KAZAN

Jorkan Protocal Mates: Book One

Ava York

Starr Huntress

Contents

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Kazan

Elle

Epilogue: Elle

Are you a STARR HUNTRESS?

Razar Sneak Peek

Rogue Mate

Elle

“Sign.” I tapped the contract with my pen, right below the dotted line. Impatience, fueled by exhaustion, sharpened my voice. “Now.”

“We don’t feel that the terms are favorable enough to—”

“Now.”

There was silence as the small army of lawyers sitting across the table shifted uncomfortably and stared at me. They weren’t happy, but I didn’t blame them for it. They had just taken a beating.

I stared right back at them, slowly arching one eyebrow up. A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Well? What’s it gonna be?”

“You drive a hard bargain, Elle.” Sighing, the old man at the head of the pack of angry lawyers grabbed the pen from my hand, and finally put his name down on the contract. “I hope this settlement will be the end of it.”

“You bet.” I grabbed the contract from the desk, put it in my bag, and rose to my feet. “It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen.” I marched out of the room without bothering to look back. Cue the music—another multimillion-dollar settlement was in the bag, and I was one step close to making partner. If only I cared more.

I left the building with my head held high, as my Manolo Blahniks clicked across the marble floor onto the sidewalk. Just another day in the life of Elle Ashby, corporate lawyer and boardroom assassin. This day, though, was significant. After six long years of grinding, I was finally about to become a full partner at Schwartz-Eriksson.

“Where to, Miss Ashby?” Standing beside the jet-black limo, my driver tipped his hat at me as I approached the car. I slid into the backseat as he held the door for me and sunk into the leather seat. “Should I drive you home?”

“Yes, please,” I replied, already grabbing my cellphone to let the firm’s two name partners know that the ink had already dried on the settlement. A mere few seconds after I sent them a text, my phone started blowing up as they tried to call me. A settlement like this would make the headlines tomorrow, and they knew I was already being hounded by headhunters. They were terrified of losing me—as they should be. I pushed the phone into my purse and ignored them. It didn’t matter if we’re talking about seduction or business: hot-and-cold never failed to leave men even more desperate for you.

The limo rolled down Park Avenue at a slow pace, the frantic Manhattan traffic its usual self. The sun had already started dipping past the skyline, bathing Grand Central Station with a warm orange glow, and the shadow of the Waldorf-Astoria stretched over the avenue like a blanket.

New York—corporate arena...and my home.

It’s hard to believe that a country girl like me would make it in the city, but that’s the magic of laser-focus and hard work. I’d glued my backside to a chair when I was no more than a teenager, studied like a maniac, and gotten into Harvard. From there, it was only a matter of being the absolute best and climbing the ranks. I’d set myself a relentless pace, and lately I was beginning to wonder when I would break.

“We’re here, Miss Ashby,” my driver announced, the limo coming to a halt outside my apartment building.

He opened the door for me, and I thanked him with a nod and a smile. Five minutes later, I was kicking off my Manolos and walking barefoot into the penthouse’s kitchen. I opened the wine fridge, poured myself a cold Pinot Grigio, and waltzed onto the balcony.

“Here’s to you, Elle,” I whispered, raising my glass as I took in Manhattan’s skyline with a glance, the skyscrapers rising up into the heights like monuments to human ambition. Suddenly, my phone started ringing again. I smiled ironically: I had sunk the hooks, and now it was time to reel it all in.

Back in my living room, I grabbed my phone from my purse, Schwartz’s name flashing on the screen. I was about to put the phone up to my ear when I heard someone knock at my door. That was odd—no one should be able to come up here without the receptionist getting the green light from me.

I threw the phone onto the couch, then made my way toward the door and flung it open. Standing in the corridor outside my apartment were two men in black suits. Both had short haircuts and a clean-shaven appearance, but despite the fact that they were smiling, their smiles didn’t reach their eyes.

“What’s this?” I asked them, folding my arms over my chest.

“We’re here on U.S. government business, Miss Ashby,” the taller one replied, his formality enough for me to peg them as federal agents.

He flashed his badge, too quickly for me to notice what agency they belonged to, then they simply strolled into the apartment uninvited. Sometimes I wished federal agents were more like vampires—life would be so much easier for everyone if they required an invitation to enter a building.

“What’s this about?” I insisted, closing the door behind me. “Are you with the Securities and Exchange Commission? If that’s the case, I’m telling you that the settlement Schwartz-Eriksson secured today is completely above board and—”

“We’re not with the SEC.” Still with that creepy smile on his face, the tall man sat down on one of my couches, and waved at the one facing him. “Please, have a seat, Miss Ashby.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Frowning, I sat down, still nursing my glass of wine. Federal agents were never good news, but I wasn’t about to let them ruin my day. I was about to reach the pinnacle of my career, and before my thirtieth birthday. I wasn’t going to let some bullshit federal agents put a stop to it. No way. “Now, care to explain why I have two U.S. government employees inside my apartment?”

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” the shorter one said, his hands folded in his lap. “My name is Agent Starmer, and this is Agent Krasinski. We’re here because we have a couple of questions we need to ask you, Miss Ashby. It’s nothing you should be worrying about.”

“That’s for me to decide.” Bringing the glass to my lips, I finished what was left of the wine, then set the glass down on the coffee table and regarded them for a moment. This was different. Different enough that some of my constant low-level fatigue faded under a surge of curiosity. “Let’s get this over with, then. What do you want to know?”

“Very well.” Clearing his throat, Agent Krasinski grabbed a notepad from his shirt pocket and flipped through it. “What would you consider most important? A family or your career?”

I opened my mouth to say something, but words didn’t come out. I just stared at the two men and blinked, my eyebrows knitted together. What the hell was this? The government’s live-version of a Facebook quiz? Were these two idiots part of the Bureau of Astrology Investigation and Unrelated Personality Quizzes?

No, this had to be a joke.

“Please, respond truthfully,” Krasinski continued, his tone never wavering. He clutched his pen tightly, ready to note down my answers. So, this wasn’t a joke. They were really expecting me to answer that stupid question.

“My career is more important, evidently,” I finally replied. “I didn’t work my ass off to become one of the best lawyers in New York just so I could end up barefoot and pregnant on some—”

“Interesting,” he said. “Would you say that you have an argumentative personality?”

“What? I’m a lawyer, so I—”

“I see.” Scribbling on his notepad, he only looked back at me once he was done. “What about allergies or health conditions? Are there any that we should know about?”

“Why the hell do you want to know that?” Sighing, I shook my head. “Alright, fine. No, I don’t have any allergies or underlying health conditions. I work hard, but I don’t let my health suffer because of that.”

“You do yoga, right?”

“Yes,” I replied, narrowing my eyes at them. “How do you know that?”

“How do you feel about long-distance travel?” Agent Starmer continued, ignoring my ever-growing confusion. “According to your notes, you’ve been all over the globe. From Tokyo to Dubai to—”

“Yes, I’m used to traveling,” I cut him short, curiosity giving way to annoyance. “My work with Schwartz-Eriksson means that I have to represent a lot of multinational companies, and so I have to travel constantly. Now, gentlemen, you either tell me what this is about, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Just one more question, if you will,” Krasinski said. “Do you consider yourself an adventurous person?”

“What?” Tightening my lips, I rose to my feet and pointed at the door. “I’m done with these stupid questions. I want you out of my apartment...right now.”

“Very well.” Starmer stood up and exchanged a knowing glance with his partner. “You’re right, Miss Ashby. We’re running a tight ship here, and our schedule doesn’t really allow for delays. I think we have everything that we need.”

“Good riddance.”

“Oh, you misunderstand me,” Starmer continued, his smile finally reaching his eyes, the tiniest hints of crow’s feet showing there. “You’re coming with us, Miss Ashby.”

“I’m—what?”

“How would you like a vacation, Miss Ashby?” He glanced at Krasinski.

The word vacation snagged my attention just long enough for Agent Krasinski to grab something from inside his jacket—some kind of metallic pen with a bright bulbous tip—and place it in front of my eyes. “Just look into the light, Miss Ashby. Just look into the…”

I didn’t hear the rest of his sentence—I was still thinking about vacation.

The red light on his pen lured me in, and I dove straight into unconsciousness.

Kazan

“Kazan! Kazan! Kazan!”

“Alright, alright.” Grinning from ear to ear, I waved down the drunken Jorkan guys surrounding me. They patted me on the back, pushing drinks into my hands, and kept on chanting my name as if I were some sort of god-emperor. “Cool your tits, boys. You keep on stroking my ego, soon enough I won’t be able to fit through the door.”

“C’mon, you’ve earned this,” Tarnik shouted, slapping me on the back while raising his shot glass. His scale-covered muscles rippled under his shirt as he moved, his pectorals looking almost desperate to escape from his tight shirt. It always weirded me out to see him outside his tactical uniform, and tonight was no different. “Here’s to another well-delivered kick to the Rippers’ nutsacks.”

“Well, shit, I’ve gotta drink to that.” Laughing, I touched glasses with him and downed my own shot, the alcohol burning its way down my throat. Tarnik was right—after another successful op, we needed to celebrate. My men, all of them elite Jorkan soldiers who hated the Rippers as much as they loved drinking, had proved their mettle once more, and they deserved to let off some steam.

Of course, more often than not, that involved hard drinking, crazy gambling, and the occasional visit to the most expensive strip joints in this part of the galaxy. As their leader, I always did my best to curb their craziness, but...truth be told, it didn’t really help that I was even crazier than they were.

Not that I cared.

I had devoted my life to beating Ripper assholes into a pulp, and I had enough medals pinned on my chest to remind me that I was pretty fucking good at it. Yeah, my life was absolutely perfect, and I wouldn’t change it for a thing. What more could a Jorkan want?

I got to spend my time flying around the galaxy with guys I was proud to call my brothers and, when we weren’t busy mopping the floor with the Rippers, partied hard enough to make an Aurvelian stripper blush.

“Shit,” Tarnik growled all of a sudden, tipping the edge of his shot glass toward the far end of the club. “Suits, dead ahead. You think they’re here to shut this party down?”

Turning on my heels, I narrowed my eyes as I looked in the direction Tarnik was pointing. Two Jorkan bureaucrat-looking assholes were coming down the neon-lit stairs of the club, walking so closely together you’d think they were tethered at the hips.

They had their tails wrapped around their waists as if they were belts, and their curved horns had been polished to a shine, a clear sign that these guys were desk-jockeys. Sighing, I raked one hand over my face. High Command had already warned me more than once, insisting that my team had to calm down when it came to all the partying—especially with us being known Jorkan soldiers, who were supposed to be healthy role models—and I was pretty sure these guys had been sent here to shut us down.

“Leave it to me,” I told Tarnik, cracking the tip of my tail as I moved through the crowd. The clubgoers hopped to the side as I marched through them, my seven-foot stature ensuring I didn’t have to be polite, and I quickly made my way toward the two Jorkan bureaucrats.

They stood at the bar, a pair of bright green drinks topped with umbrellas in front of them. What a damn embarrassment. Moving as automatons, they both turned in their seats as they noticed my approach, their faces masks of pure discipline. They were in one of the most prestigious clubs on the planet, and they looked as if they were bored out of their damn minds.

“Alright, boys,” I started, standing between the two of them and draping my arms over their shoulders. “What’s this about? We’re just having some fun here. We haven’t kicked anyone’s ass, as the High Command recommended, and I must remind you that we’ve just destroyed a Ripper military base on the edge of—”

“Have a seat, Colonel Kazan,” one of them said, his bland expression never changing as he spoke. I remained where I was, not sure if I liked this asshole’s tone. “Please, Colonel. We’re not here to shut down your, uh, party. We have other matters to discuss.”

“Well, spill it, then.” Grudgingly, I pulled over a stool and sat between them. I rapped my knuckles against the counter and, as if by magic, the droid bartender quickly poured me a drink. I looked to the Jorkan sitting on my right, my horns towering over his, and the guy seemed to shrink in size. “What’s this about?”

“Are you aware of the Earth-Jorkan Protocols, Colonel?” he finally said, his lips twitching slightly as a smile emerged. “You must know of them, correct?”

“Get the fuck out of here,” I exclaimed, the words slipping out of my mouth before I could think it through. “I don’t want to have a part in any of that bullshit.”

Jumping to my feet, I was ready to leave these two morons to their umbrella drinks. Surprisingly, one of them reached out and placed one hand on my shoulder.

“No so fast, Colonel.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he repeated, the smile he had on his face slowly fading. “I’m afraid your participation in these procedures isn’t going to be optional. We have found a genetic match for you on Earth, and you are obliged to follow the protocols. There’s a mandatory thirty-day period, during which you’re obliged to work with us and your potential mate.”

“Fuck me,” I muttered under my breath. “You guys are lawyers, aren’t you?”

They exchanged a glance, and that was the only answer I needed. Of course these bastards were lawyers, both working on behalf of High Command, and they were here to ensure that I complied with whatever bullshit the Earth-Jorkan Protocols mandated.

“Colonel, I understand your hesitation, but this has to be done,” the one sitting to my left said, his nasally voice adding to my annoyance. “As you’re aware, the entire Jorkan civilization is still reeling from the biological weapon used on us by the Rippers, and as such—”

“Yeah, I know about that,” I cut him short.

Who didn’t know about it?

Fifty years ago, the Rippers were on the verge of finally being defeated by the Jorkan, and they decided to start thinking long-term. Instead of going toe-to-toe with us, they unleashed a biological weapon that made all the female Jorkan infertile. No more babies, no more soldiers to feed the machine.

Tests have been conducted these past decades to counter those effects, but to no avail. That was, of course, until the Jorkan military jumped in to save Earth from being obliterated by the Rippers. Although the majority of the humans remained unaware of the intergalactic war happening on their doorstep, their top officials worked closely with Jorkan High Command, and a pleasant surprise was discovered in that partnership.

As it turned out, human females were genetically and biologically compatible with the Jorkan. Just as long as there was a genetic match, a human female would be able to carry a Jorkan child, and that resulted in the Earth-Jorkan Protocols. In order to repay the Jorkan for their assistance against the Rippers, a matching program was created, its purpose to bring together those who could ensure the Jorkan genetic heritage could live on.

In short, space dating on steroids.

I’d never really paid much attention to any of that, truth be told.

I’d never met a single Jorkan who was genetically matched with an Earthling, and I sure as hell hadn’t thought it would happen to me. I mean, children? I’m a fucking warrior, an intergalactic thunderstorm whose sole purpose lies in defeating the Rippers. I couldn’t give any less of a shit about playing house with some delicate human female.

“I’m sorry, guys, but I’ll pass.” Reaching inside my pocket, I threw a couple of hard credits onto the counter and turned my back to the two lawyers. “Buy yourself another round. I’m sorry you’ve wasted your time.”

“We didn’t waste our time.” Again, I felt one of them holding me by the shoulder. Instinctively, I turned on my heels, my hands balling into fists. “This is the law, Colonel, and you’ll have to adhere to it. There’s already a shuttle waiting for you on the rooftop, and it’ll take you to a ship that’s waiting in orbit. Earth and the Jorkan have a small station on Pluto, and you are expected there.”

“What if I say no?”

“In that case, you'll be stripped of your military rank and court martialed.” The answer came in a deadpan tone, and I had to make a very conscious effort not to punch these two assholes into oblivion. “Again, this is the law. All Jorkan have to obey it.”

I gritted my teeth. “Thirty days, right?”

“Thirty days,” the lawyer replied. “After that, you and your genetic mate will be free to go your separate ways, if you haven’t reached a mating agreement. That’s all we’re asking of you, thirty days.”

“Alright,” I sighed. “Let’s get it done.”

Elle

I jolted awake, a little like waking up hungover.

It felt like a hand grenade had gone off inside my head, and now it was time to be conscious. God, I thought to myself, I really have to find a wine that doesn’t have this effect on me. And the dream I’d had—I’d never dreamed anything like it. Whenever federal agents decided to visit me in my dreams, I was usually the one tying them in knots, making them uncomfortable.

I stretched my arms over my head and squeezed my eyes shut. Damn, I was going to need a good hour of yoga to shake off this night. An hour of yoga on a remote beach, preferably with cocktails after, and no work to come home to. The company of a sexy distraction wouldn’t go amiss, either.

As I raised my hands up, I hit a padded headboard.

Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I opened my eyes and was nearly blinded by crisp white everywhere I looked. Crisp white curtains and crisp white bedding, a crisp white lounge chair next to a light wood TV table. The room was impossibly luxurious and impeccably clean, although a little small for all its expensive taste. I was under a lightweight, tufted bedspread and a beige throw blanket, as if someone had no idea how I liked to sleep.

Where the hell am I? Some sort of luxury hotel? The room seemed so…devoid of personality, yet full of expense. Was this some sort of partner hazing? There had been no hazing when I became a junior partner. My mind was racing, jumping from thought to thought, trying to work out where I was and what the hell was happening.

I had no patience for uncertainty. I grabbed my growing fear and panic by the throat and stuffed them back into a mental box. No problem could be resolved through panic. I could sit in the middle of the floor and have a fit once I was safely home.

Finally, I flipped back the blankets and swung my legs to the side of the bed. I was barefoot, but otherwise still wearing my pencil skirt and white button-up shirt I had used the day before, two pieces which I had picked out specially for the day I would finally become a full partner.

Was it just the day before?

Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure anymore.

In a way, though, I was relieved to be in an outfit chosen for power. I needed to feel powerful right now. Standing up, I smoothed the wrinkles carefully, knowing they would stay wrinkled, but I found a sense of grounding in the movement. Wherever I was, I was Elle Ashby and I was in charge. It didn’t matter who else knew it or not—I knew it. A mantra for this crazy day.

I noticed that in front of me was a large window with curtains drawn tightly together. All I needed to do was open those curtains, let in the sun, and find someone to explain to me why any of this was happening. Determined, I crossed the room and threw open the curtains.

Staring back at me was the deep, dark blackness of space. I really had never seen anything like it. It was darker than any night, pinpricks of starlight faintly in the distance. Nothing, nothing, and more black nothing for as far as I could see.

I felt bile rise in my throat.

I can’t handle this, I thought, I can’t handle any of this. I must still be dreaming—this was a nightmare because of all the stress of making partner. I found a small beige trashcan tucked in the corner and reflexively bent down over it. I was going to throw up, I was sure of it.

Instead, I just spit into the can.

NO! I was Elle Ashby and I was in charge.

I spat out the last thought of throwing up and shoved the can back in the corner.

I jumped up and smoothed the wrinkles again. If it worked once, it would work again. I would be grounded. I would find someone to explain all of this. Just in that moment, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me. I turned, and nearly fainted. My physiology was being pushed to its limit, and I was pretty sure that my mind had already broken.

This wasn’t a dream—it was a goddamn hallucination.

In the doorway stood a giant, scaly man at least seven feet tall. Well, he had the outline of a man. The face of a man. Plus horns. He was blue, with scales scintillating in the overhead lights, and as he walked through the doorway a tail swung behind him. A very big, quite long tail, I should say.

“Hello, Elle, did you sleep well?” the alien slash hallucination slash man asked. “Sometimes the loss of consciousness affects the rest of the body and that can be unpleasant.”

“I… did I sleep well? Are you fucking kidding me?” A seven-foot blue man was asking me if I had slept well after I had been drugged, kidnapped, and woken up in deep space. “NO, I DID NOT SLEEP WELL!”

“I understand you’re frustrated, but please, try to calm yourself. Things will—”

“Calm myself? Calm myself? You calm your fucking self!” I was frozen with rage. Rage was more dignified than gibbering fear. If I moved a muscle, I would destroy the room and twist that blue bastard’s neck.

“Things will go more smoothly and easily. I promise, I will tell you what is going on.”

The words clicked in place—words I shouldn’t understand. I did want to know what was happening. Rage wasn’t control. The name’s Elle Ashby and I am in control, I reminded myself. I took a deep breath through my nose and let it out through my mouth.

“I am calm,” I said, throwing all of my lawyerly poise into the sentence. “Please, tell me everything you know, starting with why I can understand you.” The words coming out of the alien’s mouth weren’t English, but my brain reformatted the syllables into the language I understood.

“We took the liberty of fitting you with a translator patch for ease of communication. I assure you, there are no known side effects with human physiology. We are the Jorkan, a race of what the humans might call ‘aliens’. Earth has a treaty with our people, as we are protecting your planet from what are known as the Rippers.”

“What kind of bullshit treaty is this? One that entails kidnapping?”

“Not exactly, but… yes.” He took one step toward me, and I instinctively stepped back. “You see, the Rippers have made all of the Jorkan females unable to conceive children. And so, we need genetically viable women to mate with our men. It just so happens that some Earth women are able to bear Jorkan children. So, we struck a deal in exchange for continued protection of your planet. We call this the Earth-Jorkan Protocols. When we find a genetic match for a Jorkan male, your government helps set up the match. We have a mandatory thirty-day period in which you spend time with your potential future mate.”

I could hardly believe what I was hearing.

“After the thirty days are up, if you and your mate accept your union, you two will be joined together by the Signing Day. We expect you to become pregnant and bear a child. While we can’t force you to, we very much expect you to. The future of our entire race falls on your choice to bear our children.”

The man grew very solemn as he said these last words. For once in my life, I was absolutely speechless. For a moment. Then I was filled with words.

“And so, what am I supposed to do? Fall over and spread my legs for someone who looks like you? Just like that?”

The alien man flushed a pale blue that I supposed must have been him blushing.

“That’s what the thirty-day period is for. We simply hope that, after thirty days together, you’ll find enough attachment to bear a child.”

I laughed. I mean, what else was there to do other than laugh?

He turned a dark blue color and scowled.

“You will meet your mate soon. We suggest freshening up from the long journey here. We thought you might like some fresh clothes.” He walked over to a small door and opened a closet. “I hope you’ll find something to your liking.” Then he walked to the other side of the room and opened another door. I could see sparkling white tile and the lip of a high-end tub. “In here, you’ll find the bathtub.” With that, he strolled out of the room, leaving me in a stunned silence.

I don’t know how long I stood there. After I worked through my rage, my sense of injustice, the total what the fuck that this was happening to me, I took a deep, cleansing breath. What could I control? Right now, nothing but my emotions and reactions.

So first things first. A bath would help calm the fight-or-flight hormones rushing through my blood so I could think clearly and begin to prepare a strategy. And lacking a coherent strategy, the appearance of compliance never hurt anything.

I mustered up the resolve to examine the bathroom. It was gorgeous. A pity. Under normal circumstances I would have loved it. White tile, white tub with jets lining the edge of it. It did look relaxing. Maybe I could enjoy a steamy bath. Maybe. But first, I had to find out about those clothes.

Hanging in the closet were three different outfits, all dresses. One was a little black thing, thin spaghetti straps and flowing, just long enough to graze my butt. Another was a red tube dress, sleeveless with a deep V cut out, again just long enough to leave a man guessing and wanting more, but not long enough to cover my thighs. What did these assholes think I was? A space stripper?

Gritting my teeth, I looked at the third dress.

It was a laughable attempt at modesty. A floral dress, tight on top and cut like a tank. It at least looked comfortable, and the dress would come to the top of my knees. Despite the faux modesty, it remained a sexy dress. It seemed that every piece of clothing in here had been cut out from a lingerie magazine, outfits to express sexuality with every curve, from overt sex with the red number, to the soft femininity of the floral dress.

Whoever these people were, they had another think coming. I felt the determined energy rising up in me again. I would not be pushed around by some aliens. They thought a little time would have me falling for some tall and hunky alien man?

I didn’t have time for this kind of ridiculous game.

But, if I was being forced to remain here, I sure as hell would make sure nobody would play me for a fool. I stared at the floral dress again, narrowing my eyes. It was the least slutty dress, and I figured it’d help. Men always expected the least from you when you played into their expectations, so it was time for me to turn the tables.

This “future mate” had no idea what he was in for.

Kazan

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit down?”

Damn right I was sure. The pilot threw another wary look up my way, and I gave him a snort and kept up my tight strides. These transport shuttles were always cramped, but it felt like I would explode if I sat down. So, pacing it was. If that made these government pilots anxious, well, tough for them.

“Suit yourself.” He turned back to his controls, and I wanted to throttle him. There was something in the smug certainty of every official I had encountered that filled me with a desire to rebel in whatever way I could. If that meant staying up when they wanted me to sit, so be it. This part of the trip was going to be played by my rules.

I was giving them my thirty days, but I didn’t have to pretend to be happy about it.

“I should really be with my team right now,” I said. No response. “We have an op coming up with a covert counterstrike against a Ripper sub-battalion, and I’m slated to head it.”

“We read your file, Colonel.”

The little prick didn’t even look at me. All I wanted to do was yank him out of his seat and toss him up against the wall. It was a satisfying thought—wiping that self-satisfied little smirk off his face, but I knew that the demerits that would bring were steep. Damnit!

“Well, who’s leading the training in my absence?”

“Lieutenant Colonel Tarnug.”

“Are you fucking serious?” I flared up and landed a solid punch in the back of my seat. “That idiot doesn’t know the first thing about how to train an elite team like mine! Why didn’t they hand it over to Tarnik?”

“Rank, sir.”

Well, now I was really fuming. It was bad enough that I had to spend the next thirty days cooling my heels with some human woman against my will. Now I had to swallow the prospect that when I finally got back to my men, I was going to have to undo a solid month’s worth of worthless training.

Thankfully, my team knew better than to listen to anything that asshole had to say. Subversion was something I could tolerate, so long as it wasn’t pointed at me. I had built one hell of a team, and training under that idiot was something they could survive.

“You really might want to sit down, Colonel.”

“Why,” I spat back at him.

“We’re coming in to dock. I’d hate to see you fall over.”

Again, his tone made me want to crack him one, but I slumped into my seat and buckled in. I’d taken a few docking spills in my time, so I was just going to have to eat this one.

We landed, and I was out of my seat and tapping my toes at the portal before either of the pilots had even reached for their buckles. All they had to do was reach up and hit the airlock button, but they were going to make me wait for it. I was so angry, I almost made it a point to learn their names. For later.

Pluto Station. It had been a long time since I had been here for my Tri-Point orientation, and it had changed a lot since then. Of course, by now it had been completely turned over for the purposes of the Earth-Jorkan Protocols. You could smell it all over the place. Everything was clean and smelled nice. I hated it.

“Colonel Kazan, welcome,” chirped some tailored jerk with an infopad. Why was I bigger than everyone around here? It’s as if only the weakest Jorkan were relegated to doing this matchmaking work. I wondered if he resented it as much as I would.

Falling in step behind the little weasel, we wound down the gleaming corridors toward my holding pen. Even if this level of opulence wasn’t my style, I had to admit it was impressive. Well lit, high ceilings, everything tidy and just to proportion—they really had it all figured out.

We came to a stop, and with a few strokes on his pad, the door slid open and I peeked into my holding tank.

“Sir.”

“Thank you.” It was a reflex to the tight little bow he gave when he ushered me into my room. The last thing I wanted to do was be cordial to any of these pricks, but they were just so damned polite, it made it hard.

I whistled through my teeth. This room was nice. Not the biggest, but I’d gotten accustomed to managing without a lot of space. After all, I wasn’t staying here. This was just the meet-and-greet.

And, as if they knew I was coming, there were a couple of bottles of booze settled on the gleaming table behind the couch. No doubt, any Jorkan who stumbled into this mess found themselves needing a drink. I was going to make the most of it.

To their credit, whoever set this whole thing up wasn’t skimping on anything. I took a hard slug, only to discover that this wasn’t the cheap stuff, not by a handy margin. With that in mind, I poured a second, healthy glass and was more deliberate in how I tasted it.

“Goddamn,” I couldn’t help sighing as I plopped down onto the couch to wait. They had given me precious little information about how this whole thing was going to go. Or maybe I wasn’t listening. As angry as I had been, that was entirely possible.

Shaking my head, I leaned back to wait. For some reason, I couldn’t get comfortable. Was it possible I was nervous? I’d had my turn with plenty of women over the years, but something about the seriousness of all this, of a genetic match, clearly had me rattled.

The booze helped. As it settled my nerves, I kept thinking about how badly Tarnug was going to fuck up my team over the next thirty days. How much was I going to have to retrain when I finally got out of this mess?

There were a few brisk beeps, and the door slid open again. Instinctively, I got to my feet and braced myself. Nothing could have prepared me for what stepped through the door.

With two curt steps, a short woman in her fifties snapped into the room. She had the roundness that all humans come to as they get older, and her silvering hair was swept back tightly over her scalp. My heart shrank in my chest.

Oh, no. No, no, no. This wasn’t happening. Not for a match, not even for thirty days. I mean, look at her—was it even possible for her to bear a child?

“I’m sorry,” my voice was more urgent than I would have liked. “There’s been some mistake…”

“Miss Ashby, please.” The little woman made the same bowing gesture that the Jorkan attendant had offered me, and I clamped my mouth shut.

For all the good that did me. My jaw hit my chest as soon as ‘Miss Ashby’ entered the room.

“Kazan, this is Elle Ashby. Elle, this is Colonel Kazan.” With a nod, she was gone and the door slid shut.

I hadn’t seen very many humans in my time, and this one was unlike anything I could have expected. She was lean, and not so short that I would have to crane my neck down to kiss her. Not that I was thinking about kissing her!

A generous spill of rich, dark hair fell down around her shoulders, framing out a pair of green eyes that sparkled with rancor. This was a creature used to maintaining her composure, but all my training showed me that she was just as infuriated by this whole thing as I was, maybe even more.

Those eyes had an almost furtive flicker about them, and I wondered for a moment if I was the first of my kind she had ever seen. If so, it would have been a shock to her. If all of her kind were as fine boned as she was, someone as tall as I am could be pretty intimidating. Not to mention the horns.

She drew in a sharp breath, an ample pair of breasts swelling against the flowered dress she wore. It clung to her curves in a way that I couldn’t help but drink in. No doubt she saw my eyes wandering over her, but I felt pretty certain hers were doing the same to me. The dress seemed incongruous with her bearing, which was no-nonsense to the point of near regality.

“Um…”

I wanted to say something, but it was as though I had forgotten how to speak. My tail tingled with excitement, and began to twitch. Hopefully, she didn’t know the ways our kind betrayed lust. Some things you couldn’t help.

“Um…” she said back.

Neither of us were going to get very far at this rate. Maybe we just needed to wait for the initial shock to wear off. The beautiful woman in front of me was a stark relief after the squat figure that had ushered her in.

The notion started to come to me as we took each other in—maybe the next thirty days wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Elle

I followed the stout little woman into a room that seemed to be someone’s idea of a matchmaking suite. As she moved aside, I saw a red alien-man, even larger than the ones I had met before, although obviously of the same race. He had the same smooth tail, and horns curling out of his forehead. The horns on his head had a stately look that accentuated the lines of his face. This one stood tall and was even more muscular than the other Jorkan men I had met. His shoulders looked strong and melted into huge biceps I could almost imagine squeezing in delight. Above his cut chest was a face so handsome I was caught off guard. Was I really thinking of squeezing this red lizard-man?

I realized I was letting my apprehension show in my eyes for a moment. I reeled my cool, steely self back in, trying to notice anything I could from his face. He had a strong, square jaw and full lips tinged a delicate pink color. Their beauty made it all the more jarring that the rest of his face was a deep red, covered in tiny scales. His eyes were full of fire, a deep-seated anger that must be about this bizarre situation. Oh, so he really did not want to be here. Good. I could work with that.

My mind was trying to take all the new information in at once, and finding its processing speed slowed down. I was still chewing up all the information I had learned earlier: I was on a space station orbiting Pluto, an outpost for this Jorkan civilization; aliens were a real thing; I was genetically matched to this red-skinned alien.

