powerful chest. I stepped back, almost tripping, but Torvok grabbed my waist, his long fingers burying themselves into my flesh. That tightness in my chest turned into an explosion.

“Caught you,” he said, his eyes locked on mine.

“Thank you,” I muttered, struggling to push the words out. My heart hammered so hard I couldn’t even hear my own thoughts. How the hell was this even happening? Sure, I had snuck a glance or two at his body while we checked out the market, but this… well, this was something else entirely.

I felt like I was desire made flesh.

“You’re welcome,” Torvok said, unmoving. He looked into my eyes, as still as a marble statue—one with perfectly chiseled muscles and a jawline that could slice me in half.

Then again, I couldn’t look away either.

This is happening, I thought. No turning back now.

TORVOK

My body wasn’t responding, my brain mush. The more I looked into Amber’s eyes, the faster my heart beat. I felt that magnetic pull once more, an invisible string drawing us toward each other.

I wanted her.

I wanted her more than anything.

This time, I didn’t try to negotiate with myself. I gave in, surrendering all my rationality and self-control to the wild urges overtaking my mind. So I stepped forward and laid my hands on her hips again, hesitancy vanquished, allowing all of my lust and desire to bubble up to the surface.

I leaned in and kissed her.

The moment our lips touched, it was as if my heart burst. I no longer felt it inside my chest—had it stopped beating or was it beating way too fast? Whatever it was, I didn’t care. This time, I wouldn’t let anything stop me from having this woman; or, rather, from having my woman.

I kissed her deeply, allowing my tongue to dance around hers, then withdrew one hand from her waist. Fumbling around in the dark, I pressed the button that unlocked the cabin and we stumbled inside, tearing at each other like hungry predators. Her delicate fingers were all over my chest, feeling every groove and ridge between my abs. She pulled my shirt over my head.

“Holy shit,” she muttered, taking a step back just so she could take a look at my naked chest. “You look…” she trailed off, seeming at a loss for words. That wasn’t a problem. After all, this wasn’t the time for speech—this was the time for action.

“As do you,” I whispered, my eyes wandering down her hourglass figure. From the curve of her hips, to the breasts stretching the fabric of her shirt, I drank it all in. Soon enough, all of my boiling blood rushed down to between my legs, making me as hard as I had ever been in my entire life. “Amber, I want you.” One slight pause, then the truth. “I need you.”

“I’m right here,” she said.

That was all I needed to hear. I placed one hand on the nape of her neck and, threading my fingers into her hair, forced her to tip her head back. She let out a small moan and, without a moment’s hesitation, I started peppering her neck with slow, teasing kisses.

My hands wandered from her waist to her backside. I groaned as my cock throbbed in an almost vicious manner. It was one thing to see the perfection of Amber’s body, but to actually touch her was almost impossible to describe. Of course, I wanted to use more than my hands to explore her perfect body.

Growling, I pulled her shirt over her head to reveal her bra. I quickly released the front clasp with a flick of my fingers. The cups slid to the side, her rosy nipples jumping into sight, and it was almost a miracle I didn’t come right then and there.

My mouth went down from her neck to the valley between her breasts and, just a second later, my tongue was dancing around her right nipple. Slowly, I sucked it into my mouth and wrapped my lips around it, my tongue now lashing against it like a whip.

“So good,” Amber breathed out, her husky voice filling the entirety of the cabin. “So fucking good.”

“It’s going to get better,” I said, quickly spinning around and pushing her into the lower bunk. The moment she was on top of the mattress, I dove after her, breathing so rapidly it was almost a miracle my lungs hadn’t burst yet.

Without even thinking about what I was doing, I unbuckled her belt and pulled it free from its loops. Amber lifted her ass up from the bed and I pushed her pants down her legs. Once she was sitting there, nothing but her black thong covering her, something inside me snapped. All my hesitancy, all my doubts… it was as if I had never experienced any of it in the first place.

This felt right.

This was right.

I pushed her knees apart, my eyes set on the drenched fabric of her underwear. I leaned in and laid a kiss on her knee. Slowly, I moved my lips further up, the warmth of her skin driving me completely crazy. When I finally reached her inner thighs, I truly felt like I was about to lose all of my sanity.

Pressing my lips together, I hooked my fingers in her thong’s elastic band and started pushing it down. The fabric slid down her legs easily, and my heart did a somersault inside my chest once I finally saw her naked wetness. Amber was even more perfect than I had imagined, every detail of her body designed with beauty as its purpose.

And, more than just that, she looked absolutely delicious.

Draping one arm over her waist, I pinned her against the mattress as I finally dove in. I traced the contour of her inner lips with the tip of my tongue and kept on going up until I found a small bud. One stroke of my tongue there, and Amber arched her back, a quivering moan escaping from between her lips. The anatomy of a female human was still a mystery to me, but I was proud of how quickly I was figuring it out.

Knowing that I was on the right path, I wrapped my lips around that sensitive bud of hers and sucked it into my mouth. Then, I unleashed the sweetest of punishments upon it, lashing it with my tongue.

“Holy fuck,” Amber breathed out, her heels digging into the mattress as she arched her back so suddenly I was surprised her spine hadn’t snapped. Driven crazy by lust, she started swaying her hips from side to side, pressing her wetness against my mouth. Then, not content with that, she threw her legs over my shoulders and laced them behind my head, trapping me in place.

With nowhere else to go, I just focused on the task at hand, surrendering myself to her body. I closed my eyes and devoured her as if that was the last thing I would ever do, her sweet taste coating my tongue in the most wicked of manners.

I continued until her moans started getting louder and louder, her voice filling the entirety of the cabin. The sound filtered into my mind, coating every single thought I had with a thick layer of lust and mind-numbing ecstasy.

Eager for more, I ran my tongue back down, pushing it past her inner lips. The warmth of her aching pussy was almost too much, and I simply couldn’t resist. Pulling back from her, I slipped two fingers past her entrance and started massaging her inner walls. They were incredibly tight, and I wanted her even more.

I started moving my fingers in an unbridled manner, my wrist travelling in a pendulum motion as I returned my tongue to her sensitive bud.

“Don’t stop,” she said, her words half-scream, half-moan. “Don’t stop!”

I didn’t.

Instead, I redoubled my efforts, giving her my all. Soon enough, her inner walls tightened even more around my fingers, and I felt her entire body tensing up. There was a split second where everything hung in the balance, then she started trembling as if having a seizure.

It was incredible.

To know that I was at the root of her pleasure, to see her in such a state... was almost too much for me. I eased my pace, but I only stopped devouring her once her whole body went limp, her back sinking into the mattress.

She didn’t say a word.

She just lay sprawled on the bed, looking up at the ceiling with a dazed expression. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her cheeks flushed, wild locks of hair plastered to her face. I didn’t know how it was possible but, in that moment, she looked even more beautiful than ever.

Not wanting to ruin the moment, I just lay down next to her.

For the first time in my life, I felt happy.

Truly happy.

AMBER

I heard the D’Tali get up, and I went about my business getting breakfast ready, completely ignoring what had happened the night before.

It was nothing. He can’t be your mate. There’s no way a guy so subdued would be a match for you. But Amber, you know last night was amazing. Why are you denying it?

The thought of him, his head between my legs, the fire that spread from my lower stomach to the rest of my body…

Focus! You’re going to burn breakfast if you keep daydreaming like that.

I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs—and the orgasms—away and went about fixing breakfast.

I couldn't believe that I had actually slept with him. Well, I almost slept with him, the D’Tali who called me wild, called me loud. I couldn’t believe that I had spent the night with him.

And he made the night memorable. One of the best nights of your life.

The best night of your life.

I hated the truth my brain was forcing me to look at, and I busied myself with the food.

Torvok made his way into the galley, and I simply refused to look at him. He came and sat down at the table, keeping quiet, just like always.

I was the talker, not Torvok. And he was obviously waiting for me to say the first word.

For once in my life, I didn’t want to speak.

Say something. The longer you wait, the more awkward this is going to be.

Nothing came to mind. I kept my back towards him, trying to hide the rising blush on my cheeks, hoping that he didn’t hear how hard my heart pounded. It was getting awkward, and the silence grew steadily more and more uncomfortable as I refused to look at him.

Okay, Amber. I need you to snap out of it. And you’re going to say something to him, even just ‘Hello’. The first step is always the hardest.

I turned to face him and looked at the warm smile he gave me.

The blush worsened, and I could feel the heat radiating off my cheeks. I couldn’t meet his eyes. I looked past him as he stared at me expectantly as I searched for words.

Thankfully, we were spared any more awkward moments by Gorvo poking his head into the galley.

“There's a guy outside the ship,” he said, looking first at Torvok, then towards me. “He just arrived, came on a numa.”

“Who is it?” we asked him at the same time, and I blushed and looked away.

Pull it together, Amber. He’s the same D’Tali as yesterday.

But he wasn’t the same. The connection I’d felt towards him during our night was more than anything else I’d ever experienced. Even now, my heart was drawn towards him. I’d known when he got out of bed, I’d known when he’d made his way down to the galley. There was something in my soul attached to him.

Focus.

“Venik,” Gorvo said, not meeting my eye. Of course, he knew what had happened last night. My blush deepened, and I had to look anywhere but at Torvok.

“Send him up,” Torvok said, avoiding my gaze the same way.

If Gorvo had questions, he thankfully didn't ask any of them. I probably would have punched him if he pressed me for information right now.

Pull it together, Amber. It was just a little foreplay; it wasn't anything big. Pull it together, figure this shit out here, and get back home. Then you can talk to Isabella and Sofia, then you can figure out what’s going on.

“So,” Torvok said, blessedly breaking the silence as he stared at me. “What are we going to trade with him?”

“Well, we need metal. Sofia gave us quite a bit of trade goods, but I don’t think we should show him everything we brought yet,” I rambled. I was a little embarrassed by how jumbled the words came out, but Torvok let me finish without interrupting. “We can show him the numa eggs. Theirs didn't look like they were fast.”

“That sounds like a great idea,” Torvok said, looking at my face. I wanted to say something, to ask him what he thought about all this.

To ask him if he felt the calling, the internal draw, the same way I did.

But for once in my life, I couldn’t find the words. So, I simply stared at him. At the rippling muscles, the scaled yet surprisingly soft skin. The steady eyes.

And my heart thundered in my chest.

I forced a smile, inwardly so confused. It wasn't like this was my first time with a guy, so why the hell was I acting like it? Even Torvok seemed to figure out that I wasn't in the talking mood. We were spared any more awkward conversation by Gorvo giving a half-hearted knock on the doorframe and leading Venik into the galley.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Gorvo said, seemingly glad to be rid of us and whatever was going on between us.

You’re just reading into it. It’s not that bad—

“Morning,” Venik said with a warm smile. “Hope I'm not interrupting anything…”

How the hell did Venik pick up on the vibes, too? Pull it together, Amber. Or all the Lukadians are going to know you got how close to getting laid just by the look of you.

“Nothing at all,” Torvok said. “Here, have a seat.” He gestured to the chair beside him, and I sat down across from them.

“Impressive land ship. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“I named it Rover.”

“Rover… it felt like walking into the jaws of a great beast, coming aboard.”

“It was a real experience the first time I came aboard, too,” Torvok said. “Anlek isn’t with you?”

“No. I… left him behind.”

I almost snorted. He’d ditched his cousin. Anlek would be mad.

Torvok smiled a little. “Right. Let’s get down to business.”

Business. It was time to talk business.

I liked talking business.

“My grandparents said they would meet with you, but it won't be for a couple of days,” Venik said with a proud smile.

“Maybe we can figure out this metal shortage before that, so we don’t need a meeting at all,” Torvok said, always directly to the point.

“Good work,” I said, interrupting whatever Torvok was going to say. Venik preened at the compliment, and I knew I had to keep them coming. “So, a couple of days?”

“Yeah. My grandmother wants me to get a glimpse of what type of goods you guys are offering in exchange for metal. Just to be sure you’re as serious as you say,” Venik said with a smile, but I knew he didn’t trust us. Not yet. “My grandmother wants to make sure that you guys really have goods to trade before we get into trade talks.”

I nodded and gestured to the door at the back of the galley.

“Let’s take a look around,” I said to him. “You're not going to get any of it until we get metal, though.”

Torvok caught my eye and gave me a sharp nod, clearly telling me that he approved of how this conversation was going so far.

“If you’ll follow me,” Torvok asked. Venik and I rose and followed Torvok to the cargo bay. Torvok walked over to the crate. There, he lifted the lid to see multiple numa eggs settled in hay.

“Are those D’Tali numa eggs?” Venik stared at them hungrily, obviously wanting to touch them but stopping himself. I could see the calculations in his head as he tried to decide exactly how rich he’d be getting if this trade worked out.

“Yep, the D’Tali breed,” Torvok said proudly. “Faster than any other breed, that's for sure.”

“Wow,” Venik said, giving a low, impressed whistle. “How do you keep them warm enough?”

I pointed to a display on the crate. “These crates are temperature controlled.”

“Temperature controlled? I didn’t even know D’Tali had that kind of technology.” Venik’s eyes grew even wider.

“The human women have influenced D’Tali greatly,” Torvok said. “But this is our own design. Composting numa waste layered with sawdust keeps the temperature steady.”

“This crate alone will get you a lot of metal. Except we don't have any to give you.”

“Why is that?” I asked, before Torvok could get a word in. “I don't understand why you guys are so short, even if your miners are getting sick?”

Torvok shot me a warning glance, obviously wanting me to hold my tongue. But I couldn't, I had questions, and I wanted answers. Something wasn’t adding up. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. And I wanted to figure it out.

“Like I said, the miners are getting sick. We can’t fix them, and nobody knows what's wrong with them. Even my grandmother, the seer, doesn’t know what’s wrong.”

I looked at Torvok, and he gave a little nod, clearly knowing where I was going to go next.

Sure, now he's on board.

“Well, maybe we should go check them out. When did you say your grandparents would meet with us?”

“Tomorrow at the earliest, you're not the only one who didn't get their metal shipment.” Venik closed the crate and turned to stare at us. “I could take you to see some miners, if you would like. Again, if you promise me that I can be your official Trade Liaison.”

“Sure,” I said with a smile. “We'll take our numa. We need to get them out of the corral, anyway. Let them stretch their legs out.”

“And it might be simpler if we don’t tell my cousin, if you happen to see him again. This story of his about an Aetamian mine is starting to complicate matters.”

I shrugged. “Sure. Maybe you could load up the medical equipment?” I asked Torvok. “We can probably use it, see what's going on with these miners. It's not like we have anything else to do today.”

“There really isn't much we can do for them; our best healers don’t understand what’s going on. But you can try, if you’d like,” Venik said.

“So, it's settled,” I said with a big smile. “We'll go see the miners, see if there's anything we can do to help. Maybe we can fix them so that—”

Torvok’s look stopped me from continuing. He always wanted me to be quiet, always wanted me to watch what I said around people. That didn't make any sense to me, but I needed to listen to him. Once in a while.

I couldn't be Torvok’s mate. I couldn't be. He wanted to squash my energy, my exuberance for life. He wanted me to be subdued, but I was a completely opposite personality.

“That's settled, then,” Venik said with a smile, ignoring the look that Torvok was giving me. “Get your numa loaded up, and I'll wait for you outside.”

He left the room, and I looked at Torvok, who gave me a warm smile.

“Well, let’s go see if we can help,” Torvok said. He followed Venik, leaving me alone.

And just as confused as when I’d gotten up this morning.

TORVOK

Something was wrong with me.

As we rode through the outdoor market, Amber kept getting distracted by goods she hadn’t seen yesterday. And, so help me, I found it cute. Endearing, even.

I’d spent one night with this female, and all of a sudden, the pull I felt towards her turned to infatuation. It was frankly ridiculous. I’d been appointed Trade Ambassador to the Lukadians, and I could not let Isabella down.

“Focus, Amber,” I whispered in her ear, pulling my numa alongside hers. “The sooner we see the miners, the sooner we can begin solving the supply issue.”

Amber sat up from where she’d been leaning over her mount’s neck, inspecting a stall of timekeeping devices. Her blonde hair swayed across her jawline, and her emerald eyes flashed.

“I know that,” she said, not bothering to whisper. “I’m not going to get off my numa and start buying more stuff. I just want to look. Come on, Torvok.”

I sighed. Despite what we’d shared the night before, Amber still seemed defensive toward me. I had to keep her impulses in check, though, even if I didn’t want to. This mission was too important.

“Everything alright back there?” Venik twisted over his shoulder to look at us.

“Fine!” I called back. “Lady Amber and I are simply conferring.”

“Why do you insist on calling me lady?” Amber laughed. “One, you totally don’t think of me as a lady. And two, you weren’t calling me that last night.”

I felt my face heat. I couldn’t afford to let memories of what happened flood my mind. Amber’s smooth skin, her honeyed taste, the way she bucked and moaned when my lips were on her… I coughed and adjusted myself in my seat.

“We’ll go on foot from here,” announced Venik, dismounting ahead of us.

“Why?” asked Amber, spurring her numa forward to join him. “I see Lukadian numa going through that entrance.”

“We breed ours to tolerate being underground, and the ensuing dim conditions,” explained Venik. “Yours, while far faster and larger than ours, will not like descending into the mine.”

Sure enough, my numa was sidling, nervous in the shadow of the cliff behind the market. I got off, and a Lukadian stepped up, holding his hand out for the reins.

“Will our mounts be safe here?” I eyed the stable area with skepticism.

“They will, Sir D’Tali,” said the new Lukadian, bowing deeply. “We have cared for the steeds of foreigners before, those who have received the honor of an audience with our Council.”

“It’ll be fine, Torvok,” said Amber. “Let’s go!”

She vaulted off her numa. Gathering the straps of her pack of medical gear onto her shoulders, she went to stand next to Venik, tapping her foot. This was less endearing, and I felt some of my old exasperation rising. Nonetheless, I handed my reins to the stable hand.

As we followed Venik into Lukadia Mine, my annoyance melted away, replaced by amazement. The city began in a massive open cavern, arched high above us. I’d seen its shape from the market, but now I could see the details. Chambers were carved out from the walls, stacking on top of each other far beyond our heads. I counted at least seven levels of habitations and shops sunk into the rock.

“Look at those catwalks,” breathed Amber, indicating the long bridges crisscrossing the air. A few sloped, connecting one level to the next, while others ran straight across, joining two sides of the cavern.

“This is incredible,” I told Venik, who was watching us take in his city. Pride shone on his face.

“We haven’t even reached the lower levels,” he said, striding ahead. “Just wait.”

Amber seemed to have lost her words as she twisted around, taking in as much of our surroundings as possible. I paused to scan one of the giant directory maps that were hung everywhere. I couldn’t make sense of it, though. The scale and twisting streets were overwhelming.

“I'm really glad we have a guide.” Amber grabbed my arm and pulled me along with her before we lost Venik.

“Indeed,” I said, fervently. “I could wander around here forever and never find a way out.”

That only became truer as we descended further into the warren of Lukadia Mine. We followed curving paths that turned so many times, I would be hard pressed to trace my steps back to the surface. The natural light which filtered into the cavern faded, making it even harder to get my bearings.

“Hey, Venik, do you have a light?” asked Amber, frowning as she patted her belt. “I must have left mine back at Rover, like a dummy.”

“We won’t need one,” said Venik, the barest hint of amusement in his voice.

“Uh, I’m sure your dark vision is great, but for Torvok and me …”

Amber trailed off. I blinked, wondering if we were seeing the same thing. Was it some fluke of my eyes adjusting to the dim tunnel, or was Venik… glowing?

