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Several strange meals had passed through her quarters during her

stay. Unnamable meats, neon colored fruits, and a few things she

thought might have been vegetables. The first day, she ate nothing. By

the second night, however, her complaining stomach and throbbing

temples protested so insistently that she finally gave in to her hunger. At

first, she’d only meant to eat what looked and tasted similar to salted

pork, but by the time she’d slowed down enough to properly breathe,

she’d already cleaned most of her dinner tray.

If she had to be a prisoner, she could think of worse places to be held.

Her quarters consisted of a single room with an en-suite bathroom, but

she’d been afforded every comfort—apart from her freedom. She’d never

felt anything as soft as the black-and-gray blankets on the oversized bed.

While thick and luxurious, the material seemed to adapt to her body

temperature throughout the night. If she felt cold, the blanket suddenly

trapped her body heat, warming her in no time. When she became too

warm, the fabric changed to a cool silkiness that leached away any excess

heat.

When she did finally get the hell off the planet, she was taking that

damn blanket with her.

A small writing desk made of dark, gleaming wood sat in one corner

of the room, and two squashy armchairs had been pushed together near

the door. Elegant lamps, decorative pillows, and a gorgeous vanity

constructed of the same dark wood made the place feel like a guestroom

instead of a holding cell.

The guards had even given her fresh clothes. The deep purple tunic

fit snuggly around the waist, and the plunging V-neck exposed more of

her cleavage than she’d have liked, but it was clean and comfortable. The

black tights hugged her from hips to ankles, the material so light-weight

she could barely feel it against her skin.

Then, a shy, quiet female had arrived to draw her bath, complete

with floral-smelling gels, foams, bubbles, and salts. Ivy hadn’t even

pretended to resist. As soon as the woman had left, she’d stripped down

and climbed into the enormous stone basin that served as a bathtub.

Instead of the plumbing fixtures she was used to, where the faucet

should have been, she found only a stalk of purple bamboo. The fragrant

water felt like heaven, and when she leaned back against the padded

neck rest, she was pleasantly surprised to find the actual stone itself had

been heated.

Captain Tira Meadowlark had indeed answered the majority of her

questions. Ivy had learned that her ship had crashed onto the planet of

Xenthian, and that she and her friends were the first visitors—invited or

otherwise—since humans had discovered fire. The guard wouldn’t say

why the Xenons had hidden themselves away, and Ivy got the

impression the woman truly didn’t know the answer.

Now that they’d bridged the language gap, Ivy could say she sort of

admired the captain, and she found them similar in many ways. They’d

both worked hard to earn their positions, clawing their way to the top,

even when no one thought they could do it. Each of them led hundreds,

and no one looked at them as all breasts and no brains. They commanded

respect, and more importantly, they’d earned it.

The fogged glass door to her room slid open with a shushing sound,

and Tira stepped through with an uncharacteristic smile. “Good

morning, Ivy Dalton. I trust you slept well?”

“Well, speak of the devil,” Ivy murmured.

The smile slid from the captain’s heart-shaped face, and her eyebrows

drew together. “Who is this devil, and with what purpose were you

speaking of him?”

Snorting, Ivy flopped down into one of the armchairs and kicked the

other one closer to Tira. “Never mind. Wait, you said it’s morning? How

long have I been in here anyway?”

“Since last night, of course.” Tira glanced toward the plush chair, but

remained standing, her hands folded behind her back.

“Look, sister, it’s been at least two days, maybe three.”

“I assure you we are of no relation, and it has only been one evening,

Ivy Dalton. I conducted some research, and I believe the confusion lies

in the rotation of our planets. Xenthian, being larger than Earth, spins at

a slower rate—”

“Yes, yes, I get how it works.” Holy nova, the woman was like a

walking encyclopedia. “So, why so many meals if it’s been less than a

full day?”

“My research also suggested that humans require a greater amount

of nourishment and periods of inactivity because your bodies are less

efficient.”

She sounded so damn proud of herself for uncovering that

information, Ivy couldn’t even be mad at her for the crack about humans

being inefficient. Besides, it could have been worse. She could have let

them starve to death.

“Okay, so it’s been half a day. Still, when am I getting out of here?”

“Now, as it were. Vasili
Blackthorn has requested that you join him

for breakfast in the dining hall.”

Ivy sat up a little straighter in her seat, but she checked the smile that

threatened to spill across her face. Attractive didn’t begin to describe Kai.

With his high cheekbones, ivory skin, and long, ebony locks, he’d

appeared almost ethereal standing there in her doorway. The way he’d

moved, the way he’d talked, the way his golden gaze had penetrated her

down to her soul—the man was a walking buffet of sex appeal.

There had also been something familiar about him, as if they’d met

once in some long forgotten life. Impossible of course, but Ivy couldn’t

shake the sense that they’d somehow been destined to meet, that every

action had set her on a course that had led her right to this room.

Again, impossible, and frankly, it pissed her off that she’d even

entertained the thought. She wasn’t some wide-eyed Alliance recruit

who believed in destiny or fate or that her life amounted to little more

than a game of chance. She’d made her own path in life, forged her own

way. By the age of thirty, she’d been promoted to commander. By thirty-

one, she’d had her own ship. Good fortune didn’t just happen—not to

her anyway—and no one had
given
her anything. She’d worked damn

hard to get to where she was, and fate had nothing to do with it.

“Ivy Dalton? Are you listening to me?”

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Ivy blinked up at the captain and

chuckled. “Ivy. You can just call me Ivy, and yeah, I’m listening. Kinda.

