The fighter was speeding toward Rhys' domain and his fortress.

The mighty structures were the center of every area, the only known refuge to the long night that plagued Luminos. It was a month-long storm that raged on the planet without a shred of mercy. It had only gotten stronger over the years and every time it brought with it a larger number of victims.

Even the fortresses were not safe anymore. Only last year Rhys had heard of an accident in a domain north of his. The storm had frozen the complicated machinery that maintained the defenses and a malfunction had resulted in the main gates opening. The repairs were almost impossible and too late either way. Nearly everyone in the fortress had died due to exposure to the massive cold the storm had brought.

It was different all over Luminos. In Rhys' region, it had never gotten that cold, but there were other dangers.

He was thinking of how the long night wasn't far off now, but his attention kept slipping back to his fated.

Quinn hadn't said a word after their exchange aboard the Erados. She sat in her seat, wrapped in a long fur coat like a doll. Her hands were folded in her lap and she was looking straight ahead as if he wasn't even there.

Rhys hoped she had the good sense not to let her mood show on the surface. Even more so, he missed her smile.

The fighter landed with a sudden lurch and Quinn grabbed his hand for support when she nearly fell out of the straps too big for her, made in the measures of Nayanor warriors.

Rhys didn't let go when the fighter came to a stop. Quinn seemed to realize what she'd done, her blue eyes filled with silent defiance, but she didn't pull free. Unleashing the straps, she stood and faced him.

"Do you think I am cruel?" Rhys asked her as the hatch opened.

The surprise on Quinn's face washed the anger away.

"Is that an honest question?" she asked carefully. "Because I don't know what you wish me to say. By every standard on Terra, yes, of course. Considering the other Nayanors... I don't know. I have no idea whether you're kinder to me than my sister's mate because you're a better man than he is or because you think I'm more willing to carry your babies this way."

"What do you think?" Rhys repeated.

Quinn regarded him silently, the anger dissipating as she seemed to come to a conclusion.

"I don't think you're cruel," she said at last. "I think you live in a deeply messed-up world and maybe you think you're doing the right thing. I just wish you saw that your truth isn't mine."

"Then hear me when I say this," the harbinger replied, pulling her against him, loving how beautiful she looked in his colors. "I didn't say those things about your sister to hurt you. I'm warning you not to treat my species the way you'd want them to be. We don't respond to that. Luminos is a harsh, unkind world and it breeds men who are tough enough to handle that."

A small smile appeared at the corners of Quinn's lips. She was stunning in the light of the day seeping in through the open hatch of the fighter. The soft curls of her golden blonde hair fell on the fur lining of the coat, making her look like a Nayanor goddess.

"Are you trying to tell me that in your weird way, you're protecting us?"

Yes.

"I'm saying I don't want you to start a fight that I need to finish," Rhys replied, lifting her chin up to kiss her. "Your life can only get worse if you interfere with those of others."

Quinn smiled, the glint in her eyes telling him she understood his meaning well enough.

They exited the fighter together, with Quinn falling into step with him. Outside, his captains were waiting for their harbinger. All three saluted him, gazing at Quinn with interest.

Rhys gave them a stern nod. The men who never left Luminos, never knew the danger and challenge of the raids were lesser in his eyes. He'd chosen the captains from among those who couldn't for some reason leave their home world, but he had a hard time coming up with respect for them.

They did their duty well, though, which in Rhys' mind was merely keeping an eye on his domain in his absence. Mostly it governed itself, so the captains were glorified clerks to him.

"Harbinger," Jeroek, their leader, said. "It's good to have you back, sir. The long night approaches fast and our people will be glad to hear you've made it back in time. We have planned the flying ban to take effect in two days."

Outside, the wind was rising, Rhys noticed. It was still bearable to be outside, but he trusted his captain to get that information right at least. The storm reaped such heavy casualties mostly because it was hard to predict. To a casual observer's eyes, the day was nothing but a little windy, but there were ways to tell when the storm was coming. Once it did, the weather worsened by the second. It was no use getting away at that point.

Nayanors had a saying about people who ended up seeking shelter too late. It went: "Find a place to die."

It showed how hopeless it was to survive out there once the storm hit.

"Good," Rhys said. "How is the evacuation going?"

"Very well," Jeroek assured him. "Almost everyone who is listed to take shelter in Jos Gharo has arrived and been accounted for. The missing part counts for a marginal difference."