It was too much.

How could our tiny Pluto not be Earth’s Pluto? How could it be one of this Jorkan race’s bases of operations? And a base of operations meant for human-Jorkan matchmaking, no less? I mean, alien slash human love? It was hard not to think of myself as in the middle of some reality TV nightmare on channel 1147.

In the background, the stout woman was introducing us rather curtly. Yes, I was Elle Ashby still, thank god. And this man was…Kazan? What a name. I felt like it suited him. Then I was back in my reverie.

Just yesterday I was in my real job, in my real life, pulling down clients and gunning for partner. Now I was playing dress-up for this scaly, strikingly beautiful creature? How could any of this be real? I wished that pinching myself was a real thing that would work and suppressed an urge to try it.

I was pulled out of my own thoughts by a sound. “Um…”

I reciprocated.

“Um…” But then I thought I would show him a little of what I was made of. He would underestimate me, as men always do. I liked that…it set me up for victory.

I put out my hand for a handshake, as if he were a competing lawyer. “You can call me Elle. I take it I can call you Kazan?” The fire in his eyes turned to hesitation. I realized he did not know what to do with my outstretched hand.

Feeling generous, I decided to show him. “Like this,” I said, placing my right hand in my left and shaking it firmly. I stretched out my hand again.

“Colonel Kazan,” he said sharply, as if correcting my pronunciation.

He grabbed my right hand and shook it vigorously. I held on, squeezing tightly. I knew he simply did not know how handshaking worked, but somehow, it felt like a challenge. I always rose to a challenge. As we shook, I noticed his tail swinging abruptly. He was trying to hide its movement, and doing a mediocre job at it. We let go of each other’s hands awkwardly, but I felt like I had asserted myself. I wondered why he might be trying to hide the movement of his tail.

“You expect me to always call you Colonel Kazan? Fine by me, Colonel, you may address me as Elle Ashby, Esquire,” I replied haughtily.

Then Kazan started to blush, turning a faint pink underneath his red scales. He was trying to hide that, too, the poor man. I decided he wasn’t used to intrigue and manipulation. He must be a full warrior type, hack and slash and no nonsense. Perfect. He would appreciate my honesty. Staring into his eyes, I suddenly realized the fire there wasn’t just fury at the situation. I read the desire there, and put that together with his tail…which must be… he was attracted to me, and he resented it. A dangerous combination. I was glad to have caught him off guard this way.

“I didn’t mean to…I mean that…” he spoke haltingly, trying to regain control.

Oh, poor man.

I’d let him stew on that.

I noticed the booze and walked over to the table near the couches. I started pouring myself a glass of wine. I absolutely needed one. “Do you mind if I have some wine, Colonel?” I asked absently, sitting down on the couch, glass full and already sipping. I smiled to set him at ease.

“That’s a great idea. I’ll join you. We both need a drink.” He paused, finally catching on to the joke. “Elle Ashby, Esquire.” I let a silence hang in the air. He relaxed. So easy. “What does that mean, Esquire?”

Now it was my turn to be caught off guard. I laughed easily. “It means I’m a lawyer, Colonel. It means I studied my cute little butt off for seven years, then worked six more years to become partner, only to be kidnapped and brought to space to meet you on my big day!”

He surprised me with the gentleness of his response.

“I’m sorry this is happening to you. We’re the same, you and I.” He leaned back after taking a shot. “I don’t want to be here any more than you do. And you can just call me Kazan.”

I surprised myself even more by being drawn in to his story.

Maybe I could use it somehow. “What did they pull you away from?” Hmm, if he was an unwilling participant as well, then I could use him somehow. Great. One less opponent on the gameboard to worry about, just a pawn.

“Training my team. They have some,” he paused, deciding what word to use, “knucklehead, full of bravado, filling in for me. I’ll have to undo more of what he does than anything else.”

“You can say it.” I gave him my most charming smile. Yes . . . it would be more effective to bring him over to my side. All that brawn had to be useful for something.

“Say what?”

I tilted my head. “What you mean. Sounds like a real asshole.”

He laughed, and I saw his tail flicking at his side. He might think I wasn’t noticing, just because I was human. The raw power of the movement, his face, his body language, everything was a dead giveaway. He was really interested in little me, despite what he said about work. It was time to squash that feeling.

“So, you’ll be happy to hear my plan.”

“Your plan?”

“Yes, my plan. I’m not going along with any of this.” I gestured widely to the room and took a big sip. Okay, a gulp, of wine. “They said the thirty-day period was a trial period. Well, I intend for the trial to be a big, whopping failure.”

“You can say that again.”

“I’m glad you agree. We’ll spend the time together, hating every minute, and the moment the time is up, I’ll be smooth sailing back to Earth. You clearly care about your career, so you understand. I simply will not be letting this farce get in the way of being partner at my firm. I’ll have to come up with a deadly illness I miraculously recover from in a month but, by God, I’ll make it up and sell it.”

I paused, to stop myself from monologuing about work, and as I paused, realized I didn’t miss work as much as I should. I felt naked in this dress, without my armor of a suit, the comfortable pressure of a jacket around my waist. Even though I knew I was winning this interaction—yes, all interactions have winners and losers—I felt like I was missing something. But not work.

Anyway, it was time to seal the deal.

“I’m so glad we are on the same page about this. It is a travesty of human…and Jorkan rights that we’ve been taken away from our lives to play this silly game.”

He was looking at me with a side eye, taking in everything I was saying. It helped that he agreed with me. That meant I didn’t have to reject him outright, in so many words. Men do hate rejection. It was the quickest way to leave a deal on the table, reject a man’s idea. Still, I could tell he was conflicted.

Now he was pouring himself a drink to sip instead of shoot. He went for straight whiskey, the cheapest kind on the table, poured over a haphazard pile of ice. I bet he usually drank it straight and warm, but was trying to seem a little more sophisticated for my sake. Even though there was no chance for him, I appreciated that he was making the effort. No matter what my plan was, we did have to spend a month together. And I wanted him to be intimidated by me every moment of it.

“I’m thinking about everything you’re saying, and have to say you’re right.” He seemed caught between being at ease and having his hackles up. I was grateful to have such an easy challenge before me. Just enough to stay interested, keep me from being bored, but not so cunning as to be a threat. I wondered what he really thought of my plan.

Did he know how interested he was in me? And how could I use that to my advantage?

Kazan

I’d give that little spitfire one thing for sure—she had more backbone than nearly anybody twice her size. How anyone could fit that much grit into her tight little frame is beyond me, but she knew how to carry it. She knew it, too. And there she was, poured onto the couch like she was born to sit there, making short work of a glass of wine.

She drank. In point of fact, she could really drink. That was going to make the next thirty days a little easier to handle. It was nice to think that I wouldn’t have to leave all the partying to my team. I took some private satisfaction in the thought that some of that steel might melt out of her spine after another glass or two.

Ice in hard liquor—or whatever this brown drink was—had never really been the way I preferred to operate, but she had managed to get me a little off my center. The way she had poured herself that wine put me in a place where I felt like I wanted to class myself up a bit. Especially after she had laid out such a clear case for wanting nothing to do with me.

To be honest, it stung a little. Why was she so sure I wasn’t for her? She was a thoroughly attractive little package, and it was clear that she had been sizing me up the same way I had been her. So, why was it all a foregone conclusion?

I was a little surprised at how vehemently she’d thrown her gauntlet down. Maybe I was just wounded at thinking I would be harder to resist.

“Honestly?” I said as I eased back down beside her—just a bit closer this time. “I can’t tell you how glad I am that you’re as opposed to this whole thing as I am. You’ve got your…lawyer work, and I would far rather be with my team. We both have obligations that we would prefer.”

“Exactly.” She raised her glass in my direction. I was unclear as to what the gesture meant, but didn’t want to give her the upper hand, so I copied her motion. She very nearly laughed in my face and leaned closer to clink her glass to mine before taking another hearty gulp.

When she leaned over with that glass, she gave me an ample view of all the goods she had secreted away. As tactical as everything about her had been, I wondered if this generous flash of cleavage was a strategy to keep me off my footing. Well, for whatever it was worth, that’s exactly what it did.

“Still, it would be a shame to waste this opportunity.”

“Opportunity?” She studied me, a flash of something crafty in her gaze.

“Sure. I never get a vacation, and I imagine that being a lawyer doesn’t give you much of a chance either, does it?”

“It does not.” Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned further back from me, folding one arm under that bosom of hers and giving me some notion as to its heft. If I played this smoothly, there was a chance we could each have our cake, and eat it, too.

“Well then? We’ve been handed thirty days. Since we’ve already made up our minds about the end of it, it seems to me we have two options.”

“Which are?”

I watched her closely. Since I’d said the word vacation, the quality of her attention had somehow shifted. “One: we can hate it. We can go through this thing against our will, fight the entire time, and see if we both manage to make it back to our respective lives with our skin intact.”

“Or?”

“Two: we can make the most of it.”

“What exactly do you mean?” She was bristling, so I rose from the couch and turned around to the booze again. It was as much to create distance between us as anything, but some secret part of me hoped it looked at least a little suave.

“Where we are going is all about pleasure. Wipe that look off your face, I’m not done.”

She did, grudgingly.

“What I mean is,” I went on, “they’ll make sure we’ll be comfortable. The rooms are nice, I’m told. Why the hell wouldn’t we take the time out to enjoy ourselves for thirty days? To eat whatever we want and let them think they’re pampering us into doing what they want?”

I leaned over and poured more wine into her waiting glass, then stood and did my damndest to read whatever was going on in her eyes. They were like stone. Whatever an esquire, lawyer, or whatever her job was did, it was evident that she was pretty good at it.

“Let me get this straight.” She rose to her feet, and snapped her heels in a tight circle on the floor. If she was trying to give me a good look at her all the way around, she was doing a magnificent job.

“So, what you’re saying, Colonel Kazan, if I hear you correctly, is that you’re willing to neglect your work. That you are willing to turn your back on your responsibilities and spend the next thirty days drinking and cavorting with a stranger?”

“It’s my duty.”

“What about your duty to your men? You’re an officer, what about your duty to your post?”

“Duty to the Earth-Jorkan Protocols supersedes that. Besides, vacation.” I said the word again, deliberately, and there it was. The flicker in her eyes. She turned her face away. Ha. But she’d revealed herself.

“Does it?” She was coming around the end of the couch to meet me.

“Apparently. Because, if I don’t go on this little jaunt, I’m going to find myself in prison.”

“In chains, is it?” Now, she was right in front of me. When she said those words, there was a spark of heat behind her eyes that felt suspiciously like a come-on. This wicked little creature was sexy as hell, actually.

“Possibly.”

“And tell me, Colonel, what would they do to me?”

“It’s impossible to say. I don’t know what your end of things looks like.”

“So, chains are a possibility for me, as well?” What the hell was she doing? If she was trying to get me off center, she was doing one hell of a job.

I called her bluff. “Not unless you want them to be.” Her eyes widened, and for the first time, she looked a little flustered. “But, I say, why risk it? There are bound to be aspects of this whole ordeal we might be able to enjoy. Unless, of course, you enjoy the thought of chains?”

Checkmate, I thought. She turned her head and took a long sip of wine. I countered by raising my own glass and indulging in a healthy pull of whiskey, without taking my eyes off her. It was the only power move I had at the moment.

“So,” her eyes found mine again, the green in them catching the light as she turned. “We can make up our minds now that we can just embrace the time away, embrace the pampering and the luxury, and when the thirty days are up, split.”

“Like our asses are on fire.”

I held my glass out, mimicking her gesture earlier, and she clinked.

“You know something, Kazan? There are things about your proposal that have real promise.”

“I think it would be better than thirty days of self-imposed hell.”

“Would we be required to be together all the time?”

“I’m not sure how it works exactly, but I expect that’s the idea. It would be strange if they left us each entirely to our own devices.”

“At meals?”

“Most likely.”

“When we drink?”

“It seems so.”

“At night?” She was very close to me now.

“Almost certainly.”

“You’re saying,” her body was so close, those breasts were nearly brushing up against me, “we would share a room?”

“I’m saying we would share a bed. If you think you could manage it.” It’s hard to say what possessed me to throw out the challenge, but it had the desired effect, like a lightning bolt sizzled up her spine, waking every particle of her. She was so close, I could smell her.

Whether it was some fragrance she wore, or what she used to wash her hair, I couldn’t say. Whatever it was, I liked the thought of smelling it again.

“You think I couldn’t manage it? Are you saying that you think sharing a bed with you might be too much for me?”

“It’s been too much for others.” Another lightning bolt. This was fun.

“You sound very sure of yourself, Colonel.”

“I’ve been in combat many times. The way one wins is by being certain of everything one brings to the table.”

“It’s the same in my line of work.”

“Is it?”

She nodded, keeping her eyes on mine. I don’t think either of us had blinked for the better part of a minute. This game was dangerous, but it was also a startling amount of fun. Despite knowing we couldn’t possibly end up together, I was starting to enjoy the idea of thirty days tied to this firecracker.

“Well then. Maybe we should test the theory out. See if you can share my bed for one night, then we’ll decide if you can handle the next twenty-nine days.”

“Deal.”

Our lips were close. Closer than they ought to have been, given the resolve I had walking into this room. I don’t know what it was about this dark-haired siren, but her take-charge demeanor was proving to be exactly the kind of thing that got me going.

Her eyes fluttered shut. Her lips were gently, ever so slightly parted. I found myself leaning down.

Was this really happening?

Elle

“Glad to meet you,” someone said, the door swinging open to reveal another one of those Jorkan guys. Immediately, I jumped back from where I was, my lips narrowly avoiding touching Kazan’s. “Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

Well, damn.

Had we really been that close to kissing? What was wrong with me?

“Lights down, please.” The buttoned-up Jorkan official clapped his hands together and, almost immediately, the bright lights in the room dimmed. “I promise I won’t take much of your time.”

Kazan and I were directed to the plush couch at the far end of the room, and we sat beside each other. Smoothing down the front of my dress with one hand, I cleared my throat and tried to forget all about the fact that we had almost kissed.

One more clap of his hands, and a projector slowly came down from the ceiling and started whirring softly, shining a beacon of light into the center of the room. A holographic image of two flags flapping in the wind appeared there, with tacky 80s music as a soundtrack. It seemed like I was stuck in a nightmarish version of the future where funky synthesizers were still a thing and perms remained a fashion statement.

“It started a couple of years ago,” the official finally spoke up, his tone clear-cut evidence that this was a rehearsed speech. “The Jorkan military uncovered a plot from the Rippers to invade Earth, and it got in touch with what is known as the United Nations. The humans, who had always been afraid they were alone in the universe, had to come to terms with the fact they were just one of many planets in the galaxy brimming with intelligent life.”

The holographic images changed, and now they showed a fleet of poorly designed CGI starships orbiting Earth. Clearly, whoever had commissioned this video presentation had been someone from Earth. Tackiness seemed to be a prerequisite when it came to public organizations.

“Knowing they needed help to protect their planet, the United Nations made a pact with the Jorkan: in exchange for their military protection, the governments of Earth would have to build a genetic database and conduct periodic testing on their females.” Opening his arms in a welcoming gesture, the official smiled at us in that rehearsed way of his. “If you were wondering about the reason behind you being here, that’s why. The two of you have been deemed as genetic matches, meaning that Miss Ashby here is capable of producing offspring with you, Colonel Kazan.”

I’d thought that there could be nothing more embarrassing than sex-ed teachers putting condoms on bananas, but this had to be close. There I was, sitting with a perfect stranger beside me, and some asshole was already hinting at the fact that I was perfect for child-bearing. It seemed like the future had more in common with the past: I was just waiting for someone to drag a stove into the room and chain me to it.

“Don’t worry,” Kazan grunted, glancing at me. “It isn’t like we’re in this for life.”

“Correct,” the official said, his happy-go-lucky tone getting on my nerves. Did he really have to sound so damn excited about the whole thing? “Despite the fact that female matches have been rare, ethical considerations prevent us from forcing anyone into this.”

“I figure the assholes who grabbed me from my apartment missed that memo,” I said. Politeness went out the window the moment those guys decided to kidnap me. I mean, I wasn’t even allowed to pack a suitcase. If they didn’t even allow me to have my designer shoes, they sure as hell couldn’t ask me about my good manners.

“Well, uh, it’s a disorienting experience to be brought here, I admit,” the official continued, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

He wasn’t expecting me to be this straightforward. I figured most women that came through here were simply too stunned with everything to talk back. One more clap of his hands, and the holograms changed again. This time, a small planet with green and blue tones appeared in front of us, the tacky 80s soundtrack reaching a frenzied crescendo.

“This is Tarkun IV, a small moon that’s also one of the most renowned resort colonies this side of the galaxy. It’ll be your home for the next thirty days.”

“Resort?” I said before I could stop myself.

He nodded earnestly. “A private beachside resort with all the amenities, physical conditioning, couples’ activities, a nightclub. A top-level security rating—the resort boasts the best reputation for vacationer safety. Why, there is barely enough crime to justify the police force.”

Beachside? Damnit.

“I have responsibilities,” I said, and my voice sounded weak even to me. This was absolutely diabolical. “I can’t be sipping cocktails on a beach for an entire month.” Thirty days sounded better than having to plead my life to the Jorkan or whatever these guys were called but, on the other hand, I was a busy woman. There was no way I could put my life on hold for an entire month. My intense, stressful, rapidly paced life. “I hadn’t planned on taking a vacation for a few years. My caseload is insane right now. People are depending on me.”

“We understand.” Bowing his head, the official avoided meeting my gaze. “That’s why we’ve informed the partners in your firm that you’ve come down with a serious illness and have been quarantined.”

“You what? How dare you!?” Why hadn’t I tried that tactic before? Was it really that easy? I realized the direction of my thoughts and dragging my mind kicking and screaming back to the plan. Somehow, I needed to bamboozle them into releasing me. But . . .beachside resort? There were worse things in life than spending thirty days on a beach.

But on the day I was about to become a name partner, these idiots had decided to tell Schwartz and Eriksson that I had come down with a bad case of the space flu. All those years of hard work, thrown away. I took a deep breath, torn.

The governments’—both Jorkan and Earth—gross overstepping and human rights violations aside, there were two warring agendas here. On the one hand, years of hard work, paying off student loans, just now barely dragging myself to the part of the tunnel where there was light. And on the other hand. . .beach. Vacation. Thirty days of relaxation, no worries, no stress, no hectic pace that barely allowed me to breathe.

It seemed like a no-brainer. . .if I could set aside my outrage over how the entire situation was handled.

“Why didn’t you all just ask?” I demanded. “Instead of snatching me without consent from my home with no regard for my rights or dignity?” I stabbed a finger at him. “You know what’s guaranteed to turn a woman off the whole Build-A-Baby proposition?”

He opened his mouth, shut it.

“Kidnapping! That’s what, in case it isn’t obvious.”

“Give him hell,” Kazan muttered, lifting his drink in a languid toast. “That part never made sense to me either. Setting us up to fail. You try courting an enraged female who’s just been kidnapped.”

The official nodded. “I’ll pass along your feedback, and—” he leaned forward with a conspiratorial air “—there has been some discussion amongst us agents that perhaps the onboarding process should be revised. But you know bureaucrats. They write policies and never bother to consult the common man or woman.”

I grimaced, envisioning a room filled with old, rich men out of touch with everything blithely coming up with this program. What do all woman want? A vacation! When do they want it? Right after being kidnapped! Sounds great, let’s sign it into law!

“There are concerns regarding secrecy and safety involved,” the official continued, “but your feedback is noted and will be taken into serious consideration.”

“You need to do more than take it into consideration,” I replied patiently. “No woman is going to want to go along with your mandatory mate program when she feels unsafe.”

“Yes, yes I quite agree, and I repeat, the only thing mandatory about the whole experience is this thirty-day period.”

Kazan shifted on the couch, setting his glass down suddenly. “Look, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.” He glared at the official until the man snapped his mouth shut. “The way they went about this is shitty. I’ll fight it if that’s what you want, make them take you home.”

“Uhh. . .” the official began.

“Be quiet,” Kazan growled. “Elle?”

I looked into Kazan’s eyes and realized he was serious. If I said the word, all that coiled internal tension would explode outwards. He would fight. It might not be very effective, one man against how many other security officials were lurking, but it was the thought that counted.

Slowly, I shook my head, testing my emotions. I trusted Kazan, shockingly enough. I’d been around some real creeps in my time, the kind of men who made your spidey-sense shoot off within thirty seconds of knowing them. Kazan felt real, solid. Like the guy in the bar who would knock your blind date upside the head for getting too handsy, escort you home, and not try to pat your ass as a reward.

“I’ll proceed with the program for now,” I said, and he nodded, picking his drink back up.

“Wonderful.” Straightening his back, the official pointed at some bullshit legalese that had replaced the image of Tarkun IV. “You’ll have to remain together for an entire month, just so you have enough time to get to know each other. After the thirty days are up, and if you’re both agreeable to the idea, there’ll be a ceremony known as Signing Day, during which your mating bond will be confirmed.”

Kazan snorted beside me, and I couldn’t help but share the sentiment. Signing Day? How romantic. This was the second time I was hearing that bullshit; it hadn’t sounded good the first time, and there sure as hell hadn’t been any improvements since then. Whoever had designed this experience clearly had put a lot of thought into the feelings involved in a mating bond. Or not.

“What if we don’t want to go through with that signing thing?” I asked, unconsciously raising my hand as if I were a second-grade kid. Once I realized what I was doing, I lowered my hand and straightened my back. “We’ll be free to go?”

“That’s correct, yes,” the official replied. “At the end of the mandatory period, you’ll be free to go your separate ways, if that’s what you wish. It’s our hope, though, that this experience will make you realize that your genetic makeup matches up in such a way that—”

“We get it,” Kazan cut him short with an impatient grunt. “Carry on.”

“The entire experience has been carefully designed and customized so as to ensure your mating bond can reveal itself in all its splendor. Your profiles, tastes, and personalities have been analyzed meticulously, and you’ll be put through a series of activities and experiences that will allow you to get to know each other. Absolutely nothing will impair your enjoyment of the experience.” Clasping his hands, the blue Jorkan allowed his smile to widen into a grin, his eyes darting from me to Kazan. “Any questions?”

“Who’s paying for this?” I asked.

Kazan snorted. “The Jorkan government is filthy rich. Paying for it isn’t the problem.”

I considered all of that, especially what I was up against. An alien government with unlimited wealth and the blessing of Earth. Was there really anything I could do but wait it out? The violation of my human rights was outrageous, true. On the other hand, I hadn’t been harmed and it didn’t seem as if this was state-sanctioned rape: I was being given a choice.

They had even analyzed my profile and tastes. I seriously doubted that going on a shopping spree for designer shoes would be something that Kazan would appreciate, but I wouldn’t mind it if those were the kind of experiences these space kidnappers had in mind.

“Very well.” Clapping his hands together one final time, he ordered the lights to turn back up. “You’ll depart for Tarkun IV tomorrow, and so you’ll have to spend the night here, on Pluto Station. Let me show you to your room.”

This time I couldn’t remain silent.

Things were moving fast.

“Room? As in...a single room?”

“Evidently,” he replied. “After all, you’re a couple.”

Kazan

I was impressed.

Free drinks, a thirty-day vacation at a luxurious resort, and a hot woman to warm my bed. Maybe the experience wasn’t going to be as bad as I’d thought it would be. It would hurt to be away from the guys for an entire month, especially with them being trained by a complete moron, but I was pretty sure they’d survive without me. To honor them, I promised myself I’d drink their share once I got to the resort.

“This way, please.” Marching out of the room, the short Jorkan official led us through a maze of white corridors, most of them with viewports showing Pluto’s barren landscape right below us and the star-peppered sky above.

You’d think that a better place would have been chosen for a station like this, but I figured the many governments of Earth had decided that they still weren’t comfortable with having the scary aliens that close to home. It still amazed me they hadn’t even told their own people they weren’t alone in the universe.

“Here we are.” Standing in front of a white door, the official waved at the panel mounted on the side. “The door will only answer to your biometrics, so you can be sure you’ll have your privacy.”

I snuck a glance at Elle, only to see her cheeks turning red, and a smile tugged at the corners of my lips. I thought she’d be running for the hills by now, but she didn’t seem that upset with having to share a bed with me. Sure, she did look a bit confused, if not conflicted, but I could work with that.

Pressing my thumb against the panel, I waited until the panel’s light went from a bright red to a deep green. The door hummed softly, then it slid to the side, hiding itself in the wall.

“Enjoy your night,” the official said, bowing his head and taking a step back. Shrugging, I strolled into the room and waited for Elle to follow me before I closed the door behind us.

“Hunh,” I muttered, “not bad.”

The room was larger than the accommodations most captains were given on a battlecruiser, and it sure as hell was more opulent than any place I had ever slept in. A massive bed, large enough for at least five people, occupied the center of the room, and the sheets fitted over the mattress so perfectly you could use them as a trampoline. Facing it was a large viewport, offering an expansive view of the rocky planet we were orbiting.

There was something weird about the room, though.

I could see two drink carts, in opposing corners, and there were two bathrooms, as well. The glass shower booths had been placed in full view of the bed with only a glass panel separating them. Just like the drink carts, they had been positioned facing each other, almost as if the room had been designed so that both sides of it were perfect mirror images.

“A drink?” I offered, strolling toward the closest drink cart and grabbing the first bottle that I saw.

“What are the options?” Elle asked, her eyes still scanning the room.

“Yes or no,” I replied, and looked back at her over one shoulder.

“Very funny.” Shaking her head, she joined me beside the drink cart. “I’ll take a Scotch. I need something stronger than wine.” She grabbed a bottle of that amber liquid I had been drinking before, and poured two fingers of it into a lowball glass.

Shrugging, I put back the bottle I had chosen, a blend of Jorkan liquors, and poured myself a serving of that Scotch-stuff—and, by serving, I mean that I poured enough of it to fill an entire glass.

“Well, this is awkward.”

“Is it?”

“I’m not in the habit of sharing a bed with strangers,” she said, but I could tell that she wasn’t being entirely honest with me. She didn’t look like a prude, and I was more than willing to bet that she wasn’t inexperienced, either.

“You know my name,” I countered. “Which means I’m no longer a stranger.”

“You also have horns and a tail.”

“So?”

“So, that’s strange.”

“Don’t you want to say ‘exotic’?” Grinning, I threw my head back and downed the whiskey in my glass with a single gulp. It was sweet, but it packed a punch. Placing the glass back on the cart, I watched as Elle took a small sip of her own drink, her green eyes watching me over the rim. She was playing hard to get and, against all odds, I was enjoying it. Women came easy to me, but I liked a challenge.

Knowing that she wouldn’t be able to resist me once we got physical, I took one step forward, intent on closing the distance between us. I was only a few inches away from her when I bumped against something invisible. The shimmer of a force field rippled across the bedroom, splitting it in half.

“What the…?” Frowning, I brought one hand up and reached forward with it. My fingertips touched the invisible barrier once more, a translucent hue flooding the room as ripples of light revealed its extent. Once I was no longer touching it, the force field disappeared. “This is fucked up.”

“Goodnight, illustrious guests,” a disembodied voice said, its artificial tone the hallmark of an AI system. In the background, a jazzy music accompanied the voice, much like the beginning of an erotic holovid. Not that I’m a fan of those, mind you. “It’s a pleasure to welcome you to Pluto Station, where you’ll spend the night before embarking for Tarkun IV. There’s an assortment of drinks available for you, and you’re also free to order room service throughout the night. You can also control the room’s climatization system by—”

“What the hell is this?” I asked, once more raising my hand to touch the force field. “Why is there a force field here?”

“A mating bond often reveals itself when the two mates surrender themselves to the sheer delights of physical intimacy,” the AI voice continued happily, almost as if it was explaining to a rapt audience the mating habits of exotic birds. This entire thing was getting weirder by the minute. “Yet, our findings reveal that delayed gratification often leads to a stronger bond. As such, we have set up a force field in your accommodations, all to ensure you won’t succumb to your physical urges. A strong bond takes time to develop, after all.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” I muttered, doing my best not to let my frustration show. It was almost impossible. These bastards dragged me across the galaxy so that I could mate with a human, and now they put up a force field between the two of us? And I thought the Rippers were good at mind games. This was some next-level shit. “Turn it off.”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Hunh.” Folding her arms over her chest, Elle hesitated, then mimicked my experience, raising her fingers to touch the force field. Once more, its shimmer appeared momentarily, only to disappear a fraction of a second later. “Who’d have thought? Seems like you’ll have to keep your hands to yourself.”

“You think this is funny?” I asked her, still trying to keep some dignity about me. I didn’t want to look too desperate. After all, there was nothing quite like desperation to turn a woman off. Not that I was desperate. Sure, Elle was one fine specimen, but I was more than capable of surviving the night without touching her. Hell, if I wanted to, I’d be able to go the entire month without touching her.

“You just sounded so confident in your seduction skills,” Elle continued, a smile spreading across her lips. She was enjoying this, the damn witch. “Don’t worry, though. Force field or no force field...nothing would’ve happened between the two of us tonight, I can assure you.”

“Of course it wouldn’t,” I said. “Just because you’re good looking, that doesn’t mean I’m dying to—”

“Oh, I know,” she cut me short, her smile widening. “You’re not desperate, I get it.” She stretched her back then, and I felt a knot take over my throat as the swell of her breasts strained against her dress. Immediately, I felt warm blood rushing to between my legs, and I had to coil my tail around my waist, all just so I could stop it from whipping around with excitement.

Focus, you horny bastard, I told myself, then grabbed the bottle of Scotch and poured myself another glass. When I looked back at Elle, she had already turned her back to me. I watched as she kicked off her shoes, opened the shower booth’s glass door, and turned the water on. Almost immediately, a thin cloud of steam started rising from the tiles on the floor.

“I think I’m going to have a shower,” she announced, looking back at me over one shoulder. “You don’t mind, do you? If it’s too much for you to take, I can do without it. I don’t want to add to your suffering.”

“Who said I was suffering?” I threw back at her, although the swelling in my pants wasn’t exactly pleasant, especially considering I couldn’t act on it. “Go on, have your shower. I don’t care.”

“No peeking then,” she said, and started getting undressed.

That’s when the real suffering began.

Elle

On the short walk here, I’d considered the facts. A large enough portion of my suppressed anger and panic soothed by the rather corny presentation. It reminded me so much of sitting through a timeshare pitch at a second-rate conference center that I almost couldn’t help but relax.

The chance these aliens, and my own government, would go to the trouble of concocting some elaborate scheme to get me to go along with—what?—was nil. First, the expense involved must be considerable. Second, they’d gone to the trouble—if I accepted the official’s word—of constructing a plausible story for me so I could return to work. Third . . . if they had intended me harm, at any point they could have had their way, so to speak. What could I do to stop them?

“I meant what I said,” Kazan said, interrupting my thoughts. “The whole way they played this is bullshit. You just say the word.”

He hadn’t bothered to lower his voice, but he spoke with a quiet firmness that let me know he was serious. It was almost cute. At the same time, I began to feel as if I had an ally, even though he’d made it clear that his agenda was for us to end up in bed together. Well, I couldn’t really blame him—the thought was front and center in my mind, along with the opportunity, and I couldn’t deny I was attracted, as well. I wasn’t ruled by my lust, though—I would stay in charge of the situation.

“Thank you,” I said, one kind of tension replaced by another. “But I think I’m good. I’m starting to look forward to this whole foreign concept.”

“Mating?”

“No, vacationing, all expenses paid.”