I began to be certain I wasn’t imagining things. As the last glimmer of sun disappeared, it was clear that our guide’s skin shone with a strange luminescence. My mouth dropping open, I put my hand out in front of me. Miraculously, Venik emitted enough light that I could still see it.

“Whoa, hold up. Venik, are you your own personal light show?!” Amber galloped a few steps down the tunnel to grab the Lukadian.

“Amber, keep your voice down,” I said, cringing.

“Sorry.” She gave a huge smile with her deliberate whisper.

“Not just me.” Venik smiled. His face and head were brighter than other areas. If I squinted, I could almost perceive a vague outline of his skull.

“All Lukadians glow?” Amber looked delighted.

“We do,” said Venik. “Our bones generate light.”

I nodded. That explained why Venik’s head shone more strongly. I noticed I could see his spine gleaming through the back of his shirt, and realized his hands were bright as well. Anywhere his bones were closer to his skin, the glow intensified.

“You’re your own light source.” Amber shook her head, incredulous. “That is so awesome.”

“Not only that…” We rounded a corner, and Venik flung out his arm.

Before us was a cave. Dim illumination was patterned across the ceiling and sprinkled down the walls. As Venik entered the cave, the gleaming whorls began to pulse. Their power grew until the small cave was as bright as early dawn.

“Beautiful.” Amber grabbed my hand, surprising me. I had the instinct to jerk away, but buried it. We were here as diplomats, but we could enjoy this wonder together for a moment.

“Vap,” explained Venik. “It is a fungus that grows underground here. It grows when exposed to our light, and, in turn, it is a staple food source for us.”

He plucked a knot of vap off the wall and held it out to us. It was made up of a dozen tiny circular caps, on top of shorter but slender stems. I eyed it, not wanting to offend, but not much wanting to put it in my mouth.

Amber, on the other hand, had no such compunctions.

“Mmm,” she said, stuffing the vap into her mouth. “Tastes like potatoes.”

“What are potatoes?” asked Venik, more out of politeness than interest, I thought.

“Ah, a food back on my homeworld,” said Amber. “It’s a root vegetable though, not a fungus. Damn, Venik, I’ve never seen anything like this!” In her enthusiasm, Amber’s voice was getting dangerously loud.

“Amber, we’re underground,” I reminded her. “We have to keep our volume low.”

She rolled her eyes but said nothing else. With a dip of his head, Venik continued forward, and we followed the banked fire under his skin deeper into the mine.

“Here is one of our sick bays,” said Venik, eventually. He indicated a depression in the tunnel wall that I realized was a door. “Some of the afflicted miners lie beyond.”

Amber darted inside, and I heard her gasp. Going into the chamber myself, I saw what had prompted her reaction. The miners were all shockingly thin, their scaled skin hanging on their bones. They looked like glowing skeletons and were so weak they could barely raise their heads at Amber’s entrance.

“These guys are in bad shape,” Amber said quietly in my ear, more subdued than I’d ever heard her.

“I informed them you were coming,” said Venik. “They are prepared for more tests.”

“Hi,” Amber said, crouching down next to the nearest miner on his cot. “I’m Amber. I’m here to try to help.”

“Luck with you in that, Lady,” whispered the miner, the words mere ghosts from his lips.

“I’m going to examine you with this, okay?” Amber held up the octagonal scanner from the portable medical unit she’d insisted on bringing. “And take a drop of your blood, is that all right?”

“Yes,” agreed the miner, almost too faint to hear.

Amber went into action, poking a series of buttons on the scanner. It lit up and began to hum. A small chamber flipped open, with the tiniest vial I’d ever seen lying in it. Amber pressed the mouth of the vial to the miner’s wrist, and a single drop of dark blood welled into it. She replaced the sample in the device, which swallowed it back.

Amber placed the scanner on the miner’s chest, and thin lines of blue light began to run up and down his entire body. We all waited. Pale blue bars began to stack on top of each other on the surface of the scanner. Amber dug through her pack and produced a small square screen.

“Instruction manual,” she told me, catching me watching her. “So I can decipher the results.”

The scanner chirped, eight full bars blinking. A dizzying display of colors and symbols cascaded across the console. Amber tapped at her instruction manual, her motions swift. My heart sped up as I wondered if all of this would be for naught. Then, Amber looked up.

“They’ve been poisoned,” she said, her tone grim. “There’s a life-threatening amount of heavy metals in his system.”

“Poisoned?” Venik sounded scandalized. Even the miner struggled to raise his head in confusion. “How can that be?”

Amber shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Ask the seer,” croaked the miner. “She could not help before, but… with this new… knowledge, maybe…” he trailed off, sweat beading on his brow from the exertion of speaking.

“He’s right,” I said, placing my hand on Amber’s shoulder. “Venik, we need to make that audience with your grandparents happen. Now.”

AMBER

Venik wasted no time. He might have been in this for profit at the beginning, but when offered a true opportunity to help his sick brethren, his approach changed. Gone was his more formal and ingratiating side. Instead, he became efficient and determined.

“We will have to convince the Council to see us right away,” he warned, as he led us even deeper into the mine. “The time of your audience had not yet been appointed. What we’re doing, going directly to their doors… well. It’s unprecedented.”

“We have a really good reason,” I said. “Really, really good.”

“That is why I’m taking you,” said Venik with a faint smile. The expression was a little spooky on his luminescent face. “I would not risk my grandparents’ wrath for a mere trade agreement.”

“But they’re your grandparents,” I objected. “Don’t they like, talk about how much they love you and give you presents on holidays?”

Venik let out a soft bark of a laugh as he strode in front of us.

“I am one of many, many grandchildren. Moreover, Lady Lanah and Kradoc Kravom are busy caring for our entire nation. For them to take notice of me, I must distinguish myself.”

“Wow, that’s nuts.” I shook my head. “Where I’m from, grandparents spoil their grandkids. Shower them with attention and affection, that kind of thing.”

“I would not take my Revered Grandmother’s attention away from the concerns of the kingdom.” Venik shook his head. “Women are rare enough in Lukadia, and Lady Lanah is the only one in centuries to have borne three daughters. She is venerated, and very wise. That wisdom must be shared with all.”

“It’s the same as in Tahkath, Amber,” murmured Torvok. “D’Tali women are sacred.”

“I know, I know.” Even as I brushed Torvok off, something was coalescing in my brain. “Wait. Is that why you call me and Isabella lady all the time? I thought you were just being formal and weird!”

I heard Venik chuckle at my words. Torvok simply sighed and nodded. I decided to change the subject.

“How do you know your way around in here?” I asked Venik. “It’s a freaking labyrinth. I’d never find my way back to the surface.”

“I grew up here.” The Lukadian shrugged. “I didn’t learn these corridors all at once. My ability to navigate is the product of years of exploration. Now the knowledge is second nature.”

“Lucky for us, I guess,” I mumbled. “Do you have a favorite part of this underground place?”

“We’re about to go through one of the most impressive parts,” replied Venik. “Not my favorite per se, but the one I most often wish to be able to show visitors.”

“Ooooh.” I bounced a little. I had the strange urge to grab Torvok’s hand, share the anticipation with him.

WE TRAVELLED along in silence for a few moments, until we came to a flight of stairs carved into the solid rock. From what I’d seen, such a precipitous descent was unusual in Lukadia Mine. They seemed to favor gradual slopes around here.

“Watch your step,” cautioned Venik. He ushered me forward first.

I gripped the metal handrail, just in case, and began to go down. The stairs were even and not terribly steep. I started to wonder what Venik’s concern was.

Then, it became apparent that the stairs led down into an opening. I couldn’t quite make out what lay beyond. I noticed the temperature rising, and a reddish glow in front of me, very unlike the cool illumination of the Lukadian’s skin.

“Holy shit,” I breathed as I emerged into a massive cavern. The staircase beneath my feet hugged the wall to my right, like a fire escape. To my left though, the wall was gone, leaving an unobstructed view of… lava. Lava!

A huge river of molten rock ran below me. Bright rivulets curved off it, to culminate in round pools of red-orange lava. Hung over those pools were giant pots, dangling from chains drilled into the ceiling. From top to bottom, the cave must have been almost three times as high as Rover was long.

I stopped in amazement and heard Torvok grunt as he prevented himself from running into my back. Realizing his head was still too high to see all this, I took a few more steps. He followed, and I was gratified to hear him gasp.

“This is incredible.” I leaned out over the handrail, feeling gusts of hot air across my face. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Venik appeared a few steps above us, looking proud.

“This is our foundry,” he explained. “While we have other facilities, we do most of our smelting here.”

“Did those little pools occur naturally?” I stared at them. They were so evenly spaced and relatively uniform.

“Oh, no.” Venik descended a little further as he spoke, and I took the hint to keep walking. “Many, many centuries ago, when some of the earliest miners discovered this place, only the lava river existed. They saw the potential, though, and painstakingly chiseled first the basins, and later the channels to them from the river.”

“How ingenious.” Torvok sounded like he was in awe. “I am humbled to see the industry involved in producing the metal I shape into parts and tools.”

“Indeed,” agreed Venik. “Metal is not a raw substance, as many assume.”

“Yes, D’Tali does some of our own smelting, as you may know. We often get shipments of ore rather than metal. But our foundries are nothing compared to what you have here. This took great imagination.”

“No shit.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the lava. “Venik, I hope this was the impressive part you were telling us about. I don’t know what could possibly top it!”

“This is it.” Venik grinned, an unusual expression from him. “You’ll forgive me for wanting to brag a little on behalf of my people.”

“Brag away!”

I was so focused on filling my eyes with the marvel beneath us that I missed a step. I tripped, plunging towards a nasty tumble. I squeaked and threw up my hands.

An arm slid around my waist, catching me before I fell. Warm and strong, I felt myself pulled back, banded against Torvok’s powerful chest. He held me there, my heart racing, for a moment longer than he needed to.

“Venik told us to be careful,” he said, but his voice was gentle. “Please, Amber. I would not wish to watch you break all your bones.”

“Fair enough.” I tried to quip back, but it came out pretty weak. I was trembling. It wasn’t simply because of the false step, either.

Every time Torvok touches me, it’s like I’m in the middle of a supernova. I gathered myself, and kept descending, more carefully after that. But he’s made it pretty clear he doesn’t feel the same way. Although the way he touched me last night…

I shook my head, dispelling the unwelcome thoughts. I needed to focus on what was in front of me, and the audience with the Deep Council. Thinking about Torvok’s tongue—oh God—was not a good plan.

“Venik!” I blurted out, seizing on anything to distract me. “Why do they call your grandmother a seer?”

“She knows the truth of things,” answered Venik. “The past, the future, the present. She predicts events in the future, albeit only rarely. It’s more that Lady Lanah sees far more in what’s before her than anyone else could. When she looks at you, it’s like she looks directly into your soul.”

“Whoa.” I had an image of a gnarled old woman in a hooded cloak. “Cool.”

“Terrifying, actually,” said Venik, with a wry quirk of his eyebrow. “What you said earlier, about human grandparents showering their progeny with attention? I admire Lady Lanah more than any living Lukadian, but I would be frightened to have the power of her gaze turned upon me and only me for any amount of time.”

“Okay…” I started to feel nervous. Am I about to go in front of a Goddess or something? “Does she have visions?”

“She’s never said. It has been suggested that she simply possesses extraordinary insight, springing from her great age and wisdom. Yet…” Venik paused. “I myself believe my Revered Grandmother must have been touched by some divinity, to produce my mother and two more girl children besides.”

“Got it,” I said. “So, your grandmother might be a super powerful oracular being. I’m suddenly a lot more nervous about this audience than I expected to be.”

“Lady Lanah will respect your intuition,” reassured Venik. “After all, you are not only female, but from far beyond the stars.”

“Why doesn’t that make me feel better,” I muttered, but under my breath.

The staircase finally ended, and we were funneled into a long hallway. At its end, I saw four glowing Lukadians in armor standing on either side of an enormous set of iron doors. They must have been twenty feet tall, curving together at the top like they led into a cathedral.

I gulped.

“Hail!” Venik strode forward and bowed to each of the guards. “We are have come to meet with the Deep Council.”

“Lady Lanah was expecting you, Venik son of Avirta,” intoned one of the guards. A shiver ran down my spine. How could she have known we were coming?

Another guard clanged a bell set into the left door. After a few heartbeats, an answering bell rang out from the chamber within, muffled but discernible.

“You may enter the chambers of the Deep Council,” said the first guard.

Slow and ponderous, without anyone touching them, the colossal slabs of metal swung open.

TORVOK

My heart thudded in my chest. How had I, a blacksmith, ended up in the closely guarded seat of Lukadian government? Working on parts for a ship that traversed the stars had been strange enough. But this? I never thought my life would lead me to the heart of Lukadia Mine, where I was to present a case to the most venerable Lukadians alive.

“May I present Lord Torvok, D’Tali Trade Ambassador from the Kingdom of Tahkath, and his companion, Lady Amber?” Venik spoke louder than I’d ever heard him. Glancing up towards the ceiling, I saw it was well reinforced with beams and bracing. Of course. The Lukadians wouldn’t risk a cave-in upon their Council.

I bowed, and nudged Amber. She started to bow. Halfway through, she changed it to what looked like a curtsy, holding out a nonexistent skirt. I couldn’t blame her for being flustered—I felt equally strange.

“Welcome,” said a deep voice. “I am Kradoc Kravom, King of Lukadia.”

I looked up, and at last took in the room before me. After the doors to the chamber, I expected a space of imposing metal thrones and dim light. Instead, this place was almost… cozy. Six Lukadians, all of advanced age, rested in well-cushioned, upright armchairs. The two in the center sat on more opulent, throne-like seats, with higher backs than the others, dazzlingly golden embroidery, and many pillows.

Vap arched behind and around them, forming a half circle that cradled the Council’s dais. It had been artfully trimmed or manipulated into swirling patterns, pleasing to the eye. I was grateful for the fungus’s presence, as it cast enough light that the chamber appeared quite well lit.

“We are honored to be in your presence, Kradoc Kravom,” I said. “May blessings be upon your head, and upon all those who dwell in the kingdom of Lukadia.”

The Kradoc responded with a gracious incline of his head. He was tall despite his advanced years, with a once powerful frame. His glowing skin was darker than the others. In the light of the vap, I could almost discern it was a deep slate gray, with just a touch of blue.

“My Lady Queen and Seer informed us that you would be desirous of our counsel this day,” said the Kradoc, tilting his hand towards the Lukadian to his left, in the other sumptuous chair.

Lady Lanah was beautiful still, despite her bowed spine and wrinkled limbs. She regarded us with clear eyes set over high, arching cheekbones. She seemed simultaneously haughty and kind, tender and harsh. Overcome by her presence, I knelt.

“You may rise,” she said. I detected a hint of amusement in her firm musical voice, surprisingly for one so old.

“We give you leave to speak,” said the Kradoc. “Tell us what brings you to this Council, D’Tali Ambassador and companion.”

I breathed deep. I could do what I came to do. I was not trained in diplomacy, but I knew my manners were above reproach. I would remember that, and I would be brave.

“My venerated lord and ladies.” I nodded my head at each council member, just to be sure. “The Kingdom of Tahkath has heard that the miners of Lukadia have been struck by a strange and disastrous illness. We have come to help you solve this problem, as a diplomatic act of goodwill.”

“Bold of you.” Lady Lanah cocked her head. “Such an offer when we’ve just met. Bolder still when you begin without explaining the presence of your lady companion.” She pointed a slender finger at Amber. “I’ve never seen one like her before.”

Amber looked at me, her eyes like saucers. I gave her the barest nod, encouraging her to go ahead and speak. While I couldn’t be certain that what might come out of her mouth would be appropriate, for some reason I trusted her to help win over the seer.

“I’m Amber, your Maje—highne—uh… your ladyship,” she said. Flushing, she knelt, following my lead from earlier.

“From whence do you come?” asked Lady Lanah.

“I am a human, from a place called Earth.” Amber stayed on bended knees. “Earth is another world, far across the stars from this one. I don’t know if I will ever see it again, but… believe me when I say it was very beautiful.”

A wistful look came onto Amber’s face, heartbreaking and pure. I felt my heart clench.

“You see, I was kidnapped, with eleven other human women,” she continued, her voice low. “A cruel race called the Skarg took us from our homes with the intent to sell us into slavery.”

There was an intake of breath from the entire council. Like me, they found the concept of enslavement horrific, all the more so when it involved women, so sacred to us.

“Please rise so I may offer my sympathies, child.” Lady Lanah’s words rang with sorrow and compassion. “It is a terrible thing to be taken from your home.”

“It is, your ladyship,” agreed Amber, getting to her feet. “Yet my new sisters and I are very lucky. We have found a new home in the Kingdom of Tahkath.”

“I had heard that the new queen of Tahkath was one of these humans,” mused the Kradoc. “Is she then like you, Lady Amber?”

“She is.”

“My lords and ladies,” I said, seizing what I saw as an opening. “Lady Amber is not only here representing the humans, but as one who may be able to heal your afflicted miners. We came here today without a formal audience because she has learned the cause of this terrible illness.”

There was a buzz at that, the council members all whispering to each other.

“Is this true, Lady Amber?” Lady Lanah knit her brows together in a measuring look.

“Yes, your honorship,” said Amber. She bit her lip and forged ahead. “I came with equipment from the vessel that brought me to this world. It is advanced medical technology, and with it I was able to examine a few of the miners. I discovered that they are suffering from heavy metal poisoning.”

“Poisoning? By metal?” The Kradoc sounded incredulous. “How can that be? The Lukadians have been mining metal ore for more than a thousand years!”

“It is the result of ingesting certain kinds of metal, King Kravom, sir.” Amber stood with her shoulders back, tall and as still as I’d ever seen her. “Not iron, or copper, or silver. Most commonly, this poisoning is caused by lead, mercury, or arsenic.”

“We do not mine any of those.” A council member to the Kradoc’s right spoke up for the first time. “How can our workers be then exposed to them?”

“I don’t know yet,” said Amber, raw honesty in her voice. “All I can tell you is that I tested the miners’ blood, did a full scan of their bodies and found heavy metal in their systems.”

“What are the symptoms of this poisoning?” That was another council member, this time the one furthest to the Kradoc’s left.

“Weakness and fatigue, as well as digestive struggles to begin.” Amber addressed the council member directly. “With levels such as your miners have, neurological symptoms begin to present. Patients may be unusually irritable, suffer from memory loss, headaches, or even difficulty forming words. If left untreated… this poisoning may cause death.”

A pall fell over the chamber at Amber’s words.

“What you describe sounds very much like the illness afflicting our miners,” Lady Lanah said, nodding.

“What is the remedy you propose, then?” Kradoc Kravom looked grave.

“We do not yet have a cure.” I stepped forward, sensing that Amber needed a break. She’d done so well, and I could continue from where she’d stopped. “Amber and I first must identify the source of this poisoning, so no new victims contract the illness. Then, we must contact our medical expert back in Tahkath to inquire about healing this malady. We request your permission to do so.”

“This seems like falsehood to me,” said the most ancient Lukadian, a male at Lady Lanah’s left hand. “They have no proof. If our miners had consumed lead, they would know.”

“Ah, Qarvol, but would they?” countered the female to the Kradoc’s right. “Small amounts of metal can be found in many strange places.”

“Lasa speaks true,” said the rightmost council member. “But my revered father has a point that they have no proof. What if this is a ploy to gain trading advantages? We know every nation is in need of metal.”

“Or perhaps they seek to lure us into some kind of military alliance,” said the third female on the council, her voice wavering from age. “Gain our goodwill and use us as bargaining pieces in a war of their own making.”

“More likely that they want to learn our secrets for some future designs on our city,” croaked Qarvol. “They promise to help, yet what holds them to that? Once they have seen all that they wish to see of our land, they can vanish back to Tahkath.”

