Loka tried to stand when he saw the horrified expression on Heather’s face but was kicked in the back by a Banti.

“Move again and I’ll shoot you.”

“Make sure you take his arm before you do.” The largest of the three Banti flickered his tongue out.

“You’re not eating my boyfriend.” Heather stood in the doorway, the two disabled cyborgs framing her like dead metal angels.

“Boyfriend?” One of the Banti grunted a laugh. “This is yours?”

“That’s none of your business.” Heather took a step forward. She raised the laser. “Return him to me.”

“You need to leave,” Loka said.

“I’m going nowhere.”

Loka dropped his head. He’d been so close to getting past the Banti. When he’d arrived in the room, there had only been one, hunched over a control panel.

Loka had been about to jump the Banti when the others had returned and grabbed him. They’d injected him with something that made every movement feel like agony. He knew Banti used a slow-acting sedative on prey. It kept them alive while they began to eat them.

“The little human is right. She’s going nowhere. I haven’t eaten in hours,” the largest Banti said.

“I am not your lunch,” Heather said. “Give me back my man. I mean, my alien. Give me back what’s mine.”

Despite his body refusing to cooperate, a wonky smile crossed Loka’s lips. He was hers. Her alien.

“I don’t think so.” The Banti with the plasma blade slashed it across Loka’s head.

Fire flowed through Loka’s head as Heather screamed and fired her laser.

The Banti recoiled, and the stench of fried scales filled the room.

Loka fell onto his face, his head feeling oddly light. He could do nothing but watch as Heather rolled out of sight.

He let out a sigh. She was escaping; that was good.

Then she was back, using a chair to shield herself. She fired high and wild, not aiming as she pounded the room with laser blasts.

“Leave,” Loka whispered. He wasn’t even sure if that was the word he’d gurgled. He wished her out of danger. She couldn’t stay here.

A stab of pain lanced through Loka’s calf. He was sure it was a stab or a shot from the Banti, but the drugs they’d pumped him with left everything tingly and floppy. The pain was a weird, floaty sensation that didn’t feel real.

With an angry scream, Heather slammed the chair across the room, missing Loka by an inch and smashing into the Banti. She grasped the laser in both hands and fired.

Loka watched as the battling Bantis’ expressions turned to shock as their skin fried and they slumped to the floor.

Heather’s laugh was both startled and delighted. “Holy stars! I did it.” She raced to the control panel. “Doors! Doors! We don’t need anyone else joining this party. I have to close the ramp.”

Loka flopped onto his back. He stared at his tiny warrior princess. She was not only brilliant but brave. She wanted him. He was her boyfriend. It wasn’t a term he was familiar with, but it sounded great.

“Got them!” Heather turned. Her face paled as she focused on Loka. She grabbed him under the arms and pulled him into a seated position. “How are you doing?”

“Good. Pain. Some...sensations.” His head still felt too light. It must be the drugs.

She tilted her head, her gaze on his horns. “I’m not sure I got all of that. Can you hold out? We need to block the Banti signal and stop the code from doing any more damage.”

“Fine.” He slumped against the wall, wishing he could do more to help Heather, other than drool on himself and try not to vomit.

She quickly untied his hands and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

If he could laugh, he would. Instead, Loka watched helplessly as the sedative continued to seep through his system. Heather stood at the control panel, her fingers running over it.

“This code is incredible.”

“Vincoles,” Loka growled.

“We’ll deal with them,” Heather said. “They should know better than to side with the Banti. I’ll make sure they’re banned from using My Single Alien’s services for life. That will teach them a lesson. They will never run our agency or expand their sick auctions.”

Loka struggled to remain conscious as Heather continued to work.

He felt her hand briefly touch his arm. “You rest. I’ve got this.”

“My princess,” he muttered, before lapsing into unconsciousness.

***

THE SMELL THAT FILLED his nose when Loka regained consciousness was not one he expected on a battlefield.

Not that he’d been in many battles. Well, any battles, unless you counted the time he had a near miss with a particularly violent virus he’d worked on during his visit to Dekab. It turned those infected into violent, mindless thugs. He’d knocked a few out and then waited in a safe room until the danger had passed.

This battlefield smelt of cinnamon and sugar. He inhaled deeply, his eyes still closed. He’d come to know and love that smell. He associated it with Heather.