The harbinger nodded. Jos Gharo, his fortress, wasn't the biggest on Luminos, but it was old and that was good. Similar to the Black Hall, the largest and most reliant of all the gigantic structures, Jos Gharo had roots deep in the ground. It had been built in an age long ago, but the people who'd lived then knew what a fortress needed to survive the long night.

"This is Quinn," he said, turning to his fated who managed a smile despite the slight frown on her face. "My fated."

Rhys assumed it was the word "marginal" that had upset her.

The captains didn't return her smile as Nayanors never did, but they gave her small bows of acknowledgement.

"We had heard rumors that you had found a fated at last," Jeroek said with sincerity. "It is more great news to our people to know that there will be continuation to your bloodline soon."

Rhys was surprised at how well Quinn kept it together after that part of the conversation. The words that almost audibly beat at her teeth, wanting to be yelled at his captain, made the harbinger grin.

She was learning. Slowly but surely. It gave him hope that Quinn would soon become accustomed to Luminos and its ways. He couldn't wait to have her become pregnant with their first son. Rhys could only imagine how gorgeous his fated would look, bearing their child.

"I have sent most of the females to the Black Hall," he told the captains. "After the long night is over, the females who didn't find their mates will come here. For now, I want you to make arrangements to house those who I've kept here."

"Yes, sir," Jeroek saluted again, shuffling off to start working on his orders.

"Whatever you're thinking of to say, you better wait until we're in private," Rhys warned Quinn, watching them go. "You did well. Don't ruin it now."

She didn't answer. Her eyes were nailed to something behind him. Rhys had rarely seen rage so pure in someone's eyes. That included enemies he'd been about to kill.

Turning, he saw Quinn's sister and her mate coming their way. It was clear as day that he'd been right about the punishment the female would receive if Quinn poked her nose where it didn't belong. The female looked terrible. Her hair was combed over her head as if someone had dragged her so harshly they'd torn it. She was covered in warm clothes from head to toe.

The weather was bad, but Rhys knew without a doubt it wasn't the reason to cover her up like that.

Quinn was shaking by his side. The horror in her deep blue eyes was unbearable to see. The sorrow his fated felt cut straight to Rhys' core.

The couple reached them. The female didn't even dare to raise her eyes.

Dolor saluted properly, a smile without any warmth flashing as he nodded to Rhys as if they were equals.

"Harbinger," he said. "I wanted to apologize for any trouble my fated gave you in the bay. I am willing to deal out repercussions if you order so. My female is still learning our ways."

Rhys glanced at Quinn. His fated was looking at him and the expression on her face chilled him to the bone. Tears were beading in her eyes as the harbinger could practically hear his own words echoing in her head, telling her not to intervene. Her lips were trembling.

No one could hurt his fated like that.

"Our ways," Rhys repeated quietly, his deep voice dark and deadly as he returned his gaze to the warrior. "Tell me, did you give her a chance to pull away from your fists?"

Understanding flashed behind Dolor's green eyes and Rhys could see the warrior's hands twitching to draw his sword. Common sense won, but barely.

"Sir?" the warrior asked, his voice tense with repressed fury.

"Your fated," Rhys repeated, seeing Quinn's eyes fly wide open. "Did you at least give the female a chance to fight back? Or did you keep her helpless?"

Dolor didn't answer, bristling. He was clearly hesitating, thinking what the price was for defending his rights against Rhys.

The harbinger didn't give him the chance to come to a conclusion.

"You have to tell me later what that feels like," Rhys growled, decking the warrior with a punch that sent him sliding on the ground.

Heads were turned on the landing platform, but the harbinger didn't care. Quinn was his to protect and no one got away with instilling such sadness in her.

He walked forward to stand above the warrior, looking at the man bleed, clutching his broken nose and glaring at him. It said plenty about Dolor that the warrior hadn't yet challenged him or raised a hand to defend himself.

That was the sign of a man who wanted to live more than he wanted to keep his pride. Rhys was seriously considering expelling the warrior from his crew.

"I trust you know better than to let me see your female like that again," he told the warrior, turning away and pulling Quinn with him.

His fated kept looking back as they walked to the fortress, but there was a new light in her eyes all of a sudden. The harbinger didn't say a word as they walked, grimmer than he'd been in a long while, thinking of how much his actions would cost him in the future.

When the doors of their quarters closed behind them and Rhys faced Quinn again to explain to her the full consequences of what had happened, he got his prize.

Quinn almost leaped into his arms, pulling herself up by the straps of his armor and pressed her lips to his.

"Thank you," she said, her blue eyes shining with happiness.

After that, Rhys couldn't have mustered regret for what he'd done if he tried.