“Trade Ambassador Torvok, is Tahkath at war?” asked Lady Lasa.

“No, My Lady.” I bowed. “We have recently signed a treaty with our neighboring Kingdom of Aetam and hope to remain peaceful for centuries to come.”

“Will you do this healing freely?” The rightmost council member focused on us. “Do you require some costly token of our esteem before you embark on the search for a cure?”

“Absolutely not,” said Amber, before I could respond. “Our need for metal brought us here, yes, but no matter what, we cannot let your people languish if we can help. We only ask that you allow us to save them. Please.”

The simplicity and profound genuineness to Amber’s words struck the council, I could see that. But would it be enough?

As they went back to weighing the potential gains versus possible costs, I wasn’t sure if it would. Either way, though, it was out of our hands.

At that point, all we could do was wait.

AMBER

I wanted to speak, wanted to beg the seer to let us help. Something was poisoning their miners; something, or someone, was causing them to ingest heavy metal. The equipment told me, but I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten across how bad that could be for all of them.

The Lukadians needed us the same way we needed them. I knew that any error, any show of bravado, or lack of respect would dissolve any and all forward progress we’d made. I didn’t know why I was so passionate about this, but I was.

I knew we could make a real difference. I could save a lot of the miners, and I could do it with the equipment and the help of the translator bug. But I also understood why the Lukadians wouldn’t trust me.

After all, I was the only mammal with a brain larger than a nut that they’d ever seen.

Of course, they wouldn’t trust me.

Venik kept his eyes on me, warning me not to speak. His grandparents and the council were trying to make a decision. Interrupting them was not going to speed things up any.

The council were elders, and they often had to repeat themselves or lost their train of thought while speaking. Interrupting them was not conducive to receiving a quick decision.

Even I knew that, and I had no patient bone in my body.

Plus, I had to remind myself that I wasn't part of their people. I was a stranger, a species they had never seen before. Even though I was sure I could help, it wasn't up to me. It wasn't up to Torvok, either. It was up to the council in front of us.

The seer, Lanah, looked at us all, and I felt my bones melt as we locked eyes. She stared into my soul for what seemed like an hour, and I did everything in my power to keep the eye contact, even though I was sure I couldn’t have looked away if I’d wanted to.

“We have decided,” the seer said, finally breaking eye contact with me. I relaxed, feeling like I’d been for a fifteen-mile jog, and blinked a few times.

I needed a nap after going eye to eye with the Lukadian seer. And I knew I wasn’t going to get one. I waited for her to finish, still unsure if they would allow us to help.

“We will allow you to help. But you will be watched closely. We cannot tolerate any involvement in external politics. We don't care who you're at war with, or any war that is looming. We are pacifists, and we are committed to neutrality. We want to mine, it's what we're good at, and we want to be able to provide metal to everyone who asks for it.”

My heart was ready to burst with excitement. They were going to let us help! We were going to help the miners and the Lukadians and secure a steady supply of metal to the D’Tali.

Torvok caught my eye with a reassuring smile, then he nodded.

“We understand,” he said, sounding so lordly I could barely believe it was his voice. “We only seek to help, not to form any type of exclusive trading agreement.”

“Be sure that’s all you seek,” Lanah said gravely. “Any trickery won’t be tolerated.”

“We understand,” Torvok answered, bowing. “There is nothing more to this than what you see here. Just two of us trying to help.”

I nodded my agreement, not trusting myself to speak. I didn’t want to screw up the headway Torvok was making.

So, I decided to say nothing at all.

Which is considerable personal growth. Torvok, Sofia, and Isabella would be proud of you. “Grandson,” Lanah said, turning towards Venik. “You are responsible for these two outsiders. Whatever happens, good or bad, is on you.”

“I understand, Grandmother. Grandfather. Council.” Venik nodded to each as he said it, and the elders nodded back. Respect shown all around. Respect was earned among the Lukadians. And the elderly were the most respected of all.

“We're serious, Venik,” the king said severely. “If these two get into trouble, you will be punished for their actions. Think on this before you bring them anywhere. You must really trust them in order to show them our secrets.”

“Of course, Grandfather,” Venik said with a bow. “I understand that they are my responsibility.”

The seer nodded, agreeing as well. I kept my excitement to myself. Now was not the time. They had just decided to trust me and acting over exuberant and boisterous wasn't the way to instill confidence. I was learning all that from Torvok, and the lessons were coming in handy.

But I wouldn't tell him he was right.

Venik nodded and bowed again, with Torvok and I following suit.

There was a lot of bowing at a Lukadian council meeting.

“Go now,” the seer said. “It's time for our meal, and I won't have it delayed because of you and your silly reverence.” There was a glint in her eyes she said it, and I had to focus not to laugh.

We all stood and bowed one more time.

“Stop with the bowing and the chivalry,” Lanah said with a sly smile. “I’m hungry, and you’re all wasting time.”

I didn’t know if I should laugh, so I waited for Venik to take the lead before I did. He chuckled, so Torvok and I laughed as well. We’d turned to walk away when the king spoke again from behind us.

“I wasn't lying,” he said gravely as we turned. “Whatever happens with these two, it's on you. Make sure that we don't regret this.”

“You won't regret it, Grandfather. I promise you that.”

I understood what type of risk Venik was taking, and I couldn't help but be grateful for him. Yes, we were helping his people, but it would have been very easy for Venik to throw us under the bus. Even though he stood to make a lot of money from us, he was taking a big risk and putting his reputation on the line.

He would make a lot of money expanding the Lukadian-D’Tali trade network. He would also be demoted and shamed if Torvok and I did anything wrong.

It certainly seemed to add to the mounting pressure and anxiety I felt in my chest as we left the council chambers.

As we exited, a familiar face was waiting. Venik halted. “Cousin.”

Anlek strode forward with a huge smile on his face. “Did the audience go well, cousin?”

“We were given permission to help,” I said. “We’ll start as soon as possible.”

“That’s excellent news!” Anlek clapped his hands together. “I hope you don’t mind if I accompany you.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Venik interrupted. “We should keep our party small. Besides, I know you have important business to see to. Don’t let us keep you.”

“What could be more important than solving the mystery of our miners’ illness?” Anlek smiled again, though this time there was a hard glint in his eyes. “But, of course. We must first be concerned with the safety of our guests.” He paused. “Did they tell you there was some concern with the integrity of the support beams in the fourth quadrant? I assume that’s where you’ll be investigating first.”

Venik’s face creased in a scowl. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.” He turned to us. “I can’t in good conscience take you down until I know for myself it’s safe. There will be a slight delay.”

“My first concern is Lady Amber’s safety,” Torvok said, as Venik bowed and hustled away. “We’ll wait. Thank you for bringing us word, Anlek.”

Venik’s cousin nodded, waving a hand. “Of course. It’s the least I could do. And while we wait, maybe we could have a little chat, hmm?”

The little chat involved his Aetamian merchant and the new mine, of course. Torvok stepped in a few times when it was obvious my patience was wearing thin. I was conscious of the need to not blow my top, but Anlek made it difficult. Fortunately, after about fifteen minutes, he excused himself.

“My cousin will be a while,” Anlek said, “there are procedures the foremen have to follow when there are reports of structural instability. You should make yourselves comfortable.”

“That is an odious man,” I muttered after he left.

Torvok sighed. “It seems like we will have to wait.”

“The timing isn’t great,” I agreed. But there wasn’t anything we could do but wait for Venik to return with an all clear, I guessed.

It was probably only an hour or two before Venik returned, though it felt longer. “My cousin was misinformed,” he told us, voice tight. “I don’t suppose you know where Anlek went?”

Torvok shook his head.

Venik rubbed his forehead. “No matter. I guess there’s no harm in being cautious. But we're going to need to act quickly, especially if you folks want your metal. No one can go down in the mines, not anymore. Everyone's getting sick, and their replacements got sick. We have nothing going down or coming up, so if you want to fix it, you need to do it fast.”

I nodded, and Torvok looked at me, then nodded as well.

“Do we have all the equipment we need?” he asked me.

“I think so,” I replied, patting my pack. “The medical equipment should be able to find the source of the heavy metal poisoning. The translator bug definitely helps.” I said it confidently, even though my nerves were thrumming in my chest. I didn't want to screw this up, not for anybody. I couldn't lose that metal, and if we pissed off the Lukadians, then we could lose metal for good. I didn't want that to be my legacy, or the reason why I and the other human women couldn’t go home.

My nerves were threatening to overwhelm me.

Torvok seemed to notice, and he lay a hand gently on my forearm.

“I believe you can do this. Venik believes it, too. I won't let anything bad happen to you, Amber.” His voice drifted off as he spoke, staring into my eyes. “If anyone can figure out what's going on here, it's you. I believe in you.”

I blushed, and nodded, again lost for words. It was funny how he could do that to me, shut me up in the best possible way.

It was funny how much I was learning from this D’Tali.

“Well, I know it's heavy metal poisoning. So, we need to go to where the miners started getting sick,” I said nervously, kicking myself because I needed to exude confidence right now.

I knew what was riding on the success of me running this medical equipment. And it was hard to exude competence when I felt like crawling into a hole.

Venik seemed to understand that, and he clapped me on the back in a reassuring gesture.

“You've got this, Amber. I'll take you to the new area, the one where the miners were when they started getting sick. It’s going to be dangerous. There’s no fortification on those walls, and cave-ins happen often. We don't want to cause a cave-in or be stuck down there. It’s most certainly our death if that happens.” Venik said it like he was ordering food, nonchalant and with an easy shrug. Just chatting about being buried alive, as if that was a normal occurrence. “So, no loud noises, no dropping anything, no yelling. Follow me.”

He strode into the darkest of the steeply descending caverns, and I swallowed.

It was time to put up or shut up.

“I can carry that for you,” Torvok said, holding out his hands for the pack.

“You sure?”

He smiled gently at me, and I blushed.

“Of course, you’re sure,” I said, taking the pack off and handing it over. I was secretly happy for the decrease of weight on my back, knowing that it would help with my balance. Torvok took the pack and smiled as he shouldered it, clearly not even feeling the weight of it.

Which, considering he was a blacksmith, wasn’t a surprise.

He took my hand, and we picked our way towards the glowing Venik, who was waiting for us.

Waiting to take us into the darkness.

TORVOK

“It’s indicating… the vap?” Amber poked the scanner. She pulled the square instruction manual screen back out from her pocket and thumbed it. “Or no… maybe it’s saying there’s lead in the walls.”

“Lead?” Venik looked puzzled. “We don’t mine lead. This is a seam of iron deposits.”

“The scanner is saying there’s lead, though.” Amber squared her shoulders and held out the octagon. It buzzed louder as she neared the wall covered in vap. She turned the scanner, holding it in both hands and placing it flush against the wall. The same shimmering blue lines we’d seen on the miner’s body began flowing up and down the rock.

“Definitely a heavy metal,” she said, when the gadget chirped. “I set it to match the substance found in the miners’ blood, and it confirms they’re the same.” She squinted at the instruction screen. “Yep, lead.”

“I don’t understand.” Venik rubbed his temple. “If there were a lead deposit, we would’ve noticed.”

“Hold on.” Amber set the scanner down on a flat rock. She reached up and tugged a single tendril of vap off the wall. Pressing a button, a chamber opened on the medical device. I was fairly certain it was the same one that had received the miner’s blood. There was a similar, but clean, tiny vial inside.

Amber pressed the mouth of the vial against the fungus. The tiny cap was suddenly sucked into the vial, its stem following. Amber grinned at her success and inserted the minuscule tube back into the scanner.

It took only a few seconds before the little machine let out a ping. Amber grasped it and lifted it to her face. A tiny orange light was illuminated on the console.

“I knew it!” Amber yelled in triumph, doing a little dance in place. I lurched forward, ready to caution her to be quiet. She sent me a dazzling smile and cried out a second time. “Torvok, I’ve figured it out!”

The rocks began to groan. I felt Venik grab the back of my shirt and yank me back. I fell backward just as a mass of earth tumbled down right where I’d been. With a bone-rattling crash, more stones and dirt collapsed from the ceiling. Dust exploded across my face.

The tunnel had caved in. A solid wall rose in front of where I lay on my back. And Amber was on the other side of it.

“Amber!” I shouted, my heart hammering. I pushed myself up.

“Shhh,” Venik offered me a hand, helping me to my feet. “Do not call out to her. You’ll make it worse.”

“She’s trapped,” I hissed, even as I understood the value of his words. “I have to do something. I must save her!”

“I understand, my friend.” Venik squeezed my shoulder. “I will help you. If she is alive, we will get her out of there.”

“She’s alive,” I said, responding without thinking.

“I hope you’re right.” Venik’s soft tone was kind, but he couldn’t completely hide his pitying expression.

It didn’t bother me, though. Somehow, I knew Amber still breathed. I felt it in my chest. I wondered where this strange certainty came from, but there wasn’t time to examine it further.

Venik, moving fast, flipped open a long wooden box I hadn’t noticed on our way in. The light created on his skin fell across the contents. A collection of shovels and pickaxes lay there, their silver heads glinting.

“Here,” whispered Venik. He tossed me a shovel and took a pickaxe for himself. “You clear what you can of that dirt in the center. I’ll break apart the larger rocks.”

We set to it. Fueled by frantic energy, I attacked the mounds of earth. I couldn’t bear thinking of Amber back there, in the dark. Yet, even working as quickly as I could, I didn’t seem to be making a dent in the wall. Frustrated, I doubled my efforts.

As sweat coated my scales, I heard quiet footsteps. I turned to see a group of five or six miners running towards us, remarkably light on their feet.

“We heard the cave-in,” one of them told Venik. “What happened?”

“We thought this area was abandoned after everyone working here got sick,” piped up a second miner.

“There’s a human woman back there,” I said, jumping in before Venik could respond. “She was trying to locate the cause of the miner’s illness. We have to save her.”

“A female!” The miner managed to make it sound like an exclamation, all without raising his voice. “Of course, we must save her!”

The group of miners pulled off their shirts, removing the fabric barrier from their luminescent skin. All of a sudden, the chamber was as bright as day. The Lukadians all grabbed shovels and pickaxes from the box, and joined me and Venik at our task.

“I am grateful,” I told them. “And right before the collapse, she seemed to have found the cause of your compatriots’ illness. If we can get to her, we might be able to heal them.”

“That is well,” rumbled one of the miners. “But we need no other incentive to help you. We do not leave anyone to be swallowed by the mine as long as we can help it.”

I nodded to him and threw myself back into my task. It seemed less hopeless with six more added to our number. I flung clods of clay aside with renewed vigor.

“Slow down,” the miner next to me said, shortly after I’d recommenced shoveling. “You’re going to exhaust yourself too quickly doing it that way.”

“I don’t care,” I murmured savagely. “I will work until my bones crack and my muscles shake. I have to save Amber.”

“Oh.” The miner’s eyes widened. “She’s your mate.”

“I… yes.” I felt the truth I could no longer deny pulse in my heart. “She is my mate.”

“The female is his mate!” The miner at my side pitched his voice low, so his quiet announcement would carry to the others. They all turned to me, surprise on their faces speedily giving way to a new determination. Venik stared at me, comprehension coming onto his face.

“This must be the greatest terror of your life, then, D’Tali.” One of the Lukadians clapped me on the back. “But you are not alone. We will not rest until we rescue your mate.”

“You are blessed,” murmured another. “We shall not fail you.”

I dipped my head, touched beyond all speech. The need to heal the diseased miners coalesced for me in that moment. No longer was my mission focused on ensuring a supply of metal for Tahkath. Trade or not, we had to do everything we could to heal the Lukadians. These miners did not deserve fear and illness.

The miner who’d first detected my connection to Amber took my shovel from me.

“Let me show you a better way to get to your mate,” he said. “Dig deep, like this.” He demonstrated, straining to push the shovel into the earth until the metal head was completely buried. “Only then, lift it out.” He braced himself and levered the shovel, which had a massive pile of dirt balanced on its blade.

“I see.” I took the tool back from him.

“When you do many small loads quickly, as you were doing, you lose stamina,” explained my new comrade. “This way is harder, but faster in the end.”

“Thank you.” I gripped the miner’s forearm. “I will not forget this.”

“It is what must be done,” he replied, and hefted his pickaxe.

The Lukadians and I worked alongside each other, our pace steady. We were silent, focused on clearing the way to Amber. The sound of our deep breathing filled the air as we labored against the rock. Sweat dripped into my eyes, blinding me for a moment. I dashed it aside.

Losing myself in the rhythm of the repetitive motion, my thoughts drifted back to my certainty that Amber lived. Despite Venik’s skepticism, I had no shadow of a doubt. How could that be?

I paused, my shovel buried in the soil. I felt Amber’s presence on the other side of that wall, like she was a part of me. I sensed her, a kind of golden warmth suffusing my chest. Following my instincts, I let that warmth unfurl inside me.

The bond. I was feeling the mating bond take root. The moment I thought I’d lost Amber, the bond had flared to life greater than ever before. I could no longer deny my feelings for that wonderful, intoxicating, infuriating, delightful, confounding creature.

I loved Amber.

Indeed, it was more than love. Our destinies were intertwined. That is how I knew she lived. If Amber had died, crushed under the ruptured ceiling, it would’ve been like losing a limb. Worse. My future would have narrowed, all light going out.

Did Amber feel it, too? I wondered about that as I kept shoveling. If not, she might be back there, in the inky blackness, thinking herself completely alone. If Venik and I had been caught in the collapse, no one would know she was back there.

She must be terrified.

I focused on the intangible connection between us. I imagined a rope going from my soul to Amber’s, unhampered by the stone separating us. Then I tried to imagine that rope swelling into a channel.

I poured all the love I felt for Amber into that channel. I sent her everything I’d realized, the full intensity of my feelings for her. I willed comfort down the bond, hoping I could reach her.

I wanted Amber to know I would never leave her. As I pushed my aching muscles harder, I swore to myself and her. I would save her, or die trying.

AMBER

The overwhelming riot of sound seemed to have stopped. I took my hands away from where I’d held them tightly over my ears. I couldn’t see anything, but I felt dust swirling around me. I breathed some in and exploded in coughs.

I tried to stifle the hacking from my throat, afraid it would trigger more of a rockfall. I groped at my belt, hoping to whatever divinity was listening that I’d brought my water canteen. I’d forgotten my light, of course, so things weren’t looking good.

My fingers brushed the leather surface. Exhaling a sigh of relief that became a new volley of coughs, I pulled the small vessel from my belt. I screwed off the top and tipped a small amount of water into my gritty mouth.

I sloshed it around and spat once. If I was going to be back here for a long time, I didn’t want to waste precious water. That said, I didn’t want to choke, either. I tried taking a deep breath, hoping my throat was clear and the dust had settled. Success.

Ok, first crisis averted. Now think, Amber. What’s going on here?

The tunnel had collapsed, that much was clear. It had come down between me and Venik’s bioluminescent glow, thus plunging me into darkness. Torvok had been coming towards me, the scanner had just reported its test results, then everything came tumbling down, out of nowhere.

Or… not out of nowhere. I grimaced, remembering the way I’d shouted with excitement—and danced—upon discovering that the vap contained lead. I frowned. But… Anlek had said someone told him there were safety issues. Venik had then said his cousin was mistaken. So, who was right?

Turns out, Torvok’s been right all along. Speak quietly in Lukadia, or you pay the price. Only this price isn’t an offended merchant or council member. I could handle that. The price this time seems to be that I’ve been buried alive.

I stifled the panic that threatened to rise at that thought. I couldn’t afford to freak out. I needed something else to focus on… the vap. My discovery!