I felt his gaze caress my skin now. There was no way he wasn’t going to peek—I knew that, but I still didn’t let that stop me. In fact, to know that he’d be unable to peel his eyes away from me was part of the excitement.

Slowly, I opened the clasps keeping the dress in place, and bit on the corner of my lip as I felt the fabric sliding down my shoulders. A gentle sway of my hips, and the dress fell down my body, only stopping once it was all bunched up around my ankles. A quick flick of my right foot, and I sent it flying to the corner.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I muttered under my breath, reaching behind my back to unhook my bra.

As the cups droped from my breasts, I felt my nipples harden, a pleasant warmth spreading all over my body. I was torturing Kazan, and I was loving every second of it. There was something about him, maybe his brash confidence, that made me want to play.

He believed I was going to be easy prey, maybe another notch he could add to his bedpost, but I was hellbent on proving him wrong. Even though I should still be fuming about this whole mating thing, I couldn’t help but want to make the most out of it. If I had to spend thirty days in outer space playing house with some sexy alien, then I sure as hell was going to enjoy every single minute of it.

Throwing my bra over one shoulder, I glanced back at Kazan.

“No peeking, remember?” I taunted, enjoying the slack-jawed expression on his face. Knitting his eyebrows together, the red skin on his face became even redder, he looked away from me and stared at his own feet. Turning on his heels, he grabbed the bottle of Scotch with one trembling hand. “Good.”

Taking my time, I let my hands run down the side of my body and hooked my thumbs on my thong’s elastic band. I bent over slightly as I pulled it down my legs, fully knowing that Kazan’s eyes were locked in on me once more, and felt my skin prickle as I imagined the effect all this was having on him.

Fully naked, I finally stepped into the shower, the warm water caressing my body. I threw my head back and closed my eyes, running my fingers through my hair as my body started to relax. Slowly, the steam kept on rising, adding another layer between Kazan and me. Even if he tried to look now—which I knew he would do—he’d see nothing but my silhouette, my naked curves caressed by the steam. In a way, that was even better, it allowed for his imagination to run wild.

Why am I doing this? I thought as I soaped myself up. My entire worldview had been turned upside down, and the only thing I could think about was the seven-foot monument of muscles standing on the other side of the bedroom. Could there really be something about that genetic-mates thing? Could that be the reason I felt so damn attracted to Kazan?

No, of course not, I thought, continuing my inner debate. You’re just out of it, Elle. This entire thing has been a shock, and you’re just focusing on something that you know and can control: a man. Or at least, a male.

That made sense.

Besides, I was enjoying the way Kazan stole glances at my naked body. His gaze caressed my skin, and a shiver went up my spine each time I looked at him, forcing him to pretend he wasn’t paying any attention to my impromptu striptease.

In a way, the force field wasn’t such a bad idea. God knows what might have happened if we hadn’t had it between us. Sure, I’d played it cool so far, but there was no denying that Kazan made me feel weak in the knees. If that force field hadn’t materialized when it did... God, would he have tried to kiss me? Yeah, I knew he would’ve. But then, what would I have done? Would I have kissed him back, or would I have kicked him in the balls?

Both options sounded good.

“I needed this,” I whispered as I turned the water off. I stood there with closed eyes for almost a minute, my body dripping, and only then did I reach for the towel hanging from the wall behind me. I dried myself off as the steam started to fade, then wrapped the towel around my body, tucking it in right above my heart.

“I didn’t peek,” Kazan grunted the moment I stepped out, much like a young child lying about how he didn’t eat the mysteriously missing candy. Men—if they were any more predictable than this, they’d be a financial report.

“Then continue not peeking,” I said, trying to be as casual about it as I could. Placing both hands in my hips, I looked at my discarded clothes on the floor, and pursed my lips. I tried the wall-embedded drawers on my side of the bedroom and, lo and behold, they were crammed with clothes in my size. That was a pleasant surprise, although I had to admit it was slightly creepy, as well. How the hell had my measurements been taken?

It was better not to dwell on such things.

Hiding a grin, I picked out a set of red lace lingerie and let the towel drop to the floor. Moving as slowly as I could, I put on the lingerie, and only then did I turn around to face Kazan. This time he didn’t even pretend: he stared at me as if he were a deer in headlights, his mouth hanging open. The tip of his tail tapped the floor in a steady rhythm, and I wondered if that had anything to do with his state of mind.

“What happened to not peeking?”

“That only applied to the shower,” he replied, somehow remembering to pick his jaw up from the floor. He cleared his throat and, perhaps only then noticing his erratic tail, wrapped it up around his waist once more.

Straightening, he looked down at his feet for a second, almost as if he was thinking of something, then he smiled. I glimpsed an emotion I wasn’t expecting in that smile, a spark that said ‘game on’. “Well, we’re going to have an early morning, so I think I’m getting into bed.”

Without waiting for me to say something, he used his tail to help him out of his shirt, and my heart tightened inside my chest as I took in the chiseled muscles of his torso. From his pectorals to his abs, it seemed like someone had cloned Leonardo da Vinci and forced the poor fellow to chisel Kazan’s chest into existence.

He didn’t stop with his shirt, either.

Looking straight into my eyes, he kicked off his boots and pulled his pants down. My heart turned into a rattling machine gun. Only his boxer briefs covered him now, hugging his body so tightly that very little was left to the imagination.

Holy shit, I thought, making a mighty conscious effort not to stare at the massive shape hiding under the fabric of his underwear. I felt my cheeks heating up, and the pleasant warmth I had experienced in the shower soon became a scorching heat conveniently focused on that sweet spot between my legs.

Aware that I was starting to lose my mind, I sat on the bed and slid underneath the bedspread, pulling it all the way to my neck. Grinning, Kazan did the same. It was odd—we were sharing the same bed, sheets and covers, but that invisible barrier remained between us, ensuring that absolutely nothing of interest could happen tonight.

It was maddening.

One thing was clear: soon enough there would be no barrier between us, and this insane attraction we both felt would be acted upon. That was a fact of life I couldn’t deny. Still, that didn’t change things in the slightest. I didn’t intend to embody the archetype of a pregnant barefoot woman, nor did I want to be hooked up by some space barbarian.

“Listen up,” I said, turning on the mattress to face him. He did the same, arching one eyebrow as he looked into my eyes. “There’s no escaping this. We’ll be together for thirty days.”

“I guess someone paid attention to the briefing.”

“Just listen to me, will ya?” I continued. “We’re here, so we might as well enjoy this paid vacation. We can have our fun, but there’s a rule we’ll both need to follow, no ifs or buts.”

“A rule?”

“Fun is allowed,” I replied, and made a slight pause before I finished my thought. “But feelings aren’t.”

“I like that rule.”

“Then it’s settled.”

Kazan

“Damn it.” Frowning, I poked the force field. Like clockwork, the shimmering barrier appeared between the two of us once more. The holographic clock on the viewport told us that it was morning already, but it didn’t seem like whoever ran the station intended to lower the force field. At least not yet. “These guys mean business.”

Sitting up in the bed, Elle pulled the sheets against her breasts, and arched one eyebrow.

“What did you expect?” she asked. “You really thought they’d go to the trouble of installing a force field only to get rid of it in the morning? Besides, don’t think that I want the same thing as you. Just because I agreed to having fun, that doesn’t mean I’m down with everything.”

“Right,” I drawled, crossing my arms as I returned her gaze. She was playing coy, but I had seen the look on her face the previous night. She wanted me just as much as I wanted her, no matter the words coming out of her mouth. I mean, why would she have done that torturing stunt in the shower if she wasn’t interested? I guess women are the same everywhere—there’s nothing they love more than not making any sense.

Stretching my back, I swung my legs off the bed and collected my clothes from the floor. I got inside them as quickly as I could, then watched as Elle slid from the bed, the way her red lingerie hugged her curves enough for me to start salivating. Not wanting to make the walk between our room and the ship with a hard-on, I looked away from her and tried to focus on the holographic information cascading down the viewport.

According to what was in there, our ship was scheduled for departure in about thirty minutes. The trip to Tarkun IV would take about four hours, all thanks to conveniently located wormholes between Pluto Station and the resort colony, so we’d arrive there with enough time to enjoy the rest of the day.

“I’m ready,” Elle announced after a couple of minutes, and I felt as if someone had punched me in the gut once I laid my eyes on her. She had found a casual red dress inside one of the drawers, the fabric stopping right above her knees, and there was quite a lot of cleavage on display. She looked absolutely stunning. “Shall we?”

“I figure.” I hesitated as I started to stride the length of the room, then frowned as the force field didn’t stop me. Of course—now that we were about to leave the bedroom, the damn thing finally disappeared. How annoyingly convenient.

Together, we walked out of the room to find a holographic arrow blinking in the corridor. Elle and I exchanged a glance. We followed the arrow, making our way through the station’s curved corridors. After a couple of minutes, we finally arrived at our destination, a large airlock connecting the station to the interstellar ship that would take us to our destination. Beside the airlock stood the Jorkan official who had briefed us last night.

“I trust you had a pleasant night,” he said in that soothing tone of his, and I immediately felt like headbutting him. Unless his idea of a pleasant night was having a tent pitched in your boxer briefs for hours on end, then I couldn’t disagree more with what he had said. Still, I kept my mouth shut. The sooner we left the station, the sooner I could start having some real fun. “I hope you enjoy the month ahead.”

With a theatrical bow, he stepped out of the way and waved us ahead. As we stepped forward, the airlock shut behind us, and we found ourselves staring at the closed entrance to the ship. We waited for a couple of seconds, and then came the inevitable hiss of hydraulics as the door slid open. Standing on the other side were a pair of humans in black suits.

“It’s nice seeing you again, Miss—”

Before the man could finish his sentence, Elle walked toward him and placed both hands on his shoulders. He stopped talking, surprised, and Elle showed him a wide smile...right before she brought her knee up hard into his balls.

“Nice seeing you, too, Agent Krasinski,” she said, and walked past the two men as if they were nothing but a pair of annoying mosquitoes. I had no idea what that was all about, but I nodded approvingly. Elle didn’t take any shit from anyone, and I liked that.

I followed her down the aisle, and we settled on two seats facing each other, a table between them. Unlike most commercial ships, this one seemed to be top of the line. From the spacious seats to the attention paid to the finishing details, everything had been built with luxury in mind. It helped that, aside from the two idiots in back, we seemed to be the only two persons aboard.

“What did that guy ever do to you?” I asked Elle as I sank into my seat.

“Those two were the bastards that dragged me here,” she replied, her narrowed eyes darting toward the airlock with murderous intent. Clearly, no one had really walked her through the whole thing before she ended up here. And here I was, thinking that to be approached by a pair of lawyers during a party was bad enough. “If you’re worried about him, don’t be. He deserved it.”

“I’m not going to argue with that.” Shrugging, I started prodding the wall beside my seat until I found a movable panel. I pressed down on it gently, and it slid to the side to reveal a fully-stocked bar. I grabbed a pair of glasses and a bottle of that amber liquid that Elle seemed to like.

“Who the hell’s paying for all this?” she muttered, her fingers brushing over the expensive leather armrests. She eyed the bottle I had placed on the table and pursed her lips. “An entire station, a private ship, and a one-month stay on a resort planet…I mean, these things can’t be cheap.”

“The Jorkan have money,” I said.

“And what exactly are the Jorkan all about? Are you some kind of financial predator aliens who travel the galaxy, looking for women you can marry and planets you can auction off?”

“First off, I’m not an alien, you are.” Smiling, I poured some Scotch into our glasses. “And no, we’re not exactly the financial type. The Jorkan have always been known for their military. Aside from the ones that focus on the administrative side of things, most of the Jorkan my age are in the military.”

“Then how are they paying for all this?”

“Like I said, we have money,” I replied. “We keep the Rippers at bay and protect most of the civilized planets on this side of the galaxy. In exchange, those we protect keep us well-funded.”

“Except for Earth.” She took a sip of her Scotch, her eyes peering at me over the rim of her glass. “Earth pays you with women.”

“It isn’t like that.” Frowning, I leaned back on my seat. “We don’t do slavery, trafficking, or any of that shit. This deal we signed with Earth was only made to ensure the Jorkan—”

“Don’t go the way of the dinosaurs, I get it.”

“What exactly is a dinosaur?” I asked, not sure if she was getting my point. “Anyway, we do this just so we can survive...and most people want the Jorkan to survive, you know? Without us, there really is no one that can keep the Rippers from laying waste to the entire galaxy.”

“Sounds like you approve of the protocols.”

“I really don’t care,” I admitted, shrugging. “I know it’s necessary, sure, but I never thought I’d end up as part of the program. You don’t have to worry, though. The last thing I want is to have a miniature version of myself running around. Of course, that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun.”

“So, you’re a military grunt,” she continued, changing the conversation.

“I’m not a grunt,” I said, annoyed that she had ignored the last thing I had said. She didn’t want to make things easy for me, it seemed. “I’m a Colonel, as you well know. I’ve told you already: I lead my own tactical team in assault operations.” She didn’t sound particularly impressed with that, and so I decided to change gears. “What about you? You’re a lawyer, right? What before that? Were you some sort of stripper?”

She hesitated before replying, our seats rocking gently as the latches keeping the ship in place finally let go. We both looked out the viewport, to see the station shrinking in size, the ship slowly drifting toward the pitch-black emptiness of space.

Finally turning her attention back to me, Elle shook her head. “A stripper, really? Is that what you think I am?”

“You look the part,” I said, and the frown that appeared on her face quickly turned into a scowl. “I mean, you look even better than most strippers I know, and you dress in a classier way. Unfortunately.”

“You do know that women can be more than strippers, don’t you?”

“What? Get out of here, that’s not—”

Immediately, she sunk back into her seat and raised her right leg. Before I could do anything about it, she pressed her heel right between my legs, and she didn’t do it in a nice, pleasurable way. Instead, I felt as if she was about to crush my balls.

“I was just fucking around,” I said, holding my hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch, alright? I know that you’re a respected lawyer or whatever. Besides, I’ve fought alongside female soldiers, and they were as capable as any men.”

“Of course.”

“Anyway,” I continued, clearing my throat. “You like being a lawyer?”

“I do,” she finally replied. “And I’m a damn good one, if you need to know. I was about to make it to the top, right before those two assholes dragged me out of my apartment. I don’t know if the Jorkan have lawyers, but—”

“We do.”

“Name partner is a big deal,” she continued. “It’s everything I’ve been working for. I’ve spent years of my life trying to reach that goal.” Her voice dipped into an excited whisper as she spoke, and I was reminded of the way I used to speak back when I was just a rookie. Back then, I had wanted nothing more than to lead my own team one day. “I can almost feel it now. It’s going to happen. Unless these thirty days away screw things up, I mean. It doesn’t bode well for a lawyer to disappear off the face of the Earth without letting anyone know about it.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” I said, raising my glass in a toast. This was the second time she was telling me about her career, and I was pleasantly surprised—Elle was so much more than a pair of long legs and a set of firm breasts. She was smart, fiery, and ambitious. Even though we were different, we were also alike. “Here’s to your promotion, Elle Ashby.”

“Thank you.” Touching glasses with me, she didn’t look away as she drank. From there on, the conversation flowed easily, and the four hours of flight passed in a breeze. When the intercom system announced our impending arrival, I could barely believe the way time had flown.

In a way, I felt like I could just keep on talking with her for hours on end, and that...well, that was a first. There were a lot of things I was good at when it came to women, but none of them involved long conversations.

“After you,” I said as I removed my seatbelt.

“What a gentleman.” With a bright laugh, she slid from her seat and started walking down the aisle. For a moment, I didn’t move. I just stared at her, watching her walk toward the airlock. When I finally rose, a single thought burned bright in my mind.

No matter what it took, I was going to make her mine.

Even if only for a month.

Elle

For now, I held my peace, content with my decision to cooperate with the program, at least superficially. I had an all-expenses-paid vacation, complete with a man to tease. Just for fun. I could either choose to be grumpy or choose to let my hair down. I shook my ass a teensy bit, just for Kazan. Not enough for him to know I was doing it, but surely enough to catch his eye.

At the bottom of the stairs, two Jorkan employees were waiting to place flower chains around our necks. They reminded me of Hawaiian leis, but were such strange flowers I couldn’t place them at all in what I already knew. The employee assigned to me delicately laid the chain on me, being careful to spread the chain around my cleavage instead of letting it get caught between. The employee next to me had to reach up and hand his chain to Kazan.

“What the hell do I do with this?”

A third employee answered. “It’s an Earth custom, picked out specially to help our human guests feel at home. When they travel to tropical islands, the resort owners there decorate them with flowers of the planet to let them know where they have traveled.”

The way these Jorkan had tried to think of everything to soften the kidnapping blow was endearing. “See,” I pointed to my own chain. “You wear them like this.” I twirled in a circle to accentuate their lightness. I was having fun being a wild, flirty flower child version of myself.

Kazan blushed, but went along with the ritual. He lowered the flowers onto his neck and did his own twirl. You’d think his size would make him clumsy, but he had the agility of a warrior. I imagined he might even make a good dancer.

The blue Jorkan clapped. “Oh, I am so glad you’ve decided to have a good time. I’m a gigantic fan of Earth culture.”

“You are?” I asked.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Yilap and I’m an assistant at the Red Moon Resort. I have been assigned as the liaison between you, the Jorkan government program, and the resort here. Any questions you have about how much time you have to spend together, what to do, what’s paid for, you can direct them to me. Everything you need to know, I’m your man.” He flashed the first toothy grin I had seen from a Jorkan. I could tell he was desperate for us to like our experience and like each other. If they were going to take me from my home, the least they could do was bend over backwards.

“You look very dashing in your flowers.” I smiled at Kazan, knowing where I was leading him. Yilap clapped and smiled again.

“Let me show you to your quarters.” We followed Yilap to a path surrounded by dunes. The sand was a sparkly tone, not unlike sand from Earth, but a color I had never seen. I listened for the ocean and could hear a light sound. In a few minutes, the beach was before us, a deep cerulean blue lapping up against the sparkly sand. Of course, water was still blue on another planet. What was I expecting?

A quaint resort cabin rose up from behind a turn and a dune. Walking down the steps was yet another blue Jorkan, shining in the sunlight (could I really call it sunlight? I’d have to ask.) He was a little taller than Yilap, but not so tall as Kazan. Where were all the Jorkan women, I wondered, curious about what they looked like. Probably pretty similar to me, if Kazan was attracted to me.

“Hello, welcome! Welcome Elle, welcome Kazan,” boomed the blue Jorkan, a hint of a golden tooth showing in his smile.

“This is the resort owner, Alzon!” said Yilap. “Alzon! What are you doing here? Usually you let me do the introductions.” Yilap stopped walking and leaned back to whisper excitedly to us “You guys are in for a real treat.”

“I thought I would give our special guests the star treatment. Did you know, Yilap, we have a Colonel and a lawyer joining us.”

I was happy to have my career mentioned.

Yilap’s eyes smiled, “Of course I knew.”

“Will you just show us around already?” Kazan asked sharply.

I gave Alzon a vulpine smile. “What he said.”

“Come, come, let me show you the cabin.”

Alzon walked back up the stairs and waited on the porch which was covered with a fabric awning. “This porch wraps all the way around, so you can sit here facing the resort, or sit facing the beach. I know you two lovebirds will want to make use of the privacy of looking at the serene beach waters.”

Alzon was charismatic, but it took me a while to warm up to him. I never really liked these host types, and I always felt cautious around those who oozed charm. I much preferred the boardroom games and manipulations than having someone trying to please me.

Kazan let me walk up the stairs first, and we followed Alzon through two bay doors.

“Here you have a sitting and relaxing room, with a holovid set with all twelve thousand channels from across the solar systems, for those very occasional rainy days, or for curling up with a movie. Can’t be all sunshine and fun!”

I marveled at the gorgeous room, all tans and browns, with a splash of tropical dark green for accent. The ceiling was covered with a gauzy fabric draping towards the center, showcasing a light that gave a soft glow to everything in the room. In the main room, there was a couch large enough for Kazan to lie down on and then some, and a lounge chair on either side.

“Through here is the hallway to the master bedroom. There’s a closet here, so you can move things right in, like home.” He pointed to a linen closet as if it were made of gold. “Of course, we have already provided you with a few sets of clothing, all free of charge.”

We followed him into an impossibly soft-looking bedroom, everywhere I looked draped with woven fabric in earthy colors. It was the perfect neutral base for whatever we wanted to get up to. “Through here is the bathroom. Take a peek, why don’t you?” Kazan hung back, unimpressed, but I took Alzon up on the offer. The room was decadent, with chrome and white tile and a shower and an even larger bath than in the hotel room. “We’ll leave you to explore.”

And with that, he bowed and left the cabin with Yilap in tow.

Kazan stared at the door for a long moment after they’d left. “Something about that guy I don’t like.”

“It’s the schtick,” I said as I started to explore the room, opening drapes and fluffing blankets. “The kind of salesman who never lets you read the fine print.” I opened the closet and sighed. A whole row of strappy shoes, sandals, and heels stared back at me. “Look, they’ve thought of everything.”

I grabbed a pair of black strappy sandals and threw off the drab shoes they had stuck me with from the ship. I sat down on the bed and started tying them on.

“Aren’t you going to explore this place?” I asked Kazan. “See what kind of things they brought here just for you?”

“I already know who they brought here just for me,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at me. A small grin started spreading across his lips. “And I gotta say…I like the sights.” He was turning a burgundy color, standing still and trying to keep himself composed.

“How charming,” I taunted him. “Here, help me with this shoe.”

“How?”

“Kneel down and help me tie this shoe.”

He knelt down and, with great dexterity, he tied tiny knots all up my leg. He even undid my haphazard knots on my other foot and redid them. They were gladiator-style sandals with a sturdy wedge heel, the perfect marriage of form and fashion.

I crossed my legs to admire my feet, brushing against Kazan’s chest.

“Thank you.”

He blushed somehow even darker, every moment being this close to me torture. He made to get up and I put my hands on his shoulders.

“No, really, thank you.” Our faces were mere inches apart. I breathed shallowly, so he could feel my breath on his mouth. Finally, he could stand it no longer and leaned in for a kiss.

At first, gentle pressure, just touching his lips to mine. Then he pushed forward, wanting more and more, opening his mouth and taking my tongue with his. He held the small of my back with his strong hands. I slid my hands down his shoulders, feeling every muscle.

Just as the kiss was deepening, an awkward cough came from the doorway. It was Yilap, thankfully looking down and away from our close bodies.

“Your reception party is about to start,” he said. “Let me lead you there.”

Kazan

Reception party? What the hell was that clown talking about? He stood in the doorway with the forced smile that seemed to be the uniform around this place. I turned my eyes back to Elle, still just inches from my face.

“Well,” she said, “looks like we’re just going to have to bookmark this one, aren’t we?” She reached behind herself and unclasped my hands from the small of her back, then gently pushed me away until I was resting on my heels. She rose in one fluid motion, eased past me, and left that tantalizing scent of hers trailing behind.

“Are you coming?” Those green eyes flashed over her shoulder, and she swayed over to the door. Elle was one hell of a tease, and I wondered if the dope in the doorway was enjoying the eyeful she was offering us. He probably saw it all the time.

“I guess,” was all I could grumble and I clambered to my feet. I thought this place was all about mating? So far, we hadn’t had a moment alone to do the very thing they all seemed to be aching for us to do.

That kiss was hanging heavily on me, and the bulge in my pants wouldn’t go away. There was only one cure for it, and everyone who worked at this resort seemed to want to interrupt us before we could really get down to business. I felt pretty sure Elle caught a glimpse of that bulge before she turned to follow our new best friend.

As we made our way to the party, I really had the time to appreciate her choice in shoes. The elevated wedges were doing wonders for her ass, and I’m pretty sure she knew it. She had to know where my eyes were riveted, because she was putting a little more sway and bounce into her step than I had noticed before.

Watching her as she walked, I kept thinking that these next thirty days might not be so bad, if we could finally get past the activities portion of this whole thing. A party was nice and all, but I had other pastimes in mind. Judging by the kiss, Elle had the same ideas.

“We have one of these parties every day,” our guide, Yilap, was yammering to Elle.

“Really?”

“With new arrivals landing constantly, we try to make sure there’s always a party to get people started. Not everyone is as… enthusiastic as you two.”

He cast a naughty smile over his shoulder to me, and it had the delightful effect of making me want to punch him in the throat. I mimicked his phony grin.

“Good thing we broke it all up to go to a party then, hunh?”

I hoped that would shut him up, but he went right back to rattling away at Elle, and I resumed watching her ass. We came to an open door with music pouring out, and our guide stepped to one side and gestured with his arm like he was trying to sell us a used cruiser unit. Where did they find these guys?

“I think this is going to work just fine.” Elle was already beginning to bounce with the music, and as I stepped up beside her, my eyes were drawn to the effect it was having on her breasts.

“Yeah. Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”

“Stop being a wet blanket,” she said, smacking my arm. I don’t know exactly what it meant, but the wicked smile she flashed at me made up for it. “Come on. Let’s get you a drink.”

Taking me by the fingers, she pulled me into the thumping room, and I looked back to see our guide waving lightly with that same smirk on his face. Why did I want to throttle everyone I met at this place?

“Do you have tequila?” She had stepped up onto the foot rail and was leaning over the bar so the bartender could hear her over the music. Still bumping to the music, her ass was beginning to take on a mesmerizing quality. She knew what her assets were, and she was determined that everyone else should know about them, too.

For as uptight as she was when she first stepped into that pristine little room with me, she was really buying into the party atmosphere. I supposed that’s the way it was with hard-working types. Work hard, play hard. Fuck hard, I found myself hoping.

“Here.” She turned around with two shot glasses brimming with tequila. I put a hand up to stop her. “Trust me,” she said. “It’s the good stuff.”

“Trust me,” I fired back. “You don’t want to see what that stuff does to me.”

“Don’t I?” Those dangerous green eyes had the dirtiest look.

“I’d be more likely to smash the joint up than smash a bed with you with that stuff.”

“Oooh,” she smirked. “Promises, promises.”

With that, she fired back one shot, then the other, clapping the glasses back down on the bar when she was done. I didn’t mind admitting I was impressed. I let out a burst of laughter and she leveled me with those emeralds again.

“Surprised?”

“Maybe a little, yeah.”

“You may just find I’m full of surprises, Colonel.” She gave a quick rap on the bar and nodded to me. “If tequila isn’t really your speed, I bet they have plenty of that cheap whiskey you were drinking when we met.” She grabbed my shoulder and hoisted herself up to whisper in my ear, “I bet they’d even let you skip the ice.”

With that, she danced out into the crowd. Cheap? I thought it was pretty good.

“So, whiskey, then?” My head snapped around to find the bartender leaning on his elbows and watching me.

“Yeah.”

“Double?”

I looked back to Elle, drinking her in as her body swayed and writhed to the music pulsing around her.

“Triple.”

“You got it.” He snapped a glass down and poured a drink so full I had to bend over and sip the rim before I could pick it up. Okay, maybe there were things I was going to like about this place. Taking a healthy slug, I let myself just slip into watching her move.

She really knew how to cut loose. Her body was insane, and if the bulge in my pants had subsided at all, she was making sure that it came back to full attention. As much as I was enjoying the view, I found myself really resenting being pulled away from our room.

A whistle came over my shoulder, and I turned to find the bartender leaning on his elbows again, watching Elle dance.

“Is that one yours?”

“Yeah.”

“Good man.” He never took his eyes off her. In other situations, I would have been likely to give him a jab to the shoulder. But there was a different feeling percolating in my gut.

Looking down the bar, I saw a number of eyes focused on Elle. Not least of all, Alzon. His easy manner and all those smiles had vanished, and there was something else taking their place.

Instead of the glad-handing phoniness, he had the look of a predator on a mountaintop, looking down at one lone target. He was practically licking his lips as he watched her dance. Admittedly, it was an appetizing sight, but his laser focus stuck right in my gut.

There were any number of men watching her, but he was different. That wasn’t admiration, or casual lust—he was eyeing up something he wanted, and had every intention of taking. I knew the look, because I’ve worn it myself a time or two, and I’ve never been proud of it.

That dark tingle in my gut got more intense. Was this jealousy? Was I beginning to think of Elle in partner terms? That wasn’t part of the deal.

Shifting on the stool, I scanned the room, prompted by instinct or experience or whatever. The back of my neck started to tense up—but maybe that was a sign I needed this vacation, too. Still, for a resort that looked like it was supposed to be hosting mainly couples, there were a lot of lone men standing around. Not vacation types either, more like plainclothes security.

Why would a resort like this need so much security?

Shaking my head, I did my level best to find the bottom of my whiskey glass. Whatever was going on, it wasn’t my business. Another whistle came from behind me.

“You’re a seasoned pro at that kind of thing, hunh?”

“Maybe.” I put the empty glass back down on the bar, and he scooped it up.

“So, another then?”

“If you pour it like the last one, I won’t be standing much longer.”

“Well then, we might just have to find a place for you to lie down.” I spun around to find Elle standing very close behind me. “Could I get another tequila while you’re at it?”

“You got it.” The bartender shot her a wink and set about getting our drinks.

“It’s no fun dancing alone, Kazan.” The two shots she had taken were lighting up behind her eyes, and I knew a third one would really push her into party territory. After the first whiskey I’d had, I was well on my way to joining her.

“Come on.” She had me by the hand and was doing her best to pull me out onto the floor.

“What about your drink,” I asked, just as it arrived on the bar. In answer, she snatched it up and tossed it back.

“Come on.”

“What about my drink?” I laughed, nodding to the brimming glass beside me.

“It’ll wait.” She was dazzling, and wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I looked back down to find Alzon watching us with that same dark look in his eyes. To hell with him. If he couldn’t fix his face, that was his problem.

Grinning, I let her lead me onto the floor, watching that magnificent body shimmy the whole way.

Elle

I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so free.

Moving to the beat, I whipped my hair back while running both hands down the sides of my body. The sway of my hips matched the tempo of the music, and every fiber of my being seemed to vibrate to the bass. Against all odds, I was truly having fun.

“Loosen up, will ya?” I said, smiling as I watched Kazan struggle to move. Standing a head taller than almost everyone else in the club, he definitely struck an imposing figure, but his dance moves weren’t exactly worth calling home about. He was moving his shoulders, but his hips refused to move freely, almost as if someone had bolted them in place. “I thought you were some kind of party animal.”

“Dancing has never been my strongest suit,” he told me with a low grunt, his lips tightening as the beat suddenly changed. Struggling to keep up, he started moving around like a drunken space ostrich, and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.

“I can see that.” Smiling, I closed the distance between us and threw my arms over his shoulders. He stiffened up almost immediately, his spine turning into a straight arrow, and ended up stepping on my right foot. “Try to relax. Just follow my lead.”

Looking into his eyes, I started moving my hips in a flowing motion, the rhythm of my body keeping up with the music. Slowly, he finally started to relax, the tension in his shoulders fading away. Returning my gaze, he placed both hands on my hips, the way his fingers nestled themselves over my curves enough for a shiver to run up my spine.

“That’s it,” I whispered into his ear, pressing my chest against his. My breasts were trapped between our bodies, and I suddenly felt my nipples hardening, my heart settling into a rhythm that wasn’t exactly in sync with the music.

Losing myself to the beat, I kept my body glued to his as I moved, my breathing becoming shallower with each passing second. When I’d dragged him onto the dance floor, the only thing on my mind was having some innocent fun, but the way we were dancing right now...well, there was nothing innocent about it.

We weren’t slobbering over each other like hormone-crazed teenagers, nor were we groping each other, but the atmosphere around us had changed. I could feel it. The air itself was charged with electricity, and I could almost feel the rumble of thunder inside my own head. Before I even knew what I was doing, I went up on tiptoes and brought my lips up to his ear one more time.

