I really need to learn some Khanavai.
Strolling back to the center of the mat, Vos signaled the fight to begin again.
And for the first time, I saw my Khanavai warrior in action—fighting for real, without holding back at all. Tiziani had injured Cav’s left leg and arm, hoping to knock his opponent off-balance.
But I saw the moment that something—adrenaline? Battle rage? Or maybe just sheer determination—took over Cav’s entire body.
He wasn’t performing for the audience anymore. He wasn’t even performing for me.
My blue warrior moved through space like a lethal dancer, his sword slashing through the air in front of him as if slicing away the very molecules to give him more room to become the killing machine he had trained to be.
His first strike hit the wrist of the hand that Tiziani used to hold a sword. It jarred the sword out of Tiziani’s grasp, and for an instant, I feared Cav had cut off the hand, too.
But instead, the strike simply left one tiny scratch behind, as I saw when a camera from somewhere zoomed in, showing the blood welling from the cut.
It was enough to count as a point.
But Cav wasn’t done. With a spin, he kicked Tiziani out of the way and scooped up the other alien’s sword. Coming up, he used Tiziani’s own sword to slice across his banana-yellow leg in precisely the same spot the Tiziani had cut Cav.
Vos began whistling and motioning for the fighters to separate, but Cav wasn’t done. As Tiziani bent half over to clutch his leg where blood poured from the wound, Cav leaped in, catlike and predatory, and brought the crossed swords down against the back of Tiziani’s neck, ready to pull them apart and slice the other alien’s head completely off.
Like cutting a banana. The thought echoed through my mind, and a nervous giggle escaped me. I clapped my hands over my mouth again, my stomach clenching as I waited to see if Cav would finish the move.
Everyone in the stadium held a collective breath as the scene below us froze into a tableau, echoing with potential death.
Cav held Tiziani there, bent over, for one beat. Then another. And a third.
Then, with only the barest motion, he lowered the swords enough to nip the nape of Tiziani’s neck in two separate spots.
No one else moved.
Vos blew his whistle, breaking the spell that held us all in its grasp. All around me, the stadium erupted in noise.
Without even thinking about what I was doing, I climbed over the railing and jumped to the stadium floor, rushing across it to throw myself into Cav’s arms.
Chapter Twenty
Cav
I caught Natalie as she jumped into my embrace, swinging her around once before she wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me fiercely.
The stadium and all the people around us faded, the world contracting until it held only the two of us, my senses aware of nothing but the feel of her mouth against mine, the touch of her body as she pressed herself against me.
I could have stayed like that forever.
Eventually, though, Natalie pulled away from me. “Never again.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “You cannot put yourself in that kind of danger ever again.”
“I was never in any real danger,” I assured her.
“Bullshit.”
It took a minute for my translator to work that one out, and I began laughing when it did. “I assume that’s an expression of disbelief and not a request? Or is it more of that strange food relationship you have with cattle on your planet?”
She hit me lightly in the chest and I lowered her to standing. “I’m serious,” she said. “I cannot bear the idea of you getting hurt.”
All around us, people were talking, but I ignored them and brushed a curl of Natalie’s hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “Oh, my tiny temptress. I am a soldier. I am likely to be in danger again.”
She frowned at me fiercely. “Maybe even more often now that you’re going to spy school.”
“Special Ops training,” I corrected her.
“Whatever. Same thing.”
That’s when it hit me.
I had won.
Natalie was free.
My heart cracked in two.
I swallowed hard to keep the sudden rush of grief from bearing me down to my knees.
No. I was a Khanavai warrior, and I would stand tall, no matter what.
“Anyway,” I managed to say in a lighthearted tone, “you get to go back to Earth. You can finish your biochemistry degree. Find ways to save both our people from cancer.”
Natalie’s eyes grew wide, and then they filled with absolute fury. “Like hell I will.” She took a step closer to me and waved her tiny finger under my nose, her voice rising with every word. “There is no way I am leaving you to run off and get yourself killed the first chance you have.”
I blinked and took a step back from this tiny ball of fury that had suddenly erupted in my face. “I’m not?”
“Absolutely not.”
Just as quickly as it had erupted, all the anger drained from her body, and she sagged, dropping her face into her hands and bursting into sobs.
I stepped back toward her, my hands reaching out to wrap my arms around her, but not knowing if I should touch her. “I won’t. I promise I won’t run off and get killed.”
She froze. Then she turned her tear-stained face up toward me. She studied me with her beautiful brown eyes, her gaze piercing, penetrating. Finally, she nodded as if coming to some decision. “You’re right,” she said. “You won’t.”
Utterly baffled by her swift shifts in emotion, I watched in confusion as she spun around in the crowd of Khanavai warriors and human females, her gaze scanning the faces. She finally found who she was looking for. “Vos! Come here.”
“Yes?” he asked as he strolled toward us.
“Are you recording?”
The Games Administrator nodded. “I am.”
“Then be sure to capture this.”
What was my miniature supernova about to do now?