On my hands and knees, I groped around for the medical scanner. A sharp stone slashed my thumb. I swallowed the yelp that tried to burst from my mouth.

Damn, being quiet is HARD.

Sucking on my injured thumb, I kept searching with my left hand. I hit cool metal and closed my fingers around the octagonal device. It had been lying face down in the dirt. When I turned it over, a few tiny lights on its screen danced. Not enough to give any kind of real illumination, but mildly comforting all the same.

I brought my hurt hand down to steady the scanner while I pressed a few buttons to call back my results from the vap sample. As what I wanted flashed on the screen, a tiny door opened on the side of the contraption.

I looked at it in puzzlement, narrowing my eyes to try to see better. The display and various indicator bulbs cast a small halo of light, but I was barely able to make out anything else. What I thought was a small pipe emerged from the scanner, then I felt a cooling spray over my thumb.

The pipe retreated as I literally felt the cut knit itself closed. I rubbed my forefinger over where the damage had been, only to find smooth skin.

“Okay, that’s pretty cool,” I told the scanner. Realizing I’d spoken aloud, I cringed, waiting for another cascade of rubble. Nothing happened, and I let out a shaky sigh of relief. One possibly life-ending cave-in was more than enough.

Tears sprang to my eyes as I trembled, thinking of my wizened corpse left here for all eternity. Would the vap colonize me? Would little mushroom caps take root in my eye sockets?

That’s enough, Amber, I told myself, attempting to be firm. Don’t spiral. Focus on the connection between the vap and the diseased Lukadians. Okay?

Wrangling my brain, I tried to assemble what I knew. One, thanks to the med scanner, I was certain that the vap in that area was toxic. It had to be the reason for the miners’ illness. While working here, they stopped to graze their lunch, not knowing this vap had been exposed to lead.

Yet Venik said there was no lead deposit here. I trusted him when he said the miners would’ve noticed. They were professionals, after all.

Fungus can be massive organisms, I mused. This vap could be part of a larger segment, with its center rooted near a seam of lead. If the Lukadians hadn’t tunneled near it, they wouldn’t know it was there.

That had to be it. This vap was growing from a compromised source, making it invisibly poisonous to the miners. As far as accounting for the large number of compromised miners, well, Venik had talked about a huge seam of iron here. If it was that substantial of a resource, then many miners must have worked this vein. Every time one of them fell ill, another must have replaced him. The Lukadians wouldn’t easily let such a valuable deposit be abandoned.

Many miners, all regularly ingesting toxic vap! It all made perfect sense! I felt a surge of exultation at solving the mystery, but it faded all too soon.

Unless I managed to get out of here, it didn’t matter if I knew what was causing the miners to get sick. No one would ever know. I shuddered, the idea that I might die here creeping back into my mind.

Venik and Torvok know I’m back here. Don’t they?

Suddenly a new terrifying thought leaped into my head. What if Torvok was caught in the cave-in? What if Torvok was… dead?

My heart clenched at the image of his body broken and bloodied beneath a mountain of stone. More than being afraid no one would ever find me without him, I hated the thought that he could be gone.

He isn’t gone. No way. That dude is too stubborn to die. Besides, if he croaked, how would he tell me I told you so?

I huddled into myself, wrapping my arms around my shins. Was the air getting stuffier? I couldn’t tell. Oxygen was totally a problem in mines. Wasn’t it? Although, if the vap were flourishing, maybe it wasn’t a problem in Lukadian mines?

“What do you think, little guys?” I whispered. “Little poisonous guys, do you use oxygen? Or do you make it, like Earth trees?”

Okay, I’m losing it. Now I’m talking to mushrooms.

I dropped my forehead onto my knees.

Wow, this is scary.

I whimpered, the sound rippling through the heavy blackness. The small colored indicators on the medical scanner no longer seemed comforting. They simply seemed silly in the face of such a massive, all-encompassing, absence of light.

I uncurled from my ball and pushed myself into a cross-legged position. With the gloom pressing in on me, I was way too close to dissolving into a weeping ball of snot. The only way to prevent that was a technique a school counselor had taught me long ago.

I’d been in her office, in trouble again for not focusing in class.

“I have so much energy,” I’d whined to her. “When everything gets boring, how am I supposed to sit still?”

She’d smiled and said she knew how I felt. She told me I was smart, and that my exuberance would serve me well one day. Then she taught me to meditate.

I zeroed in on my breath, the way that counselor had taught. I began to count, starting simple, with a three count. Inhale for one, two, three. Exhale for one, two, three.

My muscles began to loosen from their anxiety-locked states. My shoulders slid down from where they’d been hunched up around my ears. I let the distractions of the vap mystery, my worst fears, all of it, slide away.

In the space left by all of that, something new welled up. A funny feeling was blooming in my chest. It wasn’t unpleasant, rather the opposite. Gentle, gilded flames had sprung up around my heart.

What is this? I don’t know why, but this feeling reminds me of… Torvok.

The warmth inside me was the same as the warmth I’d felt lying in Torvok’s arms. It was a steady glow, comforting and secure.

It was a bond.

Startled, I stumbled in the rhythm of my breaths. How did I know that? There’s no reason I would connect finding a bit of inner serenity to Torvok… was there?

I started my breathing again, that time to a four count. Far faster than before, I dropped into the same feeling of being cradled in a banked fire. Clear as day, I felt Torvok’s presence in my very soul.

Waves of love and comfort were rushing into me. I could feel the intention behind them, the way they were channeled through my connection with Torvok. My question as to whether or not he survived was suddenly answered, the truth undeniable.

“Torvok’s alive,” I muttered, unable to keep this revelation silent. “Torvok’s alive and he loves me… and I love him. Oh my god, I love him.”

No sooner had the words escaped me than I heard the sound of rocks tumbling over each other.

Fuck, why did I talk out loud!

There was a rushing sound, like the cave-in was sliding towards me. I quivered, all the fear I’d released roaring back into me. Either the rubble was being cleared away, or I’d just triggered a new collapse. I buried my face in my hands.

Am I about to be rescued? Or is this darkness about to swallow me whole?

TORVOK

As I had done a hundred times by then, I drove my shovel into the dirt. Only this time, I hit air. The blade of my shovel popped through to the other side of the wall.

We’d made it through. I was that much closer to rescuing my mate.

“Amber!” I called through the hole, trying to pitch my voice low like the miners. “Amber, are you all right?”

“Torvok! Oh, Torvok! I’m here, I’m fine!”

My heart leaped at the sound of Amber’s voice. Hearing her alive and well, the miners got excited too. They joined me in scrabbling at the space I’d made. Rubble slid away on both sides as the gap widened.

Amber’s face, pale in the light from the Lukadians’ bodies, hovered into view. She reached her hand towards me. I grasped her fingers, desperate to touch her.

The instant her skin touched mine, the bond flared. I realized what I’d felt before was merely a mild echo of what I felt at that moment. The intensity of my connection to Amber swamped me, surrounding my senses with her essence. So powerful was the light she kindled inside me, I felt as though I was glowing brighter than any Lukadian.

The channel between us was suddenly two-way. The love I’d sent Amber while laboring to save her flowed from her back into me. She was pouring her own feelings into the bond, which meant… she’d accepted it. Amber had embraced the bond!

Jubilance filled my veins, despite the fact that we were still separated. I looked around for my shovel, but I was loath to lose the physical link to my mate. I squeezed her palm in reassurance, about to let go so I could continue helping to clear the tunnel.

Yet just then, a chunk of stone skidded down the mounded remainder of the cave-in. With that, the hole we’d made looked almost Amber-sized.

“Hold on,” I told her. “I’m going to pull you through.”

Amber’s other hand swung up to grip my forearm, while I cinched my fingers around the wrist I already held. Bracing myself, I used every ounce of strength I had to tug Amber through the debris.

In a shower of pebbles and clods of earth, she broke free. Panting and streaked in dirt, she tumbled right into my arms.

I crushed her to my chest, burying my face in her hair. The miners cheered quietly, a strange susurration of triumph. I wanted to express my immense gratitude to them, but I had more important words to say first.

“I love you, Amber,” I murmured, pulling back so I could gaze into her green eyes. “The moment I feared I’d lost you, I knew I couldn’t live without you.”

Those emerald depths welled over with tears, even as Amber gave me the most radiant smile I’d ever seen.

“I love you, too, Torvok.” She flung her arms around my neck, nuzzling into me. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize it this whole time. Even when you were driving me crazy, I was just plain happy to be near you.” Amber chuckled against my chest.

“I never knew this degree of happiness,” I said, stroking her hair. “Dizzying, wild, overwhelming in the most wonderful way.”

We stood there for a moment, holding each other. I wanted nothing more than to carry Amber away, inspect her tip to toe for injuries, and if all was well, worship her gorgeous body for hours. Given that we were surrounded by Lukadians, though, cradling her for a few brief minutes would have to do.

“You haven’t said ‘I told you so’ yet,” she mumbled. “I’m sorry I shouted and brought down a cave-in.”

“I’ll never say I told you so again, my love,” I promised.

“Never say never,” Amber snorted, looking up at me. “I plan on annoying you for the rest of this lifetime.”

“It will forever be my pleasure to be annoyed by you.” I laughed and put my fingers beneath her chin. Unable to resist any longer, I kissed her. Our lips melded together, passion rising between us—until I heard a loud cough.

“We’d, uh, like to know what you discovered, Amber,” said Venik.

Breaking away from my mate, I saw that all the Lukadians were hiding smirks behind their hands. A few of them were even facing away from where Amber and I stood.

“She’ll tell you,” I said quietly, meeting Venik’s gaze. “But first we need to speak to Anlek.”

Venik raised a brow. “Anlek?” He frowned, narrowing his eyes.

“He warned there were safety issues,” Amber said. “Do you think he was right?”

“I spoke to the foreman of this section,” Venik said. “But I’ll investigate further. But if, in the meantime…”

“Sure,” Amber said and stepped away from me, finally taking in the group of miners. “Why are you all shirtless?” she asked, grinning.

“For light,” I hastened to say. “These noble men aided me in rescuing you. Or perhaps I should say I aided them,” I amended. “Venik and I would never have succeeded without their help. I am in their debt.”

“Then I owe you all one, too,” Amber told them. “Big time.”

“Lady Human, there is no need to ‘owe’ us,” said the miner that’d taught me how to shovel. “Yet we would be grateful to hear of your discovery regarding our diseased brethren.”

“Right!” Amber raised her voice, excited once more. The group winced in unison, and she looked sheepish. “Right,” she whispered.

She gestured at the opening we’d made, indicating where she’d been trapped. Pulling the medical scanner from her belt, she waved that around, too.

“I used this device and found lead contamination in the vap. Ingesting lead is exactly what would cause heavy metal poisoning. Every time the miners stopped for a bite of the vap, they were damaging their bodies worse and worse.”

Shock rippled through the assembled Lukadians.

“How would the vap become contaminated?” asked Venik. “As I said, we have seen no lead in this area.”

“Fungi are pretty wide-spreading organisms,” explained Amber. “If there’s lead anywhere in these walls, probably within a ten-or-fifteen foot radius, this whole section of vap would be compromised.”

One of the miners was nodding vigorously.

“My lady mother grew vap to study at one point,” he said. “A single plant can become very large indeed.”

“Well, they’re not plants exactly…”

Amber’s words were lost as the miners began to babble among themselves. They were clearly excited by the new knowledge, and for the first time, had hope for their sick friends.

“Congratulations,” said Venik. “Lady Amber, you are most impressive.”

“Argh! What is with that ‘lady’ stuff,” groused Amber. “And yes, thank you for the congratulations, but I just want to get back to Rover. I need to check in with Isabella to see if we can help with a cure. Also, I need a shower.”

She patted her sleeve, and dust rose from the fabric.

“I would be honored to escort you back to your vessel,” said Venik, his voice smooth. “Please follow me.”

“Thank you,” I told the group of miners, as Venik and Amber traveled down the tunnel. “I am forever beholden to you all.”

“For the last time, D’Tali, we only did what was right.” The deep-voiced miner shook his head in amusement. “Now go take care of your mate.”

I dipped my head to him and decided that was the best advice I could get right now. I set out, jogging a little in order to catch up with Venik and Amber.

“This has happened before?” Amber was cocking her head in interest, as the two came into my vision.

“Yes,” said Venik. “We never connected those incidents to this one, though. Most of that history is told through stories from long ago. Lukadia doesn’t have the technology you do, so we couldn’t discern that the sickness was caused by lead. It seemed to our forefathers to be a fluke, a plague that came and went.”

“People didn’t connect it to the vap at all?” As she spoke, I drew alongside Amber. I reached out and took her hand. She smiled as our bond thrummed between our palms.

“No.” Venik shrugged. “Given that we’ve eaten vap for decades with no negative effect, the concept of toxic vap became nothing more than an eerie legend.”

“I guess that makes sense,” mused Amber. “The vap isn’t physically altered by exposure to lead, too. Actually, now that I think of that, how are you going to avoid this in future?”

“We are miners, skilled with seeking out seams of metal.” Venik looked proud. “Now that we know to look for the lead, we will find it. In addition, I will propose that we feed only from known safe outcroppings of vap for the time being.”

“Good call,” said Amber. “We don’t have a lot of these medical scanners, but I bet I could figure out a simpler test for the vap, so you could use that to figure out what’s edible, also.”

“Don’t promise too much,” I warned her. “We don’t even know if we can cure the already ailing miners yet.”

“There’s my lover with the buzzkill.” Amber rolled her eyes but took the sting away by kissing me on the cheek.

“Buzzkill?” I asked, although I thought I probably knew.

“Ahh… don’t worry about it,” she replied, as we emerged back into the giant cavern aboveground.

Venik picked up the pace, leading us with sure steps to the entrance to Lukadia Mine. We stood at the threshold between the city and market, staring out. The world before us seemed vast to me, after so many hours in the warrens of the miners.

“Phew,” said Amber, her features bathed in the rosy orange light of a day almost done. “Venik, your glowing thing is awesome, but damn, I’ve never been so glad to see the sun.”

AMBER

Upon returning to Rover, filthy, and absolutely in love, I quickly ran into the cockpit.

“Gorvo! Bindak!” Both D’Tali jumped. Maybe I was too loud… again.

“Yes, Lady Amber,” Bindak responded.

“See if you can get someone on the communicator. It’s late, it might take time to get someone out of bed to answer my questions.”

“Yes, Lady Amber. “

“Thanks. Till then, I need a bath. I’m covered in mine dirt.” Without waiting for a response, I rushed back out and right into Torvok, who had been following me. “You come with me.” Torvok blinked but didn’t argue. I pulled him behind me through Rover, wanting nothing more than to get clean.

Well, wanting him more than a bath, but I figured that both of those things didn’t need to be independent of each other. I was an expert multitasker. I figured we could have a shower and I could have him at the same time.

At last, we made it to the bathroom. I wasn’t sure how we found it, but we did. I pushed the door open and we tumbled inside.

I hadn’t kissed him. I hadn’t done anything but grab his hand, but it felt like there was an electricity between us. The bond.

As if our hearts were one.

“Water,” I gasped, trying to process what was happening. Torvok pulled me into a kiss, and our lips met with fire. In that instant, I didn’t care that I was covered head to toe in dirt and grime from the cave-in. I didn’t care how dirty I was at all. I only cared about one thing.

I only cared about him.

Every rippling, chiseled muscle in his body. His purple scales, his gold horns. His calloused, strong hands, so gentle when they touched me. So protective of me outside the walls of Rover.

I wanted all of him.

And I wanted him now.

My heart thundered as my fingertips grazed over his arms. My breath hitched as his tongue parted my lips. The pressure of Torvok’s kiss sent sparks erupting through my brain. My fingertips found his chest, and his abs.

I wanted nothing more than to have him naked.

It was like my entire life had been leading to this moment. All of my energy, all of my life and soul had led me to him—to a D’Tali blacksmith, with a chiseled body and strong jaw. A quiet guy, and in every way my opposite. Our tongues met and we explored each other’s mouths. My heart thundered against my ribcage, and I arched towards him.

I needed him. It wasn’t even a want. I wasn’t sure if I could stop it, now that it had started.

I was laser focused, it was as if I wanted to take note of every scale, every muscle, every scent, every single millisecond. I wanted to file it all away as the best moment of my life.

And I never wanted it to end.

With deft fingers, he pulled my shirt over my head. Gravel pattered against the ground as he did, the motion freeing the grit embedded in our clothing. I didn’t care about the mess. We would clean the bathroom eventually. As he tossed my shirt aside, I caught a glimpse of my dirty body. I was caked in grime, and I couldn’t help but need a shower.

I smiled under his lips and let out a small laugh.

“I need to bathe,” I said to him, breaking the kiss off and letting out a chuckle. “Seriously, I actually need a shower.”

Torvok laughed and turned to open the tap of warm water. I slapped his ass as he did, and he looked back at me, smirking.

“Really?”

“I couldn’t resist,” I said with a smug smile.

“I thought that was my job.” He pushed my back up against the vanity, and I laughed. His fingertips dragged across my bare stomach, and I couldn’t help but let out a moan.

The water splashed from behind Torvok, and I couldn’t help myself. I ducked underneath his arm and stripped off my pants, underwear, and bra. Then I all but leaped into the shower.

The warm water engulfed me, and I felt myself relax as the grime left my body. I kept my eyes closed and just let the water wash over me.

The air moved, and I sat up and opened my eyes, to see Torvok sitting in the tub across from me wearing a sheepish grin.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” I said, taking in the full beauty of his nakedness.

He looked even better without clothes.

Which I hadn’t thought possible.

He gave me a small smile, and I launched myself at him. He caught me in his arms, and I wrapped my legs around his hips.

Torvok laughed as he caught me, and I leaned in and kissed him deeply.

Now that I was clean, I could focus on the D’Tali standing under the spray of water with me. I could focus on all of him. I felt him between my legs.

He was big, bigger than any human.

His fingertips grazed my back lightly, and I shivered. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him even closer. A palm found my breast and pressed in, and I arched towards him, letting out another moan.

My heart thundered even louder, rushing through my ears, damn near beating out of my chest.

His fingertips wound their way to my nipples—hard despite the warm water around us. He pinched them, and I let out another moan as the pain wove its way to my brain and changed to pleasure.

It was just us. There was nothing else around us. No other problems, nothing to think about.

Just the two of us.

As my heart beat still faster, I felt that familiar warmth spread from my lower abdomen to the rest of my body. I wanted him.

I wanted him now.

“I need you,” I said through my gasps. The urgency outweighing anything else I’d ever felt in my entire life.

Torvok didn’t say anything.

I wasn’t surprised, he seldom said anything.

Instead his actions were his words.

He pulled me close so my nipples were against his chest. And I lowered myself onto him.

He filled me, pushing my walls out as I gasped with pleasure. I didn’t know how he fit inside me, but he did.

I’d never felt anything like this before. He was big, and he filled every inch of me.

I gasped as I slid onto him, tight inner walls slowly relaxing. He watched me as I opened my eyes to stare at his face.

He looked a little concerned, as I couldn’t help letting out a gasp. He held me against him, our hearts beating in time as we stared at each other. I let him fill all of me. Every inch, and I took him down to the base.

His tip hit my cervix, but I didn’t mind. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced.

I used my legs to start rocking up and down, letting the movement fill me with every single breath. I looked in his eyes and the orgasm rolled over me quickly, the shock of it only intensifying with each contraction.

He wiped the hair from my face with a strong hand, watching me as I finished. I gasped as his eyes glowed, his heart evident through his body’s reaction.

D’Tali eyes only glowed when they were in love.

I placed a hand gently on his cheek as I finished my contractions, loving how connected he was to me. He wanted me to be satisfied. That’s all he wanted.

