Galen had never met a more stubborn, determined woman.

He’d been wrong about Sam’s essence being threaded with steel. It was made solely from the strongest, most impenetrable metal in the galaxy.

They’d been walking for hours. They were holding each other up, staggering through the sand. The suns were scorching hot in the sky above, and Galen’s mouth was beyond dry. He knew if they didn’t find water soon…

“Sam—”

“You tell me to leave you one more time and I’ll hit you.”

He grunted. So stubborn.

They started down the other side of a large dune and Galen prayed they’d stay on their feet. Beyond lay nothing but a sea of golden-orange sand.

“Tell me about the House of Galen,” she asked.

“I run an orderly, profitable house. I have the best gladiators in Kor Magna, and Raiden is the Champion of the Arena.”

“And he and Harper are a couple?”

“Yes. Completely in love and devoted to each other. She’s brilliant in the arena, and together, they are truly something to watch in a fight.”

“I’m glad.” Sam sighed. “Harper is a good woman.”

“And my gladiator Thorin is with Regan Forrest.”

“I didn’t know her well. She worked hard on her experiments on the station and was shy.” Sam shook her head. “Hard to imagine her with an alien gladiator.”

“They make it work. Another gladiator, Kace, is married to Rory Fraser.”

“Rory? The engineer from Fortuna Station?”

“Yes. They have a son.”

“What?” Sam’s voice was shocked. “It’s been hard for me to keep track of time here, but how could they have a child already?”

“My healers tell me that Kace’s genetics resulted in a far shorter gestation period than you have on Earth. They’re both happy. Kace was former military, and Rory softened his hard edges.”

Sam looked up at Galen, something working across her face. “Tell me more. Tell me about the other humans.”

Galen told her more about his tough gladiator Saff and Blaine Strong, Lore and Madeline, as well as Mia, Dayna, Winter, Neve, Ever, and Ryan, and the men they’d attached themselves to.

“Madeline Cochran? My uptight former space-station commander is in love with an alien gladiator?” Sam shook her head.

“Yes.” Galen managed a smile, feeling his dry lips crack. “And she helps on the administration side of things at the House of Galen. She’s good at it.”

Sam shook her head again. “I have no doubt. And Blaine’s happy?

“Yes, he fell in love with my gladiator, Saff. They are both exceptional fighters and very competitive.”

“I’m glad he found her. Thank you for taking them all in, Galen.”

He watched as her face fell.

“What?” He stopped and pulled her closer.

“I was just thinking… There’s no way back to Earth,” she whispered. “I guess I’ve been so focused on surviving Zaabha, that I never really let myself imagine what might happen after I escaped.”

“You have a man on Earth?” The thought made his chest throb in an odd way. “Family?”

“My family. A big, loud bunch. My parents, two brothers and two sisters-in-law, as well as a gaggle of nieces.”

He couldn’t miss the grief in her voice.

“You can talk with them,” Galen said. “Our ally, Zhim, has created technology using wormholes to get messages back to Earth.”

She nodded and managed to smile. “That’s a consolation, at least.” Then, she frowned and turned her head. “Did you see that?”

He looked in the direction she was gazing. All he saw was sand. “What?”

She slowly shook her head. “Nothing. Maybe I’m seeing things.”

They started moving again, but then Sam went stiff.

“There!” She pointed ahead.

Again, Galen saw nothing. He stared at the sand, but nothing caught his eye. “I don’t see anything.”

“Sorry.” She rubbed her forehead. “Maybe I’m hallucinating? It might be heat exhaustion.”

They took another step, and this time, Galen saw the sand ahead start to shift. “Drak.”

They both pulled their swords.

Galen swallowed hard to try to wet his throat and kept staring. Something was moving under the sand.

Then he felt something wrap around his leg. “What the drak—?”

He was yanked off his feet and whipped up into the air. There was some sort of large tentacle wrapped around his calf. It was covered in scales several shades darker than the sand. He found himself waved around violently in the air.

“Hang on!” Sam shouted.

Galen blinked his eye and squinted, but he was being moved around too much for him to see her. He swung his sword, but came nowhere close to hitting the creature.

Then, suddenly, he was released.

He hit the sand with an oof.

