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DangerouslyMineA.M.Griffin

Afteraliens invadeandconquer Earth, Eva istransported to a distantslave-trading planet.Freedom and escape areher only priorities, butnone of her martial artstraining could have

prepared her forenslavementtothewarriorKing Taio. Eva findsherself drawn to this sexyalienmalewhoignitesherheartandbody.

Taio is disgusted withthe ideaofowningaslave—until now. From themoment he sees her, heknows Eva is his for thetaking. Torn between lustand duty, Taio discovers

nothingwillstophimfromprotecting his littlewarrior.

DangerouslyMine

A.M.Griffin

Dedication

To my biggestsupporters, my mother,my husband Ryan andchildren;JoriB.,MylesandMia Loren, I love you all.ThankyoutoMauriceandArthellaforsupportingthedream.

Acknowledgements

Thankyou to everyonewho made this possible:Dirty Diana for yourinspiration and support,Cricket, the MudPuddle,Terri and Stephy, and ofcourse, Bree and EC for

givingmeachance.

Prologue

The awful stenchcoming from her wasembarrassing. Eva Smithsniffedunderherarms.

Yep,Icanraisethedead.

The jeans she had onwere faded and torn. She

had on a t-shirt with apicture of the cartooncharacters Orangey andPurple,takenfromasceneof one of their Internetwebisodes. Even that wasnomorethantatteredragsnow. She could onlyimagine the cartooncharacters saying abouther stench, “Gurrl, youstink!”

The whole reason she

volunteered for nightwatch, again,was to get abreakfromthestench.Thesmell from fifteen peoplewhohadn’thadabathinaweek was nauseating tosaytheleast.

Eva crouchedon a treebranch twenty feet abovethe forest floor.Years as amartial artist gave her thestrength and agility toscale the tree with ease.

Butnow,afterhoursinthesameposition,hermusclesached. With one armhugging the tree forstability, she used theother to punch on thecramp that had formed inherthigh.

She scanned thehorizon of clustered trees,looking for camp.Although she couldn’t seethem, sheknew theywere

there, hiding beneath thecanopied covering of thelush trees. Her constantcompanion,Allysan,sat inthetreeoppositehers.Allydidn’t dare come closerand even joked that theircombined stench wouldmelt the forestsurrounding them. Herlegs hung underneath heras she hummed Sun andMoon by DukDukGoose,

her favorite Afro-Punkband fromNewYork.Thesong was appropriate.Because of the enormousspacecraft in the sky, shehad not seen either in awhile.

Although this wasn’tAlly’snighttokeepwatch,she was here to kill theboredom.Evadidn’tmind.She welcomed thecompany of her new

friend, especially tonight.The forest seemed weird.Strange. She couldn’t putherfingeronit.

Hersenseshadbeenonhigh alert ever since thealienscame.Herneighborshadbeendelusional abouttheirarrival.ButEvaknewbetter. While they werebusymaking“Welcome toEarth” signs, she’dcowered in her barricaded

apartment.

Why had they come toEarth? She didn’t have aclue, but she had seenenough sci-fi movies toknow this would endbadly. Theseextraterrestrials didn’twantto“phonehome”.

They arrived in shinymetallic spacecrafts thatsatlowintheskyinevery

major city around theworld. As big as smallcities, their crafts blockedthe sun, forcing residentsto live in perpetualdarkness.

In less than a week,they’d leveled countries,toppled governments,disrupted communicationand swatted the world’smost powerful super-nations’ military forces

downasthoughtheywerenothingbutpeskyflies.Allhellbrokeloose.

Eva had been right,hostile aliens had invadedEarth. Humans weren’tprepared for the fight andwere losing the battle.Unfortunately, “I told youso” didn’t seemappropriate.

That had all happened

about three months ago.Or had it been two? Nomatter, she thought,shaking her head. Thesmall pocket-sizedcalendar had been lost along time ago. There wassomething about runningfrom aliens that made aperson decide fast whatitemswere important.Thecalendar, along with hercomb, toothbrush and

soap,waslonggone.

It was easy enough topullherjet-blackhairbackinto a bun and scrub herteethwithleaves,buttherewasn’t an alternative forsoap. Yuck. Despitesoaking in the stream twomiles north of camp justyesterday,Evastill felt thefine film of dirt coveringherolive-tonedskin.

Besides Ally’s softhumming, the night wasquiet,nosignsofnightlife,no owls hooting, noraccoons scavenging, notevenabatinthesky.

That was her first cluethat things were about toturnugly.

“Something’s off.” Evascanned the dark horizon.She, alongwith the others

withher,hadfledthecitiesafter the initial attack. Noone knew why the aliensinvaded Earth. Somespeculated theywere heretoenslavehumans—oreatthem. At this point, itdidn’tmatter.

Survivalwasthekey.

Ally straightened herbackandfocusedhergazeontheskies.“Yeah,Ifeelit

too.”

“Gocheckoneveryone.I don’t like this feeling.”Eva felt the hairs on thebackofherneckstandup.

Ally nodded once,scaled down the tree andran. Eva watched as Allybounded through theunderbrush until her backdisappeared in thedarkness. Only then did

Eva look back to theblackened sky. Somethingwasdefinitelyup.

A familiar low humfilledthestillnight.Craft.

Far on the horizon, asmall, metallic craft shotthroughthesky.

“Shit.” She climbeddown a few branches.Tooslow. She scurried faster.Five feet from theground,

shejumped.Asherfeethitthedirtandgrass,shetookoff running through thetrees to camp, duckingunder the low-hangingbranches.

As she ran, she couldhear her heavy breathing,dried leaves and stickscrunching under her fast-paced feet and theincreasinglylouderhumofa craft whizzing through

the air. It was gaining onher.

“They’re coming!They’re coming! Takecover!” she yelled. Evaprayed her voice wouldcarryovertheloudroarofthecraftthatnowfollowedclosebehind.

At the whistle of thecraft cutting through thewind above her head, she

doveintoa thicketofhighweeds.Sheburiedherfaceinthedirtandcoveredherhead and ears with herhands. The noise movedpasther.

Too close. Her heartslammed in her chest asshe jumped up andsprinted to camp. Shecouldn’t leave them. If thecraftwas taking them, shehad to try to help anyone

shecould.

Whiz,boom!Thegroundshookunderneathherfeet.Whiz,boom!Sheskiddedtoahalt.Dirt andgrass flewat her, erupting from theground.

Whiz, boom! Sheshielded her facewith herhands. The dirt and rockspelted her, piercing herskin.

Bombs. The impactdeafened her ears. Herhands left her eyes andcovered her ringing ears.Shewatchedtheconfusionunfolding in front of her.Blood,skinandbodypartswere scatteredeverywhere.Evalookedinhorror as most of thosewho had, in those shortmonths, become dearfriends hung dead from

tree limbs. A panickedfrenzy consumed thebloody and confusedsurvivors.

Hands grabbed herarms tightly, biting intoherflesh,shakingher.Hereyesmoved toAlly. Tearsrandownhercheeksashermouthmoved.What is shesaying? Eva struggled tounderstandher.

Abrightglowoforangelightflickeredinthecornerof her eye. Her headturned in slow motiontowardit.

Her eyes finallyfocused.Fire.

That was enough tosnap her out of herstunned daze. “Sticktogether!” Eva screamed.Panic engulfed those

around her. Just as theskittish prey that theywere, they spoke all atonce, darting in differentdirections.

“That way!” Evapointed to the small areafree of the rapidlyencroaching flames.“Comeon!”

Eva made a break forthe trees before flames

blockedtheirway.Notimeto waste. If they stayedwhere they were, theywould surely burn todeath. Or worse, getcaptured. She ran throughthe small opening withAlly on her heels. Shehopedeveryoneelseeitherheard her command orsaw the direction theywereheading.

Whiz, boom! Ten feet in

front of them, the groundshook.Chunksofdirtflewskyward.Shit!Evamadeahard left. They needed toavoid the flames quicklyovertaking the trees andunderbrush.

Whiz, boom! Her earspopped,debrispeltingherright cheek. Straight, sheneeded to keep straight.The sounds of her heavybreathing did nothing to

block out the screams.Don’t turn around. Leadthemtosafety!

Herwild eyes spottingtheopeninginaclearinginfront of her, she skiddedandtookahardleft.Avoidtheclearing.Theywouldn’tstand a chance out in theopen.

Whiz, boom! Shit. Theground in front of her

erupted in a hail of dirt,rocks and grass. Theimpactknockedher toherback. Without thinking,she scrambled to her feetand ran straight into theclearing.

Damn.

Thelargercraftsatfiftyfeet in front of them,metallicandshinywiththesquare door open and a

ramp extending from it tothe ground. Immediately,she turned around to goback.

“Turnaround!Not thisway, turn around!”Everyone behind hertrampled into the clearingas she tried to push backthewayshehadcome.

No one heeded herwarning. “This is all

wrong,weneedtogetoutof here,” she repeatedfrantically.

Theyhadbeenherded.

Amonstrousalienwithgreen,scalyskinappeared,towering over her. Hisyellow eyes with reptilianslitsrestedonthepanickedcrowd. He opened hismouth,revealingtwo-inch-long, razor-sharp teeth,

drippingsaliva.

“WearetheLoconuist.”

“No!”

ChapterOneTaken:YearThree

Heat caressed her faceand shoulders. Warmthpermeated her body. Shecould almost imagine thesun’s warm rays bathingher in perpetual light and

heat. Fresh air circulatedthrough her nostrils. Thescent of food waftedthrough.Shesniffed, therewasmore…

The smell of garbageand feces singed her nosehairs and overrode hersenses.Warmliquidwithadistinctive metallic tastetrickled to the back of herdry, irritated throat. Sheswallowed.Blood.

Adullache inthebackofherheadbegantothrobharderandharder.Voices.Wherearetheycomingfrom?The shouting made herhead hurt even more.Straining her ears, shetried to hear what all thefusswasabout.Panic rosein her chest, she couldn’tunderstandanything,notaword.

She wasn’t on the

Loconuistspacecraft.

Feeling more than alittle dazed and confused,Eva strained to open hereyes. She snapped oneshut when a sliver ofsunlight temporarilyblindedher.Herheartbeatfaster. She needed to findout where she was. Sunand fresh air, both weresomething she hadn’t feltin over three years while

confined on the Loconuistspacecraft.

She tried again. Whileone eye wouldn’t open atall, the other opened justenough.Shewincedagain.The bright light was toomuch for her retina. Shewas right. She wassomewherewithsunlight.

Butwhere?

Sheforcedhergoodeye

to open again. A sea ofdifferent species were outin front of her, none ofthem human. A gaspcaught in her throat.Aliens! Why were these…things…watchingher?

Her eye darted aroundthe crowd. There weresome aliens who had theappearance of six-foot-tallwalking lizards, othersresembled little miniature

dragonsand,ofcourse,thefamous little gray aliens.Sprinkled in the crowdwere humanoid figureswith hair on top of theirheads, twoeyes, twoarmsand two legs. Althoughhumanoid in appearance,the skin colors threw heroff.NotthecolorsshewasusedtoonEarth,butgold,pink,blueandgreen.

ForGod’ssake,green!

A chill ran down herspine.Evatriedtopullherarms closer to her body,but they wouldn’t budge.Looking to her right, aman, orwhat appeared tobe a man, was holdingtight to her arm. Anotherone was on her left. Bothmen stood just over herfive-foot, four-inch frameand were shirtless, theirthick muscular frames

exposed to the heat. Theirbrownleatherpantswereashade darker than theirskintone.

Thiscan’tbegood.

Finally, her memoryreturned.

Men, the same as theonescurrentlyholdingher,enteredtheholdingbayofthe Loconuist spacecraftanddraggedeveryoneout,

kicking and screaming.She and Ally were doingwhat theydidbest,hidingfrom the aliens, but thatdidn’t seem tomatter thistime. These aliens wereintent on taking them allaway.AstheyapproachedAlly and her, the onlything left to do was fight.Fight as though their livesdependedonit.

Guesswelost.

She’d trained with thebestmartialartists,andnotonlywas she an expert invarious weapons, but alsohand-to-hand combat.Herpunchesandkicksontheseguys didn’t seem tomakeadifference.Ithadbeenasifshewerepunchingatreetrunk. They were solid asrocks.

“Where’sAllysan?”shewhispered, her throat

hoarse. After all the yearstrapped in the belly of analien spacecraft, Ally hadbecome more than herfriend. She was the onlyfamilyEvahad.

Eva tried to open bothof her eyes wider, orrather,theonegoodeye.

The men tightenedtheir hold, twisting herbone in the socket.

Excruciating pain surgedthroughher.

“Holy shit! Let me go,you bastards!” She triedher best to wiggle out oftheirgrasp,lettingherlegsdropfromunderneathher.No luck.Pain firedupherarms,aroundandoverhershoulders.

Her outbursts didnothing but rile up the

crowd.Thenoiselevelroseto an almost deafeningroar. Pausing a second tocomprehend what wasreallygoingon,shelookedaroundandstiffenedastherealizationstruckher.

“Are you trying to sellme?”

She stood on what shethought was an auctionblock while the aliens in

the crowd appeared to beplacing bids on her.Having her arms securedby two thick creaturesdefinitely wasn’t helpinghersituation.Shepanickedeven more, her heartracing.There’snoescape.

Overtheroar,someoneshoutedhernamefromherright, the only sound shehadunderstoodsofar.Shespottedfamiliarfacesfrom

the spacecraft behind alargegatedarea.

“Tohellwith this,”shemuttered. Taking twosteps back, she swung herarms to the front of herbody.Themantoherrightlosthisbalance.

Got you. She swungboth her legs to the right,wrapping her kneesaround the man’s thick

neck. Her only chance ofescape was to take downtheweakerofthetwofirst.

She wasn’t sure howmuch force she needed tosnap his neck, but at thismoment, she just wantedhim down. Her effortswererewardedasthemanslowly slumped to thegroundwithathud.

The other tugged on

her arm, hard. Snap. Shefalteredandyelledout,thepainbitingthroughher.

Definitely dislocated,herleftarmwouldbeofnousetoheranymore.

Loweringherbody,shefirmly hit the last manstanding,liftinghimoffhisfeet. She rammed heruselessshoulderjustbelowhisbeltandsenthimflying

over her, landing with ahardthudbehindher.

Nowfree,Evasprintedtothegatedarea.HeronlychanceoffindingAllywasthere. She couldn’t getseparated from her. Notnow.Shuttingout theroarfromthecrowd,sheranashardasshecould.

“Allysan!”Her friend’sbadly bruised face came

into view as she pressedagainstthegate.

Ally’s tearsmadecleanlinesdownherdirt-stainedface. “Don’t let them takeyouawayfromme!”

“I’m coming!” Evasprintedhardtothefence.

Ally’s lanky armextended through thelinks.“Eva!Hurry!”

Shereachedouttograbthelinks,andasharppainhit her spine. Her legsstopped moving andwobbledunderherweightbefore eventually givingway.EvacouldonlywatchAlly stare back as she felltotheground.Thevoiceinher head yelled at her toget up, fight againstwhatever those thingshaddone to her, but her body

was no longer under hercontrol.

“No,no,no,”Allycriedand begged, dropping toherknees.

“Ally,I’msosorry.”

Thenblackness.

ChapterTwo

Taio Xochis hatedcoming to Xenaris. Theplace was always filled tocapacitywith traders fromall over the galaxy.Everyoneknewthatifyouneededhard-to-find items,

go to Xenaris. Right now,he definitely needed apulson emitter for hisdisabledvessel.

Their vessel had runintotroublegoingthroughthe Interplanetary TravelSystem. Ankon, his pilot,had been lucky to avert aspace collision. If anyonecould have done it, itwashim. In order to returnhome to Sonis, they

neededtogetthevesseluptolightspeedandtheonlyplaceAnkoncouldfindthepart he needed was onXenaris,thelastplaceTaioeverwantedtobe.

Finding what heneeded had been easyenough, but it cost asmuchasasmallplanet.Assoon as the merchantsspotted the Sonis RoyalCrest on the arm of his

blackskinsuit,theytripledtheprice.

“How much longer dowe have to stay here?”Taioasked.Hewatchedindisgust as a Lorandianthief used his skills topilfer trinkets off anunsuspectingcouple.Ifthethief had tried that onSonis, hewould have hadhishandsremovedandhislifeless body thrown into

theSinghaOcean.Withthehelp of his royal guards,crime was almostnonexistent on the newlydevelopedworld.

“Ankon thinks wewillbe ready to go beforenightfall,”Rashareplied.

AlthoughXenariswasatrading planet, it still heldmany dangers. This placewas no Utopia. Taio and

Rasha both kept theirsensesonhighalert.

Taio and his crewmembers all came fromDrazlan, the home planet,andhadrelocatedtoSonis,the moon that rotatedaround Drazlan. Drazlanwas hot, humid, sunnyanddryandalsooneofthethree sand planets in theZaronna System. Whilemany thought Drazlan’s

climate was harsh, theythoughtSonis’climatewasno better. Because of theharsh climates of the sandplanets, the inhabitants allhad many of the samecharacteristics—golden-colored skin, although thetone varied betweenindividuals, dark-coloredhair and theywere all tallinstature.

“Thesooner, thebetter.

This placemakesmy skincrawl,”Taioreplied.

Taio, Rasha and someoftheothercrewmemberswalkedthroughoneofthemany overcrowdedmarketsonthesmalldustyplanet.Thesunwasalmostunbearable, even for amale who grew up on aplanet that circled twosuns.Hehadhisshoulder-length hair pulled off his

face and secured at thenape of his neck. Still, thesun’s rays assaulted him.Xenaris had the harshclimate one would expectfromaplanet thatwas settooclosetoitssun.

Thecrowdoflocalsandvisitorsparted,givinghimandhis crewawideberthas they took the time tolook for goods thatwouldbe needed for the journey

home. While themerchants saw unlimitedcredits when they lookedat the royal crest, otherssawmercenaries,warriors,guards.

Taioknewtheeffectheand his crew had oneveryone,buttherewasnopoint getting back on thevessel just yet. It wasdockedona space station,undergoing repairs. So

whiletheywaited,someofthecrewpickeduptrinketsfor loved ones, whileotherspurchasedgoodsforthemselves. Taiopurchased a gem necklaceforhisyoungersister,Saia.Of course, the price hadbeen exorbitant, but thenecklacematchedhereyes.

They walked by acrowd that suddenlywentfrom a small hum to an

eruption of roars. “Theslave market is in fullswing,”Rashanoted.

Taio sneered, his lipcurled in distaste. He hadno desire to stop by theslavemarketsXenariswasfamous for. In fact, evenafterforty-onebirthcycles,bileroseinhisthroatattheidea of beings sold as ifthey were worth no morethananinexpensivetrinket

or bauble. He could notstand to watch as beingswere sold into slaverywhile others enjoyed themeleeitcaused.

Slave trading had beenoutlawedmany cycles agoon every planet in thisgalaxy except for Xenaris.At that time, Xenaris’ambassadors petitionedthe Galactic Council tolegalize slave trading on

their planet. After all,Xenariswasfamousfor itstrading and hard-to-finditems. The request hadbeen granted with certainexceptions. Humaneprotection must beprovided for those beingsold.

Ashewasabouttopassthe podium where theslaveswerebeingheld,hiseyes caught what had

undoubtedly made thecrowd erupt. Standing onthe platform was a smallfemale fighting twoTresdonians. They wereshort in stature but madeup for it in their densephysical makeup. He’dhad the opportunity totake one down during ajob when he was still amercenary.He knew fromexperience they were not

easytofight.

Yet here he stood,watching the small femaleuse her flexibility tooutmaneuver her captorsandeventuallyfreeherselffrom their grasp. By thecondition of her face, theTresdonianshadahellofatime getting her to theauction block. Sheappeared beaten, with amultitude of bruises. He

forced in a breath andclenched his fists as henoticed that one of hereyes was most likely lost,the swelling anddiscoloration of it aloneenough to make himcringe.Shame,hethought.

As the crowd roaredaround him, he stood inawe.Using themuscles inher short legs, she caughtoneofhercaptorsbetween

them,squeezingherkneesaround his neck, takinghimdown.Sheflippedthisway and that, taking fulladvantage of an arm thatwas obviously dislocatedand useless to unbalanceherothercaptor.Withonedown, she charged at theother, flipping him overhershoulder.Thensheran.

Taio looked on inpuzzlement as the young

femaleranbacktowardtheslavecage.Nooneescapedtheir captors only to runback to captivity. Butbefore she got a chance toreach her destination, theTresdoniantookoutastungun and shot the fleeingfemale in her back. Shewent down with a thud.Thecrowdwentsilent.

The Tresdonianadvanced. He had to stop

this.“Holdyourposition!”

TheTresdonianhadnoproblem seeing fromwhomtheorderhadcome.Although he stood behindthem, Taio towered overeveryoneinthecrowd.

Looking to him, theTresdonian dismissed hisorder and continuedforward.Taioclenchedhisfists. He had no problem

persuading the slavetradertofollowhisorders.Thecrowdparted,makingwayforhimandhiscrew.Partly in hopes that theirentertainment wouldcontinuewithanewfight,since their priorentertainment was nowlying unconscious facedowninthedirt.

Taio blocked theTresdonian’s path. “I’m

going to assume thethicknessofyourskullhasprevented you from fullyunderstandingmyorder. Isaid stand down.” Taiospoke the last two wordsslowly.Heplacedhishandon the blaster hooked onthesideofhisbelt.

“Youhavenoauthorityhere,”theTresdoniansaid.

“Actually,asamember

of the Galactic Councilserving theGalactic Boardand as a member of theRoyal House of bothDrazlan and Sonis, I havetheauthoritytoenforcethelawssetforthtoprotectthegalaxy.” Taio widened hisstance, his hand flexingover his blaster. Shootingthis slave trader wouldmake him extremelyhappy.

The Tresdonian lookedtothesky,asiflostindeepthought. Because of theTresdonians’ thick bonestructure, their skulls didnot allow forproper braingrowth. The Tresdonianwas clearly having a hardtime comprehendingwhatTaio had said. His uni-brow scrunched inconfusion and a scowldraped across his face. As

humorous as the sightwould have been on anyotheroccasion,Taiowasinnolaughingmood.

“SinceIdon’twantyouto hurt yourself thinking,I’ll give you thebreakdown. While slavetradingislegalonXenaris,you broke the law byharming a slave who wasnottryingtoescape.”

The Tresdonianwidened his eyes. “Shewasrunning.”

“She was clearlyrunning back to the gate.Notawayfromit.”

The Tresdonian lookeddown at the unconsciousfemale and then towardthe gate. It was apparenthewastryingtofigureouta way to explain his

reasoning for breaking thelaw. Just because the lawwasinplacedidn’tmeanitwas always upheld. Hell,these creatures probablybroke the law every day.This Tresdonian justhappened to have themisfortuneofbreakingthelaw in front of a GalacticCouncilMember.

As if feeling the staresoftheTresdonianandTaio

upon her, the slave inquestion began to stirslightly. A painful groancrossed her lips. Taiolookeddownasadelicate,bloodied and filthy handreached out and wrappedaround his ankle. Even inher current state, thefemaledidnotgiveupherfight. The hand gave aweaktugonhisankle,asifshethoughtshecouldpull

hard enough tomake himfall.

Shewasasmallheapofdirt and blood,with blackhair fanning out in amatted mess around her.Hecouldnotmakeoutanyfacial features beneath theswelling and grime. Thedirty rags she wore werepieced together. But hehadtogiveittothefemale—she was a fighter at

heart.

“You take her.” TheTresdonian smirked,revealing a mouth full ofmissingteeth.

Head snappingupandcoming back to fullattention,TaiostaredattheTresdonian, thinkingwhatheheardwasamistake.

“You take her,” theTresdonianrepeated.

Nope,heheardright.“Icannottakeher.She’syourproblem.”Taio flinched indisbelief at the merethought of beingresponsible for a femalechild.

“You take her,” theTresdonian said again.Thistime,hesloweddownhis words as if Taio wastheonewithasmallbrain.

“I can’t take her withme. I am not here to buyslaves. I am here to makeyou stop abusing helplesschildren.”

“She yours now. Youtake her.” The Tresdonianwalked past Taio back tothe holding tank,undoubtedly to bring outanother slave to start theauctionagain.

“I am not here to buyslaves!” Taio yelled at theTresdonian’s back as thecrowdbegantogrowloud.

“You no buy. She free.We punished,” theTresdonian said over hisshoulder.

Realizingwhathadjusthappened, Taio stared atthe retreating Tresdonianin consternation. He was

about tomove forward toargue his point but wasstopped by Rasha’s handonhisshoulder.

“Itwouldbeuseless toargue with him. If youdon’t take her with you,someoneinthecrowdwilltakeheror theywillcomeback and get her.” Rashamotioned his head in thedirection of theTresdonian. “Either way,

she’sasgoodasdead.”

“This I know,” Taiosaid, eyes downcast. Thefemalewhohad just takenon two Tresdonians nowlay in a small crumpledheapathisfeet.

“WhatwouldIdowithachildinmycare?”

“Youcouldalwaysgiveher to one of the familiesonSonis.Birthshavebeen

down again this year.Thereareplentyofcouplesthat would be honored toadoptachild.”

Rasha was right, hethought.Maybethiswouldbe a good idea. Althoughthe population on Soniswas growing every year,they still had troubleconceiving and therewerevery few children beingborn. More and more

people were leavingDrazlan to settle on Sonis,but the small world stilllackedenoughchildren.

Hedevotedagreatdealof money to researchingtheproblem,tryingtofinda solution. Bringing homeayoungchildwouldmakesome couple extremelyhappy.

“You are right, brosir,”

he said, using the nativeDrazlanwordforbrother.

Picking up the bundleat his feet, he tried not tocause pain to an alreadybattered body. He metminimal resistance. Sheexpressed her displeasurewithslightmurmuringsashe slung her over hisshoulder and carried heraway.

ChapterThree

Where are the vibrationscoming from? The constantsofthumfaded inandoutas Eva struggled to wake.A pulsating sensationstimulated every nerve inher body and seemed to

increase as she becamemore conscious. Herdream about home slowlyfadedaway.

Everyfiber inherbodyfelt rejuvenated. Shestretched out an arm andhit the side of somethinghard and metal with aclank. She froze. She laidher hand flat on a solid,coolsurface.

Huh?

Confusion and fearcoursed through her veinsas she struggled to openeyelids that felt leaden.HowlonghaveIbeenout?

With blurred vision,she looked around hertrap. She had reason topanic. Shewas naked andin some type of whitemetalboxwithaglasstop.

Reachingbotharmsout tothesides,shecouldalmostfully extend them, butnotquite. The top wouldn’tallow her to sit fullyupright. The glass was afootandahalffromthetipofhernose.

Lookingupthroughtheglass, she focused on thestark-white ceiling of theroom.

WhereamI?

The vibrations werecoming from the box,making the whole damnthing hum. Why am I inhere?

Unable to fight herrising panic any longer,sheletoutabloodcurdlingscream.The soundechoedoff the metal walls. Itdidn’t matter if anyone

couldhearherornot.Thepanic of the unknownbecame toomuch to bear.The mere thought of whyshe could possibly be in ahummingboxstressedhermindaseachsecondtickedby.

Calmdown.

She closed her eyesagain,tryingtocontrolherbreathing.Sheretracedthe

events that had led up tothis predicament. She andAlly had been standingtogether in the holdingbay, waiting to see whowould be taken off thecrafttoGodknowswhere.She remembered that agroup of short aliens hadcome in and startedushering many of theyounger women into aseparate area of the craft.

She and Ally had beenamong those who hadbeen chosen for theunknown.

Then,theauctionblock.

Allysan.

She could notrememberwhat happenedafter that, but now therewasanurgencytofindthewoman who had becomeher best friend, sister and

companion.

With renewed energy,Eva opened her eyes. Shehad toassessher situationifshewasgoingtoescape.Placing her hands on theglass in front of her, shepressed lightly to see if itwouldopen.

It wouldn’t budge.Locked.

Twogolden facescame

intoview,peeringdownatherthroughtheglass.

“Ahh!”Startledbytheirsudden appearance, Evayankedherhandsfromtheglass.

The two males stareddown at her while shestared up at them. It wasclear from their skincoloring they were nothuman, but at least they

were humanoid. Theirfacialfeatureswerehumanenough for her. Did theycome to rescue me? Shedismissed the idea of arescuejustasfastasithadcome. Even if they lookedhuman, these malesweren’t.

Don’t let them fool you,Eva.Shetriedtoreadtheirintentionsastheybegantotalk to each other in a

language she couldn’tunderstand.

She kept her eyes onthem. She didn’t knowwhere she was or whothese men were, but shewas prepared to fight ifthey let her out. She triedto relax her body byconcentrating on pacingherbreathing.Thiswastheonly way to stay flexibleand ready. Un-balling her

hands,sherelaxedthemonher chest, instantly feelingthe warm, smoothsensationofbareskin.

She snapped her headdown.Themen aboveherwere taking in the full,unrestricted view of hernaked body. She hadforgottenallaboutherlackof clothes.What the hell isgoing on here! Shemaneuveredone armover

her breasts and the otherhand to cover her pubicarea.

“No freebie peep showhere!” she yelled.“Nothing to see, movealong.” She wished itwouldbethateasytosendthemontheirway.

Itwasobvious shehadnot been successful atescapingtheauctionblock.

Thesemenhadboughtherandwerenowholdinghercaptive to use as a sexslave.

“Ha! You wasted yourmoney, buddies. I’mnobody’s sex slave. I’drather die and take one ofyou with me than give intothis.”

Her voice vibrated offthe wall as she continued

to bellow her thoughtsabout the situation to themen on the other side ofherconfinement.

“Iseethathervoicehasreturned.” Rasha peereddown at the female in thehealing tank. “What doyouthinksheisyelling?”

“Ican’tunderstandherdialect anymore thanyou

can,” Taio said, trying tokeep his voice even. Hefeared it would crack asthough he were ayoungling seeing a nakedfemale for the very firsttime.

His body still reactedthe same way it did thefirst time he had seen hercleaned and placed in thehealing tank. His heartquickened, his stomach

flipped and his cockhardenedatthemeresightof her. He had beenrelieved when Shipinformed him that thechild he had been oglingwasreallyanadultfemale.

That had been tworotations ago—since then,he’d checked on herprogress every day.Sometimes multiple timesaday.Her speciesdidnot

look much different thanhis. Shewas smaller,withlong, silky black hair andskintonedlighterthanhis.But the best news of allwas that shematchedhimanatomically.

He watched her perkybreasts rise and fall withthe rhythm of herbreathing. He couldn’twait to cover her largebrown nipples with his

mouth. The dark hairsnestled between her legsseemed to beckon for hisfingers.

“I know you can’t. Iwas wondering what shecould be saying. Do youthinksheistryingtothankus for saving her?” Rashaasked.

Taio hid his smile. Shewastryingtoshieldherself

fromhim.Itdidn’tmatter.The memory of herdelectable body wasburned forever in hismind.

He could imagine hishands holding onto herhips, helping her rise upanddownonhiscock.Hisgaze traveleddown tohershapely legs.He imaginedrunning his tongue alongthelengthofthem.

Suddenly aware thatRasha was looking downat his female and seeingher naked just as he was,hestraightened, takinghiseyes off the healing tankand lookingathis second-in-command. He didn’tknow ifRashahad similarthoughts,butheneededtoclaim her as soon aspossible. When Rashadidn’t immediately

straighten and look up,Taio peered at himthrough the slits of hiseyes.

Finally straightening,Rasha looked atTaiowitha confused look on hisface.

“I find it strange thatwe do not know herdialect. Ship cannot find atrace of it in the

databanks.”

Knowing his longtimefriend was truly puzzledanddidnothavethoughtsthat ran to the lascivious,Taiorelaxedalittle.

“Ship is contactingothervesselsintheareaofXenaris to find out whereshe came from. Once thatisdone,wewillbeable togetadialectonher.”

Just then, Ship’s voicespoke throughout thecabin.

“I have receivedmultiple reports regardingthe female’s species. Thereports state theLoconuistoriginallybroughtherraceto this sector. I amcurrently trying to locatethe Loconuist vessel toobtain additionalinformation.”

“Thank you, Ship,”Taiosaid.

If anyone could findout about the female’sunknownrace,itwasShip.Theentitywouldfindhimtheinformationheneeded.

But it didn’t solve theproblem at hand. He hadtoletheroutofthehealingtank whether heunderstood her or not.

That was what promptedRasha and him to theinfirmaryinthefirstplace.Shiphad alerted them shewas waking up. He hadwanted to be on hand toexplainwhereshewasandwhathadhappenedtoherfirsthand.

“Well, should we lether out?” Rasha asked,looking down at herthroughtheglass.

Taiopressedthebuttonthatwould open the glassdoor as wild eyes staredbackathim.

ChapterFour

It took all of hertraining to pace herbreathing as she watchedthe glass top silently slidedown a hidden track. Shelay inplace, staringas thetopslowlyopened,freeing

her from the metal coffin.Determined as she was tofocus on keeping herbreathing under control,shecouldn’tignorethetwooverly large males staringdownather.

She willed her eyesfrom the sliding glass toptofocusonthemales.Bothof them were huge andextremely muscular. Well,muscular may have not

been the right choice ofwords. These men wouldhave put ArnoldSchwarzeneggertoshame.

They each had anelaboratelydesignedtattoothat covered one side oftheir faces. The tip of alight-blue and indigo-colored wing covered thecheek of one of the malesand extended down hisneck and chest, his shirt

obstructingherviewoftherest of the picture. Risingfromunderneaththeotherman’s shirt up his neckwas a dark-blue animalarm with red scales on it,its claw wrapped aroundhisrighteye.

Although similar, eachman had distinguishingcharacteristics.Onelookedat her with curiosity, theotherwith fire inhiseyes.

One was handsome, butthe other was downrightgorgeous. Not modelgorgeous. His featureswere too sharp and hardformodeling.Hislipswerefull,withhigh cheekbonesthat rose to lavender-colored eyes surroundedby dark, full lashes a girlwoulddiefor.

Interrupting herthoughts, the male with

the tip of a wing tattooedonhis facesaidsomethingto her that she didn’tunderstand. When shelooked at him withoutreplying, he repeated thewordsagain.

“I don’t understandyou.”She shookherhead.The males turned to lookat each other. The samemale leaned in closer toher and repeated himself

again. This time a lotslowerthanthefirst.

“Are you serious?” sheadded,irritated.

“I don’t think she canunderstand me,” Rashasaid.

“And if you ask heragain, she still won’t beabletounderstandyou.”

“At least I amattempting tocommunicatewithher.Allyoudoisstandgawking.”