And all I wanted was him.

Holding me close, he urged me to begin our rhythm again. He surged as I bucked, and we met in the middle every time. We took gasping hits together, our hips meeting at his base.

Every single thrust was ecstasy. Every single movement filled me with absolute joy and adoration.

I wanted him.

And I knew I would want him for the rest of my life.

My heart beat in time with our dance. He brushed my hair out of my face again, then drifted a hand between my legs.

The heat, the feeling of him filling me.

I thought it was all I could bear.

But it wasn’t.

His fingertips found my clit, and he started to rub as he thrust.

I screamed. There was no hiding it, no containing it. The orgasm rocketed through me, entirely different than the last one. It wasn’t a slow build. No, it was a tearing, desperate orgasm. I contracted as I screamed, my body folding onto his shoulder.

This time, Torvok didn’t let me finish around him. Instead, he blasted through the contractions, sending pleasure to my brain as he thrust. Harder and harder we went, the water splashing off our backs.

We didn’t care.

Our hits weren’t silent.

Instead, I let out a scream with every stroke. He pulled me close to him, making me feel every muscle as he drove into me.

His rippling abs, his chiseled chest. His strong arms.

And those glowing eyes.

They were everything to me.

I kept my eyes open, and Torvok seemed to know I needed to see him. We locked eyes, and I let myself be driven over the edge.

“With me,” I managed to gasp, staring at his glowing eyes. He nodded, pushing us harder toward the brink of darkness.

Toward oblivion.

I bit off a scream as he pulled me closer, tighter. Constricting my breathing a little as he kept me close.

I wanted to be close to him. I didn’t want anything else in the world.

“Together,” I gasped, taking another hit, all the way down to his hilt.

He looked at me.

That’s all it took was a look.

“Together.”

He nodded. With a sigh, I felt him finish as I clenched around him. He throbbed inside of me, spilling his seed into me as he buried his face between my breasts.

I folded, holding his head close to me.

Not wanting it to end.

Wanting nothing more than to end my days, here in this tub.

With him.

TORVOK

After quickly drying off and dressing, Amber and I rushed back to the cockpit.

“Gorvo, Bindak, did you get anyone on the communicator?” Amber asked.

They looked at each other, then back to us. Gorvo cleared his throat. “Not yet, Lady Amber.”

“Why not?”

“We were, um, unable to get anyone to respond… maybe I didn’t listen well enough to my instructions.” He swallowed, seeming nervous. “And… we didn’t, uh, want to… disturb the two of you…”

Amber’s cheeks flared bright red. After a silent moment, she held out her hand.

“Here, give it to me and let’s see what I can do with it.”

Bindak handed her the device, carefully looking away from either of our faces. I think Gorvo winked at me...

“Okay, okay, let me remember how to work these.”

Amber stared at the personal communication device like it was an unruly adolescent numa. Knitting her brows, she took on a challenging stance.

“I press… this button!” Nothing happened. “Okay, I press this button?” Still, the personal communication device didn’t respond.

“Is it broken?” I asked, bending over the circular object. It sat on the dining table, gleaming innocently.

“No, no.” Amber flapped her hands. “I left Isabella with the instruction manual because I thought I’d memorized it, but that was dumb. I memorize things by using them, and I’d barely poked the damn machine.”

A thought occurred to me. I hesitated to offer any input on all this to Amber, after our rocky start. Then again, the past was behind us. I smiled, thinking of the way we’d held each other in the late hours of the night. Perhaps she would be receptive to me now.

“May I… ask a question?” I tried.

“Sure, shoot,” said Amber, turning the device over in her hands.

“There were a great many of these communicators, were there not?”

“Mmm hmmm,” Amber confirmed, not taking her eyes off the source of our trouble.

“Would there not be a way to specify which precise device you wished to contact?” I asked, gaining confidence. “These would hardly be useful if a private conversation between two was projected to every being who held one.”

“Torvok!”

Amber slammed the device down and whirled to face me. My eyes widened, unsure what that meant.

“You’re a freaking genius!” she exclaimed. “Of course, I have to put in the code for Isabella’s communicator. Duh! That’s the part I forgot, I remembered the button to call just fine.” She laughed. “But ya can’t call nobody!”

Pride kindled in my chest as Amber dropped a quick kiss on my lips. It wasn’t just from being able to help my mate, but because this moment was proof the dynamic between us had shifted. We were truly growing closer all the time, and I relished that.

“Okay, here we go.” Amber finished poking a smaller set of buttons I hadn’t noticed before. “Pressing the call button…”

We waited in anticipation. An orange light flared up, and Amber stomped her foot.

“Too busy for my call? What does she mean? Torvok, didn’t she say this was the most important mission ever?”

“Not in so many words, but yes,” I agreed.

Amber picked up the communicator, irritation all over her lovely features. Then, it began to ping. Immediately, Amber’s face cleared. She thumbed a button.

“Isabella? Is that you?”

“Amber! Sorry about that first call rejection. I got the buttons all muddled up.”

“No problem,” said Amber, sitting down and pulling me into a seat next to her. “So, we have some news.”

“What’s going on?” Isabella sounded excited. “What have you discovered?”

“The Lukadian miners were suffering from heavy metal poisoning. I was allowed to inspect the area where that group had last been working. My medical scanner—this thing is awesome by the way—identified that the vap had been exposed to lead. It was toxic, and they’d been eating it!”

“Uh… vap?”

“Oh, right, right.” Amber smacked her forehead. “It’s this fungus stuff that the Lukadians eat. It’s not bad, actually.”

I heard Isabella stifle a laugh and smiled myself. I’d forgotten that Amber had jumped right in and tasted some vap. I might have to do the same myself.

“So, do we have a treatment for heavy metal poisoning?” Amber asked, her voice eager.

“I’ll have to ask Camilia,” said Isabella.

“There has to be something in the Skarg loot.” Amber pursed her lips. "I feel like I went through enough salves and pills in those boxes to cure every disease that’s ever existed!”

“I hope so,” said Isabella. “Give me a bit, I’ll get back to you.”

The device went dead, all its lights extinguishing themselves. Amber grabbed my hand, squeezing it hard in hers.

“I hate waiting,” she told me. “I hate feeling useless.”

“You’re not useless, my love,” I assured her. “You’re the reason the miners have any chance at recovery in the first place.”

“Yeah…” she sighed. “Speaking of, sorry if I went a little crazy about trying to make the communicator work before. I just… I don’t want to let the miners down.”

“You’re doing your best for them.” I caressed the back of her hand with my thumb. “No one could ask for more.”

We sat in nervous silence after that, staring at the personal communication device like we could will it to talk to us. An image of the afflicted miners flashed into my head. They were so pitiable. I found myself feeling more and more like Amber, desperate to be able to repay their trust in us.

A ping exploded into the quiet. Amber jumped in her seat and jabbed the ‘accept’ button.

“Amber? It’s Camilia.” A small hologram of the redhead’s face projected up from the coin-shaped base of the communicator.

“What did you find?” Amber leaned forward. “Can we cure them? There’s gotta be a pill, right?”

“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that,” Camilia cautioned, and Amber’s face fell. “Lead poisoning is extremely far-reaching, involving neurological issues, damage to the nervous system, gastrointestinal functions failing…”

“Fuck!”

“Hold your horses, Amber! There’s a treatment, I’m simply trying to say it’s involved.”

“Oh, thank god.” Amber let out a long, gusty sigh. “Why didn’t you lead with the good part?”

“I was getting to it,” responded Camilia, a smile on her translucent face. “Anyway, I took a translator bug—so did Sofia, actually—and we were able to read the ship’s entire manifest. Sofia managed to look things up on the ship’s computers, too. Thanks to that, I found all the necessary equipment. By the time you get back, I’ll be able to teach you how to use it.”

“Hell yes!” Amber shot to her feet. “Camilia, you’re amazing. We’ll be back at the castle as soon as we can.”

The hologram of the nurse dissolved, and without missing a beat, Amber tapped out another series of instructions on the device.

“Bindak? Are you there?”

“Yes, Lady Amber?” Understandably, he sounded confused. “Where are you? How are you speaking to us?”

“I’ll explain later, I promise, we just don’t have time to play hide and seek right now. Go to the market and find Venik, while I get Rover ready to go. Tell him to send word to the Deep Council: we will return with a treatment for the miners!”

Everything was a whirlwind for the rest of the day after that.

After what seemed like no time at all, Bindak came back, trailed by Venik. It seemed the Lukadian felt his fortunes were still tied to me and Amber.

“As much as I respect and trust you both,” he said, bowing, “I would like to keep an eye on my investment.”

I gave him a sharp look. His words were easy, but there was something in his tone that I didn’t like. “Is something wrong?”

Venik hesitated, glancing at Amber, and I stiffened. “It’s nothing to be alarmed about and I hesitated bringing the subject up,” he said.

“Just spit it out,” Amber said.

“There are some… concerns.”

Amber and I exchanged a look. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Venik sighed. “I should tell you that after every cave-in there is a routine investigation as to the cause. We expected to find nothing other than the usual this time, but in this case—there are indications the cave-in was deliberate.”

It didn’t register for a moment. That’s when Amber’s eyes widened. “You mean someone deliberately caused the cave-in? Someone was trying to hurt us?”

“We don’t know exactly what the intent was,” Venik said. “But yes. It appears there was some sabotage involved.” His expression darkened. “Please believe me, I am having the matter investigated thoroughly. There’s no certainty yet that Lady Amber was the intended victim.”

I growled. “What about Anlek? He was the one who warned us.”

“I’m not sure about his involvement yet, or whether his warning was a coincidence.”

Amber’s forehead creased. “That’s a big coincidence. But he could stand to gain if the miners weren’t healed. On the other hand, why warn us first?”

“These are all questions I have,” Venik replied gravely. “The matter is being handled very discreetly by competent investigators in my absence. It went over my head, so to speak.” He paused. “But when we return, there’s a conversation I’d like to have with both of you.”

I nodded, quite certain he wanted to visit D’Tali. For that, I couldn’t blame him. For all of Lukadia’s marvels, I looked forward to a glimpse of my home.

As soon as Venik was settled in the cabin, Amber hopped into the pilot’s seat. She drove like we had an army on our tail. I accompanied her in the cockpit, hoping for a quiet moment with my love. Alas, her focus on charting out the fastest route back to the castle was complete. Not to mention, several of the paths she chose involved some fancy maneuvering.

“You know we’re going to have to turn right back around,” warned Amber. She’d heard me sigh with happiness as the castle of the Kingdom of Tahkath came into our sights.

“I know.” I sighed again, this time with resignation. “We cannot allow the miners to languish for any longer than necessary.”

“That’s the spirit, baby.”

Amber stopped abruptly, jolting me in my seat. Venik, who’d picked the most inopportune time to come see how things were going up here, nearly fell into my lap.

“We’re here,” caroled Amber. “Come on Venik, wanna meet more humans?”

Our brief time at the castle was a blur. Isabella and Camilia were waiting for us, as was the Minister of Trade, and Troko, holding his baby girl. The women all jumped into action right away. Well, all but little Ania, who slept sweetly on.

Amber and Camilia made a beeline for the medical crates. Isabella grabbed my arm and gave me an update on her progress on analyzing the ship’s current status. I nodded, trying to retain everything she told me as best I could. Apparently, we now needed even more metal.

Breaking off from her huddle with Camilia for a moment, Amber remembered to introduce a bewildered Venik to everyone. He exclaimed over the blessing of female offspring and bowed over the hands of the women. After that, he began happily chatting away with the Minister of Trade and Troko.

I assisted Bindak and Gorvo in loading a new round of supplies. We needed more food and drink, as well as more goods to trade, given the expansion of Isabella’s metal order. I tucked a bag of pel into the compartment next to the pilot’s seat, thinking fondly of Amber’s enthusiasm for the fruit.

It seemed no time at all before Amber declared herself trained in administering treatments for heavy metal poisoning. We loaded a crate of medical supplies into the cargo bay, and that was it. There was no time to waste.

“We take our leave of you once more, ladies.” I bowed to Isabella and Camilia, and inclined my head to Troko and the Minister.

“I wish I could join you, but neither Troko nor I feel comfortable travelling with Ania yet.” Camilia sighed, a longing look on her face.

“Don’t worry, me and my hunky Trade Ambassador will be back in a jiffy,” said Amber. She came up beside me and put her arm around my waist. “Thanks for all the help, Camilia.”

Camilia didn’t respond. She and Isabella were staring at Amber and me, open-mouthed.

“Did I miss something? Wait. Are you two… mates?” asked Isabella, amusement coming into her eyes.

“Indeed, we are,” I said, not bothering to hide the pride in my voice.

“Crazy, right?” Amber beamed at me. “But hey. Weirder things have happened!”

AMBER

I was too tense to even enjoy driving Rover on the way back to Lukadia.

Camilia had really spooked me, saying that lead poisoning advances quickly. When I showed her the records on the medical scanner, her eyes had shuttered. Apparently, the levels in the miners’ blood were high enough that, if they’d been human, they would’ve been dead already.

I told her they’d been alive and talking—well, one of them, anyway—when I left them. I only hoped that would still be true by the time we returned.

I tried to keep up my spirits, though. Venik and Torvok didn’t need to deal with doom-and-gloom Amber. I didn’t much like dealing with her myself.

Good thing I know exactly how to help now, I thought. If I didn’t have a clear task in front of me, I’d be losing it.

As though he could sense my distress, sweet Torvok placed his hands on the back of my neck. In fact, he probably did sense my feelings, thanks to the bond. Warmth radiated out from his touch, as he rubbed the muscles in my neck.

What I wouldn’t give for all this to be over and for him to be rubbing something else…

I grinned to myself. A lot was at stake, but that didn’t mean I’d forgotten my plans for Torvok. Our time in the bathroom was only the beginning. I was going to spend a good, long while exploring his body the moment we got the chance.

An hour before we arrived back in Lukadia, Venik approached us. “If you have time, I’d like to talk to you both about Anlek. I wasn’t entirely forthcoming about the status of the inquiry.”

Torvok and I exchanged a look.

“Let me tell you what I suspect,” Venik said.

I SNAPPED into laser focus when we reached the open-air market. It was nighttime, and the stalls were shuttered. I was glad we had Venik with us, or we’d have a lot of trouble getting to the miners before morning. Especially since we were all now expecting an interruption.

I stopped the men, taking a deep breath and giving a strained smile, the magnitude of what I was responsible for clear on my face. I had complete faith in the medical equipment, but the pressure of having everyone around look to me with such trust on their faces... I needed a minute.

"You guys go ahead, I'll catch up," I said, speaking loud enough for Gorvo and Bindak to hear, as well. "I'm just going to run to the ladies’ room."

Torvok gave me a concerned look, but I smiled and shooed him off. I strode back inside Rover, giving myself time to calm my nerves. There was nothing to be worried about, just the entire Lukadian-D'Tali trade alliance collapsing if I didn't heal the miners. Just the lack of ore shelving any hope of ever fixing the ship. That was all.

I left Rover and slowly looked around with a pronounced frown. The guys were nowhere to be seen. I'd told them emphatically I'd catch up, and it appeared they were taking me at my word.

There was movement at the corner of my eye and I moved toward it. "Torvok?" I raised my voice. “Is anyone there? Huh, the guys must have all gone ahead, leaving me here by myself.”

So maybe I was laying it on a little thick, but I had to get into character to make it convincing.

“Look at me, standing here all by myself in the dark. I guess I’ll have to figure out how to get to the mine on my own.” Okay, okay, now I was just playing around. I felt a little guilty.

I kicked at the ground with my toe and gave it a few more minutes, then shrugged. Venik could be wrong, either about his suspicions or about the timing. Yeah, if I was a planet’s dumbest criminal then I might think taking out the human who could throw a wrench in my plans of trade domination was smart, too. I might even be lurking around waiting for an opportunity to get her alone.

“I don’t like it,” Torvok had growled earlier.

“He won’t hurt her,” Venik said. “His plan was thrown together in haste, and mostly they just want to stop her from healing the miners for long enough to convince our grandparents to cede the ore tradelines to them.” His expression soured. “The Aetamian showed my cousin samples of the ore, though no one has still actually seen the mine in question.”

“And you think if I walk around looking like a bow-wrapped gift, he’ll show his hand,” I said.

“Exactly,” Venik said. “We know the mine cave-in wasn’t an accident, and we know he’s going to try again. If I were him and I were running out of time, I’d ambush you at the first opportunity.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s not the most nefarious of plots.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Torvok said, his voice tight. “It just has to work. Even stupid people are dangerous with good timing, opportunity, and a decent weapon. I don’t like it.”

“You’ll all be near,” I reassured him. “I can hold my own for a few minutes.”

But standing out here now, doing my best to look like a whole snack, I was beginning to doubt Anlek—if he was even waiting for his chance—was present tonight and about to strike.

“Oh, well,” I muttered, about to give up. I heard the scuff of a foot against the ground. “Torvok? You can—”

“It’s not Torvok, Lady Amber.”

I whirled. “Anlek. Well, isn’t this a hoot. I was beginning to think you had forsaken me.”

It was dark, but moonlight glinted off Rover’s hull, and Anlek was close enough I could see his face scrunch. He must have been hiding behind the nearest stall.

“I may have sent my cousin a message about an accident at the mine,” Anlek said with a chuckle. “Torvok and the other D’Tali went with him. The messenger offered to guide you when you were ready.”

I snorted. Anlek must really think we were all stupid. “Is this the part where you stand around telling me all of your villainous deeds?”

“Your speech is incredibly peculiar sometimes,” he muttered. “I don’t plan to hurt you, but you need to come with me. After my business is concluded, I’ll release you to your D’Tali.”

“You’re kidnapping me.”

“It’s not personal, just business.”

I glared at him. “Like trying to kill me in the mine was just business?”

“That wasn’t well thought out,” he admitted, rubbing his hand over his chin. “I had a limited amount of time to come up with something, and the Aetamian is impatient. I’m gratified you survived.”

“Well, nice chat.” I raised my voice. “Torvok?’

No response. Anlek frowned at me. “I told you, he went with—”

“Yeah, yeah.” I looked around, annoyed. If this was the part in the movie where I found out Torvok and Venik weren’t actually in the shadows watching because they really had run off chasing a red herring, I’d be pissed.

Anlek grabbed my upper arm and began dragging me away from Rover. “Let go!” I exclaimed, twisting.

He released me and stopped. “Fine.”

Out of nowhere, a fist connected with my jaw. Pain exploded, and I stumbled, falling to one knee, dazed.

“My apologies,” Anlek said, having the nerve to sound genuinely sorry. “I’ll make sure that’s seen to at the first opportunity. I hate brutalizing women, but we’re on a tight schedule.”

He hefted me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing. Stunned, I shook off the momentary paralysis and began to kick, when I heard a roar.

“Finally!” I shrieked. “Cue the cavalry already!”

TORVOK HELD me in his arms, his expression both tight and apologetic. “I’m so sorry,” he said for the fifth time.

Venik was busy giving instructions to a handful of men on what to do with Anlek. The cretin had dropped me and tried to run when Torvok had come barreling out of the darkness. He would have gotten away, but Venik had had people waiting. Torvok explained to me that he’d wanted to rescue me earlier, but Venik had wanted to wait until Anlek thoroughly incriminated himself.

“I have several witnesses now,” Venik told me. “I’ll need all of them to convince my grandparents Anlek needs to be seriously punished.”

I touched my jaw, wincing. Torvok’s expression darkened. I placed my finger over his lips, and he scowled down at me.

“I’m fine,” I said. “And we’re wasting time.”

Venik nodded. “Right. Back to the business at hand.”