Galen pushed up on his knees. When he lifted his head, he saw Sam had cut through the tentacle. A severed part of it flopped around on the sand, spilling dark blood.

The ground vibrated, and all around them, the sand started to move wildly.

“Sam.”

“Shit.” She moved in closer to him. “What is it?”

“No drakking idea.”

A bunch of tentacles burst out of the sand. Several aimed straight at Sam, wrapping around her body and trapping her sword by her side. They tightened, coiling around her.

Galen strode forward, hacking at the tentacles he could reach. A deep, rumbling sound reverberated up from beneath the sand.

And then the tentacles moved, yanking Sam onto her back and dragging her along the sand.

Drak. Galen raced after her. Every time he got close to a tentacle, he slashed at it.

He lifted his sword to swing again—

But a tentacle wrapped around his bicep, holding his arm in place. Beneath them, the entire sand dune moved.

Drak.

The creature under the sand was huge. He’d heard rumors and legends of giant beasts deep in the heart of the desert before, but he’d never seen one like this.

Another tentacle wrapped around his knees. He was tackled into the sand as well, and then found himself being dragged alongside Sam. Galen muttered some savage curses. He arched his head and saw that somehow Sam had managed to get one of her arms free.

Galen swiveled onto his stomach and that’s when he saw it—the giant, sucking mouth buried in the sand ahead.

They were being dragged straight toward it.

“Ay Dios mío.” Sam struggled. “No way.”

They reached the mouth of the monster. The tentacles released him and Sam, giving each of them a final shove toward the yawning mouth.

Desperately, Galen reached out, grabbing the fleshy side of the mouth. It didn’t have any teeth, and it was all soft and squishy. From down below, the stench of rotting meat rose up from the darkness. His gut curdled.

Sam flew past him, and with his other hand, Galen grabbed for her. He managed to snag her ankle.

“Galen.” Her voice was short and sharp.

He gritted his teeth, taking her full weight. “I’ve…got you.”

He paused for a second and took a deep breath, then he started to pull himself up. With Sam’s additional weight, it was slow going, and it wasn’t long before his already aching muscles were burning from the strain.

“Galen, I’m too heavy!”

“Won’t let you go.”

“Stubborn fool. You’ll kill us both. Let me go and get out of here.”

He wouldn’t give up. He never gave up.

Galen pulled himself up over the edge of the creature’s mouth, and then heaved Sam up after him.

She fell down on the sand, panting. “Damn, you’re strong.”

A deep rumble came from the giant’s mouth beside them. Galen was well aware that even though they rested on sand, the monster was still below them, and no doubt had more tentacles.

Sam grabbed his hand. “How about we rest somewhere else?”

“Excellent idea.”

Together, they jogged away from the monster, stumbling down the dune. Tentacles burst up out of the sand again and they dodged the fleshy limbs, swinging their swords.

Galen hacked off another tentacle and the creature screeched and retreated. Soon, they stumbled onto rockier ground.

“Think we’re clear.” Sam gasped for breath.

They made it to the top of the neighboring dune, and they both dropped to their knees. Behind them, they watched the mouth and tentacles sink back below the sand.

“I think we should keep going,” Galen said.

“No complaints from me.”

But even with their arms supportively around each other, their injuries and dehydration were taking a toll. Galen lost track of how long and far they’d traveled. He was soaked with sweat, and his body was a mass of agony.

Then Sam collapsed on the sand.

“Sam, no.” He dropped down beside her, pulling at her arm.

She leaned into him, her eyes closed.

Drak. Fighting the creature had taken the last of their energy reserves. They were exhausted and thirsty. They couldn’t go on.

Then Sam stared over his shoulder, eyes blinking. “Now I know I’m hallucinating.”

He turned and saw several twisted rock formations in the distance. His chest tightened.

And beneath them was shade.

* * *

Sam stumbled in under a twist of rock that formed an arch. She had her shoulder wedged under Galen’s arm, and at this point, she had no idea who was holding up whom.

As soon as she felt shade, she collapsed. Galen dropped down beside her.

She didn’t care about the hard landing. They were in the shade. Blessed shade.

Sam closed her eyes. It was so good to be out of the sunlight. It was also definitely good not to be digesting in the belly of a giant sand beast.