TaioroundedonRasha.“I do not gawk! Ship saidit couldn’t determine herdialect. It would bepointless to try to engageher in some type ofconversation. I’m not theonewho insists on askingherthesamequestionover

and over, even after it isapparentthatshedoesnotunderstand.”

Without warning, thefemalegrabbedthesideofthe healing tank andpropelled herself out,planting a foot firmly inhisstomachbeforelandingonthefloor.

Caught off guard, Taiolet out a grunt and

doubled over as the windwasforcedfromhislungs.After landing, she quicklyscannedtheroom.

Rasha reached out andtried to grab her arm.Maneuvering away fromhim, the femalesidestepped out of hisreachand ran to theothersideofthehealingtank.

Assured with the

distance that she had putbetweenherself and them,she again scanned theroom.

“Calm down. We arenot going to harm you.”Rasha raised his arms intheair.

“Great Ancients! Whatareyoudoing?”

He had known Rashaall of his life. Rasha’s

fatherhadbeenoneofhisfather’s diplomats andRashahadbeenaconstantfigure in their palace.Never had he seen Rashathrow up his hands insurrender.

“Can’t you see that Iam trying to get her tocalmdown?Shefearsus.”

“We are not the oneswho jumped out of the

healing tank and attackedher.”

Rasha waved his handin the air dismissively.“Havingthisfemalekickatyou would hardly beconsideredanattack.”

Rasha turned to thefemale. “We will not hurtyou.”He raised his handsagain,ignoringTaio.

She was short, but he

hadn’t expected a grownfemaletobeasshortasshewas, standing just belowhisarmpit.Every timesheturned side to side in afrantic motion, her firmbreastsswayedandjiggledwithmovement.

GreatAncients.

If she didn’t stopmoving, his pants wouldburstopen.Sheturnedina

tight little circle, taking inthe full view of the room.Taio got a good view ofher backside for the veryfirst time. Her butt, justlike her breasts,was high,round and voluptuous. Asmall groan escaped hislips.

When she turned backto face them, her breastsswayed from the abruptstop and continued to

swayforalittlelonger.

“Awww…” hemurmured. He was goingto spill his seed right hereinthehealingbay.

Herhandsflewbackupto cover herself. Rashalooked over at Taio. Thendownatthebulgethatwasstraining against Taio’spants.

“You are not going to

tellmeyouareintheleastbit interested in that smallfemale.”Rasha’seyebrowsrose.

“Andofcourseyouaregoing to stand there andtell me that the nakedfemale before us is not atallappealingtoyou?”

“She is the size of achild!” Rasha said, hisvoice rising. “You had

planstogivehertooneofthe families who work inthe kitchens as a gift fortheirloyalservice.”

“It’s now clear, asevidenced by thosegorgeous breasts swayingin front of us, that she isnotachild.”Taiowavedahand at Eva. “And if shekeeps swaying about thatway, I am going to burstthrough my pants,” Taio

mumbled. He couldn’thelp it if his cock had amindofitsown.

“Trynottojumponherwhile I find her someclothes.” Rasha walked tothecloset.

Eva and Taiowere leftfacing each other. Hethought if he willed hardenough,maybeoneof herbreasts would pop out

from under the arm thatcurrentlyblockedhisview.

She pressed her armharderacrossherchestandlifted her head defiantlyunderhisheavygaze.

Taio crossed his armsover his chest. TheyseemedtobeatastandstillbeforeRashacamebacktohisside.

“We don’t have

anything that will fit her.All I could find was ameditation shirt. It shouldstill be long enough tocover her up.”Rasha helduptheshirt,inspectingit.

“This is for you to puton.”Rashahelditoverhishead and pretended hewasputtingiton.Afterhewas finished with hisinstruction,hetosseditonthe healing tank, closer to

hersidesoshecouldeasilygrabit.

She reached down andgrabbed the shirt andswiftly put it over herhead.

“Ra-sh-a.” Heelongated his name andpointedtohischest.

“Ra-sh-a,” she replied,mimicking hispronunciation.

The shirt envelopedher, hanging down to hercalves.Thesleevesweresolong she had to roll themupsoshecouldhavesomeuseofherhands.

“Ta-io.” Rasha pointedtoTaio’schest.

“Ta-io.” She mimickedhispronunciation.

“Ee-va.”Shepointedtoherself.

“Ee-va,” Rasharepeated.

They both turnedtoward Taio, waiting forhim to say her name, buthe juststoodwatchingherwith his arms across hischest. He didn’t need toknow her name for whathe had planned for her.When he gave noindication of trying to sayher name, she rolled her

eyesand lookedaway.Hesmiled. Shewas feisty.Hewas finding that he likedhisfemalesfeisty.

“I have news on thevisitor called Ee-va,” Shipannounced over thevessel’sintercomsystem.

Clearly startled, shestruck a defensive stanceand looked around theroom for the sourceof the

voice. Immediately seeingher distress, Rasha beganto make soothing sounds,trying to calm her down.Taio was officiallydisgusted with his friendand fellow warrior’ssuddendecline.

“What information doyou have on her?” Taioasked.

“Ee-va is fromaplanet

calledEarth.It is inaverydistant galaxy from ours,”repliedShip.

“How did she get tothisgalaxy?”Taioasked.

“The Loconuistcolonized Earth andstarted to transport theEarthlings off their homeplanet to other galaxies.They are in the process ofstripping the planet. Since

the colonization, theLoconuist have made asubstantial amount ofwealthwiththesaleoftheplanet’s natural resourcesand inhabitants. Earth istheonlyinhabitableplanetin its solar system. Sincethis is the case, there arebillions of inhabitants onthe planet alone,” Shipsaid.

The Loconuist were

relentless in their pursuitto find worlds that werenot as advanced. Theyoftenwenttootherworldsunderthefalsepretenseoftrade. Once they gainedthe trust of the people,they then infiltrated andtook over the world’sgoverning body, takingcontrolandwipingouttheentire planet andinhabitants. Sometimes

theylefttheinhabitantsontheplanettoslaveforthemorwhateverwasneeded.

Since slaves were inhigh demand these pastcycles, he could see whythey had begun to sellEarth’s inhabitants. TheLoconuist could sell theweaker inhabitants andstill keep plenty on theplanettomineandfarmasneeded.

“What else could youfind out about her?” Taioasked.

“I cannot tell youanything more specificabouther. Iamstill tryingto find a dialect that is amatch, or at least a closematchtohers.Ifyoucouldget her to talk more, itwould help me tocompletethattask.”

“What about her age?”Taioasked.

“Herageaccordingtoabone scan is marked asthirty-four Earth cycles.Earth rotations and cyclesarefaster thanours.She istwenty-twobirthcyclesonourownworld.”

Just as Ship wasfinishing the last sentence,Jor’Dan entered the room.

Evadidn’twaste any timebefore bolting towardJor’Danandtheopendoor.

Taio reached out forher.“Don’tletherpass!”

ChapterFive

A millisecond was allshe allowed to look at herpursuer before turningbacktofocusontheexit.

She could only assumethe giant was telling hisfriend to stop her. Her

mindconcentratedonlyonanescape.Shehadnocluewhereshewasgoing.Hell,she didn’t even knowwhereshewas.Thedetailscould all be worked outlater.

She launched herselffeet first toward the manstanding in the doorway.Her right hip hit theground and she slid,breezingbetweenhislegs.

Clearedandoutsidetheroom, Eva sprang to herfeetandtookoffdownthecorridor as fast as shecould,herbarefeethittingthe cold floor, each stepsmacking hard as she ran.She needed to get away;the thought repeated on aloop in her head. She ranfrantically as the heavyfootsteps of her pursuersfollowedbehindher.

Down the corridor sheran, her right handextended out to the wall,searchingforanautomaticdoor. On the Loconuistspacecraft, the doorsopened by some kind ofsensor-detectingmovement. She prayedthese doorsmight operateonthesameprinciple.

A door opened as shepassed it. She wasn’t

surprised but prayed asilent thank you. Takingone good look behind herand not seeing herpursuers in sight, sheducked inside the darkroom.

The darkened roomimmediately brightened,her entrance causing theautomatic lights toactivate. With a swoosh,thedoorslidclosedbehind

her.Turninginafullcircle,sheeyedhersurroundings.The medium-sized roomheldcratesofvarioussizes.Goodenoughplaceasanytohide.

She took off to a farcorner. Satisfied that theroom would serve herpurpose for now, shedropped to a sittingposition, grabbed herknees to her chest and

wrappedher armsaroundthemtightly.

Assweatdripped fromher brow and her bodyshook, shewaited for twothingstohappen.Thefirst,for the motion-sensorlights to go off. Thesecond, for the giants tocome through the doorandgether.Crap.

Finally, the footsteps

andshoutsofherpursuerscame from the corridorbeyond the door and theywere getting closer. Herforeheadpressedpainfullyto her knees, breathragged,shewaited.

The sensor lightsblinked off, leaving theroompitchblack.

She held her breath.The footsteps were now

just beyond the door. Hercaptorswere close enoughfor her to hear themtalking in harsh, deepvoices.Not knowingwhatwassaidonlyaddedtoheranxiety.

She imagined everysentence they spoke as“Catch the woman so wecan all take turns rapingher”. I’ll kill them first.Againstherwill,herbody

began to tremble harder.She waited for theinevitable.

Herrecapture.

The blood pumpedloudly through her head,rushing through her brainand ears, the wait wasalmostunbearable.

Becalm.

She needed to be in

control, no matter whathappened next. Sheconcentrated on herbreathing, imagining theslow, deep breaths of aircirculating through herlungs firstand then toherbody. Within minutes shecalmed. Her eyes slowlyopened. Staying perfectlystill, she strained her ears,trying to locate any othernoisebesideherown.

Silence. She let out adeepbreath.

Eva sat as still as shecould. Although calmer,her breathing had notreturned to normal. Herchest burned with pain.Hereyeswerefixedonthedoor.Shehadescaped.Butwherewasshe?

“Ally,where areyou?”shewhispered.“Ican’tget

to you if I don’t knowwhereyouare.Hell,whenyoutellmewhereyouare,tellmewhereIam,soIcango to where you are andthen we can both gosomewhere away fromhere.”

“That phrase does notmake sense,” adisembodied voiceinterjected.

Eva jumped up, hermovement causing thelightstoclickbackon.Hereyes darted around theroom. She was alone.“Whoareyou?”Shespun,looking for the source. Itwas the same voice fromearlier.

“MynameisShip.Whyisyourheadjerking?ShallIcallforhelp?”

“No!”sheyelled.“No,”she said again, catchingherself and dropping hervoice back down to awhisper. “Wait. How is itpossible that I canunderstandyou?”

“WeplacedaUniversalTranslator in your brain.”Eva’s hands immediatelyflew to her head. “Don’tworry. You were notharmed. It is standard

procedure for allintelligent life forms whotravel off-world to beequippedwithaUniversalTranslator.”

“So I can understandwhatthosemenaresayingtomenow.”

“Because we wereunfamiliar with yourdialect,theremaybesomevariations in translation,

but it should translateeffectively for the timebeing. Youwill be able toread other languages aswell. I can adjust itremotely as I come tounderstand your languagebetter.”

“You will not go intomy head!” she said, hervoice low and harsh, nowmorealarmedthanever.

“I told you before, noharmwillcometoyou.”

Her eyes wanderedaround the room, stilltrying to figure outwherethevoicecamefrom.“Whoareyou?”sheaskedagain.

“Itoldyou,mynameisShip.”

“I’monaship?”

“You are on a vessel.

Moreprecisely,youareonthe Saia II. But to answeryour previous question,mynameisShip.”

“Oh.”Shepaused foraminute to gather herthoughts. “Where is theshiptakingme?”

“You are riding in theSaiaII.Itismoreaccuratelyreferredtoasavessel.”

“Idon’tgetit.Yousaid

Iwas on a ship called theSaiaII.”

“No. The vessel iscalledtheSaiaII.MynameisShip.Iamtheentitythatsometimes inhabits thisvessel.”

“And you said I didn’tmakesense.Sheesh.”

“Do you need furtherexplanation?”

“No, well, yes. Justexplaintheentitypart.”

“Ioriginatefrombeingsthat require an electriccurrent to survive. Weoperate and controlwhatever the electriccurrent is runningthrough.Wewouldnotbevisible to your eyes. Wehave been around sincewell before your time,”Shipexplained.

“So right now you areinthisship,err,vesselandcontrolit?”

“Thatiscorrect.”

“So what’s yourname?”

“Ship.”

ChapterSix

“Wait a minute. Theship is the object you livein, not your name. I’masking you your name.Not what objects youinhabit,”shesaid.

“My name is Ship.

Cycles ago, I inhabited asmall electrical toy vesselthatTaiohadasan infant.HenamedmeShip.Ilikeditandhaveusedthatnameeversince.”

“Cycles?”

“Yes, you wouldrecognize the meaning asyear.”

“HowlonghaveIbeenhere?”

“TwoSonisrotations.”

“Huh?”

“Days.”

“Oh.So,whatwasyourname before Ship?” Sherelaxed back against thewall.

“Mynamewas…”

A high-pitched squeakresonated throughout theroom. Covering her ears

withherhandsdidlittletoblock out the shriekingnoise.

“Iamsorryifmynamecaused you pain. I willhavetoaddthatyourearsare sensitive to high-pitched sounds to yourinformation.”

“Don’t. Ever. Do. That.Again.” As her hearingslowly came back, she

opened and closed hermouth and rocked herheadfromsidetoside.

“Imade a note of it. Itwillnothappenagain.”

“Taio,hewasoneofthemen chasing me. Who ishe?”Evaheldupherhand.“And if you can’t answerwithoutmaking thatGod-awful noise, then pleasedon’tanswer.”

“Taio is himself. Hedoes not have an entityinsidehim.”

“Right,” she saidsarcastically.“Iwasaskingwho he was, as in…nevermind.”

Ship fell silent for aminute.

“I misunderstood yourquestion.TaioXochisisthefirstKingofSonis,firstson

of King Xochis ofDrazlanandPrince ofDrazlan.Heis the owner of SonisMercenary and SonisGold.”

Okay, so she had beensold to some type ofroyalty.Royaltywhomshehad assaulted, can’t forgetaboutthat.

“Are you his sl… Imean, is he your mas…”

Sheblewoutabreath.“Doyoubelongtohim?”

She had trouble tryingto find the right words toask. Somehow asking,“Areyouaslave?”or“Areyou owned by someone?”didn’tseemquitepolite.

“No.Iammyown.Weare…friends is the word Ibelieveyourpeoplewoulduse.”

“So, did he buyme onthatplanet?”

“FromwhatIwastold,youwere given to him bytheTresdonians.”

“Iwasgiventohim.Asinfree?”Whatthehell?

She couldn’t believe it.It’snot that shewanted tobesoldintoslavery,buttobe given away. Well, thatbrought back some bad

memories. DamnTresdonians.

“You proved to bemore trouble than youwere worth.” Shiplaughed, a deep rumblethat filled the room.Apparently he amusedhimself.

“That’snotveryfunny.No one had the right togive me away,” she said,

hervoicealowwhisper.

Her parents had givenher up for adoptionwhenshe was two years old.Who gives up a two-year-old? Of course, she didn’twant to be sold andbought by anyone, but atleast it proved she wasworth something. Free,well, that was just…nothing.

Asoftclinkingsoundinthe distance brought herout of her downwardemotionalspiral.Shegrewquietandstrainedherears.Thenoisestrailedoffdownthe hallway before finallydying down completely.Onlythendidsheturnherattentionbacktotheentity.He wasn’t an immediatethreat.

Shedecidedtotakeher

chances and keep askingquestions. This was moreinformation than she’dgotten from anyone aboutanything in the past threeyears.

“Canyoupleasetellmewhere I am? You told meI’monsometypeofvessel,but I reallywant to knowwhere I am.” Moreimportantly,howfarawaywasshefromEarth?

“You are in the DeltaSystem.”

“Umm…and that iswhereexactly?”

“The Delta System isten lightcyclesaway fromthe Zaronna System. Bothare located in the TorusGalaxy.”

“Hmm…I need you tobe a bit more specific. Ineed information I can

use.”

“That was informationyou coulduse,” Ship said,sounding a bit offended.“WeareonourwaytotheZaronnaSystem.”

“Why are we goingthere?”

“We are returninghome. Your new home.ThemoonSonis.”

She inhaled sharply asthe information settled.Hernewhome. That’swhattheentityhadsaid.

She shook her headviolently. “No. That’s notright. My home is onEarth. Can you turn thesh…vessel around andtake me back to Earth?Please.” The plea tumbledout of her mouth beforeshecouldstopit.

“Earth. It is the thirdplanet from a sun locatedinwhat your species havenamed the Milky WayGalaxy. Earth wascolonizedbytheLoconuistjustover threeEarthyearsago.Sincethattime,three-fourths of Earth’spopulation has been soldinto slavery throughoutthe Holantis Galaxy, OliGalaxy,ZinarcarinGalaxy,

Istenoru Galaxy, Qeiktig—”

“Stop!” she yelled.Notbeing able to take anymore, she dropped herhead into her hands.“Where did you get thisinformation?”sheaskedindisbelief. He had to bewrong.

Those bastards soldthree-fourths of Earth’s

population? No, thatcouldn’t be true. He wasmaking this up. This hadto be a mistake. All thosepeople…

“When you werebroughtonboard,Taiohadmecheckyourorigins.TheLoconuist vessel gave methe information availableonyourkind.”

All of a sudden, the

events from thepast threeyearscamecrashingdownonher.Thealien invasion,her capture and beingseparated frompeople shehadcometocallfriends.

Separated.

Alone.

Again.

Those three thoughtscrushed down on her as

heavyasaweight.

“I am sorry for yourloss.” The sincerity in theentity’s voice made herbelieve he somehowunderstood all she hadbeenthrough.

She buried her face inher hands and cried. Forthefirsttime,shecriedforthe loss of her planet, herworld, her fellow humans

and her best friend. Thetears poured down herface and spilled on thefloor.Herbodyshookandrocked with grief, theyears of turmoil finallybeingreleased.

She wasn’t sure howlongshecried,thankfultheentity allowed her towallowinherpain.Pullingherselftogether,shewipedher face on the large shirt

andsquaredhershoulders.

“Did he purchase anyothers?” She was almosttooafraidtoask,butafraidnotto.

“No, you are the onlyone.He did purchase twoother items from localmerchants.Doyouwishtoknowwhattheywere?”

“No. Thank you,” shesaid halfheartedly. “Will I

be the only human onSonis?”

Ship paused. “I don’tunderstand.AllthereportsI receivedstatedyouwerefrom Earth, not fromhuman.”

“No.Yes.No.Imean,IamfromEarth,butwearecalled humans. As in thehumanrace.”

“I was not aware that

otherbeingslivedonEarthbesides Earthlings. Well,not until before theLoconuist colonizedEarth.”

“No, there wasn’t. Imean, are there any otherEarthlings besides myselfontheplanet?”

Eva was beginning tounderstand she had to bemore specific with her

questions,becauseshewasgetting the urge to rip acontrol panel out of thewalljustsoshecouldhavethe sensationof stranglingthe entity with her barehands.

“Sonisisnotaplanet.Itisamoon.Andno,youaretheonlyone.”

A lump formed in herchest.Shewould liveona

moon with aliens. Wouldthey look the same as themenwhochasedherorthealiensinthecrowdonthatplanet of hell? Sheshudderedatthethought.

Shepushedthethoughtfrom her head. If Shipcould find information onher, he could find Ally,right?

“How would I find a

friend who was on thatplanetwithme? Is there away to find out who shewassoldto?”

“Thatwould be almostimpossible. Slave tradingis legal on Xenaris. Thetransaction does notrequire the name of theperson being sold. Alltransactions are final.There is no return policy.Are you contemplating

returning?”

“No. Iwanted toknowhow to find my friend.”Her heart dropped to herstomach.

“Good. You are muchsafer here than you wereon Xenaris. You requiredextensive repair. Yourequired immediate help,even before I was able tofind out anything

regarding your geneticmakeup.Youwerebrokenin many places. I hope Iprogrammed the healingtank to put you backcorrectly.”

Eva jumped quickly toher feet and inspectedherself.As Ship talked, animage of Frankenstein’smonstercametohermind.In her headwas the voiceof a mad scientist yelling,

“It’salive!It’salive!”

“What is the name ofthepersonyouarelookingfor?”Shipasked,obliviousthatEvahadhershirtoverher head, making sure allher lady parts were inorder.

“Allysan Miller. Hey!Whereismybellybutton?”She dug her finger in herstomach where her

bellybuttonhadoncebeen.

“What is abellybutton?”

“It’s the indention of ahole that I had in themiddleofmystomach.It’sfrom my umbilical cord.”Shescratchedattheskininhopes it was still there,hiddenunderneath.

“Interesting that youwouldwantadefectback,”

Shippondered.

She inspected her legsand knees, the childhoodscars now erased. Shewiggled her toes, allaccountedfor.

Oh my God! What if heclosed up the “holes”,thinking they were defects?Evaslidherhandbetweenher legs, trying toinconspicuously check

herself. Two holes, all inorder. She blew out abreath.

“Taio is becomingveryupset that Iwon’t tellhimwhere you are hiding,”Shipfinallysaid.

She put her shirt backdown and looked up. “Ishestilllookingforme?”

“Yes. Taio, Rasha,Jor’Dan and Ankon were

pursuing you when youfled the healing bay.Whydidyourun?”

“I had to get away.They were fighting overwhowasgoingtorapemefirst.”

“I assure you that wasnotthecase.”

“Oh.” Honestly, shehad forgotten about themfor just amoment at least.

“Has he been looking formethisentiretime?”

“Yes.”

“Whyhaven’t you saidanything to them? Imean,aboutwhereIam?”

“I thought you neededsome time to calm downbefore you encounteredthemagain.Itoldhimyouwere frightened. I wouldguess they are all

considerably larger thanany of the males thatwould be found on yourhome planet,” heexplained.

“Yes, well, they werekindabig.Giant,actually.”So far, the threemalesshecame into contact with onthevesselhad tobe sevenandahalffeettallortaller.

“Do you want him to

comehere tocollectyou?”Ship asked. Before shecould reply, he added,“No, you most definitelywouldwanttogotohim.”

Evathoughtaboutitfora few seconds beforereplying that she wantedto go to him. The thoughtof being hunted downmade her want to throwup.Atleastshecouldgotohim with her head held

highandreadytofaceherfutureheadon.

But angry was a mildunderstatement.Whenshefinally reached the roomwhere Taio and a handfulofhismenwere,helookedbeyondangry.

“He will not harmyou,” Ship said to hersoftly. As she walkedcloser,Taio’slavendereyes

glared at her, a scowl onhis face and arms crossedoverhismuscledchest.

“Tell that to him.” Shenoddedinhisdirection.

ChapterSeven

Taio kept his eyes onEvaas sheate.Thedininghall was capable ofholding thirty guards andwas currently emptyexcept for him, Eva andfive others. Although

nearly empty, he noticedshe positioned herself asfar away from him as shepossibly could, as if shethought the distancewould save her fromhim.Humph, not hardly. Theonlyreasonheletherkeepher distance was becauseof Ship. Otherwise, hewould have flung heracross his shoulder andtaken her to his bed three

rotations ago, after herrelease from the healingtank.

Even though she sat atthe table by herself, hecouldhearhertalking.Evahad since exchanged theoversized shirt for asmallerskinsuit.

The suit was his sisterSaia’s fromwhen she hadtraveled with him a few

cyclesback.ItwasobviousEva had trimmed thebottom to accommodateher short stature. Butotherwise the suit wastightinalltherightplaces.Her breasts strainedagainst the material as iftheywouldexplodeoutatanymoment. The thoughtmadehis cock twitchwithanticipation.

Sheworeherdarkhair

pulledback in a tight bunon the back of her head.He opened and closed hisfingers, imagining themundoing the bun andrunning his fingersthrough each silky strand.Hewas sure itwas just assoftasitlooked.

Sinceshesatbyherself,he could only guess shewas in deep conversationwithShip.Aboutwhat,he

had no idea. He caughtsnippets of her wordseverynowandthen.Somewords he understood,othershedidnot.Shipwasin theprocess ofupdatingtheUniversalTranslatortoaccommodate the newlanguage. Ship requestedthat Eva talk as much aspossible so he couldworkout the nuances of thefunny language from her

homeworld.

Asifsensinghisstares,she glanced quickly in hisdirection. The words onherlusciouslipstrailedoffmid-sentence. He shouldhave turned his head, butdidn’t. No need to, shewouldbehissoon.Hehadclaimedher.His crewhadalready been warned tostayawayfromthehumanfemale.

Blue eyes, the samecolor as Sonis’ SinghaOcean, blinked once, thentwice, before turningaway. Her small headshook, gesturing no,undoubtedly to Ship. Hewas sure he would hearabout it later. Ship wouldnot be pleased with him.He’d promised Ship hewouldstayawayfromherwhile she became

acclimated to the newculture she would bethrustinto.

“What are your plansfor her when we reachSonis?”Jor’Danasked.

The younger guard satdownonthebenchnexttohimandchewedonapieceof dried meat. Jor’Danstood half a head shorterthan him and his build

wasn’tasthickasTaioandRasha’s. Insteadofpullinghislonghairtothenapeofhis neck as most of theguards preferred, Jor’Dandisplayed his freely. Hestillhadalottolearn.Eventhoughthefemalesseemedto prefer his hair wild, itwas not advantageous forfighting.

“Shewillbemine.”

Jor’Dan nodded inresponse. “Since you havethreatened death toanyone who approachesher, I already suspectedthat.”

Jor’Dan had been withhim for over ten cycles,working his way fromhired mercenary to royalguard. Next to Ship andRasha, Jor’Dan could becountedasoneofhismost

loyalfriends.

“I will keep her withmefor the timebeing.Shehas no family to protecther.”

“And you are keepingheronlybecausesheneedsprotection?”

“Youwereawitnesstowhat happened to her onXenaris. She was almostkilled. She needs a

protector.”

“By the way you arestaring at her, I wouldgamble you have morethan protection on yourmind.”

“Once Ship has all theinformation he needs, Iwill claim her in everyway.”

Jor’Dan looked over atEva;Taiosensedhisfriend

was trying to see herthroughhismentor’seyes.“But she is so…small. Ifthe rest of her race is assmall as her, it wouldexplain why they fellagainsttheLoconuist.”

“Although small, shefoughtasawarrior.”

“What of finding amate? Is that on hold forthetimebeing?”

Taioshookhishead.“Iwillcontinuemysearchforamate.ThepeopleofSonisare counting on me toprovide a strong bondingcontract. Until then, thehuman will make a niceconcubine.”

Sonishadbeengiventohim by his father for histwentieth birth cycle. Atthat time, Sonis had beeninhabited by only a small

group of settlers, thosewho could stand intenseheatandconstantdryness.

His father, the King ofDrazlan, had been verypleased to get rid of theupkeep and responsibilityof caring for it. Butunbeknownst to the king,underneath the intenseheatanddrysand layoneofthelargestgolddepositsin the galaxy. Now Sonis

was its own very wealthyworld.

“And you are sure shewill be agreeable to suchanarrangement?”

“Her agreement is notrequired.Iownher.”

“Since when do weownslaves?”

Jor’Dan was right. Hispeople had never had a

history of slave trading,but the thought of givingup his new find cloudedhisjudgment.

“I think you need tobed her. Get it over withand let her go,” Jor’Dansaid.

Taio watched herintently from across theroom. “I plan to.” But hedid not have plans to let

hergoanytimesoon.

*****

Eva pressed her faceagainst the rectangularwindow in the trainingroom, watching the lightsof unknown origin whizby. She was in one of thetraining rooms that Shiphad sequestered for her.After lunch, she was

feeling more than a littlestir-crazy. She needed towork off some of thetension that coiled aroundhermuscles.Ittookallherstrengthnot togetupandleavethedininghallwhileTaio’s gaze bored throughher back. Did he reallyhavetokeepsendingthosesmolderinglooksherway?

His lavender eyeslocked on her whenever

sheenteredaroom.Itwasunnervingtobeabletofeelthe heat from them surgethrough her, making herbody feel on fire. Theintensity of his gazemadeherbodyrespondinawaythat she didn’t want it to.Every now and again, shewasn’t able to resist theirpull andwould return hisstares,onlytocatchherselfbefore quickly turning

away.

No one would everconsider her to be acoward. But there wassomething about the wayhe looked at her that hadher frightened. And thattattoo on his face.Sometimes it intriguedherand other times it madeher scared. Who wouldallow such an intricatedrawing to be completed?

Thepainalonewouldhavebeen enough to deter anysane person from gettingit,alienornot.

His body was a wholedifferent story. It wasdownright criminal tohave a body like his. Theman had a body thatwouldmakeanunwanttosin. He was tall,unbelievably so, but hewasallripplingmuscle.

This vessel was full ofmenandtheonlyonewhowould give her a secondglance was Taio. Thethoughtshouldhavegivenher some type of comfort.Instead of beating offtwenty men, there wasonly one she would havetoworryabout.Therewasno mistaking hisintentions. Every time helookedherway,itwasasif

hewerewillingherclothesto fall fromher body.Heronly counterattack so farwas to stay away fromhim.

But she did have toagree with Ship, beingunderthecareofTaiowasforthebestrightnow.

Learning about theirculture had been a shock.Shipwasveryforthcoming

with his information onSonis, and especially howthemalesandfemaleshadtraditional duties straightout of the eighteenhundreds.Shewasfed,thedining hall was openaround the clock, whichwasaplus.Oftentimesshefound herself standing infront of the computer,requesting the buro flankwith nitlick soup after

everyone else was fastasleep. These were theclosest thing toEarth foodshe could find. They hadthe same taste as chickenandtomatosoup.

She was finally clean.Although she would haveloved to feel the caress ofrunningwateronher skinagain, the ionized showerhit the spot. She hadclothes, which, although

they were tight, were atleast clean. And most ofall, she didn’t feel hersafety was in any type ofjeopardy, not at themoment. She wanted tofind Ally, but she had tofacethehardfacts.

Shewas far away fromhome.

Inanalienworld.

Nomoneywhatsoever.

Nowheretogo.

Andalone.

Ship promised to keephischannelsopenandalerther if he came across anyleads on Ally. That gaveEva some type of hope.Ship explained that hewouldbeabletofindAllya lot faster than she everwould. And for somereason, she trusted him.

She hadn’t felt this waywith anyone else she’dencounteredsofar.

IncludingTaio.

Finally, pulling herselfaway from the window,she pulled a training bagfromthecornertostartherworkout. Hand-to-handcombat always made herfeel primal, the mainreason she loved it so

much.

Within minutes, hertraining suit clung to herbody, the lightweightmaterial not constrictingher movements at all.Perspiration covered herfromheadtotoe,heronce-tied-backhairhangingwetand loosearoundher.Hermuscles thrived under theworkout, coming aliveonceagain.

Heavy breathingbehind her caught her offguard. She flipped away,landinginafightingstancefacingtheintruder.

Taio stood in thedoorway, watching. Hegave a curt nod her way,the acknowledgementdoingnothingtomakeherfeelrelaxed.

“You have good skills,

Eva.” He hooked histhumbs in thewaist ofhispants and leaned on thedoorway.Her name neversoundedbetter.

“Thank you.” Sherelaxed and straightened,her eyes still watchinghim.Thiswashisfirsttimespeaking tohersince theirill-fatedfirstencounter.

She didn’t dare move

closer, especially since shestill didn’t know hisintentions. She didn’tmove away either, fearinghe would view that as asign of weakness. So shestood her ground, herbody betraying her in theworstway.Herheartspedup a little and herbreathing became morelabored. Now she foundher nipples hardening as

her name rolled off histongue.

IknowtroublewhenIseeit.

Evawilledher body tofight against whatever“mojo”hewasthrowingather.

Taio walked into theroomandtookaswordoffa rack on the wall. Hebegan flexing it, testing its

weight.Thegesturecausedhisarmandchestmusclesto ripple with eachmovement.Jesus.

“Who taught youfightingmoves?”

“My sensei, he livedback home.” Not a daywent by that she didn’tthink about the elderlyJapanese man whoreferred to her as kodomo,

or“littlechild”.

“Earth,” he said as astatement, rather than aquestion.

“Yes,Earth.AnnArbor,Michigan, morespecifically.”

She eyed the weaponson the wall. She wastrained to use variousfighting weapons—sais,kamas,knives,nunchakus,

bo staffs and swords. Shecouldshowhimathingortwo.

Shewalkedover to therack and took anotherswordoff thewall.Shit! Itweighedaton!Nowonderhe smirked when shepickeditup.

Even though shestrained to hold it in bothhands, she made sure not

to let him know. Shewould give anything tosmack that look right offhis face. Instead, sheconcentrated hard on notdropping the sword. Shewouldn’t give him thesatisfaction. She dared nottry to maneuver it as hehad.

“A male taught you?”Hesoundedsurprised.

“Yes. Thirteen Earthyears of training.” Taiolaughed and shook hishead in disbelief. “It’s notunusual on my planet,”shesaid.“Amalecanteacha female how to fight oreven a female can teach amale.”

He laughed harder.“There could never besuch a thing on myworld.”

She turned her headaway. “I earned a blackbelt, first Dan inKyokushin Karate. OnEarthI’mconsideredtobeagreatfighter.”

“Your people did notfarewellinthewaragainsttheLoconuist.Thefightingtechniques of your speciesmean nothing to me.”Ouch. If the sword in herhandswasn’tsoheavy,she

would have swung it athim.Asshole.

“We didn’t know howto fight them.We’d neverencountered aliensbefore.”

“Then it is good that Iwill take care of you fromnowon.”

Her head snappedaround. “Idon’t needyoutotakecareofme.”

“Youwerecapturedbythe Loconuist and theTresdonians almost killedyou.”

She shrugged. “Buttheydidn’t.”

Hesmirked.“BecauseIsavedyou.”

“Thanks,butIcantakecareofmyself.”

“It doesn’tmatter. You

aremyresponsibilitynow.Youaremyslave.”

Hereyes,squintingandcold, fixed on his. “Shiptold me those assholes onthatplanetgavemetoyou.I think you got cheated.I’mnot a slave.Notyoursoranyoneelse’s.”

“If this arrangementdoes not suit you, I couldturnthevesselaroundand

give you back to theTresdonians.” He turnedfrom her and put theheavy sword back on thewallrack.

Her heart beganpounding inher chest.Hewouldn’t…

“No. I’m not goingback there.” She held herswordtightlyinhergrasp.

“Then you are my

slave.” He stalked slowlytoward her. His eyeslockedonhers.

