They arrived as the sun set behind the trees, shrouding the compound in darkness which was punctuated with floating lights, giving a soft glow to the drive in front of them. In the hour since they’d returned to the car, Krayter hadn’t managed to let go of Penny’s hand. She was just as eager to keep touching him.

As the car shifted into park and shut off, Krayter looked over at her. There was no trace of the worry that had been dancing across her face. Instead, he saw grim determination and something he was scared to call hope.

She lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of his palm. The softness of her lips danced up his arms and echoed on his lips. “We’ll be fine. I’m pretty sure Mom won’t try to lock you up again.”

“That’s not as reassuring as you seem to think it is.” But he’d walk across the sun for her. One contentious dinner was nothing.

The front door banged open and Resa sped down the steps, Nicole and a compound guard not far behind. Penny threw open the car door and caught her sister in a tight hug. By the time Krayter got out of the car, Nicole had joined the two of them and they were all talking too fast for his translator to keep up. Instead of adjusting the setting, he gave them their privacy and grabbed the two small overnight bags out of the cargo area.

When he came around from the back of the car, he saw Jacinta standing in the doorway and looking at her daughters. She swung her gaze to him and raised an eyebrow. Krayter nodded a greeting, but made no move to approach her. He wasn’t a fool.

He brought the bags over to Penny and handed one over when she let go of her sisters. Though they’d only been separated for a few days, he understood the urge to cling tight and not let go. If he saw any of his siblings again, he would hug them for days.

Nicole was the first to notice him. She glared reflexively, but calmed her expression before Penny could catch her. Resa’s back was completely to him as she talked animatedly to her sister and she seemed to have no idea or care that he was there.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention as Jacinta came down the steps to join the four of them. “Let’s get you set up in your rooms. Cook has put together a nice dinner and I know the girls are hungry.”

“She wouldn’t let us eat lunch,” Resa grumbled to Penny.

Krayter pressed his lips together hard to keep from grinning.

Penny turned to her mother, which caused Resa, who had one arm still slung around her waist, to turn with her. Only then did the younger girl catch sight of him. Though she looked straight at him, she pretended that she didn’t see him. Krayter supposed that was slightly better than a glare.

“I’m starving too,” said Penny. She hitched her bag over her shoulder, leading her sisters inside. To her mother, she gave a much chillier greeting, nodding a hello as she passed her by. Krayter brought up the rear, following them all in.

“Hector will show you where to put your things,” Jacinta told him, pointing to the guard who’d come out to watch the reunion. When he reached for Penny’s bag, Jacinta held up a hand. “Penny will be staying with her sisters. She’ll need to keep that with her.”

At the sound of her name, Penny jerked around. But before she could say anything, Nicole grabbed her arm. “It’ll be fun,” she said. “Like a sleepover. We have a lot to tell you.”

Then it was settled. It would be selfish to insist that Penny sleep with him when he’d had her all to himself for almost a week. He turned to Hector and said, “Lead the way.”

The stone faced guard said nothing, but led him down a hall towards a thick metal door. For a moment, Krayter worried that he was about to be locked up once more, but the guard placed his hand on the palm sensor outside and the door swung open to reveal four beds, three of which were covered in people’s things. The one farthest from the door was unmade, a set of bedding folded on top of it.

“Jackie said you can stay here,” said Hector, pointing towards the bed. “The door code is 62815. We’re eating in half an hour.” Information delivered, he left Krayter alone.

Krayter laid his bag on the floor and quickly made the bed. He looked at the other beds and couldn’t help but grin. In a strange way, he respected what Jacinta was doing. She wanted to protect her daughter, to make sure that she was okay. And while she hadn’t locked him up, forcing him to bunk with three of her people would make it impossible to sneak out unnoticed.

Krayter left his things there and went in search of dinner, following his nose and the people all headed out of the house and towards a giant tent that had been erected in the central courtyard. Lights had been strung up around the outside of the canopy, lending a magical air to the location, even as bugs fluttered around the larger lanterns. A few residents of the compound eyed him as he joined them, but no one questioned his presence. Word that an alien was coming to dinner must have spread.