“What do you say we get out of here?” I asked him, and my heart did a somersault inside my chest as the words left my mouth. His fingers twitched against my hips, and I saw a devilish glint in his eyes. He didn’t bother answering with words. He just took me by the hand and started dragging me across the dance floor, the crowd parting to let us through.

“I thought you’d never ask,” he finally said as we left the club, the loud beat now sounding muffled and distant.

We went down the stairs that led straight onto the beach, and I loosened the straps enough to wriggle out of my shoes and hang them over my shoulders, smiling as my bare feet touched the smooth sand. In the distance, I could see the lights from the luxurious cabins lining the beachfront like golden lighthouses.

“Your dance moves got to me,” I told him with a teasing grin, and this time I couldn’t stop myself from laughing as he frowned. “Oh, c’mon. You’re terrible at it, and you know it.”

“You, on the other hand…” He trailed off, that dangerous glint returning to his eyes. Something in his tone changed as well, almost as if his words had suddenly grown heavier and more powerful.

“You’ll get there,” I continued, stepping on a patch of wet stand. “I’ll teach you.”

To the side, the gentle waves caressed the sand, doing it so softly they didn’t even foam up. Tarkun IV itself, the planet around which this resort moon orbited, hung in the night sky, its pale light reflected on the ocean’s calm surface, and I suddenly found myself so light it felt as if I was floating. Maybe it was the fact that I was slightly tipsy, but there was something about this moment that was making me feel...different.

I had spent the last several years weighed down by responsibilities, my brain always keeping a NASCAR rhythm, but now I felt myself relaxing. I wasn’t worried about work, nor was I mentally going through tomorrow’s to-do list. I was in the present, and nothing else mattered.

I don’t know how it happened, but Kazan and I were no longer walking. We stood on the beach, alone on that deserted strip of sand between the club and the cabins, our bodies turned toward each other. Our eyes locked, and I swear I could almost feel the crackle of electricity around us.

I couldn’t wait.

“Come here,” I whispered, my heart kicking and punching against my ribcage as I reached for him.

Taking hold of his shirt’s collar, I pulled him down to me, my eyelids fluttering as my lips parted. We kissed, and I felt as if the entire galaxy was fading all around us, leaving us standing at the center of a pleasant nothingness. In that moment, nothing but the feel of our two bodies mattered.

“No one here to stop us now,” he whispered against my lips, his hands navigating around my waist.

His fingers whispered down my backside, pulling me into him, and a soft little moan escaped my lips. He was right; there was absolutely no one here to stop us, and thank God for that.

“I can tell you to stop, if that’s what you want,” I teased him, my fingers slowly working on his shirt.

I undid button after button, revealing his chiseled torso, and my mind started simmering as my knuckles brushed against the skin of his stomach. I felt the perfect contour of his abs, every inch of his body exuding raw masculinity, and I became wetter than I had ever been.

It was crazy.

“Stop?” Resting his forehead against mine, he allowed a grin to dance on his lips. “There’s no stopping us now.” With that, he pushed me down until we were both lying in the sand, our bodies tangled around each other. He pulled the straps of my dress down my shoulders, revealing the outer edges of my bra, then allowed his lips to wander down from my mouth to my neck.

Arching my back, I closed my eyes as I felt his lips roaming over my skin, his hands gently tugging at the fabric of my dress. He kept on going until I had nothing but my underwear on, and only then did his mouth reach the valley between my breasts.

Carefully, he slid one hand behind my back and unclasped my bra, the cups drooping to reveal my rosy nipples. The moment they jumped into sight, Kazan’s tenderness gave way to a kind of savage fury, and he ripped the bra off my body with one swift motion.

Using nothing but the tip of his tongue, he made the hike up the rising curve of my breast and wrapped his lips around my nipple, sucking it into his mouth. He twirled his tongue around it, inflicting the sweetest of punishments upon my body, and slid one hand down my flat stomach.

“Oh, God,” I breathed out, my eyes rolling as he flattened the palm of his hand right between my legs. A column of fire shot up my spine, and all the thoughts inside my head turned to ash, the only thing surviving the scorching heat being an unstoppable wave of lust.

Unable to control myself, I dug my heels into the sand and thrust up, pressing myself against his hand. That was enough for him to change gears and up the ante. Hooking his fingers on the elastic band hugging my waist, he pulled my thong against my outer thigh, tearing it off my body with brutish desperation. A quivering moan later and there I was, completely naked and vulnerable.

“How can you be this fucking perfect?” he whispered, looking into my eyes.

I didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, it wasn’t like he expected a reply. He lowered his gaze back onto my body and, laying gentle kisses on both my breasts, started making the journey down my naked skin. Clamping down on my lower lip, I tried to keep myself together as his tongue wandered down my stomach, its destination obvious.

It all seemed so surreal.

Just a couple of days ago, I was in Manhattan, leading a lawyer’s life, and now here I was...on some alien tropical beach, being ravaged by the most handsome creature I had ever laid eyes on.

“You’re delicious,” Kazan continued, brushing his lips against the soft flesh of my inner thighs. “Every inch of you.” He was taking his time now, teasing me, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to endure much longer. Succumbing to my urges, I reached down and grabbed him by the horns, my fingers tightly holding their smooth surface. “It pays to be patient, you know?”

“Oh, fuck being patient,” I threw back at him, arching my back as I pushed his head to where I needed it to be.

He offered no resistance. With the tip of his tongue, he traced the contour of my aching inner lips, and only stopped when he was pressing it down on my clit. My heart started beating erratically, making it feel as if I had a war drum inside my chest, and it wasn’t long before a moan exploded from my lips.

Sucking my clit into his mouth, Kazan kept on applying just the right amount of pressure with his tongue, driving me absolutely crazy. At the same time, he placed two fingers against my entrance and used them to part my inner lips. Before I could even ready myself for it, he pushed his fingers inside me, stretching my inner walls as he did.

It was too much.

I gripped his horns so tightly that, for a moment, I thought I was going to snap them off his head. My heels dug into the sand almost too violently, and I found myself thrusting against his mouth, eager to feel the pressure of his lips against my clit. Not one to be outdone, he simply curled his fingers upward like a hook, pressing his fingertips against that hidden trigger inside me.

Right then and there, I came undone.

My muscles tensed up for a fraction of a second, then they all started shaking at the same time. My eyes rolled back, ecstasy coursed through my bloodstream, and it felt as if a thermonuclear detonation had just gone off inside my head.

It was absolute perfection.

Breathing hard, I just laid back and stared up at the star-sprinkled sky above, my mind reeling. When Kazan lay beside me and gently brushed the hair away from my face, I quickly turned on my side to face him.

“You good?” he whispered.

“Never been better. But we’re far from being done.”

“Is that so?”

“Oh, you better believe it.”

Kazan

She didn’t even let me catch my breath.

Before I knew it, she’d placed both hands on my face and kissed me again, crushing her lips against mine. Still with the sweet taste of her wetness on my tongue, I surrendered to the frenzied kiss she demanded of me, pressing my body against hers.

Her hands moved frantically to my shoulders, her fingernails raking across my skin as she pulled my shirt down. Sitting up, I pulled her to my lap, my tail thrashing wildly as she climbed on top of me, knees on either side of my thighs, and slammed her hands down onto my shoulders.

She had been playing hard to get, but it seemed like she had finally reached the tipping point. I figured that, while she was trying to tease and torture me with her body, that she was also teasing herself at the same time. In the end, everything was happening like I wanted it to.

“You have no idea how much I want this right now,” she said, her words coming out as a blend of a whisper and a growl.

Running her fingers down my abs, she brought them down to my belt and unbuckled it. One quick movement and the belt flew off from my pants, landing somewhere on the side.

“Then that makes two of us,” I threw back, pushing myself off the ground with one hand so I could take my mouth to her naked breasts while my hips were lifted.

As I sucked on her right nipple, she hurried to peel my pants off, and only seemed to slow down once I had nothing but my boxer briefs on. From underneath me, the tip of my tail escaped the weight of my body, and its whole length unfolded toward Elle.

“You’re so hard,” she whispered softly, tracing the contour of my erection with one finger. When she finally started peeling my underwear off, I coiled my tail around her waist, almost as if I had become afraid she’d try to escape.

“And all because of you.”

I felt my cock spring free then, and she immediately grabbed it by the root. With a lustful grin, she started flicking her wrist, her fingers moving up and down my hard member. I held my breath as pleasure unfolded its wings inside me, a wildfire consuming all my thoughts, and that’s when I saw red.

Unable to rein in my instincts, I pushed my hips up and rolled to the side, pinning her against the sand. I looked into her eyes, enjoying the fire I saw there, and returned her lustful grin with one of my own. I positioned myself so that the tip of my cock was right against her entrance, then tightened my tail around her waist, allowing its tip to drop down from her belly.

“Holy shit,” she breathed out, the tip of my tail wandering toward her clit and pressing down on it. The moment she closed her eyes, surprised by the way I was using my appendage, I seized the opportunity and went straight for the kill.

One thrust and I was in.

No mercy.

“Fuck,” I groaned, enjoying the way her tightness hugged my hard cock.

I eased myself in until all of my inches were inside her and let her wrap her legs around my waist, trapping me in place. We looked into each other’s eyes for a moment, enjoying the vibrant connection we had built, and only then did I start moving.

I started by rocking my hips at a slow rhythm, but it didn’t take long before I succumbed to feverish lust. Keeping the tip of my tail pressing down on her clit, I went from a slow rhythm to thrusting as hard as I could, stretching her inner walls each time I buried myself inside her. She was so damn tight that I couldn’t even think straight.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before.

I didn’t know if it was just her body or if there was something else about her, but there was no doubt about it—I had never felt so much pleasure in my entire life. Finally closing my eyes, I let instinct take the steering wheel, my mind adrift in an ocean of pure ecstasy.

“Harder,” I heard Elle say, her voice coming at me as if she were standing on the other side of the galaxy. “Harder.” Placing both her hands on my backside, she dug her fingers into my flesh and guided my movements, urging me to go even faster than before. I obeyed willingly, putting all of my strength behind my hips. “It’s so fucking good.”

“Yes, it is,” I whispered, and kissed her as our bodies became one. Right then and there, I felt our minds blend, and there no longer was any barrier between us. We were no longer Kazan and Elle, but something new.

Something better.

Gritting my teeth, I felt a rising pressure inside me, my whole body tensing up as I tried to stave off the inevitable. It was useless; before long, I had no option other than to succumb to the tidal wave of pleasure coming my way. As Elle’s inner walls tightened around my cock, squeezing it with the intensity of a vise, I knew there’d be no resisting it. I thrust one final time, offering her all that I had to offer, and her moaning turned into a full-blown scream that pierced the night.

I came then, my cock throbbing hard as I spilled my seed inside her. My mind spun in tandem with my body, and it felt as if I was being burned alive from the inside out. Fuck, it was wrong to say that I had come—no, I had exploded, every single nerve ending blooming like a supernova.

We remained like that for a long time, just catching our breaths. Around us, the sound of the waves lapping on the shore brought us down from our madness, and soon enough I rolled to the side and sprawled my limbs on the sand. Not wanting to be away from her, I offered her my arm, and she took it gladly. Nestling herself against me, she laid her head on my chest, one of her arms draped over me.

“This is nice,” she whispered after a minute of silence, and I couldn’t stop myself from agreeing. We were doing absolutely nothing, just enjoying the way our chests rose and fell while the canvas of a bright night sky hung over us, and it was all absolutely perfect. There was a sense of stillness in that moment, one that made me feel…happy?

Yeah, that was it.

Then and there, I was happy.

Elle

Stretching my back, I stifled a yawn.

The morning sun slipped past the curtains, tumbling over the bed with a warm rosy glow. I blinked once, then twice, as I tried to recall where I was. Then, the memories flooded me at once, and my heart tightened inside my chest as I remembered the moment I had shared on the beach with Kazan.

Biting on the corner of my lip, I looked to the side and smiled, my gaze taking in the red-skinned Jorkan lying beside me. He was naked, but the sheet was pulled up to his waist. Immediately, my eyes took in the perfect contour of his muscles, and I found myself struggling not to pull the sheet down his body.

After what had happened last night, I was on the verge of developing a pretty strong obsession with his body. I wasn’t what some people would call a prude, and I sure as hell knew my way around a man’s body, but I had never quite experienced something like what had happened last night.

It’d be easy to chalk it up to Kazan’s advantageous traits—a tail he could use in surprising ways, and a long enough member for me to wonder about the mechanics of it all—but I knew that the pleasure I had experienced had nothing to do with those things.

Fine, let’s be honest: it didn’t hurt that he was the absolute biggest I had ever experienced, but what really mattered was that he knew what he was doing. At times, it even felt as if he could read my mind, if not guess what my body needed of him even before I knew it.

“G’morning,” he muttered, slowly opening his eyes.

A lazy smile spread over his lips as he turned to me. One quick kiss and I found my eyelids fluttering, my body already begging for more of his. Yeah, to say that I was obsessed with the things he could do was putting it mildly.

“G’morning,” I whispered back at him, enjoying the way his lips lingered on mine. He tasted of manliness—power, fire, and leather—and he—

“Good morning,” I heard a familiar voice say, and I immediately pulled the sheet against my body. I sat up just in time to see Yilap, our assigned Jorkan guide, stroll into the cabin. He stood by the bedroom door, his white tunic flowing in the breeze, and he puffed his chest out, both hands on his hips. “Did you guys sleep well? Judging by what I’m seeing, we’re making some progress, aren’t we?”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you damn creep?” Kazan growled, then he rolled to the side and grabbed the small holographic clock from the bedstand. With one quick movement, he flung it at Yilap’s head. The blue-skinned official just ducked, the clock exploding on the wall behind him, but his smile never wavered. “Don’t you know how to knock?”

“Someone’s in a foul mood,” Yilap continued, his overly excited tone remaining as hyped as ever. “I wanted to surprise you, that’s why I didn’t knock. You two have a very exciting day ahead of you.”

“Yeah, I think we’ll pass,” Kazan said. “We might stay in bed all day and—”

Without giving him the chance to finish his sentence, Yilap strode into the room and yanked the covers back, leaving Kazan completely naked while I lay there in my underwear.

“We must hasten,” Yilap said, throwing the covers over his shoulders. “The first activity of the day is about to start, and you don’t want to miss it.”

“What the fuck, you idiot?” Jumping up to his feet, Kazan walked past the guide and grabbed the covers off the floor. He wrapped one of them around his waist, and threw the other over my half-naked body. “You come barging in here like that ever again, and I’m going to snap your neck.”

“Duly noted, Colonel.” Clasping his hands together, Yilap performed a bow and gestured toward the door. “Shall we go now? I’d hate for you to miss what we have planned and I’ve been tasked to ensure you have not one dull moment.”

“Just let us get dressed, for God’s sake,” I said, and that seemed to be enough. One more bow and Yilap left the room, walking backwards until he disappeared from sight.

What an odd guy.

“Damn idiot,” Kazan grumbled, staring after Yilap with a frown. After a moment, he picked his discarded clothes off the floor and dressed while I rummaged through the drawers, trying to find something suitable. Once more, the closet and all the drawers had been fitted with clothing that matched my measurements. I settled on a pair of sandals, a white shirt, and a patterned sarong.

“Any idea on these activities he was talking about?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Shrugging, Kazan threw me one of his devilish smiles. “I know the one activity I wouldn’t mind doing all day, though.”

“Oh, stop it.” Laughing, I walked past him and headed out of the cabin. I agreed with what he was saying, but I didn’t want to sound too willing—or desperate, for that matter. As much as desperation was anathema for men, I didn’t believe that a desperate woman would score many points, either. It was better for me to play it cool.

“Ah, very well,” Yilap chirped once we stood on the porch. “What a lovely couple. Please, accompany me, it’s only a short walk from here.”

Kazan and I exchanged a curious glance and set out after Yilap. He led the way through the other cabins lining the beachfront, and we ended up on a small trail that snaked through the woods facing the ocean.

It didn’t take long before we found ourselves in a large clearing littered with junk. There were empty oil drums everywhere, a shuttle that seemed to have burned down, and even the concrete carcass of an abandoned building.

Standing at the center were a few other Jorkan, as well as other humanoid aliens, some of which I recognized from the club we had visited. The small group was a blend of different skin colors, from pink to pitch black, and there were limbs that went from resembling squiggly tentacles to tree trunks.

“What’s all this about?” Kazan asked, warily eyeing his surroundings. His attention was quickly snagged by a large workbench at the edge of the clearing. On top of it were all kinds of weapons, none of which I recognized.

“We have organized a holo-shoot session with a few of our other guests,” Yilap replied, waving one hand at the group standing a couple of yards away from us. Most of the aliens there smiled and waved, and I found myself waving back at them with a confused smile. One or two just hulked, expressions blank, and I wondered why they were present if the activity bored them. They stood out like a sore thumb, and at least one of them kept glancing at Kazan. “I believe the humans have something similar to this on Earth, Miss Ashby. They call it laser tag, or maybe paintball. This is similar.”

“Uh, sure,” I muttered, not really clear on what to think about it. Was this the Jorkan’s idea of a mate-building exercise? Paintball? It didn’t strike me as being a romantic activity but, then again, what did I know?

“Finally, something interesting,” Kazan said beside me, clearly more excited with the prospect of shooting up the other guests than I was. Without being told anything, he quickly moved toward the workbench and started checking out the guns. He tossed me one of them, some kind of sleek blaster-pistol, and chose a mean-looking rifle for himself.

“Please, put these on,” Yilap continued, pushing a set of overalls and a vest into my hands.

Shrugging, I started getting dressed while Yilap explained the rules. Meanwhile, Kazan was already busy barking orders at the other guests, splitting them into two opposing groups. He placed me into his own group, in which he obviously assumed the position of a leader. The two hulks with a distinctly killjoy aura, he placed with the others.

Christ—men and their games. Thank God there was no intergalactic Playstation in the cabin, or he might not even notice me there.

Leaning against the workbench, I sighed as I continued watching Kazan boss everyone around, his voice growing louder as he realized nobody in our group recognized the military jargon he was using.

“What are you laughing about?” he asked, scowling as he honed in on me. “Care to assume the defensive position I assigned you to?”

“Sure, fearless leader,” I replied, which only made him scowl harder. Crouching behind a pair of overturned oil drums, I waited until Yilap grabbed a small device from his pocket and pressed down on it, and a loud noise filled the entire clearing.

Then, it was madness.

Laser fire flew everywhere, red darts of light shooting from one side of the clearing to the other, and loud holographic explosions popped up at regular intervals. This whole thing was like a far too realistic war game. No wonder a jarhead like Kazan was excited about this stupid holo-shooting thing.

Unfortunately for him, things didn’t go well.

While Kazan expected some kind of military exercise, the tactical positioning he had chosen for our team members only ensured the other team quickly pinned us down. Without any training or fear of real death, our adversaries just rushed forward without thinking things through, annihilating most of our team.

“We’re pinned! Charge, Elle, damn it,” he shouted, and I just narrowed my eyes at him. Who the hell did he think he was screaming at? I peeked over the oil drums and, realizing that I was staring at half the members of the opposing team, I quickly shook my head. No way I was going to sacrifice myself in such a stupid way. “Charge, Elle!”

“You charge,” I muttered under my breath and gave him the finger.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked me, confused. Clearly, to flip off someone wasn’t a universal gesture. He probably thought I was doing some kind of military hand-sign.

“It means ‘okay’,” I lied, doing my best not to grin. “I’m going to charge...but I’ll do it my way.”

Before he could respond, I moved sideways and into the edge of the woods. According to the rules, we couldn’t step out of the clearing or we’d be disqualified. Our position was tracked by the vests, and so I quickly removed mine and hung it on a tree branch.

Now out of the official game perimeter, I kept my body low as I moved through the thick vegetation. I flanked the other team and, once I could hear their voices, I started moving even more slowly. Once I saw them through the foliage, just a few steps away from where I was and with their backs turned to me, I jumped out from my hiding spot and gunned them all down with fake-laser fire.

“Flawless victory,” I cried out, happily pumping one fist up while my defeated adversaries just stared at me with disbelief.

“That was cheating,” a purplish squid-thing said, its tentacles awkwardly holding up one of those fake rifles. His teammates nodded in agreement, but I just smiled and shrugged.

“The rules said that our trackers couldn’t leave the perimeter,” I said, and pointed to the vest I had hung on a tree. “My tracker never left the perimeter, and I didn’t break any rules. I just thought outside of the box and got things done.”

Like a good lawyer’s supposed to do, I thought, but kept that part to myself.

“Well, that was different.” With his rifle propped up over one shoulder, Kazan made his way toward me, warily looking at the disgruntled losers I had just shot down. “You got them good.”

“Of course,” I said. “It doesn’t take a Jorkan Colonel to—”

“Do you know why I told you to charge and not to flank them?”

I hesitated.

“Why?”

“Because they placed mines on their flanks,” he said, and a smile dawned on his lips. “You’re standing on one.”

“I’m what?” I looked down and realized I was standing on some sort of metallic panel, a contraption of sorts that seemed to sink under my weight. Before I could think things through, I jumped back on instinct, and that was the end of me.

Paint exploded everywhere, the panel flying up into the air as a wave of red paint washed over me. It got onto my holo-shooting overalls, stuck to my hair, and coated every inch of my exposed skin.

Grinning like a vindicated asshole, Kazan looked at Yilap. “I believe that I’m the last man standing, right?”

“Indeed, Colonel.”

“Flawless victory,” he said as he walked past me, slapping my paint-coated shoulder so hard that I stumbled forward. “It’s not always about skirting the rules, Elle Ashby, Esquire. Sometimes, war is about following orders.”

Gritting my teeth, I flipped him the finger.

He just smiled. “Glad you learned your lesson.”

Damn it!

Kazan

“What kind of stupid bullshit is this?”

Crossing my arms, I watched as seemingly all the females on the resort lined up on the floating deck, a large wood platform that floated near the shore. Most of them were busy placing little rubber mats in front of them, and some were already doing some warm-up stretches.

Yilap stood in front of them with an idiotic smile, the palms of his hands joined together in front of his chest as if he were praying. He looked like one of those space-hobos who decide to live inside an asteroid, hoping to reach enlightenment.

“It’s called yoga, Colonel,” Yilap replied in a soothing tone. “It’s a physical and spiritual practice I’ve learned from the humans. It’s very relaxing, although it’s also extremely demanding.”

“You sure of that?” I asked him, narrowing my eyes as I analyzed all the women once more. They were of all shapes and sizes, but none seemed particularly capable of suffering through a demanding physical practice.

“Afraid I might be better at this than you are?” Pushing a white mat into my arms, Elle laid hers out in front of her. She had spent the last couple of hours removing all the paint from her skin and hair, but it seemed like her efforts had finally paid off. She was now wearing a small tank-top and pants of a stretchy fabric that highlighted her curves in the most mouthwatering of ways.

“As if.” Shaking my head, I threw my mat onto the ground, placing it beside hers. “Unless there’s some kind of freaky courtroom activity planned, I doubt you’ll do better than me at anything.”

“Stop being such a cocky bastard,” she protested, and punched me in the arm. “You only won that holo-shoot thing because you were lucky.”

“We could have both won if only you had listened to me.”

“I didn’t listen because you were screaming like some brute who—”

“Please, please,” Yilap cut us short. “Let us be peaceful and mindful of others. No arguing. Besides, you two must remember that these activities aren’t about competing with each other. It’s about building and strengthening your relationship.” Clearing his throat, he glanced around the deck and raised his voice. “This is the first session of yoga we’re holding here at the resort, and I want you all to keep an open mind. I’ve been studying it for the last year and a half, after being introduced to it by the lovely culture of Earth, and I’m excited to share it with you.”

There were a few murmurs among the group of women, and I quickly figured out that none of them had any idea what they were in for. Good. At least I wasn’t the only one feeling like an idiot here. Elle, though, seemed pretty confident about the whole thing. If this yoga thing was a physical practice, could she be some sort of undercover Yoga soldier? I didn’t know much about Earth’s elite soldiers, so that was entirely possible.

“I’m happy to announce that we have with us an experienced practitioner of this ancient practice, and she’ll help me demonstrate.” Suddenly, Yilap waved at Elle, motioning for her to join him at the front. “You’re all going to struggle today, as this is your first time, but Elle will guide you through the correct postures.”

“Me?” she pointed at herself, surprised, but didn’t seem scared. Instead, she grabbed her mat from the floor and joined Yilap at the front. What the fuck? That wasn’t right. How could she be better than I was at something physical? Whether this was some kind of freaky martial art, or some bullshit workout for women, I was more than sure I could do it just as well as Elle.

“I’ll help, too.” Rolling my mat up, I walked past the rows of kneeling women and placed my mat beside Elle’s once more. Now facing the audience of expectant women, I puffed out my chest and held my chin up. Elle desperately wanted to prove that she could beat me in these stupid activities, but she would have to work for it. If there was something in life I hated more than everything, it was losing.

“Very well,” Yilap said. “Let us begin with Child’s Pose.”

Easy enough.

I watched Elle and Yilap do it, then kneeled on the mat and bent forward, mimicking their motions. From there, we stood up into something called Mountain Pose, followed by Downward Dog.

What kind of stupid shit is this? I thought, my lower back trembling as Elle just held onto her Downward Dog pose. Then, she flowed effortlessly onto the ground, pushing the upper part of her body up. As I imitated her, beads of sweat started rolling down my forehead, my muscles already complaining from being stretched in such a way.

Curious, I snuck a glance at the rapt audience of women. Some of them were struggling with the poses, but others were mimicking Elle and Yilap with ease, no signs of effort or sweat.

That’s because most of these women are built like fucking clams, I tried telling myself. While that was true—some of the females did belong to some sort of squid-like species—the others didn’t seem to have an advantage like that. They were just more flexible than I was.

Not that I was going to let that stop me.

Gritting my teeth, I just doubled up on my efforts, pushing my limbs and spine to the absolute limit. It didn’t take long before my shirt was drenched in sweat and my whole body trembled with exhaustion. How the fuck was that even possible?

“How are you holding up?” Elle asked me, her legs arched as she bent at the waist, doing some kind of freaky pose I would never be able to repeat in a million years. “You’re putting on quite a show.”

I said nothing.

I glanced at the women, and some of them were openly snickering, disdainful smiles on their faces as they watched me struggle through the poses. Damn it. Why the hell did I have to come up here and make a fool of myself?

“I’m doing alright,” I lied, and proceeded to imitate Elle’s pose. Immediately, I felt something in my spine snap, but I held firm. Clenching my jaw, I ignored the pain and rotated my arms like a windmill, struggling not to tip over from the deck and into the ocean.

“You have to keep your core stabilized,” Elle said with a mocking smile, her whole body flowing from one posture to the other. Going further than Yilap, she allowed her body to melt into some absurd poses no one would be able to repeat, her body suddenly becoming a contortionist’s wet dream.

Mesmerized, I let my eyes take in the perfect shape of her body, her thighs and ass moving in such a way that I didn’t even know if I was awake anymore. Was I dreaming? It had to be that. How could a woman be so flexible and look so damn hot at the same time? It should be illegal for someone to be that hot.

“What the fuck?” I muttered, watching as she balanced herself on one leg, bringing the other up. With her right hand on the floor, she then used the left one to reach behind her back and grab the ankle of the leg she had lifted up.

Determined not to lose, I took one deep breath and planted my right foot on the deck. Then, focusing as hard as I could, I let my left leg rise up. It took me a couple of breaths to stabilize myself, but then I finally started reaching behind my back, hoping to grab my ankle. Instead, I felt myself wobbling in place like a spinning top.

“Need any help there?” Elle asked with a mocking tone. “Take it, champ.”

“I’m fine,” I grunted. “I’m perfectly capable of—shit.”

Suddenly losing all balance, I found myself hopping on one foot, completely losing all control as my body lurched toward the edge of the deck. Before I knew what the hell was happening, I fell, hitting the water head first. If I hadn’t needed to breathe, I would’ve remained underwater for the entire month.

When I finally resurfaced, more humiliated than I had ever felt, Elle was sitting right above me, her legs dangling off the deck’s wooden edge. A few seconds later, a dozen more heads popped up over the edge, all belonging to those snickering women, happy to see a grown man making a fool of himself.

“Pride comes before the fall,” Elle said. “Literally.”

“No, no, no.” Suddenly materializing beside Elle, Yilap looked from me to her, and shook his head in disappointment. “These activities aren’t meant to be a competition! That’s why you were placed on the same team during the holo-shoot. And yoga...yoga is a balm for the soul! Not a battlefield.”

“Sure it is.” Smiling like an angel, Elle looked up at Yilap. “Still, I won this round.”

Elle

“Come on, don’t be such a sore loser.” Perched on my bar stool, my elbows resting on the small table in front of us, I glanced at Kazan. He was sitting beside me, a deep frown on his face as he nursed his drink. He had been acting like this ever since we left the yoga deck, complaining about the inhumane poses and practices the humans had developed.

“I’m not a sore loser,” he finally said, a hint of defiance in his voice. “And that’s because I didn’t lose anything. I won the holo-shoot, and you won at yoga. In my book, that means we’re tied.”

“I like being tied,” I said, smiling as Kazan spewed out half his drink onto the face of a resort guest who now looked pissed off. “Still, I don’t think that you’re doing the math right. Sure, you won one of these activities, and I won the other one...but remember that night at the beach? Who won that?”

“I wasn’t aware that it was a competition.”

“Everything’s a competition.” I shrugged, taking a sip of my cocktail. “Especially sex. That’s the best competition there is.”

“Well, then I don’t think you won that one.”

“But I did.”

“Nah.”

“Whatever you say.” Laughing, I slid down from the stool and patted the front of my sarong. “I’m just going to get another drink. Want me to order you anything?”

“I’m fine,” he replied, probably still wondering about who had won our little romp on the beach. Truth be told, I believed that he had been the victorious one that night. After all, he had caught me by surprise—I hadn’t been expecting his tail to join the fun, nor had I realized he would be so damn massive. Still, his victory had also been my victory. That night was the most fun I’d had in...forever.

Waltzing through the crowd of resort guests, I cut my way across the dance floor and headed straight toward the bar. I was trying to grab the attention of one of the bartenders when I noticed someone familiar standing beside me.

“What a pleasure to see you here tonight,” Alzon, the resort owner, said. He flashed me his toothy smile, his golden tooth making an appearance. Nonchalantly, he leaned against the bar and snapped his fingers. Not a second later, three bartenders appeared in front of us.

“Hmm, another one,” I said, tapping my finger against my empty cocktail glass.

“How are you finding the experience?” Alzon asked, his gaze boring into mine. “It’s a damn shame the humans are unaware of how large and full of life the galaxy truly is. I’d love nothing more than to have more pretty humans like you in my resort.”

“I guess most humans would just freak out if they knew about the existence of all this,” I said, waving my hand at the assortment of aliens surrounding us. “It’d be absolute chaos. I think Earth is still a few decades away from sending spaceships filled with snapshotting tourists all over the galaxy.”

“What about you, Miss Ashby?” he asked, then hesitated slightly. “May I call you Elle?” He only continued talking after I nodded. “This is the first time our resort has been involved in the Earth-Jorkan matching process. I was quite curious about the whole thing, to be honest, and it has been an absolute delight to provide you with the best our little resort has to offer.”

“We’re very happy with it.” Once more, I waved one hand around me. “I mean, this place is amazing. I’ve never been anywhere as beautiful as this.”

“What about Yilap? Is he treating you right?”