“No.”Shebackedawayfrom him. This cannothappen.

“You are mine.” Hetook another step towardher. “Youwill need to getusedtotheidea.”

“Never.”

Abruptly, Taio turnedand walked from theroom. She blinked at theempty doorway. The coldsurface of the wall wasagainst her back. Withoutmeaning to, she’d backedherself flush up against it.Sheheldtheswordclosetoher chest, shielding herbody, her breathing rapidand pulse bounding. Shestayedthereuntilherarms

shook from the sword’sweight.

Shewasnoone’sslave.

ChapterEight

“Wewill dock in Sonisairspace tonight,” Shipsaid.

Her pulse quickened.“Really?”

She was sitting on theedge of the bed in her

smallcabin,pullingonhershoes. At least the entitywaiteduntilshewasoutofbed and dressed beforedroppingthenewsonher.If he had given it to herbefore, she might havedecided to spend thewhole day in bed, buriedbeneaththecovers.

“Areyouafraid?”

“I’mneverafraid.”

“Your heart rate andbreathing have increasedtremendously.Itonlydoesthat when you are in thepresenceofTaio.”

“Stopreadingme!”

Wouldsheevergetanyprivacy? The entity hadbeen inherpresence sinceshewokeup.Itwasn’tthatshe didn’t like him,becauseshedid.Sofar,he

washeronlyfriend.Buthewas constant; even whenhe pretended not to be byher, she still felt hispresence.

Eventually he wouldknow her innermostfeelings.Althoughshewassuretheentitycouldn’ttellthedifferencebetweenfearand arousal, he wouldfigureitoutsoonenough.

“Itisperfectlyfinetobescared of the unknown,Eva. You have beenthrough a lot in the pastthreecycles.”

“I know. I just don’twanttoseemweak.”

“There is a lot of talkabout you on the vessel,but weak has not beenmentionedatall.”

Interesting.

“Can you tellmewhatTaioplanstodowithme?”

“Iamnotsure.Youwillhavetoaskhimdirectly.”

She snorted. “Not inthis lifetime.” She had notseen him since the day inthe training room,avoidinghimatallcosts.

“Itoldyoubefore,Taiohas never harmed afemale.Youdonotneedto

beafraid.”

“Whatever. I alreadyhad a run-in with him. Iwant to stay as far awayfrom that giant aspossible.”

“Then I guess we willboth learn your fatetogether. I thoughtmaybeyou would want to havesome say in it, for achange.”

“You are so getting onmynerves.”Theentitywasright, it was time to takecontrolofherdestiny.Shewould just have to suck itup and talk to the giantwho both scared her andmade her knees weakevery time she saw him.“WherecanIfindhim?”

“He is on the bridge. Iwill tell him to expect avisitfromyou.”

“Thanks,Ship.”Puttingall fears aside, she madeher way to the controlroom.

The door slid open.There were five males,including Taio, in theroom. He sat in thecaptain’s chair. The largeroom of monitors andlightsgaveheramoment’spause as she entered. Themen didn’t pay much

attention toher,except fora quick glance her waybefore returning to theirduties. No one yelled forher to leave, so with herhead held high andshoulders back, shewalked in his direction,nodding to the crewmembers as she passedthem.

She could feel his eyeslingering on her body,

making her conscious ofhow the suit molded toher, how thenecklinewastoo deep and how hernipples reacted byhardening under his gaze.Shehatedit,sheshould’vebeen offended by hissmoldering looks, but ithad the opposite effect onherbody.

She stopped in frontofhim. “King Taio, I

wondered—”

“Taio,”hesaid.

“Excuseme?”

“Taio. I prefer to becalled Taio.” He leanedback in his chair. His softblack leather uniformstretched across hismuscles, defining eachone.

“Okay. Taio, I wanted

toknowwhatyouplannedtodowithme.”

“Whatshould I dowithyou?” His eyes roamedslowly up and down herbody.

Whenshefeltherpussylips swell and thewetnessbetween her legs, shestoodramrodstraight.Sheheld her ground andpulledbackher shoulders.

Her body might betrayher, but she would neversubmittoit.

When his eyes finallymet hers, she glared athim. “I don’t know whatyou have planned forme,butI’mheretoremindyouthatI’mnoone’sslave.”

His nostrils flared andhe took a deep breath.“Interesting, because I

have your ownershippaperwork.Iwasnotevenexpecting togetany,but Ican only guess that sinceyou were nothing buttrouble for theTresdonians, they wanteda record of you leavingtheirpossession.”

“I don’t care what‘paperwork’ you have.”She took two steps closerto him. “I alreadywarned

you.”

“Warned me?”Instantly he straightenedinhischair.“Doyouhear,guards?” he yelled. “Thefemalehas‘warned’me.”

All of the guardseruptedinlaughter.

“Asshole.” Why didshe even bother trying totalk to him? It was allShip’s stupid idea. She

turned around to walkaway.

Growling low, hereached out and grabbedthe back of her suit,yanking her onto his lap.Caught off guard, shestruggled. He threw anarmoverherstomachandtightenedhisgrip,pinningherinplace.

“You will not leave

unless I dismiss you,” hesaid. He growled deep inhischest.

She bucked andwiggled against his grasp.Hernecklinestretchedlowacross her breasts. “Youdon’townme!”

“Iwill…ineveryway.”Taioinhaleddeeply.“Icansmellhowmuchyouwantme.”

“Let me go, youNeanderthal!”

Her bun unraveled asshebangedherheadonhischest.

“Iliketheviewfromuphere.”

“Let.Go.Of.Me.”

He instantly stiffened.Noticing the change inhim, she stilled as well.

She followed his gaze tofinditrestingonhernakedbreast. It had sprung freeduring their struggle. Ohshit.

“Leave us.” His voicewasdeepandpossessive.

“Letmecovermyselfatleast,” shewhispered.Herhandsgrippedhisforearm,her nails digging into hisflesh.

Only after the lastpersonexitedtheroomdidhereleaseher.Sheshotupand adjusted herself withherbacktohim.

“Youembarrassedme,”she said. She worked atrightinghersuit.

“I am not concernedabout yourembarrassment. You cameonto my bridge and

challenged me in front ofmyguards.”

“Itwasn’tmeanttobeachallenge.” She turnedaround, her facereddening. “I wanted toknow your plans. Can’t Ijust liveoutanormal life?Domyownthing?”

“Iamnotinthehabitofacquiring beings ofdifferent species and

takingthemtomyhometo‘dotheirownthing’.”

For the briefestmoment, they stared ateachother.Theywereatastandstill. Her fists balledathersides.Hereyesfixedon the tattoo on his face.Thiswas the first timeshehad seen his tattoo upclose.

“What is that a picture

of?” The words escapedher lips before she couldstopherself.

She thought he wasn’tgoing to answer as he ranhis handover the clawonhisface.

“It is a varitizar.” Hishands caressed the talonssurroundinghiseye.

“Howdidyougetit?Itlooks like some kind of

tribal marking.” Everyoneon the vessel had a facialtattoo of some type oranother.

“When males come ofage,wegothrougharitualcalled an enlightenmentceremony. We becomewarriors. During theceremony, our animalguides reveal themselvesto us. In my case, it wasthevaritizar.”

“Is it as bad as itlooks?” She extended herhand to touch his face.Then, realizing what shewas doing, she pulledback.Messwithfireandyouwillgetburned.

“Worse.” A sinistersmilegracedhislips.

“What about thefemales? Do theyparticipate in the

ceremony?”

“Never.”

“Whynot?”

“Because it is unheardof.”Heraisedhiseyebrow.“Do you want to see therestofit?”

She nodded and hepulled his shirt over hishead in one swiftmovement, revealing a

perfectly chiseled torso.Her eyes roamed over theelaborate tattoo of a redandbluebeast.

Its head spanned oneside of his chest. It hadyelloweyes andoversizedfangs too big to fit in itsugly mouth. The bodyextended down into hispants and wrappedaroundtohisback.Oneofthe arms extended to the

othersideofhischest,withthe claw resting rightabove his heart. The otherarmsnakedup the sideofhis face with the clawholdinghiseye.

“Besides, females arenot warriors. They aregood for other things onmyworld,andrightnowIammoreinterestedinthosethings.”Hespreadhislegswider,revealingamassive

hard-on.

It wasn’t as if shehadn’t fantasized about it.Hell, every time shelooked at him, she hadnaughty thoughts ofrunning her tongue downhis body. Who wouldn’t?Themanwasbuiltforsex.Well,fightingandsex.Herbody pulsated, wet withjust the thought of himspreading her legs and

plungingbetweenthem.

Hegrabbedthefrontofher suit and pulled herclose to him again. Thistime she didn’t resist.Settling her between hislegs, he reached for herzipper, slowly working ittoherwaist.

With both her breastsfinally free, he slid herarms out of the suit. Shit.

Sheshouldreallystophim.Really, she should. If shecouldjustgetherhandstocomply and push himaway or at least get hermouthtoobeyherandtellhimtostop,shewould.

Positioned between hislegs,sheshouldturnawayand leave. But her feetwouldn’t obey herscreaming mind either.Herbodywasputty inhis

hands.Funny,shethought.When she had thought ofTaiotryingtorapeher,sheenvisioned kicking his assand sending him to thehealingbay.

But since this didn’tborder on rape, there wasnoPlanB.

ChapterNine

Ahotmouthonherribcage jolted her from herthoughts.Taiowas tracingher ribs with his tongueanddamndiditfeelgood.Too damn good. Evainhaled and fluttered her

eyesclosed.

“I can smell yourmusk.” Taio’s voicewas ahardwhisper. “Yourbodyis calling to me.” Histongue found its way totheundersideofherbreastand then trailed to herplump,hardnipple.

She brought her handsup and gripped hisshoulders.

“Don’ttrytofightme,”hesaid.

She let out a raggedbreath and he devouredherentirenipple,pullingitinto hismouth and gentlysuckingit.

Her hands moved tocradlethebackofhishead,drawing his hot mouthcloser and harder to herbreast. Taio’s deep groan

rippledoff her breast. Evaraked her nails across hisscalp as his lips andtongue teased the erectnipple. Through heavyeyelids, shewatchedasheconcentrated on suckinghernipple,hiseyesclosed,his hands holding herwaist.

Taio’steethnibbledandthenmovedtodothesameto the other one. Eva

moaned, grabbing himtighter,archingherbacktomeethismouth.

She needed more, herbodymeltingintohim.Shemurmured as he dippedan oversized hand insideher jumpsuit. His fingersslid between her moistfolds, seeking out herwettreasure.Slippingoverhersmall nub, he hoveredthere and stroked. Eva

heldontighterandopenedher legswider,givinghimallaccess.

“What is this?”Herclitthrobbed and pulsedunderhistouch.

“A clit,” she repliedbreathlessly.

His calloused fingerslowly rubbed andstroked.Herlegsstartedtoweaken from underneath

her.Ohshit.

“This feels good toyou?”

“Yes.”

She was falling apartaround him. His fingerrubbed painfully slow onher clit while he used hisother hand to lower herbody to the ground. Shemeltedtothefloorwithoutresistance.

“If I had known youwere going to be thiscompliant, I would havewokenyouup rubbingonthis.”

Once lowered, hestopped only to slide thejumpsuit down her legs.She lay naked before him,wondering how differentshe was from females onhis world. His lavendereyesturnedashadedarker

as he hungrily watchedher.Groaning,hetookherby the ankles and spreadthem wide. Whateverembarrassment she hadquickly disappeared as heleaned forward andbrought her clit into hishotmouth.

Ohmy!Amoanpassedoverher lipsandherbackarchedhigh.

Taiosuckedandlicked,taking his time, enjoyinghis newfound toy. Withevery tug and caress, hereyes rolled to the back ofher head. Reaching down,she grabbed at his hair,grindingonhisface.

Growling, he dippedhis tongue deep into herpussy. He lapped at theliquid there, finallyreplacinghistonguewitha

largefinger.

Her hips instinctivelypumpedagainst the fingerthat slid in andout of herwetsheath.Ithadbeentoolong since she had beentouched as he wastouching her now. Hercore tightened andcontracted around hisfinger. Her stomachknotted as he lowered hismouth, covering her pearl

again, expertly licking,suckingandfingeringher.

She moaned andbucked against him.“Please, Taio, please. Ineedyounow.”

He ignored her plea,choosing instead tocontinue his probe. Evacouldn’ttakeanymore,sheneeded him now. Sheclawed at his hair and

shoulders, trying to lifthim.

Taio sat back on hisheels, eyes focused on herthrobbing channel. Shewasdrippingandwaiting.

Hishandhookedinthefront of hispants, tuggingthem down. Displayedbefore her was the mostbeautiful sight she hadeverseen.Thetattoodidn’t

stopathis torso—one legof the beast stretcheddown Taio’s leg.Her eyesfollowed the path of theother leg and widened asthey rested on his long,thick shaft. The beast hadits claw wrapped aroundthewidebase.

Evagaspedas it aimedright at her. The size! Itwas huge! He wasdefinitely in proportion

with the rest of his body.There was absolutely noway shewould be able totakeitall.

“You faced twoTresdonians, but you arescared of this.” Taiograsped his thick cock inhishand.

“I’m not scared ofanything.” She licked herlips. Her mouth salivated

as she anticipated hermoutharoundit.

“Next time, little one.”He chuckled. “I have tofinishwhatIstarted.”

“Don’tcallmethat.”

Heraisedhiseyebrow.

“Someone else used tocallmethat.”

He grabbed her feetandopenedherlegswider.

“Right now I am the onlythoughtyoushouldhave.”

Heat radiated fromherpussy as he moved tohover over her, nestlinghimself between her legs.Taiopressed the tip of hisoversized head to hersmall,wetopening.

Eva tried adjustingherself under him. Heweighed more than she

thought. She wanted himbad,butshedidn’twanttobe crushed in themeantime. Taio pausedbefore rolling onto hisback,takingherwithhim.

“I would not want toinjure you.” Taio smackedthe hard floor with hishand.

Eva rose and plantedboth feet firmly on the

floor. With her hairstreaming aroundher, shesquatted above him. Herhand trembled as shereacheddown,grabbedhiscock and positioned it tohertightopening.

She hesitated. Shereally wasn’t afraid of thesize or theman, butwhatthis would mean for herfuture.

Taio caressed herthighs, urging her down.Taking adeepbreath,Evaslowly lowered. The headpressed against hertightness,notbudging,toobig to enter her.Determined, she tried towork it in, wiggling ontoit.

His fingers tightenedonherthighs.“Ifyoukeepthatup,youwillmakeme

spill my seed.” Taiopumped up in a hardthrust. The large headpenetratedher.

Sheclosedhereyesandthrew her head back. “Ohfuck!”

Taio grabbed boththighs, holding herunsteady body while hethrust his hips up anddown, inching his thick

cock deeper into her tightsheath. Her slick wallscoated him as it stretchedheropen.

She slowly moved herhips to meet his rhythm,taking more of him, inchbyglorious inch,pumpingthe length of hispenetratingshaft.

Taio’s hands moved togrip her hips. With the

pain receding, Eva wassoon overcome bypleasure.Herpaceslightlyquickened. He filled herupandshewantedmore.

Thesoundsofhis shaftnow slickened by herjuices filled the bridge.Moaning, she dropped toher knees. His shaft filledhertothecore,completelystretchinghertothelimits.

With a groan, Taiorolled his eyes back intohishead.“GreatAncients.”

His fingers dugpainfullyintoherskin.Sherocked on his shaft,increasing her pace. Eachtime she rose, her pussymilked him, sucking himbackin.

He grabbed her tighterandpumpedherfasterand

harder. Her breastsbouncedandswayedinhisface. He took one of thehard nipples in hismouthand sucked. His teethgrazed against hersensitivebud.

She slammed her hipsdown on him. Any fearsshe had before were longsince gone, replaced byintenseneed.

“You are mine,” hegroaned.

Eva erupted with ascream, her wallscontracting and spasmingagainst his rod. Holdingher tight against his body,he thrust up, spilling hisseeddeepinsideher.

Spent, they both layquietly, breathing hard,trying to catch their

breaths. Eva tried slidingoff him but was stoppedshort by a firm hand.Taio’s cock thickened andpulsedinsideheragain.

“Again?”

Taio answered bypumpinghis thickshaft inher swollen sheath. Sore,butwantingmore,sheroseto her knees and elbows.Herhair fannedacrosshis

chest.His fingersdug intoher hips, holding her inplace as he pumped fastandhard.

She would surely havetroublewalkingbutdidn’tcare.Neverbeforehadshefelt anything as good asthis.

After they were done,Taio carried her back toher quarters. Feeling the

soft cushion of her bed,Evacurledinaball.

“Thisdoesn’tmeanthatyou own me,” she saidgroggily.

“You are alreadymine.”

ChapterTen

Eva readied herself asbest she could. She stoodat the airlock with thecrew. Taio flanked her ontherightandRashaontheleft. Although she wasn’ttethered to either one of

them, with their bodiespressed up against hers,shehadthedistinctfeelingshe was supposed to stayattheirside.

Taio hadn’t mentionedtheir tryst on the bridge.Had she expected him to?Maybe a “How are youfeeling?” or “Was it asgood foryouas itwas forme?”Tothefirstquestion,her muscles were a little

soreandshewassurprisedshe could even walkstraight. And yes, it wasthebestsexsheeverhad.

She was sure heenjoyed himself as well.The “love bites” on herbreasts, torso, hips andlegs still throbbed. Sheglanced quickly at him,wondering if the scratchesshe raked down his chestwere still there or if he

took a trip to the healingbay. Damn. She shouldhave gone there too, shethought,notwantingtobethe only one still markedup.

She straightened herback and squared hershoulders, intent onprojecting someresemblanceofconfidence,even though theunknownworld scared her shitless.

Parading through enoughorphanages, group homesand foster homes hadtaught her that the firstimpression was a lastingone. If themales standingby her side were anyindicationofthesizeofthepeople she wouldencounter, she wouldsurely be one of thesmallesthere.Agood firstimpressionwasvital.

The airlock opened,releasing a cool gust ofwindthatsweptacrossherbody.

“Here I go,” shemuttered. Taking a deepbreath, she walked besideTaioandRashaastheyledthe way down a starkwhitecorridor.

Tohercredit,onlyafterreaching the central

commonareadidshefalterslightly, stumbling overher own feet. Taiowrapped his callousedhand around her elbow,offering support. Sheyankedherarmaway.Thelast thing she neededwastoappearweakintheeyesofhispeople.Hechuckledsoftly at her side. Sheglared at him; of coursesomeone in his position

wouldn’t know the illeffects of a bad firstimpression.

“Very well, little one.”Hesmirked.

“Stop calling me that.I’mnotachild.”

“I can attest to that.”His voice was no morethanalow,honeyedtone.

With a little prayer

under her breath, sheentered the colorfulcommonroom.

She froze in theentryway, forcingeveryonetogoaroundher.Transfixedinherspot,shelookedaroundtheroominamazement, her eyestrying to take in all of hernewsurroundingsatonce.“Beautiful.”

Taio stopped at herside. “I’m glad youapprove.”

Wide-eyed, she lookedat deep-red walls withblue-patterned designs.Themoldings that framedthe ceiling and entrywayswere intricately made outof what appeared to beblue blown glass.Oversized chairs werestrategicallyplacedaround

the room, framing thethree fireplaces. Withanother breath, shestepped deeper into theroom and watched as thecrew was greeted bynumerouspeople.Shehadlittle choice but to assumethe greeters were familymemberswelcominghometheirlovedones.

I can get through this.The thought washed over

hermindasshestoodstillwith her eyes focusedahead.Themeleeofpeoplecontinuedtobustlearoundherwithexchangesofloveshecouldnowunderstandwith the help of her fullyfunctioning UniversalTranslator.

This wasn’t anythingshecouldn’tdealwith.Shehad been in situations thesame as this before,many

times; loved oneswelcoming each other atthe airport, parentsgreeting classmates afterschool plays andsurrounding the martialartist fighter after a bigwin.

Although this was adifferent planet, thelogistics were still thesame. From experience,she knew how to stay

motionless so that no onewouldnoticeher,wouldn’tnotice no onewas comingtowelcomeher.And ifnoone saw, then theywouldn’tpityher.

As she blocked out thevoices around her, thefamiliar feeling ofoverwhelming isolationslowlycreptuponher.Getagrip. She shookherheadslightly, trying to remove

thecancerousthoughtthat,if left unchecked, wouldconsume her. Once thecrowd died down, shecouldfigureoutwhereshebelonged and go to thatplace.

A tall golden-skinnedfemale walked over toTaio.“Takeherwithyou,”he said. Eva remainedrooted in place, her eyesfixedahead.

“Eva, this isMazel,mypersonalassistant.Gowithher.” Taio gently nudgedhertowardthestranger.

Too relieved to object,shefollowedthefemaleasshe led her through themaze of halls. Eva rushedtotaketwostepsforeveryone step the long-leggedfemale took. Mazel didn’tslowherpace to allow forher to catchup.Eva spent

a great deal of the tourwatching her back. WhenMazel turned around toreprimand her for notkeeping up, Eva noticedthatherseverebangswerecut high above light-greeneyes that slanted,remindingher of someoneofAsiandescent.

Eva followed Mazelthrough halls lined withframedpicturesof scenery

that she didn’t recognize.Shepassedbyblown-glassvases on carvedpedestals.To her, the air of expenseclung to every item. Evaheld her head high as shepassed onlookers in thehallway,allwithsurprisedglances cast her way,murmuring andwhispering under theirbreaths. She straightenedhershouldersaswell.This

had the same feeling asbeing the new girl inschool,butwithanewgirlontheplanetkindoftwist.

Only after Mazelpointed to a door andexplainedthat it ledtothetraining field did Evadecide to pay attention toherguide.Shewouldneedtofindherwaybackthere.

Shehadfeignedremote

interestasMazelexplainedwheretofindthekitchens,the healing center andother common areas.Mazel led her through afoyer that opened to anentrywaywithtwoguards.The guards looked just asintimidating as the onesfrom Taio’s vessel. Mazelpassed them with a shortnod of the head. Evafollowed close on her

heels, doing much thesame.

She couldn’t help butturnaroundtotakeaquickpeek at the guards,wondering if they weregoing to follow them towherever their destinationwas.

“Humph.” Evaslammed into Mazel’sback, then retreated two

steps. The female slowlyturnedaroundtogiveEvaanother disapprovingstare.“Sorry.”

“Watch where youwalk.Youare toosmall tobe so careless. I’m sureyou’rejustasfragileasyouappear.”

“I’m not fragile.” Thebeating she took from theTresdonians proved as

much.

Mazel held out herhand.When Eva stared atit blankly, the otherwoman reached for her.Evatookaquickstepback.“Ineed to scanyourhandforthesecuritysystem.”

“Oh.” She placed herpalminMazel’shand.

It took only twoseconds for her to be

registered with the doorsecurity. The light on thepanel flashed green andthe door unlocked with aclick. Mazel pushed thedooropenandusheredherinto what appeared to be,well,a royalpalacewithinapalace.

She was completelyblown away. The beautywithin his palace she hadseen so far had been

magnified tenfold in hisprivate suite. The mainliving areawas filledwithoversized and overstuffedpillows in an array ofcolors and the walls hadthe same multicoloredtheme.

The artwork that hungthere was of animals shewishednevertoencounterin her lifetime. The smellin the air remindedher of

Taio.Hisscentclungtothefurniture. The overstuffedcouchesandchairsweresolarge, she felt they wouldswallowherup.

ShekeptupwithMazelas she showed her to thekitchen that was moreelaborate than the dininghall on the Saia II. Mazelgave her instructions onhow to use the console inthewallwhere shewould

orderfood.

Eva moved closer toread the menu. Filbastermeat sandwich. Yuck. Hernose wrinkled in disgust.The thought of eatingmade her already queasystomach flopuncomfortably.

Hermindwasofficiallyoverloaded.Sheblewoutabreath. She definitely

wasn’tonEarthanymore.

But nothing preparedher for what Mazelshowed her next from ahigh balcony. Standing onthebalcony,shecaughtherfirst glimpse of thespectacular view. On thedistant horizon were twosetting suns. One waslarger than the other,bathing the sky in a dimorangelight.

“Beautiful,” shewhispered.

Never had she seen analien sky. It truly tookherbreathaway.

“I have been to manyotherplanetsandthisisbyfar thebest sunset there istobehold,”Mazelsaid,hereyes fixedon the sky. EvatensedwhenMazelmovedtostandnexttoherbythe

railing. So far, Mazel hadacted as though showingheraroundhadbeenmoreof a chore than anythingelse.

“You should have Taiotell you their story oneday.”Mazelnoddedtothesuns,herfacesoftening.

“They have a story?”Evaasked,relaxing.

“Yes,avery interesting

one. But I think it is oneour king would prefer totell you himself.” Sheturned away and walkedtowardthedoor.

Turningtojoinher,Evaspotted a large tan planeton the other side of thehorizon.

“What is that?” sheasked.

“That is Drazlan. The

home planet,”Mazel said.Her eyes trained on thenot-so-distantplanet.

Eva looked pastDrazlan,seeingmillionsoftwinkling lights that litupthesky.Constellationsthatwere unfamiliar to her.Therealizationhither.Nomatterhowfarshelooked,she would not see Earth.Herhomewasinadistantpast,millionsoflight-years

away from where shecurrentlystood.

“Come, let me showyou to your room.”Mazel’s voice pulled herback to Sonis. Beforeturning, her eyes caughtthesightofgreeneryatthebottom of the stairs thatled to the private royalgardens. Tomorrow, shewould venture onto theprivategroundstofeeldirt

and grass underneath herfeetonceagain.Tomorrow,becauseatthemoment,theconfidence to venture outinto the eerie andunknown dark worldeludedher.

Instead, she let Mazellead her up the stairswhere she assumed herroom would be. Theservant’s quarters crossedhermind. She’d be happy

if they were half asimpressive as the roomsshe passed through. Herstomach lurched. A slave,theideawouldneversettlewithher.

With each step, herlead-filled legs becameheavier and heavier. Theemotions of the dayweighing her down, shehoped for a soft bed. Herbed on the Loconuist

spacecraft consisted ofnothing more than ameager pallet. The Saia IIhadofferedher a stepup,abedintendedforaseven-to eight-foot male, withnothingbutathinmattressbetween her back and themetalframe.

She followedherguideinto a room that was twotimes bigger than herentire apartment in Ann

Arbor. The room held abed and little else. Fromwhat she couldmake out,the room was occupied.Although the room wasimmaculate, the variousswords on the walls andthe heavy scent of muskfilling the airwere a deadgiveaway. She was in amale-occupiedroom.

Eva froze in place andlooked around. “I think

theremightbeamistake.”

“No, Taio hasinstructedmetobringyoutohisprivaterooms.”

“I don’t think youunderstand.” Eva’s eyesdarted around the room.“DidTaiotellyouthatI’mhis slave?” shewhispered,although they were aloneintheroom.Thelastthingshe wanted was to be

humiliated by Taiodraggingheroutofhisbedinthemiddleofthenight.

Mazel scoffed andsmiled.“Hetoldmethisiswhere you will sleep.”Mazel walked toward anopen door. “Ship hasprovided me with yoursize.”

Eva followed her towhat appeared to be a

closet and peeked inside.There were rows ofwomen’s clothing, notmuch different than thecolorful, long, flowinggown Mazel wore. Mazelselected a bundle ofmaterial from a shelf.WalkingpastEva,shelaiditonthebed.

“Areyousurehewantsme to stay inhere?Whereishegoingtosleep?”

Mazel raisedone thick,darkeyebrowather.

“Oh.Well.Okay.”

After wishing her agood night,Mazel left theroom.

All alone, Eva sat onthe large bed next to thelong, transparent gownMazel had laid across it.Reaching over, she let herhands run over the gown.

The material, albeit see-through,wasbeautifulandsoft to the touch. Shepicked it up, amazed athow light and airy thegown was. It could havebeen something right outof a Victoria’s Secretcatalogue.

Whatdidhewantfromher? Why would he wantherinhisprivatequarters?

Well, she couldunderstand he wanted tocontinue a physicalrelationship. She brieflythought back to theafternoon on the bridge.The sex had been morethan amazing. But to livein his private quarters?Nowthatwasmovingabitfast.

She had spent herentire life being

independent and able toprovide for herself. Nowshe was not only a slave,but would have to shareher personal space with astranger. This will bedifferent, she thought.Couldsheevergetusedtoher new circumstances?Living as a slave, a sexslave,aconcubine?

She’d been in onecommitted relationship in

herlife,withAlan.Hehadbeen everything shethought she wanted andneededinaman.Theymetwhile hewas in residencyat the hospital where sheworked.

Of course she fell inlovewith him right away.Who wouldn’t? He wastall and handsome, blondhairandblueeyes.Beingadoctor definitely didn’t

hurt.

Unfortunately, shefoundoutthehardwayhisfeelings had not been thesame.Hehadseenherasaway to pass the time, anice “diversion”, he hadtold her. A diversion thatlasted two years? She hadbroken his nose when hetoldherthat.Therewasnoway she was falling thathard for anyone ever

again.

IhavetosetTaiostraight.

Peeling off her clothesand kicking out of herboots, she made her wayback to the closet. Shewould find her ownpajamas, thank you verymuch. Something less see-through. Selecting one ofTaio’s shirts, she pulled itover her head. Yawning

and slipping under thearrayoflargeblankets,shedriftedtosleep.

Tomorrow. I’ll set himstraighttomorrow.

ChapterEleven

Eva’s body sank intothe plush bed. Sheimaginedthatthemattresswas stuffedwithamillionfeathers. She didn’t wantto move. She could stayhere forever, she thought,

as she relaxed deeperunder the blankets. Shesighed as she thought ofthe only downside of themoment, the stab of paininherribs.

Taio had one armthrown across her bodyand the other wassandwiched between herribs and the comfy bed.Shemoved to readjustherposition for the fiftieth

time. Those times, just asthisone,shewasmetwithresistance. Taio gruntedand pulled her closer tohim. Even in his sleep,Taio thought he ownedher.

He had her securelysnuggled to his warm,muscular body.Not a badplacetobeifitweren’tforthe pain. Taio snoredlightly. His breath came

outinhotpuffsonthetopof her head. Tendrils ofhairblewlightlywitheachexhalation. If shewasn’t anervous wreck, she mighthave enjoyed the peacefulmoment.

She was on an alienplanet being held hostageby an alien king who, bythe way, thought she washisslave.Shewastheonlyhumanhere.Therewasno

possible escape. Even ifshe wanted to escape,wherewould she go? Evalet out a hard breath,finally coming to theconclusion that shehad tomake the best of it. Taiostirred and pulled hercloser, as if he sensed shewasthinkingofanescape.

She was trapped. Shewouldn’tbeabletoescapefrom Sonis, let alone get

outofbed,untilafterTaiowokeup.

Her only reprieve wasthelargewindowthattookup the entire side of onewall. She watched as thesuns rose, illuminating thedarkened sky. The lightbreezecomingthroughthewindow caused the long,pale-yellow sheer curtainsto open and close withevery small gust. With

daylight, she could clearlyseeDrazlaninthedistance.

Every so often, awingedcreaturesquawkedas it passed the window.Calling the thing a birdwouldbea far stretch.Onthe third pass by thewindow, the creaturelandedonthetablethatsatoutsideonthebalcony.

Its face looked more

human than bird. It hadlips instead of a beak.Short, stocky legssupported a plump body.Its green feathers werebillowy and fluffy. Evashuddered under Taio’sarms and snuggled closer.If those creatures soaredthrough theskies, shewasafraid to findout how thecreatures walking on thegroundlooked.

Taio moaned as herbuttpressedfirmlyagainsthishardeningcock.

“This is a nice way tostart theday,”he said,hisvoicedeepandgroggy.

“Argh.”

“Notamorningperson,I take it?” Taio laughed.His chest vibrated againsther back. His cock, nowfullyerect,pressedagainst

herbackside.

“Since this is the firstreal morning I’ve had inthree years, err, cycles, Ican honestly say that Idon’tknowanymore.”

Taio kissed her on theback of her head. “Thenwe have to change that,don’t we?” His handsreached for her breasts,palming them through the

roughmaterialoftheshirt.The material against hernipples felt good. Toogood. Taio playfullysqueezed and plucked ateachsensitivebud.

She wanted thememories of the last yearswipedout.Shehadn’tseenasunriseorsetinsolong.It was time to start anew.Shepressedherbuttcloserto his cock, grinding in

slowcircularmotions.Thefeel of hot skinpenetratedthe shirt, her eyes closingas she realized he wasentirely naked. If she hadknown that, she wouldhave gotten this partystartedhoursago.

Taioreacheddownandlifted her leg over his.While one hand leisurelymassaged a breast, theotherrubbedherclit.

“Did you sleep well?”heasked.

“Yes.” She twirled herhips again. “But I’mstarting to reallyenjoymymorningbetter.”

“I aim to please.” Taiodipped a large finger inher wet pussy. Eva rakedhernails acrosshis thighs.“We can do this everymorning.”

Eva tugged the shirtover her hips. Taio’s shaftnestled hot against thecrack of her ass. “Wheream I going to stay whileI’mhere?”

Taio grabbed her hips,lifting her off the bed toslidehis cockbetweenherlegs. “What do you meanby ‘while you are here’?Thisisyourhomenow.”

Eva slid her slick heatalonghisshaft,shudderingas the hard ridge of theheadpressedoverherclit.Reachingbetweenherlegs,she pressed it against her.Shepushedback,tryingtoforce the large head tobreach her small opening.It didn’t work. Taio heldher hips firmly in placeand pushed up hard. Evagasped as the head filled

her sore and swollensheath, stretching herpainfully.

Taking his time, Taioslowlymoved in and out,letting her adjust to histhickness. The painsubsided with each slowthrust.Sheburiedherheadin the pillows, panting aspleasure overrode all hersenses.

As her moans weremuffled by the pillow,Taio’s deep moans filledtheroom.Shewrappedherarmsaround thepillowashis speed quickened andhis thrusts becameharder.Holdingher inplace, Taiopumped deeper, his hipsslapping against her ass.She cried out as his cockstretchedhertothemax.

Just when she thought

she would split in two,Taio thrust deeper with aroar. The feel of his hotliquid spurting andcoating her walls wasenough to send her overthe edge. Her wallscontracted as her climaxmethis.

Taio rolled onto hisbackandpositionedhertolieonhissweatychest.Hisdark, damp chest hairs

pressed against her cheekas she made circularpatterns in them with herfingers.

“Exactly how far awayfromEartharewe?”