He almost expected to be seated far off in a corner, away from the family and most of the residents. But Penny and her sisters had already grabbed a table and there were two open seats. One for him, and one for Jacinta. He walked quickly to make sure he snagged the one next to Penny, both to save her from several hours of sitting that close to her mom, and because if he couldn’t hold her all night, he needed as much time with her as she could steal.

When he sat, she joined him, placing her hand in his and leaning close, speaking softly, her words for him alone. “This room situation has put a hitch in my plans,” she confided.

Krayter’s cock twitched at the fire of desire in her eyes. “What plans were those?” he asked, the answer all but certain.

“I’m going to make you mine. For good.” She squeezed his hand and let go.

Krayter took several breaths, trying to bring his need under control. He couldn’t take her here. The table didn’t look that sturdy. Besides, she wouldn’t appreciate being fucked in front of her family and a bunch of strangers.

“I’m keeping you in our room for a week when we get back to New York,” he said.

Penny grinned. “We’re not waiting until we get back. I’ve got an idea.”

Before he could ask anything else, Jacinta made it to the table and they stopped talking. By some unseen signal, drones flew in carrying large trays of food and placed them on each of the twelve tables under the tent. A thick, fragrant stew simmered alongside warm bread and Krayter’s stomach rumbled. He didn’t know what was in it, and Earth food could be weird at times. But this smelled delicious.

He waited for the others to serve themselves before grabbing his own food, instinct telling him that Jacinta was judging his every move. Before Penny, he’d never stayed with any one woman long enough to be judged by her mother, and now he was walking on a tightrope above a pit of hungry pyorgan just itching to open their muzzles and swallow him whole if he said the wrong thing.

So he wouldn’t.

“How have you found the city?” Jacinta asked Penny.

“It’s busier than I could have imagined, but I think I’ll like it there.” She glanced at Krayter with a smile before picking up a spoon and digging in to her food.

“So you’re staying? You’ll always have a place here, you know.”

Penny swallowed and put her utensil down. “Do we really need to have this discussion here?”

She didn’t look at her sisters, but Krayter could feel the direction of her thoughts. She’d left them behind and run off to the big city, not ever offering to take them with her. Now she didn’t want them to think that she was abandoning them for a life with him.

He wanted to reach out, grasp her hand, and offer support. But this wasn’t a fight where he had any ammo. His laser blasts would go wide and do far more harm than good. So he kept his mouth shut and listened carefully, ready to do anything to save Penny from the pain of harming her sisters.

“And when do you think we’ll have this conversation if not now?” her mother demanded. “You left after barely staying a day before. When is the next time we’ll see you? Resa’s birthday? Or will you leave them here until they’re old enough to fend for themselves, living happily in sin with an alien stranger who fell out of the sky?”

His claws prickled under his skin, but there was no enemy here, only the decades old stench of hurt and distrust.

“Mom took us to the local school yesterday,” Nicole cut in, stopping the conversation before it could get any farther.

“Was it interesting?” Krayter asked. “I’ve never been to a school on Earth, you know. Though I took some classes with a human tutor during my apprenticeship.”

“Are there a lot of humans in space?” Resa asked, thoughts of school pushed aside.

Krayter leaned in and nodded. “There’s an entire solar system out there just full of humans. It’s called the Consortium. Have you heard of it?” He’d only been there for a few days, but the friends he’d met on the trip to Honora Station had come from those planets.

Nicole and Resa were shaking their heads, and even Jacinta looked mildly interested. Under the table, Penny placed a hand on his knee. “There are a few inhabited planets. I can’t remember all their names. But I landed on one called Tarni. There are millions of humans there, maybe billions. Many of them are descended from people who were abducted from Earth over the past several thousand years. Humans proved too troublesome for the aliens that tried to keep them, so they formed their own civilization. It’s not exactly like Earth, but I can see the similarities.”

Resa looked skeptical, but there was a dreamy look in Nicole’s eyes. “What’s it like in space?” she asked. “I saw something on one of the vid stations about a new Earth colony. I can’t imagine why someone would leave Earth for that.” But there was a note in her voice that suggested otherwise.

Krayter tried to find the right words. Space travel was almost as much a part of Detyen life as breathing. They hadn’t always been nomads, but since the destruction of their planet, they’d had little choice. Even as a young boy, he’d known he would take to the stars. The sense of wonder, of curiosity, had never been so strong in him. Adventure? Certainly. But never the thrill of the undiscovered.

