“Are you saying they found the outpost but no one was there?” Vander asked, pacing behind his desk.

The messenger nodded. “Based on the way the encampment was left, it was clear the kidnappers left in a hurry. The trackers believe the prince and General Iceri were only hours behind them before they broke camp.”

“Were any women found?”

He shook his head. “But there were signs of them and—” he hesitated.

Vander stopped mid-stalk. “What, man? Out with it. And what?”

“Signs of bondage. There were charred pages Damen rescued from a smoldering campfire that show clear indications of trafficking.” He looked at the king. “It seems things are as you feared, Your Majesty. Whoever is behind this is selling the women still blessed with health.”

He nodded. “Tell Damen I said to double the number of trackers we have and to go as far as the jungle, but no farther. Tell Prince Jag to bribe the nomads and whatever mountain rogues he can find for information. We need to find who’s behind this. Money speaks every dialect, and for the right price, many of those rogues will be willing to chat.”

The messenger nodded. “There was one more thing.”

Vander eyed the man. “And?”

“Prince Jag found an old woman hiding in one of the caves. She told him that someone had woken the .”

Vander blinked at the man. “The tsutsa? Was my brother able to get an answer from her as to what that was or meant?”

He nodded. “The word means worm in tribal dialect.”

The king balked. “Worm? As in on the end of a fishing line?”

The man nodded again. “Prince Jag wasn’t convinced this was anything more than senseless ravings. The poor wretch was in a bad way.”

Vander’s lips pressed in a sharp line. “Thank you. Tell the guard the woman is to be brought here. I want her made as comfortable as possible. She’s suffered enough.”

The messenger left and Vander stared at the 3D model of Galaxa. If he didn’t find who or what was killing their women, he’d have a mutiny on his hands and soon. Among his warriors, especially. Females were the only tempering force on their xenos, once released.

He looked out the window to the Royal Garden and the tent below. He couldn’t see Ivy, but he knew she was there. He felt her, and more importantly, his xenos felt her. The animal coiled inside him ready to burst through. One word hurtled through his mind.

Soon.

Vander turned for the door and caught his reflection in the mirror. He stared at the man looking back and the eerie greens eyes watching as if from a distance, yet closing fast.

* * *

“I’m sorry I took so long—” Vander stopped mid-apology and stared at Ivy. She was luminous in the bright colors he picked for her. “You’re stunning, Ivy. Truly.”

She glanced at the dress and how it floated over her curves. “According to Kari, I should be thanking you. The dress is beautiful.”

“You had a chance to speak with Karis, then?” he asked, taking her arm as she got to her feet from the side of the oasis spring.

Ivy nodded. “She clearly loves you very much.”

He watched her face and he knew Kari had filled her in on more than he expected. “Kari is an amazing woman with an enormous capacity to love.” He trailed a finger over her cheek. “As I believe you are.”

She didn’t answer, just stood toe-to-toe waiting for him to say more.

Vander glanced at the suns and how they had already sunk to the midpoint between noon and dusk. Somewhere in the distance, a bird of prey cawed and he grinned, sparing a glance for Ivy. “Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”

She chuckled. “Okay, but you’ll have to go big or go home to top this place.”

“The Royal Gardens are beautiful, but they’re not mine.”

She looked at him. “Not yours? You’re the king. Isn’t everything from here to there yours?”

He shrugged. “Technically, yes. This garden is for the royal family to use, but it’s also a place where dignitaries come and where I host guests. It’s a refuge but not my private sanctuary.” He grinned. “For that, we need to go up.”

“Up?” she questioned. “To where? The mountains?”

He shook his head. “Nope. The roof.” He took her hand and walked with her toward the back of the garden to a nondescript door covered in flowers. You had to look closely to differentiate it from the rest of the garden wall.

Vander leaned in as if to smell the blooms, but a laser retina scan whirred and the door snicked open. He pulled the latch and stepped aside for Ivy to enter the passage first. Inside was a narrow stone corridor that led to an even narrower set of circular stairs. He took her hand and started up the winding steps.

“Who built these stairs? I barely fit, I can only image how squeezed you feel,” Ivy commented.

They climbed in silence, just the echo of their feet on the stones until the top widened into a proper landing. She stepped through the door with Vander into another world.

“This is my menagerie, my falconry, and my solace. I come here whenever I need to think or just escape.” He swept her up in his arms and whirled around with her. The birds and the larger animals made such a noise, she had to laugh. It was as if they were welcoming her, too.

Vander finally put her down, but didn’t let go of her hand. “Come, I want to introduce you to someone.”