“Eva, it doesn’tmatter.”Hestrokedahandthrough her hair. “TheLoconuistarethere,it’snotsafe, you can neverreturn.”

Eva closed her eyesagainstthementalblow.“Imissit.”

“Tell me, what do youmissmost?”

Everything. “Forstarters, music. I missmusic. I would giveanythingtohearDrinksUpby A.O. Or even log ontothe Internet to catch thelatestOrangey andPurple

webisode.”

“I do not know what‘theInternet’ is,butwedohave music. Some of thebest musicians havetraveled over greatdistances to perform onSonis.”

She rolled her eyes,doubtingtheywouldhaveAfro-Punk on Sonis. “Itwon’tbethesame.”

“Intime,youwilllearntocallSonishome.”

“Don’t sound soconfident, ‘master’. I’m aslavehere. It canneverbehome,”shemumbled.“ButwhatImissmostisAlly.”

“Sheisyourfamily?”

She shook her head. “Ijoined up with Ally andher husband, Jim, duringthe invasion. But we

becamefamilyintheshorttime that we were hidingfrom the aliens. Jim diedbefore we were captured.Ally and I watched overeach other on thespacecraft.”

He kissed her on thetop of her head and gaveher arm a reassuringsqueeze.“Eva, theoddsoffindingherarenotinyourfavor.”

“I know, Ship toldme.But he also promised tohelpmelookforher.”

“Shipwilldohisbesttokeephispromise.”

Foramomentshelayinsilence, wondering howAllywasfaring.Whatkindof person she had beensold to, if shewas a slaveaswell. Her head poppedup. “What about some

kind of slave buy-backprogram?”

Taiofrowned.“Youaremine, to keep. You’ll stayherewithme.”Taio’s armgrippedhertighter.

She rested her headbackonhismuscledchest.“Taio, I’m not slavematerial. Even though Iwas given to you, I stillthink I should have the

opportunity to buy myfreedom. I couldwork forit.”

“You have a job.” Heflicked a finger across hernipple.

“No,arealjob.AjobsoI can pay you back.” Shepinched his nipple inreturn.

“This is the only jobyou need. I plan to keep

youverybusy.”Herubbedher leg and gave it aplayfulpat.

“What about trainingyour guards? I could helpwiththat.”

Taiolaughed.“AsItoldyou before, males andfemales do not traintogether.Youwillnotfinda female training on Sonisat all. That is not their

place.”

She lifted her head tostare at him. “I couldchangethat.”

“Afemale’splaceisnotonthetrainingfield.Sheisexpected to clean, cook,serve or attend to thechildren.” He waved hisfree hand in the air as hetalked. “Oh, or she canserve as a personal

assistanttoamale.”

“ThesameasMazel?”

“Yes,Mazelhas servedmeforaverylongtime.”

Eva squinted,wondering just how wellsheservedhim.

Taio laughed. “Not inthe capacity you arethinking,littleone.”

“What about Rasha?

Does he have one too?”Sheloweredherheadbackon his chest. The hairstickled her ear and cheek,but shenuzzled into themanyway.

“Rasha is betweenassistants right now. Butthatpositionisnotforyou.I already told you whatyourjobwillbe.”

And if he had it his

way, she would be doingher “job” all day, everyday. Sheesh, theircombined juices were stillleakingoutofher.Ohshit!She squeezed her eyesshut.

“Umm…Taio? Do youhave anything here toprevent pregnancy?” Shit,shit, shit, she mentallykicked herself. Birthcontrolhadn’tbeenonher

mind in a very long time.This was a fine time torememberit,afterthefact.

“We welcome everypregnancy that occurs onSonis. But if you arewondering about yourself,donot.My racehasneverbeenabletoprocreatewithother species beside ourown.”

“Oh. Okay.” Her heart

slowed to its regularpace.At leastshedidn’thave toworryaboutthatwhileshewashere.

Hmm…nokids,ever.

Sheshookherhead.Noneed to think or worryaboutchildren.Sheneededhim to give her somemeasureofindependence.

“Taio, I want a job. Imean, I’ve worked since I

was fourteen years old. Ihave tobeable toprovideformyself.”

“A Sonis female is notburdened with suchthings. Either her mate isexpectedtoprovideforheror she remains theresponsibilityofher fatheruntilshedoesmate.”

“I don’t mind beingburdened by working,

really. My first job wasmoppingfloorsatthelocalicecreamparlor.”

“Is that what you didbefore you were takenfromEarth?”

Eva choked. “Oh Godno. Believe it or not, Iactually moved up in theworld. I have a bachelor’sdegree in nursing andworked at a hospital, a

health facility, as aregistered nurse…umm,healer.”

“You had more jobsthanone?”

Eva laughed. “Yes. OnEarth, we worked. Men,womenandchildren.”

“Then you should feelprivileged that I havebroughtyoutoSonis.Youronly responsibility will be

to take care of me.” Shecould feel his chest puffoutunderherhead.

“Taio…”

“Eva, you are mine,that part is nonnegotiable.ButIcanassureyouthat Iwill never treat you as aslave.”

Eva lifted to her handsto stare down at him, herhair framing her face and

drapinghischest.

“How do you get theother slaves acclimatedinto this society? Werethey born slaves or weretheyforcedintoit?”

“Tobehonest,wedon’thave slaves on Sonis.” Hecleared his throat andlookedaway.“You,ah,arethefirstone.”

Shepunchedhiminthe

chest.“Youhavegot tobekidding!I’mtheonlyslaveonthisentirerock!”

“Yes.”

Eva threw herself ontoher back and pulled thecoverup toherneck.Taioreached to pull the coverdown,but she slappedhishandoutoftheway.

“So therehas got to beroom for negotiation. If I

can’t work for myfreedom, I can dosomething else. And no,sexdoesn’tcount.”

Shewastheonlyslave?Really? No wondereveryonestaredather lastnight. She was the onlyfreakingslavehere!

“The head of yourhousehold, your father,would negotiate your

terms.Sinceheisnothere,as your owner, I wouldserve in his place and Ireject the terms.” Taioshrugged, as if hehad theproblemsolved.

“I have to figure outhow to spend my timehere. I can’t sit aroundwaiting for you to gethard.”Justthen,athoughthit her. “Can I work foryou? Ship mentioned

something about abusiness?”

“Eva, my businessesaren’t accommodating forfemales.”

“Businesses?”

“I have SonisMercenary, which is runby my younger brotherKiehle. I haven’tparticipated in the day-to-day operations of that

company for over tencycles. Then there is SonisGold. We mine for goldand sell it throughout thegalaxy.Neitherbusiness issuitableforafemale.”

“So thoseareout.”Shecrossed her arms over herbreasts. “I can tell younow, I’m not kitchen orcleaning material. Andwhile we’re on thatsubject,Isawtheclothesin

thecloset.Thanks,but I’mgoing to need somethingless…girly.”

“Eva,thefemaleclothesare traditionalSonisdress.I can’t allow you to dressasamale.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Shewaved a finger at him.“Wearenegotiating.”

“And I told you, I donot negotiate with

females.”

“AnexceptionhastobemadebecauseIdon’thavea father. I’ve beennegotiating for myselfsinceIwasemancipatedatsixteen. I think I canhandlethis.”

“What do you mean?The fathers of Earth didnot make decisions fortheirfemalechildren?”

“It’s not that. I’m anorphan.” Taio crumpledhis brow in confusion. “Ididn’t have a mother orfather. I lived in anorphanage.”

“Idon’tunderstand.”

“It’s a place wherechildren go if they don’thaveamotheror father totakecareofthem.”

“But—”

“But that’s not whatwe’re negotiating. I wanttobeabletowearthesamekindofclothesthat Iworeon the vessel. I think it’sonly fair. I gave up theidea of working, now it’syour turn to give mesomethinginreturn.”

He was silent inthought for a moment.“Okay,youcankeepyourclothes. I’m not sure how

theotherfemaleswillreactto such a thing. A femalein males’ clothing.” Heshookhisheadindisbelief.

“They’llgetoverit.”

It didn’t take her longto figure out Taio wasright.ThefemalesonSonisdidn’twantanythingtodowith her. She waved andsmiledasshepassedthemin the halls. Instead of a

return gesture, everyoneaverted their eyes andpretendedshedidn’texist.

Mazel even tried tohelpout, butnot evenherteaching of “Sonis” waysdid anything to get theotherwomentoopenuptoher. The males avoidedher,but sheexpectedTaiohad a hand in that. But tobe ostracized by thefemaleswasunexpectedto

saytheleast.

Could they all be thishung up about clothes? Ifwearing gowns was arequirement for friends,she decided to resignherselftobeingalone.

ChapterTwelve

The past week hadbeen nothing but a test ofwills. Apparently Mazelhadn’tgottenTaio’smemoabout the clothes. Thatwoman didn’t take no forananswer.

Every morning, Mazellaidoutagown,proddingher to wear it, trying tomakehera“proper”Sonisfemale. Eva was not adresskindofgirl.Shewasa jeans and t-shirt orscrubs kindof girl.And ifMazelwasn’t bad enough,Taio imposed one ruleafteranother.

Eva sat on the grass-covered ground, the suns’

rays beating down on herback as she watched thesandy field fifty yards infront of her. A protectivecovering was flunghaphazardly across herhead and shoulders. Shehad strict orders to keepthe covering on at alltimes; otherwise, Taiowould not have let hercome back out into thesuns.

The covering wasn’theavy or cumbersome; itjust made her stand outas…different. No one elseshe’d encountered so farhadtowearasunblanket.But no one sheencountered hadsunburned shoulders,armsandfaceeither.

She scoffed when hefirst told her—no,commanded—she wear it

at all timeswhile shewasoutdoors. She couldn’t getskin cancer in a couple ofdays, and besides, all shewouldneedtodowastakea quick trip to thehealingbay to be cured. Taiohadn’tfoundthehumorinthat.Hedidn’tstanddownandneitherdidshe.

The first time she hadtried to leave the palace,she found that Ship had

createdsomekindof forcefield around all the exitsthat wouldn’t let herthrough. By heavens, theyintended to trap herindoors with an invisibleshield that stopped onlyher.

It pissed her off, butsecretly she admired theirStar Trek kind oftechnology. ThreateningShip did nothing to bring

down the shield. She wasfinallyforcedtogobacktoher room and retrieve theblanket.Shipwasofficiallyonhershitlistnow.

She would think aboutplotting her revenge onShip later, but right nowshe was wondering if shescooted up a couple morefeet, would the guards onthefieldnoticeher.Sofar,Taio felt strongly about

two things, the protectivesun blanket and thetraining field. Well,technically, I’m not on thetrainingfield.

Since the first day offindingit,shecouldn’tstayaway from the excitementthisplaceheldforher.Sheunderstood why he wasworried for her. The menwere gigantic and theweapons were unfamiliar.

Fighting!Sheclenchedandunclenchedherfistsundertheblanket.Shewantedtohitsomething.

Hard.

For the past four days,she had come out to thetraining field, and eachtimehadinchedafewfeetcloser. The men didn’tseem to notice herproximity. She just hoped

Taio would also beoblivious toherpursuit aswell.

A group of guardspracticedwith the jango, afighting sword that hadalmostthesizeandlookofa javelin. She wished shehad one herself to holdand practice with. She satmesmerized as the guardsswung the body-length,metallicweaponwithease.

Thesuns’raysreflectedoffthem, creating aspectacularlightshow.

“Wow.Thisisgreat.”

Eva lookedup to see afemalewithpale-pinkskin,short, hot-pink spiky hairandcoal-blackeyesstaringdown at her. Eva blinkedback her surprise. Wherehadthischickcomefrom?

“I’mLo’Ren.”Thepink

femaleploppeddownnexttoher.

“I’mEva.”Thefemale’sarm brushed against herown.Evascootedover.

“Ohh, royal guards.”Lo’Ren looked toward theguards training on thefield. “I don’t know aboutyou, but the sight of theirglistening bodies alwaysmakes me think of all the

wicked things I can letthemdotome.”

“Umm,so,youcametowatch them train too? Ithought I was the onlyfemale who came outhere.”

“Icametositwithyou.I’ve never been out herebefore. The royal guardsare an added bonus.”Lo’Ren smiled and

winked.

“Sit with me? Why?Wait.DidTaiosendyou?”

“Yes. My job is to beyour friend.” Lo’Rensmackedheronherback.

“I’mgood.Idon’tneedyoutofollowmearound.”Eva closed her eyes andmutteredunderherbreath.“How embarrassing, nowhe’sfindingmefriends.”

“Don’t worry. Hedidn’t make me, Ivolunteeredforthejob.”

Eva groaned. “Heaskedforvolunteers?Howmany volunteered for thejob?”

Lo’Renlaughed.

Eva opened her eyes.“Thatbad,huh?”

“Iwastheonlyone.”

Evagroanedagain.

“But I wanted to.”Lo’Ren cut her eyessheepishly at Eva.“Anything to get out ofcleaningduty.”

Eva laughed.“Something tells me youaren’tfromSonis.”

“It must be the hair.”Lo’Ren ran a hand acrossherpinkmane. “Born and

raised in Briel, a smallwork colony in the Lintagasteroidbelt.”

“Wait. You grewup inanasteroidbelt?”

“Briel’s finest at yourservice.” Lo’Ren pinchedthe tips to make her hairstandupevenmore.

“I didn’t know anyonecould live in an asteroidbelt.” Eva turned back to

thefield.Amonthago,shedidn’t knowanyone couldlive on a moon either.“What are you doing onSonis?Wereyou forced tocomehere?”

“No, no, no. I came onmyown.Sonisissupposedtobeagrowingsettlement.Maybe in about three…five…ten cycles.” Lo’Renlooked around at thealmost barren landscape.

“Speaking of myemployer,herehecomes.”

EvaglaredatTaioashewalkedtoher.

“What are you andyour new friend doing?”Hesmileddownonher.

Lo’Ren smiled back.“Feasting our eyes onroyalguards.”

Taio’s smiled dropped

to a frown and Eva rolledher eyes. That was whatthe lout got. Maybe nexttime he wouldn’t pickfriends for her whovolunteeredforthejob.

“I like those fightingthings they have. Look atall the pretty colors,”Lo’Rensaid.

“Icouldhaveonemadefor you if you like,” Taio

said.

“Idon’twantone.Ijustlike watching the guardswith them.” Eva and Taioboth turned to look atLo’Ren.“Ohnottalkingtome.”

“You could?” Evasquinted as she lookedupat him, the suns at hisback.

“I could, if it would

keep you from sneakingcloser to my trainingfield.”Hecrossedhisarmsover his chest and stareddownather.

“But Taio, the mendon’t evenmind I’mhere.Why can’t I train withthem? I told you, on myplanet, men and womentrainedsidebysideallthetime.

Of course, males andfemalesdidn’ttrainsidebyside all over Earth, butrightnow shedidn’twantto get into specifics abouttrainingwithhim.

“And I have told you,these are not ‘men’, butwarriors.Warriorstrainingwith females is not atraditionwepracticehere.”

“Sonis isanewcolony,

you are still forming yourowntraditions.”

He thought on it for amoment, looking at hisguards on the trainingfield, no doubt ponderingtheideainhishead.“Iwillallow you to train—” Hissentence was cut off byEva jumping off thegroundwith a squeal andgiving him a kiss on hischeek.“Iwillallowyouto

train,” he started again,“usingthesimulatorsonly.Not with any of myguards.”

Abruptly, she stoppedjumping up and down.“What? Why can’t I trainwiththeguards?”

“Yeah, why can’t Evatrain with the guards?”Lo’Renasked.Taiopeeredher way. “I get it, you’re

nottalkingtome.”

“Eva, they are royalguards, warriors. Look atthem.TheywillthinkIambelittling them if I sendyouintherewiththem.Beglad that I am allowingyou to use the trainingsimulators.”

She started tobalk,butstopped short, snappinghermouth closed.Hewas

right. Being able to dosomekindof trainingwasbetter than sitting in thegrass,plottingawaytogetclosertothetrainingfield.

“Okay, but you stillhavetogetmeoneofthosejangothings.”

*****

Early the next day,under the protective

canopy Taio had erectedfor her, she stood in frontof a training simulatorwithsweatpouringoffherbody.WhenTaiorestrictedher to using the trainingsimulators, he failed tomentiontheywerereplicasof the enemies that werecommon to the DrazlanandSonispeople.

So to say the least, shewas more than a little

taken aback when Rashaled her to an equipmentroom that held seven life-like alien simulators tochoose from. Hell, shedidn’t need the guards.She could have her funwith these for years tocome.

She picked out theugliest-looking one of thebunch. It looked the sameas the Loconuist and she

planned to kick someEarth-invading, human-enslavingalienass.

With Rasha’s help, shewas able to set it to thetraining level she desired.At first, she started offslow, warming up to fullfighting mode. But afternoticing the guardswatching her, she decidedtokickitupanotch.

Taio said the guardswould not train with afemale and would feel itwasbeneaththem.Ha!Shelaughedtoherself.Shewasmaking mincemeat of thisrobotandlovingit.

Lo’Ren sat at the edgeof the field, watching her,positioning herself at agood vantage point. Thegirl was no Ally, but shewasn’tbadeither.Taiohad

removed her from thecleaning crew and hadgivenhertheofficialjobof“friendtoEva”.

Yesterday, Eva tried,unsuccessfully, to shakeher after lunch. Wherevershe hid, Lo’Ren poppedup. That girl was takingherjobveryseriously.Thismorning Eva decided totake a different approach.She was Batman and

Lo’Ren was her sidekick,Robin.

Aside from Lo’Ren,Rasha and Jor’Dan cameby and watched. But shewas really trying toimpress the rest of theguards, who werewatching her out of thecornersoftheireyes.

“Youhavemuchtalent,Eva,”Rashasaid.

“Wow, you approve?Thank you, Rasha. Itmeans a lot coming fromyou.”

“The guards seemwellimpressed with yourmoves and skill.Wedon’tpractice hand-to-handcombat anymore, but itseemstobeaskill thatwemay need again. Are allEarthlings trained in thistype of combat as you

are?”Rashaasked.

“Wearecalledhumans,and yes, most of us aretrained as youngsters inmartial arts. It is an Earthtradition.” Well, it wasn’tanoutrightlie.Shedidsay“most”. So when Rashaand Jor’Dan exchanged alook between themselves,she didn’t feel all thatguilty.

By midday, she wassemi-surrounded by fourguards.RashahadgonetoTaio and gottenpermission to have someof the guards, those whowere interested,watchhertrain with the simulator.Although she was stillpummeling the simulatorfornow,shewassurethatsoon she would beaccepted to train with the

guards.

All seemed tobegoingwell, except for a smallgroupofguardswhowerelaughing andpointing herway. Knowing theymocked her, she ignoredthem.Thiswasnotthefirsttimeshehadbeenlaughedat. If these guardswantedto upset her with theirtaunts,theyreallyhadalotto learn. They needed to

hang out with elementaryschoolkids.

“Do not mind them,Eva,”Rashasaid.

“Don’tworryaboutme.I’m having the most funI’ve had in years!” Shesomersaulted over thesimulator, landing at itsbackandgivingitonehellof a kidney punch, well,assumingitskidneywould

beinthatspot.

“When you are allready to see real warriorstrain, make your way tous!” one of the guardsyelled.

She looked over to seethe guard from the groupof hecklers motioning hisway.

“Andafteryouseehowa guard fights, come back

and watch a girl.” Foremphasis, she dropped tothegroundandswipedherfoot underneath thesimulator, knocking it flatontheground.

“Ouch.” Jor’Dansmiled.

Jumping up, shehalfheartedly gave a bowto the guards standingaround her, who had

beguntoclap.

“You think you knowhow to fight, but you arenothing here.” The sameguard sneered, nowwalking her way, fistsballedupathissides.

His face was red andfull of rage and his lipswere pressed in a hardline. Rasha stepped infront of Eva, blocking his

pursuit.

“Coyl, don’t come anyfarther.Shehaspermissionfrom Taio to be on thetraining field,” Rasha saidthroughgrittedteeth.

“His judgment isobviously clouded by theslickness of her pussy,since it iswellknownthathe fucks the bitch nightandday,”Coylsaid.

“Get out of my sightbefore I hold you downand let her beat youmyself,”Rashasaid.

Eva stepped frombehindRasha.“Thankyoufor the offer, Rasha, but Iwouldn’tneedyoutoholdhimdownforme.Anyonecanseehe’spasthisprimeandhoping,wishingand…no, praying that I’ll knockhim down. Because it’s as

close as he’ll ever get tohaving a woman touchhim.”

Coyl let out a war cryandrantowardher.Rashadropped in a low stance,about to take the brutehead on, preventing himfrom reaching Eva.Although she appreciatedthe gesture, she had adifferent idea. She hadnever been known to let

others fight for her.Without a moment’shesitation, she took offrunningtowardRashaandCoyl. Using Rasha’s legand shoulder as steps, sheleaped over him andextendedherleg,aimingitrightatCoyl’sface.

“Humph,”wastheonlysound that came out ofCoyl’smouthbeforehefellbackward in an

unconsciousheap.

Keepingherstancelow,she circled slowly. Theseguards were trained towatch each other’s backs.She was prepared to takeon anyone else who cameherway.

Instead of a fight, shewas met with applausefrom the guards beforetheyreturnedtowhatthey

hadbeendoing.

Slowly rising, shewatched as Rasha walkedtowardher.

“I think youmay havesome requests from theother guards to help withtheir training,” Rasha saidafter stopping in front ofher.

“You think so? Theywon’t be upset that I took

down one of their own?”She looked over to Coyl’sbody. Jor’Dan was nowstanding over hisunconscious body,nudginghimwithaboot.

“That’s exactly whythey would want sometrainingtips.Thehardpartwill be getting Taio toagreetoit.”

Asifoncue,Taiocame

stalking into view. Theguards made certain tokeep out of the way astheir large king walkedtoward them.Guardswhowere training near herinconspicuously movedfartheraway.

“Rasha! Ship told metherewasadisturbanceonthe training field. What’sgoingonhere?”

“Nothing that shouldhave caused Ship to bealarmed,”Rashareplied.

“No?”

“No.” Rasha wasn’tlying. In fact, she hadtaken care of the situationeffectively.

“Lo’Ren?”

Lo’Ren shruggedwhenTaio turned her way. Her

mouth was sealed shut.Eva loved herimmediately.

She silently prayed noone would give themaway. If Taio found outCoyl had almost jumpedon her, she could kisstraining on the fieldgoodbye. Itwouldn’t evenmatter that most of hisguards didn’t mind herpresence here. One idiot

would ruinher chances ofreturning.

Taio looked around,takinginthesurroundings.His eyes settled on Coyl.“Great Ancients! Is hedead?”

Eva and Rasha lookedover at the heap lying onthe ground. Just as Coylstarted to groan, Jor’Dangave him another hard

kickintheface.

“He was injured whiletraining,”Jor’Dansaid.

ChapterThirteen

“You are still goingthrough with it?” RashaaskedTaio.

They were bothwatching the dinnerentertainment. Threefemales swayed their hips

inshimmeringsee-throughmaterial to music as theydancedinthecenterofthediningarea.

“Yes, I am still goingthrough with it. Nothinghas changed forme.”Taioglanced at Eva, who wassitting next to Lo’Ren,smilingasshewatchedtheprovocative dance. As hewatched the pair, hedecided he had made the

right decision when hebrought the two together.Unsureatfirstifthequirkyfemale would be goodcompany for Eva, now hewasquitesatisfied.

“HaveyoutoldEva?”

“I will. But it will notmake a difference. Myplanshavenotchanged.”

“I thought you weregetting closer to her. You

two seem to be a goodmatch.”

Taioblewoutabreath.“She has almosteverything that Ihoped tofindinasuitablemate.Sheis beautiful, smart andbrave, she has nice-sizedbreasts and the roundestassI’veeverseen.”

“Whoa. Enough, myfriend. I know howmuch

you enjoy your human. Ibelieve everyone whohappenstobeinearshotofyour couplingknowshowmuchyouenjoyher.”

“As much as I enjoyher, I cannot create amatchwithher.”

“Whynot?”

“She will not bringwhat we need to Sonis. Ineed to create a match

with someone who canbringmorebusinesstothepeople of Sonis. If I takeher as my mate, we willremain in the sameposition that we are innow.”

“I think we have donequite well for ourselves.We receive families whomigrate from the homeworldeveryday.”

Taio pondered thethought. He would wantnothing more than to bebondedwith Eva. But shecould not offer him or hispeople what they needed.Itwouldbeselfishforhimto only consider his needsandnot look at the biggerpicture.Yes, familiescamein droves fromDrazlan toSonis,butwithoutameansto provide for themselves,

his people would beforeverdependentonhim.

His only option wouldbe to find amate in nameonly,allthewhilekeepingEvaforhimself.Evawouldagree because he was allshe had. He was sure itwasstillanacceptableplanforthebothofthem.

“What do you plan todowithEvaonceyoufind

amate?Letherliveonthepalacegrounds?Onceyougiveupyourclaimonher,Iexpecttheguardswillbefalling over themselves toclaim her. Are youprepared for her to find amateaswell?”

Taio stilled. Never. Iwouldkillanymalewhotriedtotouchher.

“She would have no

needforamate.Iwillstillhaveher. It ispracticed inmany cultures throughoutthegalaxy.Who’s tosay itwas not practiced on herhome world as well? Shewouldhave tomove frommy personal quarters, ofcourse. But I have noproblem with setting herup in one of theapartments on the othersideofthepalace.”

Taiotriedtocontrolhistemper.HecaredforRashajust as he did his ownbrother, but if he kept upthis talk of Eva finding amate,hewouldguthim.

“OhandyouthinkEvawill abide by this newarrangement?” Rashajerked his head in Eva’sdirection.

“Of course she will.

Why wouldn’t she?” Heseemed to be trying toconvince himself morethanhisfriend.

“It may be widelypracticed in this galaxy,butwhat if it isnot inherculture? Have you eventalkedtoheraboutit?”

“No, I haven’t. But itwill not matter. She willstay with me. She has

nowhere else to go. Evawill understand that it isforthebest.”

Heblewoutabreath.“Iam responsible foreveryone who you seearound you. This isextremely important tous.We need to make a goodalliancetobringprosperityto our world.” Taio couldfeelhimself growingmoreagitated by the minute.

This conversation waspointless and he didn’twanttotalkaboutit.

“I thought we werealready prosperous,”Rasha replied. “We haveSonisMercenaryandSonisGold. We are one of therichest worlds in thisgalaxy.What more do weneed?”

Taio’s fist slammed

down on the table. “Whatwe need is morebusinesses to ensure ourworldwillthrive.Weneedvisitors to flock to ourmarkets to buy the localgoods.”

Exasperated, he ran ahand across his hair. “Wecan accomplish thisquicker and easier if I amable to form a successfulbond. The right mate will

help bring more visitors,settlers and businesses toSonis. Sonis will need tosurviveonitsownwithoutthehelpofmybusinesses.Iwant thepeopleofSonistobeindependent.”

“Taio,youarenotyourfather. You never were,norwillbe.”

It wasn’t easy growingup in the royal Xochis

household. He had triedtime and time again toforget his childhood. Hisfather had made thepeople of Drazlan,including himself, subjectto his every whim. Hisfather owned the largestcompany on Drazlan and“employed” the people ofDrazlantoworkforhim.

“Howdoyouintendtofindamate?”Rashaasked

asTaiosatinsilence.

Taio let his friend’squestion pull him out ofhis trance.“Iwas thinkingofaparty.”

“Aparty?”

“Yes, a party. I amthinking of invitingeligible females here for aparty,” Taio said, satisfiedwiththedecision.

“Well, good luck withthat.Bepreparedforeveryfemale species in thesurrounding galaxies tocome running here inhopes of mating with oneoftherichestmales.”

“I’m not opening mydoorstojustanyone.”Taioshookhishead.“Iwanttoextend invitations only tothosewhoIknowcanhelpbringprosperitytoSonis.”

“Whichfemalesdoyouhaveinmind?”

“I have a few inmind.But I need help findingenoughtochoosefrom.”

Rasha raised hiseyebrow.

“I’m going to ask mymotherforhelp.”

“Thisoughttobereallygood.”Rashachokedouta

laugh.

Hismotherwasknownfor herwildly extravagantparties.Anygoodnews,orthe possibility of goodnews, was a reason tothrowaparty.

Taio’s eyes wanderedagaintowhereEvasat.Hewas having a hard timekeeping his eyes off her.The thought of bonding

withsomeoneelsewasnotsitting rightwith him andhewouldneverreleasehertoanothermale.

Asifshecouldfeelhimwatching her, Eva turnedaround and met his eyes.He wanted her, here andnow. His cock throbbedandhardenedbetweenhisthighs. Eva playfullylicked her lips. She wasready for him. She was

alwaysready.

His cock twitched inresponse. Without a wordto his friend, he rose,walked through thedancers, sending themscattering out of his path,pickedEvaoff thepillowsand slung her over hisshoulder.

“Remindmetotellyouaboutcavemensometime.”

Shegiggled.

*****

Screams. She coveredher ears but couldn’t keepthe screams from filteringthrough.Hereyesscannedthe panicked crowd.Everyone scattered andcowered, hiding in thesmallestofplaceswhiletheLoconuist stomped their

waythroughthemakeshifttentcity.

IftheLoconuistwereinthebelly of the spacecraft,itmeantonething,trouble.Herheartpickedupspeed.It was another “taking”.The monstrous lizardsstopped only to grabhumans, picking themoutindiscriminately. Men,women and children, itdidn’tmatter.

Her eyes dartedthroughthefrenzy.Wherewas Allysan? “Ally!” sheyelled. Eva pushedthroughthecrowd.“Ally!”

The Loconuist werecoming her way. Shedroppedtoalowcrouchaseveryone else panickedand pushed around her.Through the sea of legs,she spotted a wide-eyedAllystaringbackather.

Eva held Ally’s stare,willinghertobequietandpatient. They needed tostay unnoticed. Fear waswritten all across herfriend’s face. Ally flickedher eyes upward beforehercrazedeyescamebackto Eva’s. Ally opened hermouthtoscream.

Eva shook her head.“No,”shemouthed.

Timestoodstill.Theairgrew thick and hot. Sheforced air through herlungsandout.Ahotdropof liquid landed on herforehead and rolledsteadily down to hereyebrow.

She lifted her hand tocatchthedropbeforeithithereye.Scooping theglobaway, she brought herhand to eye level. Slime

coatedherfingers.

No.Hereyesfilledwithtears. It was time. Shedidn’t need to look up tosee what stood over her,waiting.

Searing pain torethrough her shoulder aslarge claws dug throughthe skin and gripped thebone.No!No!No!

*****

“Eva!” She opened hereyes. Taio’s face wasinches from hers. “Wakeup, little one. You arehavinganightmare.”

She pushed herself upto a sitting position.Wetnessdripped fromherforehead. She wiped it

away and looked at herhand.Sweat,notslime.

“I’m okay.” Shescanned the room, takingin her surroundings. Shewasn’t on the Loconuistspacecraft. The Loconuistweren’there.Shewassafe.ButAlly…

She covered her handswith her face. She’d lostAlly.Taiopulledhercloser

tohim.

“What were youdreamingabout?”

“Them.” She didn’twant to say their nameanymore.

“Youaresafehere.”

“I am, but Ally…I losther.” The tears rolledeasilydownhercheek.Shepunched at the pillow.

“Damn it! I need to findher. I have to find her.She’soutthereallalone.”

“Come here.” Taio laybackdown,pullingherontop of him. “Go back tosleep. If anyone can findher, it is Ship. But I canassure you he won’t findhertonight.”

She nuzzled into hisarms. Her protests died

away as sleep claimedheronceagain.

Late the next morning,Eva rolled over to findTaio’s side of the bedempty. Taio had sincegotten up and was nodoubt inhisofficetendingto“officialSonisbusiness”.That man worked toodamnhard.TakingcareofSonis was definitely morethanafull-timejob.

Ship explained to herthat Sonis had a totalpopulation of fiftythousand people, whichdefinitely wasn’t enoughtooccupy an entiremoon.He was working hard,trying to make Sonis athriving world, and shewasproudofhimforthat.He ruled over the peopleon Sonis, but he had theirutmost safety, livelihood

and happiness in mindwith every decision hemade.

Before taking a quickdip in the large pool thatpassed for a bathtub, shestraightened their room,made the bed and foldedthe clothes that he’d leftscatteredaround the floor.Shewasawarethatassoonasshe left, therewouldbesomeone in to clean up,

but she felt compelled todo it herself. There werenomaidsintheorphanageand definitely not in hersmall apartment back inMichigan.

She donned hertraining jumpsuit. Thespecial material let thewearer’s skin breathewhileprovidingprotectionfrom the penetration ofsharp objects. With her

new jango strapped to herback and Lo’Ren by herside, she left for thetrainingfield.

She had to give it toTaio, ever since Lo’Renstartedshadowingher,theotherfemalesinthepalacewere being nicer. Evennow, as she walkedthrough the halls, thefemalesshepassednoddedto her. Eva hesitantly

returned their greetings.These same females hadpreviously turned theirnoses up at her. What adifference a week made,shethought.

She didn’t know whatthe big dealwas. Sowhatif she liked to be able totake care of herself?Apparently, that beliefmade the local femalepopulation avoid her as if

she carried the plague.Plus, if they could acceptLo’Ren,theyshouldaccepther.Lo’Renwaspinkwithhot-pink hair, for God’ssake!

“WhenisTaiogoingtogive up this idea that hiswhore can train on thesame field as warriors?”Coyl said as Eva led hertraining simulator out tothefield.

Ignoring him as shehad for the past couple ofdayswasgettingharderbytheday.

“Whores are good forone thing only.” Coyllaughed, holding his handbetweenhislegs.

Asthedaysprogressed,his audience hadsignificantly dwindledfrom a handful to two.

Briefly,shehadthoughttotell Taio but had decidedagainstit.IfTaiofoundoutthere was trouble on thefieldanditwasbecauseofher, he might take hertrainingprivilegesaway.Ifshe had to suck it up anddealwith this asshole, shewould, in order to keephertrainingtime.

She turnedher favoritetraining simulator on and

started through thewarm-up exercise. Withoutwarning, the simulatorimmediately jumped fromthewarm-upstagetostagefour, the most advancedstage. Shewas in a worldoftrouble.

The large tail whippedaround, knocking herdown. She fell to theground.Thesandanddirttemporarilyblindedheras

it mushroomed aroundher. As it cleared, hervisionwasofalarge,scalyfootthattriedtosmashherhead in. She rolled out ofthe way. The simulatorhad definitely beentamperedwith.

“Help!” She leaped toherfeetassheavoidedthegreen foot that landedinchesfromherface.