As they dragged themselves up against the rock formations, she felt so thirsty she wanted to cry. In an attempt to distract herself, she studied the giant, protruding boulders around them. The rock here was fascinating—all different shades of gold, and twisted up like ribbons. One strand was a translucent gold that made her think of amber.

“I can smell water,” Galen said.

Her throat spasmed and she groaned. “You must be dreaming. Please don’t talk about water.”

But she felt Galen pull himself up to a sitting position. When she leaned back against the rock, she froze. She felt a touch on her skin—something cool…and damp.

“Wait.” She twisted around to stare at the rock. Galen moved closer and cursed softly.

The amber-like stone contained water.

Sam lifted her sword and gouged at the amber rock. She watched the water pool in the impression she’d made.

“Ladies first,” Galen said.

She cupped her hands and scooped the water out of the indentation in the rock. She drank fiercely. “I’m not feeling much like a lady right now.” She drank more, moaning.

When she lifted her head, Galen’s icy gaze was on her. Except he didn’t look cold. She saw something hot on that rugged face, and she felt an answering tug inside her.

She cleared her throat. “Your turn.”

He waited for water to pool, and then leaned forward to drink. When they’d both had enough, they leaned back against the rock, shoulder to shoulder.

Sam let her gaze wander over their surroundings. More rock formations were sprinkled randomly around them. It made her think of some art museum with statues on display. If she squinted, she imagined the formations made different shapes—a man riding a horse, a ship blasting into space, a couple locked in a passionate embrace.

Sleepiness washed over her. Dios, there wasn’t a part of her that wasn’t sore, and she felt a sharp pain in her belly that should probably concern her, but there wasn’t much she could do. Her eyes fluttered closed and she felt herself doze. She hadn’t slept well for months. At Zaabha, she couldn’t risk falling into a deep sleep, not knowing what her captors, or some enterprising prisoner out to take on the Champion of Zaabha, might do to her.

When she woke, she found herself pressed against Galen’s chest, his heart beating solidly under her ear. She blinked, her gaze on the tattoos inked on the skin of his arm.

“You’re awake.” Galen’s low voice rumbled beneath her.

“Yes. Was I asleep long?”

She felt, rather than saw, the shake of Galen’s head. “No.”

Sam thought that perhaps she should get up, move away, maybe put some space between the two of them, but she found she didn’t want to. She couldn’t. Instead, she leaned into the warmth and strength that was Galen.

“Did you sleep?” she asked.

“No. I wanted to stay on guard.”

Warmth twisted in her belly. “Thanks. Been a long time since someone watched over me.”

Even as a child, she’d been taking charge and responsible. She was the oldest child and the big sister, and when she’d been sixteen, her father had suffered a stroke. Her mother had fallen apart and while her father had recovered, it had been Sam who’d held things together. Even back then, no one had watched over her, she’d watched over all of them.

Her gaze fell on Galen’s tattoos. “Do these have meaning?” She touched her finger to his bicep, tracing the design. It was beautiful, depicting buildings that looked like they were out of some fantasy world.

“Every one of them has meaning. I got my first when I joined the academy to train as a royal guard.”

“How old were you?”

“Eight.”

She gasped. “So young.”

“I knew I’d be assigned to the prince, who was just a toddler at the time.” Galen sighed. “Seems so drakking long ago.”

“The tattoos are beautiful.”

“I usually cover them.”

She sucked in a breath. “Why?”

“For Aurelians, inking your skin is a vow.” He looked at his arm. “These signify my vow to protect Raiden and the Aurelian Royal family. To guard them with my life.”

And clearly he felt like he’d failed. The raw guilt buried in his deep voice scraped over her. She understood. She’d been in charge of security at Fortuna and it had been destroyed.

But this wasn’t about her, it was about him.

“What happened to your planet, Galen?”

“It’s gone. All gone. The Thraxian mercenaries planted powerful bombs in the planet’s fault lines. It was torn apart. I barely survived getting Raiden off the planet. We came here with nothing.”

“Except your fighting skills.” And survivor’s guilt. How would it feel to be the only two people to survive your planet’s destruction?

His lips moved. “Except those. And a whole lot of fury to burn off. When we came to Kor Magna, I went into the arena.”