It was nearly anticlimactic, but after Anlek was taken away, we followed his glowing form down the same paths we’d trod before, twisting and turning. I felt us descending lower and lower, and shuddered. After the cave-in, I didn’t like being down here as much as I had the first time. Being trapped in a pitch-black hole wondering if I’d survive might have given me claustrophobia.

I felt Torvok’s palm on the center of my back, steadying me. He pulsed reassurance and security down our connection, and I sent him a grateful smile. I was starting to realize that what I’d taken for boring hid an observant and thoughtful side.

He’s still as cautious as a grandma, though. But damn do I love him.

We reached the room we’d been in before, where a large group of miners were being tended. Their caretaker napped in a corner, awaking as we came through the doorway.

“May I help you?” he asked, perplexed. “Have you lost your way?”

“Nope,” I told him, scanning the cots. I heaved a sigh of relief, seeing they were all still full. “This is right where we’re supposed to be.”

I unfolded the portable medical station while Venik filled the guy in. This treatment was going to take time, as each miner had to undergo two procedures. First though, I could halt the effects of the lead from spreading any further.

“Here.” I gave Torvok, Venik, and the Lukadian nurse each a bottle of pills. “Place one of these under the tongue of any miner showing symptoms of this disease. It’ll stop the symptoms from getting worse until I can get to them.”

“At once, My Lady.” The Lukadian bowed deeply. As he straightened, I saw awe in his eyes. For once, I decided not to object to the lady thing. Now wasn’t the time.

The men scattered off to visit the other hospital rooms. I moved from miner to miner where I was, swiftly dosing them with the first stage of the treatment. Only a few were conscious. Those that were, I told over and over again I was there to help.

Once I’d done that, it was time for step two: cleansing their blood. I pulled out a syringe and filled it. At each bed, I injected the patient with a substance Camilia said would bind to the lead in their systems. Once bound, the lead would simply be excreted away. She said it wasn’t that dissimilar to the way humans detoxed from lead exposure, which I found surprising.

The third and final procedure, though. That one, we had nothing like back home. It was to repair the neurological damage caused by the heavy metal, and boy, had I been impressed when Camilia showed me the equipment.

At first glance, the gadget was a loose net of links. When Camilia shook it out, I thought it looked like a chainmail beanie. Yet when placed on a living being’s head—or wherever it kept its brain, Camilia said there were some insane examples—it became something else.

I lifted my first patient’s head and began to lower the apparatus onto him. The links shimmered and parted in two holes to accommodate his horns. Then I settled the whole thing over his cranium.

Conforming to the shape of his skull, the net went rigid, creating a solid cap over his head. From every tiny circle of metal, a minuscule probe emerged. As one, they all descended to press into the surface of the miner’s scaly skin.

I sat back and turned my attention to the heavy teardrop-shaped console. I pressed my forefinger to it, and it lit up. The procedure was beginning.

I watched in fascination as the device first mapped the miner’s brain, then went about repairing it. There was something incredibly satisfying in watching the dark gray sections come back to life, glowing blue as they reached full health once more. Soon, there was only one little triangle of damage left, then that, too, returned to its former state.

I powered the thing down and pulled the now limp puddle of links from the miner’s head. He sat up, looking around in amazement. I noted that while he was still gaunt, there was light in his eyes, and he could move much more fluidly.

“Milady,” he croaked. “I have awoken from a dream. I lay at death’s door, but now… I feel as though I will live for a century.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I told him. “You’ve got a lot of recovery time in front of you. But yeah, you’re on the mend.”

I sensed Torvok’s gaze and turned around to see him standing on the threshold. His eyes met mine, pride shining in them.

Together, we can do anything, I thought, and sent a wave of love his way.

Healing all the miners was exhausting, but I couldn’t rest. I went from bedside to bedside, injecting them and deploying the brain fixer (as I called it). By morning, I only had one room of sick Lukadians left. I was dead on my feet, but I was happy.

AS SOON AS it was permitted, Torvok and Venik went before the Deep Council. While they did that, I finished my treatment of the miners, and collapsed into an empty bed. The next thing I knew, Torvok was shaking me awake.

“How did it go?” I asked, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

“They were thrilled,” he said softly. “The council agreed to open trade talks, and they promoted Venik to Chief Ambassador of D’Tali Trade. He didn’t seem to care until his Grandmother said she was proud of him. That was when I thought his face would split from grinning.”

“That’s great.” I yawned and sat up. “Anlek?”

Torvok scowled. “He is being disciplined, and they’re searching for the Aetamian merchant who encouraged his behavior. The only point in his favor was that we all heard him say he never intended your death, or any physical harm.”

I nodded, feeling a twinge of sympathy for the Lukadian. He’d been so focused on making his own fortune that he’d probably let himself get swindled. But my still aching jaw wouldn’t let me feel too much compassion.

“Did we get our metal?” I asked.

“Oh yes,” replied my love, dropping down next to me. “We’ve been given priority for the first new ore shipments, and much, much more, including a few crates of vap.”

“Have you tried it yet?” I teased.

“I have, actually. It’s filling but rather bland. I’ll be curious to see what the castle cooks do with it.”

“You and me both! Mmm, I could go for a good feast…”

“We will likely have a feast quite soon,” Torvok smiled. “A bevy of dignitaries are also coming back with us. Junior ambassadors, representatives from merchant guilds, a well-respected numa trainer, and a few others. Most importantly, Lady Lanah has insisted on joining us!”

I blinked. “Lady Lanah? Really?”

Torvok nodded. “Venik says no one dares tell her no. Lukadians are loading comfortable seating for the passengers into the cargo bay now.” He sighed. “I am looking forward to showing them the beauty of D’Tali.”

“I knew you were homesick.” I leaned my head on my mate’s shoulder. “And… wow, I guess I am, too.”

Torvok pressed a kiss to my forehead. I sighed in contentment. I was so ready for more of these little moments in my life.

“Ah! Before I forget, I was given a gift for you.” Breaking the quiet, Torvok produced a box from his pocket.

“Lady Lanah has decreed you an honored guest among the Lukadians, for the rest of your life. She was disappointed you were not with us and told us, in very firm tones, to issue you her greatest gratitude—and apologies for Anlek, of course.”

“Cool,” I said. “What’s the present?”

“I don’t know. After hearing of your ordeal starting with the cave-in, she said this would keep you from ever finding yourself in the dark.” Torvok placed the box in my hands. “Open it.”

I flicked open the beautifully worked metal clasp and pushed back the lid. Inside, nestled on some kind of lush fabric, lay what was unmistakably a glowing bone.

“Whoa,” I breathed. “Cool.”

I shot a glance at Torvok and saw he didn’t share my enthusiasm. I turned back to the box and found a note tucked into the side.

“Such was my grandfather’s power that his bones never ceased to create illumination,” I read. “May you keep this part of Lukadia with you always.”

“That is… unorthodox,” coughed Torvok.

“Definitely macabre,” I agreed, lifting the bone. It was unexpectedly light. “But I LOVE IT.”

Before Torvok could respond, Venik appeared.

“The Lukadian delegation is prepared to depart,” he informed us. “We await only our D’Tali hosts.”

“We’re ready,” I told him. I put the bone back in the box and thrust the whole awesome thing into my belt. “Come on, Torvok. We’ve got a metal delivery to make!”

TORVOK

I stood beside my king with pride. My chest was out, my shoulders back. Amber and I had done all of this, uniting the D’Tali and the Lukadians. An alliance was formed and it was going to be lucrative for both parties.

The dignitaries stood in front of us as the tables were brought in by D’Tali servants. A crowd had gathered out in the main courtyard of Tahkath to watch this joining between species. It was decided to stay outside today, to give the Lukadians a view of our wondrous skies. Considering they lived in caves for most of their lives, our king and queen wanted to give them a show. The stars of Tahkath were beautiful, and our planet’s two moons lit up the city at this time of year.

It was beautiful, and we wanted to share the beauty with our underground brethren.

Amber stood beside me, with two of the highest D’Tali dignitaries beside King Dojak and Queen Sofia. She held their baby boy, showing how she could mother and queen simultaneously.

“We will help you with your mine safety, if you let us,” the king said to the elderly seer Lanah.

I thought that maybe she was asleep, but her eyes popped open when the king started speaking to her. She was sitting in a chair while the others stood, her rickety bones needing the support.

“We've started a schooling system,” Queen Sofia added. “We would love for the Lukadians to come and teach us about mining. We can learn from each other and strengthen each other where we are weak.”

“You offer us an interesting alliance,” Lady Lanah said.

Her soft voice carried, as if everyone held their breath when she spoke. Even the final chairs being set didn’t drown out her voice—as if she was speaking to each person individually in the quietest of rooms, instead of outside while a massive party was being prepared.

I would never get used to the seer ability of Lady Lanah. I doubted I would ever see the likes of her again.

“It is an offer that we accept. Let us learn from the D’Tali. We can learn of your technology to keep our miners safe. We will teach you about mining in the Lukadian way.”

Cheers erupted from the D’Tali behind the Lukadian dignitaries. They all jumped a little at the rumble of voices, and I realized that they mustn't be used to how loud the D’Tali can get. Especially since they had all spent their lives talking quietly to avoid cave-ins.

“I'd love to provide you with some tools,” our queen said after the cheers from the D’Tali calmed down. Venik stood behind the Seer, and we caught each other’s eyes.

He gave me a small nod, one I returned. Ours was a friendship forged of darkness and necessity. Our trust with each other was earned, and I couldn’t be prouder that he was here to witness this meteoric rise to a historic connection between cultures.

I owed much of this success to Venik and his support. The mission to get metal was doomed to fail without him.

Well, him and Amber. Amber had saved the day on more than one occasion, showing just how resourceful and smart she really was, as well as nearly giving her life as sacrifice to this alliance. Queen Sofia looked at her with pride, her smile evident as Amber blushed. I discreetly found Amber’s hand, clutching her slender fingers.

We were fated mates. We both felt it, we both knew it was something amazing. And I couldn’t believe that it had happened at all. With a human female, no less. Our adventures in the mines brought us closer together than I would have ever thought possible. And I couldn't wait to be alone with her again.

But it had to wait until all this ceremony was finished. I was in a place of honor, and so was Amber. We couldn't walk away just yet. Even if it meant standing there and pretending not to think about undressing her later.

The feast would be a good one, since both the D’Tali and the Lukadians knew how to party. And I couldn't wait to get off this stage and have a good time. I liked being a blacksmith, behind the scenes, with no real aspirations to be anything higher than my current stature.

So, I was uncomfortable with the attention. Queen Sofia looked at me with soft eyes, her uncanny ability to read situations and people at work with her knowing glance.

“It's time to start the feast!” she said, thankfully letting Amber and me off the hook to go and sit with a few of our friends.

The alcohol started to flow after everybody cheered. I sat down, grateful to be out of the center of attention. I couldn't help but look at Amber. She really was beautiful, and I couldn't believe that the two of us had brought all of this about. She’d saved countless miners, provided invaluable aid to the Lukadians.

“We might be able to leave on that ship,” Amber said, her cheeks flushed as she sat down beside me. Women kept coming up and hugging her. It was hard to keep her talking with all the distractions. I drank deeply from my mug and watched her lithe body stand up and sit down. I realized I really didn't have much to complain about.

It was the best view in the world.

I didn't like that she still wanted to leave, and I shifted in my chair uncomfortably. After she had hugged a human woman for the third time, Amber sat beside me again. Food started being passed around on the tables, and we began to feast under the open night sky.

Venik approached and sat across from us. He seemed a little uncomfortable with the situation, and he forced a smile.

I passed him a mug of alcohol.

“This will help,” I said with a smile.

Venik returned the smile and drank deeply. “I don't know if I've seen this much sky in my entire life,” he said, wiping his mouth.

“Well, as you're the new Liaison, you're going to see it a lot more often.”

Amber sat down beside me again, her face flushed with excitement from the attention. She saw Venik, and she shot him a large smile.

“I can't believe we did all this,” she said proudly, gesturing to the laughing D’Tali and Lukadians around her. “I haven't seen a feast like this since the king and queen's wedding.”

Somebody laughed loudly, and I looked over to see the assassin, Vokar, taking a big drink out of his cup. It seemed like everyone was having a good time.

And all I wanted, all I needed, was Amber naked on top of me. That day in the shower ricocheted through my head. I couldn't forget it, and we hadn't had a moment to ourselves ever since.

But she wanted to leave me, and I didn't know what to do about that.

Even though she was smiling at me, and seemed genuinely happy at this feast, she’d just told me that she was planning on leaving. And maybe I’d just provided her with the way to do it.

I shifted uncomfortably again as those thoughts formed, and this time Amber noticed.

“Are you all right?” she whispered, placing a gentle hand on my forearm.

I nodded and took another big drink of my alcohol. I didn't trust myself to answer her, not in front of all these people.

“Do you want to talk?” Amber said, eyes boring into me. “Because I can talk if you want to, we both know I'm really good at it.” She laughed at her own joke, and I gave her an obligatory, distracted laugh. I didn't want to push her away, but I didn't want her to leave me.

And I didn't know what to do.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the table.

“But Venik?”

“He’ll be fine,” she said, leading me away from the feast. “He’s probably talking business with anyone who will listen.”

I allowed myself to be dragged out into the deserted city. It looked like every D’Tali was at the party.

And I was finally alone with her.

“Are you leaving me?” I blurted it out, annoyed with myself that I didn’t have any more tact.

“No!” Amber said, turning towards me and stopping our forward progress. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I just made sure that ship will work, so you can fly out of here.”

It poured out, and now that it was started, I didn’t think I could stop it.

“Ah,” she said. “Yeah, I guess that’s how it looks.”

“Are all you women going? Is it that bad here, is everything so bad that you can’t be with me anymore?”

“I want to fly, but I don’t want to leave.”

“What does that mean?” I questioned, my heart thundering as I looked at her. I was nervous, which was weird for me, and I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. “I don’t want you to leave,” I mumbled. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Look, I want to get the ship up and running. I want to fly it, because I can drive anything, and I think it would be a good time. But I’m not leaving you, Torvok. We’re mated, and I never thought I could be this happy with anyone before.”

“So, what… you fly away and come back?”

Amber shrugged.

“I haven’t really thought about it that much. I know some of the other women are itching to get back to Earth, and I want to help them. But that’s it.”

“Really?” Relief rushed through me as I stared at her. “You’re not planning on leaving me?”

“Never.”

AMBER

I realized, as I stood and stared at Torvok’s face, what it must have looked like. Our entire goal had been to fly a ship—a ship that would take me away from this planet.

That was the entire goal of going to the Lukadians in the first place, to get metal to fix the ship, to take me away.

No wonder he was so withdrawn. He was trying to protect his heart.

The D’Tali couldn't have babies with anyone unless they were mated. A fated mate was revered. They weren't like humans, not at all. And I realized exactly how he must have felt, thinking that I was going to leave him.

I’d be leaving him to a lifetime of loneliness, as the D’Tali only got one mate each, if they even found one to begin with. If I left, he’d be alone and broken.

I’d never told him that I wasn’t going to use the ship to leave, not since I realized how much I loved him.

I reached out and grabbed his bicep, making sure he looked me in the eyes.

“I'm never going to leave you,” I said again. “I promise you; I'm never going to leave you. You make me so happy, happier than I've ever been before.”

“I'd go with you,” he said softly, and my heart broke, because I knew what that meant to him. Torvok had been born into his rank of royal blacksmith. And to leave that, leave all of it, to follow me into space to a planet unknown to him, was the greatest and most selfless gift he could give.

“I don't want you to come with me,” I said with a slight smile as he looked at me, gaping. “I'm going to stay, I promise you I'm going to stay. This is my life now, and I'm fine with it. I am alive now. It’s as if my entire life was in shadow, and now that I’ve found you, I see in color. I love you, Torvok. I can't believe that I do, but I do. I've never loved anyone like this before, I didn't know what love really was until us. And trust me when I say I'm not going to leave you.”

I said it as sincerely and as heartfelt as I could, staring him straight in the eyes.

That seemed to do it, and his searching eyes relaxed and glowed. His glow, the glow that I loved so much. I smiled at him, and he drew me into a kiss.

Fireworks went off as he kissed me, just like every other time he did. I couldn't believe how lucky I was that I’d found this. Of all the people in the universe, all the species, against all odds, I’d discovered my fated mate here. Maybe that meant I was actually supposed to be here and that being kidnapped from Earth wasn’t a mistake at all.

Maybe it was fate.

Torvok pushed me up against the wall, and the cool brick pressed into my back. We started kissing again, harder and faster, the need consuming us both.

I knew I would never leave him. I didn't know what this was, but I wanted to figure it out. I wanted to know every inch of him and give him every inch of me.

Somebody laughed drunkenly in the street behind us, and we broke off the kiss to look.

A couple of drunk D’Tali soldiers walked by. They didn’t seem to notice us, and we kept still, so they wouldn’t.

Once they were out of earshot, we both erupted into snorts of quiet laughter.

“My place isn't far from here,” he said as we composed ourselves. “We can go there, if you want.”

“It's the only thing I want,” I said honestly. My body was mad at me that I'd broken off the kiss, that I’d broken off the promise of that fire.

Torvok took me by the hand and led me to his blacksmith shop.

He opened the door, and I could sense him everywhere in the air. The room was filled with iron and sweat, hard work, labor, and love. The fire in the nearest hearth was almost down to ash, but the room still gave off the glow of warmth. Weapons, armor, tools, hammers, and tongs hung on the walls.

“I know it's not much,” he stammered as I looked around, jaw gaping. “But we’ve worked here since—”

“It's beautiful,” I said earnestly. “It's fucking beautiful, Torvok.”

He looked at me with pride, and I grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him in for another kiss. We hadn’t made it much past the door, but I didn't care. I didn't care if it was dirty, I didn't care if there was soot everywhere. I needed him, and I needed him right now.

His deft hands got busy, and, before I knew it, my shirt was over my head and my breasts were exposed to the air. Teeth scraped, and I nibbled lightly on his lower lip. He growled something at me in appreciation, then he leaned over and kissed me on the collarbone.

His strong hands and his rippling forearms moved so softly that I couldn't believe he could be that gentle.

He pushed my back up against something, and I realized it was an anvil. With a gentle lift, he set my ass on top, then held me upright with a strong arm and kissed me deeply again.

I couldn’t believe how lucky I was, how amazing my life had become. The soft red glow from the fire contrasted with his purple skin and golden horns.

He pulled my pants off, and before I knew what was happening, he’d spread my legs and placed his mouth right between them, right on my heat.

I gasped and my head arched back. He sank to his knees in front of me, and his tongue got to work. My heart pounded against my ribcage and my breath started to come in gasps.

This was so beautiful. It was perfect. I couldn’t believe that we’d found each other in this universe at all, that I was with someone who could do this to me.

His tongue moved in slow circles, driving me wild. I arched again and let out a soft moan. He obviously knew what he was doing, and the slow circles picked up speed as my hips rocked against him.

One of my hands latched its way around his horn, and I used it to keep myself steady on the anvil. He drove me to the brink and I rocked my hips in time with him.

“Yes. Yes. YES!” I screamed as an orgasm tore through me, hard and fast. As if I’d never had one in my life before now.

I sat gasping on top of the anvil, enjoying the juxtaposition between the cool metal with the heat between my legs.

Torvok didn't stop. Instead, as soon as I lay still and the contractions stopped, he sank a finger into my sopping wet slit. I might have screamed again, I wasn’t sure. I was so distracted, so engrossed in the pleasure, I didn't know what was happening.

Well, I did know what was happening. He was rocking my fucking world.