As she struggled, Coyland his friends laughedandsmackedeachotherontheirbacks.Heronlyhopewas to try to overtake thesimulator. With everymove she completed, shetried to turn the stupidthingoff.Appearingoutofnowhere, Rasha lunged atthe simulator’s back anddisengaged it. Thesimulator froze with its

clawsreachingout tograbher. She wanted to throwup.

“Eva, why would youset it for the mostadvanced setting? It couldhavekilledyou.”

She leaned over andput both of her hands onher knees, trying to catchherbreath.

“You think? I set it to

the warm-up stage. Itjumped to level fourwithout me programmingit,” she said between hardbreaths. She begancoughing, her body tryingto clear the dirt, dust andsandfromherlungs.

“Itcannotjumptolevelfour without being presetforit.”Rashatinkeredwiththe simulator’s controlconsole.

“I didn’t set it to killme.” Her voice drippedwithsarcasm.

Straightening, shebrushed the sand anddirtfrom her clothes. Asidefrom a few scratches andsmall cuts, there wasn’tany major damage done.Nothing that couldn’t beexplained away as regulartraining injuries. Taiowould not hear about this

ifshecouldhelpit.

Coyl and his friendsmoved farther off, stilllaughing and smiling,clearly finding the humorin her near-deathexperience.

Rasha followed Eva’seyes to the laughing menandstartedtowardthem.

“Rasha,pleasedon’tgoover there.”She ran tohis

side,pullingathisarm.“Ifyou do, it’ll only causemoretroubleformeonthetrainingfield.”

She trottednext tohimas he continued hispursuit. “More troublethantryingtokillyou?”heasked.

He was right. Shewantedtotrainandnotgetkilled in the process. She

nodded her head inresponse and stopped.Rashamade his way overtoCoylinfivelongstrides.

“You will go to yourroom and stay there. Youwill await my direction,”Rashasaid.Coylturnedinherdirectionandgrowled.Rasha pulled his jangofrom its sheath andpointed it at him. “If youcomenearheragain,Iwill

killyou.”

“You aren’t going tomake me leave the palaceforthatwhore!”

“Leave the field, Coyl,and takeyouraccompliceswithyou.”

“I was just playing ajoke!”

“A joke? She couldhavebeenkilled!”

“That’s why thetraining field isn’t meantfor females or whores.”Coyl spit on the ground.“Taioshouldlearntokeephiswhores inhisbed.Hisfather always knew theplace of whores.” Withthat, Rasha smacked theguardwith the broad sideof the weapon, sendinghimflying.

She turnedandwalked

away, feeling embarrassedand humiliated. Taio wassuretoforbidherfromthetrainingfieldnow.

ChapterFourteen

Evastoodatthekitchendoor, feeling defeated anddepressed. She had surelylostheronlyoutletonthisrock.Ifshewerehome,shewouldhaveopenedupthefridgeandletloose.

But she wasn’t home,and instead of herrefrigerator door, her feetled her to the next bestplace, the palace kitchen.She could have gone backto the royal quarters withLo’Ren and pigged out,but if Taio was there, shewouldbeforcedtoexplainwhat happened. Rightnow, she wasn’t in themood.

“Eva, what are youdoing here?” Eva blinkedin surprise as a roundwomanwho toweredoverherturnedherway.“Whyaren’t you on the trainingfield?”

Hours later andwith abelly full of a substanceclose to ice cream, sheofficially felt better. Thecookshadbeenmore thanwelcomingtoher.Nowall

shehadtodowasgobackto the training field,although it was the lastplaceshewantedtobe.Butofallthestupidthingsshecould have done, she hadforgotten her jango there.Taiohad it speciallymadeforher,shewasn’tgoingtobehumiliatedandloseherjangoallinthesameday.

Maybe I can ask Ship tohave Lo’Ren pick it up for

me?Lo’Renhadleftwithastomachache a little whileago. The chilled milksubstance hadn’t set wellinhernewfriend’sbelly.

Turningthecorner,shestopped short of collidingwith the last person shehad ever wanted to seeagain,Coyl.

Her eyes immediatelysurveyed her

surroundings. Coyl hadtwo other guards flankinghissides.Thefourofthemweretheonlypeopleinthehallway. His eyes werebloodshotredandfocusedonher.

Shit, trouble. Where thehellisTaio?

“Excuseme.” She triedto bypass him and theotherguards.

When she stepped tothe side, Coyl stepped,blocking her. She pursedher lips and stepped left;he growled low in histhroat and again matchedherstep.

“Let me pass. I don’twant any more troublethan you’ve alreadycaused.”Shetriedagaintostep around him. Heblocked her path and

chuckled.

“You are not goinganywhere, whore,” Coylsnarled.

Her gut churned. Sheknew instantly Coyl hadcome looking for a fight.She could handle one,maybetwo,butthreeroyalguards? She’d seen themtrain, royal guards weresome of the best warriors

she had ever seen. Shestraightened her back. Allshe had to do was holdthemoffuntilTaiocame.

“Call me what youwant, but we both knowwhohasthepussy.Idon’tneed to bringreinforcements to fightyou.”

Coyl laughed again. “Ididn’t bring them to help

mefight.Ibroughtthemsowe could take turnsbreakingyou.”Hegrabbedand fondled his cock. Theother two laughed inunison, slapping eachother’s backs. “We aregoing to use you up,whore.”

Evatskedandturnedtothe other men. “If hepromised you that thiswould be easy, he lied.”

She put one hand on herhip and the other on herchin. “And maybe whenI’m done breaking all ofyou, I’ll give you over totherestoftheguardsforagoodfucking.”

All three snapped theireyes back to her, oneletting out a feral growl.She loosened her stance,expecting it to get worsebeforeitgotbetter.

One of the maleslookedoveratCoylwarily.Thatwasallsheneededtodeterminehewastheweaklinkofthegroup.

Light on her feet andwithout making a sound,she sidestepped andplantedafiercekicktohisknee. Crack. The guard’showl erupted throughouttheair.

The kick shattered hiskneecap. Her facescrunched in anger,knowing that all it wouldtakewasafewhoursinthehealingtanktocompletelyhealhim.Bummer.At leastthis fool would be inexcruciating pain until hegotthere.

That thought gave herpausetosmile.

“Crazy bitch,” Coylsnarled. His friend laywrithing in pain on theground.

“Just in case you needhelp keeping score, I haveone and you have zero,”shesaid.

Coyl rushed forwardwithawarcry.

Shestepped to thesideasheranpasther,planting

a hard elbow on his back,hittinghiminthekidney.

“Humph,”hesaid.

The next guard swungat her head. Duckingunder his blow, shegrabbedhistesticlesfirmlyin her hand, grippingharder against hisstruggles. Obviously shedidn’thavea firmenoughhold on him if he still

thought to move on hisown,shethought.

Sheusedhistesticlestosteer him around, keepinghim planted firmlybetween her and Coyl.Every time Coyl tried tocome around, she movedtheguardtoblockhisway.Using the guard as abarrier, Eva reachedaroundwithherfreehandand punched Coyl,

knowing each punch thatconnected would doenough damage toeventuallyslowthecrazedguarddown.

She punched andpunched, using theunfortunate guard as ashield, until finally thebrute begin to sway. Thepain in his testicles toomuch for him to bear anylonger, he dropped to his

kneesandslumpedover.

Coyllookedatthemanon the floor, then back toEva.

“Two to zero.” Sheplastered a smile back onherface.

Coyl flaredhisnostrils,clenched his fists andslowly advanced forward.Eva kicked at him, tryingtolandanotherblowtothe

knee.Whatworkedforonemightworkfortheother.

No such luck. Coylcaughtherfoot.

“Did you think it wasgoing to be that easy?”hesaidmockingly.

“Yes.”

Using his hand tostabilize her foot, sheswung her body around,

grabbinghisshouldersandpropellingherselfuptohisneck, sandwiching itbetween her thighs.Startled, he let her go andreached up to grab herlegs. Tightening her hold,she used her knees as avisearoundhisneck.

Takinghisheadinbothher hands, she dug herfingers in his hair. Withone fluid movement, she

jerked his head to theright.

Coyl went still anddropped slowly to thefloor.

She made the slowdescent with him. Onlyafter her feet touched theground, with Coyl’s headhitting right after, did shelookup toseeTaio,Rashaand Jor’Dan standing in

frontofher.

Taiosurveyedthescenebeforehim.Oneofhismenlay in a crying heap,holdinghisknee.Themanobviously needed medicalattention, but he couldwaitalittlewhilelonger.

The other man wasunconscious, his handsbetweenhislegsandknees

drawn up in a fetalposition.

Coyl was no doubtdead. Taio had watchedthe light leave the guard’seyes as Eva snapped hisneck.

Then there was Eva.She stood with her legsspread apart, arms at hersides.Herheadwasdownslightly, her hair in a

disheveled mess aroundher face and her eyeswatchinghim.

It was the same lookshehadwhenhefoundheron Xenaris.Hermind stillin battle mode, not yetfully back from where ithadgone.Lockinghiseyeswith hers, he walkedforwardslowly.Herbreathincreasing with each stephetook.

Reachingher,hepickedherupandheldher inhisarms. Prepared for her tofight against him, he heldhertight.Herbodytensedbriefly, and then with aslight shudder, she beganto shake violently in hisarms.

“Clean up this messand get them to theinfirmary.” He walkedawaywith Eva safe in his

arms.“Slowly.”

Without a word, hewalkedthroughthepalacehalls.Hedidn’texpectherto talk to him and hedidn’t try to make her.Instead, shekeptherheadburiedinhischestandherbodytrembled.

After Rasha told himwhat happened, Taio hadgonetoCoyl’sroomtoban

himandthosewhohelpedhim from thepalace.Onlyafter reaching an emptyroom did Ship put out analert. He, Rasha andJorDan had run throughthepalacetosaveher.Theentire time,hethoughthisheart would explode. Thethought of not reachingher in time had him in apanic.

Holding her tighter, he

brought her closer to hisbody. He spent the entiretrip cradling Eva in hisarms, thinking about howvulnerable she actuallywas. He was responsibleforherandhadalmostlosther.

Everyone in his pathmoved out of the way.Theydidn’t need to knowwhat transpired, but theyknew something was

wrong. Their king hadmurder in his eyes. Hereached his privatequarters and paused onlymomentarily as thescanner made itsverification. Mazel methim at the door, but heshooed her away beforecontinuingtohisbedroom.

Once there, he gentlylaid her on the bed. Sheputherheadinherhands,

hiding her face from him.He tuggedgentlyat them,tryingtomovethemoutofhisway,butsheheldthemfirmly in place. Soft sobscame from behind them.Leaningdown,heplacedalightkissonhershoulder.

Thenanother.

Andanother.

He trailed kisses alldown her arm. Lingering

at her elbow, he gave it alittlenip,workinghiswayto her hand. He trailedkissesfromherwristtothetipofherfingers.There,heslowlylethismouthcovertwo of her fingers andpulled them between hislips, running his tongueacross the tips.Heslidhistongue between twofingers and flickeredwhere they joined, feeling

her fingers go slack in hismouth.

From behind a hand,she moaned, until finallyher hands slid away fromher face, revealing darklashes that were wet withtears.

He abandoned herfingers and leaned overher. “Youare sobeautiful,littleone.”

He placed light kissesaround her eyes andfollowed the tear tracksdown her face to herswollen lips. Releasing agroan, he pulled herswollenbottomlipintohismouth, sucking andpulling. “You are so verystrong.”

“I was so scared.” Evareachedupandcradledhishead with her hands. “I

thoughttheyweregoingtokillme.”

“I am sorry that I wasnot there to protect you.”He stroked the sideofhercheek.“Whydidyoukeepthis from me, little one? IwouldhavebanishedCoylfromSonisthefirsttimehestartedtrouble.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldhave told you. But I was

afraid youwould stopmefromtraining.”

He cocked his head tothe side. “I might have.”Whenshestartedtoobject,he cut her off. “That wasbefore.YouhaveprovedtobeoneofthefinestfightersonSonis.”

“You really think so?”shewhispered.

“One of the best. But

you are still mine toprotect. Iwon’t letanyonehurtyou.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

He crushed his mouthover hers, parting her lipswith his tongue, hismeeting hers. She pulledhim closer to her. Hertongue tangled with his.Taio slid his hand under

her shirt, finding herbreast.

Eva moaned as hetouched and caressed her,slowly massaging,enjoying the feelingofhersoft skin against his large,calloused hand. When hetook the pad of his roughthumb and teased hererect, plump nipple, Evamoaned under his touchandarchedherback.

“Let go. I will protectyou. You will never bealone again,” hewhispered.

He latched on to herother nipple, pulling andsucking,assheburiedbothhands in his hair. Takinghis hand, she guided it tothe spot he loved to rubmost. Her clit. There, heslowly rubbed the hardnub. Moaning, she spread

her legs wider beforefinally wrapping heranklesaroundhisback.

He used his fingers tomassagehernuband thendippedthemdeepintoherweepingsheath.Herwallsgripped his finger as heslidinandout.Shebuckedbeneath him, bringing herhipsuptomeethis finger,begging for more. Hesucked and teased her

nipples, enjoying how shereactedtohim.

Onlyforhim.

He slid another fingerinsidetojointheother.Sheinstantly threw her headbackandgasped,herwallscontracting around them.Gliding them in andout afewmorestrokesbeforehefinally had enough, hecouldn’twaitanylonger.

She let out a smallwhimper of protest as heremovedthem.

“Please…more.”

Instead of giving herwhat she begged for, hemoved onto his knees.Hegrabbed the top of herpants, pulled them downand flung them across theroom. He discarded hisown shirt and pants even

faster. His cock bouncedand twitched, anticipatingthe snugness and warmththatawaitedhim.

Eva’s eyes glazed overas she stared at him. Hismusclesflexedashisbodyreadied forher,moving infor the kill. Positioninghimself between her legs,he held her by the kneesand urged them to openeven farther to

accommodatehis size.Hiscock grew even harder ashe watched her drippingwetpussy.

Leaning forward, hepressed the head againsthertight,slickopening.Heleaned in more, pressingtheheadfartherinside.Heinhaled sharply as thehead finally breached thetightentrywayofbliss.Hepulled out just a little and

pressed forward again,going a little deeper thanbefore.

She whimpered as hecontinued his mercilessdescent until he washalfway in.Only then didhestop,closehiseyesandlet them roll back in hishead. He could travel theuniverse and never find apussyasgoodashers.

After a few moments,she twirled her hips incircular motions beforebringing them up to takemore.

“No,littleone.”Heputa hand on her hip,stopping her from risingany farther. “I won’t beable to contain myself ifyou keep doing that. Idon’twanttohurtyou.”

“I don’t want you tohold back. I can take it,”shewhispered.Evamovedhis hand and brought herhips up in one swiftmotion, taking more ofhim.

He groaned and shemoaned, her slicknessoverwhelminghim.

With a loud cry, hereached under her,

grippingherassroughlyinbothhands,liftingherhipshigher. She wrapped herarms aroundhis neck andher legs squeezed tighteraround his back. Holdingonto her tightly, hepumpedintoherdeepandhard.Thefasterhemoved,the louder she screamed.Her fingernails dug intohis back, legs pulling himindeeper.

Shewanteditall.

She could take all hegaveher.

She was his littlewarrior.

She clawed andscreamed as her pussyconvulsed and erupted,coveringhiscockwithherslickjuices.Aftertwomorethrusts, he joined her,spurting his cum deep

inside her. Her pussymilkedhimforeverydrop.

Lying with half of hisbodyonherand theotheron the bed, he kept herlegs around his waist. Hewanted her close at handwhen his cock got hardagain.Shestrokedhishairslowly, his breathingstarted to slow and hedriftedofftosleep.

ChapterFifteen

“My sweet baby, howare you doing?” Taioclosed his eyes andinwardly cringed at thefamiliar high-pitchedvoice.

His mother had

arrived.

He turned togreether.“Hello, Mother. I trustyour trip wassatisfactory?”

He opened his arms ashis mother came to him,returning his hug andplantingasoftkissoneachcheek. Although it was astandard greeting forloved ones, his face

reddened at the publicdisplay of motherlyaffection. Rasha makinglight kissing noises besidehim didn’t help matterseither.

“Thetripwasaswellascould be expected.” Hismothershotaquicklookinhisfather’sdirection.

His mother and fatherhad an arrangedmarriage

and it was well knownthey did not get along.They tried to avoid eachother at all costs, onlybeinginthesameroomfordiplomatic purposes. Heguessed that helping himfind a mate wasconsidered a diplomaticpurpose.

“Greetings, KingXochis,” Taio said. Headdressedhisfatherbyhis

official title, as hepreferred.

“Greetings, PrinceTaio.” His father noddedslightly, choosing to callhimaprince, even thoughhe was King of Sonis. “Ihear you have acquired anewspecies.Letmetakealookather.”

Taio stilled. While hecouldlethis father’sslight

of word go, he could nottoleratehisfather’sinterestinEva.Taiohadn’ttoldhisfather about Eva anddidn’tplanonit.Someonewas feeding, or had fed,information to him.Bedding as many femalesaspossiblewasamongthemany high qualities hisfather had. Taio made amental note to keep aguardwithEvaatalltimes

with strict instructions sheshould never be left alonewithhisfather.

“I am afraid she is notfor public use,” he saidwithout ahint of remorse.“But there aremanyotherspecies coming within thenext day or so for thefestivities.”

His mother becamevery still under his arm.

Hedidn’tliketotalkabouthis father’s transgressionsin frontofher, even if shewas well aware of hermate’sextramaritalaffairs.

“Prince Taio!” A smilecrossedhislipsashissistercame into view across theroom. Saia had on a redgown, accentuating hergoldenskin tone.Herred-colored slippers made asoft padding noise on the

floorassheranhisway.

At seventeen birthcycles, Saia was thehighlightofhislife.Shortlyafter she had her fifteenthbirthcycle,he’dpetitionedhis father to send Saia tolive with him, wanting toofferhislittlesisterabetterlife.Heknewitwasonlyamatter of time before hisfather bonded her in acontract for monetary or

political gain and thatwould be the day hewould have to kill theking.

Reaching him, she ranright into his arms and,despite his size, almostknocked him and hismotherdown.

“Ship told me youbought me somethingwhile you were on

Xenaris!”Saiasaid.

“Really,Saia,princessesdo not behave in such amanner!” his mother said,exasperated. Taio smiled,thiswas not the first timehis mother had talked toSaia about her behavior.As if on cue, his fatherturnedandwalkedoff.

“I am sorry, Mother, Icouldn’thelpmyself,”Saia

said. She wrapped herarms tighter around hismidsection.

He releasedhismotherand returned his sister’sembrace, lifting theyounger female off theground, kissing bothcheeks. Saia giggled inreturn. “You get prettiereach time I lay eyes onyou.”

Saia was two headsshorter than he was, withthe same lavender-coloredeyes that he and hissiblingshadinheritedfromtheir mother. Her thickblack hair hung down incascadingwavesbelowherwaist.

“Paw. You always saythat.”Sheplayfullyhithisarm. “Ship promised Iwouldlikemygift.Letme

seeit.”

“I have your gift righthere.”Hepattedhis jacketpocket. “But it seems youlost what little manners Irememberyouhaving.”

“Oh!Don’t play gameswith me, Taio. Please. Ipromise to be onmy bestbehavior.” She jumpedfromonefoot totheother,waitingforhimtoretrieve

the necklace from hispocket.

Bringing the necklaceout, he fastened it aroundherneck.

“Oh it’s beautiful!Mother, isn’t it lovely?”She turned to show thenecklace to their mother.“It matches my eyes.Thankyousomuch,Taio,”Saiasaidbeforehermother

had a chance to answer.She wrapped her armsaround his neck, hugginghimtight.

Eva stood in theelaborately furnishedballroom, watching theexchange between Taioandhisfamilyfromafar.Itwasobviousfromthewayhisfacelitupthathecared

for his mother and sisterdeeply. Even without anintroduction, she wouldhave been able to spotthem.

Another male walkedinto the room, greetingTaio, Saia and his motherwith a hug. The newvisitor had to be hisyounger brother, Kiehle.HewasalmostareplicaofTaio.Bitingherfingernails,

a habit she had thoughtshe lost a long time ago,she looked on. Was hegoing to call her over, shewondered, secretlyhopinghewould.

As she watched them,her chest began toconstrict, the old feelingsof abandonment andloneliness started tosurroundher.Shebroughther hand up to her heart.

She imagined theloneliness taking rootinsideasifitwereaweed,winding its way aroundher heart and smotheringit. Would there ever be atimewhen she had familyto greet her? On this newworld, she was no morethan an orphan. Now shewasonewhohadalsolostaplanet.

She slowly rubbed her

handoverherchest,tryingtoeasesomeofthetensionaway. No such luck. Shecouldfeelhereyesbegintowater.Blinkingback tears,she turned away from thereunion. She would notembarrass herself bycryinginpublic.

Crap,whatiscomingoverme? Why am I so fuckingemotional?

Evahadn’tbeensure ifsheshouldevenattendthewelcomeball for the royalfamily. Only after Lo’RenandMazelhadmadesucha fuss about it did shefinally agree to come.Although Taio had notbroachedthesubjectofherattending at all, he didn’tseem to mind when hefoundout.

Shelookeddownatthe

blue silk gown withmatching slippers. Mazelhad picked out theensemble. Lo’Ren evenweighed in and approvedher choice. Thanks toMazel, her hairwas up inanintricatedesign,heldinplacebydiamondpins.

Eva reached for herhair, mentally countingeach exquisite pin. Eleven.The thought of walking

aroundwiththeexpensivehair decorationsmade hernervous.

She didn’t claim to bethe prettiest girl in theroom, but she was happyabout how it all hadturned out. If she was tomeet the royal family, shewould at least lookpresentable. She tried torememberthelasttimesheevenworeadress.

Thisisabitovermyhead.She scanned the room,fightingtheurgetoleave.

The only reason shestayedrootedinplacewasbecause ofMazel’s efforts.Well, that, and she hadalso promised Lo’Ren shewould tell her all about ittomorrow. If she left now,hernewfriendwouldbugher for days about theinjustice of not being able

to attend and not gettingthescoopabouttheparty.

“You must be Eva.” Afemale’svoice intrudedonherthoughts.

Eva jumped at thesoundofhername.Damn,she was losing her touch.A couple of months ago,no one would have beenable to sneak up on her.She turned around,

surprised to see Taio’smothertalkingtoher.Shit.Neither Taio nor Mazelhad explained what theprotocol was for greetingroyalty.

“Umm…hello, yes, I’mEva.” She stuck out herhand, but quickly broughtit in when his motherstaredatit,confused.

She then attempted a

curtsy, the kind she hadseenonmultipletelevisionshows. His motherlowered her eyes andlooked tobe searching theground for something.Wrong again. Evastraightened; this was notgoing as she had hoped.“Nice to meet you,” shefinallysaid.

“Nicetomeetyoutoo.”Thequeengaveherheada

slightnod.“Ihearyouaresharing a bed with myson.”

Eva’s breath caught inher throat.Damn, this ladysureisstraightforward.

“Will you continue tostay in my son’s roomwhiletheguestsarehere?”thequeenasked.

“What…?”

Maybe they were reallyconservative people. Thatwould explain why hismotherdisapprovedofherstaying in Taio’s room. “Icould leave if you think itwouldbebest?”

This was her first timemeeting his mother, oranyone’s mother, for thatmatter, and she was notgoingtoruinitbydoingorsaying anything to upset

her.

“That would be best.”Hismothersmiledwarmlyinreturn.“Iamafraidthatifyouremainedinhisbed,he might become…distracted.”

“Distracted?”

“Well, yes. I am not amale,but I should think itwould be extremelydifficult to find a future

mate with a concubine inmy bed. That would bedifficult,evenforamale.”

“Picking out a futuremate?”Nowshewasreallyconfused.Whatwasgoingonhere?Atnotimehadhementioned anything aboutfinding a “future mate”. Iwillkillhim.

“Taio did not explainthistoyou?”

“No, I’m afraid that hedidn’t.I’msorrytointrudeon his party. I really am.”She tried to force thewordsoutofhermouth.

“Tsk. I thought hewould have explained hisplans to you before now.”Thequeenshookherhead.“It doesn’t matter. Whatwillbe,willbe.”

“Henevertoldme.Are

yousure?”sheasked.Washis mother mistaken? Amate? She didn’t expectmarriage from him, butshethoughttherehadbeensome kind of connectionbetweenthetwoofthem.

“Well, of course I amsure.Heinvitedmeheretohelp pick out a potentialcandidate.”

“Oh.”Hereyesscanned

the room, finally taking itall in. Every female inattendance positionedthemselvesinTaio’slineofsight and watched him.Potentialcandidates.

They all knew thenature of this gathering.Everyoneheremustknow.Everyoneexceptforme.

“I can see why he isenthralled with you.” His

mother’s eyes scannedherfrom head to toe.“Unfortunately, I think heintendstokeepyou.”

“Do you mean makemehismate?”

The queen laughed.“No, no. Not as a mate.Youwouldneverdo.Heisa king and you are but amere…slave.”

Amereslave.

Ouch.

“OhIunderstand,”Evasaid. “I think I shouldremovemythingsfromhisroomthen.”Turningawayfrom his mother, shelooked back over hershoulder. The queen wasalready making her wayback across the room toherfamily.

Shepickedupherpace.

She had one goal and onegoal only—reach the exitbeforethetearscompletelyovertookhereyes.

“Where are yougoing?”Mazelreachedoutand grabbed for her arm.She had not even noticedhis assistant, who hadhurriedtoherside.

Sheturnedred-rimmedeyestoMazel.Hissing,she

slapped her outstretchedhand away. “Why didn’tyoutellme?”

Mazel’s mouth openedto a perfect O as shesteppedback,bringingherhand to her chest. “I amsorry,Eva.Ithought…”

Eva turned away andran out of the room,pushing past anyone whostood in her way, not

hearingtherestofMazel’swords.What did itmatteranyway?

How could he have donethis to me? The samethought repeated in herhead as she ran throughthe palace. Did everyoneknow the “gathering”wasplannedsohecouldfindamate? She’d stood there,hoping he would call herover and introduce her to

hisfamily.

Ha! A mere slave. Shementally beat herself upfor even thinking shecould have been a part ofthat love.All thewhile hewas planning to discardher for another, as if sheweretrash.

She ran toward theirshared rooms, tears ofbetrayalpouringdownher

cheeks.

She ripped off thefoolish dress, kicked offtheuselessshoesand tookthe ridiculous pins out ofher hair. She grabbed andthrew on the only thingcomfortable to her, herfightingsuitandboots.

She was gathering herbelongings, as meager asthey were, when Taio

arrived. “Eva, little one,whatareyoudoing?”

“What the hell do youthinkI’mdoing?”shesaidthrough clenched teeth.How dare he put herthrough this humiliationandthenwaltzinhereasifnothingwasthematter.Hedidn’t even have thedecency to tell her, lettingher instead find out fromhismother!Hismother,of

allpeople!

“Why do you haveyour things?” He walkedcloser to her, his eyesintent and focused on theclothes she had in herhands.

“Because your motherthoughtitwouldbebestifI didn’t share your bedwhile you ‘looked for amate’!”Shekickedthebed.

“And I happen to agreewith her.” She turnedaroundandglaredathim.“Why didn’t you tell meany of this beforehand? Ihad to find out from…her.”

“I am sorry. I thoughtyouunderstood.”He tookthe clothes out of herhands.

“Understood what,

exactly?” She narrowedher eyes, snatching herclothesback.

He’d never told her hecared for her, never toldher he loved her, neverpretended there wasanything more than sexbetween them. She didunderstand.Shehadtakena little form of affectionand built somethingfictional around the

feeling. “I thought youunderstood that as king Ineedtofindamate.”

“But—”

“Eva, I need a matewho will bring prosperitytoSonissothat itcanbeathriving world. I need tohelpmypeople be able toprovideforthemselves.”

“So, I don’t meananything to you?” Her

chest was on fire. It wasgoingtoexplode.

“It is not about me orabout you. I cannot be soselfish as to only think ofmyself rightnow. Ihaveawholeworldtothinkof.”

He was right. She hadbeen an easy lay andnothingmore,fulfillingherduties as a slave andconcubine. He had not

promised her anything, sowhy was she demandingwhat he had not offeredher? She sniffed andpicked the rest of herclothesoffthebed.

“Ineed to findabag. Icouldn’t find one. I don’twant to walk through thehalls with my clotheshanginginmyarms.”Howembarrassing. The trampwalkofshame.

“Where do you thinkyouaregoing?”

“I asked Ship to helpme. He found an emptyapartment for me in themainpalace.”

“What!”Startledbyhissudden outburst, shejumped back. “You willnotmove out of here!” hesaid.

“Your mother said I

shouldn’tstayhere.Plus,Ican’t be here with youwhile you are makingplans to mate withsomeoneelse.”

“Eva, didn’t you hearme? I need to mate withsomeone who will bringprosperity to Sonis. Thematch will be in nameonly. You are mine. Youcannotgo.”

You mean you won’t letmego.

“You will stay herewithme,”hesaid.“WhenIfind a match, we willfigureouttherestlater.”

“No.”

“Eva, what would youhavemedo?”

Be my protector as youpromised. She lowered her

head.“Takemehome.”

He walked closer toher.“Thisisyourhome.”

“No, it’s not. Iwant togo home. To Earth.” Herchestconstricted.

“There’s nothing leftforyouthere.”

Her eyes met his.“There’s nothing for mehereeither.”

“No.” He shook hishead.“Youbelongtome.”

“Youdon’townme.”

“YesIdo.”

She held her clothestightinherhands.Shewasleaving. Itwasnopoint inarguing with a thick-headedbarbarian.

He growled low in hischest as shewalked closer

to the door, arms full ofclothes.

“Taio.” She turned herhead to look at him. “Youmayownmeonpaper,butIwillneverbeyourslave.”

Sheturnedandleft.

ChapterSixteen

She had almostforgotten what it was liketohaveaplaceofherown.Since she’d spent the lastfew years in a communalliving arrangement, theapartment was more than

she could have everdreamedof, onebedroom,asmallkitchenanddinettearea and a living roomwith a balconyoverlooking a radiantgreenpond.

Although she enjoyedthe privacy of having herown place again, the nextfew days were long andtiresome.Evaspentallherfree time on the training

field. With Coyl gone,training with the guardshadbeeneasier.Well, firstoff,therewasn’tanyoneonthe field trying to kill her.Shestayedtherefromduskto dawn, wearing herselfout.

She left the trainingfieldonlytoeatandsleep.The guards even invitedher to their private dininghallwith them.They even

went so far as to start totreat her as one of theirown.Shewouldrathereatwith them than be forcedto watch Taio and the“candidates” ogling eachother through the eveningmeals. Since he was sobusy with his guests thathedidn’thavetimetovisitthe training field, shedidn’t have to see him atall,really.

Duringtheday,hewasoutofsight,outofmind.Itwas during the eveninghoursthatthoughtsofTaiocrept up. She neverimagined the three weeksshe had spent with Taiowould have this big of animpact. Most of all, therewas no one there to stopthenightmares.

While she fought ashard as a man during

daylight hours, her nightswere spent crying asthough she was a girl. Bythe fourth day, she waskicking herself. Shewanted the feel of Taio’sarms around her oncemore.

*****

He couldn’t stand it!His mother planned

everything from theparties to which femaleswouldmakeanacceptablemate. Their ideas of thequalifications of a matewere clearly off.While hewanted to intervieweveryqualified candidate, hismother was pickier. Thequeen crossed candidatesoff the listindiscriminately. Ancientsforbidifshedidn’tlikethe

candidate’s parents, thatoffense was an immediatedismissal fromthe listandthemoon.

Hehadbeenmorethanrelieved when a messagecame from the planetLaconia, from a PrincessSa’Mya,who requested aninvitationtothefestivities.Taio quickly respondedwith a yes. His motherwouldbeextremelyupset,

but she needed to bereminded of who was incharge.

“How many femalesare here?” RashaapproachedwithKiehleathis side.Theywere at oneof the many “meet andgreets” his mother hadarranged.

“Seven, maybe,” herepliedgruffly.

He spent most of histime “entertaining” hisguests. If he wasn’tentertaining, he was withhis mother, whomonopolized the precioustime he had left. Evastayedawayfromhimandwhen she did comearound, she seemeddisinterested and distant.Shechoseinsteadtospendall of her time training or

anywhere else that wouldputheroutofhissight.Hecametotheconclusionthathemissedher.

Thehuman femalehadcrept into his heart. Hemissed her snoring. Hemissed the way she sleptwith her eyes half open.He missed her smartmouth.Hemissedthewayshe burrowed beneath thecoverswhen she slept.He

missed her body pressedagainst his at night. Hemissed her picky foodchoices. He just plain…missedher.

More times than hewould admit publicly, heusedthepalace’ssignatureheat tracking system tofind her whereabouts. Hisintentions were always togo toher, talkwithher orhold her in his arms. He

always stopped short,feeling immersed in guilt.He wasn’t sure why heshouldevenfeelguilty.Heneeded to figure outwhathis true feelings for herwere before he revealedthemtoher.

“Is that all? This placeis filled with females,”Rashasaid.

“Not all of them are a

suitable match for me.According to my mother,there are only sevenfemalesherewhowilldo,”Taiosaid.

Kiehle’s eyes scannedthe room. “Soooo, you aresaying thatoutof the fiftyor so females here, I canhave all but seven,” hesaid.

“Eight,youcanhaveall

but eight,” he quicklyadded. Both Kiehle andRasha looked at eachother.“What?”Taioasked.

“Nothing,”theyrepliedinunison.

“Anyprospectssofar?”Rashaasked.

“None, they are allincredibly boring. Theupsideistherewillbetwomore females coming for

thepartytonight.”

Rasha smirked at hisfriend. “And Eva, whatabouther?Haveyoumadeupwithheryet?”

“No.Butwewill.Sheismine. What choice doesshehave?”

“She could choose toleave and do somethingelse with her time insteadofshootingdaggersatyou

from across the room.”Rasha nodded his headtowardthedoor.

They all looked acrosstheroomtoseeEvastaringat him with her armsfolded across her chest.This was the first timeshe’dlookedathimintworotations. She clearly wasnothappy,butshecametoseehim.Atleasttheyweremakingsomeheadway.

ChapterSeventeen

When she watchedhim, Rasha and Kiehlechecking out all thoseotherwomen,shecouldn’thelpbutboiloverinanger.Ittookallofherstrengthtostay rooted in her spot.

Her faceburned.She triedto guess what they weretalking about. She’davoided him at all costsandthefirsttimeshewenttohimindays,shecaughthimoglingotherwomen.