“Oh, absolutely,” I said, then couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “I mean, he’s a bit over the top, but he has been extremely nice to us.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” He remained smiling, his golden tooth reflecting the bright lights of the dance floor. He could be charming, even more than one would expect, and there was a certain classic beauty underneath his flashy appearance. Sure, he had a golden tooth, and his demeanor reminded me of a Sopranos-style mafioso at times, but he wasn’t that bad to be around. “Let me offer you a drink, Elle,” he continued, and waved at the bartender.

“Oh, I’m fine,” I said. “In fact, I should return to my table. Kazan’s waiting for—”

“In that case, let me offer him a drink, as well.” Another snap of his fingers, another drink on the bar. “I really hope the process works for the two of you. You’re quite the woman, Elle. Kazan is a lucky man.” As he spoke, he kept his eyes on mine, except for a tiny fraction of a second when he glanced at my body. Something I didn’t quite recognize flashed in his eyes, and my first instinct was to think of it as hunger. It didn’t make me uncomfortable…

But it didn’t make me comfortable, either.

“Thank you for your kindness, Alzon.” I was about to turn around to leave when I noticed a tall shadow falling over me. I saw a hint of red from the corner of my eye, then Kazan was standing between Alzon and me.

Narrowing his eyes, he looked at the drinks on the bar, and back at Alzon. I noticed him clenching his jaw, and it was painfully obvious that he was upset. God, what was it with men and jealousy?

“Nice seeing you, Colonel,” Alzon said, calmly taking a sip of his drink. “Elle and I were just having a pleasant conversation. I hope you’re aware of how lucky you—”

“Oh, just fuck off,” Kazan growled, then grabbed me by the arm and dragged me away from the bar. “Are you alright, Elle? I came the moment I noticed that guy.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I said, raising my voice so that I could be heard over the heavy bass music. “You don’t get to walk up to me like a caveman and drag me away. I was just having a freaking conversation. I get it that you’re jealous, but that doesn’t mean you have the right to do shit like that.”

“What are you talking about?” He sounded confused, but it didn’t take long before anger replaced that confusion. “I’m not jealous. You really think that’s what this is about?”

“No?” Folding my arms over my chest, I started tapping my foot. “Then why make a scene? That guy is the freaking owner of this entire place, for God’s sake, and it wasn’t like he was hitting on me.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. “Listen, I just don’t trust him. I can’t really put my finger on it, but there’s something off about that guy. Right before he walked up to you, he was talking with a group of men that didn’t look like they were resort employees or guests, and—”

“Oh, c’mon.” Sighing, I raked one hand over my face. “Don’t try to justify your actions like this. You’re better than that.”

“I’m telling you, there’s something off about him.”

“Well, I think there might be something off about you,” I countered, growing more and more annoyed with the conversation. The entire day was turning out to be a disaster. After one of the best nights of my entire life, our competitive edge had put us at odds, and now this. “You’ve been acting like an insecure idiot all day, and now you’ve graduated to a possessive idiot. Let me remind you that there’s absolutely nothing between the two of us. Remember what we agreed on? This is supposed to be fun, nothing more than that.”

Now that I had worked myself up, I took one step forward and jabbed a finger into his chest. He merely arched one eyebrow up, trying to make it look as if he wasn’t impressed, but I could tell he was just as mad as I was.

“You don’t own me, Kazan.”

“Why would I want to own you, anyway?”

I didn’t know why, but his words were like a gut punch. Instead of giving him another tongue-lashing, I bit my lip and closed my eyes. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I did my best to calm myself. It didn’t work.

“I’m going back to the cabin,” I muttered. “You’re staying?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine.”

“Yeah, fine.”

Kazan

Jealous?

Fuck that.

I wasn’t the jealous type, and that was because I never got attached to anyone. Why would I? My life was the absolute best, and the last thing I needed was some crazy woman around me, even if she was as beautiful, smart, and confident as Elle was. Sure, I had never met someone quite like her, and the sex was mind-blowing, but…

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I muttered, my mind already going off the rails. I needed to get a grip. These past couple of days with Elle had been fun, but they were just that: fun. Still ruminating on the stupid argument we’d had, I made my way back to the bar. Sitting on a stool, I only caught myself ordering a Scotch when it was already too late.

As I looked down at the amber liquid, my mind raced back to Elle almost right away, and I was forced to drink it all in one single gulp. I needed something stronger, and something that preferably didn’t remind me of the sexy pissed-off lawyer I was sharing my bed with.

“Trouble in paradise, Colonel Kazan?” Appearing out of nowhere, Alzon sat beside me, his stupid golden tooth shining like a beacon. “Where’s Miss Ashby?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I muttered under my breath. “She was just tired and headed back to the cabin.”

“Ah, what a pity,” he said in a wistful tone I didn’t particularly care for. This guy had a thing for Elle, and that was definitely fucking with my head. I wouldn’t go as far as saying as I was jealous, but I sure as hell didn’t appreciate the way this asshole talked about her. “I was looking forward to asking her for a dance. With your permission, of course, Colonel.”

Was this guy serious?

For a moment, I wondered if it was a good or a bad idea to punch his stupid face.

“She’s not my slave,” I shot back. “She’s free to do as she pleases.”

Annoyed, I rose from my seat and walked away, needing to put as much distance as possible between Alzon and me. Had I remained there, I might have ended up doing something stupid, like dragging him all the way to the beach and kicking his ass into the ocean.

It was odd.

I had never felt like this before, and I wasn’t exactly sure about what to make of it. I wondered if things would get better once the thirty days were up. Elle and I would go our separate ways, and it’d only be a matter of time until my head cleared again. As I thought of that, a tightness took over my chest, and I felt the stab of anxiety as I imagined what it’d be like to never see her again.

That was going to suck.

Still, it was for the best.

There was no way we’d be able to stick together without blowing up our own personal lives. I wasn’t willing to step down from being a Colonel and leading my guys into battle, and I was pretty sure Elle would throw me into a vorgon-infested pit before giving up on her career as a lawyer. In the end, I had to accept that our separation was inevitable. The sooner I resigned myself to that, the better.

Walking across the club, I made my way to the bar opposite Alzon and ordered three shots. The bartender spread the glasses out in front of me, probably expecting buddies of mine to show up, then arched his eyebrow as I downed one shot after the other.

“Fill ’em up,” I said, rapping my knuckles against the bar as I leaned against it. As the bartender poured me some more poison, I turned around and scanned the dance floor, my eyes immediately drawn to the group of Aurvelian chicks dancing near the sound machine. Long-legged and with glowing pink skin, Aurvelian women had quite the reputation, and it was a reputation well earned.

They were tall and slender, and their sharp facial features were topped not by hair, but by two long extensions of flesh resembling tails, which fell down from the back of their heads to their butts. Also, they were absolutely sex-crazed. Rumor had it they could pop out a kid every three weeks or so, and their bodies were always in some type of crazy hormone fever.

When one of them noticed me looking, she allowed a smile onto her purple lips, her red eyes immediately locking on mine. She whispered something to her friends, adjusted the ridiculously small top covering her large breasts, and sauntered toward me.

“You gonna buy me a drink?” she asked me, her voice song-like. The extensions on her head undulated slightly as she spoke, letting me know that she was interested.

Shrugging, I pointed at the counter with my thumb. There, six more shot glasses had been lined up by the bartender, who I was pretty sure believed me to be some kind of raging alcoholic.

Smiling, the Aurvelian stood beside me, her arm brushing against mine as she knocked back one of the shots. Her glowing skin was warm, and it produced a sharp tingling sensation on my own. No wonder most of these chicks ended up as strippers—they were known for producing high-grade pheromones every waking hour of the day, which turned their bodies into a highly-addictive drug. In a big metropolis, an Aurvelian stripper could make as much in a day as I would make in a year.

“Are you alone?” she asked, an enticing smile on her lips. As she spoke, she ran her finger across the rim of her empty glass. “I’m surprised to see a Jorkan like you without any company.”

“A Jorkan like me?” I repeated, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Yeah, a Jorkan like you.” As if to prove her point, she allowed her eyes to roam down my body, and I was pretty sure she was picturing me without any clothes. Unabashed—that was the one word I could use to describe her.

“I’m just having a drink,” I said.

I tried to keep my tone even and controlled, but it was getting harder and harder to do. I could feel her pheromones making their way through to my brain, firing up my neurons in a very specific order, much like one would play a specific melody on a piano. Besides, it didn’t help that she was pushing her arms together, ensuring that her large breasts strained against the fabric of her top.

“Well, I’m not one to speak either.” She giggled softly, and dragged her pearly white teeth over her lips. “One of my friends dragged us here to celebrate her Emancipation Day, but we’ve haven’t found anyone interesting enough to keep us company. Not yet, at least.”

“I see,” I muttered, trying not to choke on my drink.

Emancipation Day was always the start of a week of debauchery for Aurvelian women. They became of age, and their traditions allowed them to start having sexual relationships. In typical Aurvelian fashion, that meant they were supposed to have as much sex as possible during the following week, and to experience as many different things as they could.

“There are three of us,” she continued, pointing at her two friends on the dance floor. “The Emancipated is the one with the white dress. She’s been having some fun, but we haven’t quite found someone that could...broaden her horizons. Maybe a Jorkan would do the trick.” She paused, then bit the corner of her lip. “I sure wouldn’t mind having my horizons broadened either.”

“Is that so?” I asked her, but more out of habit than anything. Just one week ago, I’d have been all over the opportunity to have a foursome with a group of hot Aurvelians, but now I didn’t feel a damn thing.

Zero.

There was something definitely wrong with me.

“You bet,” the Aurvelian woman purred and she placed one hand on my chest. Without looking away from me, she started moving her fingers downward, and that’s when my brain finally kicked in. My hand shot up to hers and I grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her from going further down.

“Sorry, but I’m not interested,” I said, the words slipping from between my lips before I even knew what the hell I was saying. I couldn’t believe I had just turned down such an invitation but, somehow it felt like the right thing to do.

After being with Elle, there was no way I could be with these girls.

Even if Elle was angry at me, nothing could compare to her.

“Are you sure?” the Aurvelian asked, her seductive tone now revealing a hint of frustration. She pulled her hand back and tightened her lips, her face turning into a mask of surprise and confusion. “We have drinks back in our cabin, and I’m almost positive you’d have the time of your—”

“Not interested,” I repeated. “Beat it.” She muttered something offensive as she stalked off, but I didn’t care. They left, whispering to each other in frustration as I finished my drink. I had realized who I really wanted to be with, and it sure as hell wasn’t a random chick I had just met in a club.

Elle was the one I needed to be with.

I turned on the stool, about to stand, when I noticed two of the females slipping out the front door. I watched idly, deciding to wait a few moments so they couldn’t accidently corner me outside, when Alzon detached himself from the crowd and exited after them. I narrowed my eyes. Could mean nothing—probably was nothing. But the Aurvelian female’s irritation when I’d rejected her had seemed a bit more than a female affronted by the rejection of a stranger she wanted for a casual hookup.

I rose and made my way across the floor, exiting the club and keeping an ear out for familiar voices. I picked a direction at random, keeping to the shadows as best I could, starting to think I was overreacting, when I heard something and froze.

“. . .did my best,” I heard a woman insist. “If I’d come on any stronger, he would have been angry or at least suspicious.”

“If you can’t do the jobs I hire you to do, then I don’t need you,” Alzon said.

I froze. The resort owner’s displeased voice was clear as day, and not happy, borderline cruel.

The woman’s breath hitched. “I can try again. Maybe this time—”

“Don’t bother,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye on the Colonel, and make sure myself that he enjoys all the amenities we have to offer. I don’t want him to have a moment of free time.”

Their voices faded to the sound of footsteps walking off. I scowled, not liking what I’d heard. On the surface, it didn’t appear any sleazier than a boss scolding his employees for not making a guest happy. On the surface. But between this and Yilap’s constant hovering, I was starting to get the twitches. But there was nothing I could do about it but keep an eye peeled. Right now, I had other things to worry about.

Reversing course, I made my way toward our cabin.

Elle

I couldn’t sleep.

I didn’t know if it was anger or frustration, but I couldn’t stop replaying the stupid argument we’d had back at the club. Lying in bed, I tossed and turned until I finally gave up and just lay there, staring at the ceiling as I listened to the gentle waves outside the cabin.

Had I been too harsh with Kazan?

I was pretty sure that jealousy had played a part in what happened, but what if he was truly worried about me? Even though Alzon had a polite demeanor, there was no denying the way he had looked at me. More than just that, I had to agree there was something off about him, much like Kazan had said. In a way, it felt as if he was wearing a mask that concealed who he truly was.

Either way, it didn’t matter now.

Kazan had done the wrong thing by dragging me out of there the way he had, but I sure as hell didn’t help things by losing my shit. Now, what should have been a perfect day was ending as a disaster. I was alone in bed, and he was in that stupid club, probably flirting with someone else. Hell, he probably was already doing more than just flirting. A man like Kazan? He had options.

Somehow, it hurt to think of that.

I intended to play by the rules—fun, not feelings—but I could already feel something cracking inside of me. Was I starting to like him? Why was I feeling jealous just by imagining him with someone else? That was high and mighty of me. After bitching about how he shouldn’t feel jealous, here I was, feeling exactly that as my mind ran wild.

Suddenly, I heard the wooden door creak, and the moonlight cast Kazan’s tall shadow across the room. He tiptoed his way to the bed, probably thinking that I was asleep, and silently kicked off his boots. I felt the mattress shift under his weight as he sat on his side of the bed, and that’s when I turned to him.

I was about to tell him I was sorry when he took the lead.

“I’m sorry, Elle,” he whispered. “You’re right. I acted like an idiot and, in a way, maybe I was jealous. Still, I want you to know that my concerns were real. I don’t trust that Alzon guy, although that’s not an excuse for the way I acted with you.”

“I know,” I whispered back, slowly sitting up. “I’ve been thinking about it, and...you’re right. There’s something off about him. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something about him that makes me feel queasy.” I sucked in a deep breath, then said the one sentence I hadn’t used in years. “I’m sorry, too. I shouldn’t have acted like such a—”

“It’s fine, really.” He turned to face me and smiled. “I don’t want to waste any more time on this bullshit. I just needed you to know that I’m sorry, and that I want to enjoy whatever time we have left.”

“Me, too,” I said, reaching for him and cupping his face with one hand. Slowly, I closed the distance between us, my lips parting. I closed my eyes then, and our lips touched, desire welling up inside me.

I started unbuttoning his shirt as we kissed, taking my time. He pulled the sheet back to reveal my half-naked body, and one of his hands unclasped my bra. My heart started beating faster as the cups drooped over my breasts, my nipples hardening, and that’s when I felt my rational mind shut down.

Then and there, I was all instinct.

Throwing his shirt to the side, I pushed him down until he was lying on the mattress, then climbed on top of him. Immediately, he craned his neck and put his mouth to my breasts, his tongue lingering on one nipple before dutifully moving to the other. That was all it took for me to become a wet mess, the drenched fabric of my thong sticking to my skin in an uncomfortable way.

Allowing desire to dictate my movements, I brought my hands down to his waist and removed his belt. Then, tugging his pants down, I looked at the massive shape straining against his boxer briefs, my heart tightening with excitement. Next to his head, his tail rose to swat the pillow over and over again, signaling how much he wanted this.

“I love how hard you get,” I whispered, tracing the contour of his length as softly as possible with my index finger. His flesh throbbed against my finger, so forcefully that I almost thought his cock was going to rip his underwear in half, and that’s when I flattened my hand against it.

“Fuck,” he growled, his eyes half-closing.

His tail shot from the pillow toward me, closing the distance like a fast-moving dart, and its tip coiled around my left nipple, pinching gently. Still pressing down on his cock, I used my free hand to caress his tail, his flesh warming under my touch. The lines on his face deepened with pleasure, and only then did I realize just how sensitive his tail was. I made a mental note so I could have some fun with it later on, and focused on the hard member between his legs.

Unconsciously running my tongue over my lips, anticipation surging through me, I finally hooked my fingers in his boxer briefs and pulled them down. His red-skinned cock sprang free, its sheer length and thickness never failing to impress, and I suddenly found myself out of breath.

Even if this wasn’t our first time together, I still felt the same wave of implacable excitement. Raw lust took over me, a cocktail of hormones brewing inside my body, and I had to make a conscious effort not to lose my mind. Focusing, I ran one finger up the length of his cock, massaging it, then brought it back down.

I cupped his balls for a moment, then gripped his cock by the root. Still looking into his eyes, I started lowering myself down his body as anticipation filled his face. Slowly, I looked away from him and gave his cock all my attention, opening my mouth as I approached it. I reached for it with the tip of my tongue, and only then did I close my eyes, the taste of his manliness flooding me.

Taking my time, I moved my tongue in slow circles around the tip of his cock, then wrapped my lips around him. Gently, I went even further, rolling my lips down his entire length. I kept on going until I felt him against the back of my throat, with the skin at the base of his cock pressed against my lips, and that’s when I started bobbing my head.

My mouth ran up and down his cock at an ever-increasing speed, and I just kept pushing myself. Even though the muscles in my neck started complaining from the effort, I merely used that as fuel, going to the absolute limits as his cock slid along my tongue. He tasted like heaven, his powerful member filling up my mouth in the most sensual of ways, and I was more than ready to devour him until he finally exploded.

I had never thought of going down on a man as something I did for myself, but I was willing to bet I was enjoying it as much as Kazan. Against everything that I knew and had experienced, I was having the time of my life, delighting in every second of the sweet punishment I was handing out.

“Fuck, Elle, you’re driving me crazy,” he growled after a couple more minutes, his voice strained. His cock throbbed almost viciously against my tongue, and I knew it was only a matter of time until he zoomed past his breaking point. That was exactly what I wanted, but he seemed to have other plans.

Gently putting one hand on my forehead, he pushed me back until his cock popped out of my mouth. I looked up at him and found him grinning, a look of lustful madness on his face. Moving fast, he took hold of my right wrist and pulled me up. I found myself straddling him once more, his hard length now pressed against the drenched fabric of my underwear.

“I’ve never wanted anything as bad as I want you right now,” he said, his fingers already hooked on my thong’s elastic band. He tore it off me with brutish intensity, and that was enough for a short moan to escape my mouth. Now fully naked, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

Taking hold of his cock once more, I used my knees to push myself up a couple of inches, and placed his tip right against my entrance. I lowered myself down only until his cock was caressing my inner lips, then locked my eyes on his. The tip of his tail whipped around his head in a frenzy and, once I laid my eyes on it, it immediately shot up to my chest.

I bit on my lower lip as the tip of his tail caressed my nipples again, moving from one to the other while it brushed against the rising curve of my breasts, then I sighed as it started moving up my neck. It touched my lips sensually and, before I knew it, I was opening my mouth to let it in.

Closing my eyes, I sucked the tip of his tail into my mouth, allowing it to dance around my tongue. Kazan groaned with pleasure then, and I smiled inwardly as I realized just how much he was enjoying this. And the best was yet to come.

Still with his tail in my mouth, I started lowering myself, my heart pumping boiling blood into my veins as I felt his thickness pushing my inner walls back. I went as slowly as I could, allowing one inch of him at time inside me, but then I simply couldn’t resist it anymore. I sunk into his body with one quick motion and, if it weren’t for the fact that I had my mouth full, I would have screamed so loudly that all glass in a five-mile radius would have shattered.

Succumbing to the frenzied intensity of the moment, I started swaying my hips as fast as I could, riding him at a maddened pace. His hands shot to my ass, his fingers digging into my flesh as he cupped my cheeks, and that only made me go even harder than before.

I gave him all that I had to give, beads of sweat already rolling down my spine, and it didn’t take long before his cock started throbbing against my inner walls. Suddenly, his tail slid out from my mouth, and its tip wandered down to between my breasts; then, it just kept on going further, until it found its resting place on my clit.

“Oh, fuck,” I moaned, throwing my head back as my brain struggled to process all the different sensations coursing through my body. I closed my eyes, fireworks going off behind my eyelids, and I felt both my body and soul being sucked down into the abyss.

Together, we surrendered to it all.

Thunder and lightning shot up my spine as I came, and an electric vibrancy took over my wetness as his cock started spasming inside me, his seed filling me up. I kept on swaying my hips as it happened, my body too feverish to stop, and my moaning quickly turned into full-blown screaming.

For a moment, I even forgot my own name.

“How in the world does this keep on getting better?” I whispered between hard breaths, my mind still reeling from the best orgasm I had ever had. Tightening my lips, I rolled to the side and sprawled myself beside him, my chest rising and falling so fast you’d believe I had just finished a marathon.

“No idea,” he said, “but it does keep on getting better.”

“Yeah, it does.”

And not only the sex, I thought to myself, relishing how connected to him I felt.

That, though, I left unsaid.

Kazan

Two weeks.

It’s amazing how fast time flies when you’re having fun.

In many ways, the last two weeks had been great. We found ourselves laughing a lot, and genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Many of the activities the resort provided were pretty hokey, and the super-friendly atmosphere all felt a little forced, but we were finding ways to make the most of it. Really enjoying it, even.

And, when you added mind-blowing, earth-shattering sex on top of that, it was a pretty lethal combination. Which was probably part of the problem. As good as I was feeling, there was still some dark little monster living in the bottom of my gut.

Was it fear? Maybe. In spite of the ground rules Elle and I had laid out when we decided to make the most of this time, I couldn’t keep myself from thinking about the future.

Even with all the bullshit they kept us busy with, or maybe even because of it, I was feeling more connected to Elle than ever. Which was very dangerous. We were nearly halfway through the thirty-day trial period, and all I could think was that I would be happy to start the clock over. I wasn’t ready for it to end. And so there I was, lying awake in bed while Elle slept next to me.

“Put it on my desk,” she mumbled in her sleep.

“Yes, ma’am,” I whispered.

“Good.” She made a short series of noises, then settled back down. I grinned in the darkness of the room, but the smile faded.

That was the problem. There we were, curled up naked together after tearing into each other at the end of a romp of a day, and she was dreaming about work. The thought of it settled heavily into my chest.

This woman was completely devoted to her career. It may even have been the thing that defined her, the same way being a soldier was central to how I thought of myself. We both had our heels firmly dug into our own corners.

I wondered if she would be able to let go of her life as a lawyer if it meant being with me. Before I could even ask myself the same question—whether I would be able to give up being a soldier for her—I had to admit that it was impossible. The whole point of the Earth-Jorkan Protocols was to keep my species firmly in place.

No, if there was a future for us, she was going to have to come to me. It would be a lot to ask of her, and I felt foolish letting myself think that she even wanted to be with me. These were some pretty big presumptions I was letting myself make in the small hours.

Still, I felt sure that she must be battling the same things I was. The way she looked at me, and the way we clicked so well together couldn’t all be one sided. Could it?

We may have made what amounted to a blood-pact to keep feelings out of all this, but I had to admit to myself that I was doing a pretty terrible job of it. It had never been a problem for me to keep sex and feelings separate, but this was different. I was in very great danger of feeling like we were pretty perfectly matched.

With that unsettling thought, I drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When I awoke, the sun was just beginning to peek through the windows. My first instinct was to wake Elle up and see if she was up for a morning workout…a naked workout. But when I saw how peaceful she looked, and that little trickle of drool pooling on her pillow, I figured it was best to let her sleep.

There would be plenty of time for sex later. Let her be a lawyer for a little while longer.

“What about the Clarke file?” she murmured as I slipped out of bed. Yeah, she was still at it, alright. Half of me thought it was adorable, and the other half was unsettled. That part of her life was entrenched.

I dressed and set out to the beach to see if I could still catch a bit of the sunrise. The air was crisp out, and I was ready to get a bit of sand between my toes. After two weeks of resort living, I found myself wondering if the bar was open.

As I got closer to the water, I could hear voices over the sound of the surf. These weren’t the sounds of people chatting, or even an early morning yoga session. I was familiar enough with giving orders to know what they sounded like, even before I could make out the words.

“Stop fucking around and get it unloaded. We don’t have time for that kind of crap.”

I recognized that voice. It took me a second, but I was able to place it as Alzon before I rounded the corner and saw him. He was standing on the loading end of an air truck which was parked haphazardly by the water.

A boat was bobbing just offshore, laden with substantial wooden packing crates. Several resort employees were heaving those boxes onto the beach, then loading them into the truck. All those cheesy smiles were gone now—these guys were working. Standing guard mere feet away from them were two gray-skinned Jorkan carrying handguns.

“We’ve got exactly three minutes before we need to get all the sand cleaned up, you assholes, so move it!”

Something about all of this felt wildly illegal. I’d seen enough smuggling in my time to smell it in the air. It hit me that whatever nasty feelings I had carried about Alzon were right on the money.

Hunkering down seemed like the best option, so I crouched behind a cluster of sun chairs to watch. Just then, two of the flunkies lost their grip on a crate, and it thudded down into the sand, splitting open in the process. A whole clutch of high-powered assault weapons clattered onto the beach, and my stomach dropped right along with them.

“You stupid fucking bastards!” Alzon jumped down from his perch and looked for all the world like he was about to start raining hell down on the two goons stupid enough to drop the cargo. Two others came rushing over from the boat.

“Keep loading those guns onto the truck,” he yelled at them. “We’ll handle this.”

As I watched them stuff the weapons back into the broken box, I kept thinking one thing: This is bad. This is really, really bad. My military training was kicking into high gear and screaming at me to run down there while they were distracted. They would be too busy fumbling over the guns to see me coming, and I could start breaking heads before they knew what hit them.

Calm down, I told myself, gripping the pile of chairs I was hiding behind. Don’t be a hero. There were maybe six or seven people down there. Even with three occupied, that would still leave four on their feet and at the ready. I was a big guy, but those odds still stank.

There had to be something I could do, but the guy in charge of the resort was the one in charge of whatever nefarious shit was going on down there. Who was I even supposed to talk to about this? One thing was certain, those weapons weren’t sanctioned for civilian use. They were heavy duty, military-grade firearms.

It was time to get the hell out of here, slip back into bed before anybody saw me, and spend the entire day drinking and getting laid. Let this be somebody else’s problem. As attractive as the little devil on my shoulder sounded, I knew that was bum advice. Well, the latter part of it, anyway.

It was going to take some real doing to figure out who I could turn to about this. My first thought was to get back to Elle. She had a head for this kind of thing. She would be able to size up the situation and know exactly what course of action to take.

The crates were all on the truck now, so Alzon gave it a couple of hard cracks with his fist, and it glided off out of sight.

“Alright, guys. Start raking over this sand. I want it to look like the tide just went out.”

If I was going to get out of here, now was the time. Pretty soon, they’d all be making their way back up the hill, and I needed to be gone when they did. Backing up in my low crouch, I was starting to turn around when something cracked me in the back of the skull and turned out the lights.

Elle

“G’morning,” I whispered, lazily rolling to the side and draping one arm over Kazan’s chest. Except Kazan wasn’t there. Running one hand through my hair, I stifled a yawn and sat up on the bed. My eyes immediately darted to the bathroom, but the lights were off.

Getting up, I put my slippers on and wandered through the empty cabin, looking for any sign of Kazan. The rosy morning sun slipped past the curtains, pushing back the shadows and announcing the start of a new day, and so I made my way to the kitchen and turned on the kettle. Nothing beat a good cup of coffee to kickstart my brain.

“Kazan?” I called out, but silence was the only reply. Maybe he had decided to hit up the resort’s gym, or go for an early run on the beach. Still, it was odd. Whenever he did that, he always let me know before slipping out of bed and leaving. Wrapped in little more than a bedsheet, I dragged my still half-asleep body to the cabin’s entrance and opened the door.

A small layer of morning fog floated on top of the ocean, but the warm sun was already tearing it apart. The waves lapped gently on the sand, as they always did, and a sense of stillness permeated the entire world. Most of the guests occupying the other cabins were still asleep, and there was absolutely no one on the beach.

It would’ve been a peaceful scenario for me to contemplate, except I was starting to get worried about Kazan. Where could he possibly be? It wasn’t like him to leave the cabin without letting me know where he was going.

Trying not to act like a paranoid housewife, I wandered back into the cabin and decided to finish brewing my coffee. I was still putting in the sugar when I heard the wood boards on the porch creaking under someone’s weight. Smiling, I didn’t even need to look up as I heard the door open.

“Where were you?” I asked, reaching for another cup so that I could offer him some morning coffee. “I didn’t notice you leaving the bed, and I was starting to get—who the fuck are you?”

Standing behind me were two Jorkan males, their scales gray and worn down. One of them was missing a horn, and they both wore a black shirt and pants, with heavy boots on their feet. They didn’t look friendly. At all.

“You’re gonna have to accompany us,” the one missing a horn said, taking a step toward me. Instinctively, I backed away from him and ended up bumping against the kitchen counter. “Come on, let’s not waste any time here.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Miss, I’ve told you that you must come with us and—”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I shot back, feeling more than a little uneasy.

“Yeah, you are,” he continued, then lifted up the hem of his shirt to reveal a weapon tucked in his waistband. Stunned, I reacted too slowly when he came for me and grabbed me by the wrist. He started dragging me across the kitchen, and only then did I come to my senses.

Reacting without thinking, I reached out for the kettle and grabbed the handle. Twisting my torso, I threw the kettle at the two Jorkan trespassers, and boiling water flew everywhere. They started screaming and, the moment I felt the pressure of his fingers on my wrist relax, I pulled my hand free.

“Help,” I yelled, sprinting out the door and onto the sand. I heard their heavy boots on the wooden floor as the men started giving chase. I ran harder toward the ocean and, once I felt the wet sand underneath my feet, turned to follow the shoreline. It was all useless—far taller than I was, the Jorkan closed in on me fast.

One of them tackled me to the ground, and I immediately rewarded him by kicking sand into his face. Crawling away from the bastard, I only stopped when the one-horned Jorkan appeared in front of me, hands folded over his chest. Grinning, he stepped on my hand, pinning it down with his boot.

“Let’s stop with the games, shall we?” he growled, and bent over to pick me up. He held me down while the other placed zip ties around my wrists, then tossed me over his shoulder as if I were a sack of potatoes. With only a bed sheet to cover my nakedness, I was pretty sure I even looked like one. Reaching for the radio-like device hanging from his belt, the one-horned Jorkan pressed a button on it. “We’ve secured the human.”

“Understood,” an eerily familiar voice said through the crackle of static. “The truck is on its way.”

Just a couple of moments later and I heard the growl of a heavy-duty engine as a truck appeared on the horizon. It made its way straight toward us, then my two Jorkan captors walked around it. They opened the cargo door on the back and unceremoniously shoved me inside.

“Let me out, you goddamn bastards,” I shouted, banging my fists against the closed door so hard that pain shot up my arms. I only made it worse when I accidently bit my tongue. “Damn it.”

“Elle?” I heard someone say at the back of the cargo space, the dim light filtering in from the outside only allowing me to see a faint silhouette. That voice, though, I’d recognize anywhere.

“Kazan? What are you doing here?” I asked, breathing out with relief as he made his way toward me. He also had zip ties on his wrists, and there was a bruise on his left cheek. “What's going on?”

“It’s Alzon,” he replied, his voice coming out as an angry growl. “That fucking bastard is involved in something shady. I stumbled upon him and some of his men on the beach this morning. They were unloading all these crates from a ship.” Turning, he waved at the crates surrounding us, stacked up to the ceiling.

“What’s in them?”

“Weapons,” he said. “Alzon is smuggling weapons.”

“No way,” I muttered, not sure of what to make of it. Could the polite resort owner really be an arms trafficker? What in the world had I just got myself caught in? “Are you sure it’s him? Did you really see him there?”

