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clenched fists. “What the serious fuck? What happened to you?”

“Uh, sir?”

Kai looked past his mate to the very uncomfortable captain. “It’s

okay, Tira. Leave us.”

“As you wish.”

“Okay, no. Stop right there.” Throwing her hands up, Ivy began

pacing the floor of the great hall. “You…you…have you seen you?”

“Please, come sit. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“I’m not,” Ivy argued. “I’m tired, confused, and freaked the hell out,

but I’m not hungry.” Pausing in her strides, she turned to look at him,

her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. “Why did you kiss me?”

“Please,” he implored again, “sit. I’ll explain everything.”

“Explanation first.”

“It’s quite a long story, I’m afraid. Are you sure you want to remain

standing for it?”

Folding her arms over her chest, Ivy popped one hip out to the side

and lifted her chin defiantly. “What’s the condensed version?”

“You’re my soulmate,” he blurted, and immediately wished he’d said

nothing.

Ivy didn’t deny it, try to retreat, or attempt to hit him again. The

tension in her shoulders and spine melted, and she lowered her arms to

her sides with a sigh.

“You’re right. This is going to require food.” She started toward him,

but stopped and shook her head. “And a lot of alcohol.”

Perplexed by her reaction, Kai said nothing as he rounded the end of

the table to hold the chair for her. Once they were both seated, he reached

out to take her small hand, encouraged when she didn’t jerk away from

him.

“You seem unsurprised by this news.”

“Well, you’d be wrong. However, I’ve been around enough D’Aire to

understand a little about this mating business.” Sliding her hand from

his grasp, she selected a pastry from the display and leaned back in her

chair as she picked at it. “This somehow relates to why you’re the size of

a battle cruiser now?”

“I agree I am larger, but I think nowhere near the size of any vessel.”

“Oh, for the love of…never mind. Let’s hear that lengthy

explanation.”

So, Kai took her back to the origins of their race, to the very first

legends of his people. “Millions of years ago, a beautiful priestess by the

name of Nolani fell in love with a thief. He was handsome, charming,

and he enchanted her with his poetic words.”

“Let me guess,” Ivy interrupted. “He totally double-crossed her, and

a whole lot of people got hurt because of it.”

“Intuitive. Yes, he used her magic to create a binding spell. Then he

forced her to do terrible things, even slaughter her own people.”

“Sounds like a real prince charming.”

“He was eventually defeated, but Nolani was so devastated by what

she’d done, she decreed that no Xenon would ever be hurt in the name

of love again.” Kai paused, waiting for Ivy to interrupt, but she said

nothing. “She wove a spell and cast it over all of Xenthian, decreeing that

each soul should have a match, a mate.”

“Impressive,” Ivy quipped, but she leaned forward in her seat, clearly

eager for more of the story.

“It is said that when these kindred souls are united, it forms an

intense, unbreakable bond.”

“That’s a nice story.” Ivy waved her hand up and down from his nose

to his hips. “It doesn’t explain all this, though.”

“It’s magic left over from a long ago age when females were to be

protected.” He’d grown up with the stories, but he imagined it could be

difficult for an outsider to believe or even understand.

“So, it’s a physical manifestation of…what?”

She looked so confused, but Kai pressed on, trying his best to put it

into relatable terms. “Soulmates are cherished above all else in our

world. Entire wars have been fought to protect a single mate. We feel

that missing piece of ourselves every day, and we long for the chance to

be whole.”

“And when you find your mates, you’ll do anything to protect them.”

Relieved by her response, Kai reached across the table and took her

hand again. “The males of our race undergo a transformation when we

find our mates. We become bigger, faster, and stronger, so that we are

better able to defend our beloveds.” He stroked the pad of his thumb

over her knuckles, reveling in the simple contact. “I’m sure this is all very

disconcerting, but I will never lie to you. You are my soulmate, Ivy

Dalton, as I am yours.”

“I believe you, and I’m honored, Kai. Really, I am.” A quiet sadness

filled her eyes as she pulled her hand away and rose to her feet. “It’s not

that simple, though. This is your world, not mine. I have a life on Earth,

on my ship, and I barely know you.”

“It’s fate. You can’t fight it.” Standing, he stepped to the side,

blocking her way when she made for the exit. “You can’t run from it.”

“I never said otherwise.” With a quiet huff of breath, she held his

upper arms and pushed up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I just need

some time to think.”

“Take all the time you need, my lady. I won’t interfere, but do know

this.” Brushing her silky locks back from her face, he tilted her head up

to claim her lips in a soft kiss. “If you run, I will chase you.”

“Well, what did you say?” Cami demanded, bouncing a little on the edge

of her bed.

As the king’s mate—whether Ivy had accepted or not—she and her

friends had been released from the holding rooms. Instead, they’d been

given large, spacious suites, complete with the Xenons’ version of food

consoles, and big windows that opened to stunning views of the rear

gardens. The sentries still approached Tariq and Sion with some

reservation, but the males had been invited to use the training facility on

the ground floor, which they’d readily accepted.

“What was I supposed to say?” Pacing the room, Ivy waved her

hands around in wild, animated movements. “I told him I need some

time to think.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not like you can refuse.”

“To be his mate? No, I suppose not, but that doesn’t mean I have to

complete the bonding thing with him.”

Cami covered her mouth to muffle a giggle. “He’s very handsome.

You could do worse.”

Ivy paused on her next pass through the room to glare at her friend.

“You’re not helping. I don’t even know him! So, what? I’m supposed to

just throw myself into his arms and say, ‘Yes, I’m yours! Take me now!’

all because he says we’re mates?”

