Mila stood on the back porch, gazing at yet another brilliant New Vaxx sunrise. The horizon glowed pink and orange behind the tree-covered mountains. The white ghosts of the twin moons hovered high in the sky, near the last glimmering star of the night that would dim once the sun finally peeked over the mountains. She still couldn’t believe this beautiful planet was now her home, or that she was mated to a Vaxxlian male named Stax.

“Are you ready yet, Mila?”

She turned at the sound of her mate’s voice and smiled at him. He stood in their bedroom doorway, wearing his usual black and gray warrior’s uniform. Even on the days he worked in the medical research laboratory or made house calls as a healer, he wore the warrior’s uniform, which fit him like a glove, molding to his muscular physique and accentuating his strength.

“Mila?” he asked again with an amused glint in his dark eyes.

“Oh, yes, I’m all ready,” she answered quickly, embarrassed that she’d once again been caught staring wordlessly at him. She couldn’t help it. She admired everything about him, from his work ethic to his brawny muscles to his remarkable intelligence.

“The ships should be landing soon.”

“I’ll do my best to make the human women feel at home.” She smoothed her hands through her hair and walked to Stax’s side.

“I appreciate all the efforts you’ve made to help the newcomers become accustomed to New Vaxx, my little beauty.” He grasped her hand and they ventured outside.

They followed the procession of the crowd to the landing platform and waited for the ships to appear in the sky. Mila hoped none of the human females who arrived on New Vaxx today had been taken against their will. It wasn’t uncommon to witness a Vaxxlian male carrying his kicking and screaming mate off a ship. Stax always reassured her that his people would never treat a female with cruelty or steal her away from an already consummated marriage to another man, but that didn’t mean all the women to arrive on New Vaxx came here willingly. Most were at the very least, reluctant.

She counted her blessings for having Stax as her mate. He was patient and kind and she couldn’t imagine being paired with any other male of his kind. He smiled more than most Vaxxlian males and he possessed a deep throaty laugh that warmed her insides whenever she heard it.

Deza and Annika appeared in the gathered crowd and greeted them. Mila exchanged a nervous look with Annika. Neither of them liked to see an unwilling human woman being carried off a ship, but the Vaxxlian probes were detecting more and more humans in the surrounding sectors every day. Any single adult human female was considered theirs for the taking, as far as Stax’s people were concerned.

“I’ve just heard some news you might wish to know, Mila,” Deza said.

“Oh, what is it?” she asked with a glance at the sky. Four sleek, disc-shaped ships slowly descended from the clouds.

“Two of the vessels arriving today contain humans from Yozovinla. Both females and some males, as apparently some of the females insisted on bringing some of their fathers and brothers with them.”

Mila’s stomach dropped to the ground. She struggled to form a response but no words issued from her throat. Suddenly, dark spots clouded her vision and her legs wobbled.

Stax caught her and lifted her in his arms. His green eyes glowed with concern as she blinked up at him. “Mila? Are you all right? You have grown pale.”

After a few moments, she felt physically better. Her vision cleared and she no longer felt weak and as if she were about to pass out. But her stomach still twisted with nerves.

Human men from Yozovinla were about to step off two of the ships. What if…no, she couldn’t allow herself to complete the thought. She was just being paranoid. That was all. Evan didn’t have a sister or a daughter, so there was no logical reason to believe he was aboard one of the ships.

“I-I’m okay. Sorry, it must be the sun. It’s hotter than usual this morning, don’t you think?” The lie tasted bitter on her tongue, but she didn’t know what else to say.

“I’m taking you home, Mila.”

She didn’t protest. She was in no shape mentally to welcome the newly arrived humans, particularly those from her home planet. Though they would all be strangers, they would still recognize her as Yozovinlan from her accent and no doubt pepper her with questions. Guilt racked her conscious. She felt like she was letting Stax down. Once she recovered her senses, she would personally visit and welcome each of the new arrivals.

Once they returned home, Stax carried her to the small medical room where patients sometimes visited him. She wiggled in his arms, not wishing to be examined.

“I’m fine! Please, Stax.” She shot him a pleading look. “I just need to sit down for a moment, that’s all.”

His jaw set in a resolute line and he carried her into the medical room, ignoring her wishes. “I need to make sure the nanobots aren’t malfunctioning. You shouldn’t have nearly fainted. They should have regulated your body’s systems long before you reached that point. Unless…” He set her on the exam table and stared down at her, a suspicious look entering his gaze. “Unless you experienced a visceral reaction to a sudden, intense emotion. Like fear.”

Mila lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes. She didn’t want to keep lying to him, but what choice did she have? The two weeks she’d spent on New Vaxx had been the happiest of her life. She couldn’t imagine leaving. She’d do anything to remain with Stax. Even lie. She swallowed hard, past the burning in her throat, and took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

Stax set about checking her over, hovering a small device over her with a flashing blue light. “Your heart is racing,” he said. “But your nanobots are functioning properly, they simply cannot keep up with your emotional response to…to what, Mila? What has you so upset?” He grasped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze.

“I-I don’t know.”

“Don’t lie to me.” His voice was firm and his eyes darkened.

“I can’t tell you the truth, Stax. I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

Despite her insistence that she wanted to be left alone, Stax carried Mila to their bedroom and shut the door. He also called out a vocal command for the security system to lock it. His little mate wasn’t going anywhere until she told him the truth.