“Yeah, no shadow of a doubt.” As the truck started rolling down the beach, Kazan leaned against the wall of crates and sunk down, sitting cross-legged on the floor. As my body started swaying back and forth from the truck’s motion, I did the same. “I knew there was something wrong about that asshole.”

“What do we do now?”

“Not much we can do,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “We just have to be patient, wait to see what happens, then make an escape once we have an opening. If these guys are arms traffickers, it’s not going to be easy. They’re used to this kind of shit.”

“Oh, God,” I whispered, closing my eyes as I felt a sharp stab of fear. I took a couple of deep breaths to steady myself, and we both remained silent as the truck headed to its destination. After five minutes it stopped, and the cargo doors were flung open.

Squinting, I watched as the two Jorkan from before climbed inside and dragged us both out. They threw us out of the truck’s rear onto a polished marble floor.

“What the…?”

I was expecting to see some creepy dark building, but that’s not what I found once I looked up. Instead, I saw an opulent three-story mansion with too many balconies to count, most of the walls made of floor-to-ceiling glass panels. It had a futuristic look while, at the same time, keeping a certain classic vibe about it. All around it was a massive garden, tall hedges keeping the world outside.

Pushing myself to my feet, I heard the click of shoes against the marble floor, and turned, to see Alzon walking around the truck.

“Welcome to my home,” he said, showing us a glimpse of his golden tooth. “Glad to have you here.”

Kazan

Pacing the length of my cell, it was almost impossible not to let anger consume me. I could feel it simmering under my skin, and my hands seemed to have turned into two permanent fists. I was more than ready to punch my way out of this place.

With each step I took, I wondered about Elle’s whereabouts, and that just ended up making me feel even angrier and more anxious. Alzon had ordered his goons to separate us after we had been tossed out of the truck, and I had been dragged here, to a moldy hole-in-the-wall prison. The place seemed to have been a wine cellar ages ago, but the wine shelves were now completely bare, and the bars and gate were keeping me in, instead of thieves out.

“Colonel Kazan,” I heard Alzon say, his voice drifting into the cell from the corridor outside the heavy gate. His soft footsteps echoed throughout the room for a moment, and it took a couple of seconds before his stupid blue face and his ridiculous golden tooth made an appearance. Standing outside the gate, the heavy metal bars between us, he clasped his hands in front of him and smiled. He said nothing for a moment, just staring at me like a fucking creep.

“You know I’m going to kick your ass once I’m out of here, don’t you?” I growled, walking toward the gate. I went as far as I could, my anger going from a simmer to a full-out boil once I was no more than a couple of inches away from him. “I’m going to beat you into a pulp.”

“I doubt that’s going to happen,” he said, his voice as smooth as ever. “It’s a shame, this situation we find ourselves in. I’m sure that you agree, don’t you, Colonel?”

“What is a shame is the fact that you’re a fucking criminal,” I growled. “Who are you selling those weapons to?”

“Might I remind you that you don’t have the upper hand in this conversation?” Shaking his head as if he were disappointed in me, he pursed his lips. “If you were any other Jorkan, you would have been shot already, your body dumped in the middle of the ocean. Luckily for you, it’s bad business to kill a Colonel in the Jorkan military.”

“You’re not as stupid as you look, it seems.”

“Always with the witticisms,” he continued, once more shaking his head. Condescending asshole. “You’re just lucky your death would bring me a lot of unwanted attention right now. Don’t worry, though. As soon as I’ve done what I need to, I’ll make sure your disappearance from the realm of the living will be a swift one. I’ll make it painless, Colonel, and that’s a promise.”

“Once I get my hands on you, the only thing I can promise you is that I definitely won’t make it painless.” Grabbing the bars, I leaned forward, locking my eyes on his. It only lasted a second, but I saw a sliver of fear dance in his eyes. “What are you trying to do here, Alzon? What are you planning to do with those guns?”

“So much curiosity.” Laughing, he stepped away from the gate. “Do you really think I’m going to tell you, Kazan? Do you think I’m that stupid? If I were you, I’d just stop with all the questions. They’ll take you nowhere.”

“What have you done with Elle?” I continued, ignoring his smugness. “That question you better answer right now, motherfucker.”

“Oh, what’s that? Have you started caring for her?” He smacked his lips together, and smiled. “Seems like all the effort my resort put into this matchmaking process yielded some results, hunh? It makes me proud. I never thought a brain-dead soldier like you would realize just how lucky he got.”

“What have you done with her?”

“See, human females are quite exquisite.” Was he ignoring me on purpose? Soon enough I’d be pissed enough to rip the gate off its hinges and shove my fist down the bastard’s throat. “Their leaders are shortsighted, or maybe just greedy. I think the citizens of Earth should know there’s a vast galaxy to be explored, don’t you think? Wouldn’t it be amazing to have this resort teeming with lovely women from that blue planet? I mean, the first time I laid my eyes on Elle...woosh! What a woman.”

“You’re a fucking creep, Alzon.”

“No, I’m a connoisseur of beauty,” he protested with a gleeful tone. Fuck me, he truly believed all the bullshit he was spouting. “And, my red friend, let me tell you this...Elle is the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen. You can’t imagine my disappointment when I realized she had been matched up with someone like you.”

“Where is—”

“She’s in a luxurious room upstairs,” he finally replied, an evil glint in his eyes. “You didn’t think I’d throw her in a dirty cell like this, did you? Oh, no, someone like Elle requires careful handling, and I made sure that she was as comfortable as she could be. You don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to her.”

I didn’t like his tone.

Not one bit.

“You lay a finger on her and I—”

“You’ll what?” he spat, his relaxed expression suddenly turning into an angry scowl. Darkness took over his face, and his skin seemed to become a deeper blue. “You’ll do absolutely nothing, you fool. Elle needs someone that truly knows how to appreciate her exquisiteness, and you’re no such man. I, on the other hand...well, Colonel, let’s just say Elle will be well taken care of. While the fish nibble on your carcass, Elle is going to be very comfortable in this mansion.”

“You demented fuck,” I growled. “Do you actually think she’ll want that?”

“What she wants is immaterial,” he replied, so fast that I immediately knew he had been planning this for a long time. I wondered if he had already been thinking of kidnapping Elle even before I stumbled upon his little smuggling operation. “She’ll come to learn that it’s best to obey me. And if she doesn’t...well, I’m a persuasive man, Kazan. A very persuasive man.”

Before I could say anything to that, Alzon turned on his heels and walked back out, leaving me alone with my own thoughts….and, right then, all those thoughts involved some kind of scenario in which I choked the life out of him. No fucking way was I going to let that asshole lay a finger on Elle.

No fucking way.

Elle

“Goddamnit,” I hissed through gritted teeth.

I tried the door leading onto the balcony of the room I was in, but it was locked, just like every door around me. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I scraped one hand over my face, sighing heavily as I realized I had no idea what I should do. The only good thing about this entire situation was the fact that Alzon’s goons had gone back to the cabin and grabbed some clothes for me.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that I remained helpless.

Put me in a courtroom and I’d mop up the floor with the opposing counsel. Now, kidnapping bullshit like this? I didn’t have the slightest clue on how to handle it. To make matters worse, I was separated from Kazan, the one person that would have been able to calm me down and figure out what my next steps should be.

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to the bedroom’s door as the handle turned. A moment later, Alzon strode inside, his previous dark attire replaced by a white linen shirt and crisp deep blue pants. That conniving smile of his remained on his face, and I wondered if the man was even capable of a frown. Then and there, I decided that sooner or later I’d wipe the smugness off his face.

“I hope your accommodations are suitable, Elle,” he said, closing the door behind him. He spoke as if I wasn’t his prisoner but his guest. That was unsettling, and it only made me even more nervous. “All I want is for you to be comfortable.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” I said. “You send your goons to kidnap me, throw me into the back of a truck, and now you’re telling me that you want me to be comfortable? Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“I must apologize for my men, obviously,” he continued, his smile never wavering. “My operations often involve these unsavory types, and they aren’t used to dealing with people such as you, Elle.” There was a knock at the door, and he wheeled around to open it. A second later, one of his goons entered the room, pushing a food cart. He didn’t linger, disappearing once Alzon nodded.

“I want to know where Kazan is,” I said, ignoring Alzon as he grabbed a bottle of cold wine from the cart. He popped the cork, his smile widening, and poured some of the wine into two flute glasses. “Stop messing with that. I don’t want a goddamn drink. Are you even listening to me?”

“I can assure you, the Colonel is comfortable,” he finally replied, holding one of the glasses in front of me.

Reluctantly, I accepted it, eager to keep him talking. What I really wanted to do, though, was slap the damn glass out of his hand and stab him in the eye with a piece of it. Not something I could risk with his goons around.

“I’ve already told my servants to offer him a meal, so he won’t go hungry. Now, though, let’s leave these insignificant things aside, shall we? There are so many other interesting things for us to discuss.”

“Such as?” Putting the glass back down on the cart, I crossed my arms and stared at Alzon. I wanted him to know I wasn’t impressed with his bullshit. His lips twitched slightly, and for a moment I thought that his smile was going to crumble. It didn’t. “Well?”

He took a sip of his wine and cleared his throat.

“You’re a beautiful woman, Elle, and you’re smart, too,” he started. “I’m immensely wealthy, and I’ll become even more so in the future. I can afford to give you the kind of life you would have never been able to experience on Earth. Or with Kazan, for that matter. With me, the sky's the limit.”

“What are you trying to say?” I asked, not liking the course this conversation was taking. Was this asshole saying what I thought he was? He had to be out of his freaking mind.

“Just think of it.” Setting his glass down, he pushed the food cart to the side and walked toward me. I stood my ground. “I can take you anywhere in the galaxy. You’ll be able to live a life of luxury, servants to attend your every need. I would make sure you were well taken care of, and I—”

I couldn’t listen to another word.

My hand flew to his face and slapped him so damn hard that my arm seemed to vibrate. He hadn’t been expecting it. His eyes widened, and his annoying smile finally vanished from his face. Slowly, he brushed his fingertips over his cheek, almost as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

“If you think I’m going to bend over just because you have money, you must be a special kind of idiot,” I growled. “Now let me out of this damn room. I don’t wanna have anything to do with you. Just take me to Kazan and we’ll be on our way.”

“You stupid fucking bitch,” he growled, and closed the distance between us faster than I could react. His hand shot up to my neck, and all the air was pushed out of my lungs as he slammed me back against the wall. Wrapping his fingers around my throat, he lifted me up a few inches off the floor, my feet dangling awkwardly as I tried to breathe in. “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

“Then why don’t you tell me?” I managed to croak.

“Once I’m done, I’ll be the most powerful man on this planet, you understand?” He was growling like a wild animal now, the anger on his face something I wasn’t prepared for. What had happened to the smooth talker from before? “You better learn how to play nice, or—”

“Or what?”

“Or I’m gonna have to teach you,” he spat back, then turned on his heels and threw me on top of the bed. I bounced on the mattress and used my elbows to prop myself up. Alzon rushed after me, his eyes narrowed with anger, and I immediately let my right foot fly in a straight line toward his crotch.

It landed.

“Fuck,” Alzon whined, doubling over as he placed both hands over his crotch. He sunk down to the floor, curling up into a ball of pain, and I immediately slid off the bed and ran toward the door. I tried turning the handle over, but it was useless. The door was locked.

“You’re gonna pay for that,” I heard Alzon say, and he was already standing when I turned around. Still hunched with pain, he started toward me, kicking the food cart out of the way and overturning it. I raised my fists, ready to knock that golden tooth right out of his mouth. “Is this really how you wanna play it?”

“Yeah, it really is,” I replied, already cocking one arm back.

“No, it isn’t,” he snapped. “Either you fall in line right this moment, or Kazan will suffer the consequences.”

That did it.

His words hit me with the strength of a freight train, and I lowered my arms. I dug my fingernails into the palms of my hands, my whole body trembling with rage, but there was nothing I could do.

If I hurt Alzon, he would hurt Kazan.

So what? Do you care about him? My inner voice asked, and the reply for that question popped in my mind almost immediately, of course I cared about him. In fact, what I felt toward Kazan went beyond caring.

“Now that’s more like it,” Alzon continued, that creepy smile dawning on his face again. Clearing his throat, he patted down the front of his linen shirt, and straightened his back. Carefully, almost as if he was petting a wild tiger, he reached for me with one hand, brushing his knuckles over my face. “Such a pretty little thing.” He brought his thumb down to my lips, and I had to use all my willpower not to bite it off. “C’mon, don’t pretend that you’re embarrassed. I’ve seen how crazy you get with the Colonel.”

“You...what?”

“It’s my resort,” he whispered. “I see everything that happens in it. Absolutely everything.” I felt sick to my stomach. The demented bastard had cameras all over our cabin, and he had been spying on us since day one. “Now, how about you show me some of that craziness? I’ve never been with a human female before.”

As he spoke, his hand fell from my face to my shoulder, and he started pushing down the straps of my dress. I felt my jaw trembling with rage, and I didn’t know if I’d be able to control it. Right now, I felt more than capable of putting a knife through this asshole’s eye socket. And yet...if I struck him, I’d be putting Kazan’s life on the line.

“Play nice,” he whispered softly, almost as if he could hear my thoughts, “and your Colonel friend gets to live another day. You don’t play by my rules, and I’ll make sure that—”

He was cut short by the sound of someone knocking at the door.

“Sir, we have an urgent call for you.”

“Not now,” Alzon cried out, his impatience almost palpable.

“It’s very, uhm, time sensitive,” his goon insisted.

Closing his eyes, Alzon sighed.

He took his hand off me then, and I felt a wave of relief wash over my body. Saved by the bell. I remained where I was as Alzon walked past me, and followed him with my gaze as he opened the door. Before he left, though, he shot me one last glance.

“Don’t worry, Elle,” he said. “We’ll continue this later tonight.”

“In your dreams,” I whispered once he had left, then immediately turned and went back to the balcony door. Kneeling beside it, I grabbed a pin from my hair and started fiddling with the lock. Even though I didn’t have any experience with it, I somehow managed to open the door.

Sure, it took me an hour, but I had done it.

“Alright,” I muttered, stepping onto the balcony and placing my hands on the railing. Looking to the side, I honed in on the sturdy vines creeping up the side of the mansion, and gave myself an encouraging nod. “You can do this, Elle. You have to.”

Kazan

“Come back to piss me off?” I growled, jumping to my feet. I heard the creak of a door opening, and footsteps coming from the corridor. I tensed up as I readied myself for another confrontation with Alzon. “Why don’t you let me out of this damn cell, and we’ll be able to have a real confrontation? Unless you’re too much of a coward and—Elle?”

“Surprised to see me?” Smiling, she stood outside my cell, one eyebrow arched as she looked at me. I had been expecting Alzon, or maybe one of his goons, but I sure as hell hadn’t been expecting her. She was supposed to be trapped in a room, not wandering around freely.

“Did Alzon let you out?” I asked her, and she immediately scoffed.

“As if.” Holding a heavy metal key in her hand, she slid it into the lock and turned it. There was a loud popping sound as the latch jumped out of place, and the gate swung back with a slight squeal. “He had me in a room on the second floor. I broke out, climbed down the balcony, then came looking for you. It wasn’t easy. This place is huge.”

“How did you find me here?”

“I overheard a conversation as I snuck back into the mansion,” she replied. “Still, it took me the better part of an hour to get in here. This place is crawling with Alzon’s goons. I had to hide inside a storage room and wait for them to rotate shifts before I came down here and snagged a key.”

“Smart.” Nodding approvingly, I stepped out from the cell and made my way to her. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you,” I whispered, then laid my hands on her waist and leaned in to kiss her.

“Did you really think I was going to abandon you?” she whispered against my lips, tucking a stray lock of hair over one ear. Smiling in a coy way, she looked over my shoulder toward the corridor. “We should get out of here. The guards outside have stepped away, but I figure they won’t be gone for long.”

“You’re right,” I said, and followed her down the corridor.

I had been expecting a lot of things to happen, but I never imagined that Elle would be the one breaking me out of this place. I was supposed to be the soldier, the one responsible for rescuing her, not the other way around. I knew that she was smart, but this was on a whole different level. She had put her life on the line to save me.

As we made our way up to the first floor, navigating through a maze of corridors, we kept an eye out for the guards that were supposed to be guarding me. We heard their raucous laughter as they moved in our direction and, reacting quickly, I grabbed Elle by the arm and opened the door that was closest to us. We slid into the room right when the guards turned the corner, their deep voices coming at us through the closed door.

“That was close,” she muttered, and looked around the room. “Look, more crates.” She hit the light switch beside the door, and yellow light flooded what looked like a massive storage room, endless rows of stacked-up crates lining the walls. Curious, I lifted the wooden lid on one of them and found it packed with assault rifles.

“Why does he want all these weapons?” I asked, more to myself than to her. Grabbing one of the rifles, I did a quick inspection and realized that the serial numbers had been filed off. “He’s not planning anything good with them, that’s for sure. Look here, the registration marks have been erased. He doesn’t want anyone to trace these rifles’ origins.”

“Maybe he’s an arms dealer, and the resort is only a front for his real business,” Elle offered, but something told me that wasn’t the case. The sheer number of weapons he was moving pointed at something else. “What are you doing?”

“I want to know what kind of information he has on his private servers,” I replied, moving toward the far end of the room. There was a computer terminal embedded in the wall there, and I quickly busied myself with removing the panel that kept the circuitry out of sight. I switched a few cables, short circuiting the system, and bypassed whatever security Alzon had in place.

The small screen lit up right away, and I jabbed at it with one finger, navigating through the many servers and folder systems. There were a lot of documents in there, financial reports and cargo manifests, but nothing I could quite decipher. I was about to turn the damn thing off when Elle laid a hand on my shoulder.

“Hang on,” she said. “Is there any way those documents can be translated?”

“Let me see.” I hit up the settings menu, finding an option that allowed me to translate everything on a specific server into a language Elle could read. The moment the Jorkan runes on the screen turned into Earth characters, Elle pushed me out of the way and took charge, her eyes narrowing as she flipped through the many documents practically at the speed of light.

“Well, this is interesting,” she whispered. “Ever heard of Pokal? That’s where the guns are coming from. See here? They wrote on the manifests that they were carrying grain, but the carrying codes match those crates.”

“Pokal?” Frowning, I tightened my lips. “That’s a small commercial colony on the border with Rippers’ space. A lot of contrabandists use that colony as a refueling stop whenever they’re hauling something from inside Ripper territory, and I’m pretty sure that there are no grain suppliers there.”

“Then these weapons came from the Rippers,” she continued, still flicking through some more documents. “It doesn’t end there. A few documents point at distribution routes, meaning that these weapons are meant to be sold locally. No, wait. They’re not even meant to be sold. There’s some financial wizardry going on here, but these weapons are going to be given away.”

“Given away? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“I think it does,” she continued without missing a beat. No wonder she was a top notch lawyer back on Earth. It would’ve taken me untold hours to decode all these documents. “There are a few documents here detailing future government legislation, and a lot of it seems unfavorable to Alzon. I think the idiot is trying to overthrow this colony’s government on behalf of the Rippers.”

“Fuck me.” I shook my head, stunned. “That makes sense. The Rippers would like nothing more than to install a puppet government on a colony like this, and Alzon must have been willing to bend the knee to the fuckers. He probably wants to set himself up as the head of government here.”

“That’d be my guess, yeah.” Finally looking away from the screen, she turned her attention to me. “We must contact the authorities as soon as possible, and—”

“I want you to do that,” I said, cutting her short. “Leave this place, and head straight to the nearest Jorkan military outpost you can find. There’s one in the city. Tell them everything that you know.”

“What about you?”

“The moment Alzon realizes that we’re gone, he’s going to erase his servers and move all these weapons out of here,” I continued. “We won’t have any evidence, and he’ll just go free. No, I need to find a way to download these documents and catch the bastard red-handed. If the Rippers are really involved with this, then it’s my duty to stop them.”

“Oh, don’t even think about it,” she said. “Where you go, I go.”

And that was the end of that.

Elle

“All clear.” Peeking out of the room, Kazan looked back at me and nodded. We crept out as silently as we could. “Any idea where that asshole might be?”

“None,” I replied. “We should try and find his office, though. The servers and more documents should be there. With some luck, he might be in there, as well.”

“Then let’s go.”

We walked up a sloping corridor that opened onto the mansion’s lobby, where several tall marble columns supported a vaulted ceiling. A few maids were walking across it, carrying baskets of fresh laundry, but Kazan and I hid behind one of the columns. We waited until they were gone, and once we were sure nobody had noticed us, we rushed up the palatial stairs leading to the upper floor.

Paintings hung from most of the walls, and there were even a few exotic sculptures here and there. Alzon had the money, and he wasn’t afraid to flaunt it. Unfortunately for him, his kingdom was about to come down on his head, and all because he had made a very stupid mistake: he had messed with us.

Every time I thought of him, anger flared inside me.

I still couldn’t believe the bastard wanted me by his side. How could anyone be that stupid? Not to mention that he had tried to take advantage of me in the most hideous of ways. If I ever saw him again, I was going to kick his balls so damn hard they’d fall out his mouth.

“Hold on,” Kazan whispered, placing his arm in front of me to stop me from turning the corner at the end of the corridor. He cautiously peeked around it, then frowned. “This has to be it. There are two guards posted outside a room.”

“Any idea on how to get around them?”

“There’s no getting around them,” he replied. “The corridor ends there, and they’re blocking the only entry into that room. If we want to get in there, we’ll have to face these guys.”

“I have a plan.”

Without waiting for Kazan’s feedback, I straightened my back and cleared my throat. Striding forward, I turned the corner and started running toward the guards, doing my best to put a frightened expression on my face.

The moment they saw me running toward them, they frowned and raised their handguns. I immediately recognized them as the two Jorkan goons that had showed up at our cabin and kidnapped me.

“What are you doing out here?” the one with a single horn growled, taking one step forward and waving his handgun menacingly. “You weren’t supposed to—”

“Alzon told me I was free to walk around,” I lied. “I’m staying with him, after all. I’m not a prisoner, remember?” They exchanged a confused glance, but ended up lowering their weapons. “I need your help. There’s a mouse in my room.”

“What? A mouse?”

“Yes, a mouse,” I repeated. “I’m not going back there unless you take care of it. Mice scare the living shit out of me.”

“We’re not supposed to leave this door and—”

“You’re supposed to do what you’re told,” I insisted, doing my best to put some authority behind my voice. I needed to make them believe that I had Alzon’s backing. “Now come and help me out, or do I need to ask Alzon himself to help?”

“Of course not,” the one-horned Jorkan muttered. Holstering his handgun, he waved me forward. “Lead the way. Let’s see this damn mouse.”

I walked down the corridor with the two idiots in tow, then slowed down as I turned the corner, hoping that Kazan would know what to do.

He did.

Growling like a caged beast, he jumped out and punched the one-horned Jorkan in the face so hard that his head snapped back. He hit the wall behind me and slumped down, unconscious.

“What the…?” the other Jorkan started saying, but he didn’t have a chance. Kazan was already on him. Grabbing him by the shoulders, he savagely headbutted him.

“Not bad.” Looking down at the two unconscious goons, Kazan placed both hands on his hips and nodded approvingly. “That was some quick thinking, Elle.”

“I’m a lawyer, that’s what I do.”

“I can see that.” Smiling, he pointed at the double doors at the end of the corridor. “Shall we see what’s on the other side?”

Together, we walked straight toward the doors, and Kazan didn’t even bother seeing if they were locked. No, he just kicked them as hard as he could, and they flew open as if a tornado had hit them. On the other side was an opulent office, a massive native wood desk in the middle of the carpeted floor. Shelves lined the walls, and a holographic map of the colony floated at the right of the desk.

“What the fuck?” Seated behind the desk, Alzon jumped up the moment we stormed into the room, his eyes as wide as plates. He tried reaching for something hidden under the desk, but Kazan anticipated his move.

Rushing forward, he kicked the desk against Alzon, the edge of it slamming against the blue Jorkan’s midsection. The handgun he was trying to grab fell to the carpet.

“We meet again,” Kazan said, grinning like a madman. Reaching across the desk, he grabbed Alzon by the collar and flung him across the room so easily you’d believe Alzon weighed as much as a sheet of paper.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Struggling to get back on his feet, Alzon wiped spittle off the corners of his mouth, anger flashing in his eyes. “How did you manage to leave the cell?”

“I broke him out,” I replied. Then it was my turn to have some fun.

Closing in on him, I placed both hands on his shoulders and rammed my knee between his legs. This time, his eyes bulged so much I almost expected them to pop out from their sockets. Satisfied, I watched as Alzon slumped back down to the floor, writhing in pain.

Sitting behind the desk, Kazan whistled.

“Here it is,” he announced, using the keyboard to activate the screen on Alzon’s computer terminal. Grabbing an infopad from one of the drawers, he plugged it in and started downloading as many files as he could. “You’re finished, Alzon. We figured out what you’re trying to do here, and we’re shutting it down.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” the sick bastard threw back, groaning as he stood up again. “Do you have any idea who my partners are? Once they know that you—”

“Your partners are the Rippers, and once they know that I’ve put a stop to this madness, they’re gonna take it out on you,” Kazan said. “Admit it, Alzon, you’re fucked. You were trying to overthrow the government so that you could rule this colony on behalf of the Rippers, but your plan backfired. Instead of having your pockets lined, your ass is going to be lining the inside of a prison cell.”

“In your dreams,” Alzon shouted, then dove forward and grabbed the handgun lying on the carpet.

Jumping up, he appeared beside me and pressed the barrel against my temple. Even though I couldn’t see him, I could feel the victorious grin he had on his face. “Seems like the tables have turned, Colonel. Step away from that terminal right now...or else I’ll be forced to put a bullet in Elle.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Kazan whispered, shaking his head. He didn’t sound worried. Doing as he was told, he got up from his seat and walked around the desk. “Lower your gun, Alzon. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Stay where you are, or I swear I’ll shoot.” Kazan ignored him, and took one more step forward. “I’m warning you, I’m not fucking around,” Alzon insisted.

When Kazan pressed forward, I heard the click of the trigger, and I really thought that it was the end of the road for me. My knees trembled, I held my breath, and...nothing happened.

Absolutely nothing.

“Damn idiot,” Kazan said, then punched Alzon straight in the face and yanked the gun from his hands. “If you really want to threaten someone, at least make sure you’ve taken the safety off on your gun.”

Kazan

“Where do you keep your private shuttle?” Jabbing the handgun’s barrel into Alzon’s ribs, I forced him to walk toward the door. Still clutching his broken nose, he ambled toward it like a drunken racoon, and I had to hold him up by the scruff of his shirt. “Start talking, asshole. Unlike you, I know how to take the safety off.”

“The garage,” he whined. “It’s in the garage.”

“Lead the way.”

Elle opened the door, and the three of us stepped outside. I had the infopad in my pocket with all the incriminating documents Alzon had kept on his server, and now it was only a matter of hauling his ass to the closest military outpost in the colony. If I remembered correctly, there was one no more than thirty minutes away from the resort.

“Stop right there,” someone shouted.

The two Jorkan bastards I had knocked out had already regained consciousness. They stood outside the office, right at the end of the corridor, pointing their guns at us. “Drop your weapon or we will shoot.”

“And are you going to shoot your boss?” I asked them, still prodding Alzon with the handgun. We marched forward slowly, the two goons matching our pace by walking backward. They didn’t look so sure of what they were doing anymore. “You lower your weapons.”

“Do what he’s telling you,” Alzon grunted, his voice affected by his broken nose. It sounded like he was trying to speak while holding a poached egg in his mouth. Thankfully, his goons didn’t particularly care how he was speaking. They were trained to obey, and that’s exactly what they did. They lowered their weapons and allowed us through. But they followed us, still scowling as we went down the stairs.

“The garage...where is it?” I insisted, and Alzon dragged his feet toward the right door in the lobby. When he pushed it open, we were greeted by what looked like a massive warehouse, with more than a dozen luxury shuttles and at least two racing ships resting there. “Is that a Viper Model II?”

“It is,” Alzon replied, his eyes darting toward the sleek ship parked in one of the corners. It had an elongated nose, two wings with an aerodynamic curvature, and the entire fuselage was a glowing silver. I had never seen one of those ships up close, but I knew they were fast.

“You might be an asshole,” I said, “but you know how to pick a ship.”

Popping the Viper’s cockpit door open, I peeked inside and smiled as I saw four seats. Elle climbed in, and I thrust Alzon into a seat, then followed her. Before settling behind the controls, I tossed Elle the handgun. She pointed it at Alzon as he strapped himself into the seat.

“You know how to fly this ship?” Elle asked me, and I hesitated before replying. I knew how to fly most ships, including tactical shuttles, but I had never been behind the controls of a luxury racing ship. This thing was capable of flying at twice the speed of the tactical shuttle my team used, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I could tame such a wild beast in a pinch.

“Of course,” I said, offering her a confident grin. “I’m an ace pilot.”

She merely arched an eyebrow.

Doing my best not to eat my own words, I revved the ship’s engines, and activated the thrusters. We rose off the floor slowly, but once I grabbed the yoke and pushed it forward, the damn thing moved so fast that we simply exploded out of the garage.

Literally.

The Viper’s nose burst the garage doors open like a battering ram, and the sudden G-force shoved me back against my seat. I tilted the yoke toward me, and we shot into the open sky like a speeding bullet.

“I’ve always wanted to fly one of these,” I cried out, enjoying how loudly the engines were growling. I glanced at Elle, who was glued to her seat, but she didn’t look to be as excited as I was. Instead, she looked terrified.

“What’s that?” she said, pushing the words out with great effort. She pointed at a screen mounted right above me, and I knitted my eyebrows together as I tried to read the information on it. It was a radar, but it was different than the ones I was used to. On it, a blinking dot seemed to be approaching our position. “Is someone coming after us?”

“Shit,” I muttered, suddenly realizing that Alzon’s goons were on our tail. They must’ve grabbed the other racing ship he had in his garage, and now they were chasing after us.

“Well, they can’t shoot us down with Alzon on board, can they?”

“These are racing ships,” I explained. “And they’re probably equipped with drive-killers. They work like a regular weapons system, but they’re not meant to cause any damage. They simply deactivate a ship’s drive and force the guidance systems to take over and land. Not that I’m going to let it happen.”

Gritting my teeth, I banked the ship to the left as the blinking dot on the screen approached. The warning system started beeping loudly, announcing that three missiles with drive-killer units had been launched, and I was forced to make a barrel-roll with the Viper.

I dodged the missiles fired at us, but I knew I had to do something. There was no way I’d reach the military outpost if I just kept on dodging Alzon’s goons. No, it was time for us to go on the offensive.

“Hold tight,” I said, and pushed the Viper into a wide loop. We climbed up into the heights before coming back down, the cockpit facing the planet’s surface, and I managed to position us right behind the ship piloted by the two goons. It was a good model, a Fang V, but it wasn’t as fast or maneuverable as the Viper.

Grinning, I diverted auxiliary power to the engines and closed the distance between us and the ship in front of us. Right before the Viper’s nose bumped against its thrusters, I lifted and positioned myself above them.

“Eat this,” I growled, and lowered our ship suddenly, pushing its belly against the cockpit of the Fang. I activated the outside cameras to see what kind of damage I had caused, and grinned as I saw that the Fang’s cockpit had shattered, the entire ship dipping toward the surface at an impressive rate. I didn’t even blink as I followed its trajectory, and only looked away when it crashed in the ocean.

“I hope your men know how to swim,” Elle said, turning in her seat so that she was facing Alzon directly. He didn’t say anything. He just remained looking down at his own feet, one hand in front of his face as he tried to deal with the pain from his broken nose.