She took my hands in hers and tilted her face up to stare at me intently again. All around us, the crowd began to quiet, sensing something important might be happening.
“Cav Adredoni. I do not want to go home.”
Inside my chest, my heart began to knit itself back together, a surge of hope swirling around it, repairing it. A smile began to curve my lips upward. “You don’t?”
“No. I want to go wherever you go. I don’t care if that’s to Khanav Prime, to whatever ship you are stationed on next, or even off to spy school.”
“I don’t think they allow mates in spy school,” I said.
“Then I guess they’re going to have to start.” Now she was beginning to smile, too.
“So, are you saying you want to be my traveling companion?”
That earned me an eye-roll. “No, you idiot.” Around us, people begin chuckling. “I want you to marry me.”
My heart exploded in a starburst inside me.
“And I want you to be my mate,” I replied.
“Excellent.” Natalie turned to look at Vos. “Looks like you’re getting your wedding after all.”
Then she was in my arms again, and I couldn’t tell which of us was kissing the other—only that we were perfectly entwined.
And it would be that way forever if I had my way.
Not that I was entirely certain that I would have my way in much of anything. I suspected my mate was going to have quite a lot to say about how our lives went from now on.
From somewhere behind us, a roar started, then grew. I had just enough time to recognize the sound and turn around to find Tiziani, his face contorted with rage, leaping toward us, his sword spinning around as he prepared to strike.
Everything inside me screamed that I had to protect my mate.
With a roar that rivaled any I had ever made or heard in battle, I spun Natalie out of the way, lowered my shoulder, and dove into Tiziani’s midsection, flipping him over my shoulder and onto
the ground, where I slammed my boot into the center of his chest, knocking the air out of him and holding him down.
All around us, people stood in shocked silence.
A slight commotion to my right drew my attention, and I watched as Commander Eldron shouldered his way through the crowd, holding the hand of a small, dark-skinned human woman.
“Nice to see you again, Commander,” I said.
“You as well.” The commander glanced down at Tiziani. “Looks like you have everything under control.”
“At least for the moment,” I said conversationally, even as the guardsman under my heel began to try to wriggle away.
“You know,” the commander continued, as if we were chatting over a meal, “I know Prince Aranov. I think it might be best if I commed him about his guardsman.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Perhaps the prince will have some idea how to handle him.”
“Oh, no,” Natalie interjected. “I have a much better idea.”
The commander raised his eyebrows. “Yes?”
“Vos,” Natalie said to the Games Administrator, “don’t you have a position open?”
Vos flashed his signature smile. “I believe I might, come to think of it.”
On the floor, Tiziani began to protest, having regained his breath.
“What kind of position?” Commander Eldron asked.
“I could use an assistant between now and the next Bride Games,” Vos said. “And we have never had a failed groom returned to the games. It could be an interesting storyline next year.”
“No,” Tiziani groaned. “I can’t leave my life on Khanav Prime.”
The commander shook his head. “Oh, I don’t believe you’ll be having any say in it.” He glanced down at the woman next to him and gave her hand a squeeze. “Besides, it might teach you something about how to interact with Earth females.”
He turned then to bow to Natalie. “Congratulations, my dear.” To me, he said, “I’ll take over here. I think you and your mate have a ceremony to plan.”
Natalie and I shared a look. We did have a ceremony to plan—but more than that, I wanted to take her back to her room and show her what it truly meant to be the mate of a Khanavai warrior.
Chapter Twenty-One
Natalie
In my room in the bride quarters, Plofnid and Drindl fluttered around me, making sure every detail of my wedding dress was perfect.
Not that it mattered, as far as I was concerned.
The night before, Cav and I had made our vows to each other—with our words and our bodies.
Not that we needed the words. I finally understood exactly what he meant when he said he knew we belonged together.
He was right. We did.
The two stylists finally finished making their final touches and straightening my ivory lace dress.
Drindl stood back and clasped her silvery hands in front of her third breast. “You are absolutely beautiful,” she trilled.
Plofnid leaned back and looked me up and down with a critical eye. “Perfect,” it announced, tossing its nose-braid back over its shoulder.
“How much longer?” I asked, anxious to finish the public portion of our mating ceremony.
“Not long,” Drindl said, casting a conspiratorial glance at Plofnid.
I sighed. As happy as I was to be mated to Cav, I was ready to get this second spectacle over with so we could start our new life together.
I was about to ask if we could head to the stadium when the door burst open and Jas, my mother, and my sister Julie came flying into the room.
I gasped, stunned to see them. My mother threw her arms around me and immediately started crying. “Oh, baby, you don’t have to do this.”
Jas stood back with her hands on her hips and glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re going to marry some stranger and take off to another planet.”
Julie watched me, her eyes narrowed. “You really want to do this, don’t you?”
“I do,” I said simply.
Mom dropped her arms from around my shoulders and took my face in her hands, her tears drying instantly. “Really? Are you certain?”