His finger hooked a little and put pressure against my front wall. That spot, the one that could drive a woman to her knees. He worked his fingers in and out, and he placed his tongue back on the most sensitive of my areas, back onto my clit.

This time, he didn't take it gently. Instead, he worked his fingers in and out of me fast as his tongue licked up every drip of my cum. He wouldn't leave any behind, his mouth searched for it as he licked my folds and my clit.

I arched and moaned, again begging him for more, wanting nothing other than to stay here forever. His fingers went in and out like racing pistons, and my hips rocked in time. I used his horns to guide him. He seemed to like it as he moaned softly.

This wasn't fucking, it was making love. I'd always been told there was a difference, but I've never experienced it for myself. Not until right now. My heart thundered, as the love grew between us. He enjoyed doing this for me, I could tell with how he licked, how in tune to my gasps he really was. This was about me, and he would give and give and give.

I arched again, this time to orgasm. My inner walls clenched around his fingers with a soft moan as my hips bucked. The pleasure grew as I came, as everything I was poured out of me around his fingers. I sank towards him, softening completely onto his shoulders.

Torvok picked me up around the knees and the shoulders, carrying me away as I kept contracting. I nestled my face into the crook of his neck and just enjoyed the ride.

He knew what he was doing, and I wasn't going to be the one to ruin his plans.

My heart settled as we reached a bedroom with a large, soft bed in the center.

“We can just go to sleep, if you’d like,” he said quietly in my ear. “I don’t mind if it’s all about you.”

I looked him in the eyes as I trembled. The feeling of ease he had, how strong he was to carry me and not even puff. All of it drove my animal inside wild.

An animal that wasn’t near done with the evening.

“No,” I said to him. “No. I think we’re just getting started.”

TORVOK

This was more than anything I could have imagined. Having a woman in my shop, especially one as beautiful as Amber, was a rare occasion. Being able to make love to my fated mate inside my shop was something out of fantasies, something I never thought would happen in my wildest dreams.

But it was happening, and I loved every minute of it. I meant what I had said to Amber, that it could be all about her. I didn’t mind treating her like royalty for the rest of our lives.

Amber seemed to have something else in mind. And I certainly wasn’t going to stop her.

She sank to her knees in front of me when I set her on her feet beside the bed, and with a couple quick flicks of her fingers, had my belt and pants undone. I kicked them into the corner of my bedroom, pulled my shirt off over my head, and tossed it into the corner, too. Amber looked at me hungrily as her fingertips drifted across my lower abs.

I was rock hard, contained only by my underclothes. Her eyes went wide at my girth, and she freed me quickly, pulling my boxers down to my ankles and letting me kick them off.

Amber looked at me with a sly eye, and before I knew what was happening, she took me in her mouth.

Stars exploded behind my eyelids, and the pressure of her lips around my throbbing member was almost too much. I was big, but Amber didn't seem to care. In fact, as she took me in her mouth and started rocking her head up and down more quickly, I realized that she liked my size—that she relished almost choking on me.

I laced my hands gently through her hair, not wanting to push her too fast, but wanting to guide the pace. I liked being in charge, telling her what I needed, and she seemed to thrive on it when I did.

My heart exploded as she took me completely, I could smell her on my breath still, the beautiful sweet wine of her honey, and that turned me on as much as she did.

“You're the most beautiful person I have ever seen,” I said through my gasps. Amber moaned her reply.

I wanted her again, wanted to taste all of her again. We were right next to my bed, so I sat down with her head in my lap, and pulled her ass up to my face.

She was upside down, still sucking as hard as she could. I was left with her beautiful, soaking wet, quivering slit right in front of my face.

She moaned around my cock when I took control. I tasted her again, licking her folds, and the vibration of her moans sent me wild. I couldn’t help myself, and I started licking every inch of her. Every inch I could get my tongue on was mine for the tasting.

I wanted every dribble of cum from her multiple orgasms. I wanted to taste all of it.

It was easy to hold her up, humans were small and light, especially Amber. And I enjoyed holding her upside down as I licked every inch of her. Her lips folded and quivered, her head bounced up and down in my lap. She moaned again, obviously pleased with the turn of events, and I kept going.

I knew she wouldn't be able to stay like this for long, so I lay back on the bed, taking her ass with me. I lay down with her on top of me, her clit and her slit right in my face. The perfect position for any man, and I couldn't imagine life being any better than it was right now.

My body hardened further. Amber seemed to notice, increasing her pace as I licked in time with her. The view was amazing, and I could see how she quivered, her pussy contracting with every lick.

I pulled her closer to me, our bodies putting pressure on each other’s. Then we went faster and faster. She started rubbing her clit against my face harder and harder, rocking her hips in time with my legs. And I started thrusting up with my hips. Eventually, she pulled her face off my cock and started screaming.

“Yes! Yes! YES FUCK YES!” Then I watched her come, her body trembling wildly, vibrating on top of me.

I kept my arms wrapped around her tightly, holding her in place, keeping my little bit of control over her, the bit of control she seemed to love.

She rocked her hips as she finished again, and I watched the show. Best show in the world. This was a view I could get fucking used to.

I flipped her over so that she was underneath me, then turned so we were face to face. Her eyes shone, just like I knew mine glowed. She placed a gentle hand on my cheek.

“Fuck,” she whispered, staring at me. “You're fucking amazing, did you know that?”

I laughed and kissed her again. Our tongues explored each other's mouths passionately. Sparks twirled at the edges of my vision and my heart thundered as we shared our passion together.

That wasn’t enough for either of us.

I wanted to be inside her. I couldn't stop myself; she was just so fucking beautiful. I guided my tip into her.

I lay there for a moment as she tried to take more of me.

Her walls pushed outwards and my eyes crossed as I propelled all of myself into her. Expanding to fit me, she groaned softly as I took her in one swift motion and drove myself in to the hilt. She shuddered a little, and I stopped.

“No, don't stop,” she cried with a gasp. “Please don't stop.”

I liked that she was begging me, so I kept motionless, feeling her walls constricting me, watching her body start to writhe beneath me. She begged me to move without words, wanting my cock inside her as much as I wanted to give it.

She looked at me desperately, her body bucking beneath me. I kept still, simply keeping her full in that moment while I watched her. I couldn't keep my eyes off her face. Her face was contorted with pure pleasure, but her slit begged me for more. She wanted to take all I could give. This woman, this human, was so fucking perfect, and I couldn't believe I loved her this much.

It took us a moment. We stared at each other, and she started rocking her hips again. I thrust with her, over and over again. It took us one or two thrusts to match paces. Once her hips matched with mine, she took all of me with every hit. She gasped as I got us into a rhythm. Hips bucking, eyes rolling, I pushed her walls outward over and over.

We started slow, her hands running over my pecs. My palm drifted to her breast and she arched towards me as I pressed into it.

“I love you,” I said, eyes drifting over her body, taking in every inch of her.

“I love you,” she replied. The rhythm increased as our hearts pounded in time, our breath coming in joint gasps. Her eyes closed, and she arched her back, opening herself up to me. I took everything I could, driving us both. Thrusting harder and harder, she accepted all of me.

This was beauty, this was truth. This was everything that I thought my life could be, and more.

She was everything, and more. My heart thundered as I drove us both closer and closer to the edge. My palm found a nipple, and I pinched it hard between my fingertips. She gasped and moaned. I tried to slow her hips down, but she wouldn't have it. Instead, she rocked herself backwards and forwards, driving the pace harder. I pushed up, and pulled her hips toward me, so I was kneeling, and her legs were straight.

Then I shoved myself all the way into her, and she screamed at the change of angle. In this position, I could drive all of myself into her and have my thighs touch the backs of her legs.

“FUCK YES!” she screamed again. I kept myself inside her, motionless, and started rubbing her clit. Then I pulled out slowly, and drove myself in again, rubbing my thumb over her clit hard. My eyes were nearly crossing with the effort of keeping myself from coming, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to finish until she had come one more time.

She screamed, and I worked her sensitive nub of flesh hard, pulling back slowly, then pushing myself into her all the way to the base in one fluid motion. She screamed again, and contracted around me, the orgasm ripping through her. The contractions were what I needed. I looked at her face, looked at my love, and I spilled my seed inside her. I roared as I drove into her one last time, all the way to the base, my thighs touching her ass cheeks.

She bucked underneath me, the contractions driving her to rock her hips. And, in a display of pure love and adoration, we tumbled into oblivion together.

I chased my love down into the darkness. As I collapsed on top of her with my eyes closed, I knew one thing.

This was love.

And this was home.

EPILOGUE: AMBER

I gave Torvok a quick kiss of appreciation on the cheek. He smiled, and Isabella shot us both a grin.

“You guys are so cute,” she said with a wink.

“Shut up,” I answered, trying to control my blush. The ship, now aptly named Navigator, was patched and ready for its first test flight.

I wished I was going to be the one flying her, but no one wanted to risk any women. Instead, we’d trained a crew. Gorvo and Bindak had picked up the ship’s controls way faster than the others. I liked to think they learned so quickly because of their experience in Rover during our trip to Lukadia.

Once this test flight went fine, I would definitely be the one to pilot her, though.

That was, of course, if they could get the engines to fire successfully.

“Anything else you need?” Torvok asked Isabella, wiping his palms nervously against his pants. My heart fell through my stomach again as I watched him. I couldn’t believe I could keep falling in love with this guy, over and over again. At some point, he wouldn't have me head over heels, but I wasn't sure when that point was going to be.

Maybe never.

I hoped never.

“We're just waiting on Sofia and Riley,” Isabella said, hopping down from Rover’s open cargo bay.

I was surprised that Riley was coming from Aetam.

“I didn't know Riley was coming? Isn't she busy doing the whole Queen of Aetam thing?”

“Yeah, but she wanted to be here,” Isabella said with a shrug. “Plus, I think they want to get their hands on a couple of those translator bugs. I'm not sure if they're going to be able to. We only have five left, and we’re not likely to find more.”

I shrugged, not wanting to give any indication where I thought the translator bugs needed to go. I was lucky I had one, even though the name brought up the memory of that bug crawling into my ear.

“Up to the queen, I guess. So, where's Vokar?”

“He'll be here, he's bringing the Dojak and Sofia with him.”

I looked around. The work camp which had sprung up around the Navigator’s crash site had been cleared for the test flight. All that remained at the ship’s base were the ruts from the ore wagons.

“I’m so excited! Aren’t you excited?” I smiled my biggest, cutest smile at Torvok. After a moment, he chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

“Actually, I am excited.” Isabella rolled her eyes as I hugged Torvok.

Shouts from the trail behind us caught our attention. King Dojak’s party must have met King Kator’s on the road because they rode up together, laughing. Riley, Sofia, Camilia, Troko and Vokar rode behind the kings. I waved at them. Sofia, Camilia, and Riley waved back.

Behind them rode some of the other women kidnapped from Earth so long ago. Janis was a quiet one usually, but today she looked excited, too.

“Torvok, look!” His head spun in my direction. I pointed to the dismounting kings. “That means it’s almost time for the ship.”

Torvok smiled. “This is a historic event for certain, Amber,” he said, awe creeping into his tone. “The King of the D’Tali and the King of the Aetam bowing to Lady Lanah, Queen of Lukadia.”

“I’m amazed she left the mine at her age,” Isabella whispered.

“Well, if you had the opportunity to meet a couple of kings and watch a spaceship take off at her age, would you skip it?” I asked.

“Not a chance,” Venik said, popping up out of nowhere. “Grandma insisted. Besides, she likes using the elevator.”

“I liked her immediately,” I said. “Wait, elevator?”

“She likes you, too, Amber,” Venik said. “And you don’t think she’s going up all of those stairs, do you?”

A personal communicator in Isabella’s hand beeped. I swear she bounced on her toes in excitement.

“Are you ready, Gorvo?” Isabella asked, staring at the communicator even though she didn’t have the holo-projection setting on.

“Yes, Lady Isabella. All stations are a GO.” Isabella rolled her eyes at the ‘Lady’, but her excitement to see the culmination of all her hard work overwhelmed any small annoyance.

“You are a GO in T minus five minutes, Gorvo.”

“Roger, Lady Isabella.”

Isabella shook her head and muttered, “Lady, lady, lady, why?” Vokar joined our little cluster of conversation, sliding his arm around Isabella’s waist.

“Hello, love.” He kissed her on her head. The D’Tali were all so much taller, I guessed the head kisses were just the easiest. I couldn’t complain, I liked Torvok’s head kisses. “How much longer?”

“T minus four minutes.”

“More Earth phrases?” Isabella nodded at Vokar’s question.

“May I have your attention, please?”

My ears nearly rang with the volume of Isabella’s voice. Torvok jumped, which made me giggle. Vokar only blinked in response, but it was a surprised blink.

The people milling about on the ridge from which we all watched the Navigator gave Isabella their attention.

“In three minutes, the ship will attempt its first test flight!” Isabella spoke at a more reasonable volume that time.

Riley made her way over, giving me a hug. “I hear you had quite the adventure, Amber. And came back with a mate.”

“Oh, Riley, I did! This is Torvok. When we first met? Couldn’t stand each other.” I squeezed Torvok’s waist, smiling hugely. “Isn’t he great?”

Riley giggled. “Yes, I’m sure he is. Hello, Torvok, nice to meet you.”

“Queen Riley,” Torvok replied with a bow. He looked overwhelmed when King Kator joined Riley. “Your Majesty.”

“Ah, Torvok. Congratulations on your new posting.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I believe it suits me better than the bellows.”

“T minus two minutes!” Isabella’s yell made Torvok jump again.

“I’m just so excited,” I gushed, bouncing on my toes. “Look!” I pointed as the engines powered up and began to glow.

“Wow,” Venik said. “Lady Lanah, can you believe it?”

Lady Lanah humpfed. “The next flight, I get to fly it!” My eyes had to be the size of dinner plates.

“Will you be going back to Earth?” Janis asked me. That may have been the most I’d ever heard her say.

“I’ll fly it, but I’m not going back,” I replied, squeezing Torvok’s waist again. “I’ve found my mate. This is my home now. No way I’m letting Torvok get close to Earth. Can you imagine what they’d do if I showed up with a D’Tali? X-Files. All I’m saying.”

“That’s no joke,” Isabella said. Then she updated everyone. “T minus one minute!”

“What about you, Isabella?” Janis asked.

“No, I’ve found my life here.” She smiled up at Vokar. Smiling, too, he gave her a quick kiss.

The murmur of the crowd began to die down. Janis looked like she was praying, her fingers crossed. The crowd, nearly as one, looked out over the distance to the Navigator shining in the sun.

Every couple I could see held hands. Torvok’s hand slid down to my own. Earth… what would it be like now? Would it be the same crazy place we’d left?

“I wouldn’t mind getting to see my Pops.” I missed Pops. I missed working side by side with him in the shop, grease on my face, an engine lying in parts just waiting to be assembled. I nearly burst out in laughter thinking how Pop would respond to Torvok.

“What’s so funny?” Torvok asked.

“I was just thinking about introducing you to Pops—my father.” I leaned into Torvok. I sure missed Pops. Even though I wanted to stay here with Torvok, I still missed parts of my life back on Earth.

“Why is that funny?” Torvok raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled.

“Oh, he’d think he stepped into the Twilight Zone at the sight of a giant purple lizard-man with horns.”

“The Twilight Zone?” Torvok’s confused face was so cute!

“That’s going to take a while to explain. A story for later, my love.”

“Thirty seconds!” Isabella yelled again.

The crowd fell silent. I think we all held our collective breath. The wind ruffled my hair. The warmth of Torvok next to me filled me with love. I wasn’t so happy about being abducted by aliens and nearly sold as a slave, but Torvok and Rover and our whole adventure here was worth it. Curing the miners in Lukadia was worth it.

“Love you,” I whispered, squeezing his hand.

Venik leaned down to Lady Lanah, who seemed to be comfortable napping.

“Grandma. Grandma…”

“What?” Lady Lanah huffed a bit, opening her eyes.

“Grandma, it’s time…”

“Oh. Thank you, Venik. I don’t care if this trip kills me, I wanted to see the ship that goes into the sky.”

I had to smile about that. Lady Lanah must have been a real troublemaker in her youth.

“T minus five.” Isabella didn’t yell this time, yet every soul heard her.

“T minus four.” The Navigator began to shudder.

“T minus three.” Lady Lanah leaned forward.

“Two.” The crowd, as one, leaned forward.

“One…”

I KNOW, I know… but it really was the best place to switch from Amber to Janis! Really!

AND I THINK you’re going to like where we end up :)

STRONG. Beautiful.

Perfect.

If only I could make her see herself as I do.

EVER SINCE THE human women arrived, I found myself drawn to her.

Only her.

Silent, eyes filled with terror, but brave enough to face this new world anyway.

Every moment of her pain has cut me, torn my heart open.

And when she leaves, looking for something that might heal her?

I’ll make sure nothing stands in her way.

Even if our journey takes us back to the last beginnings of my tribe.

READ ON FOR A SNEAK PEEK, or click here to get Lost with her Alien Mate on Amazon now!

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LOST WITH HER ALIEN MATE: SNEAK PEEK

Janis

The wind whipped my hair back, the ship’s engines growling furiously as they battled against gravity. I stood at the edge of the massive crater, surrounded by D’Tali and humans alike, and wrapped my cloak tighter against my body. It did little to protect me from the wind, but at least it offered some comfort.

The hulking shape of The Navigator, as it had been christened, let out a metallic groan as the thrusters finally engaged, spewing blue flames against the hard-packed soil. A cloud of dust exploded from beneath the ship and, as if on cue, everyone stepped back. Some, like me, even raised their arms to shield their eyes from the debris.

“It’s working,” King Dojak muttered beside me, his eyes widening as he watched the action unfold. He stood tall, his posture regal, but even he couldn’t stop wonder and fascination from taking over his face. “It’s actually working.”

I felt short of breath, my heart tightening inside my chest as I looked back at the ship. Slowly, but steadily, it pushed off the ground, like a sleeping giant someone had just poked with a stick. It was hard to believe this behemoth had come here all the way from Earth. There was a metallic sound and the ship shuddered. The Navigator began to ascend. First, just a couple of feet, then yards at a time.

I allowed myself a sliver of hope.

If this worked, there was a chance I could return to Earth. I could see my adoptive family again, maybe even return to the life I had worked so hard for—before the Skarg abducted us. Maybe I’d even be able to forget about all this. As kind as the D’Tali had been to us, I needed to get back to Earth. Some of the women had already started to see this planet as their home, but not I.

“Oh, God,” I breathed out, my knees threatening to buckle under my weight.

The ship stopped its steady march into the heights, and I could tell the thrusters were working to their full capacity. What if the ship didn’t fly? What if this was all for naught? Would I remain trapped here on this planet forever?

Hope welled up inside me once more, a metallic groan rippling through the air as the ship started ascending again. It labored higher and higher, casting its enormous shadow over the gathered crowd. I held my breath and prayed silently to whatever gods ruled this side of the galaxy.

“Please, please,” I muttered under my breath, repeating that word over and over again, like a mantra. More than anyone here, I wanted this to work. I needed for the ship to be fully functional. I had kept to myself that since we arrived here, I only wished for one thing… to leave.

I had never been what most would consider a well-adjusted girl, but I had built a normal life back on Earth. My adoptive family accepted me, and my career provided meaning. After a miserable childhood I had scraped together a promising future.

Fate, though, threw a wicked curveball.

Over a year had passed since that fateful night, but I could still recall each moment as vividly as if it were happening now. A bright light outside my window, a feeling of nausea, and my consciousness dwindling until all I could experience was dark. Then, when I awoke, everything had changed.

My old life was no more.