“You’ll pay for this,” he finally muttered, but Elle shut him down right away. She whacked his head with the handgun, and the corrupt bastard sank into his seat, sulking. Fifteen minutes later and we were flying over tall skyscrapers, the city lining the beachfront rising below us.

“There it is.” Pointing out the windshield, I let Elle know our destination and dipped the Viper’s nose, making a straight line toward the military outpost. The ship’s radio crackled with static, an alarmed air control official asking us to identify ourselves, and I happily offered him my rank and clearance codes.

“Hmm, our files say that you’re on a leave of absence, Colonel Kazan,” the official said. “You shouldn’t be working or performing any official duties, so what is this about?”

“Let’s just say that the beach inspired me to do some fishing, and I’ve made quite the catch. I have someone aboard that was actively planning a coup against the colony’s government, and I have evidence of it. Permission to land?”

“Granted.”

Surprisingly, I managed to land the Viper without making a fool out of myself. As the landing pads touched smoothly on the tarmac, a truck rolled out from a nearby building and made its way straight toward us, two Jorkan military officers riding inside it.

“Hello, boys,” I cried out as I opened the door. Grabbing Alzon by his shirt, I shoved him out of the ship, and he fell facefirst onto the tarmac. “I brought you a gift.”

The two officers exchanged a confused glance.

“But that’s—”

“A resort owner, a rich bastard...and a scheming little bitch who’s in bed with the Rippers.” Jumping out from the Viper, I then offered Elle my hand to help her down. “Now, put that guy in handcuffs before I decide to play judge, jury, and executioner.”

“Right away, Colonel.”

Elle

“I can’t believe we pulled it off,” I said, stretching my back as I climbed down from the racing ship. The military officers had already booked Alzon and, after a two-hour interview, Kazan and I were granted permission to leave...and take the racing ship with us. We landed right on the beach, outside our cabin, and its silver fuselage reflected the midday sun. It was a perfect scene.

“All thanks to you,” Kazan said with a bright laugh, draping one arm over my shoulders and pulling me in. Nestled against his body, I went up on tiptoes and brushed my lips against his. For a moment, everything was perfect. Then a strident voice cut through the perfection.

“Miss Ashby,” Yilap cried out, and Kazan and I looked up to see the blue Jorkan rushing toward the cabin, the hem of his white tunic flapping in the wind. “Colonel Kazan! I came as soon as I heard. What a disaster.”

“It’s fine, Yilap.” Still with his arm over my shoulders, Kazan offered the distressed guide a smile. “Alzon is already in military custody, and the weapons have all been seized. The situation has been straightened out.”

“But your vacation has been ruined,” he continued, only stopping when he was a few feet away from us. Gasping for air, he placed both hands on his knees and bent over. It took him almost a minute before he could continue. “It’s my duty to apologize to you. These were supposed to be the best days of your lives, and now they’ve been ruined. I tell you, I had no idea Alzon was like that or else I would’ve never accepted to work for him.”

“Calm down, man. It all worked out.” Letting me go, Kazan patted the frantic guide on the shoulder. “You can relax. We don’t have anything bad to say about you...or the resort, for that matter. These last few weeks were as romantic as they could possibly be.”

“Still, this is my responsibility now.” Standing tall, he straightened his back and clasped his hands behind him. “The board of directors has gathered for an emergency meeting, and they have voted me in as emergency CEO. I’ll be overlooking the resort’s operations in the coming month.”

“You gotta celebrate, then.”

“No time for such a thing,” Yilap continued, his posture now more formal than before. Clearly, he was already settling into his role as the resort’s Chief Executive Officer. “My first actions were to fire any employees connected with this hideous crime, but I also took some actions concerning your situation, and the board signed off on it. So did the officials in charge of the Earth-Jorkan Protocols.”

“What exactly are you talking about?” I asked him, not entirely sure if I liked where the conversation was going. It seemed like our days at the resort were about to come to an end, even though we still had almost two weeks left. “What did you do, Yilap?”

“I’m aware that both of you were dragged here against your will, and that your careers have been suspended because of the mating protocol.” Patting the front of his tunic, he smoothed down a couple of wrinkles, and only then did he continue. “We know this process was very distressing for both of you, and I’m certain that it didn’t help when you found yourselves entangled in a criminal conspiracy.”

“Well, we really don’t care about—”

“You’re being liberated from your contractual obligations as of now,” he continued, cutting me short. “You won’t have to finish the mandatory thirty-day period, and you’re free to resume your lives. The government officials weren’t that happy about calling it a day, but I got them to agree to it. After all, you helped save this entire planet from a coup. We’re indebted to you.”

I said nothing.

I stood there, my feet buried in the sand as I stared at Yilap. The waves crashed harshly against the shoreline, and the breeze whipped up my hair. Putting my arms around my chest, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.

“We’re...free to go?” I asked, a whirlwind of emotions inside me. After all that we’d gone through, would this be the end of it? I didn’t want to think of an end, especially when we still had two weeks left at the resort, but now I was forced to face the reality. “That’s it? It’s over?”

“Correct, Miss Ashby.” Stepping forward, Yilap took my hands and bowed his head. “I’ve heard you were about to be promoted in the organization you work for back on Earth, and I hope you can still get it.”

“I, uh...thank you.”

“As for you, Colonel, I’ve already sent word to the military,” Yilap continued. “Your team is already expecting your early return.”

Much like me, Kazan didn’t say a word. He stood there, arms limp by his sides, his face expressionless. I glanced at him, but it was impossible to read him. Whatever he was thinking, he was keeping it all to himself.

“We’ve prepared a shuttle to take you to the orbital spaceport, and it should be ready in half an hour.” Nodding solemnly, Yilap then waved at the cabin. “It should be more than enough time for you to collect your belongings and prepare for the trip ahead. I must tell you, I was looking forward to making a couple out of you, but I understand that both of you are career-driven individuals. I respect that.”

Shit.

Half an hour?

This was happening way too fast.

“I really hope you get that promotion, Elle.” Turning to me, Kazan smiled, and he offered me his hand. I looked down at it, stunned, and realized he was expecting a handshake. Dazed, that’s what I did. “These past few weeks...they were fun. They really were.”

“Yeah,” I whispered. “They were.”

“I guess this is the end, huh?”

“Seems like it,” I said, doing my best to keep some of my dignity. Tears stung my eyes as my heart tightened into a painful fist. Still, I couldn’t break. I had been the one insisting on that stupid rule of “all fun, no feelings”, and I couldn’t blame Kazan for following it. “I hope your team hasn’t grown lazy in your absence, either.”

“I’ll shape them up.”

“I know,” I said, and had to turn my back to him. I stared at the ocean, doing my best not to drown in a wave of sadness, then took a deep breath. Digging my fingernails into the palms of my hands, I reminded myself of who I really was—Elle Ashby, a kickass lawyer who was about to reach the pinnacle of her career.

Just as long as I focused on that, it’d all be alright.

Turning back to him, now it was my turn to smile.

“It’s been a pleasure, Colonel Kazan.”

“Likewise, Elle Ashby.”

Kazan

It was wrong.

Everything about this was wrong.

Leaning back in my seat, I looked out the viewport as the shuttle approached the orbital spaceport, a behemoth of metal and synthetic polymer on which intergalactic ships could dock. Even from a distance, I could already see the military ship waiting for me, ready to take me back to the High Command Headquarters

Elle sat right in front of me, an infopad perched on her knees. She had asked Yilap for one, just so she could prepare herself for her return. It was incredible. We were still light years away from Earth, and she was already back at work. I had never known someone with such drive.

I respected that but, at the same time, it saddened me. I had gotten so used to having her around that I could no longer feel excited about the future. Sure, I was about to return to my team, and I’d be able to get into ass-kicking mode once more...but that paled in comparison with what I had experienced with Elle.

“And here we are,” Yilap said, suddenly appearing in the aisle beside us. As he spoke, we heard the engines powering down, and there was a metallic clang as the docking hooks clamped the ship to the spaceport.

“What are you doing here?” Elle asked, arching one eyebrow as she peered over the infopad. “I thought you had stayed back at the resort.”

“I had to accompany you here,” Yilap replied in that hyped-up tone of his. “After what happened, it’s my responsibility to accompany you on this last leg of your journey. It’s the least I can do.”

“Appreciate it,” Elle said with a gentle smile, and I felt a knot in my throat. Was this the last time I was going to see her smile?

Clearing my throat, I removed my seatbelt and left my seat. Yilap led us out of the shuttle and into the spaceport, and the sound of a thousand travelers immediately surrounded us, the main floor filled with tourists from many different species and races. Projected at regular intervals were massive holographic screens, all of them indicating the next flights coming and going out of the spaceport.

“That is yours, Colonel,” Yilap said, pointing at the screen containing all private intergalactic flights. There were only two of them there: one was a military transport, and the other was a small cruiser with its destination marked as Earth. “And that is yours, Miss Ashby. I contacted the staff before we docked and I’ve been told that both ships are ready for departure.”

“This is it, then,” I said, doing my best to keep my voice steady and firm. It was harder than I had anticipated. I just wanted to wrap my arms around Elle and drag her away from this place, but I couldn’t do that. No matter how tough this was going to be, I knew where her priorities lay. She lived for her career, and I wasn’t going to be the one pulling her away from it.

Besides, we had made a pact—fun, not feelings—and I wasn’t the kind of man to renege on an agreement. No, even if this sucked, I was going to do what I had promised her. We had had our fun, and now it was time for us to go back to our regular lives.

“I wish you the best, Elle,” I told her, and offered her my hand once more. She looked at it for a moment, then simply closed the distance between us and hugged me, her delicate arms wrapped around my chest. I held her tight for a moment, breathing in her scent. When we finally pulled back, I had to make a very conscious effort to let go.

“I wish the same for you, too,” she said, her lips slightly pursed. Our gazes lingered on each other for a moment, then she finally breathed out, placing one hand on her suitcase. “Well, time to go, right?”

“Time to go.” I put a smile on my face, but I really didn’t feel like smiling. Still, I gave Elle one small nod and grabbed my own suitcase. Using whatever remained of my willpower, I nodded at Yilap and turned on my heels, following the holographic arrows to the gate where my ship would be docked.

With each step I took, I felt the urge to look back and see Elle one final time, but I resisted it. I just kept on marching ahead, making my way through the sea of tourists, and five minutes later I was standing in front of my gate.

“Well, time to go back to reality,” I muttered under my breath, and showed the attendant my military badge. She waved me forward with a polite curtsy, and I strolled into the docking sleeve, the loud sounds from the spaceport becoming muffled and distant. When I finally made my way through the airlock and into the ship itself, I was greeted with whistling, raucous laughter, and a round of applause.

“And here he is, our fearless leader,” Tarnik said, jumping from his seat and slapping me on the back. “We were starting to think we’d never see your face again, man. When we heard you were on a ship to Tarkun IV, we were pretty sure you had decided to spend the rest of your life making babies and baking cakes.”

“You really think so?” I laughed, even though I really didn’t feel like it. It felt good to see my men again, but my mind had a thorn buried deep inside it. It’d take a long time before I forgot about Elle. “You guys would be lost without me. I wouldn’t be able to relax knowing that you had someone like Tarnug training you.”

“Well, you didn’t have to worry,” he said. “He has been doing an excellent job, and most of the team has improved. It actually kinda sucks he’ll have to leave the team now. We worked pretty well under his command.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

“Of course I am,” he said. “I’m just fucking with you. That asshole Tarnug doesn’t even know the difference between a stunner and a hunting rifle. It’s good to have you back, Kazan.”

“And it’s good to be back,” I said, clasping his forearm in a warrior’s salute.

I put my suitcase in one of the overhead storage compartments, and walked down the aisle, greeting the rest of my guys. I took my seat at the front, where I could see the cockpit and the pilots, and raked one hand over my face before putting on the seatbelt.

“Ready for departure?” one of the pilots asked me, his hand already hovering over the controls.

I opened my mouth to give the green light, but couldn’t find the necessary words. I stared at him like a damn idiot, my mouth hanging open.

“Sir? We’re ready for—”

“I heard you,” I cut him short. My mind was spinning, my heart felt like it had been hit with a hand grenade. It was impossible to think straight. Was I really about to leave Elle behind? Was I really about to let her go without a fight? No...fuck that.

“Can I start undocking procedures then?”

“No, you can’t,” I said, unfastening my seatbelt. “There’s something I need to do.” Jumping from my seat, I strode down the aisle toward the airlock. Tarnik called after me, but I ignored him, turning back only when he grabbed my forearm.

“What’s happening?” he asked. “Is everything alright?”

“No,” I replied. “The woman I love is about to leave forever.”

“The woman you love?” he repeated, his jaw slackening. Then a smile spread across his lips, and he shook his head in disbelief. “Holy shit, this is really happening. You really fell for the human.”

“I did.”

“Then what the fuck are you doing here?” Punching the panel beside the airlock, he ordered the door to open. “Go get her.”

I didn’t need to be told twice.

I rushed out of the airlock as fast as I could, ignoring the attendant posted outside as she called out after me. The only thing I could really hear was the heavy thud of my boots as I ran, and I didn’t let anyone stand in my way. In a race against time, I wove my way through the crowd, pushing people out of the way, only stopping when I reached the place where Elle and I had been standing.

With a knot in my throat, I froze, looking at the holographic panels so that I could figure out her departure gate. Her flight was marked as ‘departure imminent’ and that just gave me a shot of adrenaline, especially because her gate was on the far side of the spaceport.

“Fuck,” I muttered, and started running again.

I pushed myself to exhaustion, going up and down flights of stairs, and I skidded to a halt only when I saw her gate in the distance. There was still an attendant beside the airlock, which was a good sign, but I didn’t see anyone around. Could Elle have already boarded her ship?

“Whoa, Colonel?” I felt a hand landing on my arm, and I turned around to see Yilap standing beside me, a curious expression on his face. “What are you doing here? Your ship was supposed to have left the spaceport five minutes ago. Is there a problem? Did you forget something back at the resort? If that’s the case, we can just ship it to you, free of charge. It won’t be a—”

“I’m looking for Elle,” I said, my voice brimming with tension. “Where is she?”

“Miss Ashby?” He arched both eyebrows and shook his head. Grabbing an infopad from his tunic, he scrolled through the screens and frowned. “According to what’s in here, her ship left just a few seconds ago. I’m afraid that you’ve missed her, Colonel.”

“No, that can’t be right.” It felt as if someone had placed an enormous weight on my chest. I was finding it hard to breath, and each time my heart beat, it felt as if someone had wrapped it in barbed wire. Could I have lost Elle? Was she gone forever? “Is there any way we can contact her ship? I need to speak to her.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Yilap replied. “As per the protocols, no contact is allowed between Jorkan and humans if an agreement hasn’t been reached. You see, the humans aren’t supposed to have any contact with outside—”

“I know that,” I cut him short. “But there has to be a way.”

“I’m sorry, Colonel.”

No, this couldn’t be happening.

Stunned, I ambled to the side of the spaceport, where tall glass panels offered an expansive view of the emptiness surrounding it. I immediately honed in on the private cruiser leaving its docking station, its thrusters glowing brightly as the engines kicked in. Speechless, I watched as it carried Elle away from me, and the emptiness outside seemed to take over me as well.

I felt empty.

I felt alone.

How could I have been such an idiot? How could have I allowed that stupid pact to stop me? I couldn’t let go of my pride, and now I had lost the only woman I had ever loved. I had lost her, and now I would have to move through life without her.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around slowly, gritting my teeth to push away all pain and desperation off my face. I didn’t want Yilap to see just how broken I was.

Except it wasn’t Yilap.

“Elle? What are you doing there? I thought that you had already left.”

“But I didn’t,” she said. “I’m right here.”

Elle

“I couldn’t leave without telling you how I really feel.”

Before I could continue, Kazan cupped my face with both hands and leaned in, crushing his mouth against mine. I hadn’t really known what his reaction was going to be, but I couldn’t be happier about this. When he finally pulled back from me, I felt tears stinging my eyes.

“I was afraid you had already left,” I whispered softly, taking in each and every detail of his face. I was so damn terrified by the fact I might never see him again, but here he was now—as handsome as the day we had met.

“That makes two of us.” Still looking into my eyes, he pulled me in for a tight embrace, his strong arms wrapped around my torso. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier, but...I don’t want you to go, Elle. I have no idea how we can make this work, and I don’t want to ruin your dreams, but I can’t stand the thought of being without you.”

“Kazan…”

“I love you, Elle,” he breathed out, and I felt as if my entire body was melting. Only then did I realize just how much I was aching to hear these three little words. I could almost feel the energy coming from them spinning inside my head, a surge of electric happiness thrilling through me.

“And I love you,” I said, enjoying the warmth of his body against mine. “And, yes, I don't know how we’ll make this work...but I’m pretty sure we can manage it if we really want to.”

Suddenly, Kazan pulled back, placing his hands on my shoulders. He looked straight into my eyes with a serious expression, then gave himself an encouraging nod.

“I don’t know much about human traditions, but I’ve heard that it’s customary for a man to go down on his knees.” Before I could respond, he knelt right in front of me, taking my right hand into his. “I have never met someone quite like you, Elle Ashby. You are my mate, and the one person I want to spend the rest of my life with. Would you grant me the privilege of being that man, the one who’s lucky enough to stand beside you?”

“A thousand times yes,” I replied, and jumped into his arms, so suddenly that he stumbled back, and we collapsed on the floor, our lips glued together as we kissed. I heard the crowd of tourists around us murmur, but I didn’t pay it any heed. Right then, I was as happy as I could be.

“What a turn of events,” I heard Yilap say, and I rolled off Kazan to see him standing beside us. He had an intrigued expression and was scratching his chin, almost as if he didn’t know what to do or what to say. “I assume you’ve decided to stay for Signing Day then?”

“We have,” Kazan and I said in unison, then we burst out laughing. We were in perfect sync.

“Well, I’ll have to call the government, as I believe they weren’t expecting this, and it’s going to take some time to make the proper arrangements, but—”

“Let’s do it now,” Kazan said, jumping to his feet and turning to help me up. “I don’t want to wait.”

“Now?” Yilap asked. “As in...right now?”

“Make it happen,” I said, stepping forward and placing one hand on the blue Jorkan’s shoulder. “Please, Yilap.”

“I, uh, very well,” he muttered, then spun around and grabbed his infopad. “Give me a moment, I’ll see what I can do.” He moved slightly away from us, frantically tapping on his infopad screen. Just a few seconds later and he was having a heated conversation with someone, his voice growing louder with each passing second.

“I heard there’s going to be a party,” someone shouted.

I turned as a group of tall Jorkan in military uniforms headed straight toward us. The one that had shouted offered me his hand the moment he laid eyes on me. “Elle, right? Keep a tight leash on Kazan here. He’s an unruly bastard.”

“Elle, these are my brothers-in-arms,” Kazan said with a wide smile, waving his hand at the group that had surrounded us. Most of them were busy slapping Kazan on the back, their raucous laughter earning us annoyed glances from every tourist passing by. I didn’t mind it in the slightest. “Guys, this is Elle Ashby. She’s my mate.”

“I am,” I said, enjoying the way he had said it. After hearing so much about genetic matching, and mating bonds, there was something different about being called Kazan’s mate. It wasn’t a dry or clinical concept...no, it was something borne out of real love, a true bond that I knew nothing would ever be able to break.

Kazan and I belonged together.

We were mates.

“There’s a government official on the way.” Rejoining us, Yilap tucked his infopad inside the pocket in his tunic. “They weren’t that happy about making things happen without prior warning, but I managed to convince them and—oh, here they come.”

Grinning, I watched as Agents Krasinski and Starmer made their way through the crowd of curious tourists that had gathered around our little group. They didn’t look too happy.

“You made us miss our flight,” Krasinski said with a frown, and I just frowned right back at him. Automatically, he took one step away from me, as if he were afraid I was about to kick him in the balls once more. “You do know that there’s supposed to be a ceremony, right? Whenever a couple agrees to a pair-bond, there’s a gala, and we have to invite government officials and—”

“We don’t care about any of that,” I cut him short. “We just want to be together.”

“Fine,” he sighed. Glancing at Starmer, he propped his briefcase open and grabbed some paperwork from inside it. Holding the briefcase in his hands, he placed the documents on top of it while Starmer handed me a pen. “Just read through it and sign your name.”

“That’s all it takes?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t want to wait for the ceremony,” he said with a shrug.

“Alright,” I said, and wrapped my fingers tightly around the pen. This was it. Taking one step forward, I skimmed through the document and honed in on the dotted line. “You ready for this?”

“More than ready,” Kazan replied.

We signed our names, then we jumped as Yilap let out an excited squeal. When we looked at him, he was clasping his hands in front of his face, and there were tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” he said, his voice quivering with emotion. “I mean, I hoped the two of you would see the light, but...I’m so happy for you.” Unable to restrain himself, he lunged forward and pulled Kazan and me into a tight embrace, sobbing like a child who had just received the best Christmas present ever.

“There’s a tradition back on Earth,” I said as we untangled ourselves from Yilap, a little smile dancing on my lips. “It isn’t official till you kiss the bride.”

“That’s an easy fix,” Kazan said, then closed the distance between us and kissed me. And so, we finally became one, the bond between us one for the entire galaxy to see. I didn’t know what terms the Jorkan used, and if he would call me wife, but all I needed to know was that we were going to be together. For as long as we breathed, we’d be one.

We’d be happy.

“I must offer you a gift,” Yilap said, pacing around as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. He was so excited you’d think he had been the one getting married. It was sweet of him. “I know that you were supposed to remain here on Tarkun for another two weeks, so it’d be my utmost pleasure to have you stay at the resort. All free of charge, of course.” He blushed brightly. “And the …erm… cameras have all been found and disabled.”

“What do you say to that?” Kazan asked me, the widest smile I had ever seen on his face dancing there.

“I think we deserve a honeymoon.”

“Then it’s settled.”

“Damn right it is.”

Kazan

The moment we were back in the cabin, it was on.

Elle was on me as soon as we walked in.

Throwing her hands on my shoulders, she closed the distance between us and crushed her mouth against mine. I swept her off her feet and, still with my lips on hers, carried her all the way to the bed. We tumbled onto the mattress together, our bodies drawn to each other as if they were magnets.

“I can’t believe this is it,” she whispered softly, her right hand on my chest. “We’re together, and we’ll remain together.”

“No matter what happens,” I said, running one hand through her hair as I looked into her eyes. I let my gaze linger on the bright green of her eyes for a moment, and I suddenly realized the immense feeling of peace and stillness inside me. Sure, there was a storm of lust and desire brewing inside me, but around it...there was peace.

No, it wasn’t peace.

Not quite.

It was happiness.

“I love you, Elle,” I whispered, and kissed her once more. My hands ran down the sides of her body, then she pushed one of her legs between mine, and I found myself chuckling. “Don’t do anything rash.”

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I won’t be too hard on you.” With that, she replaced her knee with one hand, wrapping her fingers around my hard cock so tightly that I groaned, pain and pleasure blending into the perfect cocktail.

“You drive me out of my mind.” Pulling the straps of her dress down her shoulders, I unclasped her bra, my heart skipping a beat as her breasts spilled free. Without even thinking about it, I took my mouth there, immediately wrapping my tongue around her right nipple. I felt it harden against my tongue, and her whole body seemed to heat up from the inside out.

Twirling my tongue around her nipple, I focused on her perfect flavor as my hands peeled the dress off her body. Once she was down to her thong, a little lace-up thing I was aching to tear off, she placed both hands on my chest and pushed me back. Moving with cat-like movements, she climbed on top of me, her fingernails digging into my pectorals.

Relentlessly, she pulled my shirt over my head, her fingernails now busy carving a path from my neck to my abs. Once she reached my waistband, she dragged her teeth across her bottom lip and started pulling my pants down. Before she could get them off me, I grabbed her by the wrists and pushed my hips up.

Rolling to the side, I switched positions with her, pinning her down against the mattress. Surprise showed in her eyes, but it only lasted for a second. Grinning like a woman possessed, hair tumbled wildly over her shoulders, she clasped one arm around my neck and laced her legs around my waist. Reeling me in, she thrust upward, and I felt my hard cock trapped between our bodies.

It was madness.

“I want to devour you,” I growled, bringing my lips down to her neck. I kept on traveling downward until I was tasting the valley between her breasts, but I didn’t stop there. No, I kept going further, my tongue sliding down her stomach until I finally met the fabric of her thong.

Biting down on it, I started pulling it off with my teeth, and Elle raised her legs so that I could take it all the way off. Once that was done, I locked eyes with her and ran my hands down her legs. Slowly, I reached for the wetness between her legs, my blood boiling inside my veins as I brushed my fingertips over her inner folds.

Restraint gone, I pushed one finger in, my mind spinning as I felt the tightness of her inner walls. It didn’t matter how many times I experienced her body...it always felt like the first time, and I had a feeling that wouldn’t change. I was more than ready to spend the rest of my life by her side, and I was fully prepared to rediscover her body every single day. Not that that was a chore—no, it was one of the best damn things in the entire galaxy.

Carefully, I pushed one more finger inside her, and smiled when I saw her eyelids flutter. She arched her back, her breasts moving softly, and something inside me broke into a thousand pieces, control shattering.

Using my free hand, I pushed her legs apart and kneeled between them. I leaned forward, opening my mouth wide, and brought my lips down onto her wetness. I placed my tongue right above my fingers, moving up until I found her clit. Sucking it into my mouth, I caused Elle to moan loudly, her voice ringing through the cabin.

She was absolutely delicious, and I was more than ready to spend the entire day devouring her like this. Unfortunately for me, it was only a matter of time until she was pushed past the point of no return, and my only option was to enjoy the time I had left. That’s exactly what I did.

Moving my fingers in and out of her pussy, I kept on whipping at her clit with my tongue, doing my best to turn all her moans into screams. She resisted for almost a minute, but it was inevitable, soon enough she was screaming so damn loudly that I was pretty sure all the guests on the other cabins could hear us.

I didn’t give a fuck.

As far as I was concerned, the entire galaxy could know about it. I wasn’t embarrassed, nor did I try to make any effort to quiet her down. No, I was more than ready to drive our neighbors mad with the sound of her wickedly sweet screams.

“Don’t stop,” she cried out all of a sudden, and grabbed my horns by the roots. Pushing my head down, she ensured I didn’t ease up, forcing me to keep my mouth tightly pressed against her clit. Fully knowing what she wanted from me, I started sliding my fingers in and out of her as fast as I could, and it only took a couple of seconds before I felt her inner walls trembling.

“Oh, fuck,” she continued, arching her back and digging her heels in the mattress. As her eyes started rolling back, Elle finally stopped screaming. Fuck, I think she even stopped breathing then. Her whole body just tensed up, and she didn’t move a muscle for a second that seemed to stretch into eternity.

When she finally broke past that tension, it was as if a seizure of pleasure had taken over her, every single muscle she had twitching with electric ecstasy. Lowering her hips, she sprawled her limbs over the mattress and drew a deep breath, her mouth wide open so that she could get air in.

“That was incredible,” she whispered, and propped herself up on one elbow. Her eyes darted straight to my crotch, and a devilish grin lit up her face. My cock hardened further, a wave of anticipation washing over me. “Now, will you stop holding out on me?”

“Think you can handle more?”

“Oh, please.” Laughing, she bit the corner of her lip. “I can handle it all.”

Elle

I attacked him.

There’s no other way to put it.

Moving fast, I unbuckled his belt and pulled it out from its loops. I did it so fast that the belt flew to the side, hitting the wall on the other side of the room, but I didn’t even care. I was a woman on a mission, and insignificant details wouldn’t stop me.

With my heart pumping adrenaline through my veins, I yanked his pants and boxer briefs down. His hard cock sprang free right away, and I immediately dove forward and rolled my lips down its length. I pushed my mouth until I felt him against the back of my throat then started bobbing my head as fast as I could.

At the same time, Kazan slid his tail between my legs. The moment it pressed down on my clit, it felt as if I had been struck by lightning, my receding orgasm suddenly surging high again.

“Holy fuck,” I cried out, popping his cock out of my mouth. Driven crazy with lust, I climbed on top of him and grabbed his cock by the root, angling it upward so that the tip was right against my entrance. This time I didn’t bother with any teasing—instead, I just sank down, allowing his hardness to enter me in one single movement.

I threw my head back as I felt his thick length straining against my inner walls, pushing them back in the most delicious way, and I let out another mighty scream. It was surprising. Sure, I liked making noise, but I wasn’t used to having my voice filling the entire cabin as if it were a fire alarm.

I loved it.

Swaying my hips, I rode him as hard as I could, my breasts bouncing wildly. Grinning, I cupped them both, massaging my own flesh as Kazan grabbed my backside. His tail remained stuck between us, applying just the right amount of pressure on my clit. It felt as if I were floating. How was it possible for sex to be this good?

You’d think that after a couple of weeks of this, we had already reached our peak, but the opposite seemed to be true. The more we did, the more we surrendered to each other, the more the peak seemed to distance itself from us...we just had to keep on climbing after it, and the payoff was worth it each and every time.

“New rule,” I said, locking my eyes on his. “We gotta have sex every day.”

“Every day?”

“Every day,” I repeated, tightening my inner walls around him.

An expression of pure delight spread over his face, and he thrust upward so damn hard that I actually thought I’d fly off him. Chuckling, I leaned in and kissed him, my tongue locking with his.

“Every day sounds good,” he whispered, and pushed me off him. Surprised, I fell back on the mattress, but Kazan quickly followed. Placing both hands on my hips, he forced me to roll to the side until I was lying flat on my stomach, then he pulled my waist up.

Now on all fours, I chomped on my bottom lip as I readied myself for what was about to happen. His tail finally let go of my clit, and it started wrapping itself around my waist. He used it to drag me across the mattress, then knelt behind me. Looking back at him over one shoulder, I felt my insides clenching as he grabbed his cock and angled it down, positioning it right against my drenched entrance.

“Don’t hold back,” I said. “I want you to go as hard as—”

Before I could finish my sentence, he closed the distance between us and thrust, burying his cock inside me. It felt as if a wildfire had just started inside my mind, all my thoughts turning into ash. I could no longer think rationally, and the only thing keeping me conscious was raw instinct.

In that moment, I was lust made flesh.

Gritting my teeth, I started thrusting back, matching his rhythm. His thighs slapped my ass over and over again, and the sound of flesh on flesh echoed through the bedroom like the most perfect symphony in the entire galaxy. His tail added to it, leveraging the to and fro motion of my body and forcing me to thrust even harder.

“I think I’m gonna—”

“Don’t think,” he cut me short. “Just let it happen.”

What could I say to that?

Closing my eyes, I did as I was told and surrendered to the avalanche of pleasure coming my way. My whole body started shaking at once, and I exhaled sharply through gritted teeth, all of my nerve endings blooming like sunflowers. Electricity raged through my body, electrifying my mind, and it felt as if the universe was starting to dissolve around us.

Right then and there, we were the only thing in existence. Even time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl, and I could no longer tell for how long we had been at it. All I knew was that there were locks of hair plastered to my forehead, and beads of sweat rolling down my face. I was exhausted...and it was absolutely perfect.

“Am I alive?” I muttered, collapsing onto the mattress and rolling to my back. His tail slid from my waist, and it hung in the air between us, swaying softly. “That was incredible.”

“There’s nothing better than seeing you looking like that,” Kazan said, and he leaned in to kiss me. The moment he was within reach, I went back on the offensive and wrapped my legs around his waist and reeled him in. He came willingly, his body on top of mine, and I positioned myself so that he could thrust.

A second later, and he was back inside me.

“We’re not quite done,” I whispered into his ear, rocking my hips against his.