Loka felt something warm and soft pressed against his back. He luxuriated in that feeling for a moment. This was no battlefield. This was paradise. If he had died in that Banti ship and this was his next life, he was content.

Easing onto his side, he slowed as he realized his head was wrapped in bandages.

As Loka reached his hand up to inspect his injuries, he felt Heather shift away from him, her warmth leaving a cold ache in his spine.

She grabbed hold of his hand and pulled it against her chest. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I wanted to be awake to keep an eye on you.”

He smiled at her. “I didn’t expect to find you here when I awoke. I’m assuming, since we’re both tucked up in bed, the station hasn’t exploded.”

She grinned back at him. “Problem solved. Once we were on the Banti ship, I had full access to their code. It took me a few minutes to disable it, but thanks to the trojan we’d inserted, it didn’t put up much of a fight.”

“I should have helped you.”

Heather placed a finger against his lips. “It’s fine. The Banti drugged you. I found a discarded injection pen in the flight deck. The way you zonked out on me, I figured it wasn’t simply because you were tired.” Her gaze flicked up to his bandaged head, and concern filled her eyes.

“What’s wrong with me?” Loka wanted to explore his head, but equally, he wanted to keep his hand pressed against Heather’s chest, nestling on top of the curve of her breasts.

“You don’t remember?”

“Whatever they gave me made it hard to focus. I remember laser fire and you screaming.”

“Anything after that?”

He carefully shook his head. “Nothing. Wait. You helped me up. I was watching you deal with the code.”

“That’s right. By the time I turned back to you, you were out of it. I reactivated a cyborg and instructed it to carry you here. We made a stop at the medical bay.” Heather’s gaze dropped. “How do you feel now?”

“Tired and sore. Did I get shot with a laser?”

“Yes. On your leg. That’s healing nicely. One of the Banti shot you.”

Loka growled. “Typical Banti. They like to hit you when you’re down.”

Heather licked her lips. “Do you remember the plasma blade?”

Loka closed his eyes. “One of them had a traditional Banti ritual blade. They wanted to cut off an arm.”

Heather nodded. “I heard them saying they were going to eat it.”

“Then you came in and changed their minds.” His other hand moved around and cupped her cheek. “This time, you saved me.”

“Well, I saved most of you.” She didn’t meet his gaze.

Loka shifted his position and pulled himself into a sitting position. “I feel whole.”

“And you are to me. You’re as handsome as ever.”

“I’m pleased you think so.” Unease stirred in Loka’s stomach. Heather was hiding something.

She eased his hand from her chest and placed it on the bandage on his head. “Don’t freak out.”

“I never freak out.” Loka patted the bandage. His hand stilled as he felt a hard lump where his right horn should be. Coldness ran through him. He swallowed, not able to believe what he had felt. “They took my horn?”

“They sliced it clean off before I could stop them.”

Loka’s chest felt tight. Picar prided themselves on their horns. A strong pair of horns signaled virility and strength, not just as a fighter, but in whatever area of life you exceled in. He would not be taken seriously with a missing horn.

He forced himself to look at Heather. She would not take him seriously either. No woman wanted a damaged male. She would have to reject him. It was the right thing to do.

As his gaze met hers, he saw tears in Heather’s eyes. Loka was right. She was here because she felt sorry for him. She pitied him now he was missing a vital part of himself.

His hand remained on the stump of his horn. They had sheared it off at the base. It would never grow back. He was a freak.

“The doctor said it is safe to take off the bandage,” Heather said. “I didn’t want to wake you by doing it myself. We can do it now, if you’d like?”

Without saying a word, Loka flipped out a claw and shredded through the bandage. He remained still as Heather eased it from his head. Remaining focused on her expression, he tried to gauge how disgusted she was by his missing horn.

Instead of pulling back, she moved closer. She leaned forward and kissed the horn stump.

Loka jerked back. His head slammed into the wall.

Heather gasped and shuffled backward.

He noticed then that she wore a tiny vest top and shorts.

“Sorry. Did that hurt?”

“No. Why did you do that?” His hand went to the stump. He pressed his palm on it, still feeling the electric surge of Heather’s kiss.

“To show you I still think you’re handsome. Was that the wrong thing to do?”

Loka’s hand lowered, and his claws scraped absently at the bedsheet. “How can you think that?”