“I thought you said this was your private sanctuary.”

He grinned. “It is. This is who I want you to meet.” He led her to an enormous aviary and opened the gilded gate. Once inside, he whistled and a huge bird swooped from the high branches to sit on a carved perch. “This is Erevain. He’s the most prized hunter in the kingdom. We share a special connection. He allows me to see through his eyes—sometimes.”

Ivy stared at the bird and its lethally sharp beak. “Allows?”

Vander’s eyes sparkled with laughter. “Animals here are not like animals on Earth. They communicate with us in various ways. It’s an unspoken language, but with our shared kinship and dual nature, it’s almost seamless at times.”

She smirked. “On Earth, we only have one person with that kind of talent. Dr. Dolittle.”

He laughed out loud. “Now I know you’re teasing.”

“How come Erevain doesn’t wear a hood? On earth, falconry and hawking require the birds to be blindfolded until set free to hunt.”

“Here, birds of prey are not social animals. They don’t startle easily like their human cousins. They are, quite literally, professional killers who think about very little other than hunting, killing, and eating. They are not affectionate creatures, but if you win their respect and loyalty, it will be for your entire life. It’s a rare bond, and I’m lucky. Erevain has warned me of imminent danger too many times to count. His vision is so acute and such a dominant sense that he can be my eyes at times, but I had to earn that right.”

“The view is even more spectacular from here than from my room. I didn’t think that possible,” Ivy noted, looking around.

Vander slipped a thick leather wrap over his forearm and then held his arm out for Erevain. The bird climbed on and Ivy’s eyes widened at the length and lethal curve to his sharp talons.

“Wow. That bird is quite the ally to have your back. Just look at those scythes!” she exclaimed.

He nodded. “They’re deadly, for sure, but Erevain is pretty gentle once he knows you.”

Ivy reached out her hand but then pulled it back.

“Smart and beautiful,” Vander chuckled. “It will take time, love. He has to get used to you and then he’ll let you stroke him.” He winked. “Unlike me, who wants your hand stroking me every chance I can get.”

A heated flush crept up her throat and she turned and walked past the trees and shrubs in their potted plants to stand by the stone wall overlooking the precipice. She turned and leaned the small of her back on the curved top. The private sanctuary was part zoo, part garden, and completely amazing. Gauzy coverings billowed gently in the breeze, the thin white fabric hearty enough to block the desert sun without trapping the heat, yet thin enough to allow the breezes to blow.

Books were piled on small tables along with sheaves of parchment and scrolls tied with colorful ribbon. Even Vander’s slippers, or what looked to be, were tucked alongside comfortable chairs and matching chaise lounges. The place screamed intimacy unlike the pomp of the Royal Gardens. If any place would speak to Vander the man, this was it.

“Ivy—” He beckoned and she pushed herself from the wall.

“If you really want to see the sights, take a peek through this. Tomorrow I’ll take you wherever you want to go, inside the palace and out.” He spun what looked like a telescope around on a pivot.

Ivy put her eye on the lens and moved the scope across the field of vision ahead. “Oh my God. You have camels!”

He laughed, stroking the side of the bird’s neck. “Why are you surprised? This is a desert.”

“Hey, no hating on the shock factor. Everything about this place and you surprises me. Besides, I’ve always wanted to ride a camel.”

He laughed. “Of all things, that’s what you want to do?”

She shrugged. “I’m easy to please.” She turned and watched his eyes darken with quick desire.

“Pleasing you is something I wish to make my one preoccupation.” He tossed his arm in the air, setting Erevain free. He watched her and she watched the majestic bird take flight.

“Where is he going?” she asked.

“He’s giving us a little privacy,” Vander replied, taking a step closer. “I’m sure Karis told you about my dilemma.”

Ivy nodded. “She mentioned something.”

“There’s more to my problems than finding my true mate.” Vander expanded on the issue, telling her what was happening with their women. “My brother and my chief of security are in the outlands looking for answers. I received the first word when my steward interrupted us.”

When Vander finished, Erevain cawed circling above, and he lifted a hand, but then stopped. He took the thick leather wrap off his arm and fastened it onto Ivy’s forearm. “Give it a go. If he doesn’t want to land, he’ll keep circling, but if he does—”

Ivy held her arm out and Erevain circled once and the spread his wings wide, his clawed feet outstretched as he slowed to a soft landing on her arm. She stiffened, keeping her arm taut as she extended it toward Vander.