“Nice. Not dramatic at all.” Cami rolled her eyes and snorted. “That’s

not what it, and you’ve seen enough mated pairs to know it. You don’t

have to decide right this minute, but I do think you should give him a

chance.”

“Apparently, I don’t have a choice.”

“Of course you have a choice.” Grabbing one of the decorative

pillows from the mattress, she sent it sailing across the room, missing Ivy

by a foot and knocking over a lamp instead. “Oh, shoot. Do you think

that was expensive?”

Ivy shrugged. “Don’t change the subject. So, you really think I should

consider this…this mating business?”

“You make it sound like a trade contract or a prison sentence, which

it’s neither, but yes, I think you should.” She leaned back on her elbows

and crossed her slender legs at the ankles. “Do you feel it, even a little?”

While she might not want to admit it, she definitely felt something

for the king. It explained why he’d seemed so familiar to her during their

first meeting, why she’d been so eager to see him during the morning.

Even when she hadn’t known who held her in the dining hall, her body

had responded to their kiss with fervor before her brain had caught up

with her libido.

She and Kai had spent very little time together, knew practically

nothing about one another, and yet, she couldn’t seem to get him out of

her head. Her attraction to him was purely superficial, or so she told

herself. A small, pale voice in the back of her mind called her a liar, but

she gagged the little bitch and shoved her deeper into the well of her

subconscious.

In theory, she understood the concept of destined mates. In practice,

she felt like she was drowning in the middle of an endless sea.

“Ivy, breathe,” Cami encouraged, crossing the room to take her

hands. “Look, we’re stuck here until we can either repair the

Dreamweaver
or reach the Alliance, right? What can it hurt to just talk to

him?”

“Don’t be logical. It pisses me off.” Pinching the bridge of her nose

between thumb and forefinger, Ivy closed her eyes and breathed deeply

through her mouth. “Okay, fine. I’m not saying you’re right. You’re just

not wrong.”

“Thank the stars for small victories.”

After a few more calming breaths, Ivy dropped her hands to her sides

and opened her eyes. As a child, she’d never been afraid of the dark,

imaginary monsters under her bed, or the legendary boogeyman in her

closet. In fact, throughout her life, there hadn’t been much that

frightened her.

But Kai Blackthorn scared the sweet Jesus out of her.

“Right, then.” Spinning to face the door, she squared her shoulders,

and held her head high. “I’ll find you later.”

After a hurried goodbye, she left Cami to go in search of her…mate,

only to realize she had no idea where to find him. In the middle part of

the day, he’d likely be doing kingly things, whatever that entailed. The

errant thought made her laugh aloud, her voice echoing through the

empty hallway. She couldn’t name one responsibility of the king, and he

wanted her to be his queen.

“My lady.” A male guard appeared from seemingly nowhere and

bowed his head. “Forgive me for saying, but you appear a little lost.”

“Forgiven, and I’m completely lost. Do you know where I can find

Kai?”

“I believe he’s in the library. Would you like me to escort you?”

Ivy grinned politely but shook her head. “I’d like to explore some,

but if you could point me in the right direction, that’d be great.”

The sentry explained the best path to take to the library, bowed again,

and continued around the corner on his patrol. Ivy wound her way

through the maze of corridors in the direction he’d indicated until she

found the wide staircase lit by crystalline lanterns on both sides of each

step. Descending to the first-floor landing, she slid her fingers along the

intricate carvings in the wood railing and curled her bare toes in the

thick, red carpet that lined the stairs.

On the bottom step, she paused to watch the twinkling lights in the

glass orbs that sat atop the banister. It reminded her of the stars that lit

the night sky back on Earth. She missed the stars.

Commanding her own ship and traversing the galaxies had always

been her dream. The
Dreamweaver
was her home, and her crew was her

family. She had no ties to Earth, not really, but sometimes, she missed

the little things, like the warmth of the sun on her face, or the smell of

new spring grass.

Pushing away those thoughts, she continued toward the library

doors at the end of the dimly lit hallway. At measured intervals, tasseled

pillows floated in the air above white, stone pedestals, each holding the

biggest, most beautiful gems she’d ever seen. The jewels glittered in the

white spotlights positioned over each pillow, their glow casting rainbow

prisms across the barren walls.

Ivy found a number of excuses to linger in the corridor, but she forced

herself to keep walking until she reached the frosted, double glass doors.

Blue lights flashed on the pressure pad to her right, but the staff hadn’t

entered her fingerprints into the castle’s bio-locks yet. Praying she’d

found the right room, she pressed the silver button just below the pad

and leaned closer to the speaker.

“Kai, please tell me you’re in there.”

“Ivy?” The king’s voice came back to her through the speaker.

“Yeah, it’s me. I was hoping you had some time to talk.” Ivy chewed

her bottom lip while she waited for a response. “If it’s not a good time, I

can—”

The glass doors slid open with a quiet whir, and Kai stepped out into

the hallway to wrap her in his massive arms. “It’s always a good time,

dove.”

She meant to step away, but instead, Ivy found herself pressing closer

to his broad chest. Kai’s warmth enveloped her, chasing away the stress

and weariness that had plagued her since landing on the beach. It had

been a long time since someone had held her like this, like she mattered

as a woman, a person, and not just a soldier.

“Did I interrupt something important?” she mumbled against the soft

fabric of his tunic. “I can come back.”

“Something of utmost importance,” he confirmed, a smile in his

voice. “Come, I’ll show you.” He stepped back to allow her to enter the

library, but kept a hand on the small of her back as he followed. “Ivy,

you know Captain Meadowlark.”

Smiling, Ivy waved at the sentry. “Hey, Tira. How’s it hanging?”