“Absolutely. And I promise I will com all the time. Cav said he would come to Earth with me as soon as we’re able to.”
“So is that spanking thing as sexy as it looked?” Jas asked. “When Cav did it, I mean. Not that yellow asshole. Did you think he looked like a banana?”
My cheeks heated. “Can we talk about all that later?”
“What are you going to do about your degree?” Mom demanded.
“It’s all been arranged with the school. I’m finishing my last year virtually.”
“Really? You can do that?” Julie asked.
“Apparently if the Khanavai government wants it, they can make it happen,” I told her. A speculative gleam started in her eyes.
“You are never leaving home,” Mom said, pointing at my sister.
“That’s how we ended up here,” Jas told me. “Vos Klavoii contacted us personally and said he knew you would want us to be at the wedding. I guess the Khanavai government really can make anything happen.”
“Vos Klavoii is almost as big an asshole as Banana-Man,” I replied.
“It’s time,” Drindl sang out, opening the door and ushering us out.
She and Plofnid led us through the brightly colored station, my best friend and family alternating between chattering and gawking at everything around them.
As we stepped into the backstage area of the stadium, I looked out to the area where Cav had fought with Tiziani just days before. It had been decorated in a mix of Earth and Khanavai flowers, a riotous explosion of color transforming the sterile space into something beautiful.
A perfect mix of both worlds.
I caught a glimpse of my groom, gorgeous and muscular and strong, standing beneath an arch draped with white lace. I definitely detected Drindl and Plofnid’s touches in that particular choice.
Jas managed to sneak in a whisper. “You know, David was devastated.”
I shrugged. “I feel bad for him. But…”
“But you’re in love with someone else,” Julie interjected. I hadn’t even realized the sixteen-year-old was listening in.
“Guess he waited too long, then,” Jas said. “You snooze, you lose.”
“I didn’t know I needed someone who would fight for me,” I said quietly.
Mom reached down and squeezed my hand. “If you’re sure about him, then I’m happy for you,” she said.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from my mate, waiting for me. “I am absolutely certain.”
Vos and his secretary Anthony bustled in.
“It’s time,” Vos said. “Let’s get everyone to your places. Ladies, if you will follow me, I will show you to your seats.”
“Tell me exactly how the Bride Games work,” Julie said to Vos. “How do you decide who gets chosen, really?”
As he ushered them away, Vos turned back to me. “Best Bride Games ever,” he said, giving me a very human thumbs-up.
“And I definitely won,” I whispered as they all moved away, and I was left standing alone.
I knew the cameras were rolling and everyone on two worlds was watching.
But as the strains of human orchestra music began playing, and I stepped out into the spotlight that Vos had arranged to have trained on me, none of that mattered.
The only person who mattered was my bright blue alien groom waiting for me, just a few steps away.
And this time, once I reached his side, I would never leave it again.
Epilogue
Amelia Rivers
Las Vegas, Nevada, Earth
I knew it was coming.
I’m not sure how, but as soon as the screen on my computer went blank and then spun back up with Vos Klavoii’s face smiling brightly at me, I was absolutely certain my name was going to be drawn in the Bride Lottery—the hellish agreement that Earth’s leaders had made to sell us to the aliens who protected our
planet.
I’d grown up with the propaganda. It was our civic duty. Men registered for the draft, women registered for the Bride Lottery.
Fuck that.
No way in hell was I going to be handed over to some giant man to be brutalized into bearing his children.
So I walked away from everything, instead.
I stood up, pulled on my boots, grabbed my purse and a jacket, and left the Las Vegas hotel room I’d booked for the conference I’d been attending. There was a drugstore nearby on the Strip, so that’s where I headed.
All around me, screens showed the alien game show host drawing name after name. As I moved along the sidewalk, dodging the tourists who thronged the city even late at night, I kept my head down, praying I could get what I needed before my name came up.
Inside the store, fluorescent lights buzzed above me as I tossed the things I needed into a basket. A box-cutter. Nail scissors. Alcohol. Needle and thread. Bandages. Hair dye. And at the last minute, a pile of granola bars and a giant bottle of water.
I half-expected the cashier to comment on my choices, but the tall woman behind the counter barely even glanced at the items as she scanned them.
I was practically running by the time I got back to my hotel room, and my hands were shaking as I dumped everything out onto the counter in the bathroom.
What I was about to do was as illegal as it gets. And I was sure there would be physical and mental repercussions, as well. But at that moment, I didn’t care.
I’m a doctor. I can do this, even to myself.
Taking a deep breath, I counted to ten as I exhaled. I was a surgeon, and I’d done plenty of minor excisions. My hands stopped trembling, and I reached up to make the first incision about an inch behind my ear, hissing sharply as the pain hit. But I breathed past it and kept going. I’d have to stay steady to cut the wires that led into my brain.
Less than ten minutes later, I dropped my biochip into the toilet and flushed it away. With any luck, authorities would try to chase it down as it washed through the Las Vegas sewers, giving me time to get away.
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