“Well, look at that! He likes you and only after a short while.” He chuckled. “I suppose he’s more like me than I want to admit.” Vander’s grin spread. “This is a tremendous sign. When one of my animals takes to someone, especially Erevain, it means a great deal.” He took the bird from her arm with his bare hand and took him back to the aviary.

“So Erevain hasn’t liked any of your potential mates?” she asked when he returned.

“I’ve brought no one here but you, Ivy. It is true Karis and the others on the elder council want me to find a mate. They’ve been looking, but with no success.” His eyes found hers and locked. “Until now.”

“I told her the same I told you. I’m not here for that. I didn’t come to Galaxa as one of many in a line of potential hookups. I came to see my cousin.”

He lifted her chin, rubbing the pad of his thumb across the seam of her bottom lip. “I know. That’s what makes you perfect. What is happening between us is natural.”

“Natural? We’re from two different planets and basically two different species.”

Vander shook his head. “Not that different. If we were, we wouldn’t fit together so perfectly in every way.” He slipped his thumb between her lips and circled her tongue with the thick pad.

He cupped the back of her head and slid his thumb from her mouth, crushing his lips to hers as he took her breath and any argument she had waiting on her lips. Vander pulled his mouth from hers and swept her into his arms, his hand tracing the curve of her back to her ass.

“Come,” he whispered below her ear. “If you were a shifter, you’d smell my hunger, but my hard cock against your belly is sign enough.”

“Last night, we just—”

He growled, biting her earlobe and the sexy sound punched through whatever was left of her defenses and her panties dampened.

“Too long.” His voice was rough and low and full of desire. “Mmmm, I will never get tired of the delicious way you smell when I know you want me.” Vander slid his arm around her waist and pulled her even closer against his hard length.

The vibration on the tender skin below her ear made her pulse race, and when his raspy tongue licked the base of her throat, she gasped knowing one touch of his hand on her private parts and she’d come right here.

“What about all these animals?” she asked, surprised she could find her voice.

A deep throated chuckle fanned against her throat as he nuzzled the tender flesh. “The animals?”

“Well, you were the one who said they could communicate with the people here. I took that to mean they were aware.”

“They are, and see? They’ve all withdrawn from view.” He nipped the base of her ear.

“You have no idea how strange that sounds to me.”

A small grin tugged. “Why? Do you stare at other creatures while they mate?”

“Eew! No.” She giggled. “Not unless it’s on Animal Planet.”

“Mmmm, but not two-legged creatures? Not even on film?” he teased.

“Uhm, maybe.” Her breath hitched at the thought of her and Vander fucking on camera. “Why?”

His mouth worked its way to her cleavage, his hand cupping her breast through the thin silky fabric. “Builds tension.”

“You mean foreplay,” she said, closing her eyes as his thumb teased her.

“That, too.” He licked the plump rounds of the top of her breasts, pinching her nipple.

She pulled back from him, her eyes finding his. “I know you want more from me, Vander.”

His eyes darkened with intense need. “More.” He shook his head. “No, Ivy. I want it all. All of you. Your body, your core, you, but right now I want my cock buried so deep in your pussy, you scream for the god you believe in.”

Her clit throbbed with the image of his large, corded member, and her soft cotton underwear went slick with her juice. Vander’s gaze locked on hers and in a flash, he scooped her into his arms like nothing and carried her to one of the chaise lounges, laying her down.

She opened her mouth to speak, but he shook his head. His mouth took hers before she could say a word, his tongue delving deeply into the moist cavern. The taste of him sent her senses reeling.

“Vander, please….” Her words were a soft gasp against his lips.

“That’s what I want, Ivy. You dripping wet and begging for me.” He slid one hand over her shoulder, his fingers dipping below the top straps of her dress. He pulled the garment over her body, tossing it to another chair.

She leaned back on the chaise, utterly exposed under the billowing gauze of his rooftop playground. The wicked feeling tingled over her skin and a smirk took her lips. Lying against the tufted top, Ivy pulled one knee up and let it drop open, her private parts bare and open for his touch.

Vander splayed his hand across her belly, his fingers fanned across her shaved mound and he growled. “Smooth.” He slipped lower, separating her moist folds to her slick entrance. “—and juicy.”

He stripped from his clothes and climbing on to the wide lounge beside her, his hard length pressed against the softness of her thighs. Two fingers plunged into her slippery cleft. “So fucking wet.”

Ivy sucked in a breath at the rough feel of his fingers and she clung to his wide back as he worked her spot, his thumb circling her hard nub.

“I want to lick your slick juice from my palm and fingers, Ivy. I’m addicted, baby. I want to taste you and tease you until you beg for my cock.”