“Imagine closing your eyes and jumping into deep water,” he said, searching for the right words. “There’s nothing as far as the best eyes can see, and it’s a cold so deep it seeps into your bones. But at the same time, the possibilities are limitless. You can do anything out in space. Find anything. Or anyone.”

He and Penny shared a smile. It hadn’t been space that brought them together. And it was Earth that held his people’s hope.

***

Her mate was amazing.

He dazzled her sisters with stories of the stars, and every time her mom tried to cut in with some belittling comment, he dodged like it was a professional sport. By the end of dinner, Penny could almost see the Dancing Stars of Hydara that he described in such heartrending detail. As the meal wrapped up, her sisters walked back to the main house, animatedly talking about the different ships that Krayter had described. Neither paid attention to her or her mate.

Luckily, her mother had been pulled aside on official business.

Penny slid her hand into Krayter’s and nodded off to a small building nestled between two garages. “Come on,” she said.

Krayter followed her gaze. “Isn’t that where I was locked up the other day?”

She bit her tongue to keep from laughing. “I think it’s normally a storage shed. And it’s private.”

Private. Secluded. Almost perfect for what she had in mind. Of course, a bed would have been the best option, but she wasn’t waiting another two days. Not after tonight. If she’d had any worries about Krayter, they would have dissolved five minutes into his story about being chased by an Febysan sweating beast. Whatever he’d been through before, he’d travelled lightyears to find her. And ever since they’d met, he hadn’t once wavered.

If her mother got her alone, she’d have a hundred reasons why she should send Krayter away. But her mother had given up any influence over Penny long ago.

She wanted him. She liked him. And if she looked deep, and completely honestly within herself, she might just love him.

She pulled him down the path and swung the door open, grabbing the padlock off its hook and taking it in with them. She didn’t want to end up locked in here for the night, or be discovered by some wandering guard. She flipped the mechanical lock inside the shed and turned on the lantern overhead, casting the room in soft light and shadow.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, their bodies flush against one another and swaying to the faint sound of music trickling in from somewhere outside. “We survived the dinner,” she said.

Krayter’s fingers played along her spine, dancing gently up and down. “It could have been worse.”

“I suppose my dad could have shown up. Let’s hope that never happens.” She could only imagine how that would go. Laser blasts would light up the night.

“Is this where you tell me that I’m your rebellion?” he asked lightly, but there was a note of some old pain in his voice.

Penny smiled up at him. “I’m my own rebellion. You’re a bonus. One that I’m never letting go.” He was beautiful in the dim light, his skin practically glowing blue while his eyes dimmed to that demonic red she was growing to love. Next to him, humans were boring.

Something crashed outside and Krayter pushed himself in front of her, claws out and ready to do damage, that animalistic beast inside of him rising to the fore to protect her. But laughter rose after the crash and he let out a breath, his claws retreating as quickly as they’d come. “You’re an amazing woman, denya,” he said as he turned back to her, his hands resting on her shoulders.

She shivered as he said the word. He’d been careful over the last week, giving her space, letting her make her own decision. But her mind was made up. She’d been his from the moment they first kissed.

This time their lips met with an aching familiarity. She’d grown to love the pressure of his tongue invading, conquering, subduing her until arousal spread, leaving her ready and wanting more. But Krayter was no despot, nor she a shrinking damsel. She gripped his sides tight, digging her fingers in until it had to hurt. It was worth any price to hold him close, to keep him there. She didn’t need air, not when she could have him.

They took their time, savoring one another as if the night would last forever. Krayter imprinted himself on her tongue and his taste would remain with her until long after morning. Penny couldn’t keep her hands to herself. First she gripped his shoulders, his corded strength sending a thrill down her spine. But it wasn’t the hard muscles of his shoulders that were her goal. Not tonight.

The thick length of his erection pressed against her, a welcome reminder of the desire between them. She snaked her hand down and placed her hand right over it, taking in Krayter’s gasping breath as he jerked against her lips.

“There’s no need to rush,” he said, voice on the edge of something harsh, something feral. Something barely chained.

Penny squeezed through the fabric of his pants and slid her hand up and down his shaft. “I want you tonight,” she said against his lips, her words half muffled in the kiss. “I want you now and forever.”