Seething in anger, sheturned away. He wasn’tgoingtomakeafooloutofhertwice.Howstupidwasshe to seek him out,missing him. Before she

reached the hall outside,Taio’s strong arms werearound her waist, pullingheragainsthim.Heleaneddown, planting a soft kisson the nape of her neck,sending shudders downherspine.

“I missed you,” Taiosaid.“Don’tgo,comewithmewhileIwork.”

Eva reluctantly let him

pullherbythehandtohisoffice. His lavender eyeswatchedhereverymoveashe settled into hisoverstuffedofficechair.

“Do you need to putyourself on display forthosewomen?”Shetraileda hand over one of theelaborate glass statues ontheshelfinhisoffice.

“I need to find a good

match.”

“What will happen tome when you find yourmate?”

She couldn’t live withthis kind of uncertaintyany longer. She justrecently found some typeofnormalcyafterspendingthe last threeyears inhell,it was something shethoughtaboutallthetime.

Couldheeasilydiscardher, even when she stillcravedtobenearhim?

“You’llstaywithme,ofcourse.”

“Staywithyou?Idon’tthink your new matewould appreciate mehanging around,” shesnorted.

“I have told youwhatever match I make

will be for businesspurposes only. You aremine, all mine. You willneverhavetoworryaboutanyoneelse.”

She cocked her head.“You never know. Yournew mate might comealongandstartbossingmearound.”

“Never. The onlybossing would come from

me.”

“Oh?” She raised herbrow. “And what wouldyoutellmetodo?”

“For starters, I wouldhave you takemy cock inyourmouth.”

“I think your matemight have someobjectionstothat.”

“Notifyoushared,”he

said. “Or she might likewatching. You are verygoodatit.”

His dark lashes wereframing his smolderingeyes as he watched hermovetosettlebetweenhislegs.Heinhaledsharplyasshe leaned over and ranher tongue over thetattooed claw around hiseye.Hisbreathingbecameragged as her tongue

followed the path downthe side of his face andneck, swirling and kissingtheentireway.Withasoftmoan, he closed hisbeautifuleyes.

She tuggedathis shirt,pulling it over his head.His beautiful chest wasdisplayed before her,rising and falling in tightrhythmic movements. Hisbrown nipples were erect,

enticing her. Leaning in,she sucked one betweenher lips. He moanedlightly and clasped herhips, holding her in placeas if he were afraid shemight leave. She releasedhis nipple and ran hertongue across the intricatepattern on his chiseledchest,feelingeverygrooveinhisskinthatitmade.

Herhandfounditsway

to his powerful cock. Shecaressed it through hispants. His breaths cameout in hard pants as herfingernails scraped thelength of it, caressingevery thick vein and hardridge. She slowlydroppedto her knees. Her mouthsalivatedinanticipation.

Tugging on his pants,she finally freed it. Sheheldhisgazeashisfingers

begantomassagethebackof her head, urging herforward. She first thoughtto tease itwithher tongueand lips. But Taio hadother intentions. Heapplied slight pressure tothebackofherhead.Therewouldbenoteasingtoday.

Eva relaxed her jaw ashis hand guided her headup and down, slightlypushing her farther down

with each stroke.His cockthrobbed in her mouth.Hertongueranacrosseachthick, distended vein. Hereyes fluttered close as shetightened her jaw aroundhis shaft, making hercheeks squeeze him fromboth sides. Her tongueflattened against hisunderside and the ridgeson the roof of her mouthcreating the perfect

amountoffriction.

Moaning deeply, Taiomassaged her head as hisscent filled her nose,intoxicatingher.Herpussypulsated and drippedeverytimehisheadhitthebackofherthroat.

Sitting higher on herknees,sheangledherheaddirectlyoverhim,wantingto take more. Saliva ran

out of her mouth anddripped down his shaft.Usingitasalubricant,shesqueezedaroundthebase.

Their earlierconversation coming backtoher,shethoughtofhowmuch of him she couldn’tfitinhermouth.Somuchtogoaround.

“Mmm.”Sheraisedherhead with a wicked grin.

“Maybe you do need amate. She could help mesuck it. You were right,there’s enough here fortwomouthstoshare.”Sheplayfully licked the pre-cum from his massivehead.

With a groan, Taiotangled his fingers in herhair, guiding her mouthbacktohisthrobbingcock.He pressed the intercom

with his free hand. “SendYazmine in,” he said in astrainedvoice.

Eva’s body instantlystiffened. It had been ajoke. She didn’t think hewould follow through onher taunt. She stoppedsuckingandtriedtoliftherhead.Shehadtostophim.

Heheldherheadfirmlyinplace.“Areyoubacking

downfromachallenge?”

Eva paused, unsure ifthis was a challenge shewas willing to meet. Sheknewhehadnotbeenwithanyotherfemalessinceshearrived and she didn’tthinksheshouldopenthatdoor.

Reading heruncertainty, Taio broughthishipsup.Hiscockfilled

her mouth, glidingeffortlessly to the back ofherthroat.Unabletoresistthe sensation his shaftcreated, she tightened hercheeks, forcing a groanfromTaio.

Eva reached to cradlehis big, heavy balls. Theywere hot and tight in herhand. She milked themdown and away from hiscock, encouraging them to

loosen under her lightmassage.Taiogrippedherheadtighter.Shesmiled,amere human female fromEarth was bringing thewarrior king to the edgewithhermouth.

Thedoorslidopenandshut, followed by lightfootsteps.

“You called?” afemale’svoiceasked.

Eva recognizedYazmine, although shedidn’thavemanydealingswith the tall, beautifulfemale.

Taio’sbreathscameoutinhardpants.“Evawouldlikehelp.”

Eager to comply, andwithout another word,Yazmine dropped to herknees next to her. The

beautywatchedintentlyasEva sucked and lickedTaio’s cock, eagerlywaitingforherturn.

Asshegreedilyworkedon his cock, Taio grabbedYazmine’sblack-andgold-streakedhead,guidingheropen mouth to his balls.Yazmineengulfedhisballsinto her hungry mouth,pullingandtuggingonhisheavysac,seeminglytobe

in a different world,oblivious thatEvaworkedabove her on his cock.Eva’spussyconvulsed.

Moaning around hissac, Yazmine flicked herbronze-colored eyes up toEva.Yazmine’shalf-closedeyestoldofherenjoyment.Letting his sac plop fromher mouth, Yazmineturnedherheadtothesideand wrapped her plump

lipsaroundthebaseofhiscock. Eva released thesuction of her mouth,lettingamouthfulofsalivadrip down Taio’s slipperyshaft.

On a lustfulmoan, shedescended down hislength, taking as much asshe could, meetingYazmine’s mouth.Yazminereleasedherholdto trail her tongue around

Eva’s, probing for entry.EvaliftedfromTaio’scockand covered Yazmine’smouth with her own.Tasting and exploringher,their tongues entangled,lips pressed againstlusciouslips.

Eva slid her handbeneath Taio’s onYazmine’s head, movinghis out of the way. Sheguided Yazmine’s head

over Taio’s cock. She wasimmediately impressedwith Yazmine’s skills.Whilethegirlcouldn’ttakeit all, she could takemorethanEva.Yazmine suckedandslurped,herplushlipssqueezingandworkinghiscock. She pulled his cockfrom her mouth longenough to fist it, fast andhard,workingthepre-cumto the tip, where Eva

leaned in and swiped thesweet-tasting liquid offwithhertongue.

Taio leanedback inhischair, his face twisted inpleasure. He was onlyminutes fromhis breakingpoint.

Yazmine’s mouthclamped down on himagain, working at a pacemuch faster thanherown.

Yazmine’s deep groanvibratedinthebackofherthroat.Evawatchedastheother female sucked hermale’s cock and,shockingly,enjoyedit.Herpussy was now painfullyengorged and wet. Sheapplied more pressure onthe back of Yazmine’shead, encouraging her togodownfarther.

Taio’s hands gripped

both arm rests, hisfingertips digging into thefabric. When she hadsucked his cock, did heenjoyitthismuch?OrwasYazmine just doing abetter job? Feeling slightlyjealous, Eva pluckedYazmine’smouthoffhim.

Evareplacedhermouthover his wet cock andmimicked what Yazminehaddone.Yazminemoved

behind her and began todisrobe.Her prickly pubichairs were soon pressedagainst Eva’s ass andYazmine’s breasts laidagainst Eva’s back. Evashuddered.

Kissing her neck,Yazmine reached aroundand palmed Eva’s breasts,massaging them, grindingherhips onEva’s ass. Evahad never thought about

beingwithanotherfemale,but she gave in to themoment, pushing her assback against Yazmine.Yazmine’s hand traileddown her stomach, herfingers expertly partingEva’sfolds.

Yazmine hesitated,hovering over her clit.“Taio?”

“Human females have

clits, Yazmine.” Hisbreathing was heavy andhard. “Thinkof it as a sexbud.”

Sex bud. That kind ofsummeditup.Evapressedhermouth down as far asshe could go andmoanedonto Taio’s cock. Herrhythm increased as herjuices dripped down herleg. Yazmine’s slenderfingers alternated between

rubbingherclitanddivinginto her pussy. Rockingback, shebegan riding theslenderdigits.

“May I?” YazmineaskedTaio.

“Withmyblessing.”

Evadidn’thavetimetowonderwhattheexchangemeant before Yazmine’swet tongue trailed downthe curvature of her ass.

Shuddering, Eva’sfingernails pierced theflesh on Taio’s thighs.Yazminepositionedherselfunder Eva and trailed hertongue up her legs,following the path herdripping juices made.Finally reaching herdestination, Yazminelatched on to her swollenclit.

Eva moaned down the

length of Taio, his cocktickling the back of herthroat. Yazmine wrappedher slender arms aroundEva’s hips, pulling herdeeper onto her face. Evagroaned,thefeelofathickcock in her mouth and atongue on her clit wasmore than she could take.Eva lowered her pussyover Yazmine’s face,giving Yazmine what she

demanded.

Yazmine held Eva’ships firmly to her face,pumping and probing hertongueintoherpussy.Taioleaned forward, pushingherheaddeeperdownhiscock, pumping his hips,fuckinghermouth.

Eva used Yazmine’smouth just as Taio wasusing hers, her pussy

riding Yazmine’s strongtongue. Yazmine’s griptightened around herthighs, encouraging her torideevenharder.

Groaning deep, Taiograbbed Eva underneathhershoulders,liftedherupand positioned her overhis rock-hard cock. Evascreamed out as Taioimpaled her on it withoutletting her first adjust to

hissize.

Her pussy suctionedand gripped his cock. Thesounds of her slicknessfilledtheroom.

Before long, Eva’s assbegan hitting the top ofYazmine’sheadeverytimeTaio lowered her down.Reachingback,shefeltherhelper working his sac,lickingandpullingit.Taio

grabbed Eva’s hips andpounded ferociously intoher, spreading her so farapart.

“That’s it, I feel it.Comeforme,”Taiosaid.

The directive was allEva needed, her pussyerupting. Roaring, Taio’srelease followed hers,pumping harder, her tightpussy milking him every

inchoftheway.

With strong hands,Taio lifted Eva up andaround,spreadingherlegsto straddle his, givingYazmineeasyaccesstoherdripping sheath. Evayelled out again asYazmine covered hermouth over her spentpussy, sucking theircombined juices from thesweet sheath. Yazmine’s

handpumped furiously inherownpussy.

Taio’s rough handspalmed and tweaked hernipples.EvacameagainasYazmine sucked andlicked, grinding her noseagainst her clit. Finally,Yazmine let out her owncry as she came,swallowingEvaandTaio’scum.

EvafellbackonTaioassweat dripped from herbody. After a fewmoments, Yazmine stoodup, wiping come off herface with a finger,scoopingitintohermouth.Notwastingadrop.

“Thatwill be all,” Taiosaid.

“The pleasure was allmine.” Yazmine turned to

leave.

Without a doubt, Evathought.

Her eyes began todroop as she watchedYazmine walk out of theroom,surrenderingherselftosleep.

ChapterEighteen

Taio sat on plushcushions, surrounded byexotic-looking females.The “candidates”, as Evahad referred to them. Evawatched as hewould leanin to listen to one,

occasionally providedanother with a smile; onehad even elicited a heartylaughoutofhim.

Shewanted to kick hisass.

The list of many hadnow dwindled down tonine. She couldn’t believeit, nine. Who in the hellneeded to surroundthemselves with nine

different females? Theyflanked him on all sides,literally. They wererubbing his legs, holdingontohisarms,rubbinghisshoulders, and there waseven one standing overhim,playingwithhishair.And he looked to beenjoying everymoment ofit.

I am going to hurt everyoneofthosehussies.

Atfirst,shetriednottowatchthemeleeinfrontofher, but they were prettyhardtomiss.Hesatonhisthrone, with femalesfalling all over him. Yuck.She could feel her eyesgettingsmallerandsmallerwith each passingmoment.

Luckily for him, theentertainment wasbeginning and obstructed

herview.

“They are fromHisnapal.” Eva turnedtoward the speaker, anextremelyhandsomemale.“They aremost renownedfor their danceperformances. Their skillexcels all others in thisgalaxy.”

She remembered he’darrived the day before

with some of the otherguests. He stood over sixfeet tall, with pale skin,gray eyes and nice, lush,pouty lips. His short hairwasasilkygraycolorwithshimmering whitehighlights. Not bad, shethought.

“They are beautiful towatch,” she said. Sheturned back to the show.They were different than

anythingshehadeverseenbefore. This race hadflexible and pliable bonesand a body structure thatresembled a snake, whichmade their performanceincredible. Their reptilianeyes seemed to entrancethe crowd as theymoved,bending backward andsideways.

Themale settled downon the empty seat next to

her. Normally, she wouldhave been uncomfortablewith the closeness of astranger, but seeing howTaiowasbusywithhisfanclub,shethoughtmaybeitwastimetostartherown.

Lo’Ren nudged her inthe arm from the otherside. Eva turned to her.Lo’Ren’s eyes were aslarge as saucers. With asmile on her lips, she

scooted over to allow himample room to sitcomfortably next to her.FuckTaio.

“I am called AlexionHazouto.”Heofferedherasmalldipofhishead.

“I am Eva Smith. Niceto meet you, AlexionHazouto.” She returnedthegesture.

It was impossible to

learnthecustomsofalltheguests, so she figured shewould mimic whateveryoneelsedid.At leastshewouldn’t totally standout and make a fool ofherself.

Eva motioned towardLo’Ren.“Thisismyfriend,Lo’Ren of Briel.” Lo’Rendippedherheadaswell.

Hesmiledatthemboth

and then looked at her. “Iknow who you are,” hesaid. “You are the talk ofthepalace.”

Eva lifted an eyebrow.“Nothing offensive.” Hechuckled. “I was told youtook on two Tresdoniansand three royal guards byyourself. Everyone here isquite impressedwithyourfightingskills.”

ThistimeEvachuckled.“ItooktheTresdonianson,but I’m afraid thegossipers may have leftoutIwasbeatentoapulpfor my efforts.” Alexion’sexpression turned toconfusion.“Ididnotwin,”sheadded.

“One does not have towin in order to beconsidered a great fighter.Sometimes surviving the

fightisallthatmatters.”

Shethoughtaboutthat.Maybe Alexion was right;she had survived, andsurvivingmeantbeingableto someday reunite withherfriend.

“Thank you for yourinsight.Ithoughtofitasafailure.”

“No,quitetheopposite,failure would have been

death.”

“Yes, but it can’t beconsidered a win.” I wasstill taken away from Allyand made a slave. Shecouldn’thelpthinkingthatif she would have beenconscious, she could haveat least asked Taio andRashatogetAllyaswell.

Alexionsmiledwarmlyather.“Maybewecancall

itadraw?”

Eva returnedhis smile.“Ilikethesoundofthat.”

Lo’Ren groaned besideher.

There were a fewfemales here who hadcaught his interest. For allhe cared, the other sevencouldreturntotheirhome

worlds tomorrow,especially the one rakingherhandsthroughhishair.Itwasmaking him feel asthoughhewereapet.He’dremoved her hands twicealready. Each time, herhands returned andcontinued on. Shedefinitely would not do,clearlyshecouldn’t followanytypeofdirection.

One of the two who

held his interest was thePrincess Sa’Mya from theplanet Laconia. A naturalsensuality enhanced herbeauty.Shewastheperfectsize and height, slender,but curvy. No one wouldmistake her for a child,anotherplus.

His gold skin tonepaled next to hers. Herhairwas a rich gold colorthathung looselydownto

the small of her back. Hethought it was one of herbest attributes, alongwithher sleek legs, and sheproudly displayed both.Herspeckled,gold-coloredeyesaddedtoherbeauty.

Theother female,TarajHazouto, wasn’t aprincess, but a dignitaryfrom Holis. He was notexactly sure why heconsidered her. Normally,

she wouldn’t be his type.Shewaspretty,uniqueandinteresting, but quiet. Shewasn’t as tall as theprincess,butherpaleskin,arresting gray eyes andlongsilverhairworkedforher.

It was only when thedancers from Hisnapalbegan that he spied Evaacross the room, sittingcomfortably close to

Alexion, Taraj’s twinbrother. Before he couldstophimself,heletasmallsnarl escape from histhroat. The female next tohim hastily shifted away.Nomatter.Shewasonthe“sendhome”listanyway.

He couldn’t make outwhat the two werediscussing,butwhateveritwas seemed to catch herattention. She actually

smiled at him. Evashouldn’t smile at anyonebut him!He narrowedhiseyes, trying to read theirlips. Eva threw her headback and laughed. Hischest tightened at thatsight.

Iwillkillhim.

He launched off hisseat, his gaze set on thecouple across the room.A

firm hand grabbed hisarm.

“Itmaybewisertostayin place. Your emotionalreactionwouldcausegreatdistress with explanationsneededlater.”

He looked at thehand,thenat itsowner,PrincessSa’Mya. She was right;stalkingacrosstheroomtotear apart his lover’s

admirer would not gowell. Unfortunately, hisnear blunder waswitnessed by one of thefemaleshehad an interestin.

“Please forgive myactions.” He loweredhimselfdownintohisseat.I’lldealwithhimlater.

“She is a beautifulspecimen,” Princess

Sa’Mya said. “If youwanther to stay in the palaceafter we bond, you willhave to work oncontrolling your emotionsinregardstoher.”

Taio snorted. “Youspeak as though you areconfidentIwillchooseyouforthematch.”

“It seems as though itwouldbeagoodmatch.A

match that would bebeneficial forusboth.YouneedmeandIneedyou.”

He raised an eyebrow.She was bold, maybe tooboldforhistaste.

“My family owns atransport company in thissolar system. The amountofmoneyyou couldmakeand save by mating withmewouldbeastronomical.

Your gold could reachmore markets and at alower cost. Your moon islovely, but severelyunderpopulated. It wouldbe wise to invest inbuilding more homes andsocial outlets in theunpopulated areas. As Isaid,youneedme.”

He mulled over theinformation she gave him.Theideasofwhathecould

do were already growinginhismind.

“And what do youneed fromme?”He knewthis was too good to betrue.Ifshecouldofferhimallof this,whywasn’t shematedalready?

“Safety.”

ChapterNineteen

Eva sat at the diningroomtable.Sheplannedtofirst, stuff her face withbreakfast and second,work it off on the trainingfield. She was famished,and after spending last

night watching Taio andhisfanclub,sheneededtobreak a few trainingsimulators.

Glancing up, shesmiled as Alexion spottedherandmadehiswayoverto her. As she watchedAlexion, she remindedherself that though herheart belonged to Taio,that male was some kindofeyecandy.

“Do you want to gointo the villagewithme?”Alexionasked.

“Ihaven’tbeentotownyet.”

“You’vebeenherelongenoughtoearnatriptothethriving marketplace.” Hesmiled.

Somehow, she guessedhe was making a joke. Ifthe marketplace was

thriving, Taio wouldn’thave trouble bringingbusiness to his smallworld.

“Iwouldlovetogo.ButI’m afraid I can’t buyanything. Idon’thaveanykind of money…currency…umm…credits.”

Ship had tried toexplain the monetarysystemtoherbefore,butit

stillhadherconfused.Andtrue to his entity style, heleftbeforethelessonintheuniversalmonetarysystemwasfinished.Taiosteppedin and explained therewasn’t paper moneybecauseoftheinter-galaxyspace travel and trade, sothey had a credit system.Since she was new, shehad zero credits to hername.Zilch.Notonlywas

she a slave, but shewas averybrokeslave.

“Come,youwillbemyguest. It’ll be fun.” Hepulled on her sleeve,leading her out of theroom.

“Sure, but I have tocheckwithTaiofirst.”

“Did he forbid you toleavethepalace?”

“No, he didn’t forbidme to go anywhere.” Shebristled, she wasn’t aprisoner.“ButIshouldstilltell him where I am. Incasehe’slookingforme.”

“Ihardlydoubthewillmiss you. He is with mysister and the otherfemales at this moment.They are all vying for hisattention.Hopingtobethenew Queen of Sonis.” He

exaggerated the lastsentence.

Her face instantly fell.Even though she knewwhat was going on, shereallydidn’t needorwantanyone reminding herabout it. “So Iwill informthe pilot that you will beaccompanyingmetotown,yes?”Alexionasked.

“Yes.”

When she agreed, shehadn’t imagined shewould have so much funtraveling to town withAlexion. The smalltransporter picked themup from the palace stepsand dropped them offfifteenminutes later intheepicenteroftown.

Evascrambledfromthecraft to the almost barrenstreet. Why hadn’t Taio

taken her to town before?Was it because she was aslave? Not telling Alexionabout her slave statusmade her feel a littleguilty. Above anythingelse, she didn’t want himgetting into trouble overher.

“Wheredoyouwanttostart?”Heturnedtoherasthe transporter whiskedaway.

“I don’t know.” Shelooked around,suppressing a gigglethreatening to escape herlips. A town! Who wouldhave thought she wouldfeel all giddy inside aboutseeingatown.

“I am but a humbleservant at your disposal.”Alexionbowed.

“Can we start there?”

She pointed to a quaintshop in frontof them.Thepale-blue awningwith thewords “Daezal’s PotteryPlace” painted across itwasasgoodaplaceasanytostartherexploration.

“Afteryou.”

They strolled throughthestreets,Alexionpickingupafewofthelocalcraftsfor her. By the afternoon,

she had two bags ofartworkforherapartment.Whateverthecost,shewasgoingtomakeitahome.

Forlunch,Alexiontookher to an outside caféwhere it was easy for herto imagine she was athomeatoneofthecafésonMain Street. She imaginedshe and Alexion weresitting at a table,surrounded by other

patrons, people watching.Even for that short time,shefeltbetterthanshehadinyears.

Byearlyafternoon,theywere exploring thegardens, parks andneighborhoods. Thetransporter was at theirbeck and call. Itwas clearSonishadalottoofferandthe experience itself waswonderful. For the first

time since being takenfromEarth,shefeltfree,asthough she could actuallybuild her life here, raisekids and be happy. Shewould make Sonis workforher.

Alexionwastheperfecthost,theybothactedasthetourists theywere. By lateafternoon, his sister Tarajjoinedthem.

At first, Eva didn’tknow how shewould feelabout Taraj joining them.Technically, she was hereto steal Taio away fromher.ButshewasAlexion’stwin and she owed it tohim to at least be nice tohissister.Shecouldripouthereyessomeotherday.

An official royaltransporter dropped heroff while they were in a

freshfoodsmarket.

“Taraj, this is Eva.”Alexion led his sister toEva. Shewasnot going toher. Eva stayed rooted toherspotontheparkbench.

“Nice to finally meetyou,” Taraj greeted her aseveryoneelsehad.

Evadidn’timmediatelyreturn the traditionalheadnod. She didn’t want this

femalehere;shewasgoingto tolerate her because ofAlexion. Only after Tarajturned to her brother didEva finally greet her.Alexion had explainedearlier that he and Tarajhad special abilities thatthey both shared. Theycould sense each other’sfeelings and read eachother’s minds, a traitcommonontheirplanet.

Late afternoon foundEva and Taraj in a dollshop.

“You love him, don’tyou?” Taraj asked. Evalooked through thewindow at Alexion, whohaddeclinedtoenter.“No,not Alexion. I know youdon’t love him.” Tarajsmiled. “I’m talking aboutTaio.”

Should she even betalking about Taio tosomeone who wastechnically on Sonis tostealhimaway?

“Taio? It doesn’tmatter.” Eva shook herhead. “I can’t give himwhatheneeds.WhatSonisneeds.” She could hearhowdistant her voice hadbecome. He had told herthat statement so many

times it was engrained inher.

“Toobad.”Tarajpickedup a handmade doll andexaminedit.

“Why?”

“Becausehelovesyou.”

Eva snorted. “Hedoesn’t love me. He likesto have sex with me. Buthe’snotinlovewithme.”

Taraj lookedatherandtiltedherhead.

“Don’t try to use thatJedi mind trick on me.”She laughed, holding herhands up, backing awayfromthemindreader.

“What’s a ‘Jedi mindtrick’?”

Eva laughed again.“Never mind, youwouldn’t understand even

ifItoldyou.”

Taraj looped her armthrough Eva’s. “We aregoing to be friends, youandI.”

She could really use afriend right now, shethought, as they walkedoutofthestorearminarm.

By the time they wereon their way back to thepalace, she was secretly

thinkingifTaiohadtopickanyone,shewouldlikeforhim topickTaraj.At leastshe knew they could befriends.

*****

Eva breezed into hisofficewith a radiant glowand it took all hiscomposure not to leapfrom behind his desk and

shake her. Eva had leftabruptly with AlexionHazouto, not evenbotheringtotellhimwhereshewent.Shiptoldhimtogiveherspace,letherkeepher apartment, let her “doas she pleased”, butleaving the palace wallswas unacceptable.Anything could havehappenedtoherwhileshewas trouncing around the

citywithanoff-worlder.

“Where have youbeen?”

“I went to town withAlexion and his sisterTaraj.” A burst of energyradiated throughher.“Wehadsuchagoodtime.Thetown was so pretty. ItremindedmeofoneofthesmalltownsthatwehadinmycountryonEarth.”She

plopped down on thecornerofhisdesk.

“It was so wonderful.”Homesicknesswaswrittenalloverherface.

Taio reined in hisanger,feelingalittleguiltyfor not takingher to townsooner himself. “Did youstop by Holkin’s GlassFactory?”

Hereyeswidened.“Oh

yes, the glassware wasbeautiful, all the differentshapes and sizes. And thecolors! I haven’t seen anyofthosecolorsonEarth.”

“I have a lot of hispieces here in the palace.Myfatherwasnotpleasedwhen Holkin left DrazlanandmovedhisbusinesstoSonis.” He pointed to thelarge vase on the shelfbehindhim.

“You have such awonderful world here,Taio. You need to bringmorepeopleheretosee it.And children. The parksneed children playing inthem.What’s the plan forthat?”

“We don’t know whywe are unable to breed asother species. It issomethingmypeoplehaveworkedon foravery long

time.” He blew out abreath.

“But not for yourparents,” she said. “Theywere able to have threechildren.”

Taio gave thoughtbefore responding. Therehad been rumorscirculating when Saia wasborn, but they had sincedieddown.

“Mymotherand fatheraremuch…richer than theaverage couple. They canafford the best medicaladvice.”

“Soifit’ssuchanissue,whycan’teveryonegetthesame treatment as yourparentsdid?”

“It isnot that easy,noteveryone could afford thesame medical procedures

asmyparents. Itwasverycostly.”

“OnEarth,webredoutof control. If you didn’twant to get pregnant, youhadtogetonsometypeofbirthcontrol.”

“Birthcontrol?”

“Yeah. I used to take alittle pill every day so Iwouldn’t get pregnant.Andthemenhavetowear

a protective covering overtheirpenisessotheywon’tget thewomanpregnant,”sheexplained.

“You could havechildren, but you didn’twantthem?”

“It’s not the same. Ididn’t want to getpregnant and not have away to take care of thebaby.Youknow,withouta

husband or family. Itwould be pretty hard forme to raise a kid on myown. If I were married,that would have been adifferent situation. But Iwasn’t,soIchosenotbringachildintotheworldwithallthatuncertainty.”

“ButIdon’tunderstandwhypeoplewouldn’twantachildiftheycouldhaveachild.”

“Taio, things aredifferent here. If someonehad a child on Earth andthey didn’t want it, theycould have aborted it—terminated thepregnancy.”

Shecouldn’tbeforreal.A race that terminatedtheir offspring because ofill-planning?

“Or they could give it

up for adoption, youknow, give the childaway,”Evasaid.

“I don’t believe this!”Heslammedhisfistonhisdesk.

“Believe it, I’m livingproof.” Her voicequivered. “I told you mymother and father didn’twant me. I lived in anorphanageallmylifewith

otherthrowawaykids.”

He looked at hersurprised. “I thoughtyourparents died. They gaveyouaway?”

“Yes.”

While he didn’tunderstand her customsfrom Earth, he definitelydidn’t want to cause herany more pain than hadalready been inflicted on

her.

Gettingup,hedrewherintohisarms.“Ifyouweremy child, I would havenever given you up.” Hekissed and stroked herhead.

“Iknow.”

*****

He spent the entire

evening meal watchingAlexion and Eva. Shewassmiling and laughing ateverything he said. Whatwas he saying that keptthatsmileonherface?

“Sheisaverybeautifulfemale,”Tarajsaid.

Tarajsatononesideofhim and Princess Sa’Myasat on the other. “Whenare you going to have an

enlightenment ceremonyforher?”

“An enlightenmentceremony? For Eva?” heasked,bewildered.

“Yes, I understand it isaverywell-knowncustomofyourrace.Itseemsonlynatural for Eva to beallowed to participate intheceremony.”

“Females are not

warriors. Nor could theyeverbeseenassuch.”

Taraj tilted her head.“She battled twoTresdonians and three ofyourfamousroyalguards.I think that alone makesher one of the finestwarriorsinthisroom.”

Taraj’s words struck achord inhim. If theywereon any world except this

one, shewould have beenrecognized as a truewarrioralongtimeago.

“Sheseemsquitehappywith my brother,” Tarajsaid.

“Humph,”hereplied.

“Don’t be sour. Itwould make us feelinadequate. You aresurroundedbysomeofthewealthiest and prettiest

females in the galaxy andall of your attention liesacross the room.” ThisremarkcamefromPrincessSa’Mya.

“I’mverypleasedtobesurrounded by suchbeauty,”hesaid,tryingnotto disturb any of hishopefulguests.

Tarajnoddedherhead,acknowledging his

compliment.

Princess Sa’Mya beganto talk, about what, hedidn’t know or maybe hedidn’t care. She wasbeautifultolookupon,buthegotthefeelingshelikedtofocusmainlyonherself.Sohe lether talkwhilehewatchedthepairacrosstheroom.

Eva suddenly clapped

her hands in glee andleaned over to giveAlexionahug.

Iwillkillhim.

Heabruptlysatup.Hismother put a hand on hisshoulder, keeping him inhis place. His mother,father, sister and brotherhad taken the seatson thehigher ledge behind him.Heletoutalowgrowlthat

again made the womensitting next to him scootaway.

Kiehle leaned over hisshoulder. “Whoa, keep itunder control, brosir, wedon’twanttoupsetanyofthefemales.”

“Iamincontrol,Kiehle.I had something in thebackofmythroat.”

“Sure.” Kiehle laughed

and smacked him on hisback.

ChapterTwenty

Eva was completelyawarethatTaiohadkeptajealous eye on her andAlexion last night. Whohadn’t noticed it? She hadfelt his heated gaze fromacross the room.Butwhat

had he expected? He hadbeen surrounded byfemaleswhowerefawningalloverhim.

He hadn’t seen herrunning over and drop-kickingthemintheirfaces,had he? No, she hadremained composed andenjoyed her dinner withAlexion.

Alexionhadbeengood

company. He had given asympathetic ear when sheexplained her ordeal withbeing taken andtransported to this galaxy.Not only had he beensympathetic, but he hadalso come up with ideasfor starting a safe havenfor humans on differentplanets.At thementionofhis planet possibly beingthe first safe haven, she

had been so happy, shehadgivenhimahugandakissonbothcheeks.

She would have to getShiptohelpherlocateanyhumansinthisgalaxyandfigureouthowtogetthemtoHolis.TheideassheandAlexion had begun tocome up with had keptthem busy throughoutdinner. When dinner hadbeen over, they had

decided to meet todaywithShipand try to comeupwithsomeplans.

The morning nowfound her and Alexionsitting in one of thecommon rooms, writingdownall of their ideas forthe new safe haven onHolis. She tossed andturned all night, thinkingof what would be neededto put their plan into

action.

“Where would we getthe credits needed to buythem?” Eva asked. TheTresdonianshadgivenherto Taio, but she didn’texpect any of the otherhumanstobefree.

“Don’t worry about it.Taraj is a dignitary; she’llbe able to take care of it.She can work on getting

humans declared anendangered species or shecanfindadonortoputupthecreditswewouldneedtobuythem.”

Heavy footstepsstopped abruptly at thedoor. A familiar heatcaressed her body. Taiowashere.

“Come join us.” Shewaved him over. His face

was set in a hard scowl.What’shisdealnow?

Withoutsayingaword,Taio walked past her andpunched Alexion hard intheface.The loudcrackofboneagainstbonebouncedoffthewalls.

She sat in stunneddisbelief as Taio grabbedthefrontofAlexion’sshirt,snatching the half-dazed

man off the floor. With aflickofthewrist,Taiosenthimflyingacrosstheroom.

She snapped back toreality.“Taio!Stop!”

Taio unsheathed hisjango,hiseyesfixedwithadeadly stare. After hittingthe floor with a heavythud, Alexion quicklyrecovered from theunprovoked attack and

jumped up into a fightingstance. Alexion lookedalmostasdeadlyasTaio.

“Areyou takingup forthis male?” Taiodemanded.

“Yes!”

“Eva, I don’t need youtoprotectme,I’mperfectlycapable of defendingmyself,”Alexion said, stillinbattlestance.

“Why do you protecthim?” Taio yelled. Hismurderous gaze shiftedfromAlexion to Eva, thenbackagain.

“Don’t yell at her!”Alexionsaid.

Taioletoutalowgrowland stepped towardAlexion again. Alexionwidened his stance,waitingforhisopponent.

“Isaidstop!Now!Thisissoridiculous,”shesaid.

“WhatI findridiculousis a male who intends tokeep you under lock andkey while he is activelylooking for a mate,”replied Alexion. Well, intruth, Eva thought it wasridiculous as well. “Youwould be enough for me,Eva, there wouldn’t be areasontofindanother.”