Hold on a minute.”

“To what would you have me hold?”

Great galaxies, she wondered if all Xenons were as literal minded as

Tira. “What’s a Vasili?”

“Our king, of course.”

Ivy popped out of her seat, her eyes wide and her heart pounding.

Great, she’d just compared their sovereign leader to a sex buffet. “Get

out of here. You’re serious?”

Instead of answering, Tira frowned and turned to leave the room.

“Hey, wait, where are you going?”

Still frowning, the guard fisted her hands on her hips and stared

down at the black tiled floor. “Humans are most confusing. Did you not

just request that I leave?”

“It’s just an expression.” This would take some getting used to, but

Ivy found it more than a little humorous. “Forget it.” She held her hand

up when Tira opened her mouth to protest. “I just mean it’s not

important. So, breakfast, huh?” Tucking her loose hair behind her ears,

she nodded toward the open doorway. “Let’s not keep the king waiting

then.”

It surprised her when Tira nodded and motioned for her to follow.

No restraints, no other guards joined them, just her and the captain,

strolling through the ornate halls of the castle on their way to meet the

king. Nothing strange there.

An array of artifacts lined the walls of the corridor, everything from

jewel-encrusted swords to something that kind of resembled hand-

grenades from twentieth century Earth. Daggers, maces, spears, and

other weapons hung in prominent display, but Ivy saw not one modern

weapon in the collection.

“No offense, but from what I’ve seen of your technology, I’m a little

surprised you’re still carrying blades instead of firing weapons.”

Tira glanced up at the wall and shrugged. “Blades are efficient for our

purposes. We do have projectile weapons in the armory, but they were

outlawed when the shield went up around Xenthian.”

Ivy tried to follow the logic, but she couldn’t make sense of it. “Why

were they outlawed?”

“Hidden, we had no enemies to fight. The elders theorized this would

lead to discord among the people, especially between the Five Isles.

Killing someone with a blade requires a great deal of both skill and effort.

Anyone can pull a trigger.”

“So, the elders banned firearms so you wouldn’t cause your own

extinction?”

“Yes,” Tira answered shortly. “We’re here.” Squeezing the brass ring

in the center of the right door, she lifted and turned as she pushed on the

door with her shoulder. “Please, after you.”

Preceding the captain into the cavernous dining hall, Ivy felt like

she’d stepped back in time. Arched windows had been opened to the

morning breeze, gorgeous tapestries hung in ordered rows from the

vaulted ceiling, and everywhere she looked, dark wood gleamed in the

strange, silvery sunlight.

“Ivy.”

The husky voice drew her attention to the long dining table, but she

didn’t recognize the male who had spoken. He had the same dark hair

and pointed ears, the same incandescent markings as the Xenon, but that

was where the similarities ended.

All the males of the race she’d seen had slender builds and topped

out around six feet tall. This guy had to be well over six and half feet

from sole to crown, and his packed muscles strained at the fabric of his

black-and-gold tunic. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought he might

even be bigger than Tariq.

And he was heading right for her.

* * * *

requested two place settings directly across from one another at the end

near the windows. To his people, he may be the Vasili, but with Ivy, he

wanted her to see him as Kai Blackthorn the man, and nothing more.

Rising when the doors of the dining hall opened, he gripped the back

of his chair to steady himself before turning to greet his guest. The

changes in his body during the night had left him exhausted, and he was

still struggling to acclimate to his new bulk. Nevertheless, knowing he’d

finally found his soulmate after so long made any minor inconvenience

worth the extra effort.

“Ivy,” he breathed reverently when she stepped into the room.

He’d prayed to the ancestors for a thousand years for this treasure,

for the gift of a soulmate. With each passing year, he’d grown more

somber, until he’d eventually given up hope of ever finding the missing

piece of himself. To be granted such a stunning mate now humbled him,

and he complete forgot his promise to take things slowly.

Crossing the room in three strides, he swept Ivy into his arms, lifting

her off her feet as he slanted their mouths together in a gentle yet

demanding kiss. At first, her arms tightened around his neck, and her

lips yielded to his questing tongue. The first taste of her pulled a low

growl from deep in his chest, and all thoughts of propriety left him. Heat

flowed through his veins, his heart hammered against his sternum, and

the world around them faded into nothingness.

Before he could lose himself in her completely, a sharp pain exploded

against his temple, causing him to jerk backward. Dazed, it took him

several moments to realize his mate had hit him.

“Put me down, you overgrown gorilla!”

“Ivy, please, allow me to explain.”

She wouldn’t listen, though. Struggling to free herself from his grasp,

she cocked her arm back and hit him again, this time, squarely in the jaw.

Lights danced through his vision, giving him no choice but to release her.

“Look, I don’t know who you are, but come near me like that again,

and you’ll lose some vital body parts. Got it?”

Kai felt like a fool. Since the last time they’d met, he’d grown nearly

eight inches and increased in body mass by over a hundred pounds of

solid muscle. It only made sense that she wouldn’t recognize him.

“Apologies, my lady. This must be very confusing for you.”

Cautiously, he took a step toward her, but stopped when she glared at

him. “It’s me. It’s Kai.”

“Bullshit,” she spat. Her gaze traveled down the bulging muscles in

his arms and across his broad chest before sweeping back to his face. “I

met Kai Blackthorn, and trust me, you’re not him.”

“Look, Ivy. Really look.”

The seconds ticked by while she glared up at him, but slowly, the

corners of her eyes began to soften, and her fingers unfurled from her