She shivered at his words, digging her hands into his hair, her mouth taking his as she ground her pussy further into is palm. Heat exploded across her skin when Vander curled fingers further inside, the pressure forcing her toward the edge.

His mouth took her full breast, his tongue taking short strokes across her stiff nipple. He bit the hard peak and Ivy’s head dug back into the chaise top.

“Vander, please!” she panted

“Please what, Ivy?” He pinched her nipple harder. “Tell me.”

“I want you!”

“Want me how? Tell me, love. What do you want?” Vander pulled is hand from between her legs and licked the slick digits one at a time, moaning at the taste of her.

Ivy’s heart pounded in her ears as she watched his gorgeous mouth suck each finger, taunting her more. His eyes were glowing green and feral despite the crooked smirk on his lips.

“I know what you want, Ivy. Your body craves my cock as much as I crave the feel of your tight slit squeezing my shaft.” He growled at the bare mound between her legs and her pink lips glistening and swollen. “Good enough to eat.” He pushed both knees to her shoulders and buried his face between her legs.

Ivy fisted his hair, grinding her pussy into his mouth. Every ounce of her body tensed and she balanced on the edge. With her own growl, she tugged his face up, but Vander shook his head. “Not yet, Ivy. I’m not done tasting you.”

She bucked up, knocking him back a bit. “Yes, you are. I want your cock, Vander. Deep and hard!”

He chuckled. “Is that what you want?” The question was rhetorical and didn’t need an answer. He pulled her up from the chaise. “Bend over,” he ordered. “Legs apart.”

Ivy licked her lips and scrambled around, bending over the lounge, her fingers gripping the tufted ends in anticipation.

“Spread yourself.”

With a gasp, she arched her back, shoving her ass high and reached between her legs to spread her slick folds. Vander slid his hands over her waist to her hips, pulling her back. His hands slid over her ass and he cupped the soft flesh, kneading his fingers toward her slippery slit.

He dipped his head to her pussy and lapped her lips from behind, and then with a quick jerk he straightened, driving his cock into her pretty pink pussy. He reached around as he thrust, deep and high, circling her clit from the front and she cried out as he plunged and plundered both ends, her body grinding for more. With a cry, she came hard as alien pulsations rocked through her rigid body.

“Vander! What’s happening?” she ground out as electricity skittered across her skin, the feeling spreading from her core as her walls convulsed, squeezing his cock and sucking him deeper yet.

Ivy turned and Vander’s face was a tense mask. Every muscle in his body clenched as hers milked him. His eyes flamed a fiery green and were feral with unspent need and his mouth was a slash of pain and pleasure. He threw his head back, and the roar that ripped from his throat was supernatural.

He was predatory and hungry and held her body rigid with his member buried in her hot channel. His long, corded cock swelled inside her, stretching her until she hissed at the invasive feel even as her pussy walls convulsed in pleasure, squeezing as she came again.

Vander’s hands gripped the soft flesh of her hips, merciless as he drove deep. Ivy ground back, meeting him thrust for thrust and his body rocked her past climax into boneless oblivion, spasm after spasm.

Engorged, his head swelled even more and spread inside her as he pumped harder, faster, until he emptied himself fully with a guttural roar. He held tightly, riding the aftershocks until the two collapsed on the chaise, the scent of sex and something ethereal mingling in the air.

“What was that?” she asked, trying to catch her breath.

“My essence merging with yours. My xenos. It wants you for its own and it’s not going to take no for an answer.” He kissed the tender skin at the back of her neck.

“What does that mean?”

He leaned his chin on the back of her shoulder. “It means you have a lot to think about.”

She turned in his arms, her eyes meeting his. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

He nodded. “Come to the audience at court.”

Ivy tilted her head, confused. “I already told you I was going with Gerri and the girls.”

Vander ran a hand over her sweat-sheened skin to cup her cheek. “Come to the audience as mine. Please say you will.”

“Yours? As in forever and ever?”

He didn’t answer, she held her eyes locked.

“Don’t you think we should get to know each other better before you ask me to up and leave my job, my family…hell, my planet?”

He let his hand slip from her cheek to her chest and he circled her nipple with his thumb. “I think we know each other pretty well already.”

She covered his hand, stopping its circular track. “That’s not what I mean—”

He leaned in and kissed her quickly. “What do you think we’re doing by spending all this time together?” He pulled back and looked at her face. “Come to the audience anyway, but promise you’ll give this some real thought. You said your gut is hardly ever wrong, well mine is screaming that you are the one. My true mate. Mine.”