Evablinkedtwice.Thatwas the best sort-of-proposalshe’devergotten.

“You will not haveher!” Taio ran towardAlexion. Alexion held hisground and tried to stepout of the way. Taio,almost missing him, flungthe jango out and caughtAlexion on the knees.Alexion cried out in pain,grabbing his knees as he

wentdown.

Eva sprinted over andjumped on Taio’s back ashewentforAlexionagain.“Areyoucrazy?Youhavetoleavehimalone.”

“Why do you continueto protect him?” Taioasked,bewildered.

“Because he’s myfriend, I like him. ThesamewayIlikeRasha.”

“The way you likeRasha?” he askedquestioningly.

She clung to his back.“Yes!”

“Ilikeyouasmorethanafriend,”Alexionsaid.Hewas on the ground,rubbinghisknees.

“Be quiet, Alexion!Beforehekillsyou.”

*****

Sa’Mya relaxed in oneof the lounge chairsprovided on the balconyoff her royal suite. Sheguessed from its size, thebalconywasmeanttoholdten to fifteen peoplecomfortably. The balconyoffered an unobstructedview of the training field,probably for guests to

watch the elite royalguardstrain.Thebalcony’scanopy provided enoughshade from the suns,allowing her to sit incomfort to watch thehumanfemale.

Why did Taio allow hisconcubine to train with themales?

Thesmallpatterof feetapproached her. She

turned her gaze from thetrainingfieldtoMoira,herpersonalassistant.

“Princess, your unclehas requested you contacthim immediately,” Moirasaid.

Moira had come fromone of the small villagesoutside the capital city.Despite her looks, Moirawasn’t much older than

herself. Many cycles ofhard work in the factory,making parts fortransporter vessels, hadleftthefemalewithaharddisposition and haggardappearance.Thefinedressand easier lifestyle shenow enjoyed did little tocoverup the effectsofherearlierlife.

“DidyoutellhimIwasbusy?” Sa’Mya turned

back to watch the humanfemale with herpersonalized jango. Whywouldshewanttobehaveasamale?

“Yes, Princess, I toldhim you were busy. I’vetold him that for the lasttworotations.”

Sa’Myawas in trouble,shehadtocomeupwithaplan.And fast.Nebin, her

loyalguard,hadbeenwithher since birth, originallyappointed by her nowdeceased parents. If herunclecaughther,hewouldsurely take her personalassistant and guard away.Moira, although she hadgrown fond of her, wasreplaceable. Nebin wasnot.

“Contacthim.TarajandAlexion Hazouto are

leaving this evening, tellmy uncle we areaccompanying them toHolis.” Sa’Mya was sureshe needed just a littlemore time to procure abondingcontract.

“And when he findsout we have not leftSonis?” Nebin asked, hisbaritonevoicebreakinghissilence.

Nebin stood by herside, even though shehadoffered him a seat acrossfrom her. Her guardintimidated allwho gazedon him. He even toweredovermanyof thewarriorson Sonis. His arrestinglight-gray eyes were asharp contrast against hisdark-colored skin. Hisappearancewasenoughtomake anyonewhowished

her harm to take pause,but his loyalty stoppedthemintheirtracks.

“Don’t worry aboutthat.Wewillsoonhavetheprotection of King Taio. Iexpect a proposal fromhim before my unclerealizes that we have notleftSonis.”

Sa’Mya watched thetraining field again. Eva

was a minor distraction.Sa’Mya’s error had beenwaiting for Taio to seekherout foraproposal.Anerror she would need tocorrectnow.

Sa’Mya didn’t wasteanytimelookingforTaio.

“May I please disturbyou?”Sa’Myawalked intohisoffice,accompaniedbyMoira and Nebin. Sa’Mya

satdownintheemptyseatnext toRasha, notwaitingforaninvitation.

“I guess I have nochoice in thematter,”Taiosaid.

Ignoring his retort,Sa’Mya pressed on, afraidif she stopped to thinkaboutwhatshewasdoing,she would lose her nerve.Sheneededthistoobadly.

“Are you aware ofMercanis Shipping andHauling?”sheasked.

“Everyoneas faras thenext two galaxies hasheard of MercanisShippingandHauling.”

“Soyou are aware it isthe largest and mostprofitable transportcompany in this galaxyand it continues to grow

witheachpassingyear.”

Taio leanedback inhischair, crossing his arms athischest.

“Well, I am the soleowner of the company,”Sa’Myasaid.

Rasha let out a loudbreath.

Taio lifted a brow.“You expectme to believe

you own MercanisShipping and Hauling.Youaren’tevencapableofdressingyourself.”

Sa’Mya lifted her chinhigher at the dig. “Anancestor founded thecompany before I wasborn. The company hassince passed down to myfather. After he and mymother died, my uncletook over the day-to-day

operations of it, but I amthe sole owner of thecompany.Iinheritedit.”

Rasha choked again.Taio leaned closer to hisdesk. “And thisinformationmeanswhattome?”

She leaned closer tohim.“Itmeansifwebond,not only will you be partownerofthecompany,but

you will also have theentire company at yourdisposal. Are youinterested?”

Taio leanedback inhischair.“Iaminterested,”hefinally said. “Whatare theconditions of yourproposal?”

“Webond.”

Taio snorted. “Iassumed a match was in

order. But what else doyouwant?”

“I want the bondingceremony to happenimmediately.”

“How soon isimmediately?” he asked,hesitatingslightly.

“Today, before youleaveforHolis.”

Rasha choked again.

Both Sa’Mya and Taiolookedathim.“Sorry”wasallhecouldsay.

“Although my motherwouldloveformetobondtoday, it would beimpossible. We have tomake preparations anddraw up the proposalcontract.”

“Tomorrow will befine.” The sooner she was

bonded, the sooner shecould claim her rightfulplaceonherplanet.

Taio steepled hisfingers together andlooked intently at her. “Itwill take place in sevenrotations. I have to escortTarajandAlexionHazoutobacktoHolisandtakecareof some business. When Ireturn, we can have onerotation forour traditional

festivalbeforethebondingceremony. Is thatacceptabletoyou?”

Sa’Mya looked at herguard. Seven rotations.Wouldshebeable toholdher uncle at bay for thatlong?Whatifhefoundoutshe was not on thetransport toHolisaswell?Would he come to Sonislookingforher?

If her uncle got to herbefore she bonded withTaio, this would all havebeen for naught. But thiswas the closest she’d evercometototalfreedom.

“Iaccept.”

“Verygood.IwillmaketheannouncementbeforeIleave.”

“No!” Sa’Mya jumpedout of her seat. Catching

herself,shesatbackdown.“I want it to be kept asquiet as possible until theday of the bondingceremony.”

“Why?”heasked.

“Ihavemyreasons.Wehaveadealaslongasyoudon’t send out off-worldannouncements.”

“Deal.”

Alone in his office, hestruggled to findaway totell Eva about hisupcomingbondtoPrincessSa’Mya. They both knewthis daywould eventuallycome, but neither hadplanned it would be thissoon. Eva just had tounderstand this wasexactlywhatSonisneeded.

Why hadn’t anyonetold him the princessowned Mercanis ShippingandHauling?Shehadsaidsomething or anotherabout a business earlier,but he had paid her nomind.HewouldkillShip.

He’d asked Ship toperform a backgroundcheckonallofthefemalesin attendance. Ship hadn’tbrought him any

information of thismagnitude. He woulddefinitely have to bring itup with him later. Theentityprobablyhadn’ttoldhim in hopes that Taiowould allow the princessto leave and eventuallybond with Eva. Hislongtimefriend’sprioritieswerenotintherightplace.

“Ship,”Taiocalledout.

“I’m here,” the entityreplied.

“WhereisEva?”

There was a slightpause while Ship locatedEva’sheatsignatureonthepalacegrounds.

“She is in Taraj andAlexion Hazouto’s guestapartment.” The newsdidn’t sit well with him.Wouldhehavetobeatthat

male again? Didn’t heknow to stay away fromEva?

“Ship, where is TarajandwhereisAlexion?”Hecould feel his angermounting. Heat radiatedfrom his neck to his face.The hairs on the back ofhisneckstoodonend.

“TarajisinthegardenswithLo’RenandAlexionis

in his guest apartmentwithEva.”

They were alone?Taio’s stride increased ashe made his way towardthe palace guestapartments.Hisfistsflexedand clenched the entireway. Galactic Council ornot, he was going to killAlexion.

As he turned the

corner,theapartmentdoorslid open. Taio slowed hispursuit. Eva was backingout,talkingtoanunknownperson.

“I will miss talkingwithyou,”Taiooverheardher saying. Then a distantmuffled sound came fromtheothersideofthedoor.

“And you will contactme and keep me

updated?” More muffles.“Youarethebest,Alexion,truly. Idon’t knowwhat Iwould do without you.”AlexionsteppedoutoftheapartmentandEvahuggedhim.

Taio watched as hisfemale hugged anothermale. Amale she claimedtolikeasa“friend”.Blooddrainedfromhisfaceasheturned on his heel. He

would never let a femalemake a fool out of him.Maybe Rasha was right,Eva wouldn’t be able tocontinue a relationshipwith him as things stood.He headed straight to hispersonal quarters, wherehe packed a small bag fortheshorttrip.

“Ship,informTarajandAlexion Hazouto I amready for departure.” He

stalked to the transporterthatwouldtakehimtotheSaiaII.

“Should I give them areasonastowhyyouwishto depart before thescheduledtime?”

“No.”

“What informationshallIpassontoEva?”

“TellEvasheistoserve

Princess Sa’Mya while Iamaway.”

Therewasaslightpanginhisheartashegave thedirective, but as fast as itcame, it quickly wentaway. She was not a realslave and he had nevertreated her as one. But hegave her his best and shechoseanotheroverhim.

Hopping in his

transport, he punched thecontrol panel, activatingthe takeoff sequence.Alexion and Taraj couldtakeanothertransportertothe Saia II. He definitelydidn’ttrusthimselftobeinclose quarters withAlexion without killinghim.

ChapterTwenty-One

Eva asked Ship torepeat himself a couple oftimes before Taio’smessage finally sank in.She was meant to be theprincess’s personal slave.

Her chest pains hadn’tsubsided since. Taio hadnever treated her as if shewereaslave.

Untilnow.

He’d promised to takecare of her.Was this howhe intended to do it?Lending her out as apersonal slave to thisbitch? If he could do this,how would he treat her

afterhefoundamate?

Thishurt,literallyhurt.Her first thought was tocall and let him knowexactlyhow she felt abouthisdirective.Gotohell.Butshe couldn’t get past thepain.Shewasn’tevensureshewouldbe able to holdadecentconversationwithhimrightnow.

Taio hadn’t been gone

formore thana fewhoursbefore Princess Sa’Myastarted issuingorders.Evahad spent the past fewrotations obliging everywishandwhim, from footmassages to cleaning thebitch’s teeth. WheneverEva balked, the princesscalled over a waitingguard. All of whom hadgottenthedirectiveaswell—Eva was to serve

PrincessSa’Mya.

Eva bided her time inservitude, fuming. Taiowould definitely pay forthis. Nothing could makeup for thehumiliation shewas feeling, especiallyright now. Since the bitchprincess apparently didn’tknowhowtowashherself,Evahadto.Evasaton theledge, naked, running abrush through Sa’Mya’s

nowcleanhair.

This is just until Taioreturns, she thought witheachdownwardstroke.

“Iwonderwhatheseesin you,” Sa’Mya said. Sheleisurely skimmed thewater’s surface with herfingertips. Recognizing arhetorical question whenshe heard one, Eva didn’trespond. “I am offering

him all of this.” Sa’Myaran her wet hands downhervoluptuousbody.

Her double-D breastshung ripe and full. Herneatlytaperedwaistledtofull-sizedhips,aroundassand, of course, long,shapelylegs.

“You have the body ofachild,”Sa’Myasneered.

I could apply a small

amount of pressure to herwindpipe. Clearly theprincess didn’t knowanything about fighting.Talking smackwhile yourbackistoanopponentwasano-no.

“It’sclearhecan’tkeephis hands off you. I smellyour scent on him everytime he comes near me.Gads. When does he nothavehiscockinyou?”

Evachuckled.Thatwasher intent, to mark Taiowith her scent, hoping allthe other females wouldgettheideaandgohome.

Sa’Mya whipped herhead around to face Eva.“Let’s see who’ll have thelast laugh when I bondwithhim.”Sa’Myasmiled.“IthinkI’llgiveyoutotheguards, todowithas theyplease.”

Evastraightenedontheledge. “He’ll never sharemewithanyoneelse.”Evamethereyeforeye.

Taio definitelywas notthesharingtype.Henearlycaused a war betweenSonis and Holis justbecause he thought sheliked Alexion. No, therewouldn’t be any passingaround, Taio would ripany male to shreds who

thoughttotouchher.

“Youthinknot?”

Sa’Mya pushed off theledge with a malicioussmileacrossherlips.

She turned around tostare atEva. “You’ll neverbe able to compete withme.”

“I’m not trying tocompetewithyou.”Bitch.

Sa’Mya took a stepcloser,hereyesdowncast.

“What does he find sointerestingdownthere?”

Eva snapped her kneestogether.

“Let me see,” Sa’Myademanded.

“No.” Eva swung herlegs around to propelherself to a standing

position.

“Make onemoremoveand I’ll have you taken totheguardsrightnow.”

Eva stopped, her legspropped on the ledge.“Taio wouldn’t let you.”But unfortunately hewasn’thererightnow.

“Of course.” Sa’Myatiltedherhead.“Hewouldbe upset if his precious

royal guards ran throughhis pet.” She shrugged.“But then the damagewould have already beendone.Wouldn’tit?”

Sa’Mya’s unblinking,gold-speckled eyes restedonher.

Evafroze.

This bitch was crazyenough to follow throughon her threat. Eva wasn’t

worried that the guardswouldrapeher.Shewouldkill anyone who tried. Itwas Taio she worriedabout. She didn’t want tocause any more troublebetween her and theguards. Eva lowered backonto the ledge, danglingherlegsinthewater.

Sa’Mya saunteredforward until she wasstanding in front of Eva,

putting a hand on herknees. She pried her legsopen slightly. Sa’Myasquinted and focused onthenestofdarkcurls.

“It looks normal. Isthere something about itthat would appeal to himmore?”

Another rhetoricalquestion, Eva kept hermouthshut.Sa’Myatrailed

herhandfromEva’skneesto her folds, parting themwithtwofingers.

“What exactly are youlookingfor?Ifyouhaven’tnoticed,I’mafemale.”

Sa’Mya ignored her.“What is this?” Sa’Myapointed to her nub thatjutted out from betweenherexposedfolds.

“It’scalledaclit.”

“What does it do?”Sa’Myaplaced a finger onit.

Startled, Eva jumped.“It doesn’t do anything.”SheflickedSa’Mya’sfingerout of the way. “Allhuman females have one,it enhances sexualfeelings.”

“I want a better look.Spreadyourlegswider.”

“They’re wideenough,” Eva ground out.She had as much as shewas taking from the bitchprincess. The inspectionwas more extensive thanTaio’s.

Sa’Mya dug her nailsinto the skin of Eva’sknees. “Either you canopenthemorI’llhaveoneof the guards hold yourlegsopenforme.”

Evathoughtaboutitfora second. This wasembarrassing enough. OhhowIwanttokillthisbitch.

“When Taio left me inyour care, I highly doubtthis was what he had inmind,”shesaid.

Sa’Mya’s nails dugdeeper into her flesh.“Take it up with Taiowhenhereturns.”

Oh and I will. Sheopenedherlegs.

Sa’Mya smiledtriumphantly. “A clit, yousaid?Whatanoddname.”Sa’Mya inspected the littlenub. “How does it‘enhancesexual feelings’?”The tip of Sa’Mya’s fingerranacrossthenubagain.

“Nerves, it’sgotnervesin it,” Eva said through

clenched teeth. “And it’sverysensitive.”

Sa’Mya pointed andeyed Eva’s slit, tilting herhead to the side. “Lookthere, such a tiny openingfor such a large male.Whenhefucksyou,doesithurt?”

Surprised, Eva asked,“Haveyoueverbeenwithamalebefore?”

Sa’Myaclosedhereyes.“Slave, did I give youpermission to ask mequestions?”

I am going to kick thisbitch’sass.

Opening them again,Sa’Mya slid her thumbinsideEva’ssheath.

Eva jumped back.“You’vegonetoofar.Whatdo you think you’re

doing?”

“I want to know whatmakes you so special.”Sa’Mya leaned in closerand pushed her thumbdeeper inside. “This is tootight. He must be huge,howdoesitfitinhere?”

Nope. This nut isdefinitelyavirgin.

“Itjustdoes.”

Satisfied with herprobing, Sa’Mya put herhands on Eva’s knees,spreadingthemwider.Shekneeledon thesubmergedbath bench, her noseinchesfromEva’spussy.

Sa’Myaleanedincloserand inhaled sharply.“Maybe he’s attracted tothe smell. It is quiteintoxicating.”

Sa’Mya had spent thebetterpartofthedayusingher. So she shouldn’t feelguiltyaboutwhatshewasabouttosay.

“He likes the taste.”Nope,noguiltatall.

“Whatdidyousay?”

Eva cleared her throat.“Isaidheparticularlylikesthe taste. He can’t getenough of licking and

suckingmyclit.”

Sa’Mya peered upthrough squinted eyes.“Youlie.”

Eva shook her head.“No,everychancehegets,he’s got his head buriedbetween my legs.” Evaadjusted herself better onthe ledge, tilting hermoundslightlyupward.

“Howdoesittaste?”

“Heclaims it’s thebestdelicacy he has evertasted.” She tried her bestto mimic a chef from oneof thoseoldEarthcookingshows.

“Interesting.” Sa’Myapulled her bottom lipbetween her teeth andinchedcloser.Sa’Mya’shotbreath lingeredonherclit.She stuck out her tongue,givingthenubaquicklick.

Evacaughtherbreath.

“Not bad.” Two morelicksfollowed.

A small moan escapedEva’s lips. There wassomething oh so wrongabout all of this, but shedidn’t care. Eva openedher knees wider, inchingherbuttclosertotheledge.

Evawantedtoholdtheprincess’s head closer to

her pussy, but she didn’tdare, afraid itmight causeher to stop. Instead, Evaput her hands on hertrembling thighs, holdingthem open, and watched.Sa’Mya explored her clitwith her tongue, firstdarting, then licking,before finally pulling itinto her mouth andsucking.

Sighing, Eva leaned

backonherelbowson thecool, tiled floor. Sa’Mya’shands gripped her thighshard,forcingherlegsopenevenwider. Therewas noresistance from Eva. Shewas no Yazmine, but shewoulddo.

Sa’Mya’s soft tongueswiped from her slickopening to her clit,repeating each lick a littleharder than the first. A

deep, lustful moanfollowedaftereachswipe.

Eva moaned in timewith Sa’Mya, a slightwiggle in her hips addingto the pleasure. Her eyesrolled back with thethought of running herfingers through Sa’Mya’shair,itchingtopushherindeeper.

Slow and tentative,

Sa’Mya’s tongue probeddeep in her drippingsheath, exploring andmassaging her walls. Evalet out a groan and threwher head back. Sa’Mya’stongue darted in and out.Eva’s stomach quiveredandherlegsshook.

Sa’Mya wrapped herarms around Eva’s thighs,holding on tight, andtongue-fucked her in slow

strokes. Eva raised herheadlongenoughtowatchSa’Mya’s golden head bobbetweenherlegs.

Goodgracious.

Her wall gripped atSa’Mya’sexploringtongue.Eva’s breathing increasedto a feverish pitch as shereached to rub herthrobbingnub.

Eva’s wet fingers

glided over her sensitivebud, rubbing in slowcircular motions. Sa’Myaspread her folds fartherapart, kissing, licking andprobing the slick slit thatshe had begun to enjoy.Sa’Mya left her slicknesstwice to swipe a hot, wettongueacrossEva’sfingersand clit before dippingbackinside.

Eva’sstomachquivered

moreasshelistenedtotheprincess’s greedy moans.Eva’s pace quickened, herfingers rubbed her clitvigorously. She neededrelease.

With a groan, andunabletostopherself,Evareacheddownandheldtheprincess’s head in place,bringing her hips up tobuck against it. Sa’Myadidn’ttrytopullaway,but

wentindeeperandharder,moaning more as hertonguepulsatedinandoutasfastasshecould.

Sa’Mya pulled backmomentarily, licked herlipsandwatchedthejuicesdrip from Eva’s cunt. Asmall mew of complaintcrossedEva’s lips. Sa’Myaobliged by wrapping herarms around Eva’s thighs,diving back in hard and

fast.

Eva tightened herthighs around Sa’Mya’sheadanderupted,shakingto her core. There wassomething about havingthe bitch princess lickingher pussy that made Evawanttocomealloverher.

“Lick it all,” Evawhispered.

Sa’Mya cupped her

mouth over Eva’s slit andlapped.

Sa’Myafinishedthelastdrop.“Turnaround.”

Although spent, Evadid as shewas instructed.She willed her tired bodytorollontoherstomach.

Sa’Mya’shandsbitintoher waist, forcefullypulling her closer. Eva’sstomach slid across the

floor until her ass waspropped up by the ledgeand her knees rested onthebathbenchbelow.Softhands palmed her ass ashard teeth scraped acrossit. Quivering, Eva pressedher face against the coolfloor.

Sa’Mya kneaded onecheek and smacked theother.

Eva raised her headwithastart.“Wha…?”Thepainradiated fromherassto her pussy, causing it tocontractinvoluntarily.

“I bet you don’t listentohimatall.”Sa’Myatookanother painful nip at hercheek.

Against her will, Eva’shead fellback to the floor.“YesIdo.”

Smack. “Youare suchalittleliar.”

Eva inhaled sharply.Her ass was on fire. Sheshouldputup a fight, butthe contractions in herpussy held her in place.Sa’Myareacheddownandkissedthespotshejusthit.Eva’s pussy convulsedagain.

“I have seen the

disrespectful looks yougive him.” Sa’Mya leaneddown and swiped a long,wet tongue across hercheek. “Why do youdisrespect him in front ofhispeople?”

Eva’sfingersgrippedatthehardfloor.Hernipplespainfully hardened. “Idon’tdisrespecthim.”

Smack. Sa’Mya hit her

directly on the spot shehad licked. “Are youcallingmealiarnow?”

Juices dripped downherinnerthigh.Sheclosedher eyes. She didn’t knowifsheshouldsayyesorno.Never had she been intoS&M, but her pussy wasgetting wetter by thesecond.

“Yes.”

Smack. Smack. Thesound of Sa’Mya’s palmhitting her assreverberated off thewalls.“I am a princess. He isyour king. Neither of uswill tolerate yourinsubordination!”Smack.

Evamoaned frombothpain and pleasure. A tearslippedfromhereyeasshequivered and dug herfingernails across the tiles,

hating the bitch princessfor making her feel thisway.

Sa’Mya scraped longfingernails down thelength of Eva’s ass. Thenshe followed the trailwithhertongue,causingEvatothrow back her head. Shewantedtocome,neededtocome.

Sa’Myagrazeda finger

over Eva’s ass. “What ofthis one? Do you let himfuckyouhereaswell?”

“No.Hewould ripmeapart.”

“Good.Thiswillbejustmine.” Sa’Mya’s tonguepressed against the tightopening.

Eva yelled out asSa’Mya’s hands grippedher ass cheeks, holding

them farther apart.Sa’Mya’s tongue breachedthetightopening.

Sa’Mya’stongueslowlyfilled her up. Eva relaxedagainstit,allowingSa’Myato go as deep as shewanted. Instinctively, sheslowly rocked back,encouraging her to godeeper.

Shepressedherchestto

the ground, her hotnipples feeling goodagainst the cold tile. Evagroaned,thethoughtofthebiggestbitch in thegalaxywithherfaceburiedinherass was enough to sendherovertheedge.

The familiar buildupapproachedfast,herkneesshook uncontrollably.Reaching down, sherubbed her clit hard and

fast. Sa’Mya’s fingerscovered hers, rubbing inunison.

“I’mgoingtocome!”

Sa’Mya moved underEva’s pussy to lap at herdrippingcunt.

Eva shuddered asSa’Myadrank,licked,thenprobedherpussy,asifshedidn’t believe Eva wasfinished and looked for

more. Eva shudderedagainbeforefallingflat.

“Maybe I’ll keep youaround after all,” Sa’Myamurmured. “But knowthis, the moment I tire ofyou, Iwillgiveyou to theguards.”

Sa’Mya climbed out ofthe bath and her softfootstepswalkedaway.

Eva didn’t want

anything more than toknock her in her face. Shewouldn’t spend anotherminute playing personalslaveorsexslave.

ChapterTwenty-Two

Eva tapped herfingernails on her teeth,sitting in the overstuffedoffice chair watching theconsoleonTaio’sdesk.

“Ship, can you explain

it to me again?” Shesquinted at the computer-generated simulation ofthe rotation of Sonisaroundthedualsuns.

“ForeveryrotationthatpassesonSonis,oneandahalf rotations have passedonEarth.Whatyouwouldconsider a standard Earthmonth would equal totwentyrotationsonSonis.”Ship’s reply was dry and

tired—this was the fifthtimehe’drepeatedhimself.

“Soooo… I’ve been onSonis for about forty-tworotations.” Eva used herfingers as a guide. “Itwould have been sixty-three days or rotations onEarth?”sheasked.

“That is correct.” Histone still sounded bored.He’d tried to explain this

to her for the past halfhour or was it one Earthhour?Argh!

After waking up thismorning and vomiting allover the place, stress wasthe first thought thatcrossed her mind. Thenshe thought it hadsomething to do with thefood she had eaten thenightbefore. It couldhavebeenanythingbutthis.

I’mpregnant.

Her last period hadbeenaboutamonthbeforeeven coming to Sonis.Before that, it had beensporadicatbest.Sheknewthat because of highamountsofstress,itwasn’tuncommon not to get aperiod for months at atime. But there was nomistaking it. She waspregnantbyTaio.

She’d noticed that herstomach was getting aslight bulge to it and hadtried to work it down.Therewasnowayshewasgoing to have a potbellywith all these femaleswalkingaround,vying forherman’sattention.Screwthat.

Soeverydayshekilledherself doing crunches, tonoavail.Nowthemorning

sickness had kicked in.How far along was she?She couldn’t evenbe sure.Maybe somewherebetweenone and ahalf totwomonths?

What is a typicalgestationforthesepeople?

OhmyGod!Howhugeisthisbabygoingtobe?

Taio.

How would he evenreact? Maybe he wouldreact well to the news?Maybehewouldkeepherand the baby here in thepalace with him? Wouldhe still find anothermate?Wouldhe be able to bondwith her after finding outabout the pregnancy?Could he evenacknowledgethebaby?

She was officially

freakingout.

“There is no need toworry, Eva,” Ship said.“Taio will be more thanpleased about thepregnancy.”

“Are you sure?” Hervoicequivered.

“I am positive. He haslong since given up theidea of a traditional birth.Hewillbepleased.”

She rubbed her belly.My baby will be loved.“Whataboutme?”Even ifTaio claimed the baby,what would become ofher?

“Younowcarrytheonething he has dreamedabout. An offspring. Ameans and way topopulateSonis.”

Her anxiety melted

away. Taio talked about itnonstop. He needed tomake Sonis a thrivingworld. What better waythananheir?

“Shall I connect him toyou?”

Although it wouldn’ttake more than a fewminutes for Ship toestablish a link betweenher communication

console and Taio’s on theSaiaII,shedecidedagainstit. Shewanted to tell him,but she would wait untilhe came back from Holis.Thiswasdefinitelyface-to-facenews.

“No, I’ll tell himtonight.” She smiled. Shewas going to be a “babymama”.

Shedefinitelyhada lot

on her mind. She was atthe only place that wouldmake her feel better, thetraining field. Eva sat onthesandygroundnearthefield,polishingherjango.Itreally didn’t needpolishing, the weaponalready shone so brightthat colored speckledlightsdancedoff it. Itwasjustsomethingtodoasshewatched the guards train

andenjoyed thesunshighinthesky.Luckilyforher,shedidn’thavetowearthesun-resistant blanketanymore, her skin havinggrowingaccustomedtotheharsh heat as the dayspassed.

The suns were bright,that was for sure. But thewind blowing off theSingha Ocean, the onlyocean on Sonis, was a

welcome relief. Shehadn’tbeen there yet, but Taiopromised to take her oneday.Maybehewouldtakeher before the baby wasborn?

Multiplefootstepscameup behind her. Turningaround, she watched asPrincessSa’Mya sauntereduptoherwithherpersonalguardandassistantintow.

“I am surprised to seeyou sitting away from allof the barbaric activitiesknownastraining.”

Could she never getaway from this chick?She’d spent the entiremorning at the princess’sbeck and call. Her onlyreprieve was when shefinally introduced Sa’MyatoYazmine.Onlythenwasshe finally able to escape

foraprivatemomentwithShip. She came to thetraining field to work hertwistedmuscles.WithTaioset tocomebacksoon,hernerveswereshot.

“It looks as though Iwon’tneedtotravelfarforagoodfight,oneiscomingrightatme,”Evasnarled.

Sa’Mya’s guard placeda hand on the blaster

hangingon the side of hiship. The princess put ahandonhis,stoppinghim.

Evachuckled.Sa’Mya’sassistant placed a blanketonthegroundnexttoEva,which Sa’Mya slowlyloweredherselfonto.

“Well, this issomewhat…cozy.” Sa’Myalooked around, as if itwerebeneathher to sit on

theground.

“No one made youcome out here andcertainlynooneaskedyoutositdown.”

“I am aware that youdonotlikeme,Eva.”

Eva cut her eyes atSa’Mya. Whatever wouldhave given the princessthatcrazyidea?

“I think it would bebest for us to get along ortry to under thecircumstances,” Sa’Myasaid.

I don’t like the sound ofthat. “Whatcircumstances?”

“Masterandservant,ofcourse.”

Eva inhaled a deepbreath, trying to remain

calm. “I am no one’sservant. And you are noone’smaster.”

“It seems you haveforgottenalready.Taio lefta directive that you are toserve me in his absence.When we bond, I expectthe arrangement will bemuchthesame.”

“I’m pretty sure itwasa mistake, one he’ll

straighten out when hereturns.” Her handsgrippedherjangotightly.

Sa’Mya chuckled.“What do you think yourrole will be here once heandIbond?”

“Ialreadytoldyou.Hewon’tbondwithyou.”Shelookedtheprincessupanddown. “You’re not histype.”

“My type, his type.”She flicked out her handdismissively. “That hardlymatters. What matters iswhatIcandoforthislittlemoonandwhathecandoforme.”

Eva looked away fromher. Taio had told hercountless times, thearrangement would be innameonly.Please, anyonebut the bitch princess, she

prayed.

“Things havechanged,” Eva said. I’mgoingtohavehisbaby.

“Whatever makes youfeel better, human. I amrather looking forward toour business arrangementwith,” she looked Eva upanddown,“perks.”

Eva stood up. “Forgetit, bitch. I’m speaking to

Taio as soon as he getsback. If you needcompany, go findYazmine, she’ll be morethanhappy to takecareofyou.”

“Think about it, Eva.Taraj Hazouto has goneback home and I am theonly one left. It isinevitable that he and Iwillbond.”

“Hetoldmehewantedto search some morebefore making a decision.Whysettleforyou?He’sinnorush,especiallysincehehasmeinhisbed.”

Sa’Mya dipped herheadslightly.“Iamawarehe buries himself in younightandday.ThatiswhyI thoughtwe should cometo some type ofreconciliation. You will

havetoshowmerespectifyou want to continue tobed my mate. Otherwise,you could come to sometype of unfortunateaccident.” Sa’Myashrugged and lookedtowardherguard.

Eva didn’t flinch fromher obvious threat. Taiowould never let Sa’Myaharm her in any way,especially now that she

carriedhischild.

“Threaten me again,Princess, and I’ll cleaveyour tongue out with thefirstthingIfind.Andthenforgoodmeasure,I’llpokeholes in your eyes. I willleave you unable tothreaten anyone else everagain.Mistress.”

Beforeherguard couldreach forhisblasteragain,

she left to join theguards.That bitch can sure makeanyone want to pummel herinto the ground, she fumedas she walked away fromthetrio.

Sa’Mya watched Evawalk away. Theconversation had gonebetter than she thought itwould.Evawaswrong,of

course. Taio would notresume his search for amate. Sa’Mya wouldn’treturn to her home worldwithout the protection ofKingTaio.

He did spendmuch ofhis time fucking Eva. Itshould bother her, but itdidn’t.Shehadneverbeenwith a male before andwas not sure if she everwanted tobewithone. So

if Taio fucked Eva, itmeant he wouldn’t expectthe same treatment fromher.

ShewantedEvatostayto fulfill those needs forhim, but she also wantedthemboth to tone itdownafter the bondingceremony. Even if shedidn’t want to have sexwith her mate, she didn’twanttherestof thepalace

to know it was still goingon.

She would have tospeakwithEvaagain, thistime forming her wordsbetter so Eva wouldn’twalk away before she gotherpointacross.

She watched as Evafinallyreachedthetrainingfieldandbegantoswingatthe structures,

undoubtedly wishing itwas her she was beating.She had been truthfulwhen she told Eva sheunderstoodwhyTaiokepthisheadbetweenher legs.Evawasafinespecimen.

“Find the servantYazmine and have hermeetmeinmychambers,”shesaidtoMoira.

Sa’Mya smiled as she

listened to her assistantcarrying out the order.Yazmine would keep herbusyuntilTaioarrived.

ChapterTwenty-Three

“It is my honor tointroduce you to mychosen mate, PrincessSa’Mya.”Taiowrappedhisarm around Sa’Mya’sshoulders. They both

exchanged a smile as theroom erupted in cheersand hollers. Everyonearoundherwasecstatic.

Eva plastered a smileacrossherquiveringlips.

WhatdidIexpect?

Commitment?

Love?

Forever?

Marriage?

Wife?

Husband?

Family?

Shewasclearlythefool,again.

The only fool in theroom.

The only fool whobelieved an orphan from

Earth could bewanted bytheKingofSonis.

An elephant sat on herchest. Pain radiated fromher jaw down to her leftshoulder and arm. Theroomwasgettingdimmer.

Good Lord. I’m having aheartattack.

Lo’Renapproachedher.

What the hell is she

talkingabout?

Was she asking her ifshewasokay?Forreal?

Herentireworld,being,hadcomecrashingaroundher.

Why does she have thatlookonherface?