He didn’t need me to say anything else. He started thrusting right away, fucking me with the sheer intensity a predator would use when chasing its prey, and the orgasm I was still experiencing became an uncontrollable crescendo of pleasure.

I had heard of multiple orgasms, but this was ridiculous.

“Fuck,” I cried out, my lungs feeling like two overinflated balloons. Ecstasy coursed through my bloodstream almost too violently, and I took my hands to Kazan’s backside, digging my fingers into his flesh and forcing him to thrust one final time. When he finally did it, it was the end of the road for us.

He came hard, his cock throbbing against my inner walls for a long time, and I simply remained perfectly still as his seed filled me up. For a long moment, I didn’t even know where I was...and I couldn’t care less. All I knew was that I was in the arms of a perfect man, and that the future was an open road. In that moment, I was the happiest I had ever been.

“I love you so damn much,” I whispered, cupping his face with my hands.

“And I love you,” he whispered back at me, resting his forehead against mine. We remained like that for a while, merely gazing into each other’s eyes. When he finally rolled to the side, there was only silence, the two of us struggling to catch our breath.

Slowly, I moved my hand to the side until I found his, and nestled my fingers against his palm. He closed his hand gently over mine and embraced me tightly. I felt safe and, more than just that, I felt loved.

“And to think we didn’t want to do this,” he said, softly chuckling.

“Live and learn,” I laughed. “Live and learn.”

Epilogue: Elle

“Damn, this is good.”

“I told you, I’m a fast learner.” Leaning against the kitchen counter, Kazan gave me a self-assured grin as I tasted the sauce he had been working on. The counter was littered with pots and pans, so much you’d think a bomb had gone off inside the kitchen, but at least dinner tasted promising. It was Kazan’s new hobby—Earth-based cooking, and I didn’t mind it in the slightest.

Six months had passed since our impromptu wedding—or Signing Day, as the bureaucrats liked calling it—and I still hadn’t gotten used to having him as a permanent fixture in my life. Not that that was a bad thing, in fact, it was just the opposite. Every day I woke up, I had to pinch myself just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. But of course, I wasn’t. Dreams were never this good.

“It does feel good to be back here, doesn’t it?” I asked him, enjoying the way a gentle little breeze slipped into the cabin. It was our first time back on Tarkun IV and, even though Kazan didn’t know it, I had booked our vacation here because there was something I needed to tell him.

“It feels more than good,” he agreed. “I’ve been thinking it might not be such a bad idea to move to Tarkun IV on a more permanent basis. We could buy one of these beachfront cabins and make it home. I know you don’t like being cooped up in the apartment that much and—”

“Oh, I don’t mind it,” I said. “I’m used to living in an apartment.” Truth be told, living in an apartment on some orbital condominium near Kazan’s headquarters wasn’t exactly the same as living in a New York penthouse, but I truly didn’t mind it. Work kept me busy most of the time.

After becoming Kazan’s mate, I quickly accepted that I would no longer become a name partner at my old law firm. There was absolutely no chance I could live a normal life back on Earth while married to a Jorkan, and it was a trade-off that I could accept. Besides, my career hadn’t really taken much of a hit.

I was no longer a lawyer, sure, but my work was now more rewarding. After what had happened with Alzon, the United Nations asked me to act as their official consultant on intergalactic affairs, and I was now part of the shadow government truly running Earth. That sure was more important than being a partner in some law firm.

As for Kazan, he continued leading his team. The missions he was assigned kept him away from home for days at a time, but we didn’t let that stop us from being happy. In fact, it just made us relish even more the time we had together.

“Alright, we don’t need to move here and—”

“I didn’t say that,” I interrupted him, then walked up and laid one hand on his chest. “I wouldn’t mind living here. I’ve checked our financials, and we can definitely do it. I can ask to set up a home office, so it won’t be a problem for me.”

“Won’t be a problem for me either,” he said, and the excitement in his voice was obvious. “The Jorkan have a military outpost here, so it’s only a matter of asking my superiors to reassign my team here. That way, I can be home every day.”

Nodding, he wheeled around and opened the fridge, grabbing a bottle of sparkling wine and two flute glasses from the cupboard.

The cork flew into the ceiling as he popped it, and he immediately busied himself with filling up the first glass. Before he could get to mine, I snagged it off the counter and held it against my chest.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to have a drink,” I said, my eyes never leaving his. Slowly, I lowered one hand and draped it over my belly. Kazan just stared at me, confused. Clearly, he had no idea what I was talking about.

“You sure?”

“I’m positive,” I continued, enjoying his confusion. “I’m just happy we’re both on the same page here. I think it’ll be good for our kids to live on a place like this instead of some sub-orbital station. It’s healthier to raise children around nature.”

“Our kids?” He laughed. “We’re still a long way from that.”

“Are we?”

“Yeah, I mean…” he trailed off, his eyes darting from my empty glass to the hand I had over my belly. His jaw slackened, and he finally realized what I was trying to tell him. “No way. No fucking way. Are you for real?”

“Yes, it’s happening,” I whispered, biting the corner of my lip. I hadn’t had my period for six weeks and, after a quick consultation with the doctor aboard the station we lived on, I had received the news: I was about to become a mother. Our little family was about to grow. “We’re going to be parents.”

“Holy shit,” he muttered, and downed his wine in one single gulp. He moved toward me but, instead of embracing me, he went down on one knee. Carefully, he placed his hand on my belly, his eyes wide with fascination. “I can’t believe it. This is...shit, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Say that you’re happy.”

“Happy?” He chuckled, then shook his head. “I’m more than just happy, Elle.” Rising to his feet, he brushed my hair away from my face and leaned in to kiss me, his lips lingering on mine for a moment. “This is perfect.”

“Did I hear it right?” I heard a voice say from underneath the kitchen window, and a few seconds later Yilap was bursting into the cabin, his eyes wide. “You two are going to have a baby?”

“Still haven’t learned how to knock?” Kazan growled, but I couldn’t help but laugh. A lot of things had changed these past six months, but Yilap’s investment in my relationship with Kazan seemed to be the one constant. “What the hell do you want?”

“I was just checking in on you,” Yilap replied. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.”

“It’s fine,” I said, and glanced at Kazan. “In fact, I was just thinking… Yilap, how would you like to be the godfather?”

He fainted.

Literally.

His eyes rolled back in his head, and he dramatically placed the back of his hand on his forehead right before he tipped over. He crash landed on the cabin’s floor with a heavy thud, and Kazan just shook his head.

“You probably killed the poor bastard.”

“I doubt it,” I said, laughing, and turned to Kazan. “Are you ready for us to become a family of three?”

“There’s nothing I want more, Elle.”

Same goes for me, I thought. Same goes for me.

* * *

Want to see who’s paired up next in the Jorkan Protocol Mates? Keep reading for a sneak peak or click here to get Razar!

They say she's another Jorkan's mate.

They're all wrong.

I know it in my soul.

She's mine.

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Razar Sneak Peek

“It’s time, Ben.” I dropped the rack of glasses onto the counter, the loud clatter stirring Ben from his sleep. Awkwardly, he raised his head from the crook of his elbow and looked at me as if he had never seen me before. His eyes were red, but then again, so were his cheeks.

“What time is it?” he mumbled, raking one hand over his face. Looking down at the non-existent watch on his wrist, he pushed himself off his seat. He kept both hands on the counter to steady himself, but that didn’t stop him from swaying like a drunken pirate during a thunderstorm.

“It’s time for you to head home,” I replied, collecting the half-empty beer in front of him.

He watched me, still rocking back and forth on his heels, then started ambling toward the door. I followed after him, just in case he fell back, but that didn’t happen. Ben was a professional drunkard, one of those men capable of drinking their own bodyweight in alcohol every single day, and he was pretty damn good at it. I had never seen him fall, throw up, or start a fight.

Maybe that was why I didn’t mind him. Small bars like The Golden Crown which was nothing more than a cramped watering hole in a forgotten alleyway, tended to attract the worst kind of binge-drinkers, and quiet patrons like Ben were a rare sight.

“Be safe,” I said, waving Ben goodbye as I watched him get into a taxi.

Sighing, I ran one hand through my hair and turned around, ready to lock the place down. My hand was already on the door when two men in dark suits approached. They were tall and clean-shaven, with the appearance of mild-mannered professionals, and they didn’t stink of cheap booze. What they were doing here, I had no idea.

“Can we still get a drink?” the taller of them asked, and flashed me a toothy grin. “I know you’re about to close up, but we promise we won’t linger. One drink and we’ll be on our way.”

I hesitated.

Usually, I didn’t allow any patrons in while I closed up, but these two didn’t seem like trouble. Smiling back, I gave them a quick nod and stepped aside to let them in.

“One quick drink,” I said. “Just while I mop up the floor.”

“You got it.”

Orderly, they marched inside the bar and I locked the door behind them. While I was feeling kind enough to serve two final drinks, I sure as hell wasn’t dumb enough to leave the door open—that would just be an open invitation for strays.

“Two whiskeys, neat,” the taller man said, and I dutifully poured two fingers of Jameson into lowball glasses. They perched themselves on the stools by the bar, and I returned to the mop. I had already turned the chairs and placed them on top of the tables, and now I just had to handle the floor.

Grunt work, but it had to be done.

As I pushed and pulled on the mop, tracing steady circles with the wet brush, I suddenly realized that the two men weren’t talking. They were just sitting there, quietly sipping on their whiskeys. The TV wasn’t on, either, so they definitely weren’t distracted by it. That was weird. More than just that, I felt as if they were observing me despite the fact that they had their backs turned to me.

Stop being paranoid, Alicia, I admonished myself.

I had never liked working the night shift by myself, but after almost a year of it, I had already outgrown most of my fears. I could handle the rowdiest of patrons, and I wasn’t above kicking assholes in the nuts. Sure, I preferred being kind and graceful, but a year and a half of living in New York had been enough for me to learn that kindness doesn’t really pay.

It still annoyed me to think of how naive I had been when I’d decided to leave home and head to New York. My parents were against it, especially since it meant I was dropping out of college, but I didn’t wanna hear it. I was confident that I’d be able to secure a decent-paying job here, something that’d allow me to send some money back to my parents and lead an exciting city life, and no one could stop me.

Suffice to say, that didn’t work out.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” the shorter man finally spoke up, derailing my train of thought. He twisted on his stool so that he was facing me, and his friend did the same. A shiver ran up my spine, my recently acquired bartender senses tingling.

“Can’t say that I am,” I replied, then lowered my gaze and continued mopping up the floor. The less I talked with them, the better.

“Why did you come to New York?” he continued, his tone even and controlled. There was nothing menacing about his demeanor, but I still felt a sharp stab of anxiety. “You like traveling?”

“I, uh, came here looking for work.” By now, the mop was moving across the floor at the speed of light. I wrung it one last time, then set the bucket aside. “Right, I’m all done. Time’s up.”

“Do you like being a bartender?” he continued, ignoring what I had just said.

“Can’t say that I do, but it pays the bills.”

Or, really, it helped paying the bills.

After arriving in the city, I had struggled to find a job and, after months of nonstop searching, I eventually settled on working three part-time jobs: grocery store cashier, bartender, and waitress. Yeah, the city had turned me into a real Renaissance woman.

It was hard, but it wasn’t like I had much of a choice—even though my parents lived in a small town, deep in the heart of rural America, they were still counting on me to help. Sure, they would’ve been happier if I had finished college, but I knew that wasn’t the path I needed to take. I either went to college and racked up debt, or joined the workforce and started helping out my parents—in the end, it was an easy choice to make.

“Right, it’s time for you to go,” I insisted, but I was about to be ignored one more time.

“Would you say you’re an adventurous person?” he now asked me, doing his best impression of an unwanted Facebook quiz.

When I didn’t reply, he exchanged a knowing glance with his colleague, then reached for something inside his jacket. He held up some kind of badge, the dim lights bouncing off its golden surface, but put it away just as quickly. “You don’t need to worry. We’re federal agents. I’m Agent Starmer, and this is Agent Krasinski.”

I wasn’t exactly a worldly girl who had seen it all, but if there was something that I knew for sure, it was that the sentences ‘you don’t need to worry’ and ‘we’re federal agents’ don’t really make for a comforting announcement.

“Federal agents?” I repeated, pulling the mop’s handle against my chest. “What’s this about?”

“Nothing much,” Starmer said. “We just have a couple of questions we need to ask you, then we’ll be on our way.” Smiling, he grabbed his glass and finished what was left of his drink. He put the glass down gently, then offered me his undivided attention. “So, Alicia Harper, do you consider yourself an adventurous person?”

“How do you know my name?” I took a couple of steps back and ended up hitting one of the tables behind me. The chair I had propped up on top of it wobbled for a moment, then it clattered to the floor. “What the hell is going on here?”

“Right, let’s try something else,” the one called Krasinski said. He smoothed out the wrinkles in his pants, and rose from his seat. “Do you have any allergies, Ms. Harper? Any health conditions we should know about? Please, this is important. Answer truthfully.”

“What? No, I don’t have any allergies or health conditions. I’m just a regular girl. I don’t know what you’re here for, but I can assure you that you have the wrong girl.”

“You’re Alicia Harper, right?” He listed my phone number, address, Social Security number, and blood type. “Yeah, judging by the look on your face, I’d say you’re exactly who we’re looking for.” Still with that creepy smile on his face, Krasinski started walking toward me. “Now, Ms. Harper, come with us and—”

I didn’t let him finish.

The moment he came within reach, my instincts kicked in and I used the mop as if it were a spear. I hit Krasinski straight in the face, messing up his perfect haircut with dirty water and soap, then spun around and slapped the handle against Starmer’s head.

“Get away from me,” I cried out, frantically backing away from them. While before I only had suspicions, now I was pretty certain that I was dealing with psychopathic stalkers. I mean, there was absolutely no way two federal agents would be interested in a random woman like me—these two guys had to be stalkers.

“Damnit, Starmer, you’ve done it again,” Krasinski cried, clutching his nose. “You always freak people out with your questions.”

“Me? You’re the one that started asking about her health right away.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?”

“I’m just saying, we gotta work on these questions, or else we—”

“Get the hell out,” I interrupted them, “or I’m calling the cops.”

They stopped and exchanged a glance. They weren’t particularly concerned with the cops, that much I could tell. Krasinski held his hands up, smiled, then made the mistake of walking toward me again. I retreated, making sure that I always kept a table between the two of us, and quickly found myself behind the bar.

“Not a step further,” I exclaimed, but they didn’t seem like they were listening.

“C’mon, Ms. Harper, just come with us,” Starmer tried. “We promise that—”

Moving fast, I grabbed anything I could put my hands on, and started hurling bottles and glasses at the two stalkers. My improvised projectiles exploded against the wall behind them over and over again, and soon enough I found myself short of things I could throw.

“Fine,” Krasinski sighed, and reached inside his jacket. From his inner pocket, he fished out a kind of metallic rod with a bright bulb at the end. It seemed like some kind of futuristic pen. “I didn’t want to use this on you, Ms. Harper, but you’re leaving me no choice.”

“Leave me alone, or I…”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence.

Krasinski held up his metallic pen, pressed a button, and my field of vision was inundated by bright red. I felt the light seep into my brain, and soon enough, my thoughts were nothing but tatters. My body grew so light I could almost believe I was floating but, at the same time, my eyelids became as heavy as concrete.

Don’t pass out, Alicia, my inner voice struggled to say, don’t pass out.

Next thing I knew, I was passing out.

Razar

I wasn’t being paid enough.

I’d never been the kind of guy to bitch and moan about my duties, but things were starting to get out of hand. Strippers and escorts marched down the hallway, offering me little smiles as they slipped into the room behind me, and I could do nothing but smile in return.

Here I was, head of security for one of the wealthiest Jorkan this side of the galaxy, and I was guarding his quarters as if I were nothing but a low-paid sentry. Yeah, it sucked, but the worst part was that I was already getting used to it. Varon wasn’t exactly the kind of guy to respect the hierarchy—he knew he was at the top, and to him, that meant everyone else was below him. Simple enough, and it meant he could boss people around without caring if their title was head of security, bodyguard slash babysitter, or all-purpose butler.

From inside the room came the sound of laughter and feminine voices chattering loudly. Glasses clinked amidst more laughter and the occasional moan. Varon was living the life, no doubt. Not that I was jealous. Unlike him, I didn’t need to shell out enough credits to buy a small moon just so I could get my rocks off.

Sighing, I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to find a comfortable position that would get me through the long shift ahead of me. Judging by the amount of Aurvelian strippers in his room—enough to crew a small artillery ship—it was pretty obvious that Varon was about to embark on one of his legendary all-night benders. Alcohol was going to flow like a raging river, synthetic drugs would be used like cheap candy, and his suite was going to be completely trashed.

I’ve never considered myself a judgmental prick, but Varon’s behavior was a damn embarrassment. His father had been one of the most respectable Jorkans I had ever met, and it seemed like his son was hell-bent on destroying his inheritance. Varon’s father, Alovan, had only died six months ago, and the conglomerate’s financials were already in a sorry state. Instead of attending board meetings, Varon preferred hopping around the galaxy on his private cruise ship, collecting strippers and expensive booze like a kid collecting bugs and rocks.

It was too bad for me that on his deathbed, Alovan had asked me to promise him that I’d look after his only son. No matter what I thought of Varon, I had to agree to the dying man’s request.

Honor tied with my respect for Alovan compelled me.

Just like honor compelled me now not to break it. I told myself that Varon might be a whoring, drunkard idiot, but at least he wasn’t actively hurting anyone. Which left me in a situation where I had to uphold my promise.

That, of course, was reflected in the company’s deteriorating financials.

“I need a new job,” I muttered under my breath, loud music booming from inside the room. Alovan had been a respectable and honorable Jorkan, and he had offered me this position when I was fresh out of the military. I’d kept him safe until he passed away, and he had trusted me. He’d had my unwavering loyalty, and so I had stuck around after his passing.

Now, I wondered if my loyalty to Varon’s father really should extend to him, as well. Part of me wanted to headbutt the spoiled little prick and tell him to go fuck himself, but I simply couldn’t walk away and let Alovan’s legacy go to shit.

“What the…?”

Straightening my back, I perked up my ears as I heard screams coming from inside the room. Instinctively, my hand dropped to my waist and I tightened my fingers around the grip of my gun. Once I was certain I recognized Varon’s voice, I spun around and pulled my gun from its holster.

I punched the access code into the panel mounted beside me and, as soon as the doors slid back, burst into the room with my gun held high. I scanned my surroundings in a fraction of a second, taking in all the empty bottles and broken glasses littering the floor, then honed in on Varon.

“Come on,” I muttered under my breath, “what the fuck?”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Razar?” he screeched, the purple scales covering his naked shoulders darkening. One of the strippers, a voluptuous Aurvelian that was naked from the waist up, had handcuffed Varon to a lounge chair, and there was a whip in her hands. Varon’s tail whipped around aimlessly, and that was everything I needed to know—whatever was happening here, the bastard was enjoying it. “Get outta here, damn it!”

“Yes, sir,” I replied, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. In truth, I felt everything but indifference. The sight of Varon’s naked body made me nauseous, but the fact that an Aurvelian stripper was whipping him up while the other women just partied around him made me want to laugh. In the end, though, I was a professional. “Sorry, sir.”

I holstered my gun and headed out. I had barely taken a couple of steps when one of the women, a petite Aurvelian with deep pink skin, grabbed me by the arm. She pulled me toward her, dragging her teeth across her purplish lips, then offered me an inviting smile.

“Aren’t you tired of standing out there?” she asked, her voice mellifluous. “Why don’t you join us for a drink? I mean, your boss is pretty busy right now, and we wouldn’t mind having someone else join our party...especially if that someone else looks like you.” Her gaze roamed from my mouth to my feet, and could I feel her undressing me with her eyes.

“Sorry,” I said. “No partying when I’m on the clock.”

I smiled politely and tore myself away from her. Aurvelians were dangerous creatures—lower your guard around them, and soon enough you’ll be drowning in a sea of invisible pheromones.

Once outside the room, I locked the door behind me. Sighing, I raked one hand over my face, doing my best to erase what I had seen from my mind. The last thing I wanted was for Varon’s naked body to come and haunt me in my sleep.

“How’s it going down there?” the ship’s communications officer asked through the comms unit hanging from my belt. “Any dead hookers we need to dump in an asteroid belt?”

“Really fucking funny,” I replied, not happy with that imaginary scenario. If something like that happened, I wouldn’t help Varon cover it up. Instead, I’d beat his sorry little ass and drag him to the closest military outpost I could find. “No dead hookers to report. Everything’s calm down here. Or, well, you know...as calm as usual.”

“I figured.” There was a moment of silence, then he sounded more formal. “Listen, we’ve detected a ship in the vicinity. Their drive signature matches government credentials. They’ve asked us to dock.”

“Just like that?” I asked. “No foreplay?”

“None. What do you want me to do?”

“Patch me through. I want to talk with them.”

There was the sound of static for a moment, and I unclipped the comms unit from my belt. I held it up, waiting for the blinking red light to turn green. When it finally did, I cleared my throat and spoke up.

“This is the head of security for The Hortakala’s Revenge,” I said, grimacing as I said the ship’s name. In typical Varon fashion, he had named his private cruise ship after one of the bloodiest battles in Jorkan history. He thought it made the ship look badass while, in truth, it only made us look like clueless idiots with more money than common sense. “I’ve been told you’ve requested clearance to dock. Please state your purpose.”

“We’ve just sent your crew our identification codes, and I assume you’ve read our drive signature already,” a steady voice replied. “We’re here on official business, and we have a message for your employer.”

“What kind of message?”

“It concerns the Earth/Jorkan Protocols,” the Jorkan on the other end of the unit said. “A genetic match has been found on Earth for your employer, and we’re here to ensure that he complies with the rule of law.”

Fuck me.

Varon has been matched up with a woman from Earth? This wasn’t good.

“Are you sure of it?” I continued. “I mean—”

“Our genetic database doesn’t lie. Varon is to head directly to Pluto Station as soon as possible, so he can be introduced to his mate. We’re here to deliver that message, and to ensure the Protocols are followed to the letter. Now, do we have clearance to dock?”

A demented fuck like Varon and one of those delicate creatures from Earth? Shit, that didn’t sound good at all. I pitied the poor woman who had been matched with Varon.

All of a sudden, it hit me.

For the last two or three months, Varon had been obsessed with the humans. He’d made me watch hours and hours of their media while I stood guard over him. At the time, I’d thought it was a fool’s errand brought about by a dilettante who couldn’t stay focused on any one topic. It was true that many interstellar conglomerates had business dealings on Earth with the humans through shell companies, for purposes of precious metal extraction, but it didn’t necessitate hours and hours of watching what the humans referred to as Must See TV and Netflix Original Programming.

The only thing I had gotten out of the exercise was the ability to speak in colloquial human English. And knowing that Ross and Rachel were on a break.

But this explained everything.

Varon’s woman was going to be in for a surprise.

“Clearance granted,” I said. “Come aboard.”

Alicia

My eyes cracked open, and I felt like I must have been drinking far more than I ever would have on a shift. At least, so far as I could remember. What exactly did I remember? Images of myself causing some kind of ruckus crowded into my brain, but I couldn’t place why.

Rolling over, I saw a stranger’s nightstand with no trace of my own crappy little clock. In an instant, adrenaline fired through my system and I sat bolt upright, more awake than had seemed possible even seconds before.

“Son of a bitch,” I whispered to myself, and set about prodding over my body for bruises or marks. Before I had come to New York, all the folks in my hometown had warned me about the big city. They’d all warned me about waking up in a bathtub full of ice with no kidneys. I shuddered to think of it, but counted it an enormous plus that I wasn’t in a tub, and seemed to be intact.

Whoever those two clowns with badges claimed to be, at least they hadn’t opted to sell me on the black market. Federal agents, my ass. This was about as clear a case of kidnapping as I could picture.

Two dirt bags in fitted black suits claiming to be agents? That’s a lousy story under any circumstances, and while I’m not from The Big City, I hadn’t fallen off a turnip truck when I moved there. So long as I was alone, maybe I could strategize.

The room was small but clean, and almost overwhelmingly white. I was still dressed, but there was no trace of my phone or anything else that could tell me the time. Or call for help. The room was woefully lacking in anything that I could use to knock those assholes around—I found myself sorely missing my mop.

On a chance, I tried the door, but there wasn’t even anything like a knob for me to get ahold of. Everything curdled up inside me at the thought that I was pretty thoroughly imprisoned. This kidnapping scenario was getting worse by the minute. On the other side of the bed was a weird panel in the wall that seemed like it might be covering some kind of window.

At least, it seemed so. Like the door, there was no kind of mechanism to open it that I could recognize. Fumbling around, I finally brushed against a sensor on the wall, and the whole thing whizzed open. It was still dark.

Really dark, actually. My stomach went small and cold before my brain had a chance to catch up. There was darkness outside, but it was unlike anything I had ever seen. It was a vast emptiness, and below me was some kind of small, icy planet.

The thought peeked into the back of my mind before I was ready to deal with all that it might mean. You’re in space. Don’t be ridiculous, that’s impossible. Bad news, girl. Space it is.

“Fuck.” I doubled over and braced my hands on my knees, breathing hard. My eyes were riveted to the floor, but I wasn’t seeing anything. All my focus was turned inside, racing like the devil to sort out the pieces. I had never hyperventilated before, but I knew what it was when it started.

Across the room, the door slid open and I spun around to see Agents Tweedle-Dee and Dum sauntering in. If they were here to take care of whatever they hadn’t done last night, I was full-on determined to make them work for it. My hands found the only thing throwable near me, and I sent the lamp sailing at their heads.

“Jesus Christ!” Krasinski ducked just in time, and the lamp shattered against the wall where his head should have been. A shower of shards sprinkled over Starmer, and he threw his hands up to protect his face. If I’d had any sense, I would have rushed them and bolted through the door before they had a chance to recover, but I was still bleary from all the revelations of the morning.

“Motherfucker!” I was already hunting for any other ammunition at my disposal.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Starmer still had his hands up. “Just cool it a second.”

“Cool it? Are you serious?” Seizing a pillow, I was determined to give them the hardest thrashing I could manage. This wasn’t going to be some sorority panty-party. If a pillow was capable of drawing blood, I was going to be the person to find out.

“Hey, hey,” Starmer was trying again.

“We’re sorry,” Krasinski blurted over him. “It’s not what you think!”

“Oh, really?” My breath was heaving and I still brandished the pillow like Excalibur. “And what exactly is it that I think?”

“I’m going to guess kidnapping?”

Was Krasinski fucking with me? I let out a roar and sailed over the bed, giving him a hearty buffeting with my weapon. While he was ducking out of the way, Starmer had the presence of mind to get the door closed. I was out of luck on that front.

“That’s not what this is,” Starmer said, scrambling to the far end of the room. “You have to trust us.”

“And why the hell should I do that?”

“Because we’re two of the few humans on the station at the moment.”

That caught me up, and I felt my knees start to go. I made it to the edge of the bed, saving my knees from all the bits of broken lamp.

“Don’t say that, Starmer!” Krasinski had scrambled over to his partner, hissing under his breath. “Making her think she can’t trust a Jorkan is going to make this thing a whole lot harder.”

“Well, what the hell was I supposed to do?”

“Not that! It’s hard enough to get the women up to speed without you poisoning the well.”

“Poisoning?” They were getting a lot less cautious about their volume, almost as if they had forgotten I was here. I cleared my throat, but Starmer plowed on, “You nearly bungled things back on Earth!”

“Excuse me?” They weren’t listening.

“Me? You were the one coming on with all the talk about blood types! She probably thought we were going to yank her kidneys out or something.”

“HEY!” That got their attention. “Do either of you plan on telling me what the hell is going on?”

They got sheepish for a moment before straightening up and putting on their best game faces. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard of the Earth/Jorkan Protocols?”

“Why would she have heard of it?” Krasinski hissed.

“Will you shut up and let me do this?” Starmer turned back to me.

I shook my head. “Why would I have heard of that?”

“Fair enough,” he nodded. “The Jorkan are an alien race who have forged a relationship with the people of Earth to help them rebuild their population. In an ongoing conflict with the Rippers, nearly their entire female population has been decimated, and their species is in danger of extinction. Their values and causes align with ours on Earth, so we were willing to enter into the Protocols as part of a larger alliance.”

“That’s…” my head was swimming, “that’s nice and all, I suppose, but what does that have to do with me?”

Starmer shifted uncomfortably, and seemed to be doing everything he could not to make eye contact with me.

“I asked you a question,” I growled.

“Tell her,” Krasinski said. The little prick smirked because his partner was the one on the hot seat. Starmer’s eyes found mine.

“Would you like a drink?” Before I could answer, he waved in front of another sensor and a cabinet slid open in the wall. “Wine? Whiskey? Vodka? Gin? Tequila?”

“Whiskey.”

He nodded, snatched up a tumbler, and splashed a hearty slug out for me. “If I come over there, are you going to hit me?”

“We’ll see,” I said.

Krasinski let out a little chuckle behind him, and Starmer inched over. I might have lashed out at him if I’d had the will to do it. A much larger part of me wanted to know how the rest of this was going to shake out. An even bigger part than that wanted the whiskey.

“So, the essence of the Protocols has to do with the Jorkan population problem.” Behind Starmer, Krasinski was helping himself to a strong belt of the whiskey. At least he was keeping me from drinking alone.

“Part of how the Jorkan approached us had to do with certain… shall we say, compatibilities?”

My stomach tightened—again being just a step ahead of my brain. “I’m going to need you to spell that out for me.”

“Why don’t you take a drink?” He didn’t need to suggest it twice.

“The Jorkan performed a survey of the races in our galaxy most likely to be a genetic match in the hopes of rebuilding their population. Humans came the closest. When we find a woman who has the capacity to carry a Jorkan child to term, we match them with the most likely compatible mate. People who are selected have thirty days that they spend with their prospective mate. At the end of the thirty days, we will credit a lump sum of currency to you in any medium you wish that will be the equivalent of five million of your US dollars. But only if you stay the whole thirty days.”

“So, you’ve brought me here to hook me up with an alien and have his baby?” I asked. “Why doesn’t anyone even know about this?”

“Your government is always denying those UFO videos,” Starmer said. “Can you imagine the financial and economic panic that would happen if people knew? All the toilet paper would be sold out for years.”

“In so many words,” Krasinski piped up from the bar, “yes.”

If I hadn’t already been sitting down, I would have needed to now. My ears started ringing and I felt like I couldn’t see. Almost on instinct, I raised my hand and shook my glass at them.

I don’t know which one of them filled it up, but I could hear the clink of the bottle on my glass, and felt it getting heavier. Once it had been freshened up, I drained the glass and let it fall on the bed next to me.

“Ms. Harper, may I just…” I put my hand up, and whichever one of them was talking shut right up. Smart man.

“I’m… I’m going to need some time to process this.”

“You’d better make it quick.” The laughter in Krasinski’s voice brought me back to myself. Rage stormed up through me and I snatched up my glass so hard my knuckles turned white. It probably hadn’t been their best call to give me another missile.

Surging to my feet, I cocked my arm back and both men did their dead-level best to duck out of the way. As much as I would have loved to, I wasn’t going to launch this attack until I either had a straight answer or a clear shot.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean, you jackass?”

“I’m just saying,” his smile was gone as he cowered away from my aim, “process away, but there’s not a lot of time.”

“And why the hell is that?”

“Because he’s already here,” he whimpered.

“WHAT?!”

“What my partner means is that Varon, the Jorkan you have matched with, should be arriving at Pluto Station any minute.”

Click here to get Razar!

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.