She grins at me as I come to stand beside her, nudging my shoulder with hers. The sweet, familiar gesture reminds me all over again that I have so much to be thankful for. I have a close group of friends, more than I ever had on Earth, a small but nice place to stay, and I’m treated with respect by everyone.
There’s no catcalling here, no rude or dangerous men—to the women, at least—and no fear of walking alone. And in the past months since the edict was passed officially allowing us into Kalixian society, Emma and King Khrelan have been hard at work making sure that the women who want to work can do so, helping all of us integrate into society even more.
I don’t feel like I’ve found my place here yet, but I’m confident that I will eventually. Even though I had a plan back on Earth—to finish college, to become a teacher, to buy a house one day in my sleepy little New England town—and even though that plan went all to hell when I was abducted, I still feel happier here most days than I did on my home planet.
I hate the Orkun who abducted me, but even though I despise them for taking me from Earth, I’m glad my path led me here. I love Kalix. It sometimes feels as if I’m meant to be here, even if I don’t quite know why yet.
“Okay. Which one do you like best?” Lucy points at three small flowering plants in different colors. Her thick blonde hair is tied up in a messy bun so that her luminous blue eyes stand out, and she squints a little as she studies the flowers.
“Didn’t you say Tycran’s favorite color is red?” I point to the one with waxy green leaves and small red blossoms bursting out of tiny blueish pods. “He’ll probably like that one.”
“Yeah. He does love red.” Lucy blushes for some reason that I don’t know—and probably don’t want to know. “But he has so many red flowers already. Red and purple, mostly.”
“So blue, then.” The blue flowers are delicate and tiny, no bigger than a pencil eraser, with thin white veins running through the petals.
“Good call,” she says cheerfully. “Thanks. I think he’ll love that one.”
While Lucy is paying for Tycran’s gift, I look at the plants again. There’s one that has rows of small purple flowers, almost like wisteria on a much smaller scale, and I pick it up on a whim, deciding to buy it to decorate my little pod. It’ll warm the place up and make it feel more as if it’s “mine.”
“Let’s go look at the clothing stalls!” Rachel says excitedly as Lucy puts the plant carefully in the small fabric bag that’s slung over one shoulder. “I want to look for that new dress.” She smiles at me. “Maybe you should get one too, Cora.”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
Honestly, I don’t really have much to get dressed up for. If I see something I really like, I might buy it just for fun, but I know there’s no point in trying to attract the attention of one of the warriors. The mate bond isn’t something I can hope for. And although sometimes I get an ache in my chest when I see the other women pairing up, I’m learning to be okay with it.
Rose heaves herself away from the spot where she was leaning with a little help from Harper, and we continue down the long row of stalls.
The shopping makes for a nice morning out, and after lunch, we finish getting the few things we need and split up. Lucy, Harper, and Rose head off to return to the homes they share with their mates, while Nadia, Brielle, Rachel, and I start walking back to the building where our pods are.
Our route takes us near the palace, where two Kalixian warriors stand on one side of the street, speaking to each other with serious expressions.
They’re both wearing loincloths, and their bronze skin gleams in the sunlight, offset by the dark marks that swirl over their chests and shoulders. One of the men has dark, long horns that curve around his head, while the other warrior’s horns are shorter and lighter colored.
“…heard about the Orkun,” one of them says as we pass by, and my footsteps stutter a little.
My stomach clenches in a visceral reaction to that single word. Even though the Orkun are less of a threat now than they used to be, I’ll never forget my terror at nearly being claimed as a sex slave by one of their warlords.
Biting my bottom lip, I try to eavesdrop a little as we walk by, curious as to what’s happened now.
“That mission Tycran and his mate pulled off really hit them hard,” the warrior continues, satisfaction evident in his voice. “They’ve been set back so badly that word is they’re going to sell their latest batch of tribute brides at auction, instead of giving them to their warlords. Try to recoup some losses and figure out their next move.”
“I heard the king and queen are discussing sending a team to go rescue the women.”
“Good. It’s a worthy mission.”
Their conversation continues, but I barely register the words. My breath catches, and a strange prickling sensation washes over my skin, a feeling of urgency rushing through me. With a sense of purpose that I haven’t felt in a long time, I turn to the other ladies.
“I actually forgot I was supposed to meet Emma this afternoon,” I tell them. “I’ll see you later, okay? I’m going to go up to the palace.”
The three of them look a little taken aback by my abrupt pronouncement, but then Rachel shrugs.
“Sure. We’ll see you around,” she says with a smile, waving before she and the two sisters continue down the street.
With my heart pounding out a heavy beat, I turn and stride toward the steps of the palace.
2
Druxik
A low hum of conversation surrounds me as I file into the war council, accompanied by my fellow Alpha Force warriors and fighters from a few other squadrons.
King Khrelan and Queen Emma are already in the room, seated at the head of the long table. The king glances over at her as they wait for everyone to arrive, his hard features softening for a moment. His fingers are entwined with her delicate ones, his body leaning ever so slightly toward hers.
If anyone doubted the strength of the mate bonds between Kalixians and Terrans, all they’d need to do is take one look at our king and queen. The love they have for each other is plain to see.
It almost makes me envious, although I’ve never truly considered the possibility of having a mate—not even when it became clear that this was more than just one or two of the Terran women matching with our warriors.
I don’t often feel lonely. I have a strong brotherhood in my fellow warriors, and if I want pleasure, it can be found in many places off-world. I’ve availed myself of plenty of female companionship during our travels. I’m no ascetic monk like Tycran, and I’ve never seen any reason to deny myself. I take what pleasure I can from this world, where it’s offered. My entire life has been spent training hard and fighting hard, striving to be the best in all things. That has been more important to me than finding a mate.
As we all find our places in the large room, an aura of hope permeates the air. It’s a feeling that has been long absent and is very welcome. Everyone is in good spirits, smiling and talking amongst themselves as we wait for the last members of the council to be seated so that we can begin. It’s a far cry from the subdued councils of the past years, as we all tried to stave off what felt like impending doom for as long as possible.