She tried to smileharderforLo’Ren,wantingtheotherfemaletoseeshe

was fine and leave heralone.

She took a wildsweeping glance aroundthe room. Who the hellwas turning down all thelights?Andwhoturnedupthe heat, sheesh. She wasonfire.

Hereyes swept toTaioandSa’Myaagain.Sa’Myawas smiling broadly at

Taio’s mother and sisterwhilehestoodbyherside,his arm now around herwaist.

The fucker.Son-of-a-bitchcocksucker.

Her fingers began totingle.

Ohyes,shehadalmostforgottenshewashavingaheartattack.

“Excuse me, Lo’Ren. Ithink I may be having aheart attack. I don’t wantto embarrass myself anymore than I have, so I’mgoing to leave now.” Sheturned andmadeherwaytowardtheexit.

Smilingateveryoneshepassed.

Lipsstillquiveringandeyesmistingover.

She walked down thecorridor, picking up herpace the farther she gotaway from the receptionroom. She started for herapartment but stoppedshort.

“Ihavenowheretogo,”she whispered. She stoodin place for a little longerastherealizationhither.

She didn’t want to go

backtoherapartment.TheapartmentthatbelongedtoTaio.

She turned in theopposite direction, towardthe training field. Onlyafterreachingthedarkanddeserted training field didshe allow herself tocrumble. Shehad enduredloss and abandonmentbefore, being alone andbeing unwanted. She

would get through this aswell.

Butrightnowithurt.

*****

Opening her eyes, shestaredat thedustyceiling.Itwasfamiliartoher,asitshouldhavebeen.Shehadlooked at the same rainspot forwhat seemed likeforever.

She let her eyes focuson the right corner,wherea green-and-orange-spottedspiderhaditsweb.She had never seen aspider that big, thatorange, that hairy or thatugly before. At first shehadbeenafraidofit.Thenshe began to welcome itsbite, hoping itwas deadlyand quick. Now sherealized it was just a fat,

ugly,lazyspider.

She did feel somewhatbetter. She no longerwanted to lie in theequipment room and die.This was her first pityparty and hopefully herlast. If Taio didn’t wanther, then fine.Hewasnotthe first person whorejectedher,buthewouldsurelybethelast.

She was so muchstronger than this.There’dbeen walls in place toprevent this sort of thing.Whose idea was it to letthemdownanyway?

Rolling to a sittingpositionon the sideof thetraining mat, she let herfeethitthefloor.Herheadimmediately dropped toherhandsandarmstoherknees. Shewas exhausted.

She onlymoved to emptyher bladder. She’d criedherselfdry.

Time togetupandgeton with her life. With orwithoutTaio.

“You have decided togetupnow?”

Although he had notspoken to her, she neverdoubtedthathewasneverfarfromherside.

“Hi,Ship.”

“Iwanttoofferyoumycondolences.”

“No one died, Ship.You don’t offercondolences becausesomeonegotdumped.”

“I thought it was theappropriate word choice.Your intimate relationshipwith Taio has died.Neverto be the same again. An

endingtoaloveaffair.Theendingto—”

Eva threw up a hand.“Pointtaken.Thankyou.”

She wanted to ask ifTaioknewwhereshewas,thenthoughtagainstit.Heprobablydid,allhehadtodo was run a heatsignature sweep of thepalace and find her. Hehad no need to seek her

out.Did not care.Did notmissher.

She shook her head,attempting to get thosehurtful thoughts out of it.Her pity party ended twominutesago.

She slapped her knees.“Better get this show onthe road.” She attemptedto will her legs tostraightenandsupporther

weight.

“What show? Is thelack of food making youdelusional? I found outhumans cannot go morethan two to three Earthdays without food orwater. I was monitoringyou tomake sure youdidnotdieofstarvation.”

“How kind of you.”She genuinelymeant that.

It was not often thatsomeone looked out forher well-being. “I reallyappreciate it.” Finallystraightening, she reachedouttoapieceofequipmenttostabilizeherself.

“What do you plan todonow?”

Whatwas she going todo?“Idon’tknow,Ship.”

*****

“Sir, Eva’s heatsignatureshowedupinthetraining hall,” Jor’Dansaid.

Taio inhaled sharply.She had been found. Thatwas the best news he’dheard in a lifetime. He’dhad everyone searchingthe palace from top to

bottom. Everyone helpedin the search except Ship,whohadbeentight-lippedsincetheannouncement.

He was about to makethe call to have the searchextended outside, notbelieving or wanting tobelieveshewasdead.Thatwould have been the onlyreason as towhy her heatsignature would not haveshownup.

He hadn’t known itwould hurt as it had tomake the announcement.Looking at her made itworse. His first instincthad been to run over andhold her. It had taken allhis resolve not to look ather again, for fear hewoulddojustthat.

Sonis needed thismatch. With Laconiabehind the bonding, Sonis

could finally be a thrivingworld. He had moreimportant responsibilitiesto think of. It would beextremelyselfishofhimtomake a decision with hiscockinsteadofhishead.

“How did she get intothe training hall withoutbeing detected? Wesearched that entire area.”HeturnedtoRasha.

“We didn’t bother tolook in the old equipmentrooms,” Rasha said. “Theheatsensorsweredrainingenergy from the ionizedweights held there.Remember, you had thesensors disabled. They’vebeen unused for manycycles.Ifshewashidinginthere we would not havepicked up on her heatsignature.”

“She hid in there fortwowholerotations?”

His initial relief wasnow turning to fury.He’dturned the entire palaceupside down looking forher while she hid away.What did she hope toprove by this little stunt?Besides,Evaknewthisdaywascoming.Hestillhadtomarry Princess Sa’Mya,who was none too happy

thatheputtheirceremonyonholdwhilehesearchedhighandlowforEva.

Taio stormed therestroom as Eva wascoming out. He didn’tknow if he should crushher close to his body orgrab her, shaking somesenseintoherlittlehumanbrain. When he reachedher,hedidneither.

“Do you know howmuch time I wastedlookingforyou?”

Evablinkedinsurprise.She was red in the face,and she narrowed hereyes, peering at himthrough the slits. “I’msorry to have wasted yourtime. But I don’t recallneeding tobe foundand Idon’t recall asking you tobetheonetodoit.”

“I’m glad you areunharmed, Eva.” Rashastepped up, clearly tryingtodiffusethesituation.

Eva kept her eyesglaring at him. “Iappreciate your concern,Rasha, but I was never inanydanger.”

“You could have beenindanger.Howwerewetoknowyouweresafewhile

you were hiding in theequipment room? You arestill my responsibility.”Rasha clenchedhis fists athissides.

“For your information,I was not hiding. I don’thide,notfromyouorfromanyoneelse.”

“If youweren’t hiding,whatwereyoudoing?”

“I actually don’t owe

you an explanation. But ifyou must know, I wasmakingplans.”

“Plans?” he asked,perplexed. “Plans aboutwhat?”

“Plansaboutmyfuture.IfIhavetobetrappedherewith you, I thought itwould be a good idea tofiguresomethingsout.”

“Trapped? You are not

trapped!”

Rasha took a step tomove in front of Taio.“Maybe we should allowyou to have a nice warmbath, eat and then revisitthis conversation later.Does that sound good?”Rasha took Eva’s elbowand tried to lead her outthedoor.

Eva snatched her arm

awayandspunaround.“Iam too trapped. You toldme you have completeauthority over me and Ican never leave! Where Icome from, that’sconsideredtrapped!”

Taio straightened hisshoulders. Never hadanyoneyelledorspokentohimasEvawasdoing.Didshe really feel forced tostaywithhim?

“You are free to gowhereveryoudesire,”Taiosaidcalmly.

“Now, it would not bebeneficial tosaythingswedo not mean,” Rashainterjected.

“I mean what I say,Rasha, do not involveyourselfinmattersthatarenot your concern.” Rashanodded once and stepped

outoftheway.

“Eva, you have plentyof credits in your account.Coyl and the others werenotrich,buttheyhadwell-paying salaries.Once theyattacked you, theyimmediatelyforfeitedtheirworth to you. You haveenough to be comfortablewith for a while.” Heturned on his heel, butstopped before leaving. “I

will have Mazel look forvacantproperties onSonisfor you. If you don’t findonetoyourliking,feelfreetobuildone.”

“I won’t need herhelp,” she said. Taioturnedjustintimetocatchher squaring hershoulders. “If I’m free togo, then I’ll go. Ship, willyou helpme find the firsttransportoffSonis?”

“Where is yourdestination?”Shipasked.

“Anywherebuthere.”

Taio walked away, notlooking back. If sheplannedtoruntoAlexion,hewouldlethergo.

ChapterTwenty-Four

“What day did youreschedule the ceremonyfor?” his mother asked.Herwearinesswas clearlyvisible on her face as shepeered at him from the

communicationscreen.

She’d called him tocomplain about hisbehavior. Apparently, noonewantedtobenearhimbecause his attitude wasless than desirable thesepastthreelunarcycles.

Hehadn’tevenrealizedeveryone was avoidinghim. He’d been toowrapped up in his own

thoughts to noticeanything else. But themoment she brought upthe ceremony,he instantlytunedherout.Apparently,they had now moved thediscussion from hisbehaviortotheceremony.

“Taio! Pay attention tome. It is time for you tosnapoutofitandmoveonwithyour life.Youhaveabeautiful mate-to-be who

hasbeenwaitingpatientlyfor you to come to yoursenses. You cannotcontinue to put her off,”hismothersaidfirmly.

Taio could hear thedistress in his mother’svoice. His mother, fatherand sister had returnedhome to the main planetawhile ago. When? Hewasn’t too certain aboutthat, most of the guests

had left when it becameapparenttherewouldn’tbea bonding ceremonyanytime soon. Kiehle leftwellbeforehisparents—hestillhadabusinesstorun.

“Taio!” his mothercalled out again. His eyessnapped back to thecommunicationscreen.

“Yes,Mother.”

“Well?Whatisthenew

date?”

“Ihaven’tsetityet.”

“Tsk. That poor girl.What are you planning todo? Keep her hangingaround while you mournthelossofyourlover?”

“I am not holding herhostage, she can leavewhenevershewants.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Don’tbeanass.”

“Mother, you don’tunderstand. I am stillbonding with her. I can’tafford not to, Sonis needsher. I am trying to getsomethingsinorderfirst.Ifelt rushed into itanyway.”

“Pah. You were morethan ready to mate withher. It’s only after you let

your little concubine gothat you took thisdownwardturn,”shesaid.“I thought Ihad it figuredout. I am partly to blameaswell.”

“Youarenot theblameforthis.Itwasme.Iwasn’thonest with Eva from thebeginning.”

“No. I thought I knewwhat was best for you. I

should have supportedwhat I knew in my heartfromthebeginning.”

“You knew about myfeelingsforher?”

“Ha!Everyonewhohaseyes knew how you feltaboutEvaandhowshefeltaboutyou,”shesaid.“Andyou are correct, I don’tunderstand. I don’tunderstand how you let

her go so easily. If I hadsomeone who loved meand I loved them back, Iwouldhave foughthardertoholdontoit.”

“But I’m king here. Ihavetodowhat’srightforeveryone. I have to thinkof more than just myneeds.”

“OhIsee, sowhodoesitbenefitifyourstaffistoo

afraid to approach youbecause you’ll lash out atthem?Whobenefits ifyouhave not completed onetask? Who benefits whenyour business contacts arerequestingnottodealwithyou?Whobenefitsif—”

“Mother! I get theidea.”

“My sweet baby, I amjust trying to get you to

understand that if you arenot happy, it does affecteveryone. I just want youtobehappy.”

“Even if I want her, itcould never be more thanwhat it was. She’s notroyalty.Shehasnothingtooffer Sonis. What wouldtheotherdelegatesthinkifImatedwithaspeciesthatcouldn’t defend their ownworld?” He had been

thinking about this eversincesheleft.

“I thought I raisedyoubetter than this,” hismother said. “Iwanted somuchmoreforyou,Kiehleand Saia. No matter howyouwerebroughtintothisworld, Iwantedyouall tomake your own decisionsand choices. To be able toweigh the good and thebad. When you left home

andsetuponSonis, Iwassoproudofyou.”

“Iknow,Mother.”

She raised her hand.“No, you don’t. I wantedto do right by you. Whocareswhatthosestuffyolddignitaries and councilmembers think? You havethe best defense systemknowntous.Youhaveanentity that isasoldas this

galaxy at your side. Andyou had a female wholovedyou.”

Taiohunghishead.Hismotherwas right. He hadbeen so caught up intryingtodorightbySonisthat hewasn’t doing rightby himself. So what if hemated with Eva? No onewould dare think himweak,theywouldfindoutthehardwayhewasn’t.

He pushed back hischairandbegantorise.

“Where are yougoing?”

“I am going to findEva.” His mother wasright. He needed to getEvaback.

Hismother smiled andblew a kiss at him. “Sendme a new date for theceremony!”

He found Sa’Myalounging in the librarywithYazmine lying at herside, playing with herlong, golden tresses. Heguessed Sa’Mya wouldn’tbe too heartbroken aboutwhat he was about to tellher. She seemed to preferYazmine’s company to hisanyway.

“Canwegosomewhereandtalk,alone?”Hesenta

dismissive glance towardher personal guard,MoiraandYazmine.

Sa’Mya had taken thenews better than he couldhave imagined. “It wasclear from the beginningthe two of you were inlove.Weallknewitwasapackage deal and shewaspartofthepackage.”

“Iamsorry formaking

youwaitallthistimeforaceremony that will nottakeplace.”

Sa’Mya let out a heavybreath. “To be honest, itwas a vacation for me. Ienjoyed being here.” Shegave a sweeping glancearoundtheoldlibrarythatheldmillionsofdatafiles.

“Youarewelcomebackanytimeyouwanttovisit.”

Sa’Mya’s eyes becamedistant. “Taio, I dohave afavortoaskofyou.”

“Anything.”

She shook her head. “Idon’t need the favor now,justpromiseyouwillgrantitwhenIcallyou.”

“Sa’Mya, I’m on thecouncil, it can’t beanything illegal,” he said,warningher.Hedidn’tlike

the idea of promising afavor without knowingwhat he was promisingfor.

“No.” She shook herhead again. “You havenothingtoworryaboutonthat end. I will need afavorandIwanttobeableto count on a friend.”Something in her eyescompelledhimtohelpher.

“You will be able tocountonme.”

Sa’Mya smiled. “Thankyou.”Then,as if itwasanafterthought. “I will makesure that our previousarrangementismodified.”

Taio had assumed thatsincetherewouldnotbeaceremony, their contractwouldbevoided.

“I will still make sure

that you have use of mytransport vessels. Mindyou, you won’t be part-owneranymoreandIwantapercentageof theprofitsmade when this littleworld of yours becomes athriving attraction,”Sa’Myasaid.

“Thank you.” Hebowed his head. Thiswasmorethangenerousofher,especially sinceshewasn’t

obligatedtohimanymore.

“Anything for afriend.”Shebowedhersinreturn.

Taiohadthefeelingshewas endearing herself tohimforwhenshecalledinher “favor”. He wouldworryaboutthatlater.

Leaving her, hereturned to his personalquarters to pack his bag.

He needed to go toHolis,praying thathewasn’t toolate.

“Ship! Get me TarajHazoutofromHolisonthe—”

He stopped mid-sentence. Ship was gone.He stopped what he wasdoingandrantohisoffice.He couldn’t dial the codefor Taraj Hazouto quick

enough. He let out anextendedbreathasherfacecameintoview.

“Greetings, Taraj.” Hebowed his head to thediplomat.

“Greetings, King Taio.Whatanhonoritisforyoutocalluponme.”

“Thehonorisallmine.”He smiled. “I wouldappreciate it verymuch if

you could let me speakwithEva.”

“Eva?” she asked.“Why would Eva behere?”

“I assumed she wasthere with Alexion. Is shenot?”

“I’mafraidnot.Welastspoke with her fiverotations ago. She wasgoing to Zolaris. She had

news her friend, Allysan,was being held there,”Tarajexplained.

Taio blanched at thenews. She was trekkingaround the galaxy withonly Ship to take care ofher.

“I don’t understand, Ithought she was withAlexion?”

“Why would she be

withAlexion?”

“They shared amutualattraction.Iassumedwhenshe left here she wentrunning to him.” Paniccrept across his heart.Wherewasshe?Shewasahuman female, she didn’tknow anything about thedangerstheuniverseheld.

“You misunderstood,King Taio. Alexion does

find her to be quiteappealing,exoticeven.ButEva did not share hisfeelings.”

“But I saw themtogether a lot. There wasmore to their relationshipthanyouarelettingon.”

“Theyhadafriendship.OnceEvatoldusaboutherpeople, we felt compelledto help. Alexion came up

with the ideaofus settingup safe planets for theother humans. Alexionwasplanning it and Iwasusing my contacts as adignitary to find suitablesites.Itwasnomorethanaworking relationship, Iassure you. My brothercannot keep any secretsfromme.”

“Ican’tbelieveIletherleave on her own.” He

leaned back in his chair.“She could be in somuchdanger.” He ran a handthroughhistangledhair.

“Don’t worry, Ship istakinggoodcareofher.Hewould never leave herside. Not even for aminute. Especially sincesheisstartingtoshow.”

“Showwhat?”

“Her pregnancy, of

course. Ship is extremelyprotective of her. She toldme Ship has insisted thiswas going to be her lastattempt to find Allysanbeforethebabyisborn.”

Taio’s mind froze.Pregnant?Baby?

Taraj’seyeswidenedinresponse. “King Taio, youdidnotknowthatshewaspregnant?”

ChapterTwenty-Five

Eva sat slumped at thebar. This was the seventhdeadendshehadrunintoin the past six months.And not to mention herankles were swelling. She

looked at them in disgustand curled her lip. It wasbad enough that she hadbeen dumped, butdumpedandfat?Thatwasjustplainwrong.

She was on anInterplanetary SystemTransportVesselheadedtonowhere. Well, it wasgoing somewhere, but shewas drifting. She couldn’tfind Ally, the few friends

she made on Sonis weregone and, of course, noTaio. The only thing thatkept her hopes somewhatup was the chance offinding Ally andreclaimingalittlebitofthenormalcy she lost. Now,with her belly growingbigger by the day and noAlly,shewouldneedtogosomewhere quiet to lickherwounds.

She wanted Ally, shewanted her friend back,but there was anotherreason that was morepressing. Ship gave hernews that Ally had beensold and re-sold to asmany as three differentbrothels throughout thegalaxy.Sheneededtofindherfriend.Now.

This last lead on Allyhad seemed as though it

wasfinallygoingtobetheone.Butitturnedouttobeabust.Allyhadbeensoldyet again, this time to aprivatebrokerwhowouldnodoubt turnaroundandsell her again. Ship couldtrackher,butitwouldtakeawhile for Ally to hit thegridagain.

Eva thought highly ofherfightingskills,butevensheknew shewouldn’t be

able to launch a one-womanrescuemissionthislate inherpregnancy.Evasighed as she thoughtaboutthedelay.Therewasno way around it. Shewouldneed to resume thesearch after her son wasborn.

Shiphadmadehervisita medical healer on thefirst planet they visitedafter leaving Sonis.

Although she didn’tappreciate the entitymaking her do anything,she had relented. Themedicalhealertoldhershewas carryinga sonand sofar he was healthy. Thebaby she carried was herfirst priority, finding Allywashersecond.

On every planet shehad been to, she inquiredabout ideal places to live

andraisechildren.Shehada few requirements inmind. The temperaturehad to bemild and sunnyyearlong. The days had tomatch Earth’s standarddays as much as possible.She looked for a placewhere she and the babywouldbesafelivingalone,andofcourse, ithad tobein a different solar systemthanSonis.

Somewherefaraway.

Outofthecornerofhereye, she spotted a malewalking toward her. Hisblue-tinted lips sported amalicious grin. Histranslucentgrayskincolor,pointy ears and long,blond hair identified hisspecies, Uurosolian. Sinceshe was on her own,learning about differentspecieswasarequirement.

The information shegathered on Uurosolianswas that their race wasknown to be aggressivetoward their females andverydangerous.

Shit. She kept her eyeson him while she let herhandslidetoherblaster.

Crap. Crap. Crap.Transport rules, noweapons onboard. Her

blaster was checked withher bag, she wouldn’t beable to have it until theyreached their finaldestination.

The transport lurchedforward just slightly,enough to cause theUurosolian’sstepstofalterand her side to bangagainstthecountertop.Shelooked around to see ifanythingvisiblewasgoing

on. Nothing. She quicklydismissed the disruption.It was probably an airpocket or authoritiesscanning the vessel. Theydid this in hopes ofcatching fugitives orunapprovedcargo.

Eva didn’t linger on it,the transport wouldcontinue on its way oncethescanwascomplete.Shehadbiggerworries.

“Hello there.” TheUurosolian slid into thechair next to hers, smilingviciouslywithamouthfullofpointyteeth.

“Hello yourself.” Shesmiled back. “My name isEva.” She extended herhandtohim.Thelastthingshe needed was to hurtthis guy’s feelings and beentangled in somekindofphysical altercation. Kill

him with kindness.Kindnessandlies.

His confident smileturned somewhat wary.Not the easy prey hesuspected she was, Evathought.

Hand still extended,she looked at his hand,thenbackathers.

With a confused lookonhisface,theUurosolian

took her hand in his andEva shook vigorously upanddown.

“Eva,” she said again.“And your name wouldbe?”

“Losix.” He nervouslylookedaroundtheroomasifsheweresettinghimup.

She was sitting alone,looking depressed andbeat down. She was sure

he hoped to build herspirits up with sugar-coated words that wouldlead to an easy lay. Shedidn’t appear to be thesame person he spotted afewmomentsago.

Shekeptasmileonherface and shook his handvigorously. “Losix. That’sa real strong name. I likestrongnames.You’refromUurose, right? I’ve heard

ofyourpeople.”

She stopped shakinghishandbutheldittightinher grip. She stroked itwith her free hand andleaned closer to him.“EvensawafewsinceI’vebeentravelingthegalaxy.”

“Umm…Imistookyoufor an old acquaintance.I’m sorry to impose onyou,”herepliedquickly.

He was trying to freehis hand from her graspwhenabloodcurdlingwarcryeruptedbehindher.

Eva jumped from herseat and instinctively gotbehind Losix, shieldingherselffromwhateverwasabouttohappen.

“I. Will. Rip. You. To.Shreds. Uurosolian.” Eachword dripped with hate.

“Do you dare touch mymate?”

Eva slowly recognizedthe voice behind themadness.Taio?

“I apologize. Iwas justtelling the female that Imistook her for an oldacquaintance. I meant noharm.”Ashespoke,Losixreached behind his back,trying to grab a hold of

her. Eva held the back ofhisshirttightinherfist.

“Why does she hidebehindyou?”

“I am trying to freemyself from her. I havebeen trying to free myselfeversincewegreeted.”

Evaunclenchedherfist,and with nervous energy,began to smooth out thewrinklesofhisshirt.

“You let her strokeyou!” Taio’s voicebellowed across the room.Eva could feel his bootsstomping closer to herdirection.

Ohcrap.

Losix jumped up andstepped out of the way,exposing her to Taio’sfury. She gave theUurosolian an annoyed

look. He shrugged andmadehiswaytotheexit.

Herkneesweakenedatthe sight of him. Heseemed taller than sheremembered, bigger andawhole lotmeaner.Hewasin need of a shave, andwhen he stopped in frontof her, she smelled thestench coming from hisbody and clothes anddecided he needed a bath

too.

“I am not your mate.You made that quiteclear,” she said calmly,surprisingevenherself.

“Youaremymate.Youcarrymychild.”Hisvoicewas loud, staking hisclaim.

So he had found outaboutthebaby.

“For your information,that does not make usmates!WhereI’mfrom,wecall that a baby mama!”She fumbled forher chair.Her knees were definitelygetting weak now. “I’mnotyourslaveanymore.”

She slid into her chair.“You gave me myfreedom. I havewitnesses.”

Taio stepped closer toher,cradlingherfaceinhishands.

“You arenotmy slave.You never were, but youaremine. You alwayswillbe. This is mine.” Herubbedhishandacrossherdistendedbelly.

Shehungherheadlow,tearsrandownhercheeks.“No,Taio.I’mnotyours.I

can’t watch you andPrincess Sa’Mya togetherand stay with you. Noteven for the baby. Youcan’tmakemedoit.”

Taio gathered her offthe stool, cradling her inhis thick arms. “I wouldnever ask you to dosomething so foolish. Youwillbemymate.”

Eva looked at him

throughtear-soakedeyes.

“How can I be yourmate?”

“I love you and youcarrymychild.”

“Youloveme?”

“Yes,andifyoudonotcomebackwithme,Kiehlewill drag this entiretransportbacktoSonisandkeep it there until you

changeyourmind.”

“Youputaholdonthetransport?” She finallylooked around. EveryonewatchedherandTaiowithstunned looks on theirfaces. But aside from that,the transport guards wereallbeingheldinheadlocksbyTaio’screw.

“I need you back. Icamepreparedforafight.I

had to first convince Shipto let me board to speakwithyou.Eva, Iwantyouby my side. Just you, mylittleone.Myqueen.”

“Taio, Idon’tknowif Ican trust you again.Whatyoudid…ithurt.”

“Eva, please. I woulddo anything to have youback with me, where youbelong.”

“We’llbemated?”

“Yes. We will sign thebonding contract as soonaswereturntoSonis.”

Evaputupherhand.“Iwanttobeabletocontinuetotrainwiththeguards.”

“Eva, that is not aqueen’splace.”Sheturnedher back. “But one itemthat we can add to thecontract.”

She wasn’t giving inthat easy.She turnedbackaround. “I want a say inourson’supbringing.”

“Son?”He fumbled forthe chair. Her insidesinstantly melted. Hewouldlovetheirchildwithallhisheart.

“Yes,I’mcarryingyourson and I want equal sayinhisupbringing.”

“This is unheard of.”Heshookhishead.“Thisisafather’sresponsibility.”

Eva’slipstwitched.Sheknew she would lose thatbattle. She hoped for it.“Okay.IfIcan’thaveequalsay in the raising of ourson, then I want anenlightenmentceremony.”

“That is out of thequestion.”

Sheheldupher finger.“We are negotiating. If Ican’thaveequalsayintheupbringing of our son, Ishould at least have anenlightenmentceremony.”

Hesatbackandcrossedhis arms. “I’ll think aboutit.”

Eva sat back as well.“When you come to aconclusion, let me know.

I’ll have Ship inform youwhichplanetthebabyandIsettledownon.”

“All right. You canhave an enlightenmentceremony.After our son isborn.”

Eva hauled back andpunched him as hard asshe could in his muscle-rippedstomach.

“Whatwasthatfor?”

“That’s for upsettingme and putting methroughhell.”

“I’msorry,littleone.”

“Queen,”shecorrected.

Eva buried her face inhis stomach and held ontight. Shewould never lethim go. Their son wouldgrow up in a loving two-parent household. Butmost importantly, he

would grow up in afamily.

Herfamily.

Epilogue

Evasatcross-leggedona blanket that covered thesandy ground next to thetraining field. Her eyesfluttered closed as shetilted her head up towardthebrightsuns,welcoming

the rays on the tattoo thatcircled around her righteye. Taio had explainedthat the heat generatedfromthesuns’ rayswouldhelp to dry and heal theelaborate tattoos that shenow possessed. Havingundergone theenlightenment ceremony acouple of weeksbeforehand, the twointricate designs of

varitizars were healingnicely, although the skinunderneath the tattoositched something fierce.Later, when she foundsome time to herself, sheplannedtolienakedintheprivate royal gardens toexpose the bottom part ofthe designs that coveredhertorso,chestandnecktothesuns’rays.

Acryfromthetraining

field joltedherback to thepresent.

“That’s the one I havemy eye on,” Lo’Ren said.ShewassittingnexttoEvawatching theguards train.“He just doesn’t know ityet.”

Eva followed Lo’Ren’sline of vision to one ofTaio’s new royal guards.“WhataboutAnkon?”

Lo’Ren snorted. “Whosays I can’t have my eyesonbothofthem?”

Eva laughed, makingthe child sleeping soundlynext to her shift on theblanket. She hadn’t daredsitcloseenoughtothefieldthatsheorherson,Josanis,could be injured. Eventhough the guards on thefieldwouldassooncutofftheir arms than to cause

harmtoJosanis,shedidn’twanttohearTaio’smouthregarding all of thepossible dangers that thetraining field held and allthe many ways Josaniscouldbeinjured.

At the thought of herand Taio’s two-year-oldson,Evareachedoverandrestedahandonhisback,feeling his soft, rhythmicbreathing. Eva didn’t

worry at all about thesuns’ rays damaging hisskin as it had done hersyears ago, the sun-protective clothing hewore would prevent thatfrom happening. Shesmoothed a lock of raven-black hair away from hisforehead and curled itaround his ear. Lying athis side was a muchsmaller version of a jango

that Taio had speciallymadeforhisfirst-bornson.Thestubbornchildcarriedit everywhere he went,insisting that it stay at hisside,eveninsleep.

Josanis had been thefirstinterspeciesunion,buthewouldnotbethelast.Itwas amazing to find outthat humans could be thewelcomed solution to theDrazlan and Sonis

breeding problem. Taiohad brought more humanwomenofchildbearingageto live and settle on bothSonisandDrazlan.

Taioandhis fatherhadbought human femalesfrom slave traders andeven paid the womenhandsomely to settle onSonis and Drazlan. Thewomenhadallbeenhappyenough to be granted

freedom. But they gainedmuchmore,aplace tocallhome, shelter and thepossibility to find theirown protectors and raisefamilies. Eva was morethan happy to be taskedwith the job of makingsure that all their needshad been met, that thewomen assimilated intotheirnewculturewitheaseand that the people of

Drazlan and Sonis alsounderstood their newinhabitants.

Her thoughts wereinterrupted when apurplish-haze obstructedher view of the trainingfield.Thefirsttimeshehadseen the unfamiliar haze,she had thought her eyeshad failed her. Why elsecouldsheseeadisturbancethat had the same look of

purple-heatwavesmovingthroughout thepalaceandnotanyoneelse?WhenshehadaskedTaioandLo’Renabout the visualdisturbance, they had alldenied that they could seeanything.Asitturnedout,her human eyes coulddetect the entity whileotherspeciescouldnot.

“Hello, Ship,” she said.“This must be real

important if you are outandabout.”

“Hi,Ship,”Lo’Rensaid,takinghercuefromEva.

Although Ship thrivedand preferred to travelthroughelectricalcurrents,it wasn’t necessary to doso. As long as he didn’tstay away from electricalcurrents for great lengthsof time,hewouldsurvive.

Now that she knew whatto look for, Eva alwayscaught him travelinginconspicuouslythroughoutthepalace.

“Yes, it is veryimportant. But if you donot appreciate that I amexposing myself to theelements, then I will goback inside the palacewalls.”

“Don’t be sotemperamental. I wasbeing sarcastic. I doappreciate that you’vecome outside and riskedfreshairtotalkwithme.”

Evaheldbackhersmilein hopes Ship didn’t catchthat she was beingsarcasticyetagain.

“Thank you for yourconcern,”Shipreplied.She

smiled then. He hadn’tcaughtontoit.“Whenareyou going to tell Taioaboutyourpregnancy?”

EvaandLo’Rengaspedinunison.Eva’shandwentto rest on her stomach.“How did you know? Ihaven’t even told thehealersyet.”

Lo’Ren scrunched herface.“Orme.”

“The sameway Iknewthefirsttime.Icanseetheother energy…life forcewithin your abdomen.Although small, it isthere,”Shipreplied.

Eva sighed. “I’msorry.” She grabbedLo’Ren’s hand andgave itasmallsqueeze.“Iwantedto wait until after theenlightenment ceremonyto tell Taio. And then I

kept thinking that I couldreceive news about Allyanyday.”

“That is no reason todeceiveyourmate,Eva.”

“Iknow.ButShip,whatif we do get word abouther? Taio would never letme go while I’mpregnant.”

“You are correct. Butyou still mustn’t deceive

him.”

Eva huffed. “Okay, I’lltell him. I guess I’ve beenputting itoff longer than Ishouldhave.”

“Youwon’t have to gofar, he is on his way toyou,”Shipsaid.

Eva looked up to seeTaiowalkingtowardherinthe distance and Shipfloatingback to thepalace

before finallydisappearing. Taio movedwithsuchpredatorygrace.That’s my man. Evamoanedunderherbreath.

Lo’Ren rolled her eyes.“It’s a wonder that youdon’t stay pregnant.”Lo’RengatheredJosanisinher arms. He whimperedinhissleepandsheplacedalightkissonhisforehead.“I’ll take Josanis inside so

that you both can haveprivacy.”

“Thanks,Lo.”

“Don’tmention it.AndI really mean it this time,don’t mention it.Disgusting.” She stuck outhertongue.

Eva laughed as Lo’Renand Josanis left. Lo’RenstoppedtoletTaiokisshisson before she continued

tothepalace.

“Taking a break?” Evaaskedashereachedher.

Taio settlednext toherontheground.“IthoughtIwouldspendtimewithmyfamily for a while. But Isee Lo’Ren has stolen onememberaway.”

Evabeamedfromeartoear and leaned on him.Family.

“You know, we neverhad a conversation abouthow large we want ourfamilytobe.”

Hetiltedhisheadtotheside. “I never imagined Iwould have ever had achoiceinthematter.”

He began to run hishand through her hair,playing and twisting itthroughhisfingers.

“So…”

“Sowhat?”heasked.

“How many childrendoyouwant?”

“Eva, I thought havingone child wasunattainable. I would behappy with whatevernumber theAncientsblessuswith.”

Thefingersthathehad

twirling through her hairsuddenly stopped. “Eva?Areyou…”

She looked up to himsheepishly.“Yes.”

Hecrushedherbodytohis. He buried his face inher hair and sniffled.“Royalguardsdonotcry.”

She smiled as her eyesmistedover.“ButIcan.”

Taiorolledoveronher,pressingherbackonto theblanket. “If you weren’tmy queen, I’d take youright here,” he whisperedintoherear.

She wrapped her armsand legs around him. “I’llbe your concubine anyday.”

AboutA.M.Griffin

A.M. Griffin is a wifewho rarely cooks, motherof three, dog owner (andsometimes dog owned), adaughter, sister, aunt andfriend.She’sahardworkerwhose two favoriteoutletsare reading and writing.

She enjoys readingeverything from mysterynovels to historicalromances and of coursefantasy romance. She is abeliever in theunbelievable, open to allpossibilities frommermaids in our oceansand seas, angels in theskies and intelligent lifeforms in distant galaxies.She hasmulti-publications

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