He pushed her back, keeping his hands anchored on her shoulders, and stared in her eyes as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying. Before he spoke, he glanced around, as if reassessing their surroundings. “Are you sure?” he asked, forcing the words out as if each one caused him pain.

Penny’s heart swelled even more. She nodded, afraid of what she’d say if she dared open her mouth.

Krayter’s serious expression snapped into a grin and he scooped her up with a whoop of joy. Penny clutched her legs around him to keep from falling and laughter bubbled out of her mouth. He set her down on a small table opposite the door and stood there between her thighs, only their clothes keeping them from joining.

“You deserve a bed,” he said, raining kisses down her neck and working at the fastening to her top.

Penny arched her head to the side. “We have a bed at home. Right now we’re being adventurous.” She’d never been one for this kind of excitement before, but Krayter brought out the lustful siren that she’d had hidden deep. With him, she was willing to do things she’d never before imagined.

His hands found their way to her pants, and with a clever use of leverage, he had her naked from the waist down in a matter of seconds. Penny tried to reach for him, but their hands got tangled on his belt and she ended up covering his fingers while he did all the work.

Then he was just as exposed as her and her cheeks flamed a hot red. She’d seen his cock before, felt it in her hands, and even dared to kiss the tip one night. But now it stood proud, blue and ridged and hard just for her. Had it always been so big? Could it really fit inside her?

Suddenly bashful, she kept her fingers to herself, though she longed to touch the silky hardness of him.

Krayter cradled her cheek, meeting her eyes as if her shirt wasn’t gaping open and her sex exposed. “I’m a little nervous,” he confessed, eyes full of emotion.

“You are?” He’d told her himself that he’d slept his way across half the galaxy. Of the two of them, how could he be nervous?

“I’ve never made love to my mate before and I want it to be good,” he said. He slid his hand up to tangle in her hair.

Penny’s heart melted. “Oh, I’m pretty sure that it’s going to be good,” she responded. “Because I’ve never made love to my mate before either, and I want it to be good too.” She took his hand and guided it down to the opening between her legs. “And it just keeps getting better.”

Krayter traced his fingers over the slick folds of her sex. “You’re so wet.”

Penny bit her lip as he dipped inside of her and moaned, thrusting her hips towards him, begging him with her body to give her more. And her mate knew what to do. He used his fingers, playing her like an instrument, bringing her to the edge of pleasure and pulling her back. He was a cruel god and beautiful partner, all at once, showing her what he could do with only three fingers, holding himself still and placing his whole focus on her.

But Penny wanted to feel him. She reached out and grabbed hold, sliding her hand up and down his shaft in the same rhythm he used to make her ready, and his own hips jerked as shakily as hers.

“Keep doing that and this all ends before we’ve joined,” he warned raggedly.

“Then join with me,” Penny demanded. Her mind whirled with pleasure, everything burned out except thoughts of Krayter and what his fingers were doing to her.

And then he was there, his cock, circled by her fingers, butting against her entrance. She guided the tip in, feeling his blunt invasion as he pressed himself inside. She was so close to cresting with pleasure that she quivered around him as he inched his way inside her, stretching her out and filling her up, showing her that she’d been empty in a way she’d never before realized.

Something snapped between them and Penny jerked her head up, catching Krayter’s eyes as an almost physical bond anchored itself within her. It stretched out, wrapping around her heart and ending somewhere near his, binding them together in a way she’d never thought possible.

“Is that…?” She didn’t know what to say, but she couldn’t stay silent.

Krayter crushed her lips with his own and moved, thrusting deep into her and taking her over that edge. She convulsed around him, her body a conduit to pure pleasure.

But her mate, her newly bound mate, wasn’t done with her. He kept thrusting, right through her orgasm, ripping her into the next. He tore his lips away and bit down hard on her shoulder, those not quite fangs of his breaking the skin and marking her in an ancient way.

With a final thrust, he spilled inside her, leaving her limp and quivering against him, spent and satisfied. Penny held him close as she shivered, the cool night air only then starting to seep in and make itself known. But Krayter was a furnace against her and she couldn’t have let go, even if she wanted to.

He looked up, but didn’t quite meet her eyes as he wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “I’m sorry if that went—” Penny cut him off by placing a finger over his lips.

“Perfect,” she said, unable to manage sentences. It was perfect.