“Because I do. You forget I’m different to your planet’s females. I think your horns are lovely, but I’m not used to them. Human males have no horns.”

He risked a glance at her. “You don’t mind that I’m missing a horn?” Loka couldn’t believe that. He must look ridiculous with only one horn. He would be the subject of jokes among his kind. If he was missing one horn, he must be missing the same amount of brain power.

Heather tilted her head from side to side as she studied his single horn. “I’ll admit you look a little off-balance. Maybe we could try a hat?”

Loka snorted. “I am not wearing a hat.”

“You don’t have to. I do know how important Picar horns are. It will take getting used to.”

“I will never get used to missing a horn.”

Heather ducked her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter to me.”

Loka was silent. One hand stroked up and down his remaining horn. It gave him little comfort. He’d always been so proud of his horns. Now one was gone, he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel whole.

He looked at Heather, who sat patiently on the edge of the bed, her arms tucked around her knees as she watched him. She was still here. She’d watched over him as he’d healed. She had been there for him when he’d woken and discovered his loss.

Pushing down some of the sadness he felt, Loka reached a hand out toward her. “I’m sorry.”

Heather grabbed his hand and shuffled forward. “What for?”

“For being a... jerk? Is that the right word?”

A small smile played on Heather’s lips. “It might be. What do you think you’ve been a jerk about?”

He pointed at the horn stump. “This. I appreciate you taking the time to be here to tell me what happened and for pretending you still consider me handsome.”

“I don’t have to pretend.” Moving slowly, Heather shifted onto her knees. Her fingers traced across the horn stump. “Does it hurt when I touch it?”

Loka was too captivated by how close her chest was to his mouth to speak for a few seconds. Only a thin layer of fabric separated him from her beautiful body. “It’s a warm sensation when you touch it. It’s like you’re not touching my horn, but a different part of me.”

“Which part?”

He felt her fingers trace around the edge of the horn stump. His cock was rock hard. He shifted on the bed, suddenly realizing he wore no clothes.

Heather stopped playing with his horn stump and knelt back on her heels. “You didn’t answer me.” Her gaze dropped to his crotch, and her eyes widened. “Oh! Right! I touch your horns, and you literally get horny. I might have to use that as your new nickname.”

“Maybe we should only use it when we are in private.” Loka enjoyed the fact Heather still stared at his crotch. He traced a hand up her arm.

She sighed and leaned into his touch. “You need more rest. You might still feel some of the aftereffects of the sedative the Banti pumped you full of. The doc said, if you’d been a smaller alien, you would have died.”

“I feel rested enough.” The urge to bellow bubbled up Loka’s throat. Whenever he bellowed, Heather always appeared alarmed. He kept the noise inside, emitting a low rumble instead.

She smiled at him. “You’re happy?”

“Not about my missing horn. I am happy you’re here. Do you really not mind that I’m incomplete?”

“To me, you’re perfect.”

Loka grabbed her around the waist and pulled her on top of him, so they lay chest to chest.

Heather laughed as she adjusted her position, spreading her legs so she straddled his thighs. “We might need to work on this. It’s my first time being with someone who has horns, claws, and is... much bigger than me.”

“I have a horn. Singular. Just the one.”

“It’s a lovely horn. It always was my favorite.”

Loka grumbled.

“You’re, well, from the feel of what I’m sitting on, you’re quite a bit bigger than human males.”

Loka liked the idea of being better endowed than the feeble human mates Heather had encountered. He bucked his hips upwards to give her a taste of his desire.

“Whoa there, cowboy.” Heather grabbed his horn. “Like I said, this will take a bit of getting used to.” With her free hand, she slid it down his chest and circled his cock. Her gaze dropped down, and she shuffled back, still keeping a hold of his horn.

“Is something wrong?” Loka sucked in a breath at the delicious feel of Heather’s hand stroking his shaft.

“You feel ribbed.” Heather leaned closer to his cock, her breath tickling the top. “I’ve seen pictures, but this is my first, real-life Picar cock.”

Loka nodded, the intense sensation of Heather holding his horn and gripping his cock was almost too much. “This is how all male Picars are formed. We are ribbed because it gives the females maximum pleasure.”

“Evolution is an incredible thing.” Heather stroked her hand up and down his shaft. “It must be quite a ride being on you.”

His grin was wicked. “Would you like to find out?”

Her lust filled gaze met his. “Absolutely.”