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chest. “Never. You are mine, Ivy Dalton, forever.” He kissed her lightly

on the lips and pushed away to stand at the side of the bed. “Come with

me. I want to show you something.”

Taken aback by the abrupt change in conversation, Ivy pushed up on

her elbows and tilted her head to the side. “Where are we going?”

Kai grabbed her tunic from the floor and tossed it at her with a wink.

“It’s a surprise.”

“Okay.” Intrigued by the happiness that lit his face, Ivy pulled her

clothes on quickly and shoved her feet into her boots. “You won’t even

give me a hint?”

“I believe that defeats the purpose of a surprise.” Once she’d gotten

her boots on, he took her hand, clasping it in both of his own. “Close your

eyes.”

The feeling of dizziness and nausea hit her immediately, and she

groaned loudly when her feet found solid ground again. “I really hate

that.”

“Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

“In a minute.” She wasn’t completely sure she wouldn’t vomit all

over his shoes yet.

Kai laughed, the sound warm, rich, and infectious. “Open your eyes,

dove.”

The queasiness faded, and Ivy pried her eyelids open. “Oh, wow.”

Colorful fluorescent crystals covered the ceiling of the cavern,

growing out of the rock in all shapes and sizes. On both sides of her, twin

streams flowed to the edge of an outcropping of stone and rushed over

the side to splash into the lake below. In the center of the cave,

surrounded by five marble pillars, a huge fountain with three shallow

basins sparkled in the light from the crystals.

Water cascaded over the smooth stones, trickling down each level

before emptying into the largest pool at the bottom. Set into a carved

recess at the top center of the fountain, a deep red gem radiated with an

intense, prismatic light.

“Where are we?”

“Beneath the gardens in the Valley of Elders.”

“It’s amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

In each of the basins, floated three large blue leaves that reminded

her of lily pads. Atop each leaf, a cluster of orange and red flowers

bloomed, their petals opening and closing in unison.

“There is a fountain like this one on each of the Five Isles,” Kai

explained. “Each one hidden and guarded, and each one with its own

Adderstone.” He pointed to the red jewel. “And these flowers?” His

hand swept down to indicate the pulsing petals. “They’re called
amrita
,

and they’re infused with the magic from the Adderstone.”

“That’s fascinating, but why are you telling me this?”

Taking her hands, he lifted them to his lips, kissing each one in turn.

“The
amrita
is a healing flower. It is said to be able to cure any ailment,

any…deficiency.”

Ivy tensed, warning herself not to read too much into his words,

telling herself not to get her hopes up. “Another legend?” She searched

for sentries, frowning when she found none. If what he said was true,

she expected the Adderstone to be better protected. “No security? No

guards?”

“The cavern is warded against everyone except myself and the

elders.” Kai’s lips quirked to one side in a crooked grin. “And now you.”

Shuffling closer, he pressed against her, squeezing her hands in comfort.

“It’s not a legend, dove. I’ve witnessed it for myself.”

“So, you’re saying this flower, this fountain, it can…”

Releasing her hands, he reached up, sliding his fingertips along the

curve of her jaw. “If that’s what you want, yes. It can heal you, Ivy.”

For the second time in as many days, Ivy felt the sting of tears, and

her throat tightened with emotion. He couldn’t possibly know what his

offer meant to her. He didn’t even know if she intended to stay. Yet, he’d

presented the gift so selflessly, without expecting anything in return.

Love and happiness swelled inside her heart until she couldn’t

contain it any longer. “Do you have any idea how remarkable you are?”

Without giving him a chance to respond, she tangled her hands in his

hair, jerking him into a searing kiss she hoped said all the things she

didn’t have words to express. Her life had changed irrevocably the

moment she’d landed on that beach, even if she hadn’t known it yet. She

could no longer deny the existence of fate, that every decision she’d

made had set her on a course that had led straight to this man.

He gave daringly, only concerned for her happiness and well-being.

If she walked away, if she truly didn’t want to be with him, he wouldn’t

stand in her way. It was all there, written in his tender gaze and his

carefully neutral expression.

Ivy had already made her decision. She’d just been too big of a

coward to speak the truth aloud, but not anymore.

“I love you, Kaireedtheryl.” Stars, she hoped she’d pronounced that

correctly. “It’s crazy and impossible, and logically, I know it’s too fast,

but I don’t care. It feels right, and I love you.” She waited, but when he

didn’t respond, doubt crept in, and her heart fell to the pit of her

stomach. “Please say something.”

“I have waited a lifetime for you, Ivy Dalton.” His strong arms

encircled her waist, and he bent his head to rub their lips together. “I am

so in love with you.”

“Ivy Dalton,” Tira said, striding into the library the next afternoon, “you

have a video communication from a Commander Sullivan Archer.”

“Sully?”

Dropping her book onto the end table, Ivy jumped out of her seat

with a huge grin. Really, though, she hadn’t been able to stop smiling

since Kai had confessed that he loved her. With the celebration just hours

away, her mate had been called away to make final preparations for the

arrival of their guests, leaving Ivy to her own devices for the morning. A

response from the Alliance was just the distraction she needed.

“It arrived two days ago, but the elders only just released it.” Tira

brought up the vidscreen over Kai’s desk and nodded. “I will give you

privacy.”

“Oh, Tira, you don’t have to…” Ivy trailed off and shook her head

when the captain ignored her and marched out of the library.

“You know, Stretch, when you screw up, you screw up big.”

Ivy cringed as she turned to face the vidscreen. Sully had nicknamed

her Stretch because of her ability to “stretch” the perception of time, but

he hadn’t called her that since the Academy. Though only a couple of

years older than her, she’d looked up to Jax and Sully, as had most of the

kids whose families had abandoned them to the care of the Alliance. The

thought of letting him down made her stomach roll uncomfortably.