“And then you created the House of Galen and built a good life here.”

“I survived.”

Quiet fell between them.

“So what does the great Imperator Galen do for fun?” Sam asked.

He frowned. “Run my House.”

She turned to look at him. “That’s work.”

“Train my gladiators. Rescue prisoners not suited to the arena.”

She stared at him.

He cleared his throat. “Lately, I’ve been busy rescuing wayward humans.”

“Fun, Galen, not work.”

“My life is my House.”

She shook her head. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Alpha males just can’t switch off. Fun means doing something you enjoy, things that relax you.”

His brows drew together like the word relax was a foreign concept. “What do you do for fun?”

“I like to cook.”

His eyebrows rose.

She grinned. “Just because I can fight doesn’t mean I’m not rather talented in the kitchen. My mother taught all of us to cook, and I enjoy experimenting. When we get out of this desert, I’ll cook for you.” Pain stabbed in her belly and she wrapped an arm around herself.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Galen frowned, eyeing the way she was cradling her body. “You’re in pain.”

“Those tentacles squeezed me hard, and I’m pretty sure I’d already bruised a few ribs in the fall.” She winced. “It’ll be fine.”

“Let me see.”

As his hands touched her leather corset, she tried to push him away. “No—”

He ignored her, pushing the tattered leather up. He hissed.

She looked down, knowing what she’d see. Terrible bruising mottled her skin.

“Sam,” he breathed.

“There’s nothing we can do.”

His gaze met hers. “You have internal bleeding.”

“I know, but like I said, there’s nothing we can do out here.”

His face hardened. “We need to get you medical help.”

She swallowed. “I won’t be able to go that far.”

“I’ll carry you.”

“You could barely walk earlier, Galen.”

But he rose, and a second later, he scooped her off the ground like she weighed no more than a sword. She started to struggle, but he made a sound and she stopped.

Then he started walking.

“Galen.”

“Quiet.”

She shook her head, sliding her arm along his broad shoulders. “And you said I was stubborn.”

He pushed onward through the forest of rock formations, but their progress was slow. The suns were both still high in the sky, and even though he stuck to the shade where he could, the heat remained unbearable.

So was the growing pain.

It wasn’t long before Sam felt her consciousness start slipping away. “I’m not going to make it.” It seemed unfair to finally escape Zaabha, only to have the desert and her injuries kill her.

“You will.”

He spoke forcefully, his tone like iron. She wanted to believe him.

“I would’ve liked to see the House of Galen.”

“You will, Sam.”

“I would’ve liked to cook for you.”

“You will. I like this certain vegetable the chef gets from the market. It’s called fidea. I’ve never told him that it’s my favorite. I’ll have him get an entire crate of it, and you can show me what you can do.”

Her head lolled against his shoulder. “Hmm.”

“Hold on, Sam.”

She stared at the lines of strain bracketing his mouth. He was in pain too, but she knew he’d die trying to save her. He stumbled several times, but his steps never faltered.

He was a man who would never give up.

“Stubborn man.” Unable to hold her head up anymore, she turned her face against his neck.

Sam had no idea how long they’d traveled, because she felt herself drifting in and out of consciousness. The next thing she knew, Galen went down heavily on one knee, still clutching her to his chest.

Ahead, she saw that the suns had almost set, and shadows were chasing across the desert. In among the rock formations, she watched the shadows shift and dance.

She blinked. Wait a second?

“Galen?”

He pulled her closer, and then she heard him curse.

They appeared out of nowhere. With dark, haughty faces and weapons clutched in their hands. One glance, and she knew these people were warriors. They were tall, lean, and muscled, with dark, patterned skin. The pattern matched the rock around them. Long, dreadlocked hair fell past their shoulders.

“Desert wraiths,” Galen murmured quietly. “They can change their skin color and pattern to camouflage themselves.”

Sam’s muscles tensed. She’d heard of them. In the dark corners of Zaabha, she’d heard people whisper of the deadly killers of the desert. She’d even seen a few in the arena.

She tried to pull herself up, but pain speared through her. She tried to stay with Galen, but finally the darkness sucked her down into a dark hole, and as she fell, she knew there was no way she could climb back out.