Even though I had never believed that aliens were a thing, that night I woke up in the cargo-hold of a spaceship, trapped inside something like a cattle pen. I had gone from being a normal girl to a piece of meat trafficked by aliens. Thankfully, fate must’ve taken pity on me: instead of reaching its destination, the traffickers’ ship was ambushed and crash-landed on this planet. Even though I didn’t like it here like most of the other women, the D’Tali’s generosity and kindness made life more tolerable.

I felt petty for resenting the women who had adjusted to life here. How could they accept it so easily? They busied themselves with dating the D’Tali instead of planning a way out, their complacence driving me insane.

It wasn’t their fault, of course. But I couldn’t help waking every night drenched in sweat, the memories of my abduction returning in the shape of haunting nightmares.

Somehow, though, no one had noticed just how close I was to my breaking point.

As hope began to solidify one the ship’s thrusters misfired.

Blue flames turned inward and bent the metal. A collective gasp ran through the crowd. There was a furious hiss from The Navigator. My eardrums popped as a metallic thunderclap rang throughout the landscape.

The ship banked left, losing altitude. The engines worked double-time, judging by their tempestuous roar.

It wasn’t enough.

“Step back, everyone,” King Dojak cried out, the deep bass of his voice reverberating through my chest.

His security escort leaped into action and pushed the crowd further back, trying to create a safe perimeter. A wave of nausea crashed against me: the ship was going to crash.

“No, please, no.” My knees finally gave in, hitting the ground with a painful thud. I didn’t even register the pain. My heart became tight enough it almost burst. It felt like a heavy boulder sunk in my stomach.

Kneeling, I watched as The Navigator pushed away from the crater, its original resting place. Whoever was piloting was trying not to flatten the entire crowd if the worst happened. I heard the crackle and static of comm devices going off all around me, but I was so dazed I couldn’t register what was being said.

My hopes were pulverized as The Navigator touched the ground. It wasn’t a disaster, as the pilots managed to right the ship before the hull touched the soil, but I could still see metal sheets flying everywhere. The earth trembled under my feet seconds after impact.

I brought my arm up, realizing I was crying. I used the sleeves of my ragged shirt to dab the tears away. It was useless. It’s not that I was sad—it was something that cut way deeper. It felt as if my insides had been scooped up and flung out, leaving nothing but hollowness and desperation behind. I would never return to Earth. I would never see my family again. I would never be happy again.

The last thing I remembered was a falling sensation. That, and the emptiness of the skies overhead, their strange colors a reminder I didn’t belong here.

This wasn’t home.

Nadan

“Get back!”

King Dojak ushered the crowd of humans and D’Tali backwards, pushing us all away from the horrifying sight in the horizon—The Navigator smoking and twisted, crashed. There was chaos and pandemonium. D’Tali children wept from the loud noise—one babe had gotten lost in the scuffle and was desperately searching for his mother. Ordinarily, I would have been the first to scoop him up and return him, but not today.

All around me, humans and D’Tali coursed backwards, pushing against each other to make sure they were at a safe distance should The Navigator burn. Meanwhile, Amber, Riley, and Isabella, the three human women leading the effort to get The Navigator up and running, bolted towards the smoldering ship. They were followed by their team of D’Tali engineers. I thought about making myself useful. The small D’Tali child behind me stopped wailing as someone ushered him to his mother. Throughout this chaos, I could only stand still.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Janis swayed the minute The Navigator had begun to descend and we all realized something was wrong. The moment The Navigator crash-landed, she crumpled like an autumn leaf.

I had to get to her.

When the human women first landed in the D’Tali kingdom, I laid eyes on Janis and something ignited inside of me. I tried to shake off the feeling, assuming it was just a natural curiosity for a creature that looked and behaved so differently, but as the days wore on and more of the human women began to mix with the D’Tali and the Lukadians, I started to suspect something else was going on.

Janis always seemed distant, apart. She reminded me of the traumatized numa I worked with in King Dojak’s court. He always laughed and bragged about my work, telling anyone who would listen that I could rehabilitate any numa, no matter how misbehaved. I was always quick to follow up that numa didn’t “misbehave”—they protected themselves from dangers that we just couldn’t see.

I suspected that what was happening inside of me for Janis wasn’t simple curiosity when I noticed her putting continuous distance between herself and the other women. Once, weeks ago, a large D’Tali had put down a plate of food with a jovial clang near Janis, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. She bolted from the table and, unable to stop myself, I followed her. I found her moments later huddled over a barrel of water, shaking from head to toe, taking in deep, steadying, calming breaths.

That night, I hung back in the shadows, positive had I made myself known, I would have sent her spiraling down a darker fear. Instead, I watched from a distance as she dipped her hands in the water barrel and washed her face clean, calming herself enough to eventually rejoin the others at the table. I stayed out, trying to parse through the confusing feelings. Why had she captured my attention like this? It was stronger than just curiosity. The sight of her shaking made me explode in pain. I found my own limbs quivering too.

And now, seeing her unconscious body twisted around in her cloak made me want to howl in misery.

I had avoided approaching her for so long, though whenever she was near, I couldn’t help but stare at her. I was positive I had memorized every detail of her face. The freckles across the bridge of her nose, the dusty hazel of her eyes, and her warm auburn hair cascading down her face, brushing the tips of her delicate shoulders. Over the weeks I had noticed her eyes developing a slightly bruised look—as if the very act of drinking in the visual stimulus of the D’Tali kingdom was making her sick.

Wait, I had told myself that night at the water barrel. Wait, I had said as I watched her separate herself from the rest of the human women. Wait, just wait. She won’t trust you if you push.

The Navigator crashed, and all of my cautious reasoning crashed with it.

“Move,” I barked with frustration as I pushed against the D’Tali guards corralling the crowd back through the main gates. No one seemed to have noticed Janis collapsing. Was I the only one who saw her fall?

I finally broke free of the crushing, concerned bodies and crossed the empty distance between the throng to where Janis lay unconscious on the earth. I became suddenly aware of how fast my heart beat against my rib cage. I had never been this close to her.

“Janis,” I murmured softly, kneeling next to her.

She was unresponsive.

My heart slammed against my chest, quickening its pace. This wasn’t good—I needed to get her to someone who could help revive her.

I put my hand on her cloaked shoulder and rolled her over gently so she faced me. Seeing her face so close took my breath away. Even unconscious, she appeared to be in pain.

“Janis,” I whispered. “Can you hear me?”

Nothing.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins. Enough was enough—she obviously wasn’t going to wake. I needed to jump into action.

Moving cautiously so I didn’t jostle her, I scooped my hands underneath her frail body and lifted her up easily into my arms. Her head lolled onto my shoulder, fitting perfectly against the crook of my neck. As I hoisted her into a more comfortable position, her hand brushed briefly against my cheek.

It was as if my whole body suddenly awoke.

The world around me felt sharper, more alive, like the volume and color saturation had been turned up. I gasped and almost dropped Janis out of shock. My body reacted so dramatically to even just the gentlest of her touches.

Was this the Bond?

I suspected Janis and I were fated, but up until now had no way of truly knowing. And yet, I still wasn’t positive—the sun’s unrelenting rays made it hard for me to examine my skin. My fluorescent Bond sign should have flared in Janis’ touch, but I couldn’t quite discern it in the sunlight.

All I knew was Janis was in pain, and it caused me pain. Fighting back panic, I looked up and scanned the horizon. There were teams of D’Tali and a few human women over by The Navigator, assessing the damage. Meanwhile, most of the crowd had already returned to the city by now. Just outside the gate stood King Dojak and several of his advisors and humans. My need to get Janis somewhere safe where she could be revived throbbed in me like a painful reminder, and I began to stride swiftly towards the king.

“My king!” I called out. I heard my voice as if it were outside of me. I sounded winded and panicked.

King Dojak and his human wife, Sofia, looked up in alarm. My shout also got the attention of Camilla, a human healer, who appeared from behind the king and watched me approach.

“What’s happened, Nadan?” King Dojak asked as I rushed up to them with Janis in my arms.

“It’s Janis! She—I don’t know what happened, but she collapsed,” I said desperately, holding tight to Janis. “I tried to wake her but she wouldn’t move.” I looked pleadingly between King Dojak and Sofia. Someone in charge had to tell me what to do.

“When did she collapse?” It was Camilla, appearing suddenly by my side, her baby Ania on her hip. Ania stared up at me with wide curiosity.

“Just after The Navigator crashed—she just fell, and she won’t wake up,” I said.

Camilla snatched her hand out and grabbed Janis’s wrist, feeling for a pulse. Her normally composed face wrinkled in concern.

“King, would you hold Ania for me?” Camilla said gently, though her face showed urgency. Without waiting for a response, she deposited the small child into the king’s arms, who looked at first surprised then happy to cuddle the baby.

“Of course, Camilla,” King Dojak replied, pinching Ania’s nose and grinning at her subsequent shrieks of laughter. “Take care of Janis. Ania is safe here.”

Without waiting another beat, Camilla strode through the camp gates, leading me to the temporary infirmary, weaving through the crowd still jabbering animatedly about the crash.

“I set up an infirmary in Rover’s cargo hold to care for the pilots, just in case.”

“Very thoughtful, Lady Camilla.”

I felt as if Janis’ body pulsed in my arms, in rhythm with my heart beat. I knew she needed Camilla’s help, but I also knew how likely she was to start in fright when she saw two people crowding around her, one of them a strange, unknown D’Tali. It was just like the numa that I trained—get too close, too fast and they balk.

But I knew what I felt when our skin touched—was it possible she would react differently to me? If we were bonded, could Janis open her eyes and feel a sense of calm? Would she be alarmed?

I gritted my teeth as I followed Camilla through the crowd. I did not know what would happen next, but now more than ever, my heart thrummed with one word:

Janis.

Janis

When I opened my eyes, a wave of nausea and confusion crashed over me. My temple pounded. A dusty amber light floated up around my head, making me wince. I felt in my body rather than my heart the effects of the deep sadness which had overtaken my consciousness just moments before. I was achy, a little delirious, and exhausted. Why was I so exhausted? Then I remembered…

“Janis,” someone said.

I turned my head and saw Camilla standing in front of me, her face full of compassion. She pulled up a rogue storage box and sat on it, taking my hand in hers. She was being so kind to me. I hated that.

You don’t deserve it.

My own voice in my head rang out like a shot. It made my temple pound even harder. I tried to shake it off. I’d worked hard over years of therapy to handle these negative intrusive thoughts—but I was more vulnerable when tired and stressed.

“How are you feeling, Janis?” Camilla asked gently.

I swallowed, considering how I could answer this when I heard a rustling from somewhere behind Camilla. In spite of my exhaustion, I shot up, peering around her to get another look.

“Whoa, whoa,” Camilla said soothingly. “Easy there, Janis. It’s only Nadan.”

It was him. The D’Tali I’d caught staring at me once or twice. He stood awkwardly by the door of the room, hands clasped in front of him. He gazed at me intently, but looked up at the ceiling when I met his gaze.

“What is he doing here?” I said rigidly, putting a hand to my forehead to quell the aching.

“He brought you here,” Camilla said. She turned back at Nadan and nodded at him. “He was the only one who saw you collapse in front of The Navigator. Thank goodness he did—you owe him your gratitude.”

My fist curled as I inhaled sharply. I didn’t owe anyone anything.

He could have left you to bake in the sun.

My head spun. My eyes throbbed. I put my hands over my eyelids and tried to keep breathing. I felt a warm feminine hand on my shoulder. Why was Camilla being so kind to me? I had tried for so long to distance myself from her and the other women.

“Janis—you gave us all quite a fright,” Camilla said. “Have you been feeling faint recently?”

Yes, I had. But I shook my head no.

“What about food?” Camilla stood and scooped my wrist up to feel my pulse. “When was the last time you ate?”

“This morning,” I lied. “I had breakfast with the rest of you.”

“Hmm,” Camilla hummed, her eyebrow furrowing. “That’s funny, I don’t remember seeing you.”

“I snuck away. I ate in the back.” You’re such a liar, I thought to myself viciously.

“Alright, well…” Camilla glanced around the supplies at her disposal, biting her lip and lost in thought. Suddenly, she turned to the doorway. “Nadan?” she called out.

The D’Tali man perked up, eyebrows arched.

“Could you come help me with this?” She grabbed what looked like a sensor attached to a long hose that fed into a small hand-held device.

Nadan crossed from the door to my bed with a few easy strides and stood carefully at attention as Camilla deftly put the sensor on my chest underneath my bodice.

“Oh, I—” I stammered, but it didn’t matter what I would have said. It would have fallen on deaf ears. Camilla kept her hands over the sensor positioned above my heart and handed Nadan the device.

“You’ll have to read it for me, since this thing only really works when I press on it,” Camilla explained as Nadan took the device with curiosity. “It’ll beep once it’s finished its reading—I need you to read out the second number that flashes.”

I felt a suction at my chest where the sensor was positioned and an increase in pressure as Camilla pressed harder. I started to flush—there was so much going on and I barely had any time to protest. When I woke up this morning, I had only ever pictured myself on the ship coming back home, not lying on a bed with a woman’s hands down my shirt and a strange alien hovering around my shoulder.

Suddenly the device in Nadan’s hands beeped. The noise cut through my headache like a sledgehammer.

“What’s it say?” Camilla prompted.

“Thirty-two,” Nadan said, his voice calm.

“Woowee!” Camilla exclaimed. She turned to look at me and there was a smile on her face, but her eyes were serious. “Your cortisol levels are… astronomically high.”

“I did just watch our only way off this planet crash to the ground,” I said before I could help myself. “What’s going on with the ship, by the way?” I swallowed. It’s done. You’re done. You’re stuck here forever. “Can it fly? Is it ruined? Is—uh, is anyone hurt?”

Camilla narrowed her eyes shrewdly and peered at me with a knowing look. My gaze darted to my hands. I realized I was clutching the fabric of my tunic so tightly my knuckles were turning white.

You’re stuck here.

I needed to convince Camilla that I was okay, because I needed to get out of this room. I didn’t like her watching me and I didn’t like that the D’Tali man had found me in such a state. I took in a deep breath.

“I need to relax,” I said in what I hoped was my most serious voice. “I know, you’re right. I just got a little swept away in the excitement of the ship.”

“A little,” Camilla snorted, but she pried the sensor off my chest and began wrapping the hose around the device in Nadan’s hands. When she finished, she stowed it back in its box and sat back down on the crate by my bedside. Nadan stood still, as if he was afraid sudden movements would frighten us.

“Janis, this is troubling,” Camilla began.

You’re stuck here.

“I know,” I said quickly, hoping to cut her off at the pass. “I know. I—listen, I’m just a little frazzled, that’s all, but that happens to me sometimes. I—before we came here, this used to happen to me. I fainted before I got the results of my SATs. I was just so excited to know.”

Liar. That’s not why you fainted.

“I’d like you to eat something,” Camilla said exasperatedly.

“I’m fine, really Camilla,” I urged. “I ate a big breakfast! This is just—you know—it was a lot to take in back there.”

I could tell Camilla didn’t believe me for an instant. She pursed her lips in a frown, her expression perturbed. Finally she sighed and stood, moving away from my bedside.

“Stay here,” she said sternly. “I need to go check on the pilots of the ship. I don’t believe anyone was hurt, but they’ll need me to inspect folks. At least the ship didn’t land on the cockpit…”

Camilla trailed off, but meanwhile, I was desperate for any news of the ship. If the ship didn’t land on the cockpit, did that mean that there was a better chance that they could make repairs and get us out of here?

“Nadan?” Camilla said, and the D’Tali nodded. “Stay here with her, won’t you? I’ll be back soon.”

“Really, Camilla, I can go,” I protested, but Camilla held up a hand to quiet me.

“Stay here with Nadan, please,” she said gently. “When I come back, we’ll measure your cortisol levels again. If they’re lower, you’re free to leave!” She smiled brightly. I could tell she didn’t believe anything that had come out of my mouth in the last five minutes and was calling my bluff.

Camilla left, leaving me alone with the D’Tali. I stole a look at him in spite of myself. His scaly skin was a striking dark blue, and although he stood like a soldier, there was something gentle about his face. I supposed if anyone was to have found me completely helpless, he wasn’t the worst. I shuddered when I thought of the other D’Tali that the human women had grown so close to. How could they have been bewitched by these aliens?

One thing was certain—if I wanted to get out of this, I was going to have to convince Camilla that I was calm enough to leave. That required deep breathing. I didn’t know enough about cortisol levels to know if thirty-two was truly as high as she said, but I knew enough about self-soothing tools to remember that, if I was ever in a bind, deep breaths were the thing most likely to bring me back to my normal state.

Or rather, they were the tool most likely to get me to appear normal.

You’re trapped here.

The thought made my heart beat more rapidly and brought a quiver to my hands. If the ship couldn’t get up off the ground again, then I really was trapped here. Everything that you’ve worked for on Earth—

No! I had to stop this line of thought. This was dangerous. If I was going to be able to get out from under Camilla’s scrutiny, I had to calm myself down.

All I could hope for was that Camilla’s return would bode positive news about the ship’s repairs, and that sooner or later, I’d be on my way home again.

CLICK HERE to get Lost with her Alien Mate on Amazon now!

REKKER

Rekker wasn't expecting to be matched.

On the eve of being sent to retrieve a mysterious artifact, he's sent something just as enigmatic.

A HUMAN WOMAN, lush and curved.

His mate.

Even worse, she wants nothing to do with him.

His blood burns for her, but the need to make her happy overrides everything.

He'll find a way to set her free, even if it means he'll be alone. Forever.

But when danger comes from an unexpected source, they're thrown together. And when his mate turns to him, he'll protect her.

KEEP HER.

Claim her.

Lila Kanes never wanted any thing but a quiet life on her family farm. She certainly didn't want to be claimed by a massive alien mate.

THROWN INTO THE STARS, she'll do whatever it takes to find a way home.

BACK TO EARTH.

Back to her family.

SHE COULDN'T POSSIBLY WANT to stay with the hot, horned alien with the amazing body, who made her feel like the most precious thing in the universe, could she?

RIGHT?

REKKER IS the first book of the Warriors of Vaznik, a stand alone series in the Warlord Brides universe. There's no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA for each couple!

CLICK HERE to keep reading Rekker, book one of the Vaznik Warrior Mates!

KAZAN

An alien warrior resolved to return to battle. A woman determined to get back to her life.

They'll fight the match, but can they fight fate?

A MATE IS the last thing on my mind.

Especially one as sassy as the human female they say is my match.

Even if her lush curves call for my touch, and her fiery spirit is equal to my own.

I will endure the thirty days demanded by the Protocol.

But with every look, every word, I can feel us bound closer together.

Will I be able to leave her, even for her own safety?

KAZAN IS the first book of the Jorkan Protocol Mates. Spend the night with this perfect steamy, funny science fiction romance escape. There's no cheating, and a guaranteed HEA for each alien warrior and his mate! Hot, steamy alien yumminess!

CLICK TO GET IT NOW!

ROGUE MATE

Science fiction romance is the destination of the Rogue Star…. Hop on board!

OUR RESCUERS ARE a group of pirates. Or smugglers. They're not exactly answering questions, either.

More importantly, they're giant, golden skinned aliens...

And their rogue of a captain seems very interested in the little human commander.

Me.

ROGUE MATE IS the first in the Rogue Star science fiction alien romance series. Click now to start the adventure!

Copyright © 2020 by Ava York

All rights reserved. These books or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity between the characters and situations within its pages and places or persons, living or dead, is unintentional and co-incidental.

Table of Contents

Title Page

Contents

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Amber

Torvok

Epilogue: Amber

Are you a STARR HUNTRESS?

Lost with her Alien Mate: Sneak Peek

Rekker

Kazan

Rogue Mate

Copyright