He went on to explain that her crew had arrived safely on Alpha

Station: X17, and they’d been debriefed, so he knew some of what had

happened. The Alliance had never heard of Xenthian before, which she

already knew. There had also been no other reports of ships being

attacked, and no one knew what to make of the emblem she’d described,

nor did they any idea where it came from.

A salvage crew had been sent to her last known coordinates to bring

back whatever remained of the ship that had attacked her, but no one

seemed hopeful that it would provide any answers. Until they had more

information, the Alliance couldn’t even begin an investigation.

Ivy held her breath, waiting for him to get to the part about her being

mated to an unknown, magical alien on an invisible planet. As a bonded

male himself—as evident by the tattoo she could see peeking out of the

collar of his T-shirt—she hoped he’d be understanding.

Ivy bit her bottom lip and mirrored Sully’s wince when Jax started

yelling in the background of the recording.

“Dragon Warriors blowing people up. Fucking mercs on an Alliance

space station. My commanders who
aren’t exactly human
anymore. Now

there’s a whole new planet of magical assholes I have to deal with, and

what the fuck does Dalton mean she’s
mated
to one of them?”

“Yes, well.” Sully cleared his throat, his amber eyes shining with

amusement. “As you can see, things have been a little tense lately. After

what happened on X2, not to mention the shitstorm on Tartarus, it’s

probably best if you stay put for now, Dalton.” He smirked. “Especially

since it sounds like you’re not in any real danger.”

“Wait, what happened on Tartarus?” Ivy rolled her eyes and groaned

when she realized the commander couldn’t actually hear her. Moreover,

she probably didn’t want to know anyway.

Sully closed the transmission by congratulating her on her mating—

while Jax stomped around in the background, basically just repeating

“no” over and over—and promised he’d contact her with any new

information.

“Just sit tight for now, Commander. I’ll be in touch once we wade

through the red tape.”

He hadn’t told her much that she didn’t already know, but she was

glad to hear that her crew had made it to safety. While she wondered

what Jax had meant about Dragon Warriors blowing people up, she had

to laugh when she pictured the elders’ reactions to the news. The two

races hadn’t interacted in thousands of years, and yet, the animosity still

lingered.

“I’ve never met your high commander,” Sion said from his place on

the couch. “I don’t think I want to, either.”

“He’s not so bad,” Ivy defended. “Jax just has a lot on his plate.”

Standing near the library door with his hands folded behind his back,

Wyn stepped forward and cleared his throat. “The guests will be arriving

soon, Ivy.” He tripped over her name, clearly uncomfortable addressing

her so informally. “It may be a good time to start preparing to meet

them.”

Ivy still didn’t trust the guy, but he had a point. “Yeah, okay.” She

looked at Sion and jerked her head toward the exit. “Come on, pussycat.

We have a party to attend.”

No one spoke as the two males escorted her to her room. At the door

of her quarters, she shooed them away, insisting they go shower and

change while Luci helped her get ready.

After a lot of back and forth, she’d finally decided to wear the dress

Cami had chosen, the one made with dye from the wishing stone. Kai

had assured her she wouldn’t look like a harlot, and that many of the

females in attendance would be clothed similarly. Plus, while it did show

more skin than she was used to, she really did look spectacular in it.

Once dressed, with the ribbons in the corseted back pulled tight, Ivy

sat rigidly on the edge of a cushioned stool while Luci painted her face

in makeup. First, the attendant chose a silver spray bottle to coat Ivy’s

face in a cool mist. As she watched in the mirror, the clear liquid blended

and transformed, perfectly matching her skin tone and covering every

imperfection—including the star tattoo.

Using an array of powders, creams, and glosses, Luci worked in

silence, her artistic hand never wavering. By the time she’d finished, Ivy

barely recognized herself. While she’d never considered herself

unattractive, the woman staring back at her in the full-length mirror

radiated with a sophistication and grace Ivy didn’t know she possessed.

“Luci, it’s amazing. Thank you.”

“I didn’t do much, child.” Luci patted her cheek with motherly

affection. “You look beautiful. Now, let’s do something with your hair,

shall we?”

With nimble fingers, the female parted her dark-blonde locks down

the middle and twisted each side into simple braids that came together

in an elegant knot at back of Ivy’s neck.

“There,” Luci said. “Now, you’re perfect.”

“Almost perfect,” Kai corrected, appearing behind them and making

Ivy jump.

Even the billowing black robes with golden cords and silver inlays

couldn’t hide his powerful frame. He commanded attention just by

walking into the room, and while startled by his abrupt entrance, Ivy

couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

Luci just smiled and bowed her head. “I’ll leave you. Until our next

meeting.”

Once alone, Kai took Ivy’s hand, pulling her to her feet and spinning

her in a slow circle. “You steal my breath, dove. Only…”

Leaning past her, he reached for a cloth on the vanity and wetted it

in a goblet of water. Carefully, he cleaned the makeup away from the

corner of her right eye to reveal the inky star on her skin.

“Now,” he whispered, “you’re perfect.”

The simple act touched her, and Ivy settled her hands on his waist,

lifting her head in invitation. Her mate didn’t disappoint, claiming her

mouth in a kiss that had her considering skipping the celebration to

spend the rest of the day in bed.

“The first shuttles have arrived,” he informed her, still nibbling at her

lips. “We should make our way to the dining hall.”

“We should,” she agreed, but she didn’t release him.

Several minutes later, Kai exhaled a shuddering breath and finally