He set her on her feet and she immediately put space between them, hurrying to the other side of the bed, her hair flailing wildly with her rapid movements. Her face was flushed and her chest rose and fell quickly, drawing his gaze to the low neckline of her flowing purple dress. He’d replicated almost all of her clothing in purple, delighting in filling her closet in varying shades of her favorite color. The color suited her, brought out the gold flecks in her otherwise dark eyes, and complemented her light complexion.

He stood with his arms crossed, waiting for her to speak and praying she didn’t continue refusing to answer his questions. Or worse—lie to him. Something had frightened her suddenly while they waited for the ships to land. He doubted it was Deza’s announcement that some of the arriving humans were from Yozovinla. Surely such news would make her joyous, even if they were strangers. What else could’ve upset her? He racked his brain and then it came to him.

The crowd. As the population of their settlement on New Vaxx slowly grew, so did the size of the crowds that welcomed the landing ships. Perhaps she didn’t like crowds. Though he hadn’t reached Horstha before her failed execution, he was starting to suspect it had happened in front of a large crowd. His heart ached for all she’d been through and he softened his stance, unfolding his arms as he gave her what he hoped was a comforting look.

“We don’t have to stand with the crowds when the ships land anymore, Mila, if that is what has you so frightened.”

A pained expression flitted over her face. She parted her lips and drew a deep breath. “Are Vaxxlians members of the Universal Alliance?” she blurted, tears filling her eyes.

Slowly, he rounded the bed and approached her, the need to have her in his arms overwhelming. He longed to soothe her pain and see her smile again. He shook his head. “No, we are not. We are regularly invited to join the UA, but our leaders do not feel it’s in the best interest of our race. There are many laws we would be expected to abide by that we do not agree with. Why do you ask?”

A shudder ran through her and her face crumpled. Tears ran down her cheeks and she gasped as she tried to breathe through her crying. He hugged her to his chest and caressed her back.

“So you and your leaders don’t care about breaking Universal Law?”

“Mila,” he said, stroking her hair, “is this about your crimes on Horstha?” He had never asked her why she’d been sentenced to death. The fact that she hadn’t opened up on her own and told him made him suspicious that she’d indeed been guilty of some crime. He had long sensed she harbored secrets but hoped that as they became better acquainted and learned to trust one another, she would eventually confide in him.

“My crimes on Horstha?” She pulled back and stared at him. “I-what do you think I did?”

He drew a deep breath. “You were sentenced to death, though from what I’ve heard the Horsthan judicial system is harsh. Did you steal something, perhaps?”

“Is that what you think of me?” she asked, pushing away from him as tears still streamed down her face. “That I’m a thief? That I deserved what happened to me?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” He raked a hand through his hair in frustration. “I only want you to understand that if you indeed committed a crime, I will not hold it against you. I will still love you, Mila. I will still want you as my mate. And I would never turn you over to UA authorities, even if my people were members of the alliance. I killed over a dozen Horthan Defenders for you. What do you think I would do if the UA came for you? I would slaughter every last one of them.” His blood heated with the violence of prospective battle.

Her bottom lip quivered and she wiped at her tears. She remained silent for a long while, as the tension between them began to calm. He sensed the anger draining out of her and soon felt his own rage subsiding. She sank down on the bed and peered up at him, her large brown eyes calling to his soul.

“I-I didn’t commit a crime. At least not on Horstha,” she finally said. “I witnessed a murder and when I tried to help the victim and called for help—well, the Horsthans thought I was the murderer. I was immediately tried, found guilty, and sentenced to death.”

Stax sat next to her and wrapped her in his arms. To his relief, she didn’t push away from him this time. He held her, wishing he could erase all the horrible memories that haunted her. Would that he could take them upon himself. He would gladly suffer for her, if only her burdens were eased but a little.

“I do not think you are poor in character, Mila,” he said gently. “I simply meant to use the example of thieving to help you realize I would still want you no matter what happened in your past. I am sorry if I offended you, but I have sensed that you’re keeping a secret, though now that you’ve told me what happened on Horstha I cannot guess what it might be.”

“I-I’ll tell you everything, Stax,” she said, “if you promise not to let him take me, if he ever comes looking for me.”

“Who?” He grasped her by her shoulders, his alarm growing. “Who, Mila?”

A fresh sheen of tears glittered in her eyes. “Promise, Stax. Please. Promise that—”

“I will not let anyone take you away from me, my little beauty. Ever. I give you my word and I swear on the spirits of my ancestors. You are my mate, Mila, for all time, and I will never, ever let you go. Now tell me—who are you talking about? Who might come looking for you?”

“Evan,” she whispered, her gaze filling with fear. “My betrothed from Yozovinla. He’s the real reason I left my home planet. I-I left the planet without clearance and broke a marriage contract. He’s a cruel man and I didn’t wish to marry him. There’s a chance he’s looking for me, or that he’s sent bride hunters out looking for me. I-I’m sorry I wasn’t entirely honest with you, Stax. Please, forgive me.”

Full understanding dawned. Now he realized why Mila had nearly fainted when she learned human males would also be arriving on the ships today. He held her tight and put his mouth to her ear. “Had I known about Evan and your reasons for leaving Yozovinla, I would have still brought you back to New Vaxx as my mate. So, you see, there is nothing to forgive. And if Evan comes looking for you, I will stop him. I swear it.”