Three days later…

Technically, Mila wasn’t breaking the rules. She wasn’t leaving the house and venturing off without Stax by her side. But she couldn’t help the guilt that surged through her as she sat in front of the comm system located in a corner of the sitting room and prepared to record a message to be sent to Yozovinla.

Her heart raced and her mouth went dry. She inhaled several deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. She wasn’t even planning to speak with Evan face to face and she was nervous as hell. She only intended to record a message—a warning—and send it to him through an encrypted channel. That way he’d receive the message but wouldn’t be able to send a reply.

You can do this.

She clicked on the record button and stared at the screen.

“Hello, Evan. The three bride hunters you deployed to search for me are dead. I have no doubt that any further hunters who follow them will meet the same fate. I am mated to a powerful Vaxxlian who will kill anyone who attempts to take me away from New Vaxx. You must stop this madness. Please, before more people die. Vaxxlians are not members of the Universal Alliance and therefore are not bound by the same laws as Yozovinlans. The Vaxxlians are a fierce people and have technology far superior to humans. You cannot win. I ask that you see reason and send a message to Vaxxlian leaders accepting your defeat and declaring our marriage contract void. The comm number on New Vaxx where you can send the message is 8632-728-22-1. Good-bye, Evan.”

She stopped recording and sent the message while her courage remained strong. As soon as she pressed send, she started shaking and she prayed she wasn’t making a mistake. She hated keeping secrets from Stax and prayed if he found out what she’d done that he wouldn’t be cross with her. Her guilt increased when she erased the outgoing messages, hiding her tracks.

Please let Evan see reason, she thought. Please let him end the search so no one else dies.

She had faith that Stax could defend himself and keep her safe—his power and his intelligence astonished her on a daily basis. But what if someone else in the settlement died the next time more bride hunters arrived? A human or a Vaxxlian? She couldn’t bear the thought of it and hoped Evan sent a message to Vaxxlian leaders soon.

Suddenly queasy, she rushed for the bathroom and lost her breakfast.

“You’re with child,” Stax said, placing the medical scanner down. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and gathered her close. “My sweet mate, you are carrying our child.”

Mila hugged him back but said nothing. He’d come home to find her pale and discovered the nanobots’ function had slowed, no doubt as they adjusted to the new life growing inside her. He had faith that they would soon readjust to her changing body and she would feel back to her normal self soon. Deza had reported Annika experiencing something similar during her early stages of pregnancy.

“Are you all right, my little beauty?” He cupped her face and stared into her tear-filled gaze.

“Of course, I’m all right. I’m simply stunned.” She smiled through her tears. “It took my parents years of trying before they got pregnant with me. I always feared the same would happen to me.”

He clasped her hand and kissed it.

“The nanobots should regulate soon and you shouldn’t feel nauseous anymore. But I’m giving you a vitamin infusion that should take the edge off.”

She nodded and held out her arm. Once he administered the infusion, he carried her out of the medical room and upstairs. His need to protect her surged. He hated keeping her locked up in the house, but until the situation with Evan was resolved, there was no other option. All the windows and doors were fortified with impenetrable shields. Even if Evan and his bride hunters somehow managed to defeat an entire army of Vaxxlian warriors, they would not be able to reach Mila, nor would she be able to venture outside on her own accord.

He set her on the bed and sat beside her, immediately placing his hand on her stomach.

“I’m feeling better already,” she said. “Thank you for the vitamin infusion.”

“You’re very welcome. If you feel sick again, even slightly, I want you to tell me right away.”

“Okay.”

“Now, would you like to know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

Her eyes widened. “Yes, please.”

“It’s a boy. We’re having a son.” He kissed her lips and wiped at her freshly fallen tears.

“Oh, Stax, I’m so sorry for how I’ve been treating you these last few days. I’m sorry I was so angry about being kept inside. I know you are only trying to protect me, and I haven’t acted very grateful.”

Her apology touched him. He wrapped her in his arms and held her while a gentle warm breeze filled the bedroom, ruffling the curtains and her hair. “All is forgiven. And I’m sorry too.”

“Whatever for?” She pulled back and stared up at him. “You have nothing to apologize for, Stax. Not a single thing.”

“I believe I was a bit too…stern with you.”

His lips met with hers and he kissed her softly at first, tasting her and showing her the depths of his devotion. Slowly, he built the intensity of the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth and delving deeper and deeper. When at last he pulled away, they were both panting breathlessly.

“I love you, Stax. So much,” she breathed.

“And I love you, my little beauty.”

When Mila walked downstairs with Stax for breakfast, the comm system in the sitting room was beeping. Her stomach flipped as she watched him move toward the device to check the waiting message.

“Hmm,” he said. “It appears this message was sent to all comm systems on New Vaxx.”

Shit shit shit. Mila had a very, very bad feeling about this.

“How about we have breakfast first?” She grasped Stax’s hand and tried to pull him away from the comm system, but he wouldn’t budge. “I’m starving. How about I make pancakes?” Replicated pancakes were one of his favorite foods, but his curiosity over the message won out. She watched in horror as he pressed play.

A white-haired man Mila didn’t recognize flashed on the screen. “Good day. I am Alexandi Smith and I am an ambassador from Yozovinla.”

Oh God. She stood frozen, her blood running colder by the second.

“I am contacting all of New Vaxx—a planet I hope will join the Universal Alliance one day—because you are housing a criminal by the name of Mila Williams.”

“Williams?” Stax asked, looking over his shoulder at her.

“That’s my last name,” she explained.

The white-haired man continued. “Several months ago, Ms. Williams left Yozovinla without proper clearance, endangering lives as our air traffic controllers rushed to ensure she didn’t cause any accidents.”

“That’s a lie! I’m a good pilot!” Mila was aghast. “I didn’t even come close to crashing into any other vessels.”

“Not only did Ms. Williams leave Yozovinla illegally, but she broke a marriage contract to a respected businessman by the name of Evan Mistocov. It has come to our attention, based on a confession given by Ms. Williams herself, that she has mated with a Vaxxlian.”

At this moment, a recording of Mila flashed on the screen. “I am mated to a powerful Vaxxlian who will kill anyone who attempts to take me away from New Vaxx,” she watched herself say. Her horror deepened. This couldn’t be happening.

“Despite Ms. Williams conduct,” the ambassador continued, “Mr. Mistocov is a forgiving man and still wishes to honor the marriage contract. In four days, a delegation from Yozovinla will arrive and Mr. Mistocov will be among them. We are aware that as non-members of the UA, you are not legally bound to follow our laws. However, upon landing, Mr. Mistocov plans to invoke the ancient Vaxxlian tradition of uhomanoi. Mr. Mistocov is bringing a replacement Urronnian to fight on his behalf, as a fight between a lone human man and a Vaxxlian warrior is obviously not fair. The male who is mated to Ms. Williams will be expected to show himself and battle the Urronnian replacement for Mr. Mistocov immediately upon landing. I wish you a pleasant